Last Updated on 10/28/2020 by Chris Gampat
At under $500 each, these fast Sony E mount primes should not be ignored.
Something extraordinary is happening in the world of Sony E mount lenses. We went through a period of massive prime lenses that required a gym membership to use. Now, we’re being graced with super small, fast primes. Not only are these prime lenses outstanding when it comes to image and build qualities, but they’re also priced right too. After the break, we’re going to look at nine Sony E mount primes that cost less than $400 each. You simply can’t ignore lenses this good that are also wallet-friendly.
One of the biggest lies is that you have to spend large amounts of money to get great lenses. This simply isn’t true. You can get lenses that are more than good enough for the vast majority of photographers that cost under $400. These fast Sony E mount primes prove this. All of the Sony E mount primes we feature here scored well in our reviews, and we highly recommend them. If you have a budget of $400 or less, and want a new lens, take a look at these Sony E mount primes.
Sigma 16mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Fast aperture
- Weather sealing to a point
- Fast autofocus performance for the most part
- Nice bokeh
- Sharp, surprisingly sharp
Cons
- To be honest, nothing
Buy now: $379
Rent Now: $35 for 7 days
Samyang 18mm f2.8
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Small
- Lightweight
- Nice contrast
- Nice colors
- Pretty sharp
Cons
- A few initial issues with this lens and the Sony a7r III that were fixed by basically pulling the battery
- We wish it were built just a little bit better
- Itâs got the Zeiss 18mm f2.8 Batis profile in Capture One
Buy now: $299
Tamron 20mm f2.8 Di III OSD
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Well built
- Affordable
- Nice colors
- Tamron is embracing Mirrorless with a small and lightweight offering.
- Weather sealed very well; it survived a few hours in the rain.
- Autofocuses quickly
Cons
- This is one of the most heavily distorted lenses weâve tested in a while. You can use that to your advantage, or you can correct it in post
Buy now: $299
Rent now: $30 for 7 days
Tamron 24mm f2.8 Di III OSD M1:2
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Small footprint
- Lightweight (7.6 oz / 215g)
- Very robust weather sealing
- Excellent image quality overall
- Close minimum focusing distance
Cons
- Quite a bit of optical distortion (although correctable in Capture One)
- Subpar autofocus performance under low light and low contrast conditions
Buy now: $229
Rent now: $30 for 7 days
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Sony 28mm f2
Here are the pros and cons rom our full review:
Pros
- Very sharp at any aperture
- Beautiful bokeh
- Nice, small size
- Lightweight
Cons
- The metal feels almost hollow because it’s so lightweight.
Buy now: $395
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
- Affordable
Cons
- Weather sealing would have been nice
- Focus motors can be a bit loud at times with later cameras
Buy now: $249
Rent now: $35 for 7 days
Tamron 35mm f2.8 Di III OSD
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Compact
- Lightweight
- Class-leading weather sealing
- Excellent image quality overall
Cons
- Plasticky build quality
- Low light autofocus can be a tad slow
Buy now: $299
Rent now: $30 for 7 days
Pro Tip: These Sony E mount primes are fantastic. All lenses, no matter how much they cost, will get dirty. These might not be the most expensive lenses on the planet. Still, if you take care of them, they will last for many years. Make cleaning your lenses a part of your routine. You don’t need an expensive cleaning kit either. This one is under $15 and has everything you need.
Samyang 45mm f1.8
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Very sharp
- Small size
- Beautiful bokeh
Cons
- It can freeze the camera and the autofocus up at times, but thatâs a primary hiccup it eventually gets over
- Incredibly plastic fantastic
- Has a weird metering problem at times, but this hiccup goes away after a while
- Canât take full advantage of continuous tracking with lock-on AF
Buy now: $329
Sigma 56mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Excellent sharpness
- Gorgeous bokeh
- Lightweight & compact design
- Fast and accurate autofocus
- One of three widest maximum aperture (f1.4) lenses currently available for Crop Sensor Sony E Mount (besides Sigmaâs own 16mm and 30mm offerings)
- Dust and splash-proof design with a rubber gasket integrated found around the lens mount
- 35mm equivalent focal length of 84mm very nearly matches the 85mm focal length preferred by many portrait photographers
Cons
- Lacks optical stabilization
- Pincushioning is especially noticeable in RAW files, although correctable during post-production
- While mountable to Full Frame Sony Mirrorless cameras, the lens will only work in crop sensor mode and will otherwise vignette severely
Buy now: $389
Rent now: $36 for 7 days
