Sony is known for creating some of the most advanced mirrorless cameras out there. The cameras in the popular Sony mirrorless line are relatively easy to use, packed with many useful features and can take breathtaking photos similar to those you can produce with any DSLR camera. Pair them with Sony lenses and you have a powerful imaging duo.
Because of this, the company continues to be a success in the mirrorless camera market and it remains a trusted brand for photographers who want a compact, high-performance camera to keep their gear light and portable.
If you own one of Sony’s mirrorless camera models, you’re eventually going to want a good lens to go with it—and it’s important to pick the right one for your needs. It may be an additional investment, but it’s one that any budding or professional photographer definitely won’t regret spending on.
Why you should choose Sony lenses for your mirrorless cameras
Although there are several excellent and reliable third-party lens manufacturers, it’s usually best practice to buy first-party equipment. Native Sony lenses are built to the highest standards, allow for maximum compatibility, and are guaranteed to be fully functional with future firmware upgrades. For example, Sony teleconverter adapters only work with Sony brand lenses. Sony’s customer support is also amongst the highest rated in the industry and the turn-around time for any repairs is very quick.
Things to consider when buying a mirrorless camera lens:
Choosing a new lens for your camera is no simple feat. You don’t just pick out a lens and buy one. There are a few factors that you must carefully consider to help you make the right decision.
Below are a few things to take into consideration before making a purchase:
Type of Photography Activity
It’s important to identify what types of photography, subjects, activities, or environments you are interested in shooting. Why? While most lenses can be used for all types of scenes and subjects, there are specific lenses that will work best for certain applications. Think carefully about what you plan to shoot, as this will help you narrow down your choices and select the most ideal lens for your needs.
Weight and Size
Most people prefer mirrorless cameras to DSLRs because they are portable and lightweight. If you purchased your Sony mirrorless camera for a similar reason, then the same criteria goes for the lenses you are planning to buy. Consider the weight and size of the lens to ensure that you aren’t adding too much weight to your gear. If possible, try getting a feel for the lens by checking it out at a physical store and holding it in your hand.
Budget
Money can be a big deciding factor for many photographers. Before you embark on your mission to find the best lens for your camera, give yourself a budget to work with. It may be tempting to splurge on a high-end lens but don’t go over the top. If you have a limited budget, be resourceful and research the different budget lenses out there that can help you achieve the images you’d like to take.
The Best Sony Lenses for Mirrorless Cameras
Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 G Master Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Ultra-wide-angle Prime
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.8
- Focal Length: 14mm
- Weight: 16.3 oz (460g)
The Sony 14mm G Master f/1.8 lens is the ultimate lightweight astrophotography and architecture lens. The bright f/1.8 aperture will allow you to capture the night sky without having to resort to high ISO values, and the exceptional distortion control will keep all your vertical and horizontal lines perfectly straight. Ultra-wide-angle lenses aren’t usually known for their bokeh, but this lens with its minimum focus distance of just 0.82 ft and nine-blade circular aperture mechanism is capable of achieving amazing background blur without unwanted onion-ring artifacts.
Read Erick Hercules’s Sony 14mm F1.8 G Master lens review to see the lens in action.
Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Zoom lens
- Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
- Focal Length: 16-25mm
- Weight: 14.5 oz (409g)
A super wide camera lens that’s super easy to carry – that’s the Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 lens. With its range, one can capture wide landscapes while also going really close to their subjects. Its f/2.8 aperture lets in loads of light which benefits users in non-ideal lighting conditions. Additionally, this wide-angle lens has special glass elements – three ED and four aspherical – which cut down on those annoying aberrations for crisp photos and videos.
With this lens, videographers can enjoy two linear focusing motors that team up to keep subjects in focus and sharp, even if they’re running to keep up with them. These two motors even minimize shakiness for smooth, professional-looking videos.
Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM (G Master) E-Mount Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Wide angle to telephoto zoom
- Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
- Focal Length: 16-35mm
- Weight: 1.5lb (680g)
Perfect for landscape and astrophotographers, this fast, lightweight lens promises impeccable results. The 16-35mm focal range offers a wide range of shooting options, whether it’s an ultra-wide landscape to capture a full scene or a tighter shot that adds depth to a vista. This E-mount lens also has a fast f/2.8 aperture, which means it works impressively well in low-lit situations—hence its use as an astrophotography lens.
Sony FE 24mm F/1.4 GM (G Master) E Mount Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Wide angle prime
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
- Focal Length: 24mm
- Weight: 15.7 oz (445g)
Another wide-angle lens that will elevate any photographer’s work is the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4. This wide-angle prime is a must-have lens for landscape, architecture, street, and astrophotographers. With an f/1.4 aperture, this lens can work seamlessly in low-lit situations. Plus, as a prime, this lens produces stunningly crisp and clear shots. The images are professional-level and high-quality, and bound to impress clients and followers.
