If you’ve joined the L Mount Alliance and want a one-stop-shop for all of your lens needs, this guide is for you.
A few eyebrows were raised when Panasonic, Leica, and Sigma joined forces to create the L Mount Alliance. This would be Panasonic’s first foray into the Full-Frame market, Sigma could have a platform they could call their own, and Leica could potentially get their lenses into more hands. The platform got off to a slow start, but now things are rocking and rolling, and a good collection of lenses are now available. We have created the L Mount Alliance lens buyer’s guide for those who have joined the L mount ranks. Here you’ll find all of our current L mount lens reviews and any future lens reviews for the platform too.
We’ve spent a lot of time testing these L Mount Alliance lenses in all sorts of conditions. Today, we’re sharing our findings for every single lens we’ve reviewed so far in an extensive guide that isn’t sponsored by any member of the L Mount Alliance. We simply wanted to put together an easy-to-find and simple-to-read guide for our readers. With that said, we have full editorial authority over what’s said in this guide. So if you’re interested in investing in the L Mount Alliance platform either through Leica, Panasonic, or Sigma, our guide will help you make better purchasing decisions.
The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear that we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Sigma 20mm f1.4 DG HSM Art
In our review, we said:
“The Sigma 20mm f1.4 DG HSM Art lens is sharp, contrasty, saturated, and overall delivers incredible image quality that you really can’t sit there and complain about. It’s a beautiful lens that will find its home amongst architecture photographers, street photographers, and landscape photographers. As I’m writing this review, I keep thinking about how sad I am to send it back to Sigma since the review is over.”
Buy now: $899
Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary
In our review, we state:
“The Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary is a good lens. Overall, it’s not a bad product. Indeed, no one makes a bad product these days. But there’s nothing special about it that would make me reach for it. For L mount, it’s your only affordable wide-angle option at the moment. For the Sony E mount, you’ve got Tamron’s 24mm f2.8. Below is a quick informal comparison between the Tamron and the Sigma. The Sigma photo is below, and the Tamron is above. These weren’t even shot in similar conditions. Even if you pixel peeped, you probably wouldn’t see much difference. And Tamron offers full weather sealing.”
Buy Now: $549
Leica 28mm f2 Summicron SL
In our review, we state:
“This is a 28mm f2. It’s taken me a while to truly understand their pricing. But the deeper I dive, the more it makes sense. This is the only 28mm lens with six aspherical lens elements on the market. Plus, it’s weather-sealed to be in line with the IP-rated SL series cameras.”
Buy Now: $5,195
Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary
In our review, we said:
“The Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC DN lens is quite good overall. It feels nice in hand, focuses quickly and accurately most of the time, and doesn’t give you the more typically well known Sigma color rendition. Instead, they seem to have toned it down a bit here with this lens.”
Buy now: $308.69
Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL APO
In our review, we state:
“If there’s anything that I’m sure of, it’s that the Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL APO has fantastic image quality. Of course, we only tested it on 24MP sensors. To that end, I don’t feel like we got the most of the sharpness from this lens. However, that doesn’t mean that this is a bad lens at all. In fact, it’s probably just behind the Lumix S Pro 50mm f1.4 for sharpness.
Buy Now: $5,094.95
Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary
In our review, we said:
“The Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary is part of the I series of Sigma lenses. As part of the company’s contemporary lineup, it’s not at all innovative. There are tons of 35mm f2 lenses on the market. And they’re all very good. But nothing really makes the Sigma stand out. Sony has a 35mm f1.8 with full weather sealing. Canon has a 35mm f1.8 with image stabilization and no weather sealing. Of course, Sigma isn’t making Rf mount glass yet. Nikon has a 35mm f1.8 that’s arguably about on par, but Sigma doesn’t support the Z mount. Tamron has a 35mm f2.8 with full weather sealing but at a full stop slower. And Leica has a 35mm f2 with a more innovative lens design but at more than 5x the price.”
Buy Now: $639
Sigma 35mm f1.2 Art DG DN
In our review, we said:
“In backlit situations with ample light outdoors, the Sigma 35mm f1.2 Art DG DN nails the focusing well. Here is where you’re not only able to appreciate the colors that the lens delivers but also the sharpness.”
Buy now: $1,499
Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG HSM
In our review, we said:
“Overall, we can’t really say anything very terrible about the Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG. Even though it doesn’t have weather sealing, there are options out there that can do this for you. Otherwise, it has a wonderful build quality, eye-popping image quality, and is a relative speed demon when it comes to focusing.”
Buy now: $799
Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN Art
In our review, we said:
“Sigma states they have entirely revolutionized the 35 f1.4 Art lens and that it has been reborn for mirrorless. They have done a great job creating a lens for both photographers and cinematographers. In making a nearly technically perfect lens, they have made it almost impossible to achieve lens flare. Aberrations are barely noticeable and distortion is easily rectified. Most of the imperfections that provided the lens character of the first generation have been removed. Sigma has added an aperture control ring which can have the clicks turned on or off. They have also added an autofocus lock button that is customizable. This allows photographers to utilize the lens more akin to those found on older analog cameras. It is competitively priced at $899. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s still just a 35mm f1.4 lens.”
