8 Budget Prime Lenses for Sony Under $650

[@alecsandoval1214]

Hi Julia! What is that attachment you have on your camera at 9:41? Asked in the comments

[@joshuaa.6874]

Stinking love my Samyang/Rokinon 35 1.8 and 85 1.4. So glad to see someone else loving on them!

[@patriciabrite2579]

at 3:12 you said you can't comment on the chromatic aberration of the samyang 35 1.4. well I own this lens for over a year now and in my case in bright sunlight it has terrible aberration. i cannot even dream of keeping it at 1.8, let alone 1.4. fortunately, I am not taking many photos in bright lights like that, so it doesnt bother me as much. It performs well in low light. which is what I use it for. for the price, it is amazing, but don't bother if you're gonna shoot in bright lights and sunny days.

[@unaby_unaby]

Thanks a lot, Julia for this fundamental comparison. The Samyang 85mm 1.4 really rocks in my opinion🔥🔥🔥

[@exzemoron]

I went with the sony 85 1.8. I love it! I also did a concert and car meet photoshoot with it and it turned out amazing!

[@alecsandoval1214]

Does anyone know what she has attached to her camera at 3:58

[@Itsaljackson]

Does anyone know the name of the piece of accessory underneath her camera at timeframe of 9:40? (It looks like it supports a heavy lens)

[@MarcelVolker]

Agreed on the 35mm 1.8, not a lot of character but I found recently it's been my go-to lens to pair with my 70-180, it is so effortless... Never misses focus, always sharp. Perfect for street/documentary/landscape. And as others have mentioned the Samyang 85mm 1.4 optically amazing rendering with a very vintage feel to it (despite being tack sharp too), but the AF is a bit iffy, I wouldn't want to use it in "one chance only" situations. Am now saving up for the 55mm 1.8 😊.

[@Garrythegoat1]

Can I use the samyang 35mm 1.8 for wedding photography?

[@alecsandoval1214]

Julia is that a light meter of some sort attached under your camera

[@th461]

I like the purple background of your studio. it looks really great. Thanks for your inspiration. Thanks for the valuable content you show week after week. Thanks to the whole team. It is just amazing what you all do! 👏👏👏

[@juliatrotti]

Thank you! I really appreciate it 🥰

[@Jean-bs5ip]

You should do a 1000$ kit vs 4000$ kit. I think many people would find it very inspiring to go out with what they have and shoot

[@paramoir]

8:00 ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE SHOT ON THE RIGHT!! Anyway great video as always, haven't done photography in a while so this reminds me so much of the fun and excitement 😊💖

[@juliatrotti]

Ahh thank you so much!!

[@oscarshen6855]

That's the exact reason Sony will always win no matter what good camera other brands make, budget lens selection wins the market.

[@fwfeo]

Exactly! Fuji and Nikon are specially dumb not to open their lens mount protocols like Sony did! They make themselves niche brands and will never be able to compete with Sony and Canon! Canon is so large that doesn't have to do that and manage to compete.

[@LMActionsports]

I picked up the Samyang 85mm f1.4 to have a nice fast lens until I could save up for the 85mm GM. I was so impressed on how it worked on my Sony a7R4 I actually found a sweet deal for a Samyang 35mm f1.4 for under $300. I use both of them for most of the wedding day. The focus quick and are really sharp. I barely have any photos that are miss focused. Maybe because I’m using the A9 and R4 but the really track and find the eyes effortlessly. I finally saved up for the 85 mm GM and I was not impressed. I compared it to the Samyang and for $1200 more it was just a hair sharper and I thought it focused the same. So I sent it back and been happy with my Samyang lenses. I hear good things about Viltox and been looking at getting the 24mm f1.8 as my next budget lens. Great video

[@concarne644]

I would like to konw your opion about the Viltrox 85mm 1.8 MK II in comparison to the Samyang 85mm 1.8 and the to the Sony 85mm 1.8

[@bhkim164]

I feel like you would also really like the samyang 75mm 1.8. Did you have a chance to use it?

