Best lens for Sony A6000 in 2023: 8 Top Picks
- By Sebastiaan van 't Hoog
- Updated 8 december 2023
Lenses come in all shapes and sizes, but with so much choice you no longer know which one to get. Now, I know exactly what that feels like and that’s why I’m going to help you make the right choice. From portrait lenses to macro lenses, I have selected everything down to the last detail.
With years of experience as a professional photographer, I have owned countless lenses myself and know exactly what to look for when choosing a lens for the Sony A6000. My goal is for you to buy the right lens, not the most expensive one.
In this article, I will tell you exactly what the best lens for Sony A6000 cameras is, and not only that, I will also give you the best price. This way you can immediately test your new lens and take pictures with it.
All lenses listed
- Sony 16-55mm | Allround
- Rokinon 12mm | Wide angle
- Sigma 30mm | Portrait
- Sony 50mm | Cheap portrait
- Sony 70-350mm | Telephoto
- Tamron 18-300 | Super zoom
- Sony 90mm | Macrolens
- Sony 50mm | Cheap macro
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. You can support me without any additional fees. I used some of the products mentioned, not all.
What is the best lens for Sony A6000, A6100, A6300, A6400, A6500, A6600, and A6700?
With years of experience as a photographer, I have had my fair share of lenses, from standard kit lenses to macro lenses, telephoto lenses, and wide-angle lenses. I would prefer to have them all in my bag, but unfortunately that won’t fit. Therefore, it is essential to choose the right one.
My goal is for you to buy the right lens for Sony A6000, which doesn’t mean the most expensive or newest. Not everyone has the same requirements and the last thing I want is for you to buy the wrong lens.
During the selection, I looked at many aspects, of which image quality is the most important. Of course, the size and weight also caught my attention. At the bottom of this article, you can read what I paid attention to during the selection.
Let’s get straight to the first lens!
Sebas' take
I decided to start with the best lens, namely the Sony 16-55mm F2.8. This is an all-round lens that you can actually use for everything. The 16mm is very wide, but not nearly as wide as a fish-eye.
The 55mm is perfect for portraits and anything else you can think of. This is the full-frame equivalent of the 24-70mm, which is the most popular lens for the A7 cameras. So the 16-55 is the best lens for Sony A6000 cameras if you ask me.
What I like/dislike about the 16-55mm
Like
- There are numerous good points to mention, the most obvious is the focal length of 16-55mm, which is the same as the 24-70mm full-frame version. You can use it for weddings, portraits, and landscapes.
- A constant aperture of F2.8 ensures that the lens lets in a lot of light, allowing you to photograph even with an A6000 in dark conditions.
- It is not the heaviest lens, with a weight of 494 grams it balances well on smaller cameras. I often walk around with a 1kg lens and that is a lot less pleasant.
- With zoom lenses, there is always the question of whether they are sharp with a large aperture, but I have seen that this lens is perfectly sharp at both 16mm and 55mm (F2.8).
Dislike
- The only downside I could think of is that it does not have image stabilization, most new cameras, such as the A6600 and A6700, have built-in stabilization. It’s not a huge telephoto lens, so it’s not that important.
Sebas' take
Rokinon is a slightly lesser-known brand for Sony cameras, but because this is such a good lens I still want to include it in the list. The Rokinon 12mm F2.0 is an ultra-wide lens, which means it is perfect for landscapes and astrophotography.
I’m always in favor of bright lenses, I think you’ll always be happier with them. If you like astrophotography then this is a must. The sharpness is very good, especially for the price the lens costs.
This is the best wide-angle lens for Sony A6000 cameras.
What I like/dislike about the Rokinon 12mm
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- To start with, the lens is very compact and small, with a weight of less than 250 grams you can take it anywhere without a problem. It balances very well on smaller APS-C models.
- It is a fully manual lens, so you also have to focus manually. Now that can be a disadvantage for many, but I think it gives a retro feeling. Fortunately, focusing manually on such a wide lens is not that difficult.
- The build quality is very good, it feels very sturdy despite the low weight and low price.
- If you like macro photography then this 12mm is also good, the sharpness when you are close to a subject is still very good.
Dislike
- I just said that the fully manual functionality was an advantage, but it can also work against you. You really have to take your time with each photo, so if you’re in a hurry this might not be the best option.
Sebas' take
Sigma is better known when it comes to quality lenses, I have really good experiences with Sigma myself. If you like to shoot portraits, then the Sigma 30mm F1.4 is the right option.
With an aperture of F1.4, you can photograph well in the dark and you get beautiful bokeh. 30mm is approximately equivalent to 50mm on full-frame, which many consider the best focal length for portrait photography.
All in all, this is the best Sigma lens for Sony A6000.
