With the weather sometimes being very unpredictable, these weather sealed prime lenses could be your best bet.
You’re out shooting some photos on a photowalk, having fun, and suddenly a downpour starts. It’s happened to both the best and the worst of us. Luckily, if you’re a Sony FE camera owner then you can rest assured knowing that your camera will most likely be able to withstand the abuse. But then you have to worry about your lens. Is it splashproof? Would you trust it while you’re out photowalking or even when you’re on a set or a gig where the rain suddenly starts coming down? Well, we went through our Sony FE Lens Guide and rounded up some of our favorite lenses.
Sony 35mm f2.8 Zeiss
The Sony 35mm f2.8 Zeiss lens has been our favorite for many years now. It’s small, lightweight, focuses quickly enough, and is very low profile. It’s close to being a pancake lens but it quite obviously isn’t. We’ve taken it out in the rain many times, and so it surely deserves a spot on this list.
In our review, we say:
“One extremely stormy (rain and sleet) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Executive Editor Julius Motal and I went out onto a pier to shoot a model for the review. In the half hour that we spent shooting (we tend to be very quick and know how to get what we want in the camera with little fuss) the camera and lens never ceased to function or even showed any signs of slowing down.
Now, we doubt many of you would take your hard earned prized cameras out into the rain to shoot, but the fact that it started sleeting and the combination still performed admirably is really saying something.
We’re not going to tell you to go out during an epic blizzard and try this–no, indeed you should be inside enjoying some hot chocolate instead. But if you so choose to go out and shoot with the camera, you’ll be fine.”
Buy Now $798: Amazon
Sample Images
Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss
The Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss lens is arguably one of Sony’s sharpest prime lenses. Plus, it’s small, lightweight, and when stored with the camera it won’t take up much space in your camera bag. To this date, it remains to be one of our favorite weather sealed prime lenses for the Sony FE system.
In our review, we say:
“The Sony 55mm f1.8 is a strong entry to the FE line both in terms design and optical quality. With a weather-sealed body and nine aperture blades, this lens is dense and sits comfortably in the hand. It does well in various weather conditions, but we urge you to stay inside during more extreme bouts of weather.
Through my travels across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, the 55mm held up remarkably well; and I can only imagine what the next iteration of this lens will bring.”
Buy Now $998: Amazon
Sample Images
Sony 28mm f2 Zeiss
The Sony 28mm f2 Zeiss lens is one of Sony’s smallest prime lenses for the FE system. It enjoyed moisture and splash resistance, along with dust resistance. At f2, you’ll be able to let a lot of light in to hit the sensor too.
In our review, we say:
“The Sony 28mm f2 has incredible image quality, and it goes to show that folks that tend to snub their noses at Sony lenses should give them another look. The Sony 28mm f2 is not only sharp, but offers very good color, beautiful bokeh for a lens this wide, and very little in the way of image quality issues. Wide open, it will vignette a bit, but you can creatively embrace this. You’ll also face some distortion which will need to be eliminated in post-production or through camera settings. But that’s what you need to expect with a lens like this.”
Buy Now $448: Amazon
Sample Images
Sony 85mm f1.8
The Sony 85mm f1.8 has weather sealing. Although it doesn’t feel like the most solid, sturdy or well built lens that Sony has to offer, it surely can stand up to a downpour. Plus, it’s pretty darned sharp if that’s the look that you want.
In our review, we say:
“The colors from a lens when used with the Portrait color profile on a Sony camera are a lot like Kodak Portra in the 35mm format. They’re great for the most part when it comes to skin tones and when using film style white balances like daylight.
Overall, just know that it’s the most film-like thing Sony has delivered in a while since the Sony a900 DSLR.”
Buy Now $598: Amazon
Sample Images
