APS-C Macro Lens SONY E30mm F3.5 Macro

1．Overview

The SONY E 30mm F3.5 Macro is an E-mount autofocus lens for APS-C sensors released by Sony in 2011 for the E-mount α NEX series of cameras.

The actual focal length is 30mm, but because it is a lens for APS-C sensors, the focal length in 35mm film format is 45mm, multiplied by a conversion factor of 1.5 based on the sensor size.

It is an E-mount prime lens with a simple barrel consisting only of a focus ring. As it is an autofocus lens, there is no distance scale and it is not designed for use with manual focus.

The minimum focusing distance is 9.5cm, as is typical of a macro lens, and it is a 1x (life size) macro lens with a maximum magnification of 1x.

• There’s a lot of information online about the difference between 1:1 macro and half macro. To summarize, when you photograph a subject and the image on the film or sensor appears the same size as the actual object, it’s called 1:1, while when it appears half the size, it’s called half 1:2.
• With digital cameras, you view the image on the sensor on a monitor, so it’s difficult to compare the actual size of the subject when photographed, and so the terms 1:1 and half are difficult to understand with digital cameras.

A 49mm filter can be attached to the tip of the lens, and the hood is ALC-SH113 (SEL20F28 / SEL30F35).

Lens specifications are summarized in “Specifications, Considerations, etc.”

2．Usability

When attached to the 24-megapixel α NEX-7, the SONY E 30mm f/3.5 Macro has a focal length of 45mm (35mm equivalent), making it a standard lens usable for macro photography.

As you can see from the photo of the lens attached to the body, the lens barrel is silver, so pairing it with a black body will be a matter of personal preference. Since it’s not a particularly expensive lens, a black barrel would be fine.

As can be seen in the sample image, the image quality is good in the center, which is frequently used with macro lenses, and the 24-megapixel APS-C sensor’s capabilities are fully demonstrated.

There is some vignetting and distortion in the peripheral areas. This is when photographing flat surfaces; it’s hardly noticeable when the subject is near the center. Although the sample images do not include objects with a straight line motif, peripheral distortion is not noticeable when photographing typical subjects.

Also, while narrowing the aperture does not significantly improve resolution, it does not significantly change the depiction tendency, so the photographer can simply adjust the aperture according to the depth of field they require.

The minimum focusing distance is approximately 10cm, allowing for 1:1 macro shooting. This is sufficient performance for an affordable macro lens.

The autofocus focusing speed is satisfactory on the α NEX-7, and the focusing accuracy is also reasonable, except in scenes where autofocus has difficulty, such as through grass or fences. If the camera is set to direct manual focus, you can use manual focus if the subject is not in focus.

3．Summary

The SONY E 30mm F3.5 Macro is the only macro lens designed for APS-C size sensors. It has a compact lens barrel and is inexpensive, with a list price of 40,000 yen and around 10,000 yen used, making it a strong option when close-up photography is required.

The center of the lens is sharp even at wide open aperture, so there is no need to worry about printing L-size images.

Specifications, considerations, etc.

This lens is the only macro lens for Sony APS-C size sensors, and there aren’t many options for 30mm focal length lenses, with only SIGMA releasing one. Its competition is with standard zoom lenses for APS-C size sensors, but the 30mm F3.5 Macro has a reason for existence thanks to its short minimum focusing distance and minimal distortion.

lens name	E 30mm Macro	E 18-55 OSS
Focal length	30	18mm~55mm
35mm equivalent focal length (mm)	45	27mm~83mm
Max aperture	3.5	3.5-5.6
Min aperture	22	22-36
Leaf blade	7	7
Lens Construction	7 elements in 6 groups	11 elements in 9 groups
Min distance(m)	0.095	0.25
Lens length(mm)	55.5	60.0
Max diameter(mm)	62	62
Filter Size(mm)	49	49
Weight(g)(lens only)	138	194
Lens hood	ALC-SH113	ALC-SH112
Model number	SEL30M35	SEL1855
Release date	September 22, 2011	June 3, 2010
Price	¥37000	–

Reference links

• E 30mm F3.5・SONY Official page
• The pinnacle of NEX: α NEX-7・Shige’s hobby
• The founder of Sony mirrorless cameras: NEX-3・Shige’s hobby
• The NEX-5: the embodiment of Sony’s mirrorless philosophy・Shige’s hobby
• SONY E 16-50mm PZ OSS・Shige’s hobby

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Affiliate links

• SONY・α・Ads by Amazon
• Sony lens・Ads by Amazon
• Sony books・Ads by Amazon
• SONY E 30mm F3.5 Macro・Ads by Amazon
• E PZ 16-50 OSS・Ads by Amazon

Update history

• 2026.2.5