What I like/dislike about the Sigma 30mm
Like
- The 30mm focal length is not too wide for portraits, and you will not easily experience distortion. I like that you get a little more background in your photos without it being distracting.
- Despite the bright F1.4 aperture, the quality is really top. You will get sharp photos with your aperture wide open, especially in the center of the photo.
- If you photograph against the sun, the quality remains good, there is still enough contrast in the photo and you do not have many disturbing flares.
- Sometimes you just have to be fast, and then fast autofocus is desirable. Fortunately, this lens has automatic focus, which is also very fast, also useful for portraits.
Dislike
- One thing I don’t like about the Sigma 30mm is that the corners are a bit softer when you shoot at F1.4. Fortunately, this is resolved if you take photos at F4, but that results in less bokeh.
Sebas' take
Now we have a Sony lens again, it is not surprising if your preference for a Sony camera is a Sony lens. With the 50mm F1.8 OSS, you can also shoot beautiful portraits, just like the previous lens. The big difference is in the stabilization.
I don’t often see prime lenses that have stabilization, so this one is very unique in that area. In addition to the good image quality, it is also very cheap, so you can easily purchase it as an additional lens.
Overall, this is the best portrait lens for Sony A6000.
What I like/dislike about the Sony 50mm OSS
Like
- There are again a lot of good points to mention, the most important is the image quality. It is very good on this 50mm, both the center and the corners are razor sharp, even at F1.8.
- The build quality is also not bad, the lens is made of metal and feels premium. Yet it only weighs 200 grams, so you won’t have any problems with your wrists.
- If you see a lamp in the dark or photograph against the sun, you retain a lot of contrast, something that not every cheap lens has.
Dislike
- The autofocus of this lens is not the fastest, so I don’t recommend it for action photography. It can track subjects well, but I wouldn’t take it out of my bag for sports photography.
- This is not perfect for macro photos, you only have a lot of contrast and sharpness at F4.0.
Sebas' take
Now we go to the lenses that are perfect for nature photography, namely the Sony 70-350mm. This is a ‘G’ lens, which stands for premium image and build quality. The price is therefore slightly higher than the other lenses, but if you ask me, it is worth it.
This lens is also perfect for sports photography, the Sony A6000 series cameras all have good autofocus, but the lens must also be fast. The 70-350mm certainly is, fast-moving athletes are a piece of cake.
All in all, this is the best Sony A6000 zoom lens.
What I like/dislike about the Sony 70-350mm
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- I’ll start with the image quality of the lens, which is very good. The premium price you pay for it is really reflected here, the lens is razor sharp at both 70 and 350mm and everything in between is of course also included.
- For a lens in this class it is fairly light, with a weight of 625 grams it is slightly heavier at the front.
- Not many lenses are weather resistant and you don’t often deliberately photograph in the rain, but situations can always occur. With this lens, you don’t have to worry about that.
- The autofocus is super fast, so this is more than good enough for nature photography or sports photographers.
Dislike
- I could find a downside, namely the aperture. I understand that Sony does not constantly use F2.8, but it is a major disadvantage that you have F4.5-6.3 here. The photos will quickly become dark, requiring you to set the ISO higher.
Sebas' take
Another third-party lens, this time a well-known Tamron lens. It is a popular brand, especially because of the good superzoom lenses they make. This is a Tamron 18-300mm Di III VC VXD, yes it is quite a mouthful. I don’t know what all those extra letters mean.
I only know the VC, namely Vibration Compensation, or image stabilization. And whether you need it with this lens, it is really impossible without image stabilization. You can easily photograph birds at 300mm, preferably without vibrations.
All in all, this is the best superzoom lens for Sony A6000.
What I like/dislike about the Tamron 18-300mm
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- This is the only superzoom lens on the list, which means you can take both wide photos and very telephoto images. The 18-300mm is equivalent to a 27-450mm on full-frame, more than sufficient for photographing birds.
- Due to the good build quality, the lens feels very premium, it weighs approximately 620 grams, which is really not heavy for such a lens. It’s perfect for traveling if you only want to take one lens with you.
- The autofocus is also very fast on this lens, the A6000 bodies are already very good with autofocus and this Tamron lens can match that.
Dislike
- The lens is very sharp at 18mm but becomes less sharp when you photograph at 300mm. Both the center of the image and the corners are not very sharp, but it is perfect for holiday snaps.
- When you zoom in, the aperture closes very quickly, so you quickly reach F6.3, which is not exactly light. If you want to use fast shutter speeds, you have to increase the ISO.
Sebas' take
Macro photography is one of the most popular types of photography and in general, you can do it with any lens. There are also special lenses made for this purpose, the Sony 90mm Macro being one of them. This is a premium lens, so the image and build quality are very good.
