Image of a Nikon lens
The move to mirrorless past some of the industry'southward biggest players puts the focus on their new lens lineups.

Updated November 9 2021 | Originally published Apr 2020

In this article, we're going to accept a look at Catechism, Nikon, Sony and Panasonic/Leica/Sigma full-frame mirrorless systems to encounter what they offer and where they might however go. Later all, In our wait at ~$2000 total frame mirrorless cameras, nosotros said that choosing between them is equally much about ownership into a lens system as anything else.

This article isn't a question of 'which range is biggest,' it's to help show which lineups take the lenses you might need for your photography.

Likewise as the lenses currently bachelor, we'll consider the degree of support provided past third-party lens makers and briefly discuss some of the technologies involved.

Note: The lens charts in this commodity were updated and now reflect the high-stop, autofocus lens options for each arrangement as of October 2021 with a focal length range of fourteen-200mm. Lower-end, variable discontinuity zooms such as kit lenses are omitted.

Sony Eastward-mount

When it comes to full-frame lenses for mirrorless, Sony has the biggest caput start. Sony introduced its full-frame 'Atomic number 26' range aslope the original a7, back in late 2013, and already had several years experience of making APS-C E-mount lenses by that point.

Sony has besides taken the unusual motion of assuasive third-party lens makers admission to its lens mount specifications and communication protocol. This has allowed companies such as Sigma, Tamron and Zeiss to expand the range of available lenses for Sony photographers. In the case of Sigma, these include existing DSLR optical designs as well as new, defended optical formulations for mirrorless, denoted 'DG DN'.

Primes

Zooms

All

Diagram covers autofocus primes and high-cease zooms in the xiv-200mm range. Lineups correct as of November 2021.

In addition to covering most of these bases, Sony has had time to add specialist lenses, such as 600mm F4, 400mm F2.viii, 100-400mm and 200-600mm telephoto options, equivalents to which aren't currently available for other systems.

Starting earlier has given Sony time to provide a wider range of lenses, including less obvious options such as the 135mm F1.eight GM

Sony says that the years it's spent making large lenses for mirrorless camera has allowed information technology to develop expertise in the types of motors best suited for full-frame mirrorless lenses (the need to drive lenses smoothly for video, as well as quickly means the requirements aren't the same every bit for DSLRs). All the same, while it'southward true that Sony's adoption of technologies such as linear motors and piezoelectric bulldoze provides its more recent lenses with impressively fast, smooth focusing, be enlightened that some of the company's earlier lenses don't always show this same performance.

Canon RF-mount

Canon's RF lens lineup thus far has shown a distinct focus on the needs of professional users, with many of its beginning lenses belonging to the premium '50' range.

Canon hasn't opened up its lens mount to other makers, so there's very little third-party back up available at the moment. If the RF mountain gains anything like the popularity that the EF mount did, information technology's extremely likely that other companies volition find a style to offer autofocus lenses, but widespread third-party support for RF may be some years abroad.

Primes

Zooms

All

Diagram covers autofocus primes and loftier-end zooms in the 14-200mm range. Lineups right as of November 2021.

In addition to these lenses (and the variable discontinuity 'kit' and travel zooms you might expect), Canon has also introduced two interesting and comparatively affordable F11 telephoto prime lenses covering 600mm and 800mm. These utilise diffractive optics to keep the size and weight downward.

Canon currently uses a diverseness of motors in its RF lenses: primarily using the visitor's fast, smooth 'Nano USM' engineering or the ring-type USM motors that underpin most of its high-cease DSLR lenses. The band-type motors appear to work pretty well with Catechism'south dual pixel AF system only aren't always the smoothest or fastest, especially given that they tend to be used in the lenses with large, heavy lens elements that need to be moved. We've been impressed by the Nano USM lenses, though.

The RF 35mm F1.viii, meanwhile, uses a pocket-sized stepper motor, which makes it noticeably slower and noisier to focus than the best of Catechism'southward other mirrorless lenses.

Nikon Z-mount

Like Canon, Nikon has not yet opened up the Z-mount to third-parties, so yous're primarily dependent on Nikon'southward priorities and release schedules for now.

Even so, Nikon'due south initial build-out strategy looks very unlike from Canon's: Rather than starting with exotica (manual focus 58mm F0.95 apart), Nikon has adult a range of comparatively affordable/portable F1.eight primes, aslope a set of F2.8 and F4 zooms.

Primes

Zooms

All

Diagram covers autofocus primes and high-cease zooms in the xiv-200mm range. Lineups correct every bit of November 2021.

In terms of focus motors, Nikon seems to primarily exist relying on the use of modest stepper motors for its lenses so far, which offering decent performance but don't announced to match linear motors or Canon'south Nano USM technologies for either speed or smoothness. Twin focus groups help to give accurate focus even close-up, in some of Nikon'southward zoom lenses, which can as well improve on the often modest speeds of single-motor designs.

