The 6 Best Lenses for the Sony A35
The Sony A35 is a terrific camera. If you do not already own a lens or are searching for a different lens, this page will cover the best 6 lenses for the Sony SLT-A35.
More info is further down the page, however if you are in a hurry, here are the lenses:
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- Standard Lens - Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT
- Portrait Lens - Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA CZ
- Zoom Lens - Sony 28-75mm f/2.8
- Wide Angle Lens - Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
- Fisheye Lens - Sony 16mm f/2.8
- Macro Lens - Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Below are the best Sony lenses divided by focal length. Also covered are different selections ranging in cost.
Standard Primes
Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT
- Outstanding optics.
- Small and light weight.
- Can be difficult to find new.
- Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM)
- Circular aperture.
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A superb combo of compact size and lightweight. The autofocus motor is quieter and faster than older lenses that use the physically coupled autofocus.
The circular aperture allows you to stop down by 2-stops and still have an almost perfectly circular aperture. This produces spectacular bokeh and more flexibility in controlling depth of field.
Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7
- Built-in lens hood.
- Amazing value.
- Light and compact.
- Widely available used.
- Coupled autofocus.
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This model was initially released by Minolta along with the release of the A-mount. On account of how old the lens is, the autofocus is powered by the built-in motor in the A35’s body.
Physically coupled autofocus can be laggy and a bit noisy. On the other hand, if that’s not a major problem for you the results are great. {The bokeh is attractive and you’ll end up getting a classic rendering|You will get a classic rendering and pleasant bokeh.
A further great advantage of this lens is the price. It is drastically less expensive when compared to the Sony 50mm f/1.8 and also may be the least expensive lens listed.
Sony 50mm f/1.4
- Outstanding optics.
- Optical multi-coatings.
- Circular aperture.
- 55mm filter threads.
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Marginally faster compared to the Sony or Minolta f/1.8, however that can really be important when you’re shooting in low light. That without a doubt comes at an increased cost.
It is still a relatively compact and light lens that balances comfortably on the A35 and will fit into nearly every camera bag.
A potentially lower priced alternative is the Minolta AF 50mm f/1.4. Keep in mind that they can be tough to purchase in good usable condition. The lens also as designed with physically coupled autofocus, which is worse than lenses that contain built-in motors}.
Portrait & Telephoto Lens
Sony 85mm f/1.4 ZA
- Incredible bokeh.
- Excellent value used.
- T* coating to reduce flare and increase contrast.
- Astonishingly sharp wide open.
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Sony pulled out all the stops with this lens. Zeiss manufactured this lens. The ZA (Zeiss Alpha) indicates that Zeiss designed the lens exclusively for the Sony A-mount.
This is an excellent lens. Sharp corner-to-corner with vibrant colors that creates astonishing portrait photos.
A potential downside is that it is a bit heavy as a result of being built like a tank and the autofocus can seem slow. Bear in mind, that you’ll come across those same problems with any f/1.4 85mm lens.
Minolta Maxxum AF 85mm f/1.4
- Possible to find a good used deal.
- Superb image quality.
- Uses autofocus coupler.
- Double-Gauss design.
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The lens falls in the middle of the range of prices for the other two lenses. Acquiring a used lens in usable condition can at times be tough as a result of a limited supply available.
Although the lens does have autofocus, it is powered by the in-camera body motor that employs a physical coupler. This makes it relatively loud and sluggish to autofocus.
The lens is an older 6 lens element Double-Gauss design. A benefit to this is that images have a classic look that are unable to be made by current lenses that consist of far more elements.
Sony A35 Zoom Lenses
Sony 28-75mm f/2.8
- Very usable zoom range.
- Great value used.
- Constant aperture.
- Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM).
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If you want to shoot night events, indoor shooting, travel, and family photos, this is the ideal fast zoom for that. The autofocus is quiet and the lens is well crafted.
The lens is often compared to the excellent Zeiss 24-70mm lens, but it is close to half the weight and costs considerbly less. Both produce pro images.
Sony 55-200mm f/4-5.6 SAM DT
- Telephoto zoom range.
- Great for portrait or wildlife photography.
- Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM).
- Inexpensive.
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While still producing great results, this is a less expensive solution. a professional lens, so so long as you don’t require all the bells and whistles, it is a great lens.
As a telephoto zoom, it offers an outstanding zoom range for shooting images of sports, children outdoors, and wildlife.
Picture sharpness is good and the autofocus is fast. The outter body of the lens is made of plastic, which aids in trimming down on weight.
Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6
- Super telephoto zoom lens.
- Great for portrait or wildlife photography.
- 2.81 inches in diameter and 4.81 inches long.
- 55mm filter threads.
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This is a super-telephoto lens. It is a fantastic cheap alternative for when you want a long lens.
It is only 2.8 inches (7.1 cm) in diameter, 4.8 inches (12.2 cm) long, and is 1 pound 2 ounces (510g). While that is not lightweight, many pro telephotos are multiple times heavier than that.
For just a little better results you can look for the Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 SSM ED G-Series, but unfortunately count on spending just about double the price.
Wide Angle Lens
Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
- Has a aspherical lens elements.
