6 Sony E Mount Lenses Best for Photowalks

These Sony E Mount lenses might never leave your camera after you put them on.

If you have been looking for the perfect lenses to take on photo walks, or want a lens that can be left on your camera for everyday use, you need to check out this roundup. Here we take a quick look at six of the best Sony E Mount lenses so versatile in what they allow you to shoot that they may never leave your camera. If you like to keep things to a minimum when it comes to photography, or if you just like being able to take one lens with you when you go on photo walks, these are the Sony E Mount lenses to consider adding to your kit. We have chosen a couple of 35mm primes that are perfect for those who like to keep things light, and who wish to have more of a documentary type of feel to their images. And we have selected a few zoom lenses that will enable you to shoot wide, standard, and telephoto lengths. All of these lenses are well built, optically superb, and can produce images that are sharp and vibrant. These lenses are so good you may find that you never take them off of your camera. Check out the six Sony E Mount lenses that are great for everyday shooting and photo walks below.

 

Rokinon 35mm F2.8 FE

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Sharp image quality
• Good bokeh
• Focuses pretty much as close 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 ($299): Adorama

 

Sony 35mm F1.8 FE

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Small
• Cost-effective
• Weather sealing
• Sharp; very sharp
• Beautiful bokeh
• The best colors we’ve seen from a Sony lens
• Can focus very closely
• Fast aperture
• With AF-C on the Sony a7r III, it is fast enough for street photography.

Cons

• Though this is minor, we wish Sony gave us a working distance and zone focus scale for street shooting

Buy now ($748): Adorama

 

Pro Tip: There is something about shooting in the rain that’s really enjoyable. Most people stay inside when the heavens open up, so that means you can get shots everyone else is missing out on. Weather can add a ton of dramatic effect to your images, and the reflections that you can capture can really add an extra dimension to your shots. But you need to be careful: not all lenses are weather sealed. If you’re not sure whether your camera or lenses are weather sealed, but want to shoot during a downpour, grab some camera and lens rains covers and keep them with you so that you can quickly protect your gear.

 

Sony 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Variety of focal lengths in a small body
• Lightweight
• Fun
• Pretty darned good image quality

Cons

• Price could be a bit lower

Buy now ($548): Adorama

 

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

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): Adorama

 

Pro Tip: Photo walking with friends, or even by yourself, can be incredibly fun, and it’s an activity that can be turned into a full day event. Not only will you get to see your city, and capture unique moments, but it’s great exercise too. If you plan on going on a photo walk, take along more SD cards than you think you need. You may be surprised at just how many opportunities for a great image will pop up. The last thing you want to do is miss a shot because you’ve used up your storage. SD cards are super cheap right now, so take advantage of the low prices and stock up while you can.

 

Sony Zeiss 24-70mm F4 FE OSS

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Very sharp
• Fairly compact lens for what it is
• Splashproof and dustproof
• Will have lots of appeal to many photographers
• Nice color rendition

Cons

• The bokeh is “meh” at best
• Should have had a faster aperture

Buy now ($798): Adorama

 

Rokinon 50mm F1.4 FE AF

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Contrasty images
• Sharp photos
• Beautiful bokeh
• Metal feeling build on the exterior
• Autofocus that works pretty darned well

Cons

• Autofocus isn’t as fast as Sony’s
• Really wish it had weather sealing, but the price point isn’t really for that
• Pretty big

Buy now ($549): Adorama