10 Great Mirrorless Camera Lenses for Every Occasion
Here's everything you need to know about buying mirrorless camera lenses.
Image via Complex Original
As recently as five years ago, photographers looking to capture the highest-quality images with the most efficient package really had just one choice: a DSLR. But then, along came the mirrorless camera. Small but hearty, “mirrorless cameras put the image quality of a DSLR into a smaller form factor more akin to what the old school 35mm SLR (not DSLR) cameras offered,” says Chris Gampat, Editor-in-Chief of The Phoblographer, an immensely popular photography Website. “They're nice and compact and their lenses are also generally smaller. The options are much more lightweight than DSLRs, too.” This makes opting for a mirrorless camera, like the Sony a7S, over one of its bulkier DLSR counterparts seem like a no-brainer. Leaving the real question to beg: What type of lens(es) do you need?
“It's all about your own creative vision and how you can find a way to best translate the idea from your head into pixels,” says Gampat of the very personal matter of lens choice, which is why he was the perfect expert to speak to about our picks for 10 Great Mirrorless Camera Lenses for Every Occasion.
Sony 35mm f2.8 Lens
Great for: Everyday shooting
Face it: changing out your camera lens to perfectly match the situation isn’t always an option, particularly when it comes to those everyday moments when inspiration strikes in an instant. So every photographer—professional or otherwise—needs a default lens. And the choices are plentiful. “To be completely honest with you, not a single manufacturer is making a bad lens, camera, or light these days,” says Gampat. “The technology has progressed so fast and science is so advanced that everything is just so good. I mean, look at what the iPhone can do!” That said, for everyday shooting, Gampat prefers a 35mm in full frame focal length, “because it mimics the human eye the best.” And he counts the Sony 35mm f2.8 for the full-frame E mount system among one of his most used lenses because “it's tack sharp and has gorgeous color, but it doesn't focus so closely.”
Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Lens
Great for: Landscape and architectural photography
“The wide field of view, relatively low distortion, superb color rendition, close focusing, and build quality all make this a great lens for shooting buildings and even food, to be honest,” says Gampat of this wide-angle prime lens, which retails for just under $1,000. “For the best results, use it either super close up to a subject or super far away. I actually took this one to a wedding and made it rock.”
Sony 50mm f1.8 (NEX)
Great for: Portrait photography
Gampat calls this simply designed Sony NEX lens “probably the sharpest 50mm f1.8 lens that we've tested. [You can] use it for anything that you want to have bokeh (some glorious out-of-focus areas) to be honest, so portraits are indeed perfect for it. Backlight your subject during the golden hour. Expose their face and let the golden rays of sunshine make them look beautiful.”
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens
Great for: Street photography
“I love that Zeiss went manual focus only with it and that it has a working aperture ring,” says Gampat of this brand-new, prime wide-angle lens with manual functions designed to work in sync with electric viewfinders. “Use it for daily street photography or anything in your daily life to be honest. Zeiss lenses perform the best when they're wide open, so don't even bother about stopping down to f5.6 or f8. Just shoot at f2. Again though, it's all up to your own creative vision.”
Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens
Great for: Food porn
Similar to the Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon, the Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar lens features an all-manual control set for a digital world, though Gampat notes that, “This one is a bit more narrow. I'd probably use this one more for food and wider portraits.”
Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
Great for: Shooting in harsh weather conditions
In addition to its “excellent, excellent colors,” Gampat raves about the macro feature of this lens, which is designed for close-up shooting. “The macro feature is really awesome for when you're out in the field and want something to shoot flowers or other random objects with. Plus, it's weather-sealed, so you can take it pretty much everywhere. To get the most from this lens, be sure to tell the camera what you want to focus on. Otherwise, the focusing will be super slow.”
Sony 24mm f1.8 Lens
Great for: Macro photography
Speaking of getting up close, Sony’s Zeiss-designed 24mm f1.8 lens is a perfect option for taking pictures in the macro sense. “The Sony Zeiss 24mm f1.8 was the company's first collaboration with Zeiss on their mirrorless line and they did so much right with it,” says Gampat. “It gives the 35mm field of view, is fast to focus, sharp, contrast, and is built like a tank. Plus it focuses very closely and is great for street photography.” Adding to its allure is that its focus is extremely quiet, allowing you to remain unobtrusive while getting the shot.
Olympus 45mm f1.8
Great for: Shooters on a budget
When it comes to budget photography, Gampat says that the Olympus 45mm f1.8 for the Micro Four Thirds system is one of his favorites. “It gives off a 90mm field of view, is stupid sharp, and is overall just a nice small lens,” he says. “If you run a street fashion blog, that's really all you need. Trust me when I say that there is also no point in stopping the lens down.”
Rokinon 8mm f2.8
Great for: Old-school style shooting
Rokinon’s range of lens offerings often gets overlooked. “The reason why is because they're manual focus only,” explains Gampat. “But if you get beyond that and learn the ways of old film photographers, then you'll actually be able to outdo the fastest autofocus systems in the world.” Gampat cites the 14mm f2.8 lens, in particular, “as one that I'm head over heels for.” In addition to its sharpness, even when wide open, it’s priced well at just under $400.
Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 Lens
Great for: Speed shooting
Photojournalists know that multiple lenses are a necessity, and being able to switch from one lens to another quickly is part of the job. The Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 lens gets that, too, and addresses those needs by being both extremely lightweight and featuring a rubberized focus ring, which makes it easier to handle in cold weather and easier to hold on to while switching out your lens. “It's really, really nice,” says Glampat, who also notes its great color and excellent build. “To get the most from this lens, use it to photograph your morning coffee. Find a window with lots of beautiful light coming in, frame the shot from directly above, and take a photo of that beautiful, sweet cup of java.”