Best 85mm lenses for Sony

I’m continuing this series of detailed guides to help you choose the right Sony lenses. Switching to a Sony mirrorless camera a few months ago clearly played a role in that, and I now really enjoy researching, comparing, and recommending lenses after spending hours — sometimes days — digging into each option.

My first article, dedicated to the best 24mm wide-angle lenses for Sony, made me want to cover more specific focal lengths. Today, we’re moving to a very different kind of lens: the best 85mm lenses for Sony E-mount. An 85mm lens is mainly designed for portrait photography. As you probably know by now, the field of view will also depend on your sensor size. On a Sony APS-C body (A6000 to A6600 series), an 85mm lens gives you roughly the equivalent of a 130mm focal length. If you want an 85mm-equivalent field of view on APS-C, take a closer look at our article on the best Sony 50mm lenses. On a full-frame body (A7, A9, A1 series), you get the classic 85mm field of view.

That said, choosing the right 85mm takes a little care. This focal length is ideal for portraits, especially outdoors when you have enough room to step back. As a short telephoto lens, it helps isolate your subject and make it stand out from the background much more than a 35mm or 50mm, which are better suited to showing more of the surrounding context. So, let’s take a closer look at the best 85mm E-mount lenses.

As usual since switching to a Sony mirrorless camera, I’ve put together the 85mm lenses I consider the most interesting for Sony users. You’ll find Sony options here, of course, but also several excellent third-party lenses in this focal length. I’ve tried to take into account the criteria that matter most when choosing a lens: image quality, compactness, optical flaws, autofocus, handling, features, and of course price, which remains a key factor for many of us.

By the way, if you want a broader view of Sony-compatible lenses, we’ve put together several pages to help you compare them. Here is our guide to all lenses for Sony APS-C cameras, as well as our guide to lenses for Sony full-frame cameras.

Here are the seven best 85mm lenses for a Sony mirrorless camera with autofocus:

1. Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II
2. Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro FE
3. Samyang 85mm f/1.4 FE AF MK II
4. Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art
5. Sony FE 85mm f/1.8
6. Samyang 75mm f/1.8 FE AF
7. Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 Sonnar T*

The main characteristics of the seven Sony 85mm lenses mentioned above are listed in the summary table below.

Visual

Lens

Features

Best price

Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II

• Superior all-weather construction
• Exceptional AF
• Excellent image quality and bokeh
• Significant vignetting and distortion
• Aperture ring with lock
• Premium Sony choice

Amazon
B&H

Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro FE

• Excellent all-metal construction
• Superb sharpness from f/1.4
• Creamy bokeh
• Fast and accurate AF
• Very well controlled optical flaws
• Outstanding price/performance ratio

Amazon
B&H

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 FE AF MK II

• Lighter construction
• Fast, quiet autofocus
• Smooth, natural bokeh
• Very good mid-range sharpness from f/1.4
• Significant vignetting at full aperture
• Excellent, affordable alternative

Amazon
B&H

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art

• All-weather construction
• Aperture ring
• Superb bokeh
• Exceptional image quality
• Perfect AF / Bright lens
• Reasonable price given the quality

Amazon
B&H

Sony 85mm f/1.8

• Tropicalized lens
• Compact/lightweight lens
• Very good AF
• Very good image quality
• Few optical defects
• Average flare resistance

Amazon
B&H

Samyang 75mm f/1.8 FE AF

• Very compact/light lens
• Smaller focal length
• Good build quality
• Customizable ring
• Excellent image quality
• Great value for money

Amazon
B&H

Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 Sonnar T*

• Excellent build quality
• Stabilized lens
• Outstanding image quality
• High vignetting/distortion
• Less interesting now

Amazon
B&H

Available since 2024, the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II has quickly become one of the benchmark portrait lenses for the Sony E-mount. Its optical formula uses 14 elements in 11 groups, including XA and ED elements, to deliver high resolution while keeping chromatic aberration under control. The autofocus relies on two XD linear motors, which makes focusing fast, precise, and quiet, with strong subject tracking. The lens is not optically stabilized, but it remains relatively compact for an 85mm f/1.4 and comes with Sony’s professional dust- and moisture-resistant construction.

In terms of optical performance, the GM II is clearly a major step up from the first version. Sharpness is excellent, even wide open, and the rendering is very homogeneous for this kind of portrait lens. Sony has also improved the handling of chromatic aberration, flare, and contrast in difficult light. With its large f/1.4 aperture and soft bokeh, this lens is clearly designed for demanding portrait photographers and hybrid shooters.

