The Sony A6000 may date back to 2014, but this camera is still among the best, beginner-friendly mirrorless cameras you can get.
It’s also a great blogging camera that you can easily pack for your travels and backpacking trips.
But if you’re looking to elevate your photography and produce high-quality, professional shots, you may need to get a new lens!
Don’t worry, we’ve rounded up the best lenses for the Sony a6000, currently available.
From a versatile lens fit for travel to one that could take stunning shots of the night sky.
We will give you a rundown of exactly which ones are best and which is the right one for your upcoming adventures at home, or abroad.
Want a quick answer? Our top pick is the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8.
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There are a few factors that you should think about before choosing the right lens for your Sony a6000.
The first is aperture, which is often denoted by the letter “F” and a number. The aperture is basically how much light that can enter a lens due to its opening. A low aperture number (like F1.8) means the sensor can open wide and therefore allows you to take detailed images in dark environments.
On the other hand, a high aperture number (such as F4) means that the aperture is quite narrow. This means the lens doesn’t perform as well in low light conditions, though they’re often more affordable in price.
A lens’ focal length is measured in millimetres and denotes its capacity to capture a scene, as well as the magnification. A shorter focal length means it can capture a wider field of view, which is great for taking landscape and architectural shots.
You may want to choose a longer lens for shooting sports and wildlife, while 50mm is often a popular length for portraits. That’s because this is close to the human’s natural viewing angle. The minimum focus distance is also determined by the focal length.
Another essential point to consider is the type of your lens. Do you need a prime lens that is usually more compact for travelling? Or are you looking for something more versatile like a zoom lens?
All in all, choosing the right lens for you is all about knowing what you’ll be using it for. Do you plan to step up your vlog quality or focus on macrophotography? We’ll be discussing the different lens types below!
Price is also critical to your choice, as this will highly depend on your budget and how much you’re willing to spend on a camera lens. While the Sony a6000 is pretty reasonably priced, you may want to budget for the lens too!
There’s no need to go for the most expensive lens if you won’t end up using its full features. For example, you can save a lot by buying the F2.8 instead of the F1.4 version of the same lens. Especially if you know that you’ll be mostly shooting outdoors or in well-lit conditions.
The Sony a6000 doesn’t come with built-in image stabilization, which can be a deal-breaker for some people. But we would say there’s nothing to worry about because most of the lenses we are recommending today feature optical image stabilization. This will help you take sharp images every time!
Don’t forget to consider the size of your lens before buying it! Some lens types like telephoto are generally bigger and longer than smaller ones, such as a prime or portrait lens.
Remember that the Sony a6000 is a mirrorless, which means it’s pretty compact and easy to pack. You may not want to contradict this benefit by getting a bulky lens. Oh, it may help to get a good camera backpack to properly carry your camera and lenses too!
Of course, size comes hand-in-hand with weight. This can be especially important to factor in if you’re packing for an epic trip abroad. As you’ll have to carry around the camera, lens, and other accessories, you might prefer a more lightweight lens.
Finally, don’t overlook the build quality of your lens. Sony itself has confirmed that the a6000 doesn’t have weather-sealing features. However, many users have claimed that they’ve been using the camera under light rain and snow with no problems.
With that said, we still recommend getting a lens with weather sealing and dust resistance. This will definitely help ease your mind when shooting outdoors!
These are some popular lens types you can find for a Sony a6000.
When you think of a lens that you can zoom in and out by turning it, you’re thinking of a zoom lens. It’s one of the most versatile types of lenses because it lets you reframe your scene without having to physically move.
A standard zoom lens has varying focal lengths with the midpoint often being around 50mm. They’re sometimes also categorized along with parfocal lenses, which can stay in focus even as you change the focal length.
In contrast, lenses that have a fixed focal length are known as prime lenses. This means your lens is fixed at a certain focal length and cannot be zoomed in or out. You’d have to move closer or farther away from your subject to reframe your scene.
While it may immediately seem like a less versatile choice, a prime lens is actually great for professional photography. It’s because they excel with regards to focal length and can produce super crisp and sharp photos.
Technically, any lens is capable of shooting human subjects. But a portrait lens would have the ideal combination of focal length and aperture range to produce the most lifelike recreation of the human face. It’s great if you love telling stories about people, especially on your travels!
Try going for a shorter lens if you want to highlight the background of your subject, or a longer one to create close-up shots that focus on the details of your subject’s facial features.
Next up, there are macro lenses, which are used for macro photography. The technical definition involves taking photos with 1:1 magnification (aka life-sized), but people often take macro photography to include anything that captures extreme details of small objects.
For some, a macro lens allows them to capture the stunning details and textures of various subjects. From textile, leaves, rocks, and water droplets, to tiny insects!
