The mirrorless revolution has brought on many game-changers for creatives; eye AF, slimmer camera bodies, and more advanced lens designs just to name a few. Sony’s original crop of a7-series bodies was instrumental in bringing more mirrorless cameras into the mainstream, and have since evolved into one of the most popular mirrorless systems available today.
Fortunately for photographers and videographers alike, most of the must-have features of the full frame a7 bodies have found their way to their APS-C counterparts, and in turn have made the a6000 lineup quite a robust ecosystem for creatives to be in.
So if you’re looking for a worthy upgrade for your kit lens, you’re in the right place. Sure, you could slap on any FE lens to any of your a6000 series bodies and call it a day. But if you want to keep your entire camera system light, compact, and more importantly, a lot easier on your bank account, you’ll want to take a look at the best E mount lenses for Sony cameras, according to pros.
Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS
If you’re looking to get your first “real” lens after your kit lens, consider the Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS as the next best step up. Veterans in the field will always, always recommend that you get a 50mm lens equivalent in your bag for good reason. The standard 50mm field of view will give you a “natural” look to your images, that’s to say it’ll closely mimic what you see with your eyes. And the E 35mm f/1.8 OSS will fill that role for your APS-C system quite nicely.
The Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS performs quite well wide open though you’ll see some (very correctible) vignetting and fringing. It’ll however begin to clean up at f/2.8 and improves sharpness overall, especially at the corners.
With a fast aperture, light construction, and only a slight size difference with the 16-50mm kit lens, the E 35mm f/1.8 is one of the best walk-around prime lenses you can get for your Sony APS-C camera. The OSS (optical steadyshot) on this nifty lens will also prove extremely valuable for those looking to get into video.
Portrait photographer Dan Bullman thinks the Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS is one of the best portrait lenses for your a6000 series camera:
“It is super sharp. You can get really highly detailed images with the 35mm lens and some of my favorite portraits have been taken with this lens. And when people ask me which lens do you use for portraits, this is the one that’s on my camera most often when I’m doing a portrait shoot.”
Sony E 10–18 mm f/4 OSS
The Sony E 10–18 mm F4 OSS is currently your only native option for an E mount, ultra wide angle zoom and it fortunately won’t disappoint. Applying the 1.5x crop on this lens gives you roughly a field of view of 15-27mm, which is insanely wide and not to mention an extremely useful range for an APS-C body. Now throw the optical stabilization into the mix and you’re looking at a relatively inexpensive, real estate, landscape, and vlogging lens in one.
Like the 35mm prime, the Sony E 10–18 mm f/4 is compact and lightweight, especially for an UWA zoom. It snags focus quickly and quietly and performs beautifully in terms of image quality. You won’t be having a lot of problems shooting at 10mm, though you’ll enjoy even more clarity and resolution starting at 12mm.
There will also be some barrel distortion especially at the wide end, but nothing that can’t be fixed in post. For around $800 for a UWA lens that’ll be your gateway to dramatic landscapes, cityscapes and interior work, the Sony E 10–18 mm f/4 OSS is an incredible deal.
Ted Forbes has taken quite a liking to this capable little zoom. He writes:
“This is a funky lens, no question. But I’d recommend it to anyone who’s on a budget… Sure you can use full frame lenses on APS-C cameras and they work great. But they’re also massive. And anything under 12mm doesn’t really exist.”
Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G
Those doubting Sony’s commitment to expanding their APS-C lens lineup can rest easy knowing that such a near-flawless, premium standard zoom for the E mount exists. In a nutshell, the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G is the ultimate workhorse lens for your crop sensor Sony body.
As a G-series lens (not quite the same with G Master lenses), the 16-55mm f/2.8 G is weather-sealed and is built to be tougher than most lenses without the prestigious badge. Locking in your AF even in backlit scenarios, tracking subjects and hitting pinpoint accuracy even in low light scenarios won’t be an issue.
The only knock on the optics on this lens that pros could find would be the minimal barrel distortion at the widest end, to the slight pincushioning at 55mm, though both can be quickly removed in post. Beyond that, the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G is almost optically perfect; achieving class-leading resolution and sharpness throughout the zoom range even at f/2.8.
Wedding and adventure photographer Marc Bergreen thinks the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G can fill in for the job of multiple primes in its range:
“It proves that Sony is fully dedicated to their APS-C camera lineup and they won’t be stopping their relentless innovation anytime soon. Although it is a bit pricey, the 16-55mm f/2.8 delivers an amazing focal range and big step up in performance… For the focal range it delivers, it is definitely good value. You would have to get several prime lenses to cover the same range, and then you would be spending more money.
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN
Now if you find yourself spending a lot of time shooting portraits, you’re going to need a proper studio workhorse. The Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN is easily one of the best portrait lenses you can get for your Sony APS-C body and one that you should definitely include in your bag, no matter which genre of photography you find yourself in.
This impeccable 56mm from Sigma’s “Contemporary” line of optics will give you roughly an 85mm field of view, an extremely fast f/1.4 aperture, and impressive sharpness across the frame even when shot wide open — all these for just a bit over $400 and it’s easy to see how this little gem made our short telephoto recommendation.
At f/1.4, you should be expecting impeccable bokeh rendition out of this little compact portrait monster. And with 9 aperture blades, you’ll get just that. You can take a look at some sample images here courtesy of Dustin Abbott to help you get more of an idea how this prime lens can obliterate the background.
Incidentally, Dustin Abbott also thinks the Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN could very well be the sharpest APS-C lens he’s tested:
“The 56mm DC may be the sharpest APS-C lens that I’ve yet tested, and it’s no “paper-tiger”, either. That sharpness was there in a wide variety of real-world lighting conditions. It has great color, exceptional aberration control and flare resistance, and fast, accurate autofocus. It worked well for both stills and video work, and I suspect this will be a very popular lens for a lot of shooters.”
Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OS
Rounding up our picks of the best lenses for your Sony APS-C camera is the unassuming 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OS. Now back in the day, super zooms that offer this much range have had a reputation for being mediocre performers. This G-series lens for the E mount system however is a serious telephoto zoom lens for serious wildlife and sports photography work.
The variable aperture on this marvel might have put off some of you out there, but trust me, this telephoto zoom is sharp. Tested with an a6600, the E 70-350mm resolved 3,200 lines under imtatest’s battery of testing on the wide end, though sharpness will ever so slightly fall off as you move on through the range.
Speaking of range — which is roughly equivalent to 100-500mm, by the way — the Sony 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OS is quite the featherweight for a super telephoto. At 1.3 pounds and only 5.59 inches in length, you’ll have no trouble slinging this beast around your neck all day long.
So it’s super sharp, compact and lightweight, focuses quick, has reliable stabilization, and being a G-series lens it’s also weather-sealed. What’s the catch? Not much. Aside from the variable f/4.5-6.3 aperture, I think this super zoom is a winner. Especially at a sub-$1000 price point.
Wedding photographer Stefan Malloch seems to concur that this super zoom is indeed quite the performer:
“My general experience with this lens has just been great. I think it’s just a fantastic size and weight; the sharpness you get out of it is next level, it’s got every feature I’m looking for… I think it’s a great step forward for Sony in the APS-C market.”
Check out Stefan’s in-depth review of the Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OS below to see how this phenomenal lens performs out in the real world.
Sony’s known for sharp lenses, what are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!