The best Sony lenses for filming hunts will depend on what you are hunting and how you are hunting. This post will give you the information you need to make the best Sony hunting lens choice for yourself.
Best Sony Full Frame Lenses For Filming Hunts
Are filming from a treestand? Or filming run & gun hunts? Long-distance? Or something in between? There are certain criteria that make lenses the best suited for specific hunting scenarios. For example, you’ll want some combination of the following when filming hunts depending on what you’ll be filming.
- Low-light Capabilities
- Appropriate Zoom Ranges
- Simplicity & Ease of Use
- Image Quality
- Image Stabilization
Best Sony Lenses For Filming From A Treestand
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 Art OSSÂ
This Sigma lens is one of the best 3rd party lenses for Sony. It has amazing reviews and is much cheaper than the Sony brand 24-70mm. This lens is excellent for treestand hunters because you can get both wide-angle and zoomed-in shots.
The zoom range is long enough to film in those close-quarter bow ranges. You can also use Sony’s crop mode to get a 1.5x zoom on top of your lens zoom. For example, you could increase the distance from 70mm to 105mm with crop mode (70*1.5=105). This extra reach can be really handy.
In addition, to crop mode, you can crop in on 4K video by 2x in your editing software. This will make your video 1080p quality but it might be worth it to get that extra reach. 1080p is still plenty for most uses. This means your 70mm can be increased to 105mm, then increased again to 210mm in post-production (if filming in 4K).
Because of it’s high-quality and versatility in zoom ranges, the Sigma 24-70mm F.28 Art OSS lens is one of the best Sony lenses for treestand hunters.
Pros
- Great Value Lens
- Good Zoom Range (close to medium ranges)
- Great Vlogging and Self-Filming Lens
- Versatile Lens
- Crisp and Beautiful Image Quality
- Awesome Low-Light Capabilities
- Maintains Constant f/2.8 aperture At All Zoom Ranges
- Great Boca Effect
- Cinematic
- Image Stabilization
- Can be turned into 36-105 with Sony Crop Mode
- Can be turned into 72-210 with Sony Crop Mode + 4k Crop in Post-Production (editing)
Cons
- Somewhat Big and Heavy
- Not The Best For Close Up Tight Shots
Sony 18-105mm F4 G OSS
The 18-105mm F4 Sony lens is one of the best lenses for treestand hunters, it has great reviews and is very budget-friendly for a full-frame lens. This lens is excellent for hunters because you can get both wide-angle and zoomed-in shots (even more so than the 24-70).
It also has a pretty unique power zoom button on the side of the lens which will allow you to seamlessly zoom in and out. This means you will create a lot less movement when trying to zoom in because you don’t need to turn the lens to zoom. It acts more like a camcorder in this way.
The zoom range is plenty to film in those close-quarter bow ranges. You can also use Sony’s crop mode to get a 1.5x zoom on top of your lens zoom. For example, you could increase the distance from 105mm to 157.5mm with crop mode (105*1.5=157.5). This extra reach can be really handy.
In addition, to crop mode, you can crop in on 4K video by 2x in your editing software. This will make your video 1080p quality but it might be worth it to get that extra reach. 1080p is still plenty for most uses. This means your 105mm can be increased to 157.5mm, then increased again to 315mm in post-production (if filming in 4K).
Because of its power zoom, versatility in zoom ranges, and quality, the Sony 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens is one of the best Sony lenses for treestand hunters and just overall versatility in those short to medium ranges.
Pros
- Unique Power Zoom Located On Lens
- Power Zoom Makes Adds Simplicity
- Best Value Lens
- Good Zoom Range (Wide to medium ranges)
- 27-157.5mm Using Sony Crop Mode
- 54-314mm with Sony Crop Mode + 4k Crop in Post-Production (editing)
- Great Vlogging Lens
- Versatile Lens
- Crisp and Beautiful Image Quality
- Decent Low-Light Capabilities
- Maintains Constant f/4 aperture At All Zoom Ranges
- Decent Cinematic Boca Effect
- Image Stabilization
Cons
- It’s an f/4 lens so it’s not the best low-light (but not the worst!)