Imagine the stereotypical pictures captured by paparazzi with their super long, heavy lenses. Those would be telephoto lenses. These are a long-focus lens that lets you capture faraway subjects in extreme detail and close-up.
It’s a great type of lens for those who want to document sports or wildlife in their natural habitat. Though we have to say that it can be quite expensive, heavy, and large, which may not be suitable for beginners.
Last but not least is the wide-angle lens, which can capture a lot of the scene in front of you. Ultra-wide-angle lenses can even take in 180-degrees of the view. They’re great for showing the entirety of a landscape or architecture.
Not only that, we love how a wide-angle lens is also excellent for low-light photography, including astrophotography!
Minimum focus distance: 0.19 m
Focal length: 17-70 mm
Max aperture: f/2.8
Filter diameter: 67 mm
Weight: 525 g
Size (diameter x length): 74 x 119 mm
Looking for a versatile, multi-purpose zoom lens that can do it all? The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 offers extraordinary image quality, low-light performance, and super autofocus.
It’s our top pick overall because of the great value for money it offers and varying capabilities. From taking the sharpest, most stunning stills, to smooth and high-quality videos.
Whether you want to capture landscapes, portraits, events, or some macro shots, this Tamron lens sure won’t disappoint.
Not only is it the first 17-70mm F2.8 lens in the world, this wide aperture, everyday zoom lens also features the innovative VC (Vibration Compensation) technology to ensure shake- and blur-free photos.
The one drawback to this lens is that you have to go through the menu pages to control the focus and stabilization settings, as the lens doesn’t have any physical button for those.
Minimum focus distance: 0.5 m
Focal length: 56 mm
Max aperture: f/1.4
Filter diameter: 55 mm
Weight: 280 g
Size (diameter x length): 66.5mm × 59.5mm
The Sigma 56mm F1.4 is part of the brand’s proprietary Contemporary line and comes with some of the world’s most advanced technologies.
It combines optical design and stepping motor for the smoothest AF in both video and photo mode. Not to mention the precise AF tracking and eye function, you’ll get results that are always in the sharpest focus.
This is also an excellent choice for portrait photography, thanks to the sharp and crisp images that it produces. Additionally, the creamy and stunning bokeh can make for the most stunning shots too.
This Sigma lens is quite affordable and makes it a beginner-friendly choice, especially for those wanting to elevate their portraits and everyday photo quality.
Even when using the max aperture at F1.4, this lens can deliver edge-to-edge sharpness. That’s why it’s also a winner in the low-light shooting department, as you can still enjoy smooth, stable videos even in dark environments.
Minimum focus distance: 0.33 m
Focal length: 16-55 mm
Max aperture: f/2.8
Filter diameter: 67 mm
Weight: 494 g
Size (diameter x length): 73x100 mm
If your priority is versatility and being able to reframe your shot just by a turn of the wrist, then the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G is probably it for you.
It’s a great lens for professionals and amateurs wanting to step up the game, although the steep price point may not be the most ideal for beginners.
Boasting high photo quality with upgraded physical controls, it also has minimized flaring, ghosting, and chromatic aberration.
Plus, this Sony lens comes with XD Linear Motor that ensures fast response time and low vibration for an extraordinary autofocus performance.
Another thing that we love is its super sharp images even in low-light conditions, as well as professional-grade weather-sealing that lets you brave the rain!
And thanks to its instant AF/MF switch, you can conveniently change the focus modes simply by flipping the switch. This can make your photo session much more efficient and fast.
Minimum focus distance: 0.39 m
Focal length: 50 mm
Max aperture: f/1.8
Filter diameter: 49 mm
Weight: 202 g
Size (diameter x length): 62 x 62 mm
It’s always worth it to have a dedicated portrait lens, especially if this is something you want to pursue.
The Sony E 50mm F1.8 is undoubtedly a top contender for the best Sony a6000 portrait lenses. It’s very affordable and gives you a truly marvelous value for the money.
With f/1.8 aperture and a fast autofocus, you can be sure of getting stunning shots of your human subjects anytime, including in low-light conditions!
Better yet, this lens is both lightweight and compact, making it a great one to have for a trip to countries like India, where you get to meet lots of interesting people from different backgrounds.
It also comes with optical SteadyShot image stabilization that ensures smooth stills and videos at low speeds. Plus, this makes it a multi-function lens that can also help you take high-quality videos.
And while there is no visible distortion, you may notice some chromatic aberration if you shoot at the max aperture. But don’t worry, it’s nothing a little post-processing can’t fix!
Minimum focus distance: 0.25 m
Focal length: 10-18 mm
Max aperture: f/4
Filter diameter: 62 mm
Weight: 225 g
Size (diameter x length): 64 x 70 mm
The Sony 10-18mm F4 is an excellent camera to have if you’re wanting to capture wide-angle shots of landscapes and architecture.
