We live in a world awash with vibrant color, so it’s only natural for us to work to capture as much of it as possible. Photography is a rapidly growing hobby due to the advent of social media, blogs, video channels, and the Sony A6000 camera is one of the top cameras available on the market today. The Sony A6000 is known as a ‘mirrorless digital camera’, a hybrid complete with 4D focus, APS-C size image sensors, and a Bionz X Processor.
The A6000 is well loved by a wide range of photographers, from weekend warriors to professionals, due to the high-performance imagery produced for both still and video. One reason photographers love this camera is the wide variety of lenses available.
Best Lenses for the Sony A6000 Camera
Whether you are a professional photographer, hobbyist, or simply want to take images of your day to day life, taking photos is an art. As such, it’s necessary to have the proper tools which give you the elbow room to explore and take the best photos possible. One of these tools is the lens. The A6000 camera by Sony is known as a top of the line camera, claimed by both hobbyists and professionals. With the A6000, people have a plethora of various lenses, which increases their creative expression.
Below, is an introduction to some of the best A6000 compatible lenses on the market today. Each of these lenses is manufactured by top companies, all lenses are first rate, high quality and high performance. Whether you’re looking for a point and shoot prime lens, a compact ‘pancake’ lens, fisheye or zoom, we’ve included the Best Lenses for Sony A6000, right here for your convenience.
Table of the Best Lenses for Sony A6000:
[amazon box=”B00JD4TAWI,B00HAF167Y,B0096W1ONK,B00BPBHX30,B003NRHAH8,B00B20OYUO,B00JD4TA7I,B00KT0UH72″ template=”table”]
[lazboy_item]
1. Rokinon 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide Angle Lens
[Azonasinid asinid=”B00JD4TAWI”]
The Rokinon 12mm F2.0 NCS CS is a Sony E-Mount, wide-angle lens with manual focus, is one of the most popular wide-angle lens for the A6000. This third-party brand, ultra wide angle lens by Rokinon is perfect for those who enjoy takeing scenic, panoramic images. It gives the photographer a nice, wide 98.9 degree angle to capture expansive canyons, grand architectural shots, wild and free landscape imagery.
The f/2.0 max. aperture can even make your night time/low light shots fabulous. Features include a 12mm focal length, maximum aperture is f/2 and minimum is f/22, minimum focus distance is 7.87 inches or 20 cm, 67 mm filter size, 6 diaphragm blades, Nano Coating System to lower lens flare and distortion and ensure true to life color, and elements are 12/10.[/lazboy_item][lazboy_item]
2. Rokinon FE14M-E 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Lens
[Azonasinid asinid=”B00HAF167Y”]
For amazing images with true to life color representation, with reduced chromatic aberrations, this Sony E mount could be the lens for you. This is no dainty, delicate piece of camera equipment, the FE14M-E is built to last and take the bumps and grinds of everyday use. The Rokinon FE14M-E 14mm F2.8 will give you spectacular imagery, crisp, sharp and clear. This manual focus, aperture ultra wide angle lens has an internal focusing system, an aperture range of f/2.8 to 22 and a min. focus distance of 11 inches.
The angle of view for this model is 115.7 degrees, and 93.9 degrees for APS-C. If you are fond of taking photos in low light situations, and shallow depth of field, then you’ll appreciate the maximum aperture of f/2.8. Focal length of 14mm. Features include a UMC lens coating that cuts down on lens flare and ghosting, minimum focus distance of 11.02 inches or 28cm, and elements 14/10. Overall, this is a great high quality lens for those who are on a budget.
[/lazboy_item][lazboy_item]
3. Sony SEL1018 10-18mm Wide-Angle Zoom Lens
[Azonasinid asinid=”B0096W1ONK”]
For those who enjoy taking images of panoramic views to crisp closeups, the durable and dust proof Sony model SEL1018 10 to 18mm wide angle zoom lens is the perfect choice. A huge plus for this Sony E mount lens, is the fact that you can utilize this lens as a telephoto lens for one shot, and a wide angle lens for the next. The lightweight SEL1018’s 10 to 18 mm focal length, and its integrated Optical SteadyShot feature, which eliminates ‘shaky camera’ effects, will help you to create high quality, clear and detailed images.
