The engine's answer
Best prime lens for video work, under €1,000
Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS
79% match
Life-size detail, portrait-grade rendering
Why it wins here
The Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS takes this question at €1,000 — exactly at the €1,000 ceiling — with a 79% match against 65 current lenses. For video work the engine leans on AF speed and stabilisation: it scores 62/100 and 80/100, where the pool averages 74/100 and 34/100. At 602 g it is lighter than the average lens here (633 g). Asking for a prime lens alone ruled out 37 of the 65 lenses before scoring began.
The dimensions where it beats the rest of the field by the most, for this question specifically.
- Budget
- Prime/zoom
- Use
What's good
- True 1:1 with stabilised handheld macro
- Doubles as a lovely portrait lens
What to watch
- AF hunts in the macro range
- A decade old — no aperture ring
What came close — and what each gave up
- Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM76%The everyday RF prime that also leans inThe Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM (76% match) trails on stabilisation — 70/100 against 80/100. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM75%Portraits and half-macro in one barrelThe Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM (75% match) trails on stabilisation — 70/100 against 80/100. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR72%The modern Fuji standard primeThe Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR (72% match) trails on stabilisation — 0/100 against 80/100. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
Questions this answer raises
- Is the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS within a €1,000 budget?
- Yes — at €1,000 it lands exactly on the ceiling, with nothing left over; the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM costs €550 and the Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM costs €700.
- How good is the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS for video work?
- On the use question it scores 64%, 14 points above the average of the 65 lenses ranked. Its strongest numbers for this use are AF speed (62/100) and stabilisation (80/100).
- Is the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS a prime lens?
- Yes — type: Prime. 37 of the 65 lenses in the pool are not, and were never in contention here.
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