Buy Now: $849
Sigma 45mm f2.8 DG DN Contemporary
In our review, we said:
“Overall, the Sigma 45mm f2.8 DG DN Contemporary exhibits very good image quality. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say that this is easily the image quality that an Art or Sports lens in Sigma’s lineup would have.”
Buy now: $498.95
Leica SL 50mm f1.4 Summilux
In our review, we said:
“The image quality from the Leica SL 50mm f1.4 Summilux is arguably the best thing about the lens. Despite its big and heavy build mixed with slow focusing, it’s got incredibly image quality. The bokeh is gorgeous. Further, we couldn’t find a single problem with fringing or distortion.”
Buy now: $5,189
Sigma 50mm f1.4 DG HSM Art
In our review, we said:
“When it comes to image quality of the Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art lens, it truly is deserving of its Art moniker. This lens delivers some of the most beautiful image quality that we’ve seen and surely puts lots of the first party offerings to shame.”
Buy now: $949
Leica SL 50mm f2 Summicron
In our review, we state:
“The Leica SL 50mm f2 Summicron is a well-built, metal-body lens that’s both simple and beautiful to use. The images are spectacular, and they achieve a happy medium between eliminating distortion and eliminating character. But, it’s pricey and, like we noted with the f1.4 Summilux, the autofocus isn’t perfect.”
Buy Now: $5,095
Panasonic 50mm f1.8 S
In our review, we state:
“While not necessarily innovative, Panasonic has made the first 50mm f1.8 under $500 that boasts weather sealing. Compared to the rest of the industry, there’s no compromise here. Sony’s 50mm f1.8 doesn’t have weather sealing and has a few issues. Canon’s doesn’t have weather sealing either. Nikon’s has weather sealing but is pricier. And Sigma and Leica don’t make a nifty 50. In the full-frame camera world, Panasonic is teaching the masterclass on the nifty 50.”
Buy Now: $448.15
Panasonic 50mm f1.4 Lumix S Pro
In our review, we said:
“The Panasonic 50mm f1.4 Lumix S Pro is a truly exceptional lens. It really delivers where it counts with image quality. This lens is not only very sharp but also delivers beautiful bokeh. Portrait photographers will appreciate the colors, as will wedding photographers and photojournalists. Those who travel will like the build quality.”
Buy now: $2,297.99
Sigma 56mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary
In our review, we said:
“In-focus areas are tack sharp while out of focus areas pack plenty of bokeh. Images produced by the Sigma 56mm f1.4 are consistently sharp in the center of the frame throughout the available aperture range (f1.4 to f16), with no significant loss in sharpness detected when moving towards the perimeter of the frame.”
Buy now: $449
Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary
In our review, we said:
:The Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens is around $699 and delivers clinically sterile image quality in a cinematic focal length. It lacks full weather sealing, and the autofocus is a bit hit or miss. But, if you get past all that, you’ll enjoy what is possible from this very sharp lens. Oh, it’s got some really nice bokeh too!”
Buy Now: $699
Leica 75mm f2 SL
In our review, we state:
“The Leica 75mm f2 SL has SPECTACULAR image quality. Part of this is because of just how versatile this lens is. However, there’s a lot to really like about the Leica 75mm f2 SL. It’s got nice bokeh, is sharp, really beautiful colors, and there are no optical issues with it. Best of all, it’s an odd focal length. So, it means you’re working in a different way. But at the same time, it’s not that unusual of an optic.”
Buy Now: $5,395
Panasonic 85mm f1.8
In our review, we state:
“The Panasonic 85mm f1.8 is a fantastic lens for the L-mount and exactly what it needed. It’s lightweight, weather-sealed, fast to focus, and delivers solid image quality. It’s also incredibly affordable, but a bit clinical for my personal tastes.”
Buy Now: $597.99
Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art
In our review, we said:
“The Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art offers tremendous value. It retains the excellent image quality of its predecessor while addressing many of its shortcomings: It’s smaller, lighter, and features markedly improved autofocus performance.”
Buy now: $1,199
Leica 90mm f2 SL
In our review, we state:
“The Leica 90mm f2 SL lens is a beautiful, well-built optic. While some of the SL lenses feel huge, this one is just right. It’s smaller than Sony’s 90mm f2.8 Macro G OSS. It’s weather-resistant and around the size of other 90mm lenses on the market. But it arguably has better image quality. Quite honestly, it’s hard to make a bad portrait with this lens. It’s one of those optics where everyone looks good with it.”
Buy Now: $5,794.99
Sigma 105mm f2.8 DG DN Macro Art
In our review, we state:
“Image stabilization could help this lens a lot in low light. The cameras are competent for sure. But the addition of lens-based stabilization would have put it over the top.”
