Sony’s E-Mount has the widest range of third-party lens support of any camera system. This includes all relevant manufacturers, from long-standing European brands such as Zeiss and Voigtländer to well-known Japanese lens makers such as Sigma and Tamron, and a handful of Chinese newcomers.
In retrospect, Sony’s decision to release the technical specifications of the E-Mount system in 2011 proved to be visionary. It effectively opened up the mount to third-party manufacturers to produce lenses for it. Ultimately, this has led to a lens ecosystem that is unparalleled in its breadth.
Spoiled for Choice
This post focuses on the APS-C crop format. However, it is probably worth noting that, counting both crop and full-frame lenses, there are almost 250 autofocus lenses for E-Mount to choose from.
You are spoiled for choice, especially when it comes to classic prime focal lengths. In the standard prime focal length range of 40mm to 50mm (full frame equivalent) alone, there are a dozen lenses to choose from. The same goes for the standard portrait focal length range of 75mm to 90mm (full frame equivalent).
E-Mount APS-C Lens Catalog
Sony E-Mount Zooms
Wide Angle Zooms
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Sigma | 10-18mm f/2.8 | – | 255g | *** |
Sony | 10-18mm f/4.0 | ✓ | 225g | ** |
Sony | 10-20mm f/4.0 | – | 178g | *** |
Tokina | 11-18mm f/2.8 | – | 335g | *** |
Tamron | 11-20mm f/2.8 | – | 335g | *** |
Standard Zooms & Superzooms
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Sony | 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 II | ✓ | 107g | * |
Sony | 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 | ✓ | 116g | * |
Sony | 16-55mm f/2.8 | – | 494g | **** |
Sony Zeiss | 16-70mm f/4.0 | ✓ | 308g | ** |
Tamron | 17-70mm f/4.0 | ✓ | 525g | *** |
Sigma | 18-50mm f/2.8 | – | 290g | *** |
Sony | 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 | ✓ | 194g | * |
Sony | 18-105mm f/4.0 | ✓ | 427g | ** |
Sony | 18-110mm f/4.0 | ✓ | 1105g | *** |
Sony | 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 | ✓ | 325g | ** |
Sony | 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 LE | ✓ | 460g | * |
Sony | 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 | ✓ | 524g | * |
Sony | 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 PZ | ✓ | 649g | ** |
Tamron | 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 | ✓ | 460g | * |
Tamron | 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 | ✓ | 620g | ** |
Telephoto Zooms
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Sony | 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 | ✓ | 345g | * |
Sony | 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 | ✓ | 625g | *** |
Sony E-Mount Primes
Wide Angle Primes
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Sony | 11mm f/1.8 | – | 181g | *** |
Yongnuo | 11mm f/1.8 | – | 260g | ** |
Samyang | 12mm f/2.0 | – | 213g | ** |
Zeiss | 12mm f/2.8 | – | 260g | *** |
Viltrox | 13mm f/1.4 | – | 420g | *** |
TTArtisan | 14mm f/3.5 | – | 98g | [???] |
Sony | 15mm f/1.4 | – | 219g | **** |
Sirui | 16mm f/1.2 | – | 384g | ** |
Sigma | 16mm f/1.4 | – | 405g | *** |
Yongnuo | 16mm f/1.8 | – | 273g | *** |
Sony | 16mm f/2.8 | – | 67g | * |
Sigma | 19mm f/2.8 | – | 160g | ** |
Sony | 20mm f/2.8 | – | 69g | * |
Sirui | 23mm f/1.2 | – | 380g | ** |
Sigma | 23mm f/1.4 | – | 330g | **** |
Tokina | 23mm f/1.4 | – | 276g | *** |
Viltrox | 23mm f/1.4 | – | 260g | *** |
Sony Zeiss | 24mm f/1.8 | – | 225g | *** |
Standard Primes
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Viltrox | 27mm f/1.2 | – | 565g | **** |
TTArtisan | 27mm f/2.8 | – | 88g | ** |
7Artisans | 27mm f/2.8 | – | 173g | ** |
Ulanzi | 27mm f/2.8 | – | 182g | ** |
Sigma | 30mm f/1.4 | – | 265g | *** |
