Do you have a Sony a7 III but you just can’t decide on the right lens for your needs? You’re not alone! Picking the right lens is no easy task and with dozens of options on the market, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. In this article, we give you the low-down on the best lenses for Sony a7 III cameras. We’ve hand-picked top options for every genre and budget to make buying your next lens an easy process!
Best Lenses for Sony a7 III: Our Picks
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1. Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM
The 24-70mm is a versatile kit lens that offers superb image quality.
If you want a versatile kit lens for general photography, the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM is our top pick. As one of the best lenses for Sony a7 III it has a great focal range, exceptional build quality, and amazing features. You can use this lens as a standard “walk around” lens making it a great option for those looking for something that checks all the boxes.
As a G-series lens, the 24-70mm has a superior build quality which includes nano coatings to improve light transmission. This will also ensure that the contrast and clarity of your photos is fantastic. The different lens elements, include two aspheric elements that will also boost image quality and reduce distortions.
This lens also looks great and has a stylish exterior casing. An added bonus is the smooth zoom motion which videographers will love. The constant f/2.8 maximum aperture is perfect for getting a range of consistent shots regardless of your zoom level.
2. Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G
The FE 24mm performs fantastically for wide-angle photography and has a great maximum aperture.
If you’re looking for a wide-angle lens, the Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G is our number one pick as a fantastic budget wide-angle option. If you want a simple and effective dedicated wide-angle lens, this compact and lightweight 24mm prime lens is perfect.
Despite it’s compact size, it still has a durable aluminum exterior which makes its perfect for travel use. You also get a great lens construction which offers sharp and clear images across the frame.
For added convenience, it also has a custom button and an aperture control ring. This allows you to quickly change your composition settings to adapt to changing scenery.
The only real downside to this lens is that you may experience a little barrel distortion, but this can easily be rectified in post-processing.
3. Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
The FE 12-24mm is a versatile lens for all types of wide-angle photography.
Another wide-angle option is the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM. This multi-zoom lens has a great focal length range and allows you to take excellent ultra-wide-angle photography. Admittedly, it is substantially more expensive than the FE 24mm discussed above. However, if you need a reliable, high-quality wide-angle lens, this is the best choice.
The image quality of this lens remains sharp with great contrast regardless of the focal distance. This is thanks to the ED elements and extreme aspheric elements featured in the lens construction. The FE 12-24mm is also a GM-series lens which means it has a superior build quality compared to Sony’s more basic FE lenses.
For fast autofocusing, it also has 4x Extreme Dynamic XD linear motors. You can expect this lens to focus quickly and accurately on both stationary and moving objects. The constant f/2.8 aperture also means this lens can perform consistently well when used for low-light photography.
4. Sony FE 50mm f/1.8
The FE 50mm is great as an affordable, high-quality portrait lens.
If you’re looking for a portrait lens instead, the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 is a great budget option on our list. It is affordable, compact, lightweight, and offers great quality for portrait shots. Not only that, you get an excellent f/1.8 maximum aperture. With this, you can really separate the subject from the background and create professional-looking shots and stunning bokeh.
Related Post: Best Sony Portrait Lenses
This 50mm prime lens also has a range of useful features that improve image quality. For example, it has aspherical lens elements and a 7-blade circular aperture. The aspheric elements help reduce distortion, whilst the circular aperture helps enhance the bokeh.
If there is one criticism of the FE 50mm, it is the AF motor. It is not ultra-quiet, and Sony certainly has faster AF motors available. However, you should still be able to easily capture quality photos.
5. Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM
The FE 85mm is one of the best portrait lenses available for the Sony a7 III.
For a higher-range portrait lens, why not consider the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM? This high-quality prime lens looks great and performs fantastically. If you regularly take professional portrait shots or do photoshoots, this is a great option.
Firstly, the lens construction has is all made to offer superior image quality. You can expect corner-to-corner sharpness, minimum distortions, and fantastic contrast.
This GM lens also has a better AF motor than the FE 50mm we discussed above. It features the linear SSM focus system which offers fast, quiet, and accurate focusing. This is important when using the lens at higher maximum apertures; with a slow focus, you could easily misfire and focus on the wrong facial feature, for example. Finally, this lens also has a brilliant build quality and is incredibly durable.
6. Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS
The FE 70-300mm is a solid mid-price telephoto lens that makes telephoto photography accessible to everyone.
Moving on, we step into the telephoto territory. Every Sony a7 III owner needs a trusty telephoto lens! A brilliant budget option is the Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS. This is a great telephoto lens perfect for those who don’t want to pay ridiculous amounts.
At 70-300mm it covers a great range of focal distances up to super-telephoto. The lens also has Optical Steady Shot stabilization which will make sure you can quickly focus on moving objects you are tracking, such as wildlife subjects.
Although the lens is a little bulky, it has a great build quality and a durable casing. The zoom motor is also smooth so you can easily transition between the different focal distances. In terms of quality, the lens also has a range of elements that ensure excellent sharpness and clarity. With the maximum aperture range of f/4.5-5.6, you also have great control over low-light situations and background separation.
7. Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS
The FE 100-400mm is a superior telephoto lens that offers amazing quality and utility.
If you want to take professional-grade telephoto images, you need something like the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS. This offers ultimate quality and utility in telephoto photography and is one of the best lenses for the Sony a7 III for sports and wildlife photography.
The lens itself is stylish and has a brilliant white casing that is also weather-resistant. Although it is heavy and bulky, it has a tripod mount on the underside. This means that you can attach the lens to the tripod, as opposed to the lighter Sony a7 III. This will help with balance and keep the lens stable.
The image quality of this GM zoom lens is also superb. You can expect corner-to-corner sharpness, regardless of the focal distance. It also has a range of special lens elements and coatings that will ensure excellent clarity, contrast, and colors. To make focusing easier, this telephoto lens also has OSS and an SSM motor. You will be able to quickly focus on moving objects, and still get sharp photos.
8. Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS
The FE 90mm Macro allows you to easily capture detailed macro shots.
Next up is a specialist lens – the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS. This is a specialist macro lens, but it could also be used as a standard portrait lens. For macro photography, it has a minimum focusing distance of 0.92 ft/0.28 m. It also has a great magnification ratio of 1.0x. As a result, you can get amazing detail from your macro shots.
If you are trying to shoot moving objects like insects, the lens also has OSS. This will help reduce camera shake so you can capture the objects in crystal clear detail. Within this macro lens, there are also aspherical and super ED elements. This ensures pin-sharp photos and virtually no distortions like ghosting or chromatic aberration.
For dedicated macro photography, this is one of the best lenses for Sony a7 III available and it’s not too expensive either. It also has a focus range limiter. This means you can set a maximum limit on the focusing range which gives you greater precision for your macro compositions.
9. Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6
The FE 28-60mm is a lightweight kit lens and a good alternative to the FE 24-70mm.
Finally, we have a budget kit lens that serves as a decent alternative to the expensive 24-70mm. This is the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6. This is an excellent budget choice if you just want a versatile kit lens to take on day trips with you. If you don’t want to risk damaging a more expensive lens, this compact zoom lens is a good alternative.
It is dubbed as the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame E-mount standard zoom lens. This is because it weighs just 5.92 oz/167 g. For a multi-zoom lens, this is a great achievement! It means the lens is easy to carry and adds virtually no weight to your Sony a7 III.
Aside from being portable, it still offers solid image quality and utility. This is partially due to the 3x aspherical lens elements that help reduce aberrations. The lens also has a 7-blade circular aperture which makes for beautiful backgrounds and bokeh. It doesn’t offer the same quality as the 24-70mm, but it is still a great choice nonetheless.
Which Sony a7 III Lens Is Right for You?
There are many more FE lenses available that would work fantastically with the Sony a7 III and the upcoming IV model. However, the above represents the best lenses for the Sony a7 III and cover the full spectrum of photography. If you want a multi-purpose kit lens, the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM is a high-quality choice. Alternatively, for landscape photography, the Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G provides supreme quality. Maybe you want a lens for telephoto photography? If so, the Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS makes a great budget option.
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