Yongnuo’s latest ‘nifty fifty’ camera lens is lite by name, and light on price

Yongnuo FE 50mm f/1.8 product image on a white background
It might be cheap, but this 'nifty fifty' comes with a few premium appointments such as an Fn button and control ring (Image credit: Yongnuo)

Yongnuo has added another Sony-compatible ‘nifty fifty’ to its affordable line-up of prime lenses. This plucky little optic is officially priced at $150, but is already on offer for $135 (approx £100 / AU$200). It’s available in black and white colorways and is compatible with a huge range of full-frame and APS-C Sony cameras, including the Sony A7R V, Sony A7 IV, Sony A7C II, and Sony A6700. When mounted on an APS-C sensor, it provides an equivalent focal length of 75mm, which is great for portraits and more intimate street photography.

Yongnuo FE 50mm f/1.8 product image on a white background

The Yongnuo FE 50mm f/1.8 comes with front and rear lens caps and a lens hood (Image credit: Yongnuo)

According to a Weibo post by the Federation of Independent Photographers, it’s constructed from 10 elements in six groups, has a minimum focusing distance of 0.45mm, uses an STM stepping motor, and houses a 9-bladed aperture diaphragm. The latter means that it should render nice, circular bokeh, especially when paired with that fast maximum aperture.

Yongnuo lists the lens as coming with a dustproof and waterproof rubber ring, as well as a custom Fn button and a control ring. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, premium features such as weather sealing, control rings, and function buttons are becoming more prevalent on cheap, Chinese lenses.

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Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike studied photography at college, honing his Adobe Photoshop skills and learning to work in the studio and darkroom. After a few years writing for various publications, he headed to the ‘Big Smoke’ to work on Wex Photo Video’s award-winning content team, before transitioning back to print as Technique Editor (later Deputy Editor) on N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine.

With bylines in Digital Camera, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, Practical Photography, Digital Photographer, iMore, and TechRadar, he’s a fountain of photography and consumer tech knowledge, making him a top tutor for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters, and more. His expertise extends to everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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