Last Updated on 03/05/2020 by Chris Gampat
These bargain-priced E mount prime lenses prove you don’t have to sell a kidney to get a great lens.
The other day I was watching a YouTube video where the ‘star’ proclaimed that they turned down a lens because it wasn’t a G Master. “Who wants to use anything less,” they scoffed. It’s this type of arrogance and elitism that gives the photography community a bad rap. Sure, expensive glass is great, and these lenses do have their place, but what if we told you that just because a lens is affordable, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad. Wow, mind blown. Well, it’s true, and the E mount prime lenses in this roundup prove it. After the break, we will share nine E mount prime lenses, which cost less than $600, and that perform much better than you could ever imagine.
Honestly, in this day and age, it’s tough to get genuinely awful lenses. That wasn’t always the case, but now, thanks to advances in technology and manufacturing processes, companies like Sigma, Tamron, Rokinon, and even Sony have started to produce affordable E mount prime lenses that punch well above their price point. Unless you are pixel peeping at 400% (just don’t do that in general, it’s stupid), you, nor anyone else, will ever know that your images came from sub $600 lenses. Not that it matters, because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you use as long as you get the shot. The sad truth is that the only other people who will try to make you feel bad about your lens choices are other photographers.
All of the sub $600 E mount prime lenses listed in this roundup are stunning. They all produce genuinely excellent images that are sharp, contrasty, and that have beautifully rendered colors. The build quality of these prime lenses is excellent, the lenses focus incredibly fast. The best part is they won’t make your wallet cry when you buy them. These E mount prime lenses, for the price, are absolute winners. Check out nine of our favorite sub $600 E mount prime lenses below.
Table of Contents
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: $364
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 out in the rain
- Autofocuses quickly
- Priced at only $349
Cons
- This is one of the most heavily distorted lenses we’ve have tested in a while. You can use that to your advantage, or you can correct it in post
Buy now: $349
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
- Affordably priced at just $349
Cons
- Plasticky build quality
- Quite a bit of optical distortion (although correctable)
- Subpar autofocus performance under low light and low contrast conditions
Buy now: $349
Pro Tip: While all of the E mount prime lenses listed here are well built, one thing you have to expect with some of these affordable lenses is that they may lack weather sealing. This doesn’t mean you can’t go and play in the rain or snow though. By using some affordable, weatherproof camera and lens covers, you can shoot in whatever conditions you like. These right here are perfect!
Rokinon 35mm F2.8 FE
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Sharp image quality
- Good bokeh
- It 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: $269
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
- Very affordable (only $349)
Cons
- Low light autofocus can be a tad slow
Buy now: $349
Rokinon 50mm F1.4 AF FE
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: $499
Pro Tip: There are plenty of ways to store and protect your E mount prime lenses when you’re not using them, but one of the most user-friendly ways is to use universal lens caps. These lens caps let you mark them, so you know what lens is hiding under the cover, and they also add an extra layer of protection to your lens as well. These covers can withstand and protect from blunt force impacts, and they create a weatherproof seal around your lens.
Sony 50mm F1.8
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Pretty decent image quality
- Affordable
- Small
- Fast to focus in good lighting
Cons
- Autofocus is slow in low lighting, even with the a7r II
- Autofocus is a bit louder than we’d personally like, though it’s still pretty quiet in real-life use
Buy now: $228.95
Sony 85mm F1.8 FE
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Great image quality
- Fast-focusing with the Sony a7r II and in good lighting, it will focus quickly with the Sony a7
- Nice feel; though not as great as the G Master 85mm f1.4 lens
- Weather resistance built-in
- Compact size
Cons
- Honestly, not a darn thing
Buy now: $598
Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm F1.8
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Sturdy construction
- Excellent sharpness
- Creamy bokeh
Cons
- Significantly heavier than Sony’s native autofocus 85mm f1.8 for Sony FE mount
- Lacks weather sealing
- Our review unit experienced intermittent lockup issues
Buy now: $199