The 7 Best Lenses For Sony A7R IV in 2024

The “R” in Sony A7R IV stands for Resolution, but in order to get the best resolution for your photos, you’ll need one of the best lenses for Sony A7R IV cameras.

The best Sony A7R IV lens is the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II Lens. The Sony FE 24-70mm offers great performance both as a wide angle lens and as a short telephoto lens.

Now, let’s dive into the best lens for Sony Alpha A7 IV cameras and see just how much resolution we can get out of Sony’s most interesting mirrorless camera.

Best Lens for Sony Alpha A7 IV

Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II Lens

The best lens for Sony Alpha A7 IV is the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II Lens.

First things first, we need to talk about build quality with this lens. It features XA and Super ED elements and a Nano AR Coating II and a Fluorine Coating. This means it’s built tough and designed to handle challenging photoshoot conditions.

This is a standard zoom lens which means it’s great for a variety of wide angle and short telephoto work. Depending on who you ask, that upper 70mm is right on the edge of normal focal lengths and telephoto.

This is an upgraded version of this lens which means that it comes with additional features. This lens has plenty of switches and buttons that allow you to control settings on the fly.

It’s also 22% lighter and 18% smaller than the first-generation ones. This is ideal as the biggest complaint about mirrorless cameras is how bulky the lenses can feel when they’re connected to the camera.

The autofocus on this lens is controlled by four XD motors which help to enable the Floating Focus feature. This ensures a stable and consistent AF even when dealing with closeups or shooting in low-light conditions.

Best of all, the focus is completely internal which allows you to focus without changing the physical length of this lens.

Now for the downsides. This lens isn’t ideal for certain specialized photography styles. If you’re into sports photography or wildlife photography, you’re definitely going to want a true telephoto zoom lens.

Don’t worry, we cover one later in this list!

The 24 to 70 mm lenses also have a reputation for being kit lenses. These typically come with cameras and are considered to be lower quality, but you’ll still see them in the hands of plenty of professional photographers!

This lens really is the best all-around choice for a Sony mirrorless camera with an E mount. It’s got everything you need unless you’re specifically looking for something that can handle a highly specialized photography style.

Pros

• 22% lighter than the previous model
• Eleven-Blade Circular Diaphragm gives amazing bokeh
• Dust and moisture sealing
• Plenty of switches for quick access to custom options

Cons

• Not ideal for true telephoto photography
• Aperture could be better for sports and wildlife photography
• The reputation of it being a “kit” lens

Best Portrait Lens for Sony A7R IV

Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens

The Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens is the best portrait lens for Sony A7r IV cameras.

There’s a lot that makes this Sony lens the best choice for shooting portraiture.

 What makes it the best comes down to the focal length. 85 mm gives you the most natural-looking faces in your portrait. Each lens has its own distortion and 85 mm changes the way the eye sees the face the least. This makes it the best focal length for portraits.

However, there’s more that makes this one great than the choice of focal length.

The 1.8 aperture is an amazing feature to see in any portrait lens.

The f/1.8 aperture allows you to get bright images and amazing bokeh. You’ll be taking amazing pics that are vibrant and feature a stunning approach to portraiture. If you’ve been looking to get that smooth bokeh look on your portraits, this is the lens you’ve been searching for.

You’re probably expecting your modern Sony, full frame lens to come with a few buttons and additional controls. This lens gives you a focus hold button as well as autofocus to manual switch.

The focus hold button is ideal for retaining the same focus even when moving with your subject. This is vital for portraiture. You’ll be re-posing your models left and right and it helps to be able to freeze your focus in place while you’re working with your talent.

Being able to seamlessly switch from manual to autofocus is also a great feature to have. Autofocus has only gotten better with modern cameras, but nothing can replace being able to dial in the focus to exactly where you want it by hand.

Now, there are a few drawbacks that come with this lens. The biggest thing we’re going to be looking at is the lack of an XD motor for the autofocus. This is something we see in Sony’s higher end of lenses and it would be nice to see it on this one.

Pros

• 85mm is the best focal length for portraits
• Professional results on a budget
• Bright f1/.8 aperture
• Extra-low dispersion element helps with color fringing
• Responsive autofocus

Cons

• Would like to see the XD AF motors from the GM lenses
• Only 9 aperture blades instead of the 11 on other models
• Not G or GM build quality

Best Landscape Lens for Sony A7R IV

Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E

If you want the best wide-angle lens for the sony a7r iv, you need to look beyond the Sony brand. The Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E is easily the best choice for an all-around landscape and wide angle lens for Sony’s latest mirrorless cameras.

Let’s see why this lens outshines Sony’s in-house brand.

The first thing that we need to talk about with Sigma lenses is probably the most obvious. This lens is going to cost you a few hundred dollars less than the Sony equivalent.

