Prime lenses are the way to go when it comes to getting the highest quality and sharpest images out of your Sony cameras. If you consider yourself a pixel peeper and won't accept anything less than perfection when it comes to image quality, you are going to like this article.
Within this article, I have decided to compile a complete list of the best Sony prime lenses you can buy right now, divided and categorized into use cases that you can choose from based on your preferences. The list is based solely on my personal experience shooting with Sony mirrorless cameras for more than a decade.
Without further ado, here are the 10 best Sony prime lenses you should check out. Let's begin by taking a look at the quick summary table below:
- 📸 Quick Summary: The best Sony prime lenses to buy
- 🎒 What Makes for a Good Travel Prime Lens for Sony Cameras?
- 🌎 Best All-Around Prime Lens
- 🎒 Best Travel Prime Lens
- 🪶 Best Compact & Lightweight Prime Lens
- 🏔️ Best Landscape Lens
- 😃 Best Portrait Lens
- 😃 Best Budget Portrait Lens
- 🚶♂️ Best Street Photography Lens
- 🚶♂️ Best Budget Street Photography Lens
- ⭐️ Best Astrophotography Lens
- ⭐️ Best Budget Astrophotography Lens
- 🐞 Best Macro Prime Lens
- 🐞 Best Budget Macro Prime Lens
- Further Reading for Photography
📸 Quick Summary: The best Sony prime lenses to buy
🎒 What Makes for a Good Travel Prime Lens for Sony Cameras?
For me, what makes a good travel prime lens is the lens that strikes the perfect balance between high-quality glass, weight, and features that will help me take great photos in any situation I might find myself in, without hindering my ability to travel around effectively.
I'll be including lenses for different travel situations and shooting styles that reflect the type of traveler you are, like street photography, wildlife, and general purpose. Additionally, I'll provide budget alternatives that will help your Sony camera reach its full potential.
Of course, feel free to mix and match and see which travel lenses fit your needs the most. Let's begin with the most important travel lens of all, the best all-around general-purpose lens that every travel photographer should have in their kit:
🌎 Best All-Around Prime Lens
- Extremely fast aperture
- Stunning bokeh
- Very sharp
- Quite heavy
- Very expensive
Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM Lens: This lens is a feat of engineering that truly dispels any doubts people had when Sony first announced its creation of its own E-mount lens system to complement their new mirrorless camera lineup.
The Sony 50mm F1.2 GM lens is the fastest prime lens Sony has ever manufactured. With the incredible F1.2 aperture, you are guaranteed to capture sharp images even when the light is poor. The bokeh effect of this lens is also incredibly smooth, and you can throw any busy background at it, and it will smooth out your image with no problem.
The 50mm is also an extremely versatile focal length that can be adapted to almost any type of photography you might want to shoot, from portraits to streets to landscapes. It also doesn't sacrifice image quality for versatility, as this lens is the best-performing lens of its class, both optically and physically.
The lens comes in at only 780 grams (1.72 lbs), which is extremely impressive, especially when you realize how much glass they were able to squeeze into this small form factor.
If you are looking for a prime lens that can do it all, the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens is the best lens to get. They don't call it the nifty-fifty for nothing!
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get if you are looking for one lens to rule them all.
🎒 Best Travel Prime Lens
- Versatile focal length
- Very fast aperture
- Compact & lightweight
- Expensive
- Vignetting
Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM Lens: For those of you who prefer traveling with prime lenses, the lens you must have in your backpack at all times is the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens. It is an incredibly fast wide-angle lens that offers excellent image quality while keeping the form factor small and compact.
With its 24mm focal length, the wide-angle field of view is perfect for travel, allowing you to capture all kinds of scenery you might encounter on your journey, from expansive landscapes to massive architecture.
The lens is also wide enough to capture a nice selfie of yourself while traveling, and fast enough to shoot even in the poorest of lighting conditions or even astrophotography, making it one of the most versatile prime lenses out there.
Best of all, the lens is extremely compact and lightweight, weighing only 445 g (15.7 oz), which makes it a great travel lens to carry around while you are out and about. Not to mention its extreme corner-to-corner sharpness, which allows you to capture places in great detail with no compromises.
If you are looking for a prime lens to travel with and you do not want to carry a lot of lenses and continuously switch between them, the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens is a great option for you.
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get for most travel use cases.
🪶 Best Compact & Lightweight Prime Lens(es)
- Extremely compact & lightweight
- Fast autofocus
- Well-built
- Might not have the fastest aperture
- Not as affordable
Sony G Compact Trio Lenses: I know, this is not a single lens recommendation like the rest on this list, but the Sony G Compact Trio lenses are so versatile, small, compact, and lightweight that it would be a shame not to mention them here.
The Sony compact trio lenses consist of three lenses: the 24mm F2.8, 40mm F2.5, and 50mm F2.5. They are all extremely versatile in their own right, with a fast aperture, an almost identical form factor, and a size as small as a pancake kit lens.
