Choosing the best lenses for the Sony A7C or Sony A7C II means taking into account its compact, rangefinder-style design, its orientation towards content creators and videographers, and its low price point as the cheapest current full-frame Sony Alpha mirrorless camera.
The A7C is one of the best cameras for vlogging, not to mention one of the best filmmaking cameras. We've been a bit lukewarm about it since its launch, given that it's a fairly modest reheat of existing Sony camera technologies, but at the price, I have to admit it is one of the best Sony cameras, at least for beginners or new Sony users.
But this isn't simply going to be a repeat of our main guide to the best Sony lenses. I like to match the lenses with the camera. There are lots of high-end constant aperture Sony G Master lenses that would be fine on a Sony A7R IV or Sony A1, but would be overkill on this cheaper model – both financially and physically.
The Sony A7C is the company’s smallest full-frame camera and isn’t blessed with the best grip, so it makes sense to choose lenses that are going to balance with it as nicely as possible. Sometimes the ‘best’ lens to put with a particular camera isn’t necessarily the ‘best’ lens you can buy!
I'm also keeping an eye on the price because one of the reasons for buying the A7C is for its relatively low cost – so owners of this camera are likely to be looking for cost-effective lenses too.
So with all that in mind, these are what I think are the best lenses for the Sony A7C right now.
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews Editor. He has used practically every interchangeable-lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium-format cameras, so he has the expertise to select the best Sony lenses for you.
The Quick List
Sony’s recommended kit lens for the A7C performs better than you’d expect, and its retracting design keeps it small. Read more below…
No full-frame ultra-wide zoom will be small, but the Tamron is neater and easier to carry than Sony's own wide-angle big-hitters. Read more below…
This zoom is more of an investment, but that extra bit of focal range compared with the norm makes a big difference. Read more below…
With almost-perfect center sharpness, rapid autofocus and a moisture-resistant build, this is a truly nifty fifty. Read more below…
Get the dreamy portrait bokeh you crave without splashing out too much cash – and you get smooth handling too. Read more below…
Nearly the same focal range as a classic tele and an f/2.8 aperture, in a much smaller and lighter package. Read more below…
Best lenses for the Sony A7C in 2024
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Best everyday lens for the A7C
Sony fans are spoilt for choice when choosing a standard zoom. But while the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master is the professionals' choice, it costs a fortune and weighs a ton. The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art is half the price but still huge, and while there are also worthy rivals from Samyang and Tamron, it's the modest Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 kit lens that I'd recommend as the perfect everyday companion for the Sony A7C.
It uses a retracting mechanism, so it’s very compact when not in use – and it’s still pretty small in use, so it’s a good physical match for the A7C, despite the reduction in focal range compared with the other lenses I’ve mentioned. It performs better than you’d expect from a retracting kit lens, with pleasing edge sharpness.
Read more: Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 review
Best wide-angle lens for the A7C
Every photographer needs an ultra-wide zoom, whether they realize it straight away or not. And given the Sony A7C's special suitability for travel, this Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD fits the bill perfectly. No full-frame ultra-wide zoom will be small, but the Tamron is neater and certainly easier to carry than Sony's own wide-angle monsters – and a lot easier to afford, too.
Despite the Tamron's price, it features high-end, weather-sealed build quality, a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture rating, quick and virtually silent RXD (Rapid eXtra silent stepping drive) autofocus system, and, best of all, terrific image quality. Corner-to-corner sharpness is particularly impressive for an ultra-wide-angle lens, even when shooting at the widest aperture. It doesn’t quite match Sony’s 16-35mm lenses for maximum viewing angle but it comes very close, and it’s great value.
Read more: Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD review
Best travel lens for the A7C
One of Sony’s more recent lenses could completely change the standard zoom lens of the future. In a world first, the lens covers an extremely versatile focal range, making it perfect for traveling (admittedly luxury traveling, given the price). It's light and portable which is another big tick and the fact it's ‘only’ f/4 isn't much of a compromise - had it been f/2.8, it would be considerably heavier and a lot more expensive.
It's got fast autofocus and delivers impressive levels of sharpness. It doesn’t have optical image stabilization – but the A7C has in-body stabilization, so that doesn’t matter too hugely. If you're after just a little bit more on the wide end than you'd get from the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, the 20-70mm is a very good contender.
