Sony Distagon T* FE 35 mm f/1.4 ZA. I often shoot portraits at f/2, just to give myself a bit of leeway in case of missed focus. Even wide open, the centre is impressively sharp, with image detail retained right up to the edges of the frame. The cameras used for testing were the full frame a7R III (reviewed here), the a7 III (reviewed here), and the crop sensor a6000 (reviewed here). As for image quality, this is another f/1.8 Sony lens that really excels with its sharpness. Based on the past few months I’ve had testing a selection of the lenses, these are the ones that I’ve chosen as a solid base for any Sony full frame or cropped sensor e-mount camera owner. Highly recommended! In my opinion, it’s the best prime lens for Sony crop-sensor camera owners who want a small and lightweight setup with excellent optical performance – it’s in many respects the perfect travel camera/lens combination. Simple – because it’s the best. If you want the best wide angle lens for your Sony E-Mount, I highly recommend this Viltrox 20mm. If you want to get the most out of every mega pixel in your Sony a6XXX body, investing in premium Zeiss optics will really open your eyes, especially if you’re used to variable aperture zoom lenses, such as the ones that typically come bundled with cameras. Remember when everyone started using prime lenses because they were sharper and better quality than zoom lenses? Overall, it’s a good lens for the money. 16mm on a full frame camera gives an expansive field of view, perfect for everything from wide panoramic vistas to environmental portraits (so long as the subject is a distance from the camera, and not placed at the edge of the frame!). Sony E 20mm f/2.8. The ‘OSS’ refers to Optical Steady-Shot (image stabilization), a feature that is rare on prime lenses. 371 g. Remember I mentioned that I bought 3 lenses when I switched from Nikon to Sony? On a full frame camera, 35mm is incredibly versatile. Canon TS-E 24mm II with Metabones to Sony FE mount. The Standard E-mount series is ideal for the APS-C and Super-35mm image format. Obviously, AF speed is largely dependent on the camera itself but paired with any Sony mirrorless full frame camera, I’m confident that you won’t be disappointed. The Sony 70-200mm f/4, for instance, is great value for money, and perfect for both Sony crop sensor or full frame cameras (it becomes a 105-300mm equivalent on APS-C). Here is a quick tip on how to focus manual lenses on Sony Mirrorless Cameras. As for FE mount (full frame) Sony cameras, my favourite prime is the Sony 35mm f/1.4 which I reviewed below. Highly recommended! Type: Prime Wide-Angle. The overall image quality for this lens is stunning. Solid wide-angle lens with … As mentioned previously, I’d also like to hear about your favourite 3rd party lenses which you use mount on Sony camera bodies. Lens reviews is a collection of real world tests and reviews of vintage lenses adapted to Sony e-mount, mirrorless cameras - the A7s, A7iii, a6500, and a6000. For this reason, this little lens which I assumed would be relegated to shots of my kids on holiday actually sees a lot of use when shooting professionally. You can also choose between a tactile click or a silky-smooth roll when twisting the aperture ring. Disclaimer: All recommendations are impartial and based on user experience, with no bias to the products or the brand. Distortion is typical for a 24-70mm lens, with pronounced barrel distortion at 24mm, although it’s all easily fixable in Lightroom. I was pleasantly surprised that it’s much lighter than the Nikon equivalent (by 320g), and also Canon’s version too (by 110g). 