The focal lengths also cover almost every use case you can think of, from landscapes to portraits, and when you combine them together, you basically get the versatility of an all-purpose zoom lens but with a faster aperture, without sacrificing sharpness and image quality.
If you are looking to get a series of compact and lightweight prime lenses to replace an all-purpose zoom lens that you can easily switch between, these Sony G compact trio lenses are definitely worth your consideration.
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get for most travel use cases.
🏔️ Best Landscape Lens
- Quite compact & lightweight
- Wide focal length with fast aperture
- Affordable
- Focus breathing
- Some fringing
Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G Lens: If you are looking for a great prime lens to shoot landscape photography, the Sony 20mm F1.8 G lens is an awesome option with a fast aperture, a lightweight form factor, and great performance while remaining affordable.
The lens weighs only around 373g, which is perfect for travel. The best part about this lens, which makes it the ultimate landscape prime lens, is the fact that you can still utilize screw-on filters. This is something you can't do with any other wider lens with an aperture this fast due to its hemispherical front elements.
The 20mm focal length is great for all kinds of landscape photography as it is wide enough to capture the expansiveness of most landscapes you might encounter. You can also use this lens for astrophotography as well if you ever need a fast ultra-wide prime lens to do so. The Sony 20mm F1.8 G lens is definitely a bargain, and you can check the recent price by clicking the link below.
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get if you enjoy landscape/architecture photography.
😃 Best Portrait Lens
- Light & Compact
- Beautiful Bokeh
- Extremely Sharp
- Pincushion & Vignetting
- Not the cheapest
Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Lens: This lens is probably the most lightweight and compact 85mm F1.4 lens out there. It weighs about 630g (22.2oz), which is 200g less than the Sony GM lens. It is only slightly bigger than the Sony FE 85mm F1.8 but provides a wider aperture, which is mind-boggling.
This lens produces beautiful bokeh, as you can come to expect from a lens with such a wide aperture. It is also considerably sharper in most use cases compared to other 85mm lenses, even sharper than the Sony 85mm F1.4 GM lens, and best of all, it is almost 700 USD cheaper!
Of course, there are some drawbacks to having such a small and lightweight body like pincushion distortion, but this can easily be fixed in Lightroom. For the size and weight you get, it is totally worth the sacrifice.
I do not know how Sigma does it, but they really knocked it out of the park with this lens. If you are looking for the best portrait lens for travel, there is no better lens than the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN lens.
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get if you enjoy taking portraits of people.
😃 Best Budget Portrait Lens
- Light & Compact
- Beautiful Bokeh
- Affordable
- Not the best build quality
- Strong Vignetting
Sony FE 85mm F1.8 Lens: Even though the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN lens is the best portrait lens to get, it is not as light or affordable as this lens. If you are looking for a travel portrait lens that is compact, lightweight, and capable of producing stunning bokeh, the Sony FE 85mm F1.8 is a much better option for you.
The Sony FE 85mm F1.8 lens weighs only 371 grams, making it perfect for the compact body of most Sony cameras. Additionally, it retails for around 550 USD, which is almost half the price of the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN lens.
It is also capable of producing sharp images, as you can come to expect from Sony native lenses. And even though the aperture is one stop less than the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN lens, the depth of field produced with this lens is still stunning. It allows you to capture a person in tack-sharp detail and throw the rest of the background out, creating one of the most satisfying subject separations ever.
For such a compact size and an affordable price point, it is hard to beat the Sony FE 85mm F1.8 lens when it comes to the price-to-quality ratio. If you want to save some money, I highly recommend you go for the Sony 85mm F1.8 lens and use the money you saved to invest in other lenses instead.
To sum it up, this is the best budget prime lens to get if you enjoy taking portraits of people.
🚶♂️ Best Street Photography Lens
- Light & Compact
- Very fast aperture at F1.4
- Extremely Sharp
- Expensive
Sony FE 35mm f1.4 GM Lens: In street photography, you will be running around shooting moving subjects that often move spontaneously. You will need a lens that has a natural-looking focal length, is unobtrusive, and is extremely fast. That is why I recommend the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 lens.
The Sony FE 35mm F1.4 lens has a focal length of 35mm, which is closest to what our eyes see. Therefore, the photos you capture with this lens will have a more natural look and feel that will resonate more with human eyes.
With its compact size, lightweight, and unobtrusive profile, you can easily blend into the crowds and take photos of spontaneous moments while traveling that you wouldn't be able to capture with bulkier lenses.
The fast aperture also helps with the run-and-gun style of shooting that comes with street photography, which is why the Sony 35mm F1.4 lens is the best street photography lens to get for your Sony full-frame cameras.
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get if you love street photography and environmental portraiture.
🚶♂️ Best Budget Street Photography Lens
- Light & Compact
- Great built quality
- Fast autofocus
- Pricey for its class
- No stablization
- F 2.5 aperture might not be enough for some
Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G Lens: For a cheaper alternative to the Sony 35mm GM lens and one that fits better with the smaller form factor, the Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G lens is definitely worth your consideration.