Read more: Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G hands-on review
Best 50mm lens for the A7C
The Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 deserves a place in the collection of most Sony shooters. Impressively light and compact, but not compromising one bit on optical quality, this lens is almost perfect when it comes to sharpness in the center. With only a small falloff towards the edges of the frame and some vignetting wide open, this lens gets almost full marks.
The lens is certainly expensive compared with others in its class – but few of its rivals share the super-fast autofocus and moisture-resistant build that you get here.
Read more: Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM review
Best portrait lens for the A7C
Sony does make a premium FE 85mm f/1.4 G Master lens, but it's expensive and too big for the modest A7C, which is why I recommend the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 for this camera instead. It's much lighter than the f/1.4 G Master, and it’s lighter on your wallet too.
Handling is smooth, build quality is solid and image quality is strong in all respects: in our review, we found center-sharpness to be superb, even when we were shooting at f/1.8, and corner sharpness is impressive too. You won’t quite get the creaminess of bokeh that the f/1.4 G Master delivers, but it’s still delightful.
Read more: Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 review
Best telephoto lens for the A7C
I love using this lens on A7-series full-frame cameras . It’s much more compact and lightweight than conventional 70-200mm f/2.8 ‘trinity’ telephoto zooms, which I feel is always a good thing when shooting with slimline mirrorless bodies. Sure, it doesn’t quite stretch to 200mm at the long end but it comes pretty close, while retaining that all-important constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range.
And there’s more. While the original Tamron 70-180mm was a great lens, I love that the G2 adds optical image stabilization, uprated handling and revamped optics. And it delivers all this at a more inexpensive launch purchase price than the original lens. I find that in-body image stabilization fitted to recent Sony (and other makes of) cameras tends to be less effective in telephoto shooting, so the addition of optical stabilization is particularly welcome.
Autofocus is super-fast, based on a VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) system, and well able to do justice to the Fast Hybrid AF, Eye AF and advanced tracking options in Sony’s recent mirrorless cameras. The proof of the pudding is in the image quality and I like that the optical layout has been redesigned to include an XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) element, a hybrid aspherical lens element, three LD (Low Dispersion) elements and two GM (Glass Molded aspherical) lens elements. Tamron’s BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) coating is also applied to minimize ghosting and flare. All in all, it’s a terrific lens and a bargain at the price.
Read more: Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 review
Lab data and comparisons
The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. The Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 G Master prime leads the way for sharpness but the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 does particularly well for a zoom lens. The latter is the least impressive for control over distortion but automatic in-camera correction is available.
Scores for sharpness and color fringing are averaged from data taken across the entire image frame, from the center to the edges and corners, throughout the aperture range. For zoom lenses, the scores are also averaged from data measured at all marked focal lengths, and the same applies to distortion. Bear in mind that these average values don't fully reflect specific areas of performance. For example, a zoom lens might have noticeable barrel and pincushion distortion at its shortest and longest focal lengths respectively, which tends to average out when looking at the data overall. For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, which give the full picture, check out the graphs in our full standalone lens reviews.
How to choose the best lens for the Sony A7C
The A7C, like all Alpha 7 cameras, uses the Sony E lens mount. Sony’s own E-mount lenses have either FE or E in their model names: all work on the A7C. FE lenses are designed for use with full-frame Sony cameras, including the A7C, so these should be your first choice. If you are buying a third-party E-mount lens, check that the lens is designed for use with full-frame Sonys.
Sony lenses with an E (rather than FE) prefix are designed for APS-C format cameras such as the A6000 series. On the A7C, they produce a cropped image, so they’re not an ideal choice.
Check out our guide to the best Sony lenses if you want to know more
How we test lenses
The lens experts in our testing lab run a range of tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.
We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the centre of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths.
There's more to it than just the technical side, though! Beyond the lab, our reviewers test lenses in real-world environments – and sometimes on professional shoots! We work with lenses both indoors and outdoors, in studio conditions and in natural light, with as many different subjects as is possible (or appropriate – there's no point testing a landscape lens' ability to shoot a portrait!).
We take into account everything from handling and ease of use to speed of autofocus and the overall quality of the images produced.
Find out more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World
