The Sony a7c II is a small camera with quite a bit of technology inside. It’s truly better than the Sony a7 IV which it’s based on in several ways. This is thanks to the AI processing chip inside that gives it a lot of superpowers that some of Sony’s other camears have. And when it comes to figuring out what lenses might be best for it, there’s a whole lot you can choose from via Sony and other brands. Luckily, we’ve independantly reviewed the most lenses for the Sony E mount in the real world — which is a hill we’ll die on. If you’re searching for the best lenses for the Sony a7c II, we’ve got several great ones for you to look at in this roundup.
Table of Contents
How We Test and Choose the Best Lenses for the Sony a7c II
- 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 in these roundups.
- 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. You can read more about our ethics on this on our Disclaimer page.
- When we test products we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the product and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that product in a variety of situations. For example, if a lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others. And that’s what we’re trying to find in our reviews.
- In all of our roundups, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they shoot.
Read Our Sony a7c II Review
In our review, we state:
Many beginners and content creators will really like the Sony a7c II for its solid image quality and straightforward features, while more advanced photographers will be left wanting a bit more. I’m giving the Sony a7c II four out of five stars.
Our Choice Amongst the Best Lenses for the Sony a7c II: Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8
So why are we choosing the Tamron? Well, believe it or not, it’s very well balanced with the camera. Tamron is also partially owned by Sony, and so the autofocus algorithms are shared very readily between the two brands. Perhaps of any zoom lens on the market though, this is one of the most useful that you can get your hands on. Combined with the AI processing chip in the camera, and the overall performance, you’d be hard pressed to beat the Tamron in this case.
Tech Specs
The following tech specs are borrowed from the LensRentals listing.
Angle of View | Diagonal 63° 26′- 16° 25′ (for full-frame mirrorless format) |
Aperture Blades | 9, Rounded |
Aspherical Elements | 3 |
Autofocus | Autofocus |
Brand | Tamron |
Compatibility | Full Frame |
Filter Size | 82.0mm |
Focal Length | 35.0-150.0 |
Groups/Elements | 15/21 |
Hood Included | Yes |
Image Stabilization | No |
Item Type | Lens |
Length | 6.2″ |
Lens Type | Telephoto |
Low Dispersion Elements | 4 |
Max Aperture | 2.0 |
Maximum Magnification | 1:5.7 (Wide) / 1:5.9 (Tele) |
Mfr. Model Number | A058 |
Minimum Aperture | 22.0 |
Minimum Object Distance (M.O.D.) | 13″ (0.33m) (Wide) / 33.5″ (0.85m) (Tele) |
Mount | Sony E |
Weight | 2.6 lbs. |
What We Think
In our review, we state:
Tamron absolutely deserves the Editor’s Choice award. The Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD is just an obvious choice here all around. The autofocus is fantastic, and that’s thanks to the fact that Sony owns part of Tamron. The image quality is unique enough while still also being more than satisfactory. There’s solid weather sealing, and Tamron even did the brave thing of putting a USB port on the lens. It feels good in the hands. It’s built solidly. It starts at f2 and ends at f2.8. But most importantly, it’s actually got a bunch of useful focal lengths. I can go from shooting a party or event to doing headshots with a single lens. I’ll get the best performance from it if I use a flash, and the exposure will be just as consistent. And honestly, I expect more professional photographers and passionate photographers to do just that. (TTL flash will win the day here; throw your L.E.D. lights away because they won’t do you justice.)
For Some Photographers, these Might Be the Best Lenses for the Sony a7c II
Our selection of the best lenses for the Sony a7c II is with small, lightweight lenses that also autofocus very quickly. So for other photographers out there, these might be one of the best lenses for the Sony a7c II.
Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss
In our review, we state:
Sony has some of the best color rendition around, and if you manage to get everything right in the camera, you’ll have little to worry about in post-production. The 55mm skews warm in most cases, but if that’s not your thing you can always fix it later. Also, the lens encourages chimping because you’ll want to see what you just took.
SONY 14MM F1.8 G MASTER
In our review we state:
The Sony 14mm f1.8 G Master isn’t innovative in that it’s a fast wide-angle. Sigma has done this kind of lens for a long time now. Instead, it’s innovative in how lightweight and small Sony made it. Plus, it focuses incredibly fast. More importantly, this lens was made from the ground up for mirrorless cameras.
SONY 50MM F1.4 G MASTER
In our review, we said:
The Sony 50mm f1.4 G Master is another entry into the higher-end products that Sony offers to photographers. It’s designed to work complementary to the 35mm f1.4 and 24mm f1.4. In fact, they all share the same front filter thread of 67mm. The lens also boasts weather resistance, a good but plastic feeling in the hand, and is lightweight. By all means, this lens delivers everything that we’d expect from a Sony G Master, except for the fact that it doesn’t feel as clinical.
Sony 35mm f1.4 GM
In our review, we said:
As part of Sony’s high-end G Master series, the lens is sealed against dust and moisture. I sprinkled the lens with a handful of snow and, even once melted, the lens was unfazed. I can’t say the same for the uncovered hot shoe slot. Always use a hot shoe cover when shooting with a Sony in inclement weather. The review sample body did not ship with one.
Using This Guide to the Best Lenses for the Sony a7c II
If you’re considering purchasing anything from this list of the best lenses for the Sony a7c II, consider the following:
- All the product images and sample photos in these roundups are shot by our staff. In fact, we don’t talk about products at length in roundups like this unless we’ve done full reviews of them. But you can surely know that we’ve done all the research ourselves.
- Though Tamron makes some incredible lenses, we’re not putting any of them on this list of the best lenses for the Sony a7c I. That’s because they’re all zooms; and not as well balanced to the camera as small prime lenses are.
- Generally speaking, we never recommend Sigma lenses. They’ve rightfully earned the nickname “Bigma” because they’re huge, slow to autofocus, and too clinical for our liking. Their small lenses also lack weather resistance. Tamron, on the other hand, is partially owned by Sony.
- We’re not recommending the 85mm f1.4 GM because it’s due for a refresh as of our writing this post.
- This is just our best lenses for the Sony a7c II list. Yours might be different. On the other hand, we’ve actually tested all these lenses and more.
- All of the best lenses for the Sony a7c II have weather resistance. We wouldn’t choose it otherwise. However, the 55mm f1.8 Zeiss isn’t as weather resistant as the G Master lenses are. It still has some though. Overall, we still recommend Tamron lenses over anything else for durability.
- Want character in your lens? Go for the 50mm f1.4 or the 35mm f1.4 GM.
- We’d never recommend a product to you that we haven’t tested or that we really didn’t like. You can reference our linked reviews, for more information on this.
Picking the Right One For You
If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself
- What’s your budget?
- How will you use the product?
- What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
- Are you traveling a lot with it?
- Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
- Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
- What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
- When will I really have time to use this product?
- Where will I bring this product?
- How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?
These are just a few of the questions that we ask ourselves, but we think that you should ask yourself these for sure.