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Camera Bodies & Lenses
TOOLS + PRODUCTS I LOVE
My Favorite Brands
My Camera Body & Lens Picks
CamerA Bodies
One of my favorite features of the Sony Alpha cameras is the “Auto ISO Minimum Shutter Speed” feature. This allows photographers to work in Aperture Priority mode and float the ISO, while still controlling the minimum shutter speed (i.e. 1/2000 fps for action, 1/focal length, or slower (panning or ICM.) Program this menu item to a customizable button to change the setting quickly, and it is a game changer.
Simply an amazing 50.1 MP camera all the way around. Sony’s flagship camera. If you have the budget, this is my top pick.
Sony Alpha a7RIII/A (Refreshed)
I am still shooting with this camera even with the release of the Sony a7RIV and a7RV cameras.
Sony Lenses
I prefer using prime lenses, but I do recommend a super-wide, and a couple of super-telephoto zoom lenses as well. You might also note that I skip the 24mm and 50mm focal lengths. This is just my opinion, but I believe that whatever looks good at 24mm will look more interesting at 20mm, and whatever looks good at 50mm will look more interesting at 35mm or 85mm.
I don’t own this lens, but I wanted to include it since it is a phenomenal albeit pricey lens. If you are a serious landscape photographer with a higher budget, this is a fantastic lens choice. Keep in mind this lens does not have filter threads, so you will need to purchase a filter system with components that are made specifically for it. For more information about the filter system I recommend for this lens and why, visit our Camera Brackets & Accessories page.
An excellent fast, ultra-wide prime lens. This lens also does not have filter threads, so you will need to purchase a filter system with components that are made specifically for it. For more information about the filter system I recommend for this lens and why, visit our Camera Brackets & Accessories page.
This fast-aperture lens is well-suited for astro, landscape, and even portrait photography. While a 24mm lens does add some distortion to portrait subjects at the edges of the frame, the effect can be used very creatively to add a little more somethin’ somethin’ to your photo. To help mitigate the distortion effect, especially when photographing a person, consider placing the subject closer to the center of the frame. For reference, a smart phone camera defaults to roughly the 24mm focal length.
This lens has a ton of character, and the 35mm focal length is extremely versatile. I prefer 35mm lenses to 50mm lenses. The former creates photos with a bit more character in my opinion.
I guess one might call this lens a “Nifty 85.” If you are a full-time portrait photographer, you may wish to look into purchasing the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 lens. But I think this lens is so good, that I chose it over the faster f/1.4 version without a second thought.
In my opinion, one of the best lenses in the Sony lineup. I use this lens often.
Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS
A beautiful lens that has a magnification ratio of .35X, which provides some macro capabilities in a telephoto zoom lens.
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
This is a spectacular lens! To say it is sharp is an understatement. If you have the budget, in lieu of purchasing the Sony FE 100-400mm lens listed above, I might consider pairing this Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens with a Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter or a Sony FE 2.0x teleconverter.
While adding teleconverters to the older Sony FE 70-200 lens, especially a 2.0x teleconverter, resulted in slightly degraded image quality, this updated Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens is so sharp to begin with that in my opinion, you can get away with using teleconverters. That means you can cover the 70-400mm focal lengths with one lens. Just remember you lose one stop with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (f/4 instead of f/2.8) and two stops with the Sony FE 2.0x teleconverter (f/5.6 instead of f/2.8).
Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS
This Sony super-telephoto lens was just announced on 2/25/2025, and it is now available for pre-order! More to follow, but pairing this lens with the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens plus a Sony FE 2.0x teleconverter, or the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens, might be a winning combination for sports and wildlife photographers!
Loawa Lenses
The Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens is a manual focus lens, but it is sharp and it has very little distortion especially for a super-wide-angle lens. This crazy little lens also has a minimum focusing distance of just 18 centimeters, and has a 0.2X maximum magnification, so macro wide-angle shots are completely within the realm of this lens. This is another lens without filter threads, so you will need to purchase a filter system with components that are made specifically for it. For more information about the filter system I recommend for this lens and why, visit our Camera Brackets & Accessories page.
Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO
The Sony FE 90mm G OSS Macro lens is a wonderful lens, don’t get me wrong. But this is one instance where I like to say “go small or go home!” This Laowa 90 mm lens provides 2x magnification whereas the Sony lens provides 1:1 magnification. You can still get close to your subject with the Sony lens, but you can get even closer with the Laowa. The Laowa lens is a manual focus lens, but I default to manual focus anyway when shooting macro subjects.