The Sony A450 is an awesome SLT camera. If you don't currently own a lens for your camera or are shopping for another lens, this article will cover the top 6 lenses for the Sony DSLR-A450.
Here are the best Sony A450 lenses:
- Standard Lens - Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT
- Portrait Lens - Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA CZ
- Zoom Lens - Sony 28-75mm f/2.8
- Wide Angle Lens - Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
- Fisheye Lens - Sony 16mm f/2.8
- Macro Lens - Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Below, the top Sony lenses are split up by focal length. Also covered are more options covering a range of prices.
Table of Contents
Standard Primes
Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT
- Lens not zoomable
- Filter diameter (mm): 49 mm
- Small size, light weight portrait lens
- 35mm focal length equivelant on APS-C; 75mm
- Smooth and silent AF operation with built-in motor (SAM)
An awesome combo of light weight and very compact size. Quiet and fast autofocus is provided from a built-in autofocus motor.
The circular aperture allows you to close down by 2-stops and still have an almost circular aperture. The result is spectacular bokeh and greater flexibility in managing depth of field.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7
- - Minolta Prime lens
- - Works with Sony Alpha
- - Front and rear caps are included
- - Lens case is included
- - See photos for condition
This is one of the first lenses from the intro of the A-mount for autofocus. Because of how old the lens is, the autofocus is done by the built-in motor in the A450's camera body.
Autofocus that is physically coupled can be slow and noticeably noisy. If that is not a huge concern for you the picture quality is beautiful. You will end up with eye-catching bokeh and a classic look to your images.
A further significant advantage of this lens is the cost. It is noticeably more inexpensive when compared with the Sony 50mm f/1.8 and additionally could be the cheapest lens on the list.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Sony 50mm f/1.4
- Ultra-bright standard 50mm lens with f/14 maximum aperture for Sony Alpha digital SLR cameras
- Maximum magnification ratio (x): 0.15x.Provides superb clarity and visual accuracy even when shooting at fully open apertures indoors
- Employs in-camera Super SteadyShot image stabilization system to minimize blur from camera
- Circular aperture for low-light shots; 15-foot minimum focus distance; 55mm filter diameter
- Measures 256 inches in diameter and 169 inches long; weighs 8 ounces
Marginally faster compared to the f/1.8, nevertheless, that can actually be important when you are shooting in low light. That without a doubt comes at an additional cost.
It is still a small and lightweight lens that fits comfortably on the A450 and can fit into virtually any camera bag.
A moderately less expensive alternative is the Minolta AF 50mm f/1.4. Keep in mind that they can be very hard to find in usable condition. It also was built with coupled autofocus, which is worse than lenses that contain built-in motors.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Portrait & Telephoto Lens
Sony 85mm f/1.4 ZA
- 85mm f1.4 telephoto lens boasts professional performance for portraits and close-ups
- Astonishing sharpness at fully open aperture
- T* coating to reduce flare and increase contrast
- Smooth, visually pleasing background effects
- Focus hold button for full creative control, auto clutch to stop manual focus ring rotation
Sony showed off with this lens. Zeiss built the lens. The ZA (Zeiss Alpha) indicates that Zeiss created the lens specifically for the A-mount.
This is a great lens. Razor-sharp corner-to-corner with brilliant colors that creates impressive portraits.
A potential downside is that it is fairly heavy on account of being built like a tank and the autofocus can seem slow at times. Take into account, that you will run into similar problems with any 85mm f/1.4.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Rokinon 85mm f/1.4
- Aperture Range: F/1.4 - F/20
- 9 Elements in 7 Groups
- Angle of View: 28.3 Degrees
- Minimum Focusing Distance: 3.3 ft
- Filter Size: 72mm
The Rokinon is a budget option that is convenient to buy. A lower price comes from the fact that the lens doesn't have autofocus.
At f/1.4 manually focusing will need a bit of practice. Closing down the aperture to f/2.8 or f/2 makes focusing much easier and you will still get wonderful bokeh.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Minolta Maxxum AF 85mm f/1.4
- max. aperture: 1.4 ; min. aperture: 22
- focal range: 85 mm
- elements/group: 7/6
- aperture blades: 9
This lens falls in the middle of the range of prices for the other 2 lenses. Obtaining a used copy in acceptable condition can be challenging due to a small available supply.
