Best Lens for Low-Light Portraits on Sony a7 III ??

[mitchelllllme]

Hi everyone,

I have been using my Sony a7 III for a while now, primarily for outdoor portraits but I am looking to improve my low--light photography. I often shoot in dimly lit environments like evening events and indoor settings and I am trying to figure out the best lens to invest in for this.

Currently, I have the Sony 28--70mm f/3.5-5.6; but I find it struggles in low light especially when I need faster autofocus and sharper results without cranking the ISO too high: I am considering either a prime lens or a zoom with a lower f-stop: I have heard good things about the 85mm f/1.4; but I am also curious if there are other options I should consider, especially for balancing quality and price:

Any suggestions from people with experience shooting low--light portraits on the a7 III: ?? Would love to hear your thoughts on lenses that have worked well for you:

Thanks in advance...! 🙏

With Regards

Mitchel Johnsons

datastage

[Cameratose]

The camera doesn't matter much really, the A7 III is excellent in low light but none of the newer ones are that different from one another with regard to DR or low light performance.

How much do you want to spend? The 85 is classic for portraits, but the 135 is also an excellent choice. If you're on a budget, Samyang's 135/1.8 is very highly regarded. There are a myriad of excellent lenses from 75 to 135 available in E mount in all price ranges. Most like to keep portrait lenses between 1.2 and 1.8 for good bokeh. 

Zooms are for the most part limited to f/2.8, which will work but not be optimal. There are a few faster zooms out, with more promised, but for now 2.8 is about it. One you may want to consider is the Tamron or Samyang 35-150/2-2.8. Very nice do it all focal range with decent speed and bokeh.  

[tadwil]

If you are shooting mostly portraiture, a prime lens is a must because of it's shallow depth of field to isolate the subject from the background.  85mm lens is considered by many to be the ideal focal length for portrait photography. 

I was browsing through YouTube and I saw a reviewer raving about Yongnuo 85mm f1.8 lens for Sony and after looking at the test results from DxoMark, I think the hype is justified, especially given the price of YN lens versus Sony 85mm lenses.  Hopefully this lens will be useful to you if you are on a budget.

[XKAES]

I agree with everything said.  I love low light -- which rules out zooms (except on a tripod or HIGH ISO).  And for portraits you want a wide aperture anyway.  The only problem with fast primes for portraits is you need time to get the focus exact because of the narrow DOF with an 85/100/135mm lens.  If the person is not moving, you're all set, but in social situations with people moving around all the time, it's quite a challenge -- but well worth the effort.

There are lots of great fast primes to choose from.

[Cameratose]

I found this a few weeks ago and saved it just because. It's the aperture maximums based on focal length for the Samyang 35-150. Obviously there's some float in there, but it's an interesting reference nonetheless. 

 

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