These Are The 10 Best Sony Lenses in 2024!

Sony is leading the way with mirrorless camera technology, but how do their lenses stack up?

We’ve put together a list of the 10 best Sony lenses that every photographer can really make the most of. And in our opinion, the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens is easily the best overall Sony lens. Check out why, but there are 9 more on this list that should get a spot in your camera bag.

Here are Our Top Sony lenses for 2024And Beyond!

Let’s kick off our best Sony zoom lenses with our top pick!

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

Best Overall Sony Lens

Why Buy The Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II Lens?

• This is easily the most versatile lens offered by Sony
• This lens is ideal for video thanks to the breathing compensation feature that stabilizes the lens on some Sony cine-line cameras
• A locking aperture ring helps you to achieve precision adjustments while shooting
• A built-in zoom switch helps to shift between smooth zooms and tight zooming

If you want the best buy Sony lens out there, the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens is the lens you’ve been looking for.

This is hands down the best Sony GM lenses. Other GM lenses might offer specs that are better for the style of photography you want to achieve, but this lens is going to be the right choice for nearly every photo situation.

There’s a reason why photographers considered this lens to be one of the best. It’s a combination of some of Sony’s best design work with the fact that 24 to 70 mm is easily the most versatile focal length range.

This is going to be the perfect lens whether you’re looking for something a bit more professional for your travels or you want to be ready for anything while photographing a wedding or event.

This lens has phenomenal performance in low light situations as well as several optical elements and an improved coding which help to reduce common types of distortion.

This is the second model that Sony has developed for this type of lens. The new model comes with plenty of improvements, but the most noticeable is the reduced size and lighter weight. That’s ideal for anyone shooting on a mirrorless camera who doesn’t want a bulky lens distracting them from their work.

What you’ll love about the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II Lens

• The four focussing motors provide faster, smoother, and quieter focussing which makes using this lens even easier
• Sony redesigned this lens to be 22% lighter, so it’s easier to handle on small mirrorless cameras
• This is a professional lens built with dust and moisture resistant sealing that makes it easy to carry even in rough conditions

What you won’t love about the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II Lens

• Does not offer much telephoto ability
• Lens is too expensive for some

Overall, in my opinion, the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens is at the top of the best Sony camera lenses. There’s really very little that this lens can’t accomplish.

This makes a great first-time Sony lens purchase or an upgrade into the world of professional Sony lenses.

2. Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM Lens

Best Sony Lenses For Portraits

Why Buy The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM Lens?

• Every focal length has some type of distortion photographers need to compensate for, but 85mm is considered to be the most flattering for portraits without editing
• The manual mode and focus hold buttons are conveniently located on the side of the barrel to make working with this lens easy
• Focussing on fast-moving subjects can be tricky, but the Linear Super Sonic Wave Motor provides fast and accurate autofocus
• All Sony GM lenses are designed for professional quality and feature weather-resistant builds
• Physical aperture ring can be “de-clicked” to switch to silent mode which is ideal for video and wedding photography

We’ve picked this as one of the best buy Sony lenses for portraits. It’s likely the best choice for portraits overall as long as you’re looking for a lens that is purpose-built.

The first thing that you need to know about this lens is that 85 mm is widely recognized to be the best possible choice for portrait photography. Prime lenses also deliver the cleanest images and smoothest bokeh which means that this is a perfect choice for portraits.

The aperture on this lens is incredibly bright which combines with an 11-bladed diaphragm that offers some of the smoothest possible bokeh.

The autofocusing mode around this lens also operates incredibly quickly and it’s nearly silent. This means you don’t have to worry about awkward, mechanical noises popping up in your videos. It’s also that much less likely to disturb wedding guests, event goers, and even studio models.

What you’ll love about the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM Lens

• You’ll achieve stunning bokeh with the combination of the blazing fast f/1.4 aperture and the 11-bladed diaphragm
• An included focus hold button allows you to track your subjects without losing focus
• Portrait photographers working with Sony cameras really can’t go without this classic lens

What you won’t love about the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM Lens

• You could just buy the 70-200 mm lens and have better overall coverage
• Mostly for portraits

This is one of the best Sony mirrorless lenses for portraits and maybe even the best if you’re exclusively dedicated to taking portraits.

3. Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens

Best Sony Lens For Landscapes

Why Buy The Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens?

