Now you can fuel your natural creativity with an exceptionally wide choice of -compatible lenses. From extreme wide-angle to super telephoto, zoom to specialist; all are manufactured to the highest standards for optimum image capture. And all are designed to support and inspire photographers.

Here you can browse the premium quality Carl Zeiss collection crafted exclusively for Sony, the high performance G series, and the broad range of Sony fixed focal length, zoom and specialist lenses.

Advanced lens technology

Precision optics are positioned at the heart of an outstanding lens. So all Carl Zeiss and Sony lenses are manufactured to the highest possible standards using industry-leading techniques.

But that’s just the start of the advanced technology that helps owners create wonderful images. Find out about specific features here; then look out for them when selecting your lenses.


Spherical lens (1) Focal plane		Aspherical lens

Aspherical lenses for un-distorted images

Conventional lenses, particularly wide-angle ones with the shutter open, can suffer from spherical aberration. It’s caused by a misalignment on the focal plane between light coming from the edge of the lens and that coming from its centre.

Our premium lenses incorporate aspherical elements that overcome the problem. This advanced optical technology suppresses image distortion and maintains high contrast even when the aperture is completely open.


Optical glass (1) Focal plane		ED glass

ED glass for superior chromatic performance

ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass was developed to counter the chromatic aberration associated with conventional optical glass when used in longer focal length lenses.

Used in premium Sony lenses, ED glass provides superior contrast, colour quality and resolution, even at large aperture settings.

SSM for rapid response

Rapid focusing helps capture sensational action and sports shots. SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) is a piezoelectric motor inside the lens that provides that speed with high torque at slow rotation. So autofocus is smooth and silent and the start and stop responses are immediate.

SSM lenses also include a position-sensitive detector to directly detect the amount of lens rotation, improving autofocus precision overall.

Circular aperture for smooth defocused areas

When a traditional aperture is reduced from the maximum by 1 or 2 stops, its polygonal shape can become apparent in the bright highlights of defocused backgrounds such as city lights and sun-dappled water. But not with a circular aperture.

Circular aperture mechanisms contribute to the excellent defocusing characteristics of our lenses by using specially designed blades to keep the aperture extremely circular, even when it is reduced from the full-open position by one or two F-stops.

Focus hold button for static subjects

Locking-in focus helps you concentrate on composing great still life shots.

Once you've adjusted focus to where you want it, simply press the focus hold button on the lens barrel to freeze the lens in the desired position.

The preview function can also be assigned to this button through the camera's custom settings.

Internal focusing for faster focus

Moving all the parts of a lens can slow down focusing.

With internal focusing, only the middle groups of the optical system are moved leaving the total length of the lens intact. So autofocusing is faster and the minimum focus distance is shorter.

Also, the filter thread at the front of the lens does not rotate, which is handy when using a polarising filter.

ADI flash metering for reliable flash exposures

Conventional through-the-lens flash metering can be thrown off by overly reflective or dark subjects and backgrounds. Not so with ADI.

Advanced Distance Integration flash metering is available when the built-in flash or HVLF36AM, HVLF42AM or HVLF56AM external flash unit is used together with a lens that has a built-in distance encoder. It provides automatic metering that is virtually unaffected by the reflectance of subjects or backgrounds. So precise distance information is obtained through the encoder, and this data is used to compensate the flash output for much more reliable exposures.

Focus range limiter for saving focusing time

The time it takes to focus can be the difference between a great shot and a missed opportunity. The focus range limiter saves valuable time by setting a limit on the focusing range when you’re using autofocus.

In macro lenses, this limit can be on either the near or far range. In the SAL70200G, the limit is set on far ranges only. And in the SAL300F28G, focusing can be limited either to a far range or to a range that you specify yourself.

One of the biggest advantages of having a DSLR camera like one from the range, is the ability to change lenses to achieve dramatically different effects from the same scene. So choosing the right lenses is all about what type of photography most appeals to you.

At one end of the scale, choose a macro for extreme close-ups, particularly when capturing moments from nature. Shooting landscapes and buildings is best done with a wide-angle lens. A standard 50mm lens will shoot everyday scenes pretty much as the eye sees them. Then at the other end of the scale you need a long focal length telephoto to shoot distant objects or closer ones but with short depth of field (blurring the background).

Many people choose zoom lenses that allow you to adjust the focal length – the distance that light travels from the principal lens to the sensor – while you’re composing a shot, to give you a variety of options without changing lenses.

Some zoom lenses give wide-angle options; others telephoto options. You’ll get the best of both worlds with a twin lens kit like the 200 or 350 ones, so that could be the best way to go if you’re just starting off with DSLR.

Then if you find you’re favouring particular focal lengths, upgrade to fixed lenses that match the kind of photography you are enjoying; and your images will keep getting better and better.

Whichever way you chose to shoot on your DSLR, you can choose from a broad range of lenses to satisfy every creative aspiration.

Carl Zeiss - a remarkable optical heritage

For over 160 years, the name Carl Zeiss has been synonymous with the highest quality optics. Anyone who has sat in a planetarium and viewed hundreds of tiny points of light focused simultaneously on its dome by a Carl Zeiss projector, will appreciate the remarkable precision found at the peak of lens manufacture.

Sony is working with Carl Zeiss to fulfil the promise; using unparalleled camera optics to provide Sony’s industry-leading digital sensors with the most perfect possible visual information. This formidable alliance of technologies has resulted in the Carl Zeiss ZA range of lenses, crafted exclusively for Sony.

So now exceptional images can be yours; as your full creative potential is unleashed and nourished by the powerful combination of DSLR cameras and Carl Zeiss lenses.