Budget E-mount lenses for sony

The best budget lenses for the Sony E-mount system

One of the most appealing things to me about the sony E-mount system is the massive variety of Sony lenses. Sony has a massive range of lenses from small F2.8 primes, fast F1.4 primes and zoom lenses ranging from inexpensive kit lenses all the way to professional F2.8 zooms. Sony basically has a lens for everyone. But I think the single biggest advantage to the Sony E-mount system is the massive range of high quality 3rd party lenses from brands like Tamron and Sigma. Tamron in particular has just dropped in my opinion the best set of budget E-mount lenses on the market without sacrificing any image or auto focus quality, in fact I have read in reviews some of the Tamron lenses had better autofocus than the more expensive Sony lenses. Sigma also seems to be producing heaps of high quality lenses for the budget E-mount shooter. This is a massive advantage over the new Nikon and Canon systems that have very few lenses to choose from. For example the E-mount system has an 85 F1.8 for roughly $800 aud, an 85 F1.4 Gmaster lens for roughly $2300 aud, a sigma 85 F1.4 for $1700 aud and a Tamron 85 F1.8 for roughly $1200 aud. I think there are even 85 mm options from Samyang and Viltrox. But if you are on the Canon RF system your only option is the RF 85 F1.2, an amazing lens but how many people are going to spend $4000 odd dollars on a prime lens? If you are on a budget I really do think sony is the best option.

The budget E-mount holy trinity

If you are a photographer/videographer you have probably heard the term holy trinity before. The holy trinity is basically the professional zoom lens line up covering every focal length all the way unto 200 odd mm. Basically if your a serious photographer who shoots a variety of things like events, weddings, portraits or any other event where you need the flexibility to get the shot you are going to want the holy trinity in your camera bag. Typically the holy trinity is comprised of a wide angle like the 14-24 F2.8, a standard zoom usually the 24-70 F2.8 and a telephoto zoom usually the 70-200 F2.8. This covers every thing from super wide all the way to telephoto super tight shots. If you where to buy the Sony holy trinity you will want to have deep pockets though. The 16-35 Gmaster is roughly $3400 aud, the 24-70 Gmaster is roughly $3000 aud and finally the big one, the Sony 70-200 Gmaster usually sells for $4200. Meaning you are spending an odd $10000 on lenses. For the professional that is an investment you would not think twice about, but for me and people like me that is just so far out of reach. But this is where Tamron has really stepped up, early this year (2020) they released there holy trinity for the Sony E-mount system. And they got it so rite. They released the Tamron 17-28 F2.8 For roughly $1450 aud, the Tamron 28-75 F2.8 $1250 aud for roughly and the Tamron 70-180 F2.8 for roughly $2200 aud. Ideally I would have liked a slightly wider wide angle, maybe 15mm over the Tamrons 17mm but I can tell you right know if this lens was around when I first got into the E-mount system I would have hard a hard time choosing between it and the Laowa. It also would have been nice to see the 70-180 be a 70-200, but I have to say cutting that extra 20mm means saving a considerable amount of size and weight and I think that is a massive advantage to this lens over the massive, heavy Sony 70-200 Gmaster lens. But in the end for under $5000 you can get the whole focal range between 17-180 at F2.8 with is quiet incredible really. Is the extra $5000 worth it to get 1 mm wider on the wider end and an extra 20mm in the telephoto end ? For me the answer is a big no. If you where to choose the Tamron holy trinity not only would you save an odd $5000 but you will save over a kilogram in weight.

Tamron 17-28 F2.8 lens

This Tamron wide angle could be the best value all round landscape lens for the E-mount system. 17mm is definitely wide enough to shoot most landscape images and the practicality of being able to zoom to 28 mm is invaluable. Along with being able to shoot at F2.8 means that this lens will make a decent Astrophotography lens. The 67mm filter thread also means just about any type of filter will work for this lens with is another massive advantage to this lens for the landscape shooter. From what I have seen this lens is very sharp, the auto focus works well and is built well. I myself have not had a chance to use this lens (yet) but from the reviews I have watched this lens is worth far more than it is priced.

Tamron 28-75 F2.8 lens

The mid range zoom focal range like this 28-75mm is a must have. This focal length is so diverse you can literally shoot just about anything. This lens would be a great run and gun lens for taking adventures weather shooting portraits, adventure shots, product shots and even tighter landscape shots. Again I have not yet had any hands on time with this lens but from every review I have seen it looks tack sharp, focus looks great and the build quality again looks really good. This lens will probably be the next lens that I buy for myself. The versatile focal length and fast F2.8 aperture makes this lens an absolute must have.