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM (G Master) E-Mount Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Wide angle to telephoto zoom
- Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
- Focal Length: 24-70mm
- Weight: 1.95lb (886g)
The Sony FE 24-70mm lens is truly a jack of all trades. This lens is wide and fast enough to capture landscapes and night-sky shots, but the up to 70mm range also guarantees it will work well for everything from weddings to street photography, too. With an f/2.8 aperture, photographers and videographers can capture dazzling shots with soft, blurred backgrounds and bokeh. Or, filmmakers can use it as a wider vlogging lens that perfectly puts the subject in the scene. No matter how it’s used, one thing’s for certain: This is one of the must-have lenses for any and all Sony creatives!
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Wide angle prime
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
- Focal Length: 35mm
- Weight: 18.5 oz (524g)
The 35mm focal length is extremely popular with street photographers because it provides a standard field view while including enough of the environment to lend context to the image. It is also a great “all around” focal length for group portraits, low-light photography, and wide-angle landscapes. Indeed, 35mm is arguably the most popular focal length in photography.
The Sony f/1.4 GM version is one of the best in the world as it provides a unique combination of a wide f/1.4 aperture with 11 circular aperture blades and two XA (extreme aspherical) lens elements to deliver ultra-sharp in-focus areas with gorgeous, delicate defocused bokeh.
See our first look at the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens with Crissibeth Cooper to learn more.
Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Standard Prime
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.2
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Weight: 27.4 oz (778g)
The 50mm focal length (or nifty fifty) is the industry standard for a short prime portrait lens, and Sony’s G Master f/1.2 version is class-leading. It is bitingly sharp from center to corner, is wide open, and offers exceptional colors, contrast, and bokeh. Sony’s Nano AR Coating II minimizes flare from bright sources. Plus, its floating element ensures tack-sharp images no matter what the focusing distance. This 50mm Sony lens literally puts customizability at your fingertips with two focus hold buttons, a focus mode switch, a focus ring, and an aperture ring with switchable click stops.
Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM (G Master) OSS E-Mount Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Telephoto
- Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
- Focal Length: 70-200mm
- Weight: 3.26lb (1480g)
There’s a reason the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is a favorite among wedding and event photographers and videographers. It captures subjects near and far in crystal-clear detail, with soft, blurred backgrounds that help the subject stand out. This fast lens varies between 70-200mm, which means photographers and videographers can play around with image composition quickly. And, with the f/2.8 aperture, this lens works pristinely in darker rooms and low-light situations, meaning photographers and videographers won’t have to compromise on quality when evening or nighttime hits.
Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II G Full-Frame FE-Mount Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Telephoto
- Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
- Focal Length: 70-200mm
- Weight: 36.9 oz (1045g)
The latest version of the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is almost 1/3 lighter than the previous model. This Sony lens was redesigned from the ground up to provide excellent close-up performance, amazing G Master bokeh, and fast/precise autofocus. It also works amazingly well with Sony 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters to extend the focal length to a maximum of 400mm.
This lens should be in every wedding photographer’s bag. It is also popular with event photographers and landscape photographers looking to achieve the “compressed” telephoto to their images. Chromatic aberration is virtually nonexistent thanks to two spherical elements that use ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass and two more that use Super ED glass.
Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM (G Master) E-Mount NEX Camera Lens
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Prime lens
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.8
- Focal Length: 85mm
- Weight: 28.89 oz (819g)
This top-of-the-line Sony portrait lens renders in-focus areas with unequaled resolution with some of the most stunning bokeh imaginable. The lens offers unprecedented resolution and is the highest in its class. Constant F1.4 max aperture maintains exposure and depth of field regardless of the focal range you choose to zoom to. When changing your aperture to defocus the background, the areas out of the focal plane appear blurred. This “bokeh” effect of the blurred background can be enhanced with circular aperture blades used in this lens. No wonder this is one of Sony Artisan Ben Moon’s favorite lenses.
Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS E-Mount Lens With Hoya 77 UV/CPL Filters
- Lens Mount: Sony E-Mount
- Lens Type: Telephoto zoom
- Maximum Aperture: f/4.5-5.6
- Focal Length: 100-400mm
- Weight: 49.21 oz (1,395g)
With this telephoto zoom lens, photographers and videographers can capture their subjects from afar with crystal-clear images. The f/4.5-5.6 aperture offers flexibility with background bokeh. Plus, the versatile range of 100-400mm means this high-quality lens can work for everything from street and architecture photography to wildlife and landscape shots. This lens may be on the heavier side, but the image results are well worth the extra weight. That’s why top Sony photographers rarely go on a trip without it!
Check out our first look at the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM with Sony Artisan Cristina Mittermeier.
Only High-quality Lenses for Mirrorless Camera Users
To conclude, Sony is dedicated to offering a wide range of high-quality lenses for their mirrorless cameras. This simple intention allows them to provide for landscape photographers, portrait photographers, or any budding photographer waiting to figure out their niche. No matter where one may be on the photography mastery ladder, there’s always a Sony lens that will help them achieve their creative vision.
Consider the factors and the specifications mentioned in this list and use it as a guide to narrow down your choices in finding the best Sony lens. Good luck!