Fifty-mount: Panasonic, Leica and Sigma

Panasonic, along with Sigma, has aligned itself with Leica by adopting the 'Fifty' mount for its full-frame mirrorless cameras. This instantly gives information technology access to an established lens range (though, like Sony's, i that is built around a mount originally focused on APS-C). Sigma'southward inclusion in the brotherhood should ensure a wide range of third-party L-mount lenses become available: it's congenital L-mount versions of many of its designed-for-DSLR primes and is likewise introducing 'DG DN' lenses designed specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras.

All Panasonic cameras so far have been based around the company's Depth-from-Defocus (DFD) AF system and Leica uses a arrangement whose clarification sounds remarkably similar. We're told all the lenses in the L-mount are compatible with DFD but that they aren't all necessarily optimized for it, in terms of AF drive or how quickly the lenses communicate with camera bodies. For now we wouldn't expect the same consistency beyond native L-mount lenses that we've seen from the single-maker systems, simply we'd look the three partners to be working to maximize compatibility.

Primes

Zooms

All

Diagram covers autofocus primes and loftier-cease zooms in the 14-200mm range. Lineups right every bit of Nov 2021.

Panasonic'southward lenses primarily make use of linear focus motors, but use a combination of linear and stepping motors for lenses such as the 50mm F1.4 and its lxx-200s that crave more than drinking glass to exist moved around. Sigma's lenses vary, and we'd expect better performance from its fabricated-for-mirrorless DG DN lenses than from the older DSLR optics.

DSLR lens back up

If you already ain a selection of DSLR-mount lenses, then you lot'll discover that with the right accessories, y'all tin mount them on any of these camera bodies. Since the mirrorless mounts are all shallower, this leaves plenty of room to put an adapter between the lens and trunk. The performance you get will vary, though.

Catechism often bundles 1 of its EF-to-RF adaptors with its RF-mount cameras, and it makes three variants (a elementary pass-through tube, another with a command ring effectually it and a third that lets you driblet a selection of filter between the lens and the camera). The dual pixel AF system, combined with Catechism's knowledge of its communication protocol means EF lens users will get probably the best adapted lens experience when using Canon RF-mount bodies. In general we've had roughly DSLR-level performance from the EF lenses we've adapted simply it'southward not necessarily true for every lens.

Unsurprisingly, you tend to get the best adapted performance if you utilize DSLR lenses on the same brands' mirrorless bodies. Don't presume you lot'll ever go DSLR levels of performance, though.

Various companies as well make EF-to-E adaptors, allowing EF-mount lenses to be used on Sony bodies. And, while non quite every bit consistent as Catechism-on-Canon pairings, we've had good experiences with this combination, though generally only with shorter focal lengths. Meanwhile, Sigma makes the MC-21 adapter for using EF lenses with L-mount bodies merely, without phase detection AF in most of those cameras, continuous AF is not available.

Nikon also offers kits that include its 'FTZ' F-to-Z mount adaptor with some of its camera bodies. This provides a decent level of support for existing lenses but does non incorporate a focus drive motor, so can only autofocus lenses with their ain motors (AF-S, AF-P and AF-I lenses and their third-political party equivalents). F-to-E adapters are available, merely functioning can vary, lens-to-lens, making information technology more than of a gamble.

Sony likewise makes several adapters for using A-mount lenses on E-mount cameras. The latest, LA-EA5 adapter includes a focus motor to focus older lenses designed to be driven from the photographic camera body, but this role only works with select high-end Sony cameras.

As you'd probably expect, so, older lenses tend to piece of work most reliably with the cameras fabricated by the same make. Withal, they can be used on other systems, so depending on how extensive your existing lens drove is, you may detect you lot can make practise with lowered performance, rather than having to sell-upwardly and start again, if yous don't want to remain bound to the whims of the maker of your DSLR.

Summary

As you'd expect, Sony's almost five-year caput start and openness towards tertiary-party makers has permit it build up a significant advantage over its mainstream rivals, but all four mounts are already starting to run into fundamental holes in their respective lineups being filled.

In the long run, it's likely that all four systems will be extended to offer a range of mid-range, besides as high-end primes and zooms, but information technology'south pretty clear that initially, Nikon and Canon are focusing on different sets of users.

Tertiary-political party support provides more options in young lens systems. In that location'south even more to be gained when makers of cameras and lenses go partners in a system, equally has happened with the L-mount.

Nikon and Canon's decisions to keep their mounts closed to competitors ways they can control the consistency of experience for their users (with less risk of a third-party lens offer sub-standard AF speed or smoothness, for example), simply with the downside that you're highly dependent on that company'south development priorities and pricing, unless y'all're happy to take your chances with simple manual focus or reverse-engineered options.

It'southward the third-political party makers and their ability and willingness to produce fully-compatible lenses that will exist interesting to sentry. The adoption rate of Sony E-mountain cameras and the availability of the lens protocols is probable to mean most future third-party lenses volition be designed around this mount. But with Sigma already joining the L-mountain Brotherhood, other systems are starting to do good from extra input.