Mirrorless Camera Lenses

Compact System Camera Lenses

You’ll need to get lenses that fit the lens mount on your camera. If you’re using Sony, you’ll be looking at E-mount lenses. A system that’s been running for more than a decade, E-mount includes a huge catalogue of optics, from budget-friendly choices to some of the sharpest, most capable professional lenses ever made.

Canon mirrorless users will either be using RF-mount lenses, for the flagship EOS R system, or EF-M lenses for the crop-sensor EOS M cameras. These systems are not cross-compatible, so make sure you get the right one. Nikon mirrorless users, meanwhile, have their pick of Z-mount lenses – a hugely exciting system that’s expanding at a fast pace. If you use Fujifilm mirrorless cameras, you’ll be using the beautiful X-mount lenses, many of which are known for their extraordinary bokeh rendition.

Some manufacturers share lens mounts. Both Olympus and Panasonic produce cameras that take Micro Four Thirds lenses, a smaller standard that provides unbeatable telephoto reach from small and affordable optics. L-mount lenses, meanwhile, work with certain cameras made by Panasonic, Sigma and Leica – though Leica also makes mirrorless cameras that use Leica M-mount lenses.

Remember also that you don’t necessarily have to stick to lenses produced by your camera manufacturer. Third-party lens manufacturers – including Sigma, Tamron, Samyang, Laowa, Lensbaby and others – offer unique and often very affordable lenses for multiple different mounts.

What lenses you need will be dictated by the kinds of images and/or videos you like to shoot. Want to capture wildlife and action? You’ll need a telephoto lens with a good amount of magnifying power. Or are you looking to produce sumptuous, sweeping landscapes? In that case, a wide-angle lens with a large field of view will be a better choice. You also will want to consider whether you want to use a zoom lens, or a prime lens with a fixed focal length. Zooms provide more flexibility, while primes generally offer better optical quality and faster maximum apertures – which is very handy for low light.

Also, if you’re shooting video as well as (or instead of) stills, you will want to look for compact system camera lenses with video-optimised features. These include things like silent autofocus, minimised focus breathing and built-in image stabilisation.

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