• The focal length selection on this lens is ideal for capturing sweeping landscapes
• The aperture on this lens is bright enough to allow you to get your feet wet with some basic astrophotography or long night exposures
• Landscape photographers need a lens that can stand up to the elements and this GM weather sealed lens will do the job
• This lens delivers clear performance thanks to the floating focal system

The Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM lens is one of the best Sony lenses for landscape shots. The focal length is wide enough to let you capture the most sweeping vistas without veering into fish-eye territory.

You’d expect this kind of performance from one of the best Sony lenses for landscape photography, but this lens is also great for a variety of other styles. It’s honestly flexible enough to be your everyday carry lens.

The 35 mm top end can even handle street photography and some creative portrait work.

This is the wide-angle Zoom that makes up 1/3 of the Sony Holy Trinity of lenses. You’re going to want to pick up this lens at some point just to make sure that you have all of the coverage options available for your photography.

What you’ll love about the Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens

• These wide angle zoom lens are prone to distortion and Sony has compensated for this with multiple optical elements and coatings
• The fluorine element on the front of the lens helps to reduce the likelihood of fingerprints ruining your long exposures and landscape shots
• Flexibility is core to the design philosophy of this lens making it a great choice for architecture, landscapes, and even street photography with an eye towards lifestyle and portraits

What you won’t love about the Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens

• Dedicated astrophotographers are going to need a prime lens with a brighter aperture
• This lens might not have a wide enough angle for some photographers

All in all, I think this should be one of the best Sony alpha lenses for landscapes.

4. Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens

Best Sony Vlogging Lens

Why Buy The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens?

• This prime lens is relatively small and lightweight which is both ideal for run and gun videography and not having to worry about managing a bulky zoom lens in your home studio
• Vloggers are going to need a wide-angle lens in order to film in tight environments like offices and bedrooms which means 24 mm is an ideal focal length for videography
• The aperture on this lens is incredibly bright which makes it perfect for filming and dim locations or capturing stunning head and shoulder shots

We picked the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM lens to lead the list of best Sony lenses for vlogging.

No matter what social media site you’re producing video for, the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM lens is a great starting lens. This wide angle lens is going to allow you to shoot your video in some of the most tight filming conditions that are common for videographers.

This lens is also ideal for run and gun filmmaking where you don’t want to be weighed down by too much equipment. A lightweight prime lens is going to be the fastest and most responsive lens to shoot with.

This is a weather sealed lens that comes with plenty of optical elements and coatings on the glass. This is going to help reduce the risk of distortion as well as dust and debris ruining your video shoots.

So, if you want the best Sony lens for sports videography, the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM lens should be one of the first lenses you consider!

What you’ll love about the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens

• The two XA elements help to compensate for the curvature and distortion common at these wider angles
• The additional fluorine coating helps to prevent fingerprints and dust from ruining your takes
• Not only is this a great lens for video, it’s also the ideal choice for astrophotography, landscapes, and so much more

What you won’t love about the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens

• Vloggers might want a zoom lens with more focal length options
• There are budget friendly alternatives out there

The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM lens is at the top of the list for our best Sony lenses for video.

All in all, from the research I did, this is a very effective video lens that’s going to be the right choice for most videographers.

5. Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens

Best Sony Street Photography Lens

Why Buy The Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens?

• Street photography got its start shooting on if 35 mm film cameras which makes the 35mm digital camera lens the perfect choice
• Street photography is all about being discreet and a small prime lens is going to stand out a lot less than a large zoom
• 35 mm is an incredibly flexible focal length that will allow you to capture architecture, landscape scenes, and even portraits and lifestyle work all in one focal length
• Don’t worry about getting caught out in the rain, because this is a weather sealed lens
• The bright f/1.4 aperture on this lens can handle dimly lit situations like nighttime street photography as well as events

If you’ve been looking for the best Sony lenses for street photography, the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens is the lens that you should pick up.

The Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens was practically designed for street photography. It’s lightweight, discreet, and has an incredibly versatile focal length.

This is going to feel like you’re working with an old school film camera lens, but it still has all of the modern features that you want. It’s a precision instrument that hasn’t lost touch with the roots of photography.

This lens provides you a really bright aperture, smooth aperture blades, and an autofocus system that means you will always capture crisp Images of your subject.

We picked this as our best street photography lens for Sony cameras, but it’s so much more.

