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Five of the best Sony full-frame lens options for the A7RIII and A7III

Looking for some new glass for your A7RIII or A7III camera? Check out our five of the best Sony full-frame lens round-up, ranging from sharp primes to versatile zooms.

At one point there were relatively few Sony lenses, which made it easy for Canon and Nikon users to criticise. Yet here we are in 2018 with almost every base covered, ranging from extremely wide landscape lenses to long-range zooms.

Having been sent a number of lenses to test, we have come up with a list of five of the best Sony full-frame lens options that we found ourselves using time and time again ─ and not all cost a fortune.

Bear in mind our suggested lenses are designed for full-frame Sony cameras, not APS-C, although you could use them for that purpose if you plan to eventually upgrade from the likes of an A6300 or A6500.

Before that, you may want to check out our best Sony A7 accessories guide, which largely applies to the new A7RIII and A7III full-frame cameras, as well as the older A7, A7RII, A7R, A7SII and A7S. Happy snapping.

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM

The best Sony full-frame lens: 24-70mm f/2.8 GM

There are a lot of professionals out there who use Sony’s FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM (short for G Master) and it is easy to see why. Not only does it offer a versatile zoom range, from fairly wide to fairly zoomy ─ particularly if you enable Super 35 mode ─ you also get seriously impressive optics and smooth bokeh.

In fact, no other rival mini telephoto lens is as sharp and the build quality, though not full weather-proof, is top-notch. It is, however, 887g in weight so will weigh you down a bit and it is bulky.

You will also need to part with nearly £2,000 for the privilege of owning such a brilliant lens, but then you could use this lens for most photography situations without every worrying about having anything but class-leading sharpness and relatively few imperfections. No wonder, then, it is one of the best Sony full-frame lens choices available.

£1,899 | Jessops

Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G

The best Sony full-frame lens: 24-105mm f/4 G

For those with a slightly smaller budget, the Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G comes highly recommended. Not only does it have an even longer range than the F2.8 GM above, you get a dust and moisture resistant design and it weighs 223g less. It is also more compact, though still bulky because of all the fancy optics.

The ability to toggle between autofocus and manual focus using a button on the lens can prove useful and so can its ability to snap focus quickly in bright conditions. Then there is the Direct Drive Super Sonic Wave AF motor, which is both quiet and smooth ─ useful features for video.

It also feature in-built image-stabilisation to ensure your images are sharp, even if you really drop the shutter speed, and keeps the likes of chromatic aberration and flaring at bay. Bokeh, meanwhile, makes the background melt away even with an F4 aperture.

£1,199 | Jessops

Sony FE Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 16-35mm F4

The best Sony full-frame lens: 16-35mm f/4 Carl Zeiss

For those who spend more time photographing landscapes, Sony’s Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 16-35mm F4 is capable of very sharp image quality, and its 426g weight means lugging it around is not too much of a chore.

The all-metal finish feels great to hold and should ensure it survives daily life (unless you drop it, of course), and the focus ring moves with a pleasingly smooth action. When zooming, the front of the lens avoids rotating so you can use any type of filter.

Being sharp across the frame when stopped down and having well-controlled levels of vignetting and distortion all contribute to a thoroughly useful lens, even if the price is quite steep.

£1,049 | Jessops

Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM

The best Sony full-frame lens: 85mm f/1.4 GM

For taking portraits, 85mm is a great focal length. Sony offers two, one being F1.8 and the other being the 1.4 GM, the latter of which being one of the sharpest lenses money can buy when attached to the Sony A7RII.

Weighing 820g, this is a serious bit of kit that is more suited for studio work. But out and about stuff will be rewarded with incredibly smooth bokeh and pleasing levels of build quality. Step down to F5.6 and you get almost unrivalled sharpness without much in the way of chromatic aberration.

85mm makes it less versatile than the alternatives on our list, but the ability to take wonderfully punchy images without being too close to your subject is a plus. The sort that helps justify its price tag.

£1,649 | Jessops

Sony FE 28mm F2

The best Sony full-frame lens: 28mm f/2

There is no G or G Master badge to be found on the Sony 28mm F2 prime lens, which is why it costs £399. But write this lens off because of its measly price at your peril because this is a highly capable bit of glass.

For starters, the 28mm focal length is that little bit wider than your common 35mm, which is good for interior photography, while its nine rounded blades provide pleasingly smooth bokeh. It also takes sharp photos, even when using its widest F2 aperture.

What really makes the Sony FE 28mm F2 shine though is that it weighs just 200g and is one of the smallest full-frame lenses you can buy so you never tire of carrying it. Plus in Super 35mm mode the 42mm focal length makes it better suited for portraits and street photography.

It can even work as a fisheye or even wider lens with one of two Sony lens converters that attach to the front, but we have never felt the need to use either.

For those on a budget or who crave maximum portability, we would recommend you give it a look, hence including it in our best Sony full-frame lens round-up.

£399 | Jessops

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