Sony E-mount lenses

E-mount arrived in 2010 for APS-C mirrorless bodies and was extended to full-frame with the a7 in 2013. The same mount takes both APS-C and full-frame bodies, so moving up from an a6000-series body to an a7 does not mean replacing your lenses.

The widest choice of any mirrorless mount

E-mount has been around longer than any other mirrorless system, and Sigma, Tamron, Samyang, Voigtländer and others all make lenses for it alongside Sony’s own. For a given focal length you will usually find a Sony GM, a Sony G and at least one third-party option at a lower price, which makes it easy to match a lens to a budget.

The flip side is decision fatigue. There are several 24-70mm f/2.8 options alone, so it helps to decide what you are optimising for — weight, price or close-focus distance — before you start filtering.

Watch out for APS-C lenses on full-frame bodies

Lenses designed for APS-C are badged “E” while full-frame lenses are badged “FE”. Mounting an APS-C lens on a full-frame body crops the frame automatically and costs you resolution. If you shoot full-frame now, or expect to, filter for Format: Full-frame so nothing goes to waste.

Buying used

E-mount lenses have been in production for well over a decade, so the used market is deep — particularly for the first-generation G Master lenses, which were replaced by Mark II versions that are lighter rather than optically better. A first-generation 24-70mm f/2.8 GM often sells for meaningfully less than the Mark II while resolving just as well.