Being one of the first camera giants to embrace mirrorless tech, Sony has enjoyed a few generations worth of head start against the competition. This meant that Sony’s full frame a-series line-up is now reaping the benefits of a fully mature lens ecosystem, whereas Canon and Nikon are still scrambling to catch up.

With mirrorless opening up a whole lot of new possibilities for a new breed of optical design, Sony has been consistent with introducing gem after gem of top-quality optics that’ll fit the highest requirements of the most demanding professionals.

So if you’re new to the alpha system and are looking to grow your lens collection, we’ve rounded up five of the best FE lenses that seasoned professionals think you should consider.

Now keep in mind that these are full frame lenses, if you have a APS-C Sony Camera (eg. a6500), you’ll want to checkout our guide on The Best Sony APS-C Lenses.

Here’s my personal choice for the #1 pick, a lens that replaced a few in my bag…

My most versatile lens – Tamron Di III VXD 35-150mm f/2-2.8

Emphasis on my, because when it comes to photography, everything is personal preference. As a professional photographer in Maui, Hawaii), I shoot a lot of family photos and such on the beach (update: now located in Las Vegas, and yes it’s still my go-to lens).

Related: What to wear for family beach pictures

I use to carry two bodies, one with a 85mm f1.4 prime, and the other the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8.

For me, this lens was able to replace both of those, and I’ve lightened the load and can now carry just one body and I’ll sometimes bring a flash (depends on situation).

Keep in mind that this lens was a new release late last year, I pre-ordered and received it on the first day – months later, it’s since been on backorder.

Read my full review of the Tamron Di III VXD 35-150mm f/2-2.8.

Now if you don’t think you’re going to be using much of the 75-150mm range, then I would recommend the Tamron 28-75mm Di III VXD f/2.8. It’s quite well known as one of the best value options (see current price) which is why I ended purchasing this instead of the Sony GM 24-70mm f2.8.

Certainly not the cheapest at a retail of $1899 on Amazon (they do currently have some used ones at $1550), but in my personal opinion, a better value than the Sony 24-70 f2.8 GM at $2299. You lose a little on the wide end, but you also gain a full stop of light at the wide end.

Honestly, I rarely ever take this lens off my Sony A7R V. My second body, the A7 III has a 50mm on there.

I think the vast majority of people could just buy this lens and be happy.

If you really need to shoot on the wide end, you could evaluate the Sony 16-35 f2.8 GM, or the new f4 Power Zoom version.

And then for most of my personal work, I take my nifty little Micro Four Thirds camera out, the Panasonic GX85 + Leica 15mm f1.7, aka my Poor Man’s Leica.

Best 50mm Prime – Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM

The Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM is easily the best standard prime for the FE system you can buy right now, and the one to have in your bag if you demand nothing short of the superlatives.

If you’re into the game for a quite little while now, you know that f/1.2 lenses of old were notorious for their sluggish AF performance. So let’s get this straight; the Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM focuses fast and accurate. Not even “fast and accurate” for an f/1.2 lens, it really does just latch on your focus point when you give the command. Just check out Gerald Undone’s real time autofocus test to help you get a sense of how it performs in the AF department.

In terms of image quality, let’s just say the newest FE 50mm f/1.2 sets a new standard for ultra fast 50s. Lab test results using the imatest software with the 50mm f/1.2 GM (paired with an a7rIV) shows an eerily sharp score of 4,830 lines at f/1.2. It somehow gets even sharper when you stop it down to f/2. Bokeh, as you might expect, is magical. The Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM melts everything in the background to an ethereal blur that should be quite difficult to replicate with any other lens.

Ted Forbes loved the 50mm f/1.2 GM so much that he thinks the newest f/1.2 glass on the block warrants an upgrade over the already excellent Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZEISS. Check out Forbes’ lovely video on this lens, which includes a helpful comparison with the 50mm ZEISS.

Best 35mm Prime – Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM

Next up is one of Sony’s newest addition to their professional-grade GM line, the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. Now this is a lens so good, it made B&H’s list of best-selling mirrorless lenses almost immediately after it was launched to the market.

The 35mm prime has always been a crowd favorite among photojournalists, street shooters and wedding photographers, thanks to its ability to incorporate more of the background in the photos and infuse a documentary feel to the images. So if those sound like use cases that’ll see a lot of abuse for a premium lens, don’t worry. The Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM is built like a tank, has pro-grade weather sealing while staying relatively compact, and comparatively lighter than other premium alternatives, like the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 and f/1.2 Art lenses.