This is a travel-friendly lens that’s super light, compact, and high performing. It has impressive optics with a versatile focal range and stellar sharpness even at wide open.
Despite the F4 max aperture that may not be as low as some of the other lenses, this constant setting is still able to give you noise-free photos in low-light shoots. If you ever end up under a stunning night sky, you can still get cool shots with this!
With that said, it may struggle with accurate focusing in darker conditions, or when your subject is low-contrast.
Another great feature is the super ED glass, which ensures that there is minimal distortion so you can enjoy sharper images.
You can also take beautiful, handheld vlogs with this Sony lens as it comes with image stabilization.
Minimum focus distance: 0.25 m
Focal length: 16 mm
Max aperture: f/1.4
Filter diameter: 67 mm
Weight: 405 g
Size (diameter x length): 72.2mm × 92.3mm
Here’s another wide-angle lens option for you, which is the Sigma 16mm F1.4. This prime lens is perfect at handling low-light situations too, thanks to its fast and wide aperture.
What we also love is the sturdy build and weather-sealing, which can prove useful if you like to shoot outdoors or are travelling.
Its cutting-edge design ensures fast and smooth autofocus for both stills and video, whereas the Fast Hybrid AF also features face recognition.
Moreover, Sigma’s trademark technologies can digitally correct any distortion so you don’t have to spend too much time and effort on post-editing.
If we had to nitpick, this lens doesn’t come with image stabilization, but it’s actually not a huge problem considering the fast max aperture of this lens. Plus, you can always get a DSLR gimbal for any video-related purposes.
Minimum focus distance: 0.45 m
Focal length: 18-105 mm
Max aperture: f/4
Filter diameter: 72 mm
Weight: 427 g
Size (diameter x length): 78mm × 110mm
If you plan to use your Sony a6000 for making vlogs and videos, then the Sony 18-105mm F4 would be great for you. It’s a versatile lens with a useful focal range, image stabilization, and fixed aperture for better video quality.
The main highlight is definitely its focal range. From 18 to 105mm, you can use this lens for a variety of videos, including vlogs (using the shorter range) and close-up shots (using the longer range).
The fixed f/4 aperture also means that you can have consistent lighting or exposure throughout the video, even as you move between locations and zoom in or out. This also makes for a smooth and natural-feeling video!
Admittedly, this lens may not be the best in terms of photo quality, but that’s exactly why it’s perfect for videos!
Minimum focus distance: 1.1 m
Focal length: 70-350 mm
Max aperture: f/4.5
Filter diameter: 67 mm
Weight: 625 g
Size (diameter x length): 77mm × 142mm
The Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 is an excellent telephoto lens for anyone wanting to dive into close-up photography without getting near your subjects. This may include wildlife, sport events, and discreet street photography.
What’s most impressive is the fact that it is relatively lightweight compared to other telephoto lenses while still being able to pack a punch in terms of performance and photo quality.
In addition to image stabilization that will ensure blur-free photos, there is also superb ghosting and flaring control, as well as chromatic aberration.
This lens features Sony’s own XD Linear Motor to ensure good response and minimal vibration for fast, accurate, and quiet AF. Also, there is an aspherical element and three ED glasses that give you high-resolution images in all focal lengths.
No need to worry about sharpness, which the Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 delivers perfectly however much you zoom in or out and at all aperture settings
Indeed, the slow aperture doesn’t make it the best option for low-light shooting, but you can still get stunning, creamy bokeh at the longer end of the focal range.
Minimum focus distance: 0.3 m
Focal length: 30 mm
Max aperture: f/1.4
Filter diameter: 52 mm
Weight: 265 g
Size (diameter x length): 64 x 73 mm
The Sigma 30mm F1.4 certainly raises the standard for F1.4 lenses with its exceptional optics and compact design, which is perfect for a mirrorless camera like the Sony a6000.
This is not only our top pick for budget lenses, but also a strong contender in the portrait lens category. We especially recommend it for those who prefer a closer field of view that can include more of the background behind your subject.
That also makes it ideal for everyday photography, including street shots and environmental scenes!
Moreover, Sigma has optimized the lens’ ability to balance light for such a compact camera body with a short flange back distance.
Not to mention its superb sharpness even at wide-open and a great image quality. Meanwhile, the fast aperture ensures noise and blur-free shots even in dark environments.
Better yet, it also delivers creamy and stunning bokeh that can elevate your portraits!
Minimum focus distance: 0.28 m
Focal length: 90 mm
Max aperture: f/2.8
Filter diameter: 62 mm
Weight: 602 g
Size (diameter x length): 79mm × 130mm
It’s time to talk about macro photography, aka detailed, close-up shots of tiny subjects where the magnification is equal to or greater than life size.