What you’ll love about the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens

• The 11-bladed diaphragm pairs with the f/1.4 aperture to make this a top-choice fashion photography lens
• This lens offers incredible autofocus thanks to the dual linear XD focus motors and the internal focus system
• The minimum focussing distance is 9.8″ which means you can do some great closeup work

What you won’t love about the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens

• There’s a good argument for just buying a zoom lens that covers the 35mm focal length as long as you don’t mind a bigger, heavier lens
• 35 mm street photography is popular which means that other focal lengths will allow your work to stand out

No matter what style of photography you enjoy, the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens is easily one of the best Sony 35mm lenses.

Grab this lens, and you’ll be enjoying a whole new approach to street photography (from experience).

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

Best Sony Travel Lens

Why Buy The Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS Lens?

• The wide range of apertures let you cover everything from wide-angle landscape shots to sports photography telephoto photography
• The optical image stabilization helps you capture the right shot without motion blur
• You need to travel lens that’s a versatile as well as affordable which are the two things that this line does best

The Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS lens is one of the best Sony lenses for travel.

Whether you’re just traveling one town over or you’re headed on a journey that’s going to take you across the world, you want to make sure that you have a lens that’s up to the challenge and adventure.

The Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS lens has everything that we love to see in a good travel lens. It covers a wide range of focal lengths which means you only have to take one lens, and it’s not too expensive all things considered.

That doesn’t mean that this lens isn’t also robust. It’s built with a weather sealed body which makes it all the better for long outdoor trips.

There are a few trade-offs with this lens, but there’s nothing that you can’t overcome with a little skill behind the camera.

What you’ll love about the Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS Lens

• You can travel light with just a single lens in your kit that has focal lengths raging from wide to telephoto
• With more than five optical elements and two coatings, this lens is going to look and feel a lot like a GM lens
• You won’t have to worry about traveling in what rough weather thanks to the weather resistant design

What you won’t love about the Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS Lens

• The f/4 aperture might not be bright enough for all applications
• There are definitely better lens options out there if you’re willing to go up in price or carry more lenses

The Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens is simply the best all-around travel lens. It’s going to give you the opportunity to take all of the pictures you want without having to worry about hauling around tons of expensive lenses on your next big trip.

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

Best Sony Lens For Sports

Why Buy The Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens?

• You don’t have to worry about over adjusting thanks to the focus limiter switch
• Switches on the side of the lens put you in control over key features like optical image stabilization
• Four linear XD focus motors give this lens an improved autofocus speed

Let’s skip right to one of the best Sony lenses for sports!

Sports and wildlife photography are all about being able to capture clear images at a distance. This lens combines some excellent focal length options with an image stabilization that helps you and sure clear images are captured every time.

This lens is also lighter and smaller than ever before. This makes carrying it around sporting events and into the outdoors even easier.

Both sports and wildlife are well known for rough weather conditions. It’s a good thing that this lens was built with a weather sealed barrel.

What you’ll love about the Lens

• Sony recognizes that shooting with these large lenses on small mirrorless cameras can be difficult so they reduce the size of this model by 29%
• Optical steady shot improves the clarity of your images and even comes with multiple focusing modes
• The newly optimized zoom torque ring allows you to have greater precision when focusing in on your subject

What you won’t love about the Lens

• This is a fairly expensive lens
• Dedicated wildlife photographers might want to explore prime telephoto lenses instead

This is going to be your number one choice if you’re into sports, wildlife, or bird photography. This lens provides you with incredibly Sharp Images as well as reduced motion blur even when you’re zoomed all the way into 200 mm.

8. Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art Lens

Best Lens For Product Photography For Sony

Why Buy The Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art Lens?

• You’ll get fast and accurate autofocus with the Hyper-Sonic Motor AF System
• This lens features customizable buttons which gives you greater control over your settings
• The focus limited switch prevents you from “over-focussing” when working with moving subjects

This is one of the best Sony lenses for product photography and it’s one of the best macro lenses made by Sigma.

There’s a natural overlap between macro and product photography. Photographers often have to take ultra close-up images of products in order to help buyers better understand the merchandise they’re shopping for.

This means you need a reliable macro lens that can deliver crystal clear images. Sigma was able to design a macro lens that rivals everything that Sony is putting out today.

This lens not only comes with all the features you’d expect from a Sony G lens, but it also comes in at a few hundred dollars cheaper than the name brand.

