Let's take a look at the best Sony lenses. Sony FE lenses are the standard for all Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras, the "F" in FE lets us know that the lens is designed for their full-frame sensors, and the "E" tells us it's compatible with their E-mount systems, as seen in lenses such as in Sony FE 16-35mm. While Sony FE lenses are primarily designed to work with Sony full-frame bodies, they can be used on E-mount APS-C bodies too, but more on that shortly.
When it comes down to choosing the best Sony lenses, you'll undoubtedly be left selecting from their FE range. Designed for professionals and keen amateurs alike, Sony pushes the boundaries of what's possible with their FE lineup, and it's where you will find their top-of-the-line flagship products. It's no coincidence that the renowned G Master range are all FE lenses.
Not every option will be suitable for everyone. Some people might care more about a lens's low light performance; some more care more about the versatility in its focal range. We've put together a list of the best Sony lenses to hopefully meet almost anybody's needs based on things like maximum aperture, minimum focusing distances, optical clarity and other important features. Whether you're a portrait, landscape, street, underwater or any other kind of photographer, you should be able to find a Sony FE lens on this list that ticks all of the right boxes.
Can I use a Sony FE lens on an APS-C camera?
The short answer is yes, you can. However, if you were to use an FE lens on an APS-C camera body, the focal length would effectively be increased by a factor of roughly 1.5x. For example, the Sony 50mm F1.2 would become more like a 75mm on an APS-C body. One advantage of using a Sony FE lens on an APS-C body is that it eliminates all vignetting as the image is cropped in the center by the smaller sensor.
Still images or video?
The great thing about all Sony lenses is that they are excellent for shooting both stills and video footage. In recent years, Sony has transformed the mirrorless camera market, their systems are equally capable in the hands of both photographers and videographers, and their range of lenses represent that. Many of the lenses on this list have Sony's proprietary Optical SteadyShot (OSS) built-in making shooting photographs handheld a breeze and shooting smooth video without an external stabilizer possible. Combine this with their IBIS-capable bodies, and you've got a system that can produce pin-sharp results no matter how challenging the conditions are.
Let's get into it...
All of the lenses in this guide have been selected for the excellent image quality they produce, variety in focal length range and excellent build quality. Below you'll see our shortlist of the best Sony lenses; we've selected a range of prime lenses as well as zooms. If you have any questions or to inquire about our price-match program, please don't hesitate to reach out to our experts at sales@bluewaterphotostore.com or call +1 310-633-5052.
BEST SONY LENSES: WIDE-ANGLE
Sony FE 12-24mm F4 Lens
*Ultra Wide Without Fisheye Distortion"
The Sony FE 12-24mm lens is a great full-frame wide-angle lens designed for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. It provides a constant F4 maximum aperture and quick and accurate autofocus, making it an excellent choice in low-light conditions or when shooting fast-moving subjects. Having an ultra-wide zoom lens like the Sony 12-24mm F4 lens in your kit bag is invaluable for photographers who shoot landscapes, seascapes, marine life, interiors, and other scenes where getting as much in the frame as possible is the goal.
Sony FE 16-35mm F4 Lens
*Perfect All-Around Wide Angle Lens"
The Sony FE 16-35mm F4 lens is a perfect underwater choice. It's wide enough to capture stunning reef scenes, big animals, wrecks and more, but also offers a longer zoom range for when you can't get as close as you'd like. In addition it makes a great topside wide angle lens. This is our pick if you're looking for one solid wide angle lens. We recommend the F4 version over the Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 as most underwater photography is shot at smaller apertures so it is unlikely the F2.8 speed is needed and the F4 has a much nicer price tag! Although the F2.8 is a higher quality version of the F4.
Sony 14mm F1.8 FE GM Lens
*Ultra-Wide Fast Prime Lens"
The Sony 14mm F1.8 FE GM lens is a compact wide-angle prime lens, but don't be fooled by its size; being a G Master lens, it produces tack sharp results. The lens performs excellently even in low light condition thanks to its fast F1.8 maximum aperture and is a popular option for landscape, architectural, underwater and astrophotographers.
