The Best Sony General-Purpose Lens for 2024
What is the ultimate Sony general-purpose lens?
- Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens
- Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens
- Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G Lens
- Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II Art Lens
- Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens
- Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens
- Sony FE 24-50mm F2.8 G Lens
- Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 Lens
What is the ultimate Sony APS-C general-purpose lens?
As a generalization, the above lists are sorted in performance and price descending sequence, though other factors must be considered.
About Sony General-Purpose, Standard Zoom Lenses
Nearly everyone needs a general-purpose zoom lens — also referred to as a standard/normal zoom lens or a walk-around lens.
Typically, this is the most important lens in your kit. You leave this lens on your camera for everyday needs. With this lens, you photograph your family and all of life. You capture events with this lens. You travel with this lens. You hike with this lens. This lens is responsible for the preservation of your most precious memories.
Because this lens will probably be your most-used, because this lens will capture what is most important to you, and because the quality of the lens makes a huge difference in your photographs, I highly recommend buying the highest quality standard zoom lens you can afford.
A critical factor in lens selection is the focal length range, and I consider the heart of the general-purpose focal length range to the angles of view provided by the approximately 28-70mm focal length range on a full-frame camera. Here is a focal length comparison illustrating a superset of the suggested minimum range:
Here are my recommendations.
The Best Sony Full-Frame General-Purpose Zoom Lenses
1. Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens
Ultra-High-Performing General-Purpose Zoom Lens
Because of its remarkable capabilities and features, the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens is the go-to lens for many, including the most advanced professionals. The most-needed focal length range is fully covered, with outstanding image quality included.
The wide f/2.8 max aperture advantages this lens for stopping action in low light, making it an ideal choice for photographing action sports and low light events. The f/2.8 aperture is also useful for creating a strong background blur, allowing the subject to be isolated from a distracting background.
This lens's autofocus system performs excellently, and the wide aperture enables reliable low light AF performance.
The Sony "GM" build quality ensures enduring performance from this relatively compact and lightweight lens.
2. Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens
Excellent Image Quality, Close-Focusing Capabilities, Excellent Build Quality, Great Focal Length Range, Fast Autofocus, Optical SteadyShot, Weather Sealing
Though it lacks the wide f/2.8 aperture, the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens adds significantly to the long end of the general-purpose focal length, and it also adds Optical SteadyShot. Lighter weight, smaller size, and lower price are additional advantages this lens has over the Sony FE f/2.8 lens, and somewhat surprisingly, the f/4 lens is slightly sharper in most comparisons. The optical performance combined with the rest of this lens's features, including good weather-sealed build quality, make it a prevalent standard zoom lens choice.
Compact, Lightweight, Great Focal Length Range, Affordable, Good Image Quality
The 20mm ultra-wide-angle focal length holds a big advantage over the 24-something mm standard zoom lens options, and this lens sometimes allows one less lens in the bag. The 20-70mm F4 G is compact and lightweight, making it a pleasure to hold and use, even for hours at a time. Weather resistance means that a bit of rain won't ruin the day.
The affordable price makes the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G Lens a solid choice for a general-purpose lens.
4. Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II Art Lens
Strong Value, Solid Performer
Will the followup to the best-selling mirrorless camera lens become the MVP of your kit? The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II Art Lens has what it takes for that role. Its high utility focal length range, wide f/2.8 aperture, fast and accurate HLA AF, excellent optical quality, and excellent design make it a great choice for everyday needs. The affordable price seals the deal. Look for this lens at the top of the best-selling lenses list.
5. Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens
Incredible Value, Excellent Image Quality, Great Design and Build Quality, Compact, Lightweight
It is not often that I recommend choosing a camera to gain access to a lens, but the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens is such an incredible value that this is one of those unique scenarios.
For a very low price, this lens provides a wide f/2.8 aperture over the entire focal length range.
From an image quality perspective, this lens rivals even the best Sony standard zoom lenses.
Everyone can appreciate the small size and light weight of this lens, and Tamron's (USA) 6-year warranty is unsurpassed.
While I prefer the 24mm focal length to be available on my general purpose lens, this lens's overall package makes me willing to overlook that aspect. The Tamron 28-75 is simply a great all-purpose lens and a great deal.
6. Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens
Nice Image Quality, Great Value, Nice Build Quality, Compact, Lightweight
As the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens is added to the recommendations list, it is the smallest and lightest Sony-mount lens covering this focal length range. When those attributes are important, this also affordable lens gets the nod.
7. Sony FE 24-50mm F2.8 G Lens
Impressively Sharp, Small, Light, Affordable, Short Focal Length Range
Would you give up the long end, the last 20mm, of a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens for a reduced size and weight and a significantly lower cost? Sony thinks some of you might, and I think they are right. The Sony FE 24-50mm F2.8 G Lens targets photographers seeking a compact, ultralight, affordable, wide-aperture, full-frame, general-purpose lens that produces excellent image quality. A relatively short zoom range was necessary to accomplish that goal, but the included angles of view are often the most important ones.
8. Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 Lens
Tiny, Ultra-Light, Affordable, Very Good Image Quality, Short Focal Length Range
The Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 Lens first arrived as an affordable kit lens, but this lens's performance exceeded expectations for such. This tiny ultra-light lens is ready to go everywhere you go, without holding you back in any way. The FE 28-60 is a great option to have in any kit, including alongside other general-purpose lenses.
APS-C General-Purpose Lenses
Those with an APS-C format camera do not need the wider image circle provided by a full-frame lens. With a smaller image circle requirement, APS-C lenses can be smaller, lighter, and less expensive. Thus, it makes sense to match the lens to the camera.
The selection of APS-C format normal zoom lenses is somewhat limited for Sony camera owners.
Here is the APS-C 18-50mm focal length range illustrated:
The Best Sony APS-C General-Purpose Lenses
Great Image Quality, Extremely Useful Zoom Range, Compact, Light, Well Built
The most important APS-C lens in the bag. Though expensive, the Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G is a requisite lens in a serious amateur or pro APS-C kit. This small, light, high-performing lens is a great choice for general-purpose uses ranging from landscape photography to portraiture, and the wide f/2.8 aperture extends utility into motion in low-light scenarios, including indoor events, birthday parties, weddings, and far more.
2. Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens
Compact, Light, Well Built, Affordable, Great Image Quality
Nearly everyone needs a general-purpose zoom lens, and the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens is an outstanding choice for APS-C camera owners (and not a bad choice for full-frame camera owners willing to work within the smaller image circle).
The advantages of a smaller image circle are reduced cost, decreased size, and a lower price, and the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens embodies those attributes while still providing a zoom range, wide aperture, and impressive image quality. This is an attractively designed lens with an especially-valued focal length range.
If those attributes do not attract your attention, that this is the review-time best-selling APS-C zoom lens should.
Other Important general-purpose Lenses
While the general-purpose/normal/standard zoom lens is going to get the most use by the typical photographer, a kit of lenses will work best for most. Here are the most-recommended next-lenses to buy:
- The next lens that most people want in their kit is a telephoto lens. The versatile telephoto lens will typically get used for capturing sporting events, performances (think kids and grandkids), portraits, wildlife, landscapes, and much more.
- Then get your wide-angles covered. Wide-angle lenses find use in many photography scenarios, including landscape, architecture, and tight spaces (often indoors).
- Most people will want to add a macro lens to the kit. The range of subjects available for a macro lens is endless, and few lenses are more fun to use.
