The 8 Best Sony Lenses For Photographers & Filmmakers

Sony is known for producing some of the most innovative and advanced cameras and lenses. With a wide range of lenses to choose from, Sony has something for everyone, from hobbyists to professional photographers and filmmakers. But with so many options, knowing which lens is right for your needs can be overwhelming.

As a team of personal Sony customers and fans, we've put together this roundup of the best lenses on the market to help you make an informed decision and take your photography and filmmaking to the next level. Whether you're looking for a versatile zoom lens, a fast prime, or something in between, we've got you covered. Below are also YouTube links we've curated for your viewing from the community, hand-picked to help further the buying decision from a more tactile perspective. Which one are you snagging?

1. Sony FE 24-70 mm F2.8 GM

Best For: The go-to lens for first-time Sony users looking to capture…. whatever they want!

The Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens is a versatile beast, perfect for full-frame Sony shooters who demand top-notch performance across various situations. Boasting a versatile focal length, it's ideal for everything from vast landscapes to intimate portraits. Its f/2.8 aperture across the zoom range ensures excellent low-light performance and beautiful bokeh. The lens features an advanced optical design with 18 elements in 13 groups, including aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements, providing ultra-sharp results even wide-open.

It's a bit on the heavier side, weighing in at 886.7g, and it's certainly not cheap, but you get what you pay for - unparalleled sharpness and quality. The autofocus is fast and near-silent, making it a go-to for stills and video work. It works on all Sony E-mount cameras, both full-frame and APS-C, offering a 35-105mm equivalent focal length.

However, it doesn't come without its drawbacks. The size and weight might be a turn-off for some, and the price tag is higher. But this lens is a worthy investment for serious photographers and professionals, offering performance that rivals even the best from competitors like Canon and Nikon. Whether you're capturing the quiet moments of life or the vibrant energy of a cityscape, the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens is a reliable, high-quality choice that won't disappoint.

2. Sony E 15mm F1.4 G Lens

Best For: Talking head lovers and bloggers needing a wide-angle. Small and perfectly compact for any traveling enthusiast.

The Sony E 15mm F1.4 G lens is a compact, lightweight, wide-angle prime lens designed for Sony's Alpha APS-C cropped-sensor mirrorless cameras. It's an ideal choice for vloggers, landscape photographers, and architectural enthusiasts, offering a 22.5mm equivalent focal length in 35mm terms thanks to its maximum aperture of f/1.4. This lens boasts fast and quiet autofocusing due to its dual Linear Motor system, making it a stealthy companion for stills and videos.

Weighing just 219g and measuring 66.6 x 69.5mm in diameter and length, the Sony E 15mm F1.4 G offers an outstanding balance of portability and performance. It's so light and unobtrusive that it's perfect for all-day shooting without fatigue. The lens features an aperture ring that can be de-clicked for smooth and silent adjustments, ideal for videography, and a customizable focus hold button for added convenience. However, it's worth noting that the lens does not feature built-in image stabilization, relying instead on the camera body to provide it.

Although its wide angle offers an extensive focal length for vlogging and wide scenes, the lens does present some flaring in harsh daylight. Additionally, the glass is crisp yet starts to vignette during low-light conditions. However, that's the standard for most wide angles, so this isn't particularly unique to the lens's downfalls.

3. Sony FE 85mm f1.8

Best For: Portrait lovers wanting a creamy bokeh background.

The Sony FE 85mm f1.8, launched in February 2017, is a bit of an unassuming powerhouse in portrait lenses. It's like the reliable Honda of lenses: not as flashy as its bigger brother, the Sony FE 85mm f1.4 GM, but it gets the job done with less fuss and a much friendlier price tag. It's the smallest, lightest, and cheapest large aperture 85mm prime lens that autofocuses on Sony mirrorless bodies. This makes it an excellent choice for portrait and street photography, thanks to its reach and distinctive bokeh look. It offers a precise sharpness for such a low aperture and offers whisper-quiet capture sounds, making you a fly on the wall for any shoot. The lens also boasts a distinctive feature, the AF Hold button, located on the barrel's side. This button can be handy for Eye AF mapping, but its necessity has diminished with Sony's introduction of firmware 3.0, which enables continuous Eye AF.

Sony's strategy with this lens was clever. They first released the premium 85mm f/1.4 GM lens in February 2016, targeting the high-end market. Then, in February 2017, they introduced the FE 85mm, offering comparable performance at a third of the price. This move aligns perfectly with the philosophy of mirrorless cameras, which emphasize the use of compact, lightweight lenses like this one.

4. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II

Best For: Nature and wildlife photographers or filmmakers wanting an excellent mid-level tele to their work.

The FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens significantly reduces weight compared to its predecessor, weighing in at just 2.3 pounds. This change is instantly apparent, especially for those accustomed to the original 3.3-pound model. Notably, it surpasses Canon's RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM, which weighs 2.6 pounds and was previously recognized as the lightest in its class for the EOS R mirrorless system.

