Sony DT 55 300mm F 4 5 5 6 Review | 54 Data compared

The Sony 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DT SAM lens is a budget-friendly, compact telephoto zoom designed for A-mount cameras with APS-C sensors, such as the Sony A-77 used in this test. Boasting an impressive 5.5x zoom range equivalent to 83–450mm on full-frame cameras, it provides solid performance across portraiture, wildlife, and bright-light action photography. The lens features a sturdy build, a physical zoom transport lock, a quiet SAM autofocus motor, and exceptional resistance to flare or ghosting. Optically, it excels at shorter focal lengths where corner sharpness almost equals the center, and it benefits immensely from automatic in-camera profiles that virtually eliminate distortion and chromatic aberration in JPEG files. The review highlights several specific pros and cons to help buyers gauge its overall value. On the positive side, the lens delivers a highly attractive price-to-performance ratio, well-built compact handling, low vignetting, and sharp 2000 LW/PH resolution over most of its focal range. Conversely, the cons include unappealing bokeh, a 25% drop in resolution at the maximum 300mm focal length (yielding 1500 LW/PH), and a reliance on the camera body for optical corrections,...

📸 Reviewer sailchessi rated the Sony DT 55-300mm lens a strong 4.3 out of 5 overall, highlighting its exceptional value after buying it used for $90 USD. Tested on a 20MP Sony a58 SLT camera, the reviewer praised its compact size, lightweight build, and wide focal range which makes it a perfect choice for light 3-to-4 lens air travel kits. It delivers punchy, bright white color rendition and impressive texture detail on paper targets, easily outperforming heavy alternative zooms like the Tamron 200-400mm and Sigma 150-500mm at specific f-stops like f/8–f/9. Dyxum 🔍 On the downside, the lens falls behind in edge sharpness, appearing slightly out of focus at the corners when pushed to its maximum 300mm reach—particularly when compared to the tack-sharp Sigma at f/13. The reviewer also explicitly noted that the lens' performance at 300mm is "OK but not great," dropping behind the wide-open sharpness of the otherwise "abused" Tamron 200-400mm when shooting at a wider f/5.6 aperture. Despite these edge definition flaws, its low distortion and superb center details ensure it remains a highly capable telephoto companion.

The Sony DT 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 SAM lens is a budget-friendly APS-C telephoto zoom (82.5-450mm equivalent) offering high center sharpness and a lightweight build suitable for upgrading from kit lenses. It provides good value with an Extra-Low Dispersion element for reducing chromatic aberration and a pleasing bokeh, according to the ePhotozine review. Limitations include audible autofocus, a rotating focus ring lacking full-time manual override, lower corner resolution at 300mm, and a plastic lens mount.

This review highlights the Sony DT 55-300mm F4.5-5.6 SAM A-mount lens as an exceptionally sharp and solidly built option that outperformed several older Minolta and third-party 300mm telephotos in outdoor testing. Key advantages include excellent color rendition, low distortion, minimal chromatic aberration (especially with in-camera corrections enabled), a zoom lock, a wide manual focus ring that pairs well with focus peaking, and a robust metal mount. The reviewer paid £100 after cashback and initially found it highly capable for birding, noting its stable autofocus performance compared to the smaller Sony DT 55-200mm. However, the reviewer ultimately downgraded the lens's sharpness rating after acquiring a Minolta 100-300mm APO, which proved sharper wide open, smaller, lighter, and more compatible with teleconverters. Primary disadvantages of the Sony lens include a rotating filter thread during focusing, an overall length that makes neck-carrying awkward, a relatively distant minimum focusing distance, and electronic communication issues when paired with a Kenko 1.4x teleconverter. Furthermore, while it can be physically mounted on full-frame cameras like the Sony A7RII, the image quality degrades noticeably outside the APS-C circle, making...

The DXOMARK lab review for the Sony DT 55-300mm F4.5-5.6 SAM lens mounted on the Sony SLT Alpha 77 II yields an overall DXOMARK score of 14, with its optimal performance found at a focal length of 70mm and an aperture of f/4.5. The evaluation reveals mixed performance metrics for this telephoto zoom lens. On the positive side (pros), the lens exhibits incredibly well-controlled geometric distortion, scoring a minimal 0.3%. Furthermore, chromatic aberration is kept reasonably low at just 7 µm, ensuring minimal color fringing in high-contrast areas. Conversely, the lens suffers from several measurable weaknesses (cons). Its sharpness profile is quite limited, resolving a modest 8 P-Mpix on the Alpha 77 II sensor. Light transmission is also poor, measured at 5.1 TStop, which limits its efficiency in lower light conditions. Additionally, vignetting is a prominent issue, dropping down to -1 EV, which causes noticeable corner darkening during wide-open shooting.