Mirrorless cameras are a step apart from regular DSLR’s if you’re a camera geek, you’d probably agree to this. You’d also agree to the fact that these cameras require some of the best in class lenses. This ensures that you’ll get flawless performance, the sharpest images, and the best photography experience.
To choose the best lens for a6000 that fits your budget and your requirements, we decided to write this article. It includes all the different types of lenses available, and the best one to choose from, for each category.
Lenses are primarily an expensive purchase, so, rather than wasting hours being fed misinformation from an unreliable source. This one-stop article should be able to tell you all you need to know before you purchase your next a6000 lens.
Best Lens for Sony A6000 Review
If you’re looking for a primary lens to start out with for your standard shots, these standard prime lenses should do the trick. They’re an inexpensive way for beginners to start their photography career on.
1. Sony-FE 50mm F1.8 Standard Lens (SEL50F18F)
If you’re going for Sony Lens’s to pair with your Sony Alpha series, compatibility is the last thing you’ll ever have to worry about. Each lens is designed to fit almost any Sony cameras, this gives you a more extensive choice than most other lenses.
A maximum F1.8 aperture, with a 7-blade circular aperture, enables the lens to perform elegantly. Along with some of the brightest and sharpest images, the larger aperture also allows for beautiful low light imaging. Pair this with an alpha body that includes in-body stabilization for clearer and more focused images.
The 50 mm lens means it offers focal length imaging, making the lens perfect for portrait shots. Moreover, in terms of optics, the lens uses a double-glass configuration. Cutting down both field curvature and distortion, this creates images that are both greater in quality, and clearer.
Incorporating auto-focus technology through a DC motor focus actuator system allows for rapid and accurately focused shots. This makes sure you get some high-quality candid images.
The durability of the lens is ensured through its metal casing, keeping the glass safe during accidental drops. The entire mount is also reasonably small, and lightweight making it easy to hold and carry. Pricewise the lens is a bit expensive; however, since its original Sony, you’ll always have the assurance on quality.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Uses a double-glass configuration
- Large aperture size
- Includes auto-focus technology
- Clear, sharper and brighter images
Cons
- Going to cost quite a bit
- Being a prime lens, zooming is not available
2. Fontasy 35mm, F1.7 Lens
If you’re looking to start out with a cheap lens, then the Fontasy should perfectly fit your needs. It’s designed for fairly basic photography, so you shouldn’t expect extremely high-quality pictures out of it. However, if you compare it on the price to value basis, then this lens is hands down a winner.
It comes with an aperture rating of F1.7, this means the lens can maximize its light intake. This should allow you to take reasonably decent low light shots.
However, since the lens doesn’t come with a stabilization feature, make sure there’s one included in-body. This will let you take clearer photographs and will also lower noise.
The 35mm focal will allow you to capture some eye-level photos; you’ll also be able to get in portrait shots. Moreover, the E-mount installed provides a fitting, not only on the a6000, but it also supports a wide range of Sony’s APSC mirrorless cameras.
Being a manual operation camera means the focusing bit will be dependent entirely on you. This won’t get you the quickest of shots; however, it will train you to become a much better photographer.
Not being a from the Sony family means the lens will be subject to a bit of trouble. You’ll have to do a bit of tinkering to your setting to best adjust the camera with the lens. This will make it a bit difficult; however, once you have the settings changed, you won’t have to worry about them again.
Pros
- Extremely Cheap Price
- Large aperture allowing more light to enter
- Great versatility
- Allow for portrait shot captures
- Solid build Quality
Cons
- Does not include Auto-focus feature
- Zooming is not available
Best Prime Lens for Sony A6000
If you’re looking for a more professional Prime Lens set, then we’d highly recommend you go for the one mentioned below.
3. Neewer 35mm F1.7 Large Aperture Manual Prime Fixed Lens APS-C
It’s not every day that we’d recommend a third-party lens for professional use, given Sony’s presence in the market. However, this lens is really one step ahead of the show, providing some of the best possible images.
