Fun & Inexpensive Sony A57 Lenses

The Sony A57 uses A-mount lenses. Both Sony and Minolta made them.

The A57 was released in 2012. It is still a good camera for learning and enjoying photography.

I’ve focuses on cheap, light, and fun to use lenses. Every time of photography is covered, so you can find the perfect lens.

If you need a memory card there is a page that covers requirements.

Watch out for E-mount lenses

Avoid FE or SEL lenses.

Sony is no longer making A-mount cameras or lenses. Sony uses the E-mount on its mirrorless cameras.

E-mount lenses cannot be used on the Sony A57. That because the E-mount has a shorter flange focal distance.

Minolta vs Sony A-Mount

The A-mount was first used by Minolta in 1985. It was the first successful autofocus lens mount.

Minolta had to recall almost all of their first 2 DSLRs due to the “first black frame” problem. The result was Sony buying Konica Minolta’s imaging division in 2006.

A-mount lenses can be used on mirrorless E-mount cameras with an adapter, like the Sony LA-EA5.

Sony Lens Abbreviations

• SAL - Sony Autofocus Lens. This will be seen in the product number.
• DT - Digital Technology. These lenses have been designed for cameras, like the A57, the have an APS-C sized sensor.
• SSM - SuperSonic Motor. Sony’s version of an ultrasonic motor that provides fast and quite autofocus.
• SAM - Smooth Autofocus Motor. Used in lower end lenses.
• OSS - Optical Steady Shot. Sony’s version of optical image stabilization. Will help get sharper images.
• ED - Extra-low Dispersion. The lens has glass elements designed to reduce chromatic aberrations.
• G - Gold. Reserved for Sony’s highest end lenses.
• ZA - Zeiss Alpha. These lenses were developed with Carl Zeiss.
• APO - Apochromatic. Designed to reduce distortion and chromatic aberration.
• IF - Internal focus. The lens will not extend when focusing.
• SEL - Autofocus lens designed for the E-mount. These will not work on the Sony A57

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Cheapest Lenses

If you don’t have a lens for your A57 get one of these. They are the cheapest way to check that your camera is fully functional.

They’re great to see if you actually enjoy carrying around a camera.

Sony DT 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 SAM II

• 213 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• SAL18552

The Sony 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 DT SAM was the kit lens for the Sony A57.

There’s two versions. They’re the most common A-mount lenses. That makes them special because they’re also the cheapest best value.

The zoom range covers the most widely used focal lengths. Buildings, groups, or portraits, this lens has you covered. Though, the flash will likely need to be used indoors.

It’s perfect for learning about shutter speed and ISO.

What it won’t do well is to blur a background. In order to get “bokeh,” you’ll need a “faster” lens. That means a prime with a larger aperture. (Smaller f-number.)

For sports, action, or wildlife, you’re going to want a telephoto zoom.

Sony DT 55-200mm f4-5.6 SAM Lens

• 305 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• SAL55200/2

If you have any interest in sports, action, or wildlife, this is the lens to get. You’ll be able to capture action on the other side of the field or at the bird feeder.

The light weight makes it perfect for taking on walks. It’s comfortable to hand hold. Most photographers won’t need a monopod or tripod.

If you’re wondering about image quality, take a look at the prices.

For casual use the balance of, size, image quality, and price, make it incredible.

Keep in mind that it can easily be resold if you decide to upgrade.

Primes for Blurry Backgrounds

Shooting with a lens that has a large aperture (big hole) results in a shallow field of view. What’s in focus can be as little as a few centimeters. The further something is from what’s in focus, the blurrier it will be.

Longer focal lengths (measured by mm) will create more bokeh (blur).

Shorter focal lengths are better for general use, events, and street photography.

For portraits, the best time to shoot is at golden hour. That’s the hour before the sun comes up, or when it sets. The diffuse lighting will make your photos look great.

The worst time is noon. The high sun will create hard shadows. It’s difficult to make anything look good in this type of light.

Sony 35mm f1.8 DT SAM

• 170 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• SAL35F18

This would be the first lens I would get.

The A57 has an APS-C sensor. There’s a 1.5x crop factor when taking the field of view into account.

It’s going to be similar to using a 50mm lens on a full frame camera. As long as you have a bit of space to move around, it’s going to be easy to frame shots.

The f1.8 aperture is good for low light shooting, like indoors.

Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT

• 170 grams
• 49mm filter threads
• SAL50F18

This is one of the best deals for a “portrait” lens out of any camera mount. If you want bokeh, get this lens.

Go out at golden hour for the best light.

This lens has circular aperture blades. It can be stopped down and still produce pleasing bokeh.

To get more blur, increase the distance your subject is from the background.

Use a circular polarizer to get bluer skies and more saturated sunsets.

Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7

• 182 grams
• 49mm filter threads
• Sony didn’t rebrand the lens.

It might not have the best autofocus, but it has a classic Minolta rendering.