[@juliatrotti]

Not yet, but I want to try it out! Sydney is in lockdown at the moment, but when I can shoot again I will try it :)

[@benfohdo]

I’ve been thinking this as well, happy to see this as a top comment

[@Athiril]

75mm would be quite interesting. I already have the Sony 85 1.8, so I’m more likely to pick up the 35mm… there’s also the 45mm 1.8 too.. they don’t make it easy

[@johnnyc5922]

​@@Athiril I bought both the 75/1.8 and FE 85/1.8 and I'll be selling the FE 85/1.8. I enjoy the rendering and bokeh on the 75/1.8 more, plus it's size/weight are quite nice, though the FE is already small and light. The FE does seem to focus better, plus have a bit more bokeh, and I would've preferred the longer FL, all else equal.

[@emelylopez23]

Can you do one for canon please for like continuous/still

[@mrbaiser4133]

Has the autofocus of the Samyang 35mm f1.8 been improved with the latest software updates? I'd use it for street photography, but it looks like the Sony is faster.

[@AUS-NewbiTLorD]

For those wonder, the Samyang 35mm F1.4 and 85mm f1.4 surprisingly resolve 60mp (A7Riv) really well, top tier sharpness when testing them with my camera. Good Autofocus on both (although a bit slow). Downfall is the light flaring.

[@LMActionsports]

I have both of them on my a7riv for all my weddings I do. I love the 85mm f1.4 especially. I picked up the 85mm GM and compared it to my Samyang and for 1200$ more it was barely sharper and focused the same. I sent it back and been using my Samyangs with great results

[@mrwashur1991]

Sharpness isn’t really concern. It’s ca control, bokeh quality, lens flares, ghosting, and most of all build quality. It’s better to buy a lens that will last than one that’s cheap and you’ll have to buy twice. That’s where samyang misses the mark for me. Also I need my AF to work at maximum capability. No point in buying a body and holding it back with a lens. Sharpness isn’t really a concern in todays market. Just about all lenses are sharp.

[@antonvoloshin9833]

That's an interesting definition of "budget".... I'd say budget is something under 200$, so basically it's a 20-30$ adapter and a selection of M42 or canon/nikon old manual lenses for your taste.

[@JeanV1986]

I got the Yongnuo 35mm f2 for Sony and I'm very impressed. Build quality is very impressive and IQ is solid.

[@lafeikconta1156]

I hace a Samyang 85mm f1.4 manual lens for my sony a7r2 and I absolutely love it. I feel like every photo I take with that lens will be a good one. Definetely love the color rendering on samyang lenses

[@zapadakofflv8560]

Combo sony 35/55/85/1.8 is very good for wedding day, for street photo, for traveling...I love it. People are always dealing with pixels, looking for technical perfection and forgetting the soul of their photos. Sure, it's good to have one great lens like the sony 50/1.2, but yo7 don't have to spend thousands on eve4ything and lug around many kilog4ams of gear.

[@chuligraphy]

you're the best Julia! Greetings from Colombia

[@keithmoten3025]

Well this is food for thought for me because I was ready to pull the trigger and buy the Zeiss 35mm 1.4 🤔 I know what you mean about the ‘vibe’ of lenses though!! Great vid 🙏

[@__OakTree__]

For apsc Sony cameras I think the Sigma 56mm F1.4 is a nice portrait lens.

[@pematamang9268]

Hi Julia, how is the Sony a7iv and I believe Sony a7iv is on your hand for testing..

[@glimpse8833]

Perfect comparisons & Perfect opinions

[@frankfeng2701]

Samyang 24, 45, 75 1.8 are also very compelling options as well, especially 24 which is on par with 24 GM in terms of image quality.

[@tomapaunovic]

+1 This is my prime combo of choice when I want to be super small and light, but still have great image quality

[@mex5341]

true

[@maartenmanten7798]

Loved the video! 🙏🏼 Would love to see a top (budget)lens video for Sony a6000 series next time or your recommendations for crop factor lenses :)

[@jc123_3]

suggestions for night video/photo for sony a7iii? been told f/1.4 is the area to look for

[@Pablo-bo6cp]

I love the character and the vibe of Samyang 35mm f1.4. I love it!

