The SEL 55210 O.S.S is a telephoto zoom lens built for Sony APS-C (crop sensor) cameras. Its compact size and its affordable price make it a good choice for all those people (mainly hobbyists) that occasionally need a decent telephoto lens. The E 55-210mm is also a good addition for users that already have the Sony 18-55mm kit lens and they need to cover the medium to long tele range. In the past, Sony used to sell it in double lens kits with a NEX camera such as the Sony A6000, the A6300, the A6500 or newer models like the Sony A6400. Lets now the specs and some sample photos and test / review it.
Sony E 55-210mm specs
- Mount: Sony E mount (APS-C)
- Focal Length : 55-210 mm
- Equivalent focal length: 83-315 mm (Full frame equivalent)
- Aperture Range: F/4.5-6.3 (6.8 - 9.5 full frame equivalent). The aperture can go up to 22 (32 full frame)
- Minimum Focusing Distance: 1m
- Number of Aperture Blades: 7 rounded
- Optical Formula: 13 elements in 9 groups
- Filter Thread: 49 mm
- Weight: 345 g
- Dimensions: 63,8 x 108 mm
- Optical Stabilization: Optical Steady Shot
The auto focus mechanism of this lens is old and it is difficult to shoot fast moving objects
Build Quality and Operation
SEL55210 is compact for its focal length and lightweight. It is a metal construction (magnesium alloy) except from two parts. The focus and the zoom rings which are plastic. Also keep in mind that the lens is not splash proof and dust proof. The focus and the zoom rings are smooth and overall the lens is user friendly. The lens also extends when you zoom so it is difficult to use it with a Gimbal stabilizer. Overall in its category i think that the build quality is good enough.
Image Quality
Sony E 55-210 mm is a sharp lens for its price, especially in the center of the image. It is softer in the corners and sometimes in the bottom though. Its also soft wide open at 210 mm. It seems that the sweet spot of the SEL55210 is at 55 mm and F/13 so that makes it a good lens for landscape and street photography. Because it is a zoom lens you can have variety in landscape photography. The lens has four stops of image stabilization which is decent for stills but not great for video.
The auto-focus performance is good for an old lens but not good enough for action and sports, especially in low light. Its not a fast lens and you will need plenty of light otherwise images will contain grain and noise and the auto - focus system will perform poorly with low accuracy. Surprisingly the bokeh is nice although sometimes it can become destructing and harsh. That means that you can use this lens for portraits too. Distortion, chromatic aberration and mainly vignetting are present but you can fix them easily in post processing.
The lens are also a bit prone to (green) flares. The problem is that you cant be creative using them like you would do with a vintage lens. But if you stop down to F/16 and turn the lens against the sun you will have a beautiful sun star effect. To be honest though i prefer vintage lenses for such effects.
For cinematographers this lens cant be their first choice. Its difficult to stabilize it with a Gimbal and on the other hand the four axis optical steady shot helps a bit but it is not enough. Even if you combine this lens with a camera with in body image stabilization (IBIS) like the Sony A6500 or the Sony A6600 nothing will change. The footage will be shaky exactly like it would be with a camera without IBIS. Luckily Sony improved its IBIS performance using a better IBIS and gyroscope data. Cameras like the A7S iii and A7c are way better. The video quality is decent enough though especially if you use a tripod or you do not film fast action.
Sel 55210 sample photo - 55mm - F/11 - iso 100
Final thoughts
Overall E 55-210 mm F/4.5 - 6.3 is a good telephoto lens for hobby photographers. Its also a great choice if you don't shoot much in the range between 135 mm and 210 mm and you want a decent lens just in case. It can be used with great success for landscape, portraits and general shooting but only if you have enough light and you use an aperture range between F/8 and F/13. For indoors, wild life photography and fast moving objects it is not the best option because it needs plenty of light and the auto focus mechanism is old. But on the other hand it is still OK for amateur photographers. Even if you use it with a modern APS-C camera like the Sony a6400 or the a6600 the auto focus performance wont be improved. So, should you buy it? In most cases the answer is yes. Its biggest advantage is the price - performance ratio and its compact design. Stay away from this lens only if your requirements are in the pro range.
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