I just set-up my new lab scene and wanted to test it out quick, so figured the Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS Lens would be a good test candidate for the job. My full review of E 55-210mm lens with tons of sample photos is here for those interested.
As far as the new lab scene goes, I still need to add more cool items to the scene, but for now I think the lab is working how I want it to. Basically, I want to show what the lens can do as far as sharpness, distortion, color, fringing, and of course depth of field control all in one scene.
For this quick test I used my Sony Nex-6 which is only 16mp, but it’s still a great camera and does the job at the end of the day. In fact I still use it for all my video recording work for my reviews to this day. Clearly I need to upgrade to 4k sooner than later, but as always, money is extremely tight and limited for such things. However if you are wondering what I want to get, I’m thinking the Sony A6400 and Sigma E 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Lens would be the best bang for the buck upgrade option for what I do 😉
Now, on to some Lab testing!!
I shot these lab test photos in raw quality and made no adjustments in Lightroom. I just exported them as jpegs @ 75% quality. The 100% crops are below the full scene, and be sure to click on the photos for a better view.
Lab Testing @ 55mm
Full scene first then 100% Crops of the scene below that.
Her is the full scene with no lens profile correction applied in Lightroom, so you can see the slight distortion and vignette that is present in the raw file. It’s really not bad at all considering the size, weight and cost of this lens! Remember the Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS Lens goes for only $348 US.
55mm @ f/4.5 
55mm @ f/4.5 
55mm @ f/4.5
55mm @ f/5.6 
55mm @ f/5.6 
55mm @ f/5.6
Lab Testing @ 100mm
Full scene first then 100% Crops of the scene below that.
100mm @ f/5.6 
100mm @ f/5.6 
100mm @ f/5.6
100mm @ f/6.3 
100mm @ f/6.3 
100mm @ f/6.3
Lab Testing @ 210mm
Full scene first then 100% Crops of the scene below that.
210mm @ f/6.3 
210mm @ f/6.3
210mm @ f/8 
210mm @ f/8
Minimum Focus Distance Test @ 210mm
This test shows you just how close you can get to something for maximum magnification and separation from the background with any given lens.
Closing Remarks
That is about it for this lab testing article, but as you can see by the test photos this lens performs really well for the money. It also has a very good effective telephoto range for those wanting some serious reach, with overall very little size and weight considering.
I will catch up with you guys later and please let me know what you think of the new lab scene!!
Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS lens Key Features:
- E-Mount Lens/APS-C Format
- 82.5-315mm (35mm Equivalent)
- Aperture Range: f/4.5-6.3 to f/22-32
- Two ED Elements; Two Aspherical Elements
- Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization
- Internal Focus
- Seven-Blade Circular Diaphragm
- Minimum Focus Distance = 3.28′ / 1 m
- Filter Thread = 49mm
- Weight = 12.2 oz / 345 g
- Price = $348 @ BHPhoto | Amazon
- My Review >>