- The minimum focus distance is 17.75″
Best Sony Lenses For Filming Run & Gun Hunts
Sony 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS
This 24-240mm Sony lens is one of the best lenses for run and gun hunters. It is very budget-friendly for a full-frame lens. This lens is excellent for hunters because you can get both wide-angle and very close-up shots.
This lens also doubles as a great choice for a treestand hunter as well because of the variable zoom. The only reseason to get one of the lenses listed above would be for better low-light capabilities. This lens does have a variable aperture (3.5-6.3) which can make this more difficult in low-light.
This Sony lens probably has the most versatile zoom ranges which makes it a great choice for filming hunts where you are unsure at what distance the animals will appear.
Pros
- Jack Of All Trades
- Large Zoom Range For Distance Shots
- Wide Angle For Close Up Shots or Vlogging
- Image Stabilization To Help With Jitters
- The most versatile Sony lens for hunting
- 36-360mm Using Sony Crop Mode
- 72-720mm with Sony Crop Mode + 4k Crop in Post-Production (editing)
Cons
- Sub-par Low Light Capabilities
- Variable Aperture – gets darker when zooming in
- Heavy
- Not the sharpest Lens
- The minimum focus distance is 19.7-inches
Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens
The Sony 70-200mm is another great option for hunters. It has one of the best zoom range to aperture ratios. For example, the f/2.8 aperture makes this lens excellent in low light. In addition, this lens maintains that f/2.8 aperture throughout its entire zoom range, making it one of the best choices for low-light situations where zoom is needed.
Because this lens does not have those wide-angle ranges and it is fairly bulky, it is probably not the best choice for a treestand hunter. However, this lens is one of the best for running and gunning because of its variable zoom and fast aperture.
Pros
- Crisp and Beautiful Image Quality
- Awesome Low-Light Capabilities
- Maintains Constant f/2.8 aperture At All Zoom Ranges
- Great Boca effect
- Cinematic
- Pretty Good Zoom
- Image Stabilization
- 105-300mm Using Sony Crop Mode
- 210-600mm with Sony Crop Mode + 4k Crop in Post-Production (editing)
Cons
- Expensive
- Does Not Have Wide Angle Ranges
- Somewhat Big & Heavy
Best Sony Long-Distance Lens For Hunting
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS
This lens is a great option for hunters looking to get more distance out of their lens. The weight-to-zoom ratio of this lens is great. With Sony crop mode and 4K cropping in post, this lens will act as a 300-1200mm lens. This lens, although big and heavy, is a reasonable size for how much zoom it offers.
I wouldn’t want to carry anything much bigger than this lens for any mobile hunting because it would become a burden. The fact that you can use Sony crop mode in addition to 4k cropping, this lens really gives you the ability to get those close-up shots without needing to break your back carrying a bigger lens.
Pros
- Crisp and Beautiful Image Quality
- Decent Low-Light Capabilities for size
- Great Boca effect
- Cinematic
- Fantastic Zoom
- Image Stabilization
- 150-600mm Using Sony Crop Mode
- 300-1200mm with Sony Crop Mode + 4k Crop in Post-Production (editing)
- Good weight-to-zoom ratio
Cons
- Expensive
- Does Not Have Wide Angle Ranges
- Big & Heavy
- Variable Aperature (f4.5-5.6)
- Low-Light isn’t great – but is decent for its zoom range.
Best Value Sony Lenses For Filming Hunts
If you’re reading this article and you still can’t choose which lens to buy, below are the best hunting lenses for the money in my opinion. These are my favorite two options because they are versatile and will still get the job done without breaking the bank.
Sony 18-105mm F4 G OSS
Sony 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS
Conclusion
Although a good lens is critical, the lens needs to match up to the camera you are using. It is important to make sure your cameras offer some of the features mentioned in this article (like crop mode) before making your purchase.
I hope you found this article on the best Sony lenses for filming your hunts helpful or at least gave you some ideas you can take away. Below you’ll find more articles on gear for filming hunts:
How To Choose The Best Video Cameras For Hunting | Filming Your Hunt
Best Video Cameras For Hunting 2024 – Filming Your Hunts (All Budgets)