Tamron 70-180 F2.8 lens

Telephoto lenses are notoriously expensive. I was looking into buying the Sony 70-200 F2.8 Gmaster lens but at $4200 aud it was just so expensive. I have always wanted a telephoto lens but simply have not been able to afford one, but when I saw this lens announced for under $2500 I was very interested. A telephoto zoom lens is something I think every photographer should have, they are so diverse and you are able to shoot portraits, product and abstract images really showing of details and textures. The 70-180 focal length is a bit strange as most companies stick to the 70-200 focal length, but this makes lenses excessively large and heavy. The Tamron lens is 20mm shorter but I think that is more of an advantage than anything, by making the lens 20mm shorter they were able to drastically cut the weight and size of this lens. A lens is only good if you can bothered bringing it, at roughly half the weight the Tamron fits in your bag no worries and is no real hassle to carry around. I can tell you first hand the Tamron 70-180 is exceptionally sharp, the autofocus is lightning quick and the build quality is excellent. Focus and zoom rings are all smooth and feel great, i’m assuming this is typical with all three of these new lenses. I own one of these lenses and I am very impressed.

The Laowa 15mm F2 prime lens

I think this could be the best Budget astro lens for the sony E-mount system. But what really sets this lens apart from the rest is the 72mm filter thread, in my opinion that makes this far more than an astrophotographers lens. Being able to shoot at 15mm and use my 100mm nice square filter set is not possible on any other lens in the E-mount system. This reason alone makes this lens great for shooting any kind of landscape scene. Another massive thing about this lens is being able too shoot at an F2 aperture, F2 is fast as hell especially for a 15mm. I think this lenses closest competitor is the sigma 14mm F1.8, that is considerably more expensive, unable to use filters and is heavier. The Laowa is great, I brought one as my my main Landscape,astrophotography lens and I am very happy with it. 2 main things you need to consider before buying this lens though, the Laowa is a 15mm prime lens which is fine for me because I normally like to shoot my wide landscape images as wide as possible. For me shooting only at 15 works well and I like that. Secondly this is a manual focus lens, meaning that you have to manually focus with the focus ring on the lens. I often focus manually when shooting ultra wide so this suits me fine. If either of these are a problem the Tamron 17-28 would be a great and equally budget friendly option, only with auto focus and zoom capabilities. Honestly if the Tamron was out when I was looking for a wide angle to buy for the E-mount i’m not 100 percent sure if I would have brought the Laowa or the Tamron. Anyway the Laowa is very sharp especially between F8-F16 and I really like the images that lens produces. The colours and tones just seem to be so nice compared to some of the other lenses I have shot with. For $1200 you can buy a 15mm lens that is able to shoot as wide as F2 and fits basically any filter system that you could think of. This is a great budget friendly option if you looking to shoot landscapes and astrophotography.

The Laowa 15mm F2 a great landscape/astrophotography lens for people on a budget.

Sony 55mm F1.8 lens

The Sony 55mm F1.8 lens is another great all round, light prime lens for the Sony e-mount. I brought this lens as multi purpose portrait/adventure lens to basically just shoot anything that I needed to compose tighter than 15mm. The lens is super small and compact, sharp and autofocuses really well. 55mm is a great focal length for shooting environmental portraits, showing a good amount of background with out turning it to a blurry mess of bokeh. This is just such a great budget friendly option for the Sony E-mount. I brought my lens for about $800.

The Sony 55mm F1.8 a great compact all round lens for portraits and general photography.

Sony 85 F1.8 lens

The Sony 85 F1.8 is another great budget friendly E-mount lens. 85mm is an incredibly popular focal length for portraiture. The 85 F1.8 is the cheaper of the 2 Sony 85 mm lenses due to the F1.8 aperture. Sony also has an 85 Gmaster lens that is over twice the price and can be shot as wide open as F1.4. But to be honest at 85mm the difference between F1.8 and F1.4 is quiet minimal, both will create a lot of subject separation. In reviews I have heard that the Gmaster is quiet soft when shot wide open and focus is not super fast. I have also heard the cheaper F1.8 has great auto focus and is very sharp. I think if I was to buy an 85mm prime this would be my choice.

The Sony 85mm F1.8 incredible value portrait lens for the e-mount system.

Sigma 35 F1.4 lens

35mm is another one of those focal lengths that you really should have weather its a lens like the Tamron 28-75 or a prime like the 35 F1.4. 35mm is great for shooting everything. It is wide enough to shoot some tighter landscapes and tight enough to shoot portraits. Again this lens is wide enough that you can shoot wide open and create great environmental portraits with out completely blowing out the background. A lot of wedding/portrait photographers choose to shoot with a combination of the 85mm and 35mm focal lengths. For roughly $1000 the sigma 35 F1.4 is a great mix of quality and value. The lens is sharp, fast and focuses very well on the Sony E-mount system. If you are looking for a wider prime lens I think 35mm will do the trick and I think the Sigma is the best value 35 on the market.

The Sigma 35mm F1.4 amazing value offering a wide range of uses.

In my opinion these are the best budget friendly lenses for the E-mount system. Sony has a great range of lenses for the e-mount system, ranging from the more budget friendly options that I just showed you to the more professional Gmaster line. Sony has a lens for every situation and everyones budget. What do all think of these lenses, did I miss any great value lenses ?

Blog

Budget E-mount lenses for Sony