[@greatezalor]

U actually convinced me to get the Samyang 35mm. A dream 35mm!

[@prashantnz]

Thanks heaps from Auckland. Wondering how they would perform on my A7R4. Will try at the Vivid this year if I will attend.

[@nubscrub]

Wow, my experience was the contrary regarding chromatic aberrations with the Sony 35mm 1.8. I was immediately disappointed by the purple and green fringing wide open. It was low cost but I was not happy with it.

[@juliatrotti]

It's so interesting seeing how much lenses can differ between users haha, what camera were you using it on? If you watch the full review I did on the A7C only those shots right at the end of the shoot had CA in her hair. We did other backlit shots throughout the day too but only those last ones had it.

[@nubscrub]

@@juliatrotti Makes sense. To answer your question, A7RIVa

[@nubscrub]

FWIW I ended up with the 35mm 1.4, really enjoy it.

[@HeyItsMike985]

Your soundtrack is a study soundtrack 😂 I’d know those sounds from anywhere… countless hours

[@fahmi3089]

Why all the Samyang look greenish and dark. Are the sooc are true like that?

[@RandomStuffofMine]

Any thoughts on the Samyang 45mm f1.8?

[@berko109]

Hi Julia ..how you would preffrer? The samyang 85 1.4 or the 135 1.8 for portraite photography? Great video

[@luxinterna3370]

for good lens flares I recommend the Jupiter8 50mm F2.0. the black one with Leica mount. perfect for portraits. you get a very special look. amazing skin tones and a unique bokeh.

[@paulie3095]

Samyang is up and coming, for real an amazing brand , my 85mm f1.4 is a dream

[@juliatrotti]

Yep they are doing some really good stuff! Dan used to use Samyang when they only had manual focus glass, we were so excited when they started doing AF lenses too.

[@juliatrotti]

@@TigaWould As soon as Sydney is out of lockdown and I can do photoshoots again, I really really want to try the 85mm on the R5/6!

[@artmaltman]

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 has a slight yellow tint. Easy to correct in post but I find it jarring initially.

[@lars3743]

I’ve just never missed the eye on the Samyang 85 1.4 with the a73. It also seems to have way more character than other 85mm. Additionally I’ve adapted my Nikon mount samyang 85 1.4 to the GFX 50r and it’s incredible and covers the entire sensor.

[@ashipawar3002]

just don't buy it for video 🤣 you will thank me

[@RawloftheDead]

Great video. Love the comparisons. Thank you

[@andgainingspeed]

On a day when videos are dropping for the Sigma 24mm f2, nice to have a reminder of other lenses around the Sigma $639 price. 👍 Agree on the Sony 35mm f1.8. Nothing wrong with it, outside of lack of character. 55mm f1.8 is worth it, more so if you don't pay full retail price. Sony 85mm f1.8 is a bang for buck champ.

[@juliatrotti]

Haha thank you! I would say the Sony 35 f1.8 is probably the sharpest lens out of all the ones in my video which can make it good for some types of photography and not so good for other styles, it's all just personal preference at the end of the day!

[@harshadsatarkarphotography]

How are 85 & 35 1.4 from Samyang vs sigma . Which would you prefer ?

[@christianleon8152]

Great review!!!!! Great Photos!!!!

[@juliatrotti]

Thanks so much!

[@jxckysu]

Love your videos! Just ordered the Samyang 35mm F1.8, can't wait to test it out!

[@juliatrotti]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy using it :D

[@ShenP-SPK]

Would like to know what best budget macro lens to go for? For sony A7RIII

[@DITZY034BALLA]

Your work is by far my favorite. I’ve learned so much and I don’t even own a camera😂😂 Do the samyang lenses require a specific mount?

[@gheorghiualex]

They are made for different mounts like other lenses

[@hey.steven]

I totally agree! I judge a lens based on how good the lens flare is! I think you should consider doing a video of all the lenses that you’ve shot with that had your favorite lens flares! 😆

[@juliatrotti]

Yesss I love lens flares and totally judge a lens by it's flare too haha and a whole video about lens flares would be so fun!

[@mlNY81]

Are you using the Samyang 85mm on the Sony A7C? If yes, how does it feel? Isn’t it too big for this camera?