Buy Now: $795
Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DG DN Art
In our review, we said:
“The Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DG DN Art creates vivid images. We found this across both Panasonic and Leica’s cameras. The market Sigma is targeting with this lens cares about that. The saturated colors will look just as good in the rain and they will when shooting a landscape.”
Buy now: $1,299
Leica 16-35mm f3.5-4.5 SL
In this review, we state:
“The Leica 16-35mm f3.5-4.5 SL is a fantastic lens with a ton of character and versatility. It’s weather-resistant, focuses pretty fast, and simply works. But it’s kind of heavy. To be fair, I also don’t like a lot of zoom lenses. However, Leica did their best to make this one feel like a prime. And ultimately, it does. I also wish it had a constant aperture, but I’ll gladly sacrifice that for durability.”
Buy Now: $6,294.99
Panasonic 16-35mm f4 PRO
In our review, we said:
“In regard to the images this lens creates, it’s positively stellar. There’s less distortion than what I’ve seen with Sigma’s offering, and I find it challenging to take a bad photo with this lens. Landscape and cityscape photographers will thoroughly enjoy it. What they’ll appreciate the most is the sharpness mixed with the convenient size.”
Buy now: $1,497.99
Panasonic LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6
In our review, we state:
“None of these focal lengths are telephotos. With that said, the autofocus from this lens is pretty fast. The Panasonic S5 is probably the company’s fastest focusing camera. But it’s still just a bit behind Nikon with autofocus overall. So for an L mount lens, expect this one to be quick. Of course, that will also depend on what camera it’s on.”
Buy Now: $597
Leica 24-70mm f2.8 SL
In our review, we state:
“The Leica 24-70mm f2.8 SL is a Leica branded lens with Sigma’s optics. Optically speaking, Leica isn’t innovating at all here. But where the innovations come in is with the performance and build quality. Leica gave the lens an all-metal body and minimally increased the weight. They also boosted the autofocus performance. Basically, they innovated on and improved Sigma’s lens. But otherwise, this is a 24-70mm f2.8 lens through and through. They haven’t reinvented the wheel at all.”
Buy Now: $2,792
Panasonic 24-70mm f2.8 LUMIX Pro
In our review, we said:
“The Panasonic 24-70mm f2.8 LUMIX Pro delivers beautiful images once it gets a subject in focus. Not only is it sharp from edge to edge, but the bokeh is gorgeous.”
Buy now: $2,197.99
Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN Art
In our review, we said:
“You’re getting a whole lot with the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN Art in terms of build quality and image quality.”
Buy now: $1,099
Leica SL 24-90mm f2.8-4
In our review, we said:
“One of the reasons you pay for a Leica is that they don’t play around with build quality. Leica went ahead and IP rated their cameras, but not their lenses. However, the Leica SL 24-90mm f2.8-4 is very weather sealed. We’ve taken it out into the rain, snow, and other conditions. The lens kept working: this is a very reliable lens.”
Buy Now: $5,495
Panasonic Lumix S 24-105mm f4 Macro OIS
In our review, we said:
“This lens outputs sharp images, has decent autofocus, great build quality, is very lightweight, and is the best 24-105mm lens overall that I’ve tested.”
Buy now: $1,297.99
Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 Contemporary
In our review, we state:
“Is taking 4mm off the focal length of a traditional lens innovative? I don’t know, but the size of this lens still feels like a step in the right direction. It’s less than two ounces shy of being a whole pound lighter than the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 G Master lens. However, also keep in mind that the Sony G Master lens is fully weather-sealed.”
Buy Now: $899
Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro
In our review, we state:
“The 70-200mm f2.8 is a popular workhorse. The most notable feature on Panasonic’s take on this popular focal length zoom is the stabilization. Paired with IBIS, it gets up to seven stops of stabilization. I shot at 1/2.5 at 200mm and the image is actually useable. That’s even more than Canon does with the Canon EOS R5 and the Canon EOS R6 with their own variant.”
Buy Now: $2,597.99
Panasonic 70-200mm f4 OIS Lumix S Pro
In our review, we said:
“For the type of work that the Panasonic 70-200mm f4 OIS Lumix S Pro is designed for, I’m very impressed. Not only is it sharp, but the bokeh is very creamy. Additionally, the colors are very true to life.”
Buy now: $2,597.99
Sigma 100-400mm f5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary
In our review, we state:
“The Sigma 100-400mm f5-6.3’s autofocus is accurate and precise if there’s sufficient light available. It’s slightly slower compared to Sony’s 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 G Master. Understandable given the Sigma’s dimmer maximum apertures. It’s compatible with all the advanced focusing modes on the Sony A7R IV. This made tracking birds and cyclists easy. For the best results, remember to take advantage of the Focus Range Limiter. Below are a few autofocus tracking examples.”
Buy Now: $949
