11 best lenses for creators
The lenses I shoot with on Sony full frame and the APS-C glass I used before it. What each focal length is for, and which one to buy first.
Find the video gear I use and recommend, by type, budget and what you film. Navid's picks come first, and each one opens its own page.
This is a list of the best lenses for creators.
In fact, it has 11 picks, with the gear I use myself first.
So if you want gear that earns its place in your setup, you'll love this list.
The lenses I shoot with on Sony full frame and the APS-C glass I used before it. What each focal length is for, and which one to buy first.
Here's what's inside:
- Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II
- Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM
- Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM
- Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G
- Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G Lens
- Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Lens
- Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Lens
- Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens (Sony E)
- Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Lens
- Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II
- Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
Each one comes with its type, its budget and what you'd film with it. I may earn a commission if you buy through my links, at no extra cost to you.
The best lenses at a glance
Here's every pick, with its type and budget.
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G Lens- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Mid-range
Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Lens- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Mid-range
Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Lens- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens (Sony E)- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Mid-range
Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Lens- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (SEL20TC)- Type
- Lenses
- Budget
- Professional
The 11 best lenses, ranked
1. Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II
Best all-around lens. My main lens. Incredibly sharp, fast autofocus, and versatile for any situation.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Travel, Studio
Rating: 4.8
See Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II on Amazon · More about Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II
2. Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM
Best portrait lens. Incredibly sharp with beautiful bokeh. My go-to for portraits and talking head videos.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Studio
Rating: 4.9
See Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM on Amazon · More about Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM
3. Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM
Best wide-angle prime. Ultra wide, ultra sharp, ultra fast. Perfect for vlogging and cinematic wide shots.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Travel, Vlogging
Rating: 4.8
See Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM on Amazon · More about Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM
4. Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G
Best ultra-wide zoom. Compact ultra-wide zoom with constant f/2.8. Great for vlogging and cinematic wide shots.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Travel, Vlogging
Rating: 4.7
See Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G on Amazon · More about Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G
5. Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G Lens
Best wide-angle lens for APS-C cameras. My main lens on the a6700 for talking heads. Beautiful background blur and sharp results.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Mid-range
Made for: YouTube, Studio, Travel
Rating: 4.9
See Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G Lens on Amazon · More about Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G Lens
6. Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Lens
Ultra-wide-angle lens Sony APS-C. On my wish list for ultra-wide vlogging on APS-C. Sharp, lightweight, and great for content creation.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Mid-range
Made for: YouTube, Vlogging, Travel
Rating: 4.8
See Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Lens on Amazon · More about Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Lens
7. Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Lens
Best all-around lens. Sharp optics, versatile zoom, constant f/2.8. Planning to get it again as my all-purpose APS-C lens.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Travel, Studio
Rating: 4.8
See Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Lens on Amazon · More about Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Lens
8. Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens (Sony E)
Best portrait lens for Sony APS-C cameras. Great for portraits and close-ups on APS-C. Smooth bokeh and solid low-light performance.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Mid-range
Made for: YouTube, Studio
Rating: 4.7
See Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens (Sony E) on Amazon · More about Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens (Sony E)
9. Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Lens
Best telephoto lens for Sony APS-C. On my wish list for capturing surfing and distant action. Impressive zoom range with built-in stabilization.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Travel
Rating: 4.7
See Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Lens on Amazon · More about Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Lens
10. Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II
Best telephoto zoom. The ultimate telephoto zoom. Sharp edge to edge with fast f/2.8 and incredible stabilization.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Travel
Rating: 4.8
See Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II on Amazon · More about Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II
11. Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
Double your reach. Doubles the focal length of compatible lenses. Great paired with the 70-200mm for wildlife and sports.
Type: Lenses
Budget: Professional
Made for: YouTube, Travel
Rating: 4.5
See Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (SEL20TC) on Amazon · More about Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
FAQs about lenses
The questions people ask most about lenses.
A fast standard zoom. Mine is the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II at $2,298 and it lives on my camera.
It covers wide enough for a room and long enough for a portrait without changing anything, it is sharp across the range, and the autofocus keeps up. If that is out of reach, the APS-C equivalent is the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G at $1,698. One good zoom beats three cheap primes.
Zoom for real work, prime when you know the shot.
A prime like the Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM at $1,298 is sharper and faster, and I rate it 4.9, the highest of any lens here. But it makes you move the camera every time the framing is wrong, and when you are filming yourself alone that is a real cost. I keep a zoom on for filming and swap to a prime for anything I have planned.
Somewhere between 35mm and 50mm on full frame. Wider makes your face look distorted, longer makes the room disappear behind you.
I shoot most of mine at the long end of the 24-70mm or on the FE 50mm f/1.4 GM. On APS-C the equivalent is around 24mm to 35mm, which is why the Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G was my talking head lens on the a6700.
f/2.8 is enough for almost everything, and it is the aperture I film at most.
The FE 24mm f/1.4 GM at $1,398 and the FE 50mm f/1.4 GM at $1,298 give you a stop and a half more light and noticeably softer backgrounds. They also miss focus more visibly when you move, because the depth of field is paper thin. For a solo creator filming themselves, f/2.8 is the safer default.
Wide, fast and light. The Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G at $1,298 is what I use at arm's length.
At 16mm you fit yourself and the place you are standing in the same frame, which is the whole point of a vlog. On APS-C, the Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at $698 does the same job for half the money and half the weight, and it is the wide lens I would buy if I were still shooting crop.
The Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM on full frame, at $1,298. It is my highest rated lens at 4.9, and it is what I use for anything where the face is the subject.
On APS-C the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN at $579 gets you close to the same look for a quarter of the price. The bokeh is smooth, low light is fine, and it is the best value lens in this whole category.
Almost certainly not, unless you film things you cannot walk up to.
The Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at $2,798 is the most expensive lens on this list and it is not something I use for talking head content. It earns its place for sport, wildlife and distant action. On APS-C the Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS at $1,198 covers the same territory for far less.
It doubles your focal length at the cost of light and a little sharpness.
The Sony FE 2x Teleconverter at $548 turns a 70-200mm into a 140-400mm, which is a lot cheaper than buying a 400mm lens. You lose two stops, so it works best on fast glass in good light. Buy it only when you already own the telephoto and keep wishing it reached further.
You can, but the camera crops to match the smaller image circle, so you lose resolution and the wide end of your lens.
When I moved from the a6700 to the Alpha 7 V, my APS-C glass came with me but stopped being useful. That is worth knowing before you spend $948 on a Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G if full frame is on your horizon. Lenses outlast bodies, so buy for the system you are heading toward.
It helps most on long lenses, and matters much less on wide ones.
The Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II and the Sony E 70-350mm G OSS both have it, and at those focal lengths you will notice its absence immediately. At 24mm, in body stabilization plus a steady grip covers you. If you film handheld and wide, put the money into a gimbal or a tripod instead of paying for stabilized glass.
Two. A fast standard zoom for everything, and one wide or one fast prime for the shots the zoom cannot make.
I own more than that, but on any given shoot the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II does most of the work and one other lens comes out. Every lens you add is another decision on set. For a solo creator, fewer decisions means more videos finished.
Less than they are for photography, and the gap surprises people.
Video throws away most of the resolution a $2,298 lens resolves. What you are really paying for is autofocus that does not hunt, breathing that does not distract, and build quality that survives travel. The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 at $579 rates 4.7 here, close to lenses costing four times as much, because for video the difference is small.
Final thoughts on lenses
The best gear is the gear you'll actually use. Start with sound and light, then upgrade the camera once your setup holds you back.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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