Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Review

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Handling and Features

This is a large and impressive looking lens that weighs in at 602g and sports a reasonably compact 62mm filter thread. The bayonet lens hood is generously sized and fits precisely and securely. Looking into the lens we can see the 9 bladed diaphragm forms an almost perfectly round aperture, which will enhance the bokeh, the smoothness of out of focus areas.

Looking first at the lens exterior, there is a wide manual focus ring that can be pulled forwards and backwards as well as rotated. Forwards is the AF setting, back towards the camera body is the MF setting. The lens has internal focus, so in AF mode the ring does not move. If we turn the focusing ring in AF then it does nothing, but when in MF it engages with the manual focus scale ring that lies just behind it.

This in itself is very interesting because when engaging manual focus the lens  internal focus mechanism moves the point of focus to whatever distance the indicator ring is set to. This means that a setting can be pre-selected and focused on simply by moving from AF to MF.

In addition, there is a button on the lens that will lock the focus position when using AF. This enables the technique of focus, lock focus and re-compose, which can be very useful in macro photography and also in portraiture where focus on the eyes is so important.

Finally, there are two switches on the lens barrel. The first engages a focus limiter and the choice is between full range, infinity to 0.5m and 0.5-0.28m. This will help to avoid any excessive hunting by the AF system. The second switch turns the OSS (Optical Steady Shot) mechanism on and off.

The lens has 15 elements in 11 groups and uses floating elements to maintain close up quality. The closest focusing distance of 0.28m (0.92 feet) gives a maximum magnification ratio of 1:1 or life size. A 1cm object will be 1cm long on the sensor.

AF is achieved using a Direct Drive Super Sonic Motor and is reasonably fast on the full frame Sony A7R II and certainly virtually silent.

Using the lens is totally hassle-free and handling is excellent in every respect. Many macro lenses will be easier to use with manual focus, but the Sony enables the use of AF in most situations. Focusing locks on accurately.

Sony 90mm Macro Rear Oblique View

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