That is considerable savings for individuals who have a budget in mind when buying new photography equipment. However, many people associate Sigma with a drop in quality when compared to Sony—but this isn’t as true as it seems.

This Sigma lens was built ready to compete with the Sony brand. It’s got an 11-blade diaphragm, protective lens coating, a rear filter holder with a locking mechanism, and countless other features designed to offer a budget-conscious alternative to Sony’s GM lenses.

This lens does come with fewer features than the Sony equivalent. However, that’s not strictly a positive or a negative. If you don’t find yourself using all of the extra buttons and switches that come on a high-end lens, you’re simply not going to miss them.

This lens also has a very smooth blend of elements. There are several low dispersion elements as well as aspherical elements which will reduce color fringing, chromatic aberrations, and spherical distortion. This is critical, especially when working closer to the 14 mm ultra-wide-angle focal distance available on this lens.

We should spend some time talking about a few of the cons of this Sigma lens for a Sony mirrorless camera.

This is not a Sony brand lens which could be a drawback to people who are either loyal to the Sony brand or want all of their lenses to share the same aesthetic.

The lens hood is built-in which could be a downside if you’re looking to remove the lens hood for a particular style of photography or if you have your own gear you’d rather use.

Pros

• Features comparable to Sony GM lenses
• Affordable for budget-conscious buyers
• Built-in lens hood
• Customizable control button
• Weather sealed

Cons

• Not Sony brand which matters for some Sony loyalists
• A built-in lens hood could be a downside for some
• The design looks a little “budget” when compared to Sony

Best Prime Lenses for Sony A7R IV

Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Lens

Picking the best prime lens for a Sony mirrorless camera is an easy task. This choice goes to the best 50mm lens for sony a7r iv: the Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Lens.

This 50 mm lens from Sony has everything you need to tackle a variety of photography jobs. It’s perfect to add to an established photography kit and it also makes a bold choice as a first lens.

Right off the bat, you’re going to benefit from the amazing construction of this lens. It’s got an 11-bladed diaphragm, an f/1.2 aperture, and a potent mix of lens coatings and elements designed to reduce distortions.

In short, this is the ideal recipe for an all-around prime lens.

50 mm is an ideal focal length whether you’re shooting a professional wedding or you’re looking to do some home videography at the next family BBQ. It’s one of the focal lengths that resembles what the human eye naturally sees and getting that on a prime lens lets you focus on craft and style first.

Let’s spend a moment reviewing a few of this lens’s drawbacks.

The first thing that’s worth pointing out is that this shouldn’t be your first lens—well, at least not most of the time.

50 mm is a great all-around lens that’s perfect for a variety of photography styles and videography. However, you might be better off getting the best lens for the Sony a7r 4 rather than picking up a prime if it’s your first lens.

Another mild drawback is that the minimum focusing distance on this one is over a foot long. This will hold back what you can accomplish with this lens if you’re looking to dabble in photography that gets a little closer to its subject.

No matter which way you go with this lens, it’s a great addition to any kit as well as a bold choice for a first photography lens.

Pros

• 50mm is a go-to focal length for pros and amateurs alike
• Great as a backup lens in your kit
• f/1.2 aperture is incredibly bright and easy to work with
• Physical aperture ring
• Weather-sealed

Cons

• Expensive especially if it’s your first or only lens
• Other prime lenses might be better for specific styles of photography
• The minimum focusing distance could be a bit closer

Best Zoom Lens for Sony A7R IV

Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens

Now let’s get into one of the biggest and baddest lenses offered by Sony. The Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens is the best zoom lens for Sony mirrorless cameras.

There’s one thing that we need to cut to the chase when talking about this 70 to 200-millimeter lens for mirrorless cameras. This lens features a 29% weight reduction from the previous model.

This is fantastic for people who’ve been upset about how difficult it’s been to use these ultra-telephoto lenses on those small mirrorless cameras.

You’ve also got more than enough switches and physical controls on this lens. You can select your focal range limiter, toggle the OSS image stabilization on and off, toggle the iris settings, and so much more. It might just be too much to manage…

The biggest improvement Sony has made since the previous editions of this lens has been to the autofocus system. You’ve now got 4 autofocus motors working alongside the image stabilization system.

This means that you can quickly snap your focus into place even on rapidly moving targets very far away. This dramatically changes how we approach photography using this lens on a mirrorless camera.

We’ve sung the praises of this zoom lens for the Sony mirrorless cameras, but now it’s time to get into a few of the drawbacks that will get this particular lens.

The first thing that you’re going to notice is that this lens still feels a little heavy on the ultralight mirrorless frame. Balancing the ever-shrinking size of mirrorless cameras with the bulk and presence of the 70 to 200 mm lens is still an ongoing challenge.