In short, this is one of the strongest 85mm options currently available for Sony full-frame cameras. It is expensive, of course, but it delivers the kind of autofocus, build quality, and optical consistency that professionals and serious enthusiasts expect from a modern G Master lens.

After testing it in the field on my Sony A7 III, I think the Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro FE deserves to sit very high in this ranking. It is not just another affordable third-party portrait lens. It is a genuinely ambitious 85mm f/1.4, with a level of build quality, handling, autofocus, and image quality that makes it one of the most convincing options currently available for Sony full-frame cameras. You can also read my full review of the Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro FE if you want the complete field test and image examples.

In terms of construction, this Viltrox feels clearly more premium than expected. The all-metal body gives a very serious first impression, and the lens includes plenty of practical controls: an AF/MF switch, a customizable Fn button, a focus ring, and a real aperture ring that can be clicked or de-clicked. The integrated USB-C port and Viltrox app support are also useful for firmware updates and customization. The lens is not small, at about 800g, but mounted on a full-frame body, I found the combination well balanced.

Optically, this is where the lens surprised me the most. Sharpness is already excellent at f/1.4 in the center, and stopping down improves the frame even further. The bokeh is one of its strongest points: soft, creamy, and very flattering for portraits, with excellent subject separation. Autofocus also performed very well in my tests, including Eye AF and AF-C for everyday portraits. It is not absolutely perfect on very fast subjects, and the floating elements can make a small mechanical clunk when the lens is powered off, but these are minor points compared with the overall performance.

In short, I was really won over by this lens. The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II remains the most refined premium choice, but the Viltrox offers an exceptional balance between build quality, optical performance, autofocus, bokeh, and price. In my opinion, it is now one of the most interesting 85mm f/1.4 lenses for Sony, and that is why I place it in second position, ahead of the Samyang.

Introduced in 2022, the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE II is a real improvement over the first Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE. It is lighter, better finished, and uses a revised optical formula with four HR elements and one ED element. Autofocus is also faster and quieter, which makes the lens more convincing for both portraits and video. Thanks to its bright f/1.4 aperture and 9-blade circular diaphragm, it produces smooth, natural bokeh, and its 85 cm minimum focusing distance is useful for tighter portraits.

In the field, the lens is already very sharp in the center from f/1.4. The edges are less impressive wide open, but this is rarely a major issue for portrait work. Vignetting is noticeable at full aperture and some chromatic aberration can appear, but both are easy to correct in post-production. Overall, this is a very strong portrait lens with excellent value for money.

In short, the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE II is a very good option if you want a bright portrait lens without paying Sony GM prices. It is cheaper and lighter than the Sony and Sigma f/1.4 options, while still offering a very attractive balance of image quality, autofocus, handling, and price.

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art remains one of the strongest 85mm lenses available for Sony full-frame cameras. It was designed specifically for mirrorless cameras, unlike the older Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, which was much heavier and bulkier. Here, Sigma offers a high-end portrait lens in a much more reasonable package: around 630g, 94mm long, and fully compatible with Sony E-mount bodies.

Build quality is excellent and sits very close to the premium Sony GM level. You get a manual focus ring, a clickable or de-clickable aperture ring, an iris lock switch, an AF/MF switch, and a focus hold button. The lens also has a dust- and splash-resistant construction and uses a standard 77mm filter thread. Autofocus is fast and reliable, and the overall handling feels very modern for both photo and video work.

Optically, this Sigma is close to excellent. Sharpness is already superb in the center at f/1.4, while the edges and corners remain very good. Stopping down to f/2 improves the image even further. There is visible vignetting at full aperture and some pincushion distortion, but both are easy to manage in post-processing. Bokeh is also one of its major strengths and suits portrait photography extremely well.

In conclusion, Sigma offers one of the best value-for-money 85mm f/1.4 lenses for Sony. The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II is now the more refined premium option, but this Sigma remains incredibly compelling thanks to its optical quality, excellent build, strong autofocus, and much more accessible price. The only real limitation for Sony A1 users is the usual third-party lens restriction: burst shooting is limited to 15 fps instead of 30 fps. Of course, this lens is also featured in our guide to the best Sigma lenses for Sony mirrorless cameras.