In terms of performance, the FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II stands out with exceptional sharpness. Its clarity is maintained across all zoom settings, even when wide open. This lens challenges photographers to match its capabilities with their skills, as the only limit to achieving crisp, detailed shots lies in the user's proficiency.

5. Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 G OSS Lens

Best For: Crispy, contrasted portraits and an in-depth analysis of wildlife or nature.

This lens has earned its place with an outstanding performance record. Despite its higher price point, around $1,100, it remains accessible for many photographers. Its high sharpness, pleasing bokeh, fast autofocus, and robust build quality make it a versatile choice for macro photography, portraits, events, and landscape shooting. For those on a budget, creators often recommend the 90G Macro over an 85mm prime lens due to its added versatility, which includes excellent portrait capabilities and macro functionality. The inclusion of an optical stabilizer further enhances this lens's adaptability.

In terms of optical performance, the Sony 90G Macro features two high-grade dispersion elements in each lens, effectively reducing chromatic aberrations and color fringing, ensuring sharp clarity and accurate color fidelity. The lens also boasts a Nano AR Coating to minimize surface reflections, flare, and ghosting, improving contrast and color accuracy in bright lighting conditions. For videographers, the Optical SteadyShot image stabilization is crucial, significantly reducing camera shake and ensuring crisp, clear video footage when shooting handheld, especially at slower shutter speeds.

6. Sony 16-35mm F/2.8 GM II

Best For: Best for vlogging while selfie-ing and landscape shots that require full scenes.

Five years after its initial launch, Sony's 16-35mm F2.8 lens continues to be a crowd favorite, and its Mark II iteration elevates its performance further. This updated version impresses with enhanced corner-to-corner sharpness, a notably lighter build, and faster autofocus, making it ideal for capturing diverse scenes - from expansive landscapes to intimate interiors and various video projects. The Mark II completes Sony's 'Trinity' series, standing out as the smallest and lightest of the trio. But it's not just the size and weight that make a difference. The lens's design delivers consistently sharp, well-lit shots with pleasing bokeh throughout its zoom range. Additionally, its advanced optical structure minimizes aberrations and ensures rapid focus.

Beyond its technical capabilities, the 16-35mm F2.8 Mark II is designed for durability. It's robustly built to withstand dust and moisture, making it a reliable companion for professional photographers and serious hobbyists who demand artistic flexibility and resilience in challenging environments. Having had the opportunity to conduct extensive field tests with this lens for a week, we can confidently confirm that it lives up to its promises, offering a blend of performance and creativity that will impress even the most discerning users.

7. Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS

Best For: Best for traveling to capture wildlife or sports action.

In today's market, where telephoto zoom lenses extend to 600mm and beyond, the 100-400mm range might seem a bit traditional. However, Sony's flagship full-frame telephoto zoom lens in this class brings exceptional quality. It offers fast autofocus and a compact design that doesn't compromise resolution, aligning with Sony's esteemed Master lens series. This makes it an excellent choice for photographers passionate about sports and wildlife photography, whether seasoned professionals or enthusiastic hobbyists.

The build quality of this lens is noteworthy, featuring a predominantly metal construction that ensures stability and durability, with no wobble even at full zoom. While its compact extension system contributes to a smaller size, it makes zooming a bit more laborious compared to the ease of the 200-600mm lens, which tends to draw in air. However, Sony assures that the lens is dust and moisture-resistant. An added feature is the torque adjustment ring, which allows users to fine-tune the zoom friction, preventing unwanted zoom creep. On the technical side, the lens exhibits slightly more vignetting than average for super-telephoto zoom lenses, with visible light falloff around 1.5EV at maximum aperture.

8. Sony Alpha FE 20mm f/1.8 G Lens

Best For: Vloggers or photographers who need a wide-angle that provides bokeh.

For those passionate about travel photography, capturing expansive landscapes, or vibrant cityscapes, the Sony 20mm f/1.8 G Lens might be the perfect fit. Its ultra-wide-angle design is particularly suited for photographing large groups of people, allowing you to remain close to the subject while fitting everyone into the frame. The lens boasts smooth, quiet, and accurate internal focusing and impressive speed. Its f/1.8 maximum aperture at the 20mm focal length is notably broad, surpassed only by Sigma's 20mm offering that opens up to f/1.4. This wide aperture is essential for allowing more light to hit the imaging sensor, enabling fast shutter speeds even in low-light conditions.

The combination of a wide focal length and aperture makes handheld shooting feasible in dim settings, especially on cameras equipped with In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), and enhances creative possibilities. A wide-aperture lens like this is excellent at creating a beautifully blurred background. At f/1.8, when shooting subjects up close, the lens produces a very shallow Depth of Field (DOF), drawing the viewer's attention to the sharply focused subject. This feature mainly benefits photographers who emphasize their subject against a softly blurred backdrop.

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