5 essential lenses for Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras

When it comes to alternatives to "native" optics for various systems, the products of the Japanese brand Sigma immediately enter the arena. Available offers of the brand are united under the wing of the Contemporary lens line.

The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is the first wide-angle prime lens with such an outstanding f/1.4 aperture. As a result, the model is well-suited for working in low light conditions and can provide increased control of the depth of field for selective control of focusing. The lens is focused from a distance of about 25 cm (from the object of shooting to the plane of the camera's matrix).

On store shelves, the model is presented in versions for Micro 4/3, Sony E, Canon EF-M and Leica T systems. The basis of the "insides" of the ultra-wide is an optical design consisting of 16 elements in 13 groups. Of these, two special elements have low dispersion (SLD) and three elements have extra-low dispersion (FLD) to reduce color fringing and chromatic aberration. Two more aspherical elements in the circuit are used to eliminate distortion, and also contribute to the overall clarity of the image.

The 9-blade diaphragm, due to the introduction of which it is possible to effectively blur the background with the correct outlines of round-shaped objects in the blur zone, deserves special praise. Of the claims to the lens, the large dimensions of the body are presented, because of which it gives a shadow in the pictures illuminated by the built-in flash. You can’t call this flaw critical, and in general, the model leaves a purely positive impression after a close acquaintance.

Often, a station wagon with a set of focal lengths of 18-55 mm comes with a whale lens to the “carcass” of a cropped camera. However, in the case of mirrorless "six thousandth" series of Sony The 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens looks much more advantageous against its background, finishing 2.5 times farther.

The model covers a range of equivalent focal lengths of 27-202.5mm, making it suitable for a wide range of photographers. The lens performs equally well in the genres of landscape, street photography, is suitable for solving creative problems and copes with portrait photography. True, it will not help to strongly blur the background behind the photo model due to the low floating aperture (f / 3.5-5.6). Also, the lens fits perfectly into the travel photographer's equipment park.

The OSS symbols in the full naming of the model hint at the presence of a built-in optical stub in the on-board equipment of the lens. It compensates for the shake of the photographer's hands and helps to win a couple of stops of exposure when shooting handheld or in low light conditions without exaggerating the ISO.

Overall , the Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS produces a sharp picture without any blemishes. Geometric distortions can spoil the frame, except in the wide-angle zoom position, which affects the lion's share of optics covering a wide range of focal lengths. An additional plus comes to the karma of the lens for its compact form factor and light weight (325 g) - after a day of shooting, the photographer’s neck will say a separate “thank you”.

An ultra-wide zoom should be present in the optics park of any more or less involved photo enthusiast. A lens with a set of focal lengths of 10-18 mm and a constant aperture throughout the entire f / 4 zoom range is perfect for the role of such a lens for cropped Sony mirrorless cameras.

The optical scheme of the lens is formed by 10 elements combined in 8 groups. All of them, along with the autofocus motor and optical stub, are sharpened into an all-metal body weighing only 227 g. Of the controls at the disposal of the photographer kindly provided almost equally wide rings for changing the focal length and manual focusing with a smooth and precise rotation.

Distortion when shooting at ultra-wide appears at the short end and at the telephoto zoom (if you can call it that). And, for example, at 14 mm wide-angle distortion will not disturb at all. As far as sharpness is concerned, the resolution of the shots generally ranges from good to excellent. Drops in sharpness occur only at the edges of the frame at an open aperture. Then the phenomena of vignetting (darkening of the edges of the image) and chromatic aberrations take place, which are easily corrected at the stage of post-processing of images.

There are no alternatives to the Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS. Yes, and there is no need for him to compete. With its tasks of architectural, interior and landscape photography, the lens copes with a solid "five". The only thing that will have to pay for it is almost the cost of the "carcass" of the same Sony A6400 body Price from 31 399 up to 55 354 ₴ is the base model in the current generation of Sony's '6,000' series of mirrorless cameras.

The Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS is an all-in-one lens with room to grow. From the start, it can be hooked onto the “carcass” of a Sony mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor, and as the fleet of photographic equipment is updated, it can be transferred to a mirrorless full frame of the Japanese brand.

The model is positioned as an older brother Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 E OSS covering an extended range of equivalent focal lengths of 36-360 mm (relevant for crop). In fact, the lens "dresses" on the camera once and coexists with it without a break for a long time. But in the case of collaboration with cropped mirrorless cameras, you will have to sacrifice the wide-angle zoom position, so for shooting landscapes and architecture in a pair with the model, it will be useful to buy an ultra-wide lens in the manner of Sony 10-18mm f/4.0 E OSS Price from 24 800 up to 63 608 ₴.

Analyzing the expanded name of the lens, the eye clings to the abbreviations FE and OSS. The first one is about the compatibility of the universal zoom with Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras, the second one is about the equipment of the model with an optical image stabilizer. Also, “under the hood” of the lens, it was possible to carve out a place for a linear motorized drive of the autofocus system, which provides fast, accurate and smooth aiming at the subject of shooting.

The weight of the lens turned out to be not small - 780 g. However, in the context of a huge zoom ratio (10x), a complex optical design (17 lenses under the wing of 12 groups), as well as a dust- and moisture-proof design, the weight category of the model plays by no means a primary role. The versatility of the lens comes to the fore, against which you can even neglect the low floating aperture f / 3.5-6.3. The zoom lens will be a real boon for adepts of Sony cameras with interchangeable lenses without a mirror in the design of the optical part.

The Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* prime lens has a dual purpose: on the one hand, it is a “half-tip with a tail” for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras, and on the other, it is an excellent portrait lens for the Sony E system.

The appearance of the lens is dominated by notes of minimalism. So, the metal case of the model carries only one manual focusing ring on board. Inside the lens, the classic Sonnar portrait design is used, which contains three aspherical elements to combat aberrations. As a result, chromatic aberrations are barely noticeable in shots only wide open. But vignetting at the selected f / 1.8 aperture is only for the future, as it emphasizes the subject of shooting (especially in the portrait genre of photography).

The f/1.8 aperture for the lens is fully functional, which is rare for "poltish". Aperture down to f/2 further increases the visual sharpness of the frame, peaking at f/2.8. At the same time, the high resolution of the lens coexists perfectly with soft and picturesque bokeh. The picture in the blur zone near the lens is amazingly calm.

The minimum focusing distance of the Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* is 50 cm from the sensor plane, which plays into the hands of close-up photography. In addition , the lens exhibits excellent resistance to backlight. With such data, the model will be at the right time for both a portrait photographer and a landscape photographer - the balance of optical characteristics allows it to be used in any genre of photography and on any of Sony's mirrorless cameras.