Released in 2017, the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 has long been one of the safest choices for anyone looking for an affordable 85mm lens for a full-frame Sony camera. It was much cheaper than the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 and far less expensive than the original G Master. The arrival of lenses such as the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 FE II, Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, and newer Viltrox options has changed the landscape, but this Sony remains a very solid choice.

The lens is well built, light at 371g, and compact at 82mm long. Apart from the Samyang 75mm, it is one of the easiest lenses in this ranking to carry around. You get an AF/MF switch, a focus hold button that can be customized, and a manual focus ring. The lens uses a 67mm filter thread and does not include an aperture ring. Autofocus is generally fast and reliable, which is one of the reasons this lens has remained popular for so long.

Image quality is still very good. It does not quite reach the level of the Sigma or Samyang f/1.4 lenses mentioned above, but it remains sharp, reliable, and pleasant to use. Bokeh is good, though the f/1.4 lenses naturally offer more separation and smoother backgrounds. Optical flaws are generally well controlled, with limited vignetting, few chromatic aberrations, and very little distortion. Flare resistance is more average.

In the end, the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 is still a very good choice if you prefer staying with a Sony lens and want something compact, reliable, and reasonably priced. It is no longer the unbeatable value it once was, but it remains a safe and easy recommendation.

I’m now moving into smaller-aperture or more compact options. If you do not specifically need an f/1.4 lens, the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 and Samyang 75mm f/1.8 are still very sensible choices, especially if size, weight, and price matter to you.

You might be surprised to see this rather strange prime lens in this ranking of the best 85mm, but I voluntarily wanted to include it. Samyang offers this new 75mm f/1.8 FE AF, which I think is in direct competition with the classic Sony FE 85mm f/1.8. This lens has a superb compact size with only 230g and 69mm long. It is the lightest/shortest lens in this ranking (I’d agree that the focal length being limited to 75mm has something to do with it).

The build quality of this lens is said to be very good, in the same spirit as Samyang’s compact autofocus lenses. It is part of what Samyang calls the “Tiny Series” and now offers more options. You will find a manual focus ring, but above all a customizable button allowing to use 2 modes thanks to the “Lens Station of Samyang” and its associated software. For example, you can use the manual focus ring as an aperture ring (Mode 1) and use Mode 2 to switch from AF to MF. The autofocus is considered overall good and fast.

Nothing to say about image quality, this lens offers superb details in the center, and right from full aperture. The corners are slightly behind, but get improved at f/2.8 to become excellent on the whole image. In terms of image quality, it is more or less the same as the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM. The bokeh quality is also judged as very good.

To conclude, Samyang makes again a big splash here by offering a high-quality lens for a price more than correct (less than 400€). If you have a small budget and are looking for a quality lens for portrait photography, you can’t be disappointed by this little Samyang. The only hitch? It does not have an all-weather construction. See if this is important to you or not.

I’ll end this ranking of the best 85mm lenses for Sony with the very good Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 Sonnar T*. Released in 2015, this lens can still be considered an interesting choice for your 85mm purchase – although I have to admit that competition is tough, and my choice would be another lens, considering the price/performance ratio.

This lens, stabilized and all-weather built, offers an average compactness compared to the other ones mentioned above, with a weight of 475g and a length of 105mm. Its build quality is, obviously, as often with Zeiss, excellent. There is also a depth of field scale (thanks to an OLED screen) but no button to switch from AF to MF. The quality of autofocus is known to be overall very good.

The image quality of this Zeiss is remarkable in the center and at full aperture. It appears a little less good on the corners but remains overall very good. You may remark a tiny difference between the lenses, visible to the naked eye, but nothing really important, especially on a full-frame Sony body without a large number of pixels (like my A7III, for example). Regarding optical flaws, there is a strong vignetting at full aperture and a strong pincushion distortion. Both are perfectly correctable in post processing. The bokeh quality is very good, but many prefer the quality provided by the f/1.4 lenses mentioned above.

To conclude, this 85mm from Zeiss remains an excellent lens, very well built and offering a superb image quality. However, choosing this Zeiss lens now given the current competition does not seem to be the best choice, especially when you can get better, brighter, and cheaper options from Sigma, Viltrox, or Samyang. Nevertheless, you are sure not to make a mistake by choosing this lens, which is still of very high quality.

Here are, in my opinion, the most worthwhile lenses if you are looking for an 85mm for your Sony camera. The table below summarizes their main characteristics.

