Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS
Announced August 24, 2011
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Good
The Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS is a lightweight and affordable telephoto zoom that provides a useful focal range for beginners and casual shooters. Although its image quality and build construction are modest, the inclusion of effective optical stabilization makes it a practical entry-level choice for daylight sports, portraits, and wildlife.
Weighted from 11 reviewer scores
Pros
- Effective optical image stabilization
- Lightweight and compact design for travel
- Versatile telephoto zoom range
- Affordable price point
- Smooth focus and zoom operation
Cons
- Soft image quality and sharpness loss at edges
- Plasticky build quality and lack of weather sealing
- Variable maximum aperture limits low-light performance
- Inconsistent or slow autofocus performance
- Long minimum focusing distance
- Launch price $349 (USD)
- Focal length & aperture 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3
- Mount & coverage Sony E APS-C
- Stabilization Optical IS
- Close focus (0.23x)
- Filter thread 49mm
- Autofocus motor Stepper motor
- Weight & size 345g (12.2 oz) · 63.8 x 108 mm (2.51 x 4.25 in)
What the Reviewers Say
All 11 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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Sony E lenses tend to have a pretty nice build quality and the 55-210mm OSS is no exception here. Surprisingly Sony used mag-alloy for the lens body which is definitely a differentiator in this lens and price class.
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[T]his really is just an averagely good low budget telephoto zoom lens. Maybe a bit sharper than usual actually.
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The Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-5.6 OSS is a light, compact telezoom lens, but its image quality suffers when shot at maximum aperture.
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[T]his lens is actually quite decent.
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The Sony 55-210mm OSS focuses fast and takes great pictures for a bargain price.
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Like I said a million times, that shouldn't stop you from using this and you can still get awesome looking photos, which is why I think this is the perfect first telephoto lens for pretty much anyone that has a Sony crop sensor camera.
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In general, this budget lens makes okay images, good ones for your Instagram and family photos. A good to start to get images from different perspective and discover your photography skills.
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It's not going to blow you away with sharpness and things like that, but I think you can get great images out of this, and doing portrait sessions right when you start, this is a lens that you can use for that.
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[I]f you have a lower budget, you want to get into wildlife photos, sports photos, any sort of really long focal length requirements, this lens is awesome for that.
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So from me I would say it is recommended.
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I think that my opinion on the Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS lens is mostly positive. It covers a very nice zoom range and offers decent picture quality, provided you have a lot of light available.
