For some photographers, it’s first party or bust! At least, that’s typically the case with professional photographers. But, luckily for Sony shooters, you’ve got a fair amount of great choices available. We dove into our Reviews Index and our Sony FE lens guide. Here are the best zoom lenses for professional Sony photographers.
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 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.
Table of Contents
Pro Tips on Using the best zoom lenses for professional Sony photographers
Here are some tips on using the best zoom lenses for professional Sony photographers.
- What makes these the best zoom lenses for professional Sony photographers? They tend to produce flattering images of people and things. The ones we’re showcasing are zoom lenses for professional photographers on the Sony FE camera system. Specifically, we’re focusing on zoom lenses.
- The Sony system has excellent autofocus for portrait photography. Just use face and eye detection. If you’ve never used it before, it’ll feel like cheating.
- If you happen to be snapping portraits of people candidly, this system can do it well.
- If you’re photographing pets, this system is very reliable.
- Portrait photographers typically reach for prime lenses because of the better image quality and shallower apertures. But these lenses aren’t bad.
- Make sure you’re using image stabilization if you’re shooting at the longer end.
- Want a sharper portrait? Get a flash or a circular polarizer. Both are capable of making an image look sharper.
- We’ve reviewed all the lenses in this roundup. That’s how we know they’re the best zoom lenses for professional Sony photographers. We tested them and a bunch of others to verify!
Sony 12-24mm f2.8 G Master
- Excellent overall build quality
- Weather sealing
- Speedy autofocus
- A fast, constant aperture (f2.8) across the focal range is always nice
- Flare and chromatic aberrations are controlled very well
- Uses drop-in filters that sit in front of the rear element
- Great image quality overall
- Renders nice, natural colors
In our review, we state:
“The Sony 12-24mm f2.8 GM will be used by photographers who will be out in the field in all sorts of unsavory weather conditions, and I have no doubt the lens can square up to whatever Mother Nature throws at it. If you’re a landscape photographer and get caught in the rain, you have nothing to worry about. If you’re an astrophotographer who’s outside in the dead of a cold night, you can be assured that the lens will be just fine, and if you like cityscape photography, the lens feels tough enough to survive being jostled around in the city. Like other Sony G Master lenses. the Sony 12-24mm f2.8 GM is a lens built to last.“
Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2
- Beautiful image quality
- Works with Sony’s autofocus algorithms
- Weather sealing
- Integrated USB port
- Lightweight
- Feels great in the hands
- Works very well on older Sony cameras if you’re on the appropriate autofocusing type
- Can do pretty well in continuous autofocus
- It’s only $879
In our review, we state:
“The Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2 is a great lens. It builds on the previous version with a built-in USB port, faster autofocus, and a new finish. Personally, I was a tad shocked to see it refreshed this early. But there isn’t a single thing wrong with this lens. It boasts great image quality that you’ll really like. It innovates with the new USB port. And it retains the lightweight design with a weather-sealed body. There isn’t a single thing to complain about really.”
Sony 24-70mm f2.8 G Master II
- Weather-resistant; moreso with newer camera bodies than the other ones.
- Fast autofocus
- Smaller and lighter than the previous version
- Feels great on older, smaller camera bodies.
- Autofocuses well on both older and newer camera bodies
- Very sharp
- The colors are pretty gorgeous. I’d expect this of Sony primes, but this is wonderful!
- Nice bokeh
- Distortion, even in the corners, is heavily suppressed.
- Lots of nice extra buttons
In our review, we state:
“The Sony 24-70mm f2.8 G Master II is an excellent lens for a professional photographer who wants the cleanest, most sterile image possible. This has been Sony’s mission since the start. It removes any issues with lens flare, all aberrations and gives you a clinically perfect lens. While doing this, they cut down the size and weight. Objectively speaking to how photography has been presented for years, the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 G Master II is a winner. But if you’re looking for something with more soul, I’d suggest looking at Tamron and other brands instead.“
Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD
- Beautiful image quality
- Works with Sony’s autofocus algorithms on the Sony a1
- Weather sealing
- One of Tamron’s most solidly built lenses to date
- Integrated USB port
- Lightweight for what this is; a very innovative lens
- Feels great in the hands
- F2 aperture to start is nice!
- Works very well on older Sony cameras if you’re using the appropriate autofocusing type
- Can do pretty well in continuous autofocus
- I adore that this isn’t one of Tamron’s sharpest lenses because it means that I don’t have to spend a ton of time retouching every pore
- $1,899 isn’t too bad of a price
In our review, we said:
“Where to start? The Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD is the only lens on the market that begins with an f2 aperture and goes down to f2.8. Tamron has a similar lens for DSLRs that starts at f2.8 and stops down to f4. But obviously, this one is a full stop faster. Tamron has also done a world’s first with building a USB port into the lens directly. This port is sealed the same way one is on a phone. That means you can get rid of the dock to update the firmware. With this lens, you don’t necessarily need a 28-75mm and a 70-180mm lens. Instead, you’ve got one lens to do everything you’d realistically need. It’s brilliant.“
Sony 70-200mm f2.8 G Master OSS II
- Lightweight
- Excellent autofocus
- Dedicated aperture ring
- Excellent sharpness and colors
- Solid stabilization
In our review, we state:
“The Sony 70-200mm f2.8 GM OSS II has quite a few upgrades from the original. The autofocus is faster and also works much better on close-up subjects. The sharpness has improved and the lens is significantly lighter, yet Sony still managed to add a dedicated aperture ring. It’s a lens with a lot of technical greatness.”