Autofocus is enabled by an internal focus technology, giving a minimum focus distance of just 9.8 inches for picture perfect, sharp true to color close ups. Additional features include: Aperture range of f/4 to f/22, circular aperture, 109 to 76 degrees angle of view, aspherical lens elements, and ED glass. We like this lens for its versatility and superior performance.
[/lazboy_item][lazboy_item]
4. Sony SELP1650 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens
[Azonasinid asinid=”B00BPBHX30″]
Your Sony A6000 will truly benefit from this lens, as it affords you the ability to take clear photos due to it’s Optical SteadyShot feature, and 4 aspherical elements to reduce aberrations such as astigmatism, and monochromatic aberrations for crisp photos. The Sony SELP1650 16-50mm’s power zoom mechanism ensures that your close ups are as fabulous as your panoramic street views.
Focal length for this lens is 16 to 50 mm with comparable 35mm focal length of 24 to 75 mm. Features include: Sony E camera mount, APS-C format compatibility, 83 to 32 degree angle of view, 9.84 inches (25cm) minimum focus distance, magnification is 0.215x, retractable design, and max reproduction ratio is 1:4.7.
[/lazboy_item][lazboy_item]
5. Sony SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle Lens
[Azonasinid asinid=”B003NRHAH8″]
At only 2.36 ounces, or 67 grams, the Sony SEL16F28 with autofocus, has been designed to be light enough to take with you on your vacations, as this lens is meant to be able to take cozy close ups to wide angle panoramic views. Add to this, the “Pancake Design”, which means it only pops out 0.9 inches from your camera so it’s just perfect for your travels. Focal length is 16mm with a comparable 35mm focal length of 24mm.
The aperture maximum is f/2.8 to a minimum of f/22. Features include: Sony E camera mount, APS-C format compatibility, 83 degree angle of view, 9.45 inch minimum focus distance, magnification is 0.078x, and max reproduction ratio is 1:12.82. This is a great lens for those of you who travel, are into wildlife and bird watching, or simply enjoy taking photos for your tumblr blog.
[/lazboy_item][lazboy_item]
6. Sony SEL-20F28 E-Mount Lens
[Azonasinid asinid=”B00B20OYUO”]
The Sony SEL-20F28 E-Mount Wide-Angle Lens with autofocus, is host a lightweight 2.43 ounce, small, “Pancake Design” for your APS-C format, E Mount Camera, jutting out only 0.8 of an inch from the mount. Focal length for the SEL-20F28 E Mount is 20mm with a comparable 35mm focal length of 30mm.
Maximum aperture is f/2.8 to a minimum of f/16, 70 degree angle of view, 7.87 inch or 20 cm minimum focus distance, magnification is 0.12x and max reproduction ratio is 1:8.3. Additional features include rear focusing, circular aperture, and aspherical lens elements.
This is a great lens for those of you who are looking for a small, light compact lens to stick in your pocket, or for those who want to turn their Sony NEX into a point and shoot camera.
[/lazboy_item][lazboy_item]
7. Rokinon 8mm F2.8 UMC Fisheye II
[Azonasinid asinid=”B00JD4TA7I”]
The Rokinon 8mm F2.8 Fisheye II lens with manual focus, will suit your Sony A6000, APS-C camera just fine, with its ultra wide, 180 degree fisheye lens, which gives you the opportunity to take stunning and sharp images. Whether you are an experienced photographer, weekend hobbyist or just use it for travel and family events, you’ll find the manual focus very easy to use. Focal length for this lens is 8mm, and the aperture range is maximum f/2.8 to minimum f/22.
Features include a 180-degree wide angle of view, 11.81 inches or 30 cm minimum focus distance, 11/8 elements, and UMC coating to cut down on lens flare and ghosting. Verdict for this budget-friendly lens is that while it performs well in general, it does really well for night time photography forays, giving you sharp, defined imagery, with little noise or distortion, excelling at astrophotography.
[/lazboy_item][lazboy_item]
8. Samyang SY12M-E-BK 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS Lens
[Azonasinid asinid=”B00KT0UH72″]
The Samyang SY12M-E-BK 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS Lens is made for Sony E Mount, APS-C cameras. This 98.9 degree, wide-angle prime lens with a minimum focus distance of 7.9 inches, is loaded with top of the line features to help you take the best images possible. Its responsive f/2.0 max. aperture ensures that you’ll get awesome images even in low light, and the dispersion elements, hybrid aspherical and aspherical elements work to help lower any chromatic aberrations so your images are crisp and clear.