The lens has a maximum aperture rating of F1.7, this means the lens features higher light intake. Providing you with some of the sharpest and brightest images in the market. The aperture is as good as we have seen in the YONFNUO YN 50mm lens for Nikon D7000. A larger aperture also allows for more vivid low light shots; however, it lacks a stabilizer, so unless you have a tripod, the shots might turn out shaky.
What makes it the best landscape lens for sony a6000 is the aperture. Your 35mm lens supports both landscape and portrait shots. The extra circular aperture blades installed into the glass, allow you to add a beautiful background blur effect. The blur helps add further emphasis to your main subject.
The lens is furthermore coated using a multi-layer premium optical glass coating. This makes the captured image, sharper, and with much more contrast.
Lastly, the durability of the product is exceptionally high. The casing is created using a full metal body, ensuring the lens remains safe. It’s also quite comfortable to hold, considering its small size and lightweight. Furthermore, considering the highly affordable price really gives you a product that’s worth the buck.
Pros
- Superior Value for Money
- Comfortable and lightweight
- Large aperture for sharper low light shots
- Premium multilayered optical glasses
- Full metal casing
Cons
- Does not come with autofocus technology
- Difficult to install
Best Wide Angle and Landscape Lens for Sony A6000
If you love landscape photography, you’ll need a lens that can capture an image wide enough to cover the beauty of the full landscape. That is why we’ve listed down some of the best products in the market.
4. Rokinon 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens
One of the biggest names in the lens industry, Rokinon, a Japanese company, produces some of the highest quality lenses. Known for capturing some of the sharpest and highest quality images. And their wide-angle lenses do not fall short of these standards either.
With a focal length of only 12mm, the lens can give you some of the most extensive images. The ultra-wide lenses actually cover up to 110-degrees from edge to edge. Making sure you get the full extent of that surreal landscape image without having to crop anything out.
A Nano crystal coating on the glass allows for more light to enter the camera. This, added with the large aperture, should let you take some of the brightest and sharpest pictures. It also improves your photography game in the night scene. So, you’ll be able to take excellent low light shots of the city nightlife.
Moreover, the lens includes an internal focus system. What this does is, it focuses on the subject without you having to tinker with the lens manually. This saves time and makes sure you get a good shot of your subject at the right moment.
However, the price is the only factor that you’ll probably dislike. Its premium quality makes the lens steeply-priced. For an amount this high, other lenses with better value can be purchased.
Pros
- Compatible with all APS-C mounts — makes it versatile
- Nano Crystal Coating
- It best night photography lens for sony a6000
- 12mm focal length providing 110 degrees edge to edge coverage
- Large aperture
- Internal Focus
Cons
- Pricing is a big issue
- The lens cannot zoom
5. Rokinon RK 12M-E-SIL 12mm F2.0 ultra-wide-angle Fixed Lens
For wide-angle lenses, Rokinon is the way to go. The company makes sure of this by continually producing some of the most premium quality products. They’re durable and reliable, so be sure they’ll get the job done, and that too beautifully.
Having a 12mm focal length allows you to make use of a vast angle, which spans out to as broad as 98.9 degrees. So, you can rest assured that the lens will be able to capture the maximum width of the scene.
Furthermore, the lens also comes with a sizeable quick aperture of F2.0. Since you’re able to let in more light, you don’t need to distort the picture using a higher ISO. The lens also includes a Nano Coating system; these allow more significant entry of light and lower the internal reflection.
Therefore, apart from sharper and brighter images, you’ll also be able to up your game in low light photography. Allowing you to capture the nightlife without the need for any artificial lighting.
What’s especially unique to this lens set, is its inclusion of 12 high precision glass lens. Ensuring you achieve high-quality images that can accurately portray colors and produce a clear picture. For the pricing factor, this lens is actually cheaper than the one mentioned before, giving you a better deal.
Pros
- Use 12 premium glass lens elements
- Nano Coating System
- 12mm focal length for Ultra-wide images
- Large aperture for low light photography
- Sharper, brighter, and higher quality pictures
Cons
- The lens isn’t zoomable
- Uses Manual Focus
Best Telephoto Lens for Sony A6000
If you’re interested in wildlife photography, you’ll need a lens that can fetch you a clear image without putting you in harm’s way. The zooming mechanism is very delicate, so be careful while making your decision.
6. Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens
Considering there’s a bunch of mechanics involved in these lenses, it’s only rational to get back to your roots. The durability and reliability of Sony’s lens are some of the factors that most other brands can’t really compete with. And, they’ve proved their reliability time and time again.
This lens is designed to deliver a focal length range of 55mm to 210mm. This provides ample zoom range, allowing you to really close up to your subject. The circular aperture, further ensures that during defocusing, you get a smoother image, providing a more natural picture.
It also includes quiet internal focusing technology, and this allows the lens to quickly and smoothly focus on the subject. This helps cut down on noise and makes videos appear less grainy. With the compact size, this feature makes it the best travel lens for sony a6000 to shot the outside image quickly.
Furthermore, the lens also includes Sony’s trademarked Optical Steady shot technology. Designed to stabilize images, making it great for taking low light videos, and also making sure the zoomed-in photos are crisp and stable.
Stuffed inside the lens, Sony has included their top of the line Extra-low Dispersion glass. When zoomed in, this ensures the images can maintain contrast, color quality, and resolution. Something that conventional lenses aren’t able to offer. Price-wise, being a product from Sony, you’ll obviously be expected to pay more.
Pros
- The compact size makes it easy to hold
- Includes optical image stabilization technology
- Comes with quiet internal focusing
- Circular Aperture
- Wide zoom range
Cons
- Steep price
- Low aperture, will not function well in low light conditions
Best Portrait Lens for Sony A6000
If you’re involved in the modeling scene, you’ll need a lens that exceptionally compliments your job. To make sure you’re able to get those crisp portrait shots, make sure you’re buying a lens that focuses mainly on capturing portraits.
7. Sony E 50mm F 1.8 OSS Portrait lens (SEL50f18/B)
If you’re thinking about buying the best portrait lens for Sony a6000, we can almost guarantee that you’ll never go wrong by purchasing one from Sony. Sony lenses had always shined when it came to portrait photography due to their hi-tech image processing and perfect blur effects.
This model from Sony keeps these roots alive. The 50mm focal length that the lens boasts provides some great close-up shots. Making the lens perfect for portrait captures. Adding to this, the circular aperture blades, make sure that you’re able to capture the ideal blur, overcoming the issues of polygonal defocusing.
The lens also features a substantially large aperture of F1.8, and this allows more light to enter. Thus, producing some of the brightest and sharpest images. Moreover, the large aperture will enable you to take some beautiful low light shots.
By itself, the lens has quite a compact size and is relatively lightweight. This gives you more control over the camera, helping you improve handheld stability. Moreover, to complement this, the lens includes an Optical Steady Shot stabilizer.
Made using aluminum alloy makes the lens lightweight and exceedingly durable; thus, the lens can handle slight bumps. However, in the pricing scene, these professional lenses are going to cost you quite a bit.
Pros
- Comes with Optical Steady Shot
- Aluminum build making it lighter and more durable
- Large aperture
- Circular aperture blades
- Internal focusing
Cons
- Extremely high price
- Zooming is not available
8. Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Retractable Zoom Lens
This portrait lens featured from Sony is reasonably different from most others in the market. Its not your usual fixed lens type that you’re used to buying for portrait photography. Instead, it includes a retractable zoom lens.
Having a focal range of 16mm to 50mm allows for both extreme close up shots and more full landscape shots as well. Moreover, the zoom feature includes power zooming, this will give you the quietest zooming functionality. This reduces noise, making the lens great for taking videos that we see in the proper Minolta lenses in the market.
Installed into the lens, you’ll find both ED glass and aspherical glass elements, these are designed to provide much clearer and sharper images. It’ll also help you cut chances of aberrations, making the lens extremely reliable.
The lens also includes Optical steady shot technology; this helps us get some of the great shots by correcting our shake. Moreover, having in lens stabilization makes it the best video lens for sony a6500.
