Which prime lens is best for Sony mirrorless cameras?

Question

Need a prime for my a7iii ASAP, shooting a friend's wedding next month and my kit lens isnt cutting it. I checked out the Sony 35mm 1.8 and the Sigma 35mm f/1.4, but I cant tell if the extra weight on the Sigma is worth the trade off? Budget is around 800 bucks. What should I get?

Zakazat_fgPr · Accepted Answer

Had a moment to think about this more and honestly, you might want to be careful dropping your entire budget on a single lens right before a big gig. Weddings are stressful enough without worrying about gear failure or carrying a brick around all day. I used to think I needed the fastest glass possible for every shot, but I realized after a couple of weddings that having a reliable setup is way more important than having the widest aperture. Have you looked into the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8? It is super affordable and surprisingly sharp for the price. If you snag that, you would have plenty of cash left over to grab a solid flash or maybe even a Godox V860III TTL Li-ion Flash which honestly saves my life at receptions when the lights go down. You really dont want to be caught at a dark dance floor with just a lens and no lighting gear. Just make sure you test whatever you get before the day of, cause the last thing you want is a weird focus issue. I spent way too much on heavy primes back in the day, but now I usually just stick to the lighter stuff and put the savings into extra batteries or decent memory cards. Good luck with the shoot, it sounds like a fun challenge!

AlbertGag · Answer

Honestly, I tried the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art for a wedding last year and unfortunately it was just way too heavy for an all-day shoot. My wrist was killing me by the time the reception started, and honestly, the weight balance on the a7iii felt super front-heavy. I also had issues with focus hunting during the ceremony which was super frustrating. If you want my advice, stick to something lighter so you can actually keep up with the action without getting exhausted. Here is what I think you should do:

Grab the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 instead. It is much sharper than people give it credit for and the weight is perfect for a full day of movement.

If you really need that wider aperture look, check out the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 as a backup, though the autofocus is a bit slower than the 35mm. Honestly, the build quality on the Sigma is impressive but for a wedding, portability is king. I found the sharpness difference to be negligible in real-world lighting anyway. Just grab the Sony glass and save yourself the back pain, especially since you are on a budget and the Sony is much easier on the wallet. Definitely dont make the same mistake I did lugging that heavy brick around for ten hours...

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Which prime lens is best for Sony mirrorless cameras?