This lens is also packed with buttons and features. This is great if you’re looking to optimize your shooting and make the most of these features, but it can detract from the craft itself. We’re here to take pictures, not pick settings on a lens.

Pros

• Focal length is perfect for everything from events to sports
• f/2.8 aperture is great especially considering the focal length
• Lighter and easier to balance on those streamlined mirrorless cameras
• Super ED, ED, aspherical, and XA elements
• Optical Steady Shot stabilization

Cons

• Still feels a bit large on the Sony A7 frame
• Expensive even for non-budget shoppers
• Dare we say too many features and buttons?

Best Travel Lens for Sony A7R IV

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens

It’s hard to find a complaint about the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens. It’s well-rounded, affordable, and ideal for shooting on the go.

Let’s take a closer look at this lens and see what makes it tick.

The Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens has it all for people who want a lens that can hit the road with them. Whether you’re on a road trip or flying through the skies, this lens only weighs 1.4 pounds which makes it ideal for all trips.

The 24 to 105mm focal length is also great for handling nearly anything. You have your choice from wide-angle landscapes to the upper limits of short telephoto photography.

This lens is also built to counteract the distortions you’d expect with this wide focal range. It features 4 Aspherical and 3 ED elements along with Nano AR and Fluorine coatings. It’s the vacation workhorse lens that you’ve been waiting for!

Once you see some of the sample photography taken with this lens, you’ll be sold on it. It’s able to produce fantastic bokeh as well as short telephoto photography that makes you feel like it was shot on a dedicated prime lens.

However, all roses have their thorns and we need to look at a few of the drawbacks for this lens.

The most glaring issue that this lens faces is the constant f/4 aperture. This is going to struggle in low light conditions and hold back what you could really do with this lens if it had a better aperture.

This also means that this might not be the right choice if you’re looking to make some money with your photography. It’s tempting to pick up a few jobs while on the road, but you need the right tools to get your work done right.

That low aperture means that this lens is going to struggle during events where other lenses are going to shine. You’ll either have to restrict yourself to well-lit events or run the risk of not being able to deliver on your photography.

Pros

• Versatile for whatever your adventures bring your way
• Affordable so you have piece of mind on the road
• Dust and moisture sealed
• Internal focus design
• Optical Steady Shot image stabilization

Cons

• A constant f/4 aperture might struggle in low-light situations
• Might not be the right choice for working professionals

Best Macro Lens for Sony A7R IV

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens

One of the best lenses for sony a7r iv has to be the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens. If you’re looking to jump into the exciting world of macro photography.

Macro photography allows you to take zoomed-in photographs of things that the human eye normally can’t pick up on. When you see those up-close pictures of insects, food, or plant life, you’re looking at macro photography.

This style of photography needs a specialized lens and the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens is the best choice for macro photography on a Sony mirrorless camera.

This lens has all three things you want to see in a great mirrorless lens.

It features true 1:1 magnification which means you will see everything up close, as it is rather smaller than life size.

This macro lens also has image stabilization. This is vital as even the smallest shakes or movements can cause a macro shot to become too blurry to keep.

We’ve also got an amazing 11-inch minimum focal distance. This means you can get up to 11 inches from your subjects. This is ideal when working with macro subjects that require you to get super close to form the right shot!

The lens itself is built to withstand macro photography and so much more. It features a Nano AR coating, Aspherical, ED, and Super ED elements, and an internal focus. That internal focus means you’re never going to spook a macro subject, like an insect or animal, or lose your framing while focussing.

Now, there are a few drawbacks to one of the otherwise best lenses for sony a7r4 cameras.

The biggest drawback to this lens is that you’re going to need to bring external lighting to your macro photography shoot. Macro photography requires bright lighting to illuminate these small, up-close subjects and this lens does not feature any built-in LED lights. This is a future that we see with other brands that would be nice to see on some Sony lenses.

The aperture could also be a little brighter which would help with the difficulty in shooting macro photography without external lights.

Pros

• True 1:1 magnification
• Image stabilization
• Tight 11-inch minimum focusing distance
• Focus range limiter feature
• Direct Drive Super Sonic Wave AF motor

Cons

• The aperture could be brighter, especially for macro work
• No built-in LED lights
• You’ll need to bring external lighting to your shoot

Wrapping Up The Best Lenses for Sony A7r IV

The best lens for Sony Alpha A7 IV is the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II Lens with its high-quality design and solid all-around great performance.

With that said, the best lenses for Sony A7 R4 also include the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E for landscape photography fans and the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens for a go-to pick for people taking pics while on vacation!

The Sony A7R IV is a powerful camera with one of the industry’s best resolutions—all you need is one of these lenses to make the most of this camera!