As long as you’re okay with having the lens that might not match the aesthetic for the rest of your Sony equipment, this lens from Sigma makes a great alternative to the brand name product.

What you’ll love about the Lens

• This lens is way more affordable than the nearest Sony equivalent
• You’ll get true 1:1 macro magnification with this lens and a 11.6″ minimum focus distance
• This lens has most of the features you’d get with the name brand like a weather sealed coating and a high build quality

What you won’t love about the Lens

• Not everyone likes these third-party lenses despite their quality
• Macro features not useful for everyone
• 105 mm focal length not always the right choice

Sigma is arguably the most popular alternative to Sony lenses. It’s easy to see why this brand has gotten so popular when you look at the stats and utility of this macro product lens.

9. Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Lens

Best Sony Lens For Weddings

Why Buy The Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Lens?

• 50 mm is the focal length that is closest to the human eye which gives your shots a natural look
• Photographers have celebrated this 50 mm prime lens as a classic go-to choice for weddings and events
• The f/1.2 aperture is record-breaking in terms of how well it handles dimly lit events

This 50 mm lens is easily one of the best Sony lenses for weddings.

This lens was practically crafted for weddings and events. It’s lightweight and has a fast auto focus so it’s a great choice for when you need to quickly change subjects and capture a once-in-a-lifetime moment in a crowded event.

50 mm also gives you very natural looking images. Many photographers consider this to be exactly what the human eye sees which means it delivers uniquely clear images.

Sony also added several optical elements in coatings to help reduce distortions and chromatic aberration which can lower the quality of your images.

The aperture of this lens is also incredibly bright which makes it ideal for weddings that can get a little dark.

Every photographer should have a 50 mm prime lens and their kit. so, why not get the best one out there?

What you’ll love about the Lens

• This lens creates some of the sharpest images possible
• The autofocus on this lens is about as fast as it can be thanks to the four linear focus motors
• This lens is weather-sealed so it’s ready to take to an outdoor event or wedding

What you won’t love about the Lens

• There are much cheaper versions of this lens out there
• You might want to pick up a zoom lens for more versatility

The Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM lens is easily your best option when it comes to finding a prime lens for wedding photography. 50 mm lenses in general are a great decision for weddings, but this is one of the best of the best.

10. Sony E 16mm f/2.8 Lens

Best Budget Sony Lens

Why Buy The Sony E 16mm f/2.8 Lens?

• Even though this is a budget lens, Sony has designed optional fisheye and ultra-wide converters to give you more utility out of this interesting choice
• There is one optical element on this lens that can help reduce distortion in the images that you take
• The lightweight design and profile of this lens making an excellent choice for anyone who wants to save weight, money, and time when hassling with their equipment

The Sony E 16mm f/2.8 lens is one of the best Sony prime lenses out there especially when you’re on a budget.

There’s no question that this lens is going to save you money, but that does mean we need to look at the cost savings trade-offs.

This lens has fewer optical elements, coatings, and only the bare essential technological features. This feels much more like a vintage lens than it does a modern one.

However, that’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes you just want a simple lens that’s going to work without having to fuss around with all the bells and whistles of modern technology.

What you’ll love about the Sony E 16mm f/2.8 Lens

• This lens has a 16 mm focal length which is a 24 mm equivalent on APS-C cameras
• This lens is incredibly small and lightweight
• You can use this lens as a second body cap for your camera and always be ready to start taking pictures

What you won’t love about the Sony E 16mm f/2.8 Lens

• There’s an argument for saving up for a higher-quality lens
• This lens has some noticeable quality trade-offs
• Pros will quickly find themselves prioritizing other lenses

A pancake lens allows you to have a lens always on your camera. This functions as a kind of second body cap which means you’re always ready to start shooting and you don’t have to worry about funneling around with the lens in the middle of action.

If you’re on a tight budget, but you want something that you can carry every day, you should consider picking up the Sony E 16mm f/2.8 lens.

Conclusion—The 10 Best Sony Lenses

The best Sony lenses can change how you shoot your photography. Each of these lenses would make a great addition to your collection.

The Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens is the best overall pick. It’s great for wedding photography, and videography, and even works for landscape and nature photography.

If you’re looking for something more specialized, lenses like the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens and the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens form two other parts of Sony’s holy trinity of lenses.

Which of the best Sony lenses are you going to pick up next? Let us know in the comments on our FB page, and make sure to check out our other articles about Sony lenses!