Sigma | 30mm f/2.8 | – | 130g | ** |
Sony | 30mm f/3.5 | – | 138g | ** |
Zeiss | 32mm f/1.8 | – | 200g | *** |
Sirui | 33mm f/1.2 | – | 400g | ** |
Tokina | 33mm f/1.4 | – | 285g | *** |
Viltrox | 33mm f/1.4 | – | 270g | *** |
Meike | 33mm f/1.4 | – | 315g | *** |
Sony | 35mm f/1.8 | ✓ | 154g | ** |
TTArtisan | 35mm f/1.8 | – | 199g | ** |
Telephoto Primes
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Brightin Star | 50mm f/1.4 | – | 450g | ** |
Sony | 50mm f/1.8 | ✓ | 202g | ** |
Yongnuo | 50mm f/1.8 II | – | 134g | ** |
Yongnuo | 50mm f/1.8 | – | 146g | ** |
Zeiss | 50mm f/2.8 | – | 290g | *** |
Meike | 55mm f/1.4 | – | 286g | *** |
Sirui | 56mm f/1.2 | – | 419g | ** |
Sigma | 56mm f/1.4 | – | 280g | **** |
Tokina | 56mm f/1.4 | – | 315g | *** |
Viltrox | 56mm f/1.4 | – | 290g | *** |
Viltrox | 56mm f/1.7 | – | 170g | *** |
TTArtisan | 56mm f/1.8 | – | 233g | *** |
Sigma | 60mm f/2.8 | – | 190g | ** |
Sirui | 75mm f/1.2 | – | 466g | ** |
Viltrox | 75mm f/1.2 | – | 670g | **** |
Bonus: Sony E-Mount Compact Full-Frame Primes
Some full-frame primes for the E-Mount system are light and compact enough to fit comfortably even on Sony’s relatively small rangefinder-style APS-C bodies.
Wide Angle Primes
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Sigma | 17mm f/4.0 | – | 220g | *** |
Samyang | 18mm f/2.8 | – | 145g | ** |
Viltrox | 20mm f/2.8 | – | 157g | ** |
Samyang | 21mm f/3.5 | – | 71g | * |
Samyang | 24mm f/1.8 | – | 230g | *** |
Samyang | 24mm f/2.8 | – | 93g | ** |
Sony | 24mm f/2.8 | – | 162g | *** |
Sigma | 24mm f/3.5 | – | 225g | *** |
Standard Primes
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Viltrox | 28mm f/4.5 | – | 60g | ** |
Samyang | 28mm f/3.5 | – | 71g | * |
Samyang | 32mm f/2.8 | – | 67g | * |
Samyang | 35mm f/1.8 | – | 210g | *** |
Samyang | 35mm f/2.8 | – | 85g | ** |
Sony Zeiss | 35mm f/2.8 | – | 120g | ** |
Viltrox | 40mm f/2.5 | – | 167g | ** |
Sony | 40mm f/2.5 | – | 173g | *** |
Telephoto Primes
Brand | Model | OSS | Weight | Rating |
Samyang | 45mm f/1.8 | – | 162g | *** |
Sigma | 45mm f/2.8 | – | 215g | *** |
Sony | 50mm f/1.8 | – | 186g | ** |
Sony | 50mm f/2.5 | – | 174g | *** |
Sony | 50mm f/2.8 | – | 236g | *** |
Sony Zeiss | 55mm f/1.8 | – | 281g | *** |
Samyang | 75mm f/1.8 | – | 230g | *** |
TTArtisan | 75mm f/2.0 | – | 328g | *** |
Sigma | 90mm f/2.8 | – | 295g | *** |
The star ratings in the last column of the tables above summarize the reviews you can find online. OSS stands for Optical SteadyShot, Sony’s nomenclature for lens-based image stabilization (the abbreviation is also used here for third-party lenses, regardless of the manufacturer’s own terminology).
If you have any suggestions or corrections, please drop me a line using the contact form. Thank you!
Addendum: What I use
I love the almost unlimited choice of lenses available for the E-Mount system. My favorites are the Zeiss Touit series and the smaller, lighter models from Sigma’s I-series (which covers the full-frame sensor). With their all-metal bodies and clicky aperture rings, the I-series remind me of classic lenses from the heyday of film photography. It is this kind of camera equipment that keeps me in the E-Mount system (notwithstanding the usability shortcomings of Sony’s camera bodies).
Nearly all of my photography is done in landscape format. For this, I prefer a horizontally tilting screen rather than a fully articulated one. This effectively rules out many of the newer camera bodies, leaving me with a five-year-old model: the Sony A6400.
I dare say that the functionality and image quality of cameras has improved only slightly since the A6400 was released. Once the generation of 24 Megapixel cameras passed a certain threshold, the differences between models became more or less negligible.