{"id":10398,"date":"2018-11-28T19:31:37","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T19:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/?p=10398"},"modified":"2018-11-28T19:31:37","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T19:31:37","slug":"best-lenses-sony-a6000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/best-lenses-sony-a6000\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Lenses for Sony a6000 of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sony<\/p>\n

The Sony a6000<\/a> was one of the most popular mirrorless cameras ever released. It\u2019s versatile in usage, gives excellent quality images, and is extremely affordably priced. Even though there are other models in the form of the a6300, a6500, and others, the a6000 is a highly competitive camera for the entry level mirrorless market and incredibly reasonably priced.<\/p>\n

It brings a competitive yet relatively average 24.3 megapixels of resolution to the fore. But unless you\u2019re regularly making large prints, this is actually more resolution than you need. 24.3 megapixels gives you plenty of room for generous cropping of images without losing out on too much subject detail.<\/p>\n

With its APS-C sized sensor (sized 23.5 x 15.6mm) it has 1.6 times the surface area of the Micro 4\/3rds cameras released by Panasonic and Olympus. And with 13 times the area of the 1\/2.3\u201d sensors that compact cameras typically use the a6000 and its cousins are supremely capable in low light settings<\/a>. The autofocus capabilities are phenomenal, and the lenses provided are designed to focus quickly and accurately to take maximum advantage of this.<\/p>\n

So what sort of lens do I want to pair with the Sony a6000? It uses Sony\u2019s E-mount system and is meant to be paired with Sony E lenses. But the E-mount system is also compatible with Sony FE lenses. And there is a reasonably large number of lenses available of all focal ranges and apertures. So let\u2019s consider some factors surrounding lens selection.<\/p>\n

What should I be looking for in a Sony a6000 lens?<\/h2>\n

What photography subjects am I shooting?<\/h4>\n

This may be the most important question to consider because your choice in subjects somewhat determine what aperture values and focal lengths you\u2019ll be shopping for. If you\u2019re a portrait photographer, you\u2019ll likely be looking for wide open apertures like f\/2 or below. If you need a landscape lens, then you want focal lengths below 35mm to capture a wide angle field of view. But the aperture can max out at f\/4 since you\u2019re going to want more depth of field in your image.<\/p>\n

Mount System and Manufacturer<\/h4>\n

All of the lenses designed to pair with the a6000 use Sony\u2019s E-mount system<\/a>. Sony also has FE lenses that are meant to be used with its full frame line of cameras like the A7 series. But the nice thing about the FE lenses is that they use the same E-mount as the E lenses that the a6000 uses. Fortunately for A7 series owners looking to snag a less expensive E-mount lens, the reverse is also true. If you happen to own one of the A7 lines of cameras, it will actually self-crop the sensor from full frame to APS-C to use E lenses. This gives us quite a bit of extra diversity; FE lenses do tend to cost more but if there\u2019s a nice one you want for your a6000 don\u2019t hesitate to snap it up.<\/p>\n

Several manufacturers also make lenses for the Sony system. Laowai and Zhongyi are two Chinese manufacturers that make relatively low cost lenses that often have unique f\/stops like the MItakon f\/0.95 or great focal lengths like the Laowa 9mm f\/2.8 Zero-D. Sigma also has some great offerings for this system.<\/p>\n

Optical Image Stabilization<\/h4>\n

Image stabilization is a tremendously useful tool to have. Some Sony cameras such as the a6500 and many of the A7 iterations have built-in sensor stabilization. Sensor stabilization ensures no matter which lens that\u2019s attached to your camera, shooting handheld will have minimal effect on image sharpness and clarity.<\/p>\n

But the a6000 is not a camera that comes with sensor stabilization. Therefore, we should always be on the lookout for O.S.S. when it comes to Sony lenses. Optical Steady Shot uses hardware elements to help correct for all of the jittery hand motions that we unconsciously make while holding the camera.<\/p>\n

Optical Steady Shot also offers benefits for shooting in low light environments. Normally, I\u2019d have to lower my shutter speed to compensate for lack of light exposure. But these slower speeds are also more easily affected by motion blur when shooting handheld. Thus I can get sharper pictures in low light settings because OSS will reduce or eliminate said blur. Tripods still aren\u2019t entirely outclassed but OSS is always a great feature to have.<\/p>\n

What about the kit lens?<\/h4>\n

Kit lenses are often disappointing because they usually have fairly narrow maximum apertures. They also lack features like image stabilization and don\u2019t use the highest quality glass. The idea is to get you out shooting as quickly \u2013 and cheaply – as possible, of course. And that you\u2019ll one day decide to upgrade to much better glass.<\/p>\n

The two kit lenses offered with the Sony a6000 are the 16-50mm f\/3.5-5.6 and 55-210mm f\/4.5-6.3 OSS. The first is an everyday walk around lens. 16mm is a wide angle field of view, and 50mm covers portraits and other focused subjects. It\u2019s also a pancake lens, which means when retracted it sticks out only slightly more than an inch from the camera body. This helps retain the slim profile; keeping the a6000 pocket-sized even with a lens attached.<\/p>\n

Pancake lenses often have to compromise on sharpness and clarity, however. There are just too many structural compromises made to keep the lens tiny that can cause them to underperform compared to standard sized lenses. But as a fun everyday shooter, the kit lens does incredibly well.<\/p>\n

The 55-210mm f\/4.5-6.3 offers much more reach as needed for distant targets like nature and candid street or event photography. One nice feature of the 55-210 is that it does come with OSS. Image stabilization becomes even more important when using telephoto zooms because the shake effect is magnified with longer focal lengths.<\/p>\n

Best lenses for the Sony a6000<\/h2>\n

The best lens for your Sony a6000 really does depend on your photography targets. If you want to specialize in portraits, then the list will change, likewise, if you\u2019re a travel photographer looking for a mix of versatile glass. So this is a collection of the best lenses regardless of price as well as some alternative choices that offer slightly different features and price ranges that may be better suited to your needs as a photographer.<\/p>\n

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Best Landscape Lens: Sony E 10-18mm f\/4 OSS<\/h3>\n

\"Sony<\/a><\/p>\n

The 10-18mm focal length of this Sony zoom lens<\/a> is perfect for capturing expansive views of landscapes, mountain ranges, forests, and more. Architecture photographers will love the sharpness throughout the zoom range, even at the 10mm focal length. The corners remain good but improve once the lens is stopped down slightly to f\/5.6.<\/p>\n

The lens is on the expensive side but comes with the Optical Steady Shot system that ensures handheld shots have enough stabilization to preserve image sharpness. And at 8 ounces it’s quite light for such a high quality lens. The aperture blades also use a unique rounded design meant to shape the out of focus bokeh. Conventional blades usually create angles that result in polygonal bokeh that are less satisfactory.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n \n \n
\n\n Sale<\/span>\n
\n \n \"Sony\n <\/a>\n\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n Sony - E 10-18mm F4 OSS Wide-angle Zoom Lens (SEL1018) <\/a>\n
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