Sony has come a long way since 2013, and now in 2024 it’s grown to be quite the mature system. We’ve covered some of the best Sony FE Lenses (and APS-C lenses), but everyone keeps innovating and we’re all excited to see what comes next. Sony’s partnership with Tamron has brought a host of high-end, yet affordable lenses, including the popular 28-75mm f2.8, which rivals the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM at half the price.
Canon’s innovating, we looked at the Canon RF lens roadmap last week and we know what’s on the horizon there. They broke new barriers and brought the Canon 28-70mm f2 to market, a lens I hope Sony can match.
Without further ado, let’s see what’s on the horizon…
The Last Official Sony FE Lens Roadmap
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the last time Sony shared an official lens roadmap with us was seven years ago, way back in 2014.
For whatever reason, Sony doesn’t seem to be too fond of releasing this kind of information to the public. That’s why in the last seven years or so, we’ve had to rely on photography news/rumor sites to clue us in on the upcoming line of optics for the system.
So if you’re interested in taking a quick peek at what Sony has in store for the FE system, we’re taking a look at some of the hottest rumors about the upcoming, yet to be officially announced Sony FE lenses for 2024. But first, let’s start with the latest Sony lens released in the last year:
Upcoming/Rumored Sony Lens Releases in 2024
- Sony FE 18mm f/1.4 GM Lens
- Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS II Lens
- Sony FE 24-200mm f/2
- Sony FE 28-75mm f/2.8 Lens
- Sony FE 100mm f/1.4 GM Lens
- Sony FE 150-400mm f/4 Lens
Newest Sony FE Lenses Released in 2023
- Released January 2023 – Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 GM – A little wider than the traditional 24-70, geared towards content creators.
- Released February 2023 – Sony 50mm f1.4 GM – A more compact option to the popular Sony 50mm f1.2 GM.
- Released November 2023 – Sony FE 300mm f2.8 GM – A specialty lens coming in at a whopping $6000.
- Released 2023 – Sony released 2nd gen models of the FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II and an FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II
Newest Sony FE Lenses Released in 2021
- Released January 2021 – Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM
- Released Spring 2021 – Sony’s Compact Trio – FE 24mm f/2.8 G, Sony FE 40mm f/2.5 G and Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 G
- Released Spring 2021 – Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM
- Released Spring 2021 – Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM
- Released Fall 2021 – Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III (Review // Current Price) – This is my personal pick and the only the lens I bought last year
- Released December 2021 – Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II
Sony FE 100mm f/1.4 GM – Late 2021 to Early 2022
If you’re just about ready to pull the trigger on a short telephoto portrait lens, it might be worth considering waiting just a little bit more. Reports from Sony Camera News indicate that the 100mm f1.4 GM was on track to be formally announced in Q4 of 2021, but so far, we’ve heard nothing of the sort so it’s safe to assume we’ll be hearing about this portrait lens sometime early 2022.
Rumors surrounding the 100mm f1.4 GM sound very promising especially with the supposedly leaked spec sheet. According to the rumors, the Sony FE 100mm f1.4 will have quad XD motors, super ED, three XA (extreme aspherical) elements, Nano AR II coating, and comes in at around 875 grams, or around 110g lighter than Nikon’s 105mm f1.4 E.
Sony FE 85mm f/1.2 GM – Late 2022 to Early 2023
It’s only natural for Sony to follow up on their widely successful FE 50mm f1.2 with another f1.2 glass. This time around, we’re supposedly going to be treated to a bokeh monster that is a 85mm f1.2 GM, says Sony Alpha Rumors.
However, it’s looking like we’ll have to wait for this hypothetical studio beast for a little longer, as sources say that the FE 85mm f1.4 GM “still holds its value” and won’t be officially replaced by the 85mm f1.2 GM until 2023.
Sony FE 24-70mm f2.8 GM II – Early 2022
Rumor has it that Sony’s been busy updating their trinity of f2.8 premium zooms, including the 24-70mm f2.8 GM workhorse. This is supported by the announcement of the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II, which could only mean that another premium f2.8 zoom is in the works.
Sony Alpha Rumor’s sources had previously said that we should be expecting an announcement by Q3 to Q4 of 2021 with a release date as early as Q1 2022. However, with the current chip shortage wreaking havoc in the production of everything electronic, it’s only reasonable to anticipate the delays in lens announcements and releases.
A Mystery Cine FE Lens and New E-Mount Cinema Camera Are on the Way
Now this one’s as flaky as tech rumors go, but if you’re a vlogger or a filmmaker, you might want to hold out on that upgrade. According to Sony Alpha rumors, Sony should be announcing a brand new E-mount cine camera and a new FE lens, possibly a compact ultra wide angle 16-35mm aimed at vloggers.
Again, there’s not much meat on the bone on this one and we’ve yet to hear from Sony’s supposed batch of late 2021 announcements anyway. However, the rumor sites’ source says that the new cine camera in particular was “quite impressive,” so take that as you will.
Sigma 20mm f/2.0 DG DN – Early 2022
Here’s the freshest rumor out of the bunch, making its way in the front page of Sony Alpha Rumors at the time of writing. Sources are saying Sigma’s just about ready to launch a new addition to their DG DN Contemporary line — a compact Sigma 20mm f2 DG DN | C prime. And from what we know so far, it looks like it’ll be a great option for real estate photo and video work, as well as an incognito street photography lens.
It’s rumored to have a lens design composed of 13 lenses in 11 groups, have a 62mm filter size, weigh around 370 g and is expected to be only 2.8 inches in length. Sony Alpha Rumors also say the 20mm f2 DG DN should be similarly priced as the 65mm f2 DG DN at $699.
Sony FE 70mm f2.8 Macro GM – Late 2022
Last April, Sony Camera Rumors reported that along with the FE 100mm f1.4 GM, Sony will also release a 70mm f2.8 macro. We haven’t heard much since then, except that it’s apparently positioned to directly compete with the Sigma FE 70mm f2.8 Macro.
Personally, I’m a little skeptical about this one, not only because nothing had come up about the 70mm macro since April, but also because we already have the very capable Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS. That aside, since the supposed May announcement didn’t happen at all, we may be seeing an announcement for the Sony FE 70mm f2.8 Macro GM late 2022 at best.
Tokina to Release Three Sony Lenses for 2022
Unlike Sony, Tokina is more than happy to share their 2022 lens roadmap with the public. Looking at the roadmap, the third party manufacturer is gearing up to release a total of five mystery lenses for the Sony system.
According to the roadmap, the lone full frame FE lens would be a wide angle prime, with the remaining four being made available for the Sony APS-C E-mount and Fujifilm X-mount. We should be expecting the following lenses from Tokina very soon:
- (1) Wide angle prime for the FE-mount.
- (1) Ultra wide prime for the E-mount and X-mount
- (1) Standard prime for the E-mount and X-mount
- (2) Wide zoom lenses for the E-mount and X-mount