I’ve always thought these were fun lenses because of the f1.7 aperture. (There’s also a f1.4 version.)

It’s a full frame lens, so it can be used on the older 35mm film SLRs.

The autofocus relies on the motor in the A57. That means it will be noisy and can be slower than SAM or SSM lenses.

Sony 50mm f/1.4 SAM

• 220 grams
• 55mm filter threads.
• SAL50F14

This is a full frame lens.

It’ll be better at low light and blurring backgrounds. The optics are better than any of the lenses mentioned so far.

If you’re a new photographer, I wouldn’t recommend buying it.

It’s for an enthusiast that will also use it on a full frame A-mount camera, Minolta 35mm film SRL, or adapt it to E-mount.

Sony 85mm F2.8 SAM

• 175 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• SAL85F28

It’s a small and light portrait lens.

Not the best build or image quality, but the price is right.

Indoors, space is going to be a problem. You’ll need to be far away from your subject for a head shot. You won’t be able to back up far enough to get a full body shot.

There are 85mm f1.8 and f1.4 lenses, but they are more expensive. I’d also rather use them on a full frame camera.

Zooms for Action & Wildlife

These telephoto lenses will get you up close to the action. They tend to be large and heavy.

Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6

• 460 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• SAL75300

The 100mm extra reach will beneficial compared to the 55-200mm. It will make birds easier to capture.

The weight is still reasonable. Walking around with the lens won’t be uncomfortable.

It was made to be an affordable lens, and that still holds true. There’s lots of great deals out there.

There are optically better lenses, but they’re more expensive and much heavier.

Tamron SP 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di VC USD

• 765 grams
• 62mm filter threads
• A005

It’s half the price of the Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 SSM ED.

That still might be too expensive compared to what the Sony A57 is worth.

The VC stands for vibration control, which is a form of optical image stabilization. That’s a good feature to have on a telephoto lens. It’ll help you get sharper photos while hand holding.

It’s a well regarded lens. It was also released for Nikon F and Canon EF mounts. Pay attention when you buy one so you don’t end up with a lens that won’t fit on your camera.

Wide Angle Lenses

Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6

• 360 grams
• 77mm filter thread! 🤑
• SAL1118

This is the cheapest wide zoom lens.

Filters are going to be expensive, but at least they can be used.

It’s a great choice for daytime use and landscapes from a tripod. The slow aperture won’t be good for astrophotography.

Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 DX II

• 560 grams
• 77mm filter thread! 🤑
• Focus clutch

It’s a well built lens, with some nice features. This is a better choice for astrophotography, due to the faster aperture.

The focus clutch allow for fast switching between manual and autofocus. The focus ring just needs to be pushed or pulled. No fiddling with a tiny switch.

It also has internal focus. The front element will not move when the lens is focusing.

Don’t buy a Nikon F or Canon EF version. Tokina sold it with different lens mounts.

Sony 20mm f/2.8

• 285 grams
• 72mm filter threads 😭
• SAL20F28

The older Minolta version is less expensive and optically the same. Sony only made changes for branding purposes.

Taking the crop factor into account, a 30mm equivalent isn’t very wide. Filters will also be expensive.

The only wider lens is a fisheye. You’re likely better off with one of the zooms.

Fisheye Lenses

Sony 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye

• 400 grams
• 4 built-in filters: Normal, 056, B12, A12.
• SAL16F28

The front element is bulbous and sticks out, preventing the use of filters.

The built-in filters are great for film. They aren’t going to do much with digital cameras.

• 056 - Accented contrast for black and white photos.
• B12 - Correct color by eliminating red tones.
• A12 - Correct color by eliminating blue tones.

There is an earlier Minolta version, but not much of a savings to be had. Considering the lens was originally $999, current prices are really good.

Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye

• 443 grams
• 180 degree angle of view.
• Manual focus.
• Designed for APS-C sensors.

It’s a budget lens with mediocre image quality. Normally that’d be bad, but the fisheye effect makes up for that.

The real trade off is that you can’t use filters and it needs to be manually focused.

If I had to choose, I’d pick it over the Sony 16mm.

It’s also sold as the Samyang 8mm f3.5.

Macro Lenses

Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro

• 295 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• SAL50M28

Great for close-up shots and table top photography.

For 1:1 macro, the short working distance is going to get annoying. It can scare subjects away or make lighting difficult.

Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro

• 505 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• SAL100M28

Perfect for 1:1 macro. You’ll have lots of room between the end of the lens and your subject.

It can also be used as a portrait lens because the aperture has 9 circular blades.

Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP

• 405 grams
• 55mm filter threads
• 272E

The Tamron is slightly cheaper than the Sony.

It has a focus clutch, which makes manual focusing easier.

There are many different versions of the lens. This one has the right balance of features and image quality.

Be careful not to end up with a Nikon F, Canon EF, or Pentax K mount version.