BEST SONY LENSES: MID-RANGE ZOOMS AND PRIMES
Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens
*Excellent All-Round Zoom Lens"
The Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens is an excellent standard zoom lens designed for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. It features a constant F2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range, and it works great even in low light conditions. Its zoom range covers a versatile range of focal lengths, making it a great general purpose lens to carry in your kit bag.
Sony 50mm F1.2 FE GM Lens
*A Sought-After Prime Lens With Great Low-Light Performance"
The Sony 50mm F1.2 FE GM lens is a compact wide-angle, large-aperture prime lens, and 50mm is perhaps the most sought-after focal length in prime lenses. Most photographers would choose a 50mm lens if they could only have one prime; it's an excellent all-rounder that can be used to shoot portraits, street scenes, products, and underwater subjects. Overall, a strong contestant for best Sony lens.
Sony 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens
*Versatile Zoom With Fast Autofocus And Built-In OSS"
The Sony 24-105mm F4 G OSS lens is a fantastic zoom lens designed for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. It provides a constant F4 maximum aperture and quick and accurate autofocus, making it an excellent choice in low-light conditions or when shooting fast-moving subjects. Perfect for both topside and underwater shooting.
BEST SONY LENSES: MACRO LENSES
Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro Lens
*High Quality Super Macro"
Capture stunning close up shots with the Sony 90mm Macro lens. It offers accurate focusing and a strong magnification with the 90mm focal range (135mm equivalent super macro if used on a cropped sensor camera). This lens is perfect for small to tiny subjects and pairs well with diopters for super macro work.
Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro Lens
*Great All-Around Macro Lens"
The Sony FE 50mm Macro lens features less magnification than the Sony 90mm making it a more flexible option for shooting larger macro subjects, fish portraits, etc. In addition it's a great option for use with a croppsed sensor camera, which would be shooting at a 75mm equivalent with this lens). In addition you can pair it with diopters to gain more magnification.
BEST SONY LENSES: TELEPHOTO LENSES
Sony 600mm F4 Lens
*Excellent Super Telephoto Prime Lens"
The Sony 600mm F4 FE GM OSS lens is a lightweight telephoto lens designed for Sony E-mount full-frame cameras. It is perhaps one of the best Sony lenses for sports, wildlife, and nature photographers on the market today.
As a flagship telephoto lens, the Sony 600mm F4 does everything you'd expect it to do. It produces unbeatable image quality with tack-sharp, corner to corner details consistent across its aperture range.
Sony 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 FE GM OSS Lens
*A Versatile Telephoto Zoom"
The Sony 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 FE GM OSS lens is a versatile telephoto lens designed for Sony E-mount full-frame cameras. It is ideal for shooting sports, wildlife and nature thanks to its fast autofocusing speeds which will ensure you'll never miss fast-paced action again. For its size, it is relatively lightweight and portable and can be operated handheld comfortably.
Sony 70-200mm F2.8 FE GM OSS Lens
*Great All-Around Telephoto Zoom"
The Sony 70-200mm F2.8 FE GM OSS lens is part of the G Master series for Sony's mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. It delivers ultra-crisp sharpness, reduces chromatic aberration and produces smooth and clean bokeh and minimal aberrations thanks to the XA element, two aspherical elements, four extra-low dispersion elements, and two Super ED elements in the optical design.
Sony 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 FE GM OSS Lens
*Covers A Wide Range Of Focal Lengths"
The Sony 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 FE GM OSS lens is a versatile telephoto lens designed for Sony E-mount full-frame cameras. It is an excellent choice for photographers who value versatility but still need a lens to perform to the best of its abilities. As you would expect, the Sony 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 produces unbeatable image quality with tack-sharp, corner to corner details consistent across its aperture and focal range. This is a real workhorse of a lens and one that should find its way into the kit bags of keen amateurs and professionals alike.
We hope you enjoyed reading about what we consider to be the best Sony lenses. This list was put together based a combination of our own experience and feedback from our customers. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or comments. - The Bluewater Photo team.