Optically, it gets a little crazy. Not only it is sharper than any 35mm prime for the FE mount, Dustin Abbott notes how the 35mm GM is “almost as sharp and contrasty at f/1.4 as it is in landscape apertures like f/5.6.” Check out Dustin’s written review of this phenomenal lens for more samples and crops.

“There are cheaper 35mm options on Sony (the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DN is perhaps the best alternative), but there aren’t any better ones than the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 G Master. If you want the best 35mm option currently available for Sony, then the 35GM is the way to go.”

Best Value 85mm Prime – Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art takes our short telephoto, portrait lens recommendation over the pricier Sony GM counterpart. There’s no better way of putting this — the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art just outperforms the Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM in every aspect that matters.

Something you should know right off the bat; the 85mm f/1.4 DG DN is sharper and has more contrast all around than Sony’s flagship lens. Have a look at LensVid’s very helpful head to head testing of both lenses to see how the Sigma outclasses the native Sony lens. Second, the Sigma has better light transmission, which means you’ll get a brighter image than the Sony with the same settings. Third, Many Ortiz found the Sigma to be a lot faster, more accurate, and better at focusing in low light than the Sony 85mm GM.

Fourth, the Sigma DG DN incarnation of 85mm f/1.4 Art lens cuts down the previous’ versions beastly dimensions, resulting in about 200 grams and half an inch of weight and size difference compared to the Sony. Did I mention that the Sigma also has pro-level weather sealing, just like the 85mm GM?

Adding more salt to the wound perhaps is the $600 price difference between the two lenses, in favor of the Sigma. So if you’re shopping around for a portrait, studio workhorse for your FE system, then the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is the lens to get.

Take a look at Many Ortiz’s comparison review of the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art versus the more premium Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM and see for yourself how Sigma schools Sony at the 85mm range.

Best Ultra Wide Angle Lens – Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM

If you must have the widest lens you can get for your astrophotography, landscape, architectural and interior work, then there’s only one real ultra wide angle choice for your Sony. The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM is a flagship lens that delivers extraordinary image quality even at the widest end of the range — a pretty insane feat for UWA lenses.

When shot wide open even at 12mm, the 12-24mm f/2.8 GM is extremely sharp in the center and still maintains great contrast and resolution in the edges. Just to reiterate, achieving this much clarity at such a wide focal length is an engineering wonder. In Dustin Abbott’s review, he found that it reaches just about perfect optical performance at f/8.

There’s not much to criticize about this bulbous piece of glass, performance-wise. Practicality however is another issue. Because let’s face it, a 14mm prime is enough to make even the most cramped bathrooms look like a hotel lobby. So if you don’t think you won’t be needing anything past 14mm, you might want to look at other options. There’s always the excellent 16-35mm f/2.8 GM that accepts traditional filters, and Sigma’s wealth of UWA Art prime offerings. But if you’re part of the 10% who’ll have the most exotic, creative applications lined up for this ultra wide angle lens for the FE system, then by all means spring for it.

Check out Dustin Abbot’s final review of the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM for just about everything you need to know about this specialty tool:

Best Telephoto Zoom – Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS

The FE mount has been around for quite some time now and therefore encouraged the growth of the third party lens market that offer competitive performance in a more affordable package. We’ve considered many third party lenses for our tele-zoom pick, but, at least for now, the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS is still king when it comes to telephoto zoom lenses for Sony cameras.

We’ve first talked about this premium telephoto lens in our round up of the sharpest lenses from Canon, Nikon and Sony. On there, we found that DXOMARK gave it a whopping 38 points for its sharpness rating. For context, Sony’s very own ZEISS FE 50mm f/1.4 scored 41 points, and that only means that the quality you can get out of this classic telephoto zoom range is approaching prime lens levels.

Autofocus performance and image stabilization — both quite important for a lens of this type — are very impressive. The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM focuses quickly and very accurately in both good and bad lighting scenarios. The image stabilization is equally awesome, and will cut a lot of hand held shake even at 200mm.

Stefan Malloch puts the 70-200mm f/2.8 GM through its paces and has this to say about his experience:

“If I could describe this lens in a word, it would be “easy.” It’s brilliant, it’s effortless, and whatever you point it at, whether you’re shooting stills or video, you’re gonna get beautiful results.”