The lens does have autofocus, but it uses a mechanical coupler and is driven by an in-camera body motor. This makes it fairly loud and slow.
A Double-Gauss optical design is older and only contains six elements. A benefit to this is images possess a classic look that can not be made by current lenses that contain many more lens elements.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Sony A450 Zoom Lenses
Sony 28-75mm f/2.8
- Front Lens Cap
- Rear Lens Cap
- ALC-SH109 Petal Hood
A fast zoom lens that is outstanding for night events, indoor shooting, travel, and family photos. It is a well-constructed lens with quiet autofocus.
It is often compared to the excellent Zeiss 24-70mm, but it is around half the weight and costs less. Both lenses create pro results.
- Very usable zoom range.
- Great value used.
- Constant aperture.
- Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM).
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Sony 55-200mm f/4-5.6 SAM DT
- Compatible with 35 mm Full Frame, or APS-C format A-mount cameras.
- Small size, light weight telephoto zoom lens. Circular Aperture
- 35mm focal length equivelant; 82.5-300mm
- Smooth and silent AF operation with built-in motor (SAM)
- Closest focus distance: 0.95m; Maximum magnification: 0.29x
While still creating terrific results, this lens is a more affordable alternative. It's not a pro lens, consequently, so long as you don't require all the bells and whistles, it is a very good lens.
For a telephoto zoom, it gives you an excellent zoom range for taking images of wildlife, children outdoors, and sports.
Picture sharpness is good and the autofocus is fast. The lens is constructed of plastic, which will help reduce weight.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6
- 75-300mm telephoto zoom lens with f/4.5-5.6 maximum aperture for Alpha digital SLR cameras
- Ideal for taking close-up portraits and sports action without making subject nervous
- Gives light sources a pleasing circular defocused effect in the background for better results
- Minimum focusing distance of 4 feet, 11 inches; 7 aperture blades; 55mm filter diameter
- Measures 2.81 inches in diameter and 4.81 inches long; weighs 1 pound, 2 ounces
This is a borderline super-telephoto lens due to the zoom range. It's a terrific low-cost solution for when you want lots of reach.
The lens is only 2.8 inches (7.1 cm) in diameter, 4.8 inches (12.2 cm) long, and comes in at 1 pound 2 ounces (510g). While that's not light, many pro telephotos are multiple times heavier.
For a bit better overall performance you can look for the Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 SSM ED G-Series, but count on paying around twice as much.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Wide Angle Lens
Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
- DT lens design for optimum performance
- Maximum Magnification ratio (x): 0.125x.Delivers excellent wide-angle and long telephoto shots
- Mount : Sony A-mount
- Aspherical lens elements for wide-angle accuracy
- ED glass elements for sharp, accurate colors, 35mm Equivalent: 165 to 27mm
Amazing quality for the price if you want to be able to capture beautiful wide angle shots that a standard kit zoom can't capture. Distortion, especially of vertical lines is minor or non-apparent unless you're actively trying to create a distorted perspective.
As well as being good at shooting gorgeous landscapes, it is an excellent lens to travel with. The angle of view is wide enough so when you see something you will be able to get everything you see into the Sony A450's frame.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Sony 20mm f/2.8
- 20mm f2.8 wide-angle lens
- Visual accuracy from 10 inches to infinity
- Coated optics for clarity and definition
- Rear focusing system for fast autofocus response
- Circular aperture for defocused effects
A well-engineered lens that does an outstanding job of reducing distortion. In addition, a tremendous amount of work has been put into cutting down on flare and internal reflections.
The result is an excellent lens that is most suitable for landscape, architecture, and astrophotography. The rear focusing system means the front will not rotate meaning you will not have any troubles using a circular polarizer or another filter.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 DX II
- All metallic moving parts are coated with a special lubricant to improve durability.
- PRO models have a hardened Alumite (Armalite) finish to increase durability and give a top-quality feel and finish.
- Use of our special alloy Duralumin for metal parts provides excellent durability, stabilizes torque and provides better handling. It also maintains smoother operation under all conditions.
- Resistance to flare and ghosting, plus faithful color reproduction are all achieved by a unique coating technique – yet another reason for Tokina’s reputation for incredibly sharp and clean images.
It doesn't have very fast autofocus, but the focus clutch means it is an ideal option for manual focusing. A pull or push of the focus ring will switch the lens from auto to manual focus or vice versa.