[@hussainahmedkhan7909]

Hi I hope you are fine. I like your photography. Can you help? I am confused between two lenses Sony Zeiss 35mm f1.4 and sigma 35mm f1.4. Please tell me which one is better? Or which one you recommend.

[@sarmedozil4060]

Loved the video! It came at the perfect time🔥🔥 but i was a bit surprised that there weren't any sigma lenses among this collection 👀

[@juliatrotti]

Thank you!! I think I need to do a part 2 haha there are so many budget lenses for Sony

[@storiesbykarina8776]

@@juliatrottiHello Julia! Thank you so much for this video! Please do make review of Sigma for Sony!! :):) It would help a lot!!

[@邱子睿-w8x]

I have a question about Samyang 50mm f1.4. Many photographer consider it doesn't perform well as other f1.4 lens of samyang's, and worried about the autofocus ability. Since many people complained about autofocus of this lens, how serious do you think this problem is when we taking portrait?

[@souljazz3563]

HELP! I'm buying Sony A7 III. Should I go with the kit lens or buy the Samyang 35mm f1.8?

[@OlavAlexanderMjelde]

I have the 24mm Samyang f1.8, the f1.4 50mm samyang and the 85mm f1.4 for my A7C. 50mm I dont really use, my favourite is the 85mm :-) But I imagine I will use the 24mm a lot also, but for portraits or cars I pull out the 85 if I have space to move around

[@deepanchatterjee1749]

Hi Julia. Just curious. If we have a telephoto lens set at 50mm with f/2.8 let's say, and if we have a PRIME 50mm/1.8 lens set at 50mm/2.8, would both take the SAME picture? Let's consider both lenses to be native Sony lenses used on a Sony a7iv or a7iii. What about DoF and bokeh? I'm really confused in this, can you please help?🙂 Thanks!

[@olatundefadahunsi3981]

YASSSS!!!! Thank you so much for this Julia!!! I've been wanting this type of video FOREVAAAAA. Some of us Broke and youtubers don't always understand that and make us drool over these 1300 lenses that we should probably not be buying.

[@juliatrotti]

Yaaay thank you, I'm glad you liked it! I've been working on this video for a while haha feels good to finally have a bunch of budget friendly lenses I feel comfortable recommending. There's still a few more i want to try, so I'll probably do a part 2 eventually!

[@olatundefadahunsi3981]

@@juliatrotti Yeah That would be amazing! Viltrox just released 2 new lenses and might let you do a sponsored review, a 50 1.8 and a 35 1.8. They don't seem like great lenses but you would probably at least be able to save us the money with a review lol!

[@olatundefadahunsi3981]

​@@juliatrotti BTW, do you think it would be worth it to have both the sony 85 1.8 and the samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 in a bag or are they redundant? Have a 1.8 now but thinking about also dropping some Mario/Sonic coins on the Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 and maybe a sony 35 1.8. Thoughts?

[@lifeofdang92]

Have you tried any Sigma DGDN ? They seem very good af for both photo + video work

[@line3122]

great video ) pls make a review for SONY 24-70 F4 in portraits and vs the 24-70 F2.8 , is the 2.8 better then F4 in portait ... thanks

[@juliatrotti]

Yess I'd love to do that!

[@devanteross2838]

love the zoom idea!

[@branavanelango1134]

Couild you do a comparison of Nikon Z6ii vs Z7ii

[@mrbaiser4133]

What do you think about Sigma's f2 primes?

[@alexverbeke2228]

Hi Julia, I'd add the 35 and 65 f/2 Sigma, better built and quality than the 35 and 85 Sony, and the 24 f/2.8 Tamron over the 28mm Sony.

[@ttown1376]

Im struggling to decide whether to go with the sayang 35mm 1.4 or the samyang 35mm 1.8. They are currently both around 320$. I am wondering if the 1.4 extra light is worth the much bulkier build, will it really help that much in night time photography and is it sharper. Or should I go with the small compact 35mm 1.8?? to put on my Sony a7iv?

[@nikolasisaafi8444]

1.4 gives more usability for night +dark situations. Use what will make you shoot more.