The lens comes in at only 173 grams and 43mm in length, making it a perfect street lens to travel with and carry around on your trip abroad. The aperture of F2.5 is fast enough for most situations, and the focal length of 40mm is not too far from the recommended 35mm focal length for street photography.
The lens strikes the perfect balance between a great price, awesome quality, and a compact form factor that no other lens can match. It also costs around 600 USD, which is more than half the price of the Sony 35mm F1.4 GM lens I recommended above.
If you are just starting out and are looking to do more street photography when you travel, the Sony FE 40mm F2.5 G lens will be a great lightweight addition to your camera arsenal.
To sum it up, this is the best budget prime lens for street photography.
⭐️ Best Astrophotography Lens
- Ultra-wide focal length
- Extremely fast aperture for such a wide focal length
- Extremely Sharp
- Quite heavy
- Expensive
Sony FE 14mm f1.8 GM Lens: When it comes to astrophotography, you will need an ultra-wide-angle lens that allows you to capture the landscape along with the stars, giving your image a sense of scale. Additionally, you will need a fast aperture to maintain the sharpness of stars when shooting in pitch black.
The Sony 14mm F1.8 GM lens is designed to do just that. With its ultra-wide focal length of 14mm, you will be able to capture the stunning landscape in all its glory while also retaining the expansiveness of the night sky, all in one frame.
The fast F1.8 aperture will also allow you to capture sharp images of the Milky Way without having to crank up your ISO, all the while allowing you to keep your shutter speed at a reasonable value to prevent star trails.
This lens is probably the widest and fastest lens you can get for your Sony a7C, so if you are into astrophotography and looking for the best lens to capture the Milky Way, this is the best one to get.
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get if you love astrophotography and want to take expansive photos of stars.
⭐️ Best Budget Astrophotography Lens
- Wide focal length
- Fast aperture for such a wide focal length
- Compact and Lightweight
- Affordable
- Corner Sharpness at Wide Apertures could be better
Sony FE 16mm f/1.8 G Lens: For the longest time, I’ve always recommended the Sony 14mm f/1.8, arguably one of the best astrophotography lenses available. However, with its high price tag and relatively heavy, bulky build, it might not appeal to everyone, especially those who travel light, like I do. Now that Sony has released the 16mm f/1.8 G lens, we finally have an astrophotography lens that’s wide at 16mm, fast with its f/1.8 aperture, and still lightweight and compact.
Even better, the price point has come down significantly, making it much more accessible for beginner astrophotographers starting their stargazing journey. Of course, there are some compromises, such as reduced corner sharpness at wider apertures, which may not satisfy professionals, but for amateurs like myself, it's more than enough. If you're looking for a budget-friendly lens to take your astrophotography to the next level, this is the one to get.
To sum it up, this is the best budget prime lens to get if you love astrophotography and want to take expansive photos of stars.
🐞 Best Macro Prime Lens
- Incredible macro performance
- Fast aperture
- Affordable
- Big and clunky
- Loud and old autofocus system
Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS Lens: A macro lens can really give your photos a unique perspective that you cannot get from any other lens, and the best macro lens you can get for your Sony camera is the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS lens.
This lens is the ultimate macro lens for Sony cameras, with its incredibly close focusing distance of 0.28 m (0.92 ft). It allows you to get extremely close to your subject and has a fast aperture of F2.8, which can blur out all the distractions from the background, thus enabling you to isolate your subject.
It also comes with optical stabilization, which will be extremely handy when shooting close-up shots of a very small moving subject, like insects. You can also use this for other kinds of subjects, like flowers and food, which makes it one of the most versatile prime lenses to get for your Sony cameras. For the latest price of this lens, be sure to check it out with the link below:
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get if you are looking for a macro lens to shoot close-up shots.
🐞 Best Budget Macro Prime Lens
- Affordable
- 1:1 True Macro Magnification
- Sharp
- Lack Image Stabilization
Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Di III VXD 1:1 Macro Lens: If you're looking for a more budget-friendly macro lens, Tamron has you covered, as they always have, with their high-value offering: the Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro lens. It checks all the boxes for macro photography enthusiasts, featuring true 1:1 magnification, excellent sharpness, a compact body, and modern features that the Sony 90mm macro lens lacks, a much-needed update considering the Sony lens is over a decade old. Best of all, it comes at a more affordable price point than the older Sony lens.
Of course, the lower price comes with a trade-off: the lack of built-in optical image stabilization. That said, most modern Sony cameras now come equipped with IBIS (in-body image stabilization), so this shouldn't hinder your macro shooting experience. If you're just getting started with macro photography, this is the perfect lens to begin with. For the latest price, be sure to check it out using the link below:
To sum it up, this is the best prime lens to get if you are just starting out and are looking for a budget macro lens to shoot close-up shots.
Want to take your photography game to the next level? Here are some resources to help you upgrade your work and photography gear:
Further Reading for Photography
Looking for more photography articles like this? Here are a collection of articles you might like:
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- Want to learn how I was able to take so many good pictures of myself while I travel solo? Check out: How To Take Great Pictures of Yourself.
- For more photography resources like this, visit my Photography page.
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