Sony E mount Camera Lenses

Sony E-Mount Camera Lenses

Sony has used the E-mount lens mounting system since 2010 with the release of the NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras. It quickly became the mount of choice across the company’s range of cameras, with Sony producing a large ecosystem of compatible lenses.

The Sony E-mount is the lens mount system used across Sony’s range of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. This includes full frame cameras such as the A7 family and the A9 as well as smaller APS-C format cameras including the A6000 and the NEX family. However, note that while the lens mount is the same, Sony E-mount lenses designed for APS-C format cameras like the 16mm F2.8 will produce a smaller image than usual with their full-frame cameras. The image circle produced is not wide enough to cover the larger sensor so the camera has to be used in crop mode. Full frame E-mount lenses, on the other hand, will work on APS-C format E-mount Sony cameras.

A zoom lens allow photographers to benefit from a range of focal lengths without having to switch lenses. They make great everyday lenses and are extremely popular for many different types of photography including wildlife, events and photojournalism. There is a wide variety of Sony zoom lenses available for the E-mount ranging from ultra-wide angle zooms like the FE 12-24mm to long-ranged telephoto zooms such as the FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS from their premium G Master series.

Unlike zoom lenses, prime camera lenses have a fixed focal length. While that can make them less versatile, the larger maximum apertures and greater sharpness of high-quality primes makes that a worthwhile tradeoff for many photographers. The short depth of field makes prime lenses a portrait photographer’s best friend and the typically lighter weight is good for travellers. Sony makes a variety of E-mount primes for both APS-C and full frame cameras. Lenses like the APS-C 35mm F1.8 OSS and the full frame FE 85mm F1.4 GM demonstrate the advantages of primes well.

As well as their ordinary prime and zoom lenses, Sony produces some more specialist glass for photographers. Sony teleconverters sit between a lens and the camera body in order to multiply its focal length. They are typically used to give a telephoto lens even more reach. Sony produces E-mount 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. They also make some even more unusual optics including an E-mount fisheye converter designed to fit the FE 28mm F2 lens.