- Optical multi-coatings.
- Great value when purchased used.
- Circular aperture.
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Impressive value for the money if you want to be able to shoot great wide angle shots that kit zooms cannot capture. Distortion, especially of vertical lines is small or non-existent unless you’re trying to get an exaggerated perspective.
In addition to being awesome at shooting gorgeous landscapes, it’s also a fantastic lens to travel with. The lens is wide enough so when you come across something you will be able to get everything in frame.
Sony 20mm f/2.8
- Great for landscapes and architecture.
- Coated optics for clarity and definition.
- Rear focusing system for fast autofocus response.
- 72mm filter threads.
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A well-corrected lens that does a good job of minimizing distortion. In addition, a large amount of effort has been done to minimize flane and internal reflections.
The result is an impressive lens that is perfect for landscape, astrophotography, and architecture photography. The rear focusing system means the front doesn’t rotate meaning you won’t have any problems using a polarizer or different filter.
Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 DX II
- Wide angle zoom lens.
- Hardened Alumite finish.
- Advanced optical coatings.
- All metallic moving parts.
- Designed for APS-C Sensors.
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It doesn’t have very fast autofocus, but the MF/AF focus clutch means it’s a good choice for manual focusing. A pull or push of the focus ring will switch the lens from AF to MF.
The Tokina is faster than the Sony 11-18mm, which is not a huge deal for architecture or landscape photos. Where you will see a difference is with astrophotography. That is a circumstance where you’d want to have the 1-to-2 stop advantage the Tokina offers.
Fisheye
Sony 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye
- Sharp corner-to-corner.
- 4 built-in filters: Normal, 056, B12, A12.
- 8 inch minimum focus distance.
- Aspherical and Extra-low Dispersion elements.
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Having built-in filters is an excellent addition due to the fact the lens has a petal-style hood which prevents a lens filter from being mounted to the front of the lens.
- 056 - Accented contrast for black and white photos.
- B12 - Correct color by eliminating red tones.
- A12 - Correct color by eliminating blue tones.
This lens has everything you could require from a fisheye. You’ll get corner-to-corner sharpness without vignetting while still getting exaggerated distortion.
Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye
- Internal focus.
- 180 degree angle of view.
- Manual focus.
- Minimum focusing distance of 12 inches (0.3m).
- Designed for APS-C sensors.
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The lens contains a curved front which means filters can not be used. It comes with a snap-on petal-style lens hood that you will want to ensure is included if you buy a used copy.
Construction quality is often a little hit or miss because of the very affordable price of the lens. A majority of owners are quite pleased with the pictures they get. You will nevertheless want to thoroughly test the lens when you obtain it to ensure the lens is not defective.
Macro Lens
Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro
- 9 aperture blades.
- Focus range limiter.
- High contrast and resolution.
- 55mm filter threads.
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An ideal balance of value, weight, and working distance for the Sony A35. The autofocus is somewhat loud, but for b taking macro images, manual focus is easier than using af.
For the best results at 1x magnification the lens ought to be stopped down by a minimum of a couple of stops. Doing that will also give you a larger depth of field, which is essential for macro.
Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro
- 10.4 ounces (295g).
- Focus range limiter.
- Focus Hold button for full creative control.
- 55mm filter threads.
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A 50mm lens isn’t that useful for 1x magnification as a result of how small the working distance will be. At 1:1 magnification, the front lens element will be around 2 inches (5 cm) from the subject.
This lens is perfect for tabletop, close-up, and copy work. It gives you the option to get closer to a subject than a standard 50mm, and that is great for nature photography if you need to fill the frame with a tiny subject, like a flower.
Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro
- Available in a variety of camera mounts.
- Improved resolution, chromatic correction, and optical coatings.
- Super Performance (SP)
- Focus clutch to switch between AF & MF.
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In addition to having autofocus, the focus ring feels great when manually focusing. Closed down at least a couple of stops and you will get tack sharp images.
In additon, be careful when buying this lens as it is produced in several camera lens mounts.
Used A-Mount Camera Lens Prices
Prices change on a regular basis. During the past few years, participation in film photography has been expanding. Due to the fact that there are 35mm Minolta cameras that use A-mount lenses, some additional demand is put on the price of lenses.
The Sony A-mount also does not hold a sizeable market share. Consequently, a smaller number of third party options exist and the lenses manufactured by Sony are quite often on backorder.
To find the lowest price, check out prices on multiple sites. For used lenses, be ready to pay for when you come across a good deal as they will not last very long.
What Lens Mount Does the A35 Use?
The Sony A35 uses the Sony A-mount. It’s also identical to the Minolta A-mount. This is due to Sony buying Konica Minolta’s camera division in 2006.
Minolta designed the A-mount for the introduction of interchangeable lens autofocus cameras in 1985. It is still actively supported to this day.
Standard Lens Cap Size
55mm, but really the filter sizes are sporadic. Older Minolta lenses have 49mm filter threads.
You will also find numerous lenses that have larger filter threads than 55mm. It isn’t rare to see 77m or 72mm filter threads. It would have been helpful if Sony utilised only 2 or 3 different filter sizes.