The Tokina has a larger aperture compared to the Sony 11-18mm, which is not a large issue for landscape or architecture images. Where you will observe something different is during astrophotography. That's a circumstance where you'd want to take advantage of the 1-to-2 stop advantage the Tokina supplies.
Fisheye
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye
- 16mm (35mm equivalent) f2.8 fisheye lens provides unique photographic perspective
- Corner-to-corner sharpness
- Crisp focus from about 8 inches to infinity
- 4 built-in filters: Normal, 056, B12, A12
- Quick filter selection with a simple rotating dial
The built-in filters are a really good addition due to the fact the lens has a petal-style hood which prevents a lens filter from being mounted to the front of the lens.
- 056 - Accented contrast for black and white photos.
- B12 - Correct color by eliminating red tones.
- A12 - Correct color by eliminating blue tones.
This lens has pretty much everything you could require from a fisheye. You can get the exaggerated distortion, but the image will remain tack sharp from corner-to-corner without vignetting.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye
- 180 degrees angle of view
- Built-in petal type hood
- 10 Elements in 7 groups
- Aperture range of F/3.5 ~ 22
The lens contains a spherical front element that means filters can not be attached. It comes with a snap-on petal-shaped lens hood that you will want to ensure is included if you opt for a used lens.
Build quality can be hit or miss because of the low price. The majority of owners are quite happy with the results they get. You'll still want to completely check the lens when you receive it to be certain that it is not substandard.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Macro Lens
Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro
- 100mm macro lens with f/2.8 maximum aperture for Sony Alpha digital SLR cameras
- Works with Super SteadyShot image stabilization system to keep image steady in low light
- Focus range limiter speeds up autofocus response; focus hold button gives you full control
- High contrast and resolution gives your shots greater visual accuracy for close analysis
- Measures 3 inches in diameter and 4 inches long; weighs 1 pound, 2 ounces
A great balance of value, working distance, and weight for the Sony A450. The autofocus is a little noisy, but for shooting macro images, manual focus is easier than using AF.
For ideal output at 1:1 magnification, the lens should be stopped down by 2 or more stops. Doing that will additionally give you a wider depth of field, which is always important for macro.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro
- Bright f2.8 aperture for low-light shots
- High-contrast, high-resolution image quality
- Focus Range Limiter for faster auto focusing
- Focus Hold button for full creative control
- 35mm Focal-length equivalant: 75mm
A 50mm isn't ideal for 1:1 magnification because of how small the working distance will be. At 1x magnification, the front lens element will be around 2 inches (5 cm) from the subject.
This lens performs well at copy work, close-up, and tabletop photography. It makes it easy to get closer to a subject than a 50mm prime and is great for nature photography whenever you want to fill the frame with a tiny subject, such as a flower.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro
- Country of Origin:Japan
- Package length:3.8"
- Package width:2.8"
- Package height:2.8"
The focus ring feels great when manually focusing, and the lens also has autofocus. Closed down two or more stops and you will get razor-sharp images.
In addition, be cautious when shopping for this lens as it's offered in different camera lens mounts.
Also available at: eBay, KEH, Adorama
Used A-Mount Camera Lens Prices
Prices change frequently. Over the past few years, participation in film shooting has been expanding. As there are 35mm Minolta cameras that use A-mount lenses, some upward pressure is added to the price of lenses.
The Sony A-mount also does not have a large market share. Consequently, a smaller number of third party choices are available and the lenses built by Sony are very often on backorder.
To find the least expensive price on what you want, check out prices on a few sites. For used lenses, be prepared to pay for when you see a great deal as they do not be available for long.
What Lens Mount Does the A450 Use?
The Sony A450 uses the Sony A-mount. It's also identical to the Minolta A-mount. This is due to the fact that Sony purchased Konica Minolta's imaging division in 2006.
Minolta designed the A-mount for the release of interchangeable lens autofocus cameras in 1985. It's still Supported by Sony.
Standard Lens Cap Size
55mm filter threads are the most common, but really the filter sizes vary widely. Earlier Minolta lenses tend to have 49mm filter threads.
You can also find a good number of lenses that have much larger filter threads than 55mm. It is not uncommon to see 77m or 72mm filter threads. It would've been good if Sony tried to stick to only 2 or 3 different filter thread sizes.