If you want to look further and consider a longer focal length than 85mm, we compiled a comprehensive guide to the best Sony telephoto lenses.

Of course, choices rarely are simple, and even if the lenses I’ve mentioned above are already very convincing, there are still a few alternatives to consider depending on your budget, preferred focal length, and how much weight you want to carry.

Here are the alternatives worth considering, in my opinion:

1. Viltrox AF 85mm f/2 EVO FE
2. Tokina 85mm f/1.8 ATX-M FE
3. Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 FE II
4. Yongnuo YN85mm f/1.8S DF DSM
5. Sigma 65mm F2 DG DN Contemporary

Here are a few words about the alternative lenses mentioned above. The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II has now replaced the original GM in the main recommendations, and the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 FE II also makes the first Samyang version much less relevant today. That is why I no longer keep those older versions as priority recommendations.

The Viltrox AF 85mm f/2 EVO FE is the most interesting recent compact option to mention here. You can also find it on B&H. It is not as bright as the f/1.4 lenses above, but it is smaller, lighter, weather-sealed, and much more affordable. With its 340g weight, 58mm filter thread, and f/2 aperture, it can make sense for portraits, travel, and everyday shooting if you want something easier to carry than a classic 85mm f/1.4.

Tokina also offers the Tokina 85mm f/1.8 ATX-M FE. This lens has a good all-metal build and delivers very good image quality, close to the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8. Its bokeh is often considered slightly nicer than Sony’s, although autofocus appears a bit behind. In my opinion, it remains a serious budget option, even if I would now usually look first at Sony, Samyang, Sigma, or Viltrox.

The older Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 FE II is still a decent affordable alternative. However, if you want a more recent compact Viltrox option, I would now look first at the f/2 EVO version above.

I’ll finish with the Yongnuo YN85mm f/1.8S DF DSM, a surprisingly affordable lens. Its construction is decent without feeling premium. Autofocus is said to be very good, almost at the level of the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8. Image quality is lower at full aperture than on the best lenses mentioned above, but it remains good, and stopping down to f/2.8 gives very solid sharpness in the center. The corners and edges remain good rather than excellent. Even with a few optical flaws and less overall sharpness, it is still interesting because of its very low price.

Finally, another interesting lens to consider is the Sigma 65mm F2 DG DN Contemporary. It is shorter than a classic 85mm, so it does not give exactly the same portrait look, but it offers superb image quality, smooth bokeh, excellent autofocus, compact dimensions, and weather sealing.

In the table below, you can see other possible alternatives if you are looking for this type of focal length for your Sony camera body.

As usual on this type of article, I’ll quickly talk about some alternatives with manual focus. There are indeed a few 85mm of this type, some with a good reputation, others less so. Considering the prices of the quality lenses mentioned in this article, I personally will not buy an 85mm with manual focus.

In my case, I mainly use my 85mm to shoot portraits of my kids moving and running around. With an autofocus, it’s still much easier.

Anyway, here are the 85mm manual focus lenses I found:

As usual, here are the main things you should keep in mind before buying an 85mm lens. I won’t repeat everything I wrote in the article “How to choose a lens“, but you will still find the essential. Just click on the little scrollbar to see what you need to know and consider.

You may be surprised to see these few lines, knowing indeed that this article is dedicated to the 85mm, a fixed focal length. If you want to know more about it, I wrote a complete article on the interest of either choosing a zoom or a prime lens.
In this case, you might ask yourself why you would consider buying an 85mm fixed focal length rather than a zoom lens including this focal length, such as a 70-200mm? I would say there are several reasons:

• First, the price. This is not a technical point, but if you are considering buying a 70-200mm or 70-300mm zoom lens from Sony, it will cost you at least 1300/1500€. Among third-party brands, Tamron offers for example the excellent Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD (which I own), but it costs almost as much. On the other hand, except for very expensive premium f/1.4 lenses such as the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II, you can find excellent 85mm primes from around 500€.
• Second, the maximum aperture of your lens. At best (like Sony and Tamron), you will get a maximum aperture of f/2.8. Conversely, the smallest maximum aperture you can get on an 85mm will be f/2.8. Most of them open at f/1.8 or f/1.4. Also, the artistic possibilities will be wider, especially to better blur your foreground/background and make your subject stand out more easily,
• Finally, the compactness. You should know that zooms mentioned above are much more imposing, both in terms of length and weight. For example, the lightest zooms weigh about 850g (Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 / Sony 70-200mm f/4). The Sony 70-200 f/2.8 weighs 1,4kg… And on the contrary, the average weight of fixed lenses is around 500/600g for f/1.4, and between 200/300g for f/1.8. The latter are also much shorter and more compact.

