7 Best Sony Lenses for Product Photography in 2024

Choosing the right Sony lenses for product photography can make a huge difference in the quality of your images. These lenses help you capture the fine details of products, making them stand out in a competitive market. Our guide lists the 7 best Sony lenses, ensuring you find the perfect match for your photography needs.

Our top pick, the Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS, is chosen for its sharpness and minimal distortion, which are key for product photography. It’s a great balance of quality and affordability. Plus, there are six other lenses to explore, catering to various photography styles and requirements.

What Is the Best Sony Lens for Product Photography?

Selecting the best Sony lens for product photography involves considering sharpness, distortion control, and focal range. We’ve selected a range of lenses, from Sony and Sigma which excel in these areas. They will all help you to capture detailed and true-to-life product images. Their build quality and optical performance make them ideal for the field of product photography.

Our Favorite Sony Lenses for Product Photography

Let’s take a closer look at our favorite Sony lenses. We’ve selected both versatile zooms and precise macros. We think there’s a lens here for every photographer’s needs, ensuring your products always look their best.

The Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is our top pick for product photography because of its sharpness and minimal distortion. Its optical design ensures that images are crisp across the frame, which is key for showcasing product details. The fast f/1.8 aperture allows for a shallow depth of field, blurring the background and making the product the focal point. However, it’s worth noting that at its widest aperture, sharpness at the edges can slightly decrease, which might require stopping down to achieve uniform sharpness.

Compared to the Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM, the E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is lighter and more compact, making it easier to handle during long product shoots. While the FE 50mm f/1.2 GM offers superior low-light performance and bokeh due to its wider aperture, the E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is a more affordable option. And it still delivers excellent image quality for product photography. Its closest focusing distance and magnification ratio are adequate for capturing small details, though not as close as a dedicated macro lens.

The Optical SteadyShot (OSS) is less important in a studio setting where the camera might well be on a tripod. However, it can be helpful for handheld shots, providing flexibility in shooting conditions. The Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is a good choice for photographers looking for a balance between quality, affordability, and performance in product photography.

The Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens is a good option for product photography, offering a wide range of focal lengths. This means you can capture everything from wide shots of the setup to tight details of the product. All without needing to change lenses. Its constant f/4 aperture provides consistent exposure control across the zoom range. However, for those seeking a very shallow depth of field, this aperture might not be wide enough. In practice, I have found an f/4 24-105mm lens to be perfect for a whole range of product shoots.

Sharpness is key in product photography, and this lens delivers sharp images across its zoom range. Edge-to-edge sharpness is particularly good when the lens is stopped down to f/8, which is often used in product shoots to keep the entire product in focus. The lens also handles distortion well, ensuring products look as they should without unnatural bending.

The lens’s build quality is solid, making it reliable for frequent use in a studio setting. Its weather sealing is an added bonus, offering protection in less controlled environments. While its autofocus speed isn’t critical for static product shots, its accuracy ensures the product is in sharp focus, enhancing the overall quality of the images.

The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN | A is a versatile lens, perfect for product photography. Its wide aperture of f/2.8 across the zoom range allows for detailed shots with a soft background, making products stand out. This lens is sharp, ensuring that every aspect of the product is captured clearly. However, it lacks built-in image stabilization, relying on the camera’s system instead.

With a close focusing distance, this lens can capture small details, making it great for shooting a variety of products. Its optical construction minimizes distortion and chromatic aberration. This helps to ensure that the colors and shapes of products are accurately represented. The autofocus is quick and precise, which is helpful even though products don’t move.

This lens is built to last, with a dust- and splash-proof design. It’s a good choice for photographers who need flexibility and high-quality images. While it’s heavier than some alternatives, its performance and build quality make it a valuable tool for product photography.

The Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro lens is a prime choice for product photography, offering a perfect blend of sharpness and detail. Its f/2.8 aperture and macro capabilities allow for close-up shots with a pleasing depth of field, highlighting every detail of the product. The lens’s minimal distortion ensures that product lines and shapes are accurately represented, crucial for high-quality images.

Constructed with high-quality materials, this lens is both durable and lightweight. It’s easy to handle during long photo shoots. Its weather sealing adds an extra layer of protection, useful for outdoor product shoots. The low dispersion elements effectively minimize chromatic aberration, ensuring crisp edges to your products.

Autofocus is reliable, though not the fastest, it’s more than adequate for stationary subjects in product photography. The lack of built-in image stabilization is hardly a concern when using a tripod, as is common in this genre. Overall, the Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro is a valuable tool for photographers looking to capture detailed and accurate product images.

The Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens is a standout choice for product photography, offering exceptional sharpness and detail. Its f/2.8 aperture and 1:1 magnification ratio make it perfect for capturing the intricate details of small products. The lens’s minimal distortion ensures that product shapes are accurately represented, crucial for high-quality images.

This lens blends durability with a lightweight design, making it easy to handle during long photo shoots. It has weather sealing, which will be of benefit if you’re shooting outdoors, or in dusty environments. Chromatic aberration is kept in check by the low-dispersion lens elements.

Autofocus is reliable, which is a bonus in other photography genres. On the other hand, the lack of built-in image stabilization might be a disadvantage in other fields. Even though it’s no big handicap in product photography. Overall, the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS is a valuable tool for photographers looking to capture detailed and accurate product images.

The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II lens is a top choice for product photography. It offers a wide to standard zoom range that’s perfect for capturing everything from large products to detailed close-ups. The fast constant f/2.8 aperture ensures consistent exposure and depth of field control across the zoom range. That means it is versatile in various lighting conditions. The lens’s sharpness is exceptional, capturing the finest details of products with minimal distortion. That’s certainly a feature you’ll appreciate (as will your clients!). The lack of chromatic aberration also helps to keep the products looking sharp.

This lens is well-constructed. Although product photography doesn’t typically put your gear under pressure, it’s reassuring to have a lens that can stand up to some harsh realities. Especially as few of us have the luxury of only working on one field of photography. 

There’s no built-in image stabilization, but its compatibility with cameras equipped with in-body stabilization helps to compensate for this. Overall, the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II is a valuable asset for photographers seeking flexibility, high optical quality, and reliability in product photography.

The Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM lens is a powerhouse for product photography, offering unparalleled sharpness and a wide f/1.2 aperture. This combination allows for stunning detail capture and a beautiful, soft background blur, making products stand out. Its minimal distortion ensures accurate representation of product shapes, crucial for high-quality images.

This is a well-constructed lens, able to meet the demands of professionals. It’s reasonably lightweight, which is ideal for long shooting sessions. Its weather sealing adds an extra layer of protection, useful for shoots in challenging environments. Image sharpness is enhanced by the optical design with its low dispersion elements.

While the lens lacks built-in image stabilization, it’s not that critical in a 50mm lens. And many Sony cameras have in-body IS anyway. Overall, the Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM is a valuable asset for photographers seeking flexibility, high optical quality, and reliability in product photography.

Conclusion: The Best Sony Lenses for Product Photography

Choosing the right Sony lenses for product photography is vital for capturing high-quality images. These lenses offer a range of options suitable for different aspects of product photography, from detailed close-ups to wide-angle shots. Each lens brings its unique strengths to the table, ensuring photographers can find the right tool for their specific needs.

Our top pick, the Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS, is celebrated for its balance of sharpness, affordability, and performance. It stands out as the go-to choice for product photography. However, the other six other lenses all provide a variety of choices to suit different photographic requirements and preferences.