Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS review – Image quality

As you would expect, the lens is bitingly sharp in the centre, even when shooting wide open at f/2.8. Stopped down to f/8 it is even better, creating crisp, clear macro images where minuscule textures are revealed. It is obviously a great companion for the 36.4-million-pixel Sony Alpha 7R.

At f/8, images display little difference in sharpness from the centre to the sides of images. It is only in the very corners that there is a drop in resolution, and even there the resolution is incredibly impressive.

Even at the very corners, the 90mm lens is incredibly sharp

In general use, the Sony FE 90mm produces great images that are critically sharp, which actually makes this lens a good option for certain types of landscape image, as well as still-life shots and portraits. Eyes, eyelashes and hair are rendered beautifully crisp, while the f/2.8 aperture throws backgrounds nicely out of focus.

Although designed as a macro lens, the 90mm focal length makes it useful for portraits

I also used the lens for some street photography images, where I found that the level of contrast that the lens produced, when combined with the Alpha 7R, made for really great pictures.

Out-of-focus areas are beautifully rendered with smooth gradations in tones, thanks to the rounded aperture blades. This is, of course, vital for macro and portrait images, where a smooth background helps to make the subject really stand out.