With a minimum focus distance of 28cm, you can get close to the subject and the F2.8 aperture ensures a lot of light can reach the sensor. All in all, the 90mm Macro is the best macro lens for Sony A6000.
What I like/dislike about the Sony 90mm macro
Like
- It is a macro lens, but the great thing about it is that you don’t have to use it for macro photography. You can also easily use it for portraits, the autofocus is fast enough for this.
- For a lens of this size, it does not weigh much, with a weight of 600 grams you can easily go into the woods with it. I do recommend that you use a tripod, then the weight no longer matters.
- The lens is very sharp at F2.8, which is what we have come to expect from the Sony ‘G’ line of lenses. At F4 it is even sharper, but at F11 it becomes less sharp.
Dislike
- The 90mm Macro lens suffers from focus breathing, a lot. That’s not a problem when you take photos, but when you film videos you definitely notice it.
Sebas' take
Finally, I have a macro lens for you, the amount of the 90mm is very high. The Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro is also very good for small subjects, you can focus from 30cm.
The image quality is a lot better than the Sony 50mm F1.8 (nifty fifty), but you also pay for that. By the way, it doesn’t weigh much more than the F1.8 version, with a weight of 236 grams you don’t even notice that it is attached to the camera.
All in all, this is the best budget macro lens for Sony A6000.
What I like/dislike about the Sony 50mm F2.8
Like
- Even though it is a macro lens, you can use it for all types of photography. From portraits to landscapes, think about it and it is possible.
- The lens is very sharp in both the center and the corners, the F1.8 version is certainly not. The lens also has little trouble with chromatic aberration.
- When you photograph in the sun you don’t have to worry about contrast reduction, the lens maintains good contrast and the quality remains top.
- The focus ring is very long, by which I mean that you have to turn it a lot to focus. Useful for micro-adjustments during macro photography.
Dislike
- The autofocus is really slow, so I don’t recommend it if you want to photograph weddings. Situations where you have to capture fast action are really a no-go for this lens.
What to look for when buying a lens for A6000?
Image quality
The image quality of a lens is very important, most cheap lenses suffer from blur, especially in the corners. This is especially the case if you use a large aperture such as F1.4.
When you reduce the aperture, think of F4-F8, you will notice that almost every lens is a lot sharper. The more expensive lenses, such as the 16-55mm ‘G’, do not suffer from this. If you do paid work now or in the future, I recommend that you look at these ‘G’ lenses.
Build quality
Not only the image quality but also the build quality is very important. The cheaper lenses such as the ‘nifty fifty’ are often made of plastic. If you drop it you can immediately buy a new one. More premium lenses are made of metal and are therefore a lot more durable. There is one disadvantage to this.
Weight & design
And that disadvantage is that the premium lenses are often much heavier than the plastic lenses. The material is much more durable, but you have to walk around all day with extra weight. You notice this very quickly on small cameras such as the A6000.
The size is also important, zoom lenses are often a lot larger than prime lenses. If you travel often, you can take this into account. The bright lenses in particular, such as the F2.8 zoom lenses, are often very large and heavy. My own 24-70mm, for example, is almost 1KG, which is really not nice to walk around with all day.
Focus distance
This aspect is actually especially important if you want to do macro photography, where how close you can get to a subject is a priority. The macro lenses that I have mentioned in this article are very good for this, they often have a minimum distance of 30cm, while ‘normal’ lenses can only focus from 90cm.
Lens mount
It is easy to only buy E-lenses, after all, they fit the Sony A6000 and are a lot cheaper. I’m just warning you that if you want to upgrade to a new model in the future, the A7 for example, you will have to sell everything again.
That is why I recommend that you also look at FE lenses from Sony, which specifically state that they are also made for full-frame cameras. You can mount any FE and E lens on the A6000, but the other way around is not possible.
Price
Finally, the price is not unimportant, with today’s inflation we all have less to spend and everything is becoming more expensive. The price differences between lenses can be enormous, which is why you can look at third-party lenses.
For example, brands like Sigma and Tamron are quite well known and have built a good reputation among the photography community. I also use Sigma lenses myself and have not regretted it for a moment.
In Conclusion
All in all, we can say that there are enough lenses for A6000 cameras. From portrait lenses, and telephoto lenses to all-round zoom lenses, there is plenty to choose from. The price varies enormously, but I always see a lens as an investment. The value of lenses often does not decrease quickly, after a few years you can sell them again.
Take a good look at all the lenses I have recommended and then make your choice. Do you often photograph birds? Then the 70-350mm might be the right lens. For portraits, I recommend the 50mm F1.8!
Who is Sebastiaan?
Hi! I am Sebastiaan, the writer of this blog. With years of experience as a professional photographer, I want to share my expertise with you. From recommending cameras and lenses to giving tips that make a world of difference, that’s what I enjoy doing most.
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