To avoid lens flare and ghosting, ED glass, and a Nano Coating System, for fabulous sharp, accurate color images. Specs include a 12mm focal length with a comparable 35mm equivalent for APS-C, format focal length of 18mm, maximum aperture is f/2 and minimum is f/22, angle of view is 98.9 degrees, minimum focus distance is 7.87 inches or 20 cm, and elements are 12/10.
[/lazboy_item]
How to Choose a Lens for the Sony A6000
Camera
When you read our reviews above, you’ll see terms such as focal length, aperture, and lens mount. These are some of the most important considerations when choosing a lens for your A6000 camera. While you are going over our basic guide, stop and think just what you intend to do with your camera. For instance, if you have no interest in close ups, and are looking for a solid camera lens for day to day adventures, the prime lens will do. However, if you are a birdwatcher, and need to get close ups of your subjects without disturbing them, then a zoom lens would be the one to choose.
Focal Length
This refers to the distance that lies between the lens and its image sensor, and it’s stated as millimeters (mm). A lower focal point number tells you that the lens works well for wide angles, and one with a higher number represents the zoom. If the lens has only one number, it is known as a ‘prime’ lens. If it has 2 numbers it means that the lens may zoom. However, if you are specifically searching for a zoom lens, please read the specifications of each lens to be certain it will zoom.
Aperture
The aperture of a lens refers to the hole in the lens which admits light into the camera. A large aperture admits more light to the camera. This is important for those of you who take many photos in low light or at night. For example, a lens with a larger aperture number admits more light than a smaller number, so will take better images in dimly lit areas. This helps considerably because there are many times you simply do not wish to use a flash.
Lens Mount
This one is very basic. Please only choose a lens that actually fits onto your camera. In this case, you’re searching for a lens that will fit on a Sony A6000 camera, so you’ll be looking for a Sony E Mount lens.
Lens Types to Consider
If you are new to the world of photography, it’s a good idea to become familiar with different lens types. Below, we’ve included the lens types which are specific to the lenses in our review above. If you have no idea what to expect from each lens type, we suggest you search online to see samples of images taken by each lens. This is especially true of the fisheye lens, as its purpose is to create a wide angle, but distorted image.
Prime Lens
As noted above, the prime lens has just one focal length where the viewing angle will always stay the same, with no zoom action. So, if you wanted a close up of a group of birds feeding at your birdfeeder, you’d have to physically sneak up on them. These lenses give you accurate color and a crisp, sharp image, and lighter than zoom lenses.
Zoom Lens
The zoom lens means that you can stay where you are, and zoom in for a close up of the birds at your bird feeder. As you can tell, these lenses are versatile, and will allow you to take a detailed close up, or a wide-angle image. As they are versatile, this means you might not have to haul a bag of lenses around for different photos.
Pancake Lens
If you intend to travel a lot with your camera, you might want to choose a lens which is not so bulky. Enter the ‘Pancake lens’. Pancake Lenses are very light in comparison to the other lenses, and sport a compact design.
Fisheye Lens
We’ve all seen the images taken by the Fisheye lens. This ultra wide lens is designed to create a super wide, distorted, panoramic image, otherwise known as a ‘hemispherical’ image. While some professional photographers dislike them, and seem them as a cheap gimmick, many other photographers really enjoy the effects, and take images for their blogs, or art projects.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our “Best Lenses for the Sony A6000” review. All of the lenses chosen represent high quality products which are designed to make the best of your photography experience. As always, choose carefully. Before you select a lens, make sure that it will do just what you want it to do. If you want a zoom lens, then go over the specs with a fine tooth comb, to make sure that it indeed, can zoom.
If you have always wanted to take the wide angled, distorted images associated with the fisheye lens, then choose the best you can find. If you need an extra lens for travel, then look for a compact, light weight ‘pancake’ style lens. Whether you are into simple point and shoot photography, or scaling the mountains for spectacular wildlife shots, there is a lens here, just for you!