Adding to that, you’ll also get an abundant level of versatility from the lens. As it’ll fit into both E-mount and A-mount cameras. However, the best advantage of the glass would be the value for money it provides. Being a Sony lens, yet this affordable makes a must-have for those who are looking for a low budget, quality setup.
Pros
- Comes with power zoom technology
- Includes both ED and Aspherical Lens elements
- Also includes image stabilization
- Durable and reliable lens
- Great value for money
Cons
- Manual Focus
- Does not work for low light imaging
What to Look for Before Buying?
When you consider purchasing a camera lens, there’s quite a bit of thought that must be put in. It’s essential that your decision reflects your needs as well as buys you a product that’ll be worth the hard-earned money you’re spending on it, which is why we’ve set up this, to help you before you make a decision.
Compatibility
First and foremost, before buying a camera lens, you must make sure it is compatible with the camera body you have available. If you’re purchasing a lens for the a6000, make sure the lens is an E mount type, so that the grooves can screw in.
Also, you’ll need to make sure that the lens supports APS-C, considering the a6000 is a cropped sensor mirrorless camera.
Aperture
Always go for a lens that includes a more extensive aperture range starting. The larger the aperture, the wider the opening; this means more light is allowed to enter into the lens.
This will provide you with clearer and brighter images. A larger aperture that ranges up to F1.8 will provide much better low light imaging.
Stabilization
When you’re buying a lens, always have the human error factor in mind. If you plan on mainly using your hands to maneuver your camera. You might want to reassess your lens needs. Having a lens that already has optical stabilization will completely cut off shake. You’ll end up with sharper and clearer images.
If you’re going for a zoom lens or are considering using the a6000 for videography, then it’s of the uttermost importance that the lens includes optical stabilization. Or else, your content will never live up to your mark.
Size and Weight
A lightweight lens will not only give you optimal performance, but it will also be comfortable to hold. Cameras such as the a6000 are already fairly heavy cameras, adding the weight of a lens will only make it more difficult to hold.
Moreover, it will also affect your photography skills, as a heavier camera will make you more prone to wobble.
To also ensure optimum performance, make sure the lens is compact. This will make holding onto the lens more accessible and will even lower wobble.
Focusing
If you’re more used to taking a candid shot, or are involved in taking shots of action-based scenery, you’ll need a lens that can quickly and appropriately fix its focus. A lens with an AF motor is something we’ll always recommend to purchase, As its use in particular situations becomes crucial.
Moreover, since you can always turn off AF and turn it back to MF. Having it on hand can still prove to be useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What type of lenses fits on to the a6000?
Ans: If you’re buying a lens for the a6000, make sure it’s an E-mount lens. Considering the a6000 is a cropped sensor camera, you’ll be needing an APS-C sensor compatible lens.
Q: Can FE lenses be used on a6000 cameras?
Ans: FE lenses are designed mainly for full-frame cameras. However, if you’re using a Sony lens, you’ll be able to use them on a6000 models as well. But these lenses can be costly.
Q: Is an A-mount lens compatible with Sony a6000 cameras?
Ans: You won’t be able to fit an a-mount lens onto the a6000. You could make use of an adapter; however, we wouldn’t recommend you take that risk. There are many cheap E-mount lenses available, and those would work better on your camera.
Q: Do the lenses come with the hoods included?
Ans: This will depend on the brand you’re purchasing from. Most lenses come with the lens’s front and rear cap, it’s scarce that you’ll find a hood included in the mix. However, camera hoods are a reasonably cheap buy, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Q: What size lens hoods need to be bought?
Ans: This will ultimately depend on the lens that you’re using. You must also consider — can a lens hood be mounted on? Because not all lenses come with grooves included. However, for the size, make sure to read the instructions for the lens, you’ll find the required hood size right there.
Final Words
Sony a6000 is a beautiful piece of machinery, however its useless without a lens. So, make sure when you’re ready to make a purchase, you must choose the best lens for Sony a6000. Only then will the camera be able to compliment your photography skills.
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