[@vikrantsingh8698]

you should have included sigma 35 and sony 50 mm oss

[@rodrigovmartins]

Thanks! Helped me a lot!

[@CardenasHaydee]

Do you have a review on the Sigma 30mm?

[@erikjohansson4143]

Hello Julia. I'm a beginner and I have a Sony a6000 with lens kit. My main goal is to do full body portrait to start to do outfits photos for Instagram. Because I'm a beginner I do not want expensive lens. What would you recommend for a budget full body with good bookeh lens? Thanks in advance and take care ✌🏻

[@EdwardIglesias]

Great video. I have the Sony 85 and agree it's really good. I used it on a night shoot in London and was very happy for the most part although the bokeh is a little meh. I am currently looking to replace my Sony 50 which took a fall in the mud. Maybe something weathersealed?

[@paultaylor5513]

Please review the new Samyang 50mm 1.4 II!

[@Noahphotography-n9l]

Hey all! Been thinking about getting a 75mm lens. Samyang is an option, but what about TTArtisan’s new 75mm f2? Anyone have experience with it?

[@alfoutdoors9660]

Since this video was made Samyang released a Mk II version of the AF 85mm f1.4 FE...It's smaller than the Mk 1 (it has a 72mm filter thread vs the 77mm filter thread in the Mk 1), it's 60g lighter than the Mk1, it has better weather sealing (7 sealing points vs 3), it has a much quicker, smoother and silent linear STM AF motor and a slightly shorter MFD (85cm vs 90cm). The optical design formula is virtually unchanged though as it was already great...One of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" moments. All in all the Mk II is a big improvement over the Mk I for overall handling, and it's AF speed and accuracy, making it even more of a bargain. Not sure if Julia has tested it yet? Maybe it will become her favorite 85mm lens?

[@juliatrotti]

Yes I have a review of this lens on my channel already a few videos back from my latest upload! I would need to test them side by side to see if there really have been any huge improvements, the mark 1 85mm was a great lens already.

[@pavlathomas49]

Hi Julia, just a question…would you recommend the same lenses for Sony a6100? Also….if not would you recommend any other?

[@thomasuriarte3182]

My copy of the samyang 1.4 85mm optically looked amazing but missed focus way too much. I had to return it and get the sony 1.8. And yes my samyang firmware was up to date.

[@juliatrotti]

Ah that's a bummer :( Was that with the A7III as well? I do really like the Sony 85 1.8 too though! Both those 85's are good options.

[@thomasuriarte3182]

@@juliatrotti yeah a7iii. I was on an engagement shoot with it. I overshot everything just incase since it was a new lens in my kit, so it all worked out and I had good selections. But I couldn’t trust it after that shoot.

[@OlavAlexanderMjelde]

The 85 is not best for video, the 35mm 1.8 does better in video focus

[@marwahandsharyar2669]

Do I need an adopter for the Samyang 85mm 1.4 lens to be compatible with my Sony A7ii? If so which would you recommend?

[@Nico-bc4ir]

Really interesting video and good starting point for further exploration of my options that don't cost my shirt. :) No budget friendly recommendations for focal length shorter than 28?

[@juliatrotti]

Thank you, glad you liked it! I usually focus more on portrait photography with my channel, so I haven't used too many wide lenses to be honest! The widest lenses I've tried are the GM 14mm which was so fun to use and the G 20mm f1.8 :)

[@GyandeepHazarikaOfficial]

Samyang 35mm f1.8 was really good ❤

[@LucasRafaelDesenhista]

Nice video. ☺I have a Canon 50D with 24mm 2.8 , 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 . I'm looking for a CHEAP new telephoto lens. Can be used. Something between 135mm and 200mm and F about 2.0 or 2.8. Any idea? 😇

[@hbhavsi]

What an amazing video. Loved it. Looking at some of these budget friendly lenses because I can't afford the more expensive GM lenses. And your feedback is very valuable.

[@Rifat10467]

Hi Julia, Just bought an a7c and was looking to buy two prime lenses for under 1k. Was thinking about 35/85. Any suggestions within this budget?