So, in my opinion, if you’re interested in shooting portraits (with some distance), choosing an 85mm will always be more interesting than a zoom (which will have the advantage of being more versatile, but also less bright, and therefore less at ease in low light).

In the case of an 85mm, the maximum aperture will be an important element to look at. It’s simpler here than on other types of focal length, because overall, you only have two choices: f/1.8 and f/1.4 (except for some 85mm manual focus lenses that offer smaller apertures).
As a reminder, having a large aperture will allow you to:

• Get more pronounced background (or foreground) blur. I’m referring to zooms vs. fixed focal length, for example. If you chose a zoom lens opening at f/4, the effect and the amount of blur will be different from a lens opening at f/1.8 obtained when shooting with an 85mm,
• shoot faster. Remember, all the parameters of the exposure triangle (shutter speed, ISO, and aperture) are connected. Every time you open a stop (for example, if you have a max aperture of f/2.8 instead of f/4), you will be able to shoot twice as fast. This could also be interesting for taking pictures in low light, or for moving subjects,
• finally, if you know well the connection between shutter speed/ISO/aperture, you also know that instead of shooting twice as fast, you will be able to shoot with ISO twice as low, which will guarantee you a better image quality.

In the end, the maximal aperture on an 85mm may not be a decisive element to look at, knowing that you will be on f/1.8 or f/1.4. There is certainly a difference, but which will not necessarily be huge to the naked eye. Other elements also come into play: lens construction, options, compactness, sharpness, and of course your budget.

I also wanted to say a few words about the use and the type of sensor used, meaning the field of view you will get in the viewfinder. An 85mm is very often used for outdoor portrait photography, or indoor if you have a lot of distance, all on a full-frame sensor. On an APS-C sensor, if you’ve decided to use an 85mm, the results in your viewfinder will be the equivalent of a 130mm. In the end, it will be very complicated to shoot indoors with an 85mm on an APS-C body, and you will have to rather look at a 50mm to get the equivalence.

So obviously, a few words about the use. It will also be possible to shoot in other areas than portraits: wildlife photography (close-up, for example pets), various details (nature, architecture, etc.).

Almost all the lenses mentioned in this article are not stabilized, except the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 Sonnar T*. Having a stabilized lens could obviously be important, but you will already benefit from the stabilization of your Sony camera, if you own a full-frame or one of the latest APS-C (from the A6000 on).

All the lenses mentioned below have an all-weather construction, i.e., with seals in one or more places limiting the risks. If you stick with the lenses recommended here as the best ones, then no worries.

I refer here to weight and size, and it will depend on your use. For some people, saving 100 or 200g on a lens is a lot. For others, it is not really a problem. If you have to wear the lens for hours during a wedding, for example, it could indeed make quite a difference.

I’ll discuss this subject below. In my opinion, the interest of buying a lens with manual focus is limited, even if there are superb lenses with manual focus of very high quality. However, they are not necessarily cheaper than AF lenses, and it will take some time to get used to it.

That’s a never-ending debate between those who want to buy the manufacturer’s brand at any cost and those who (like me) think that a third-party manufacturer like Sigma, Samyang or Tamron can do just as well, or even better in some cases, and for much less money. We have a good example here with the Samyang 85mm f/1.4, or the Sigma 1.4, which are both superb lenses, much more affordable and even better than the Sony 85mm, which is much more expensive!

That brings us to the end of this guide to 85mm lenses for Sony cameras. I hope these recommendations help you choose your next portrait lens more confidently. If you found the article useful, you can support our blog by using the affiliate links in this article. It’s a simple way to help us keep working independently, without it costing you anything extra.

In the meantime, if you want to keep exploring Sony lenses, you can also read our complete guide to choosing your Sony 35mm lens, a perfect focal length for street photography, everyday shots, and wider portraits. Who said choosing the right lens for your camera was easy?

See you soon,

Written by Sylvain PONS

I've been passionate about photography since 2010, learning as I went along. Today, I dedicate myself to guiding others in their choice of camera gear and sharing a variety of tips to improve their photography skills.

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