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Under $1000: 8 Seriously Stunning Lenses for Sony FE Mount

Brett Day
No Comments
07/01/2019
5 Mins read
Sony FE Mount Lenses

There are so many spectacular Sony FE Mount lenses for under $1000 on the market now.

It wasn’t too long ago that the lens selection for Sony Mirrorless cameras was a little on the thin side, but as the popularity of the Mirrorless platform grew, more and more lens manufacturers started taking note. Now, the market is filled with stunning Sony FE Mount lenses from the likes of Tamron, Sigma, Rokinon, Tokina, and of course, Sony themselves. The best part is that there are some truly incredible lenses that are available for well under $1,000. Join us after the break to take a look at some of the spectacular Sony FE Mount lenses you can get your hands on without breaking the bank.

Whether you’re looking for some wide angle lenses, some super sharp prime lenses, or zooms, the Sony FE Mount lenses listed here represent fantastic value for money. They are all incredibly sharp, well built, and are all around fantastic performers. These 8 Sony FE Mount lenses offer tremendous bang for your buck. There’s no doubt that you will be incredibly pleased with any of them. If you’re new to the Sony platform and are looking for some lenses that will impress you without breaking the bank, or are just looking for some more lenses to flesh out your current library, take a look below at some of our favorite Sony FE Mount lenses that you can pick up for under $1,000.

 

Rokinon 14mm F2.8 AF

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Sharp output
  • Accurate autofocus in most situations
  • The clear, crisp color that we’ve come to expect from Rokinon
  • Bokeh when needed
  • Weather sealing

Cons

  • A few inconsistencies with the focus

Buy now ($677.64): Amazon

 

Tokina 20mm F2 FiRIN AF

 

Sony FE Mount Lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Good image quality
  • Fast focusing abilities in good lighting
  • Nice bokeh
  • Small
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • We’re still trying to understand why there are two versions of this lens.
  • There no weather sealing

Buy now ($799): Amazon

 

Pro Tip: There are some great Sony FE Mount lenses on the market, but if you are still having a hard time finding the lens you need, you can always adapt lenses. The Sigma MC-11 Canon EF to Sony E mount adapter will allow you to use any Canon EF mount lens on your Sony body. As we all know, there are some true bargains out there with the Canon EF mount, so keep this in the back of your mind just in case you cannot find native Sony EF Mount lenses that you need. The Sigma MC-11 is easy to use, and it’s very affordable.

 

Rokinon 35mm f2.8 FE

 

sony fe mount lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Sharp image quality
  • Good bokeh
  • Focuses pretty much as closely as the Sony version. It isn’t as accurate in low lighting or as fast though
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Weather sealing would have been nice but we understand why it isn’t there
  • Focus motors can be a bit loud at times with later cameras

Buy now ($249): Amazon

 

Sigma 35mm DG HSM Art

 

sigma lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Extremely sharp
  • Fast focusing
  • Stellar build quality

Cons

  • No weather sealing

Buy now ($649): Amazon

 

Pro Tip: Regardless of how much you spend on lenses, one thing that should take place on a regular basis is lens cleaning. It may seem like a trivial task, but cleaning lenses can extend the life of lens, and it can save you time in post. Clean your lenses before a shoot to ensure there are no dirt, water, or grease spots on the front element, and take along a microfiber cloth so you can do quick cleans while you’re out and about. Every couple of weeks take your lens cleaning kit and give your lenses the once over. You’ll be glad you did this in the long run.

 

Sony 50mm f1.8

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Pretty decent image quality
  • Affordable
  • Small
  • Fast to focus in good lighting

Cons

  • Autofocus in low lighting even with the a7r II is slow
  • Autofocus is a bit louder than we’d personally like, though it’s still pretty quiet in real life use

Buy now ($248): Amazon

 

Sony 85mm f1.8 FE

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Great image quality
  • Fast focusing with the Sony a7r II and in good lighting it will focus quickly with the Sony a7
  • Nice feel; though not as great as the G Master 85mm f1.4 lens.
  • Weather resistance built in
  • Compact size

Cons

  • Honestly, not a darn thing

Buy now ($598): Amazon

 

Universal Lens Caps

Pro Tip: The lens caps that manufacturers give with their lenses are okay, but they’re nothing spectacular. They can often be tricky to use, they don’t add any weather protection to the lenses, and they can be easily lost as well. The good thing is that you can buy universal, weatherproof lens caps that will not only give extra layers of protection to your glass, they can also help you organize your lens collection better too. These universal lens caps can be color-coded so you know which lens is which, and they will give you extra piece of mind when you’re out and about.

 

Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III RXD

 

sony fe mount lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Weather sealing
  • Sharp optics
  • Fast focusing in pretty much any situation
  • Nice bokeh
  • Small and lightweight
  • Considerably under $1,000
  • More than good enough for what most photographers will need to do: there is going to be much less measurbation in this review than normal.

Cons

  • Some folks may gawk at the fact that it isn’t a Sony G Master lens and will fetishize the G Master series in the same way Canon shooters put L glass on a pedestal vs many others

Buy now ($899.99): Amazon

 

Sony 24-240mm f3.5-6.3

 

Sony FE Lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Surprisingly sharp all across the board
  • Good color
  • Beautiful bokeh in the right situations
  • Weather resistance
  • Great for the photographer that will be traveling a lot, but otherwise we think you’ll find better options with shorter focal lengths
  • Makes a lot of sense for video shooters who set up the shot beforehand and won’t be zooming in and out

Cons

  • Can be a bit slow to focus at times

Buy now ($998): Amazon

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