Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM Specs, Equivalents & Depth of Field

50 mm

Focal length

f/1.8

Maximum aperture

32°

Diagonal angle of view (APS-C)

APS-C

Designed for

Specifications#

Brand: Sony
Model: DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM
Lens type: Portrait / short tele prime
Focal length: 50 mm
Maximum aperture: f/1.8
Image circle: APS-C (23.5×15.6 mm)
Mount(s): Sony / Minolta A-mount
Projection: Rectilinear
Autofocus motor: smooth (SAM)
Lensfun correction profile: Yes — distortion/vignetting/TCA

Equivalent focal length on different cameras#

Field of view and depth-of-field equivalence when this lens is used on bodies with different sensor sizes (natively or via an adapter).

Camera format	At 50 mm	Equiv. aperture (DoF)
APS-C	75 mm · 32°	f/2.7
APS-C (Canon)	80 mm · 30°	f/2.9
Micro Four Thirds	100 mm · 24°	f/3.6

Depth of field & background blur#

Computed on its native APS-C format (CoC 20 µm). “Blur @2 m” is the size of an out-of-focus point at infinity, as a percentage of frame width, with the subject at 2 m — a simple bokeh index. Full table: 50 mm f/1.8 on aps-c.

Focal	Aperture	at 1 m	at 2 m	at 5 m	at 10 m	Hyperfocal	Blur @2 m
50 mm	f/1.8	2.7 cm	11.0 cm	70.0 cm	2.86 m	71.1 m	3.0%
50 mm	f/4	6.0 cm	24.5 cm	1.59 m	6.90 m	32.0 m	1.4%
50 mm	f/8	11.9 cm	49.6 cm	3.43 m	20.3 m	16.0 m	0.7%

Handheld & night-sky limits#

NPF assumes typical 20–24 MP sensors (≈6 µm pixels on full frame, ≈3.9 µm on APS-C, ≈3.3 µm on Micro Four Thirds).

Body	Min. handheld shutter (longest focal)	500 rule at 50 mm	NPF at 50 mm, f/1.8
APS-C	1/80 s	7 s	4 s
APS-C (Canon)	1/80 s	6 s	3 s
Micro Four Thirds	1/100 s	5 s	3 s

Compatible cameras#

Bodies in our database with a native Sony / Minolta A-mount mount. Full-frame bodies switch to an APS-C crop with this lens.

Adapt it to other systems#

Sony E-mount Canon RF Nikon Z Fujifilm X-mount Micro Four Thirds L-Mount Canon EF-M Fujifilm G-mount Hasselblad XCD Nikon 1 (CX)Pentax Q Samsung NX Canon EF Nikon F

Similar lenses#

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 IF UMC Aspherical f/1.4
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM f/1.4
Sony 85mm F2.8 SAM (SAL85F28) f/2.8
Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD F016 f/1.8
Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC f/2
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z) f/1.8

Frequently asked questions#

Is the Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM full frame?

No — it is designed for APS-C sensors. On a full-frame body it vignettes or triggers crop mode.

What is the Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM equivalent to on APS-C?

Its focal length is already the real value for APS-C: 50 mm frames like 77 mm on full frame.

What is the Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM good for?

As a portrait / short tele prime it suits head-and-shoulders portraits with flattering perspective and creamy backgrounds.

Sources & licences#

Lensfun lens database — CC BY-SA 3.0