The Best L

When you buy an interchangeable-lens camera, you also buy into a lens system. For many, that means optics from the same manufacturer as your camera, with some third-party supplements. The L-Mount mirrorless system is a bit different—although Leica started it by itself, Panasonic and Sigma are both full partners. Together, the three make up the L-Mount Alliance.

This brand diversity has already delivered some niche cameras that you won't find for other systems. The Leica SL2 is pure German engineering, with stunning industrial design to match, while the Sigma fp is the absolute smallest full-frame mirrorless camera out there. Panasonic covers the mainstream with the crowd-pleasing S5 and S5 II, while video pros can look to the S1H to record at 6K quality.

You also get access to three lens design philosophies. Leica concentrates on premium primes, Sigma's wares run the gamut from value to exotic options that open to F1.2, and Panasonic focuses on more traditional entries. All the basics are available, and you can mix and match glass to your heart's content.

We're here to break down the best lenses available for the system. Most are full-frame and made specifically for this mirrorless platform, but we also included several APS-C options and a few of Sigma's older SLR designs in separate sections.

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For most of us, the first lens to get is a standard zoom. They typically start at a moderately wide angle of view, similar to the main lens on most smartphones. Many people use a standard zoom more often than any other kind of lens.

The L-mount system has a few options. We really like the affordable Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm. It's available at a discount in some kits and covers a wider angle than most alternatives.

There are some step-up options from the 20-60mm, as well. Panasonic has a 24-105mm and a 24-70mm F2.8, and Leica's 24-90mm zoom was the first sold for the system. Our favorite premium option is the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art, but we haven't yet reviewed its closest competitor, the Panasonic Lumix S Pro 24-70mm F2.8.

If the Lumix S 20-60mm is your main zoom, you might not have as much of a need for a standalone wide-angle lens, but even 20mm might not be wide enough for architectural interiors or urban landscapes. The Panasonic S 18mm F1.8 is available if you want a wider prime, and Sigma sells a pair of 20mm primes in L-mount. The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art is a standout for astrophotography.

In addition, Panasonic and Leica both market 16-35mm zooms. We haven't yet reviewed the Panasonic Lumix S Pro 16-35mm F4 ($1,499.99) or Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16-35mm F3.5-4.5 ($6,095), but recommend the recent Sigma 16-28mm F2.8 as a value option for the system at just $900. The Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art starts at a wider angle and offers stronger weather protection for a few hundred dollars more; it's an Editors' Choice winner and our favorite wide zoom for L-mount cameras.

If you want to go wider, consider one of several manual focus options. Venus Optics, a brand that's gone from boutique to nearly mainstream in the photo industry, offers some of its lenses for the L system, for instance. We've reviewed its 15mm F2 Zero-D and compact 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 and recommend either to photographers who appreciate manual focus.

Telephoto lenses are useful for capturing subjects you can't get that close to, and many also double as excellent tools for portraiture. It's a versatile type of lens that every photographer should have in their kit, especially if you've opted for a standard zoom that doesn't hit the 100mm mark.

Options include a pair of Panasonic Lumix 70-200mm zooms, one F2.8 and one F4, Leica's 90-280mm, the Sigma 100-400mm DG DN Contemporary, and our favorite telezoom for the system, the Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports.

Panasonic and Sigma each offer teleconverters, which can pair with compatible lenses to extend their reach. If you opt for a 2.0x model, you can turn a 70-200mm into a 140-400mm or the Sigma 100-400mm into a 200-800mm. There's some loss of light, though: You lose two stops with a 2.0x converter and one stop with a 1.4x.

A prime lens doesn't zoom, but working with a fixed focal length is appealing to many photographers. Prime lenses tend to gather more light than zooms, a plus for shots with blurred backgrounds and in dim-light environments. Typically they're also smaller and lighter than zoom options.

Thanks to Leica and Sigma's participation, L-mount owners already have access to a good number of prime lenses, in addition to those that Panasonic has brought to market.

Leica has F2 Summicron lenses in 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm focal lengths, as well as an F1.4 Summilux 50mm. They're premium options, as you might expect from Leica: Prices start around $5,000 and go up from there.

Panasonic's Lumix S Pro 50mm F1.4 is also pricey for a lens of its type at around $2,300 but backs up that price with quality results. Meanwhile, its 85mm F1.8 is a recent release, with a much friendlier $600 price, though we've not yet had a chance to test it. Panasonic sells midrange 35mm F1.8 and 50mm F1.8 primes, too.

Sigma's mirrorless primes run the gamut in pricing but are the strongest value options, generally speaking. Its Art series includes top-end F1.2 and F1.4 primes, but you can go smaller and lighter with either the Contemporary or I series lenses.

If you are interested in bringing the small details of the world into close focus, you need a macro lens. We've only seen a couple of autofocusing macro lenses for the system. The Sigma 70mm sports excellent optics, doesn't cost too much, and is quite svelte despite also being available for SLRs.

Sigma's 105mm, one of the best macro lenses we've ever tested, is another, slightly pricier option.

In addition to its made-for-mirrorless DG DN lens series, Sigma sells many of its SLR lenses in L-mount. I wouldn't recommend them if a made-for-mirrorless edition is on sale, but there are some focal lengths and a few very special optical designs that just aren't available yet. Many are available at a discount, too.

The downside is that SLR lenses tend to run bigger than native options, and these are even longer than the DSLR versions. That's because lenses need to be set a certain distance from the image sensor to work. Mirrorless cameras put less distance between the mount and sensor, so the lens has to be longer to compensate.

If you already own any of these lenses for Canon or Sigma SLRs, you can convert them by opting for the Sigma MC-21 lens adapter instead. The MC-21 is just one of many adapters available, and if you don't mind manual focus, you can use any number of lenses with your camera. For more, read our article on lens adapters for mirrorless systems.

In addition to full-frame options, a few lenses cover the smaller APS-C sensor format.

The L-mount actually started as an APS system, but only Leica developed cameras to support it. The TL2 and CL were the most recent entries, but are no longer in production. Leica now concentrates its L-mount efforts on full-frame models.

Sigma has a few lenses ready to go for this sensor format simply because it makes optics for virtually every type of camera. You can use any of these lenses on full-frame models if you don't mind a crop for stills, though that's not a drawback for videographers who utilize Super35, a video format that roughly matches the confines of APS-C.

For the most part, L-mount customers have access to the same spate of artsy lenses from Lomography and Lensbaby as other photographers. The only caveat is that you have to buy one for an SLR system and use an adapter. That's a pretty simple (and inexpensive) addition, and not a big ask if you want to experiment with something like the Lensbaby Composer or experience the Lomography Petzval's 19th-century optics. These lenses are already manual-focus only, so you don't lose any functionality.

Other brands support the L-mount natively. For instance, Meyer Optik Görlitz sells a series of manual-focus lenses for L cameras and other systems.

Lenses aren't the only add-ons to consider for your camera. If you want to add some versatility to your kit, consider a good flash or a sturdy, lightweight tripod for photography.

For videographers and vloggers, a powered gimbal, an external microphone, or an external recorder is worth considering. Either discipline can benefit from lens filters, ranging from basics like neutral density and polarization to more artistic kits like the Lensbaby Omni system.

Finally, if you're new to photography, be sure to read our tips to help you get started with the basics of imaging. If you have more time behind the lens, we've also compiled some advice for enthusiasts.