[@5_twenty]

Did you shoot any pictures with any narrow apertures? would have been nice to see images that weren't used with the widest ap you can go

[@kop0164]

share with us about how you become able to buy so expensive lens easily ,that will help ,

[@amirulizzad6122]

Nice video. May I suggest testing the Viltroxs lenses? It's somehow even cheaper than the Samyangs and not a total trash.

[@juliatrotti]

Thank you! And yes my next aim is to test out lenses at an even cheaper price point than this - thanks for the suggestion, I’ll check it out 😄

[@samsargdong1135]

Hi,thanks for your interesting video. I would like to see a comparison between the Samyang 18 mm f2.8 and the Sony 20 mm f1.8 lens one day!

[@PiotrTomaszewskiPhotography]

I recommend Viltrox 85mm f.1.8 STM II gen.

[@AlexandruVladutu]

Thanks a lot Julia. I think I'm going to stick with Samyang 35mm 1.8 as well as the Sony 85mm 1.8 because of weight && value/price considerations (paired with a Sony A7C). I'm of course waiting for Black Friday to buy everything. 😄 That would mean that the gear weight would be about 1kg, let's say 1.5kg with the Peak Design Sling 3L bag.

[@imranazmi5686]

no viltrox?

[@toddcampbell305]

I had the Samyang 35 1.8 but changed for the Sony 35 1.8. Samyang auto focus was no where near as accurate on my A7C as the native 35 but it seems many people really love that lens. Makes me wonder if I had a bad copy?

[@chava_jose2101]

It would be cool if you would do a photoshoot on a sony crop sensor camera

[@CO8848_2]

Great content, that’s what I need

[@vincenttop10]

I already have that Sam yang 35 f1.8. It is very good quality photo lens and it fit with my a7r3 too

[@stephcharz9082]

Nice review.These have been my guide to buy my camera lenses. And if you don‘t mind manual focus, try TTArtisan 50m f1.4,the lens is a good alternative given the price and its construction.

[@jliang70]

I think TTartisan 50 is a very good lens but they are different to the modern lens which are known for their sharpeness not just centre but also to the corners . TT has great colour rendition, great out of focus area smooth, soft in the corner when you shoot wide open at 1.4, sharpen up the corners when you shoot at F2 or F2.8. You can even autofocus if you choose M mount with techart pro. Not the ultimate in term of technical perfection and you will notice fringing when shoot wide open. I have used this and 0.95 version.

[@chuchonmc]

Great video, great comparison, honest, and necessary because no one was talking about some lenses I would like to know. We really like your honesty talking about lenses. Now I don't want to be the hater of the video but... Is it worth to switch to Sony to get that Eye-AF if not 100% of the photos are in focus? What is the meaning of going for an Eye-AF if it's not accurate? I mean... The D750 I'm using is not 100% accurate either, but spending so much money to still not being accurate doesn't sound so attractive right now.

[@juliatrotti]

Thanks so much! Usually it's not the camera's fault with focusing inconsistencies, that comes down to the lens you're using. I have a much higher in focus ratio when using higher end glass like my GM 35mm for example :)

[@chryseass.5143]

Hmm,Julia the Zeiss 55 f1.8 is definitely not a budget lens in Canada as it currently retails here for $1,249.00 CAD.

[@richardpcrowe]

We Sony shooters are certainly fortunate to have a plethora of great lenses at affordable prices. This was not always the case with Sony compatible glass!

[@navitaraaj5912]

Hy Julia! I am watching your video from Pakistan🇵🇰 I want to buy a new camera in few days for videos and images as well but my main focus is cinematic videos can you please give me your good advice either I should buy mirrorless or DSLR . I am begginer so also I am having some budjet issues almost count under 500$. Please give me a suggestion.

[@SpeedFreakTeam]

wait till you try the yongnuo 35mm f2. far the cheapest and quality tiptop. the afc is really responding very well. and it only cost rm899(216usd) in Malaysia. Hope u put in your list as well.

[@stevelien3568]

I agree with you on the 35 1.8. There's no 'character' imo. Hence switching to the 35 1.4GM once it was announced.

[@momentsbyron]

What about the sigma lenses?