Pair these E Mount lenses up with the new Sony a7r IV, and you’ll have the perfect kit to capture stunning images from your travels.
If you do a lot of traveling, you’ll know that the best way to travel with your camera is to pick just a lens or two to come along on your journey with you. Being able to travel light, but still being able to capture gorgeous images is the name of the game when it comes to travel photography. Fortunately, there are quite a few exceptional E Mount Lenses that would make great travel lenses, and they would be even better if you were to pair them with the 61 Megapixel Sony a7r IV
So what makes a great travel lens? Ideally, the lens would be compact and lighter in weight. The lens should have a decently fast aperture (f4 or greater), and optics that can deliver truly breathtaking images, with colors that pop. The lenses we have selected below match these criteria and some even exceed them by adding weather sealing. At the end of the day, these E Mount lenses will make great travel companions when paired with any Sony camera, but they will be even better when attached to the Sony a7r IV. Check out the lenses below.
Sony Zeiss 16-35mm f4 OSS
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Super sharp from edge to edge
- Excellent color rendition
- Overall distortion is kept down as well we possible, but at times was a bit too much for us to handle
- Fairly compact body
- Solid build quality
- Image stabilization will prevent even the most jittery coffee fiend from not getting a blurry shot
Cons
- Only f4
Buy now ($1,348): Amazon
Sony 35mm f2.8
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Super sharp
- Pretty damn nice bokeh
- Very compact
- Weather sealed
Cons
- Only f2.8; We really wanted an f1.8 or f2
- Weird lens hood that comes apart into two pieces
Buy now ($798): Amazon
Pro Tip: Traveling is always a great thing to do, but the last problem we want to have is being uncomfortable while we travel. It’s absolutely vital that we can carry our gear around with us while still being comfortable during the journey. Having a camera bag that’s suited for travel is a must. It needs to be just the right size so that it’s TSA compliant, it needs to be able to hold our selected camera and lenses, and any accessories we wish to carry. Your bag also needs to offer protection from bumps, and the weather too. This one offers all of the above, and it’s incredibly comfortable to carry for long periods; it’s also incredibly affordable.
Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III RXD
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 ($879): Amazon
Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Sharp image quality
- Nice bokeh in the right situations
- A bit of weather sealing
- Optical image stabilization
- Versatile range
Cons
- Nothing really, we accept this lens for what it is
Buy now ($1,198): Amazon
Pro Tip: Speaking from experience; three things you should always make sure are in your camera bag when you’re traveling are a camera and lens cleaning kit, some weatherproof covers, and more SD cards than you think you need. Wherever you end up, you may not know where the local camera store is, or may not be able to reach them, so packing these items ahead of time is crucial. You never know what the weather is going to do so being prepared is vital. These weatherproof covers are easy to use, and they’re cheap. This camera and lens cleaning kit have everything you need to keep your gear in top order, and these SD cards are fast, reliable, and cheap. They’ll also save your bacon should any of your regular cards fail or corrupt while traveling.
Sony 24-240mm f3.5-6.3
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