154 g. Still on the topic of small, lightweight lenses that pair perfectly with Sony mirrorless cameras, the Sony 35mm f/1.8 deserves pride of place in this list. Build quality is top-notch, as you’d expect from a Zeiss lens. GM stands for ‘G Master’ – the premium Sony e mount lenses, similar to Canon’s L series. Compatibility: Full frame (FE) & Crop Sensor (E) Minimum Focus: 0.5 m Filter Diameter: 49 mm Size: 64.4 mm (diameter) x 70.5 mm (length) Weight: Approx. Although the Sony APS-C sensor does a good job in sucking in as much light as possible, due to the limitations of the smaller sensor size, images captured in low-light at higher ISOs can become rather noisy. Sony a7RIII + 28mm f/2 FE | © Gold Hat Photography. Due to its small size, it feels great when attached to Sony crop sensor bodies, and makes a fun walk-around lens. This is one of the best lenses for portraits. The list above will help you buy the best Sony e-mount mirrorless lenses this year. I prefer to assign the camera’s command dial to control aperture, but for fans of rangefinders or video shooters, using your other hand to adjust aperture can be convenient. I’m a firm believer that small mirrorless bodies should be matched with small, lightweight lenses, and this is quite simply one of the best. Best Sony lenses 2021: 16 top lenses for Sony mirrorless cameras By Matthew Richards , Amy Davies 23 July 2020 There's now a E-mount lens to suit pretty much any occasion A nice touch is a ‘focus-hold’ button on the side of the lens, which can be customised to control various other functions – I have mine set to control Eye AF. With several lens manufacturers catering to the Sony E mount, as well as Sony’s own amazing lens lineup, you can’t help feeling a bit overwhelmed by choice! One unique advantage of the 28mm f/2, is that Sony also produces two handy converters that can change the focal length of the lens – this one that makes it 21mm; and another one that makes it a 16mm fish-eye! I have to say that the auto-focus speed of the 35mm f/1.8 when mounted to the Sony a6000 wasn’t amazing, especially when the subject was heavily back-lit. If you are on a budget you might want to check out our list of manual <$100 lenses that perform well on the Sony a7 series.If your budget is a bit bigger we also have a guide to lenses for less than $500 which perform great on your Sony … If you’re coming from another camera system and have always used f/1.4 lenses, give the 85mm f/1.8 a shot before sinking your cash into other options. The Sony a7 and Sony a9 series are full frame mirrorless cameras, so must use the FE range of lenses which have been designed to cover the entire 35mm sensor. In combination with the fast f/1.8 aperture, this is another reason that the 35mm f/1.8 is so good for low-light shooting. This lens is perfect for close-ups of small objects. Whilst you could use the 35mm f/1.4 on a crop sensor body like the Sony a6500, I’d definitely recommend holding the camera+lens setup before making your purchase – the size/weight of the lens will dominate the camera, so could feel quite odd. ), feel free to skip ahead to the next recommended lens, since the 35mm f/1.8 is only for APS-C (crop) sensor shooters. Bokeh produced by the 35mm f/1.4 is simply amazing. One nice touch is the aperture ring which allows aperture adjustments to be made on the lens. Luckily, I compiled what I consider to be the top-rated in the photography community. Shop Best Buy for Sony E-mount lenses to find a variety of photography lenses for your E-mount camera. … Well, this Sony 85mm f/1.8 was the third lens I settled on. Its light weight and diminished size make it a perfect walk-around lens when mounted to a Sony mirrorless camera, making this lens an extremely popular choice with street photographers. All in all, the 55mm f/1.8 is a gem of a lens to have in your camera bag… or indeed your jacket pocket, due to its diminished size/weight. Compatibility: Crop Sensor (E) Minimum Focus: 0.16 m Filter Diameter: 49 mm Size: 63 mm (diameter) x 65.5 mm (length) Weight: Approx. One small issue I noticed was ghosting when shooting towards the sun – this is one area where the coated glass of the 24-70mm f/4 Zeiss is superior, but I don’t consider it a big problem. They feature an internal focus design so that the lens does not change size while focusing to minimize … If you want the best wide angle lens for your Sony E-Mount, I highly recommend this Viltrox 20mm. Coming from the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G (included in this best Nikon lens roundup), I noticed a similarity in the smooth transition of in-focus to out-of-focus elements which gives images a kind of ethereal personality. It’s an all-out portrait lens for the full-frame camera. 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