When used on APS-C, it sees the same angle of view as an 85~320mm lens sees when used on a full-frame camera.

What has spoiled me are cheap teles available for a-mount. They're larger, though. The 55-210 has the advantage of being about as compact as you can get an APS-C tele, and it does pretty well stopped down or at shorter focal lengths. I certainly have some nice pics from it. But I always felt that I got better results from a-mount lenses, at least at longer focal lengths. This is a basic lens with which I can take great pictures; if you'd rather shoot test targets in a lab and read about it online, then sure, get a big lens like the 70-300mm or 70-350mm and don't complain to me about how your little camera is now too big to want to carry anywhere. If you do waste your time in a lab with this lens it is a bit softer on the sides at the larger apertures, but I have no problem making sharp images with it. This Sony 55-210mm OSS is a stabilized, lightweight basic telephoto for Sony's E-mount APS-C cameras. It's small, focuses silently, reasonably fast and very close, it's reasonably priced and has image stabilization. Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.

This was Sony's first ever mirrorless telephoto zoom, coming out with Sony's first mirrorless cameras in 2011. Below, this is at 93mm, and it seems great to me. Perhaps it is a great lens at other focal lengths. But, I guess I felt that I got better, more consistent results at long focal lengths with my a-mount lenses. One of them, a Tamron 55-200, really seems great, and it's very inexpensive. It's larger, but still pretty light, and seems pretty good even wide open. And the aperture is wider at various focal lengths; being able to use it at f4 and f4.5 though much of its length is handy, but then, it doesn't have OSS, so if you don't use it on a-mount, that might be a disadvantage again. Adapting this lens may not be a perfect solution, but I can't help but wonder if I'd get better results. With a telephoto lens, image stabilization is very important to prevent camera shake--Optical SteadyShot gives you the ability to capture sharp, crisp images (still or video) even in low light or when zooming into distant subjects. Two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements help to suppress chromatic aberration bleeding at all focal lengths, so you have excellent image quality throughout the zoom range. This is a lens that you'll want to keep handy at all times for dramatic long-range images. If this 1,200×900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same large magnification would be about 10 × 15" (25 × 38cm).

There are only sometimes the most minor lateral color fringes as shot on Sony's cameras which usually correct for them anyway. This is excellent performance.This Sony 55-210mm OSS is all plastic on the inside, with a plastic filter ring. The extending front inner barrel is also plastic. For less money, the B＋W 49mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated B＋W and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD is the toughest and the best. Electronic focus ring, like most mirrorless lenses, has no direct mechanical connection to the optics. It only works when you have the camera set just right. Same here but finally I am giving up., also thanks to all examples posted on this forum. They all , no exception "feature" exactly what I dislike about my own photos taken with 55210. Really good zoom means high price and I am not sports or birds photographer, to spend 2 or more thousand on a zoom, and I prefer primes anyway. Looking for 55210 replacement found 135 Zeiss which works better for my needs - like indoor music events. Same size, same price (including adapter for Contax), no OSS but 2.8 and Zeiss colour and contrast. Two ED glass elements and two aspherical elements for excellent optical performance across zoom range

I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear, otherwise I leave a clear protective filter on my lens at all times instead of a cap so I'm ready to shoot instantly. If this 1,200×900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 20 × 30" (50 × 75cm).This 55-210mm lens sees the same angle of view on APS-C cameras as an 80-320mm lens sees on full frame. Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation within lens for crisp, stable handheld shooting. Silent mechanism during movie recording This lens is is all plastic on the inside, with a metal mount and aluminum vanity cover on the outside, so it weighs next to nothing. You can take it everywhere and have it ready for anything. Sony's SEL55210 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens brings the world to owners of APS-C E-Series cameras in a long telephoto zoom lens. The equivalent of 82-315 mm in full-frame or 35 mm format, this lens has a versatile short-to-long telephoto range. The wide range is great for bringing your subject closer to you, no matter how far away it is. Internal focusing gives you smooth, responsive autofocus, with minimum noise--perfect for capturing video.

If this 1,200×900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same insanely high magnification would be about 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters). Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that. This is an APS-C (cropped-sensor) lens that works on all Sony E-mount cameras. This includes all the variations of NEX, A9-, A7-, A6xxx and A5xxx series cameras. Bokeh, the feel or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is iffy at 55mm and reasonably good at 210mm. This is one of the weaknesses I've found -- get some white or highlights, and at f6.3, it can get blown out easily. A teleconverter just makes it worse. At f8, this pretty much is tamed.The very best protective filter is the Multicoated Hoya HD 49mm which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints. It's a basic lens for people who want to go places and make great pictures, not a big fancy lens for people who want to brag to their friends and read about their equipment and dream about the pictures they never took. It will not mount on any Sony A-mount DSLR or any Minolta MAXXUM 55-210mm SLR of any kind. Those use the old A mount which was actually the Minolta MAXXUM mount from 1987.