In this category, the Sony 90mm F2.8 is an unrivalled winner especially in terms of quality and performance. We can recommend this for those wanting to get serious in macro photography.
It can offer truly stunning results with impressive sharpness, and we might even say that it is one of the sharpest lenses for the Sony a6000 out there.
Plus, it also comes with Direct Drive DDSSM to ensure a highly precise focus control.
This lens lets you work super close with your subjects, whether that is small insects or textured objects like a tree bark, leaves, or fabric.
Another great thing about this Sony lens is its user-friendliness and the AF/MF switch for easy operation. And the very smooth and creamy bokeh effect you can get!
Minimum focus distance: 0.09 m
Focal length: 30 mm
Max aperture: f/3.5
Filter diameter: 49 mm
Weight: 138 g
Size (diameter x length): 55mm × 60mm
If you want an affordable alternative to the previous lens, your answer is the Sony 30mm F3.5.
It’s very budget-friendly and thus suitable for those wanting to get into macro photography or simply dabble in it.
Boasting a very close minimum focus distance, this lens allows you to go even closer with your subject than the Sony 90mm F2.8 and have your photos remain in precise focus.
But we have to say that one of our favorite things about the Sony 30mm F3.5 is its ultra-compact design that weighs almost nothing!
The Sony 30mm F3.5 also comes with aspherical lens elements and ED glass that will maximize the photo quality.
Lastly, this lens is actually also good for everyday photography, thanks to its versatile field of view!
Minimum focus distance: 0.3 m
Focal length: 35 mm
Max aperture: f/1.8
Filter diameter: 49 mm
Weight: 156 g
Size (diameter x length): 46 mm × 63.5 mm
Planning to travel to a beautiful place like Bali and wondering what the best lens may be for you?
The Sony 35mm F1.8 may be what you need to bring along your trip and document all the diverse beauty and unique destinations you encounter!
It is absolutely made for street photography, thanks to its super lightweight and compact design that will allow you to travel in local areas without necessarily attracting too much attention.
Of course, that also makes it very easy to carry around, wherever you go!
The built-in Optical SteadyShot image stabilization will ensure that you get blur-free and steady shots, whether you’re taking stills or videos, whereas the fast aperture ensures excellent performance in low light.
While this may not offer as much focal range versatility as a zoom lens, the 35mm length is actually quite a good one to have for everyday photography.
Furthermore, this lens is relatively affordable and can be a great choice to pair with your zoom lens to complete your lens gear!
Minimum focus distance: 0.15 m
Focal length: 11-20 mm
Max aperture: f/2.8
Filter diameter: 67 mm
Weight: 335 g
Size (diameter x length): 73mm x 86.2mm
The Tamron 11-20 mm F2.8 is an obvious choice for anyone who is planning to shoot beautiful landscapes, especially during their travels.
Marketed as the world’s first-ever 11-20mm F2.8 zoom lens, it offers spectacular perspectives and viewing angles.
Its weight is also quite impressive considering the ultra-wide-angle capability and wide aperture of f/2.8. This means it can work well in low-light conditions, including for shooting night skies and the twinkling stars!
The close minimum focusing distance, at just 15 cm, also lets you get close-up with your subject for optical details that you wouldn’t have imagined possible with a wide-angle lens!
It can also be a great lens for videos too, although we still recommend using a gimbal for optimal results, as it doesn’t come with image stabilization.
There’s also the XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) glass that gives ultimate sharpness and compensates chromatic aberration for stunning photo results.
The best video lens you can get for the Sony a6000 is hands-down the Sony 18-105mm F4. This is an all-rounder when it comes to videos as it can produce excellent results whether you’re shooting vlogs or detailed close-ups.
Yes, if you’re looking for a good camera to take stunning photos, the a6000 is what you’re looking for. The 24.3mp sensor is excellent, even at low ISO and dark environments. Plus, the camera can produce natural colors to make post-processing easier.
Check out our tips to improve your travel photography, which can also be applied to the Sony a6000 and taking better photos in general. When shooting in dark conditions specifically, aim for 1600 in ISO but never above 3200. Meanwhile, you can produce a blur effect by setting the speed to 1/40th of a second or less!
Yes! You can use an FE-mount lens on your Sony a6000 as they are compatible. Plus, they may even give you better photos than the regular E lenses, though they may cost a bit more.
If you buy the Sony a6000, it will come with a kit lens, which is the PZ 16-50mm F3. 5-5.6 OSS. This is an E-mount lens with a standard optical zoom ratio of 3.1x and focal length range of 24-75mm.
We’ve covered some of our top recommendations for your Sony a6000.
We tried to be as comprehensive as we can and covered a range of lenses.
Our roundup includes everything from an all-round lens to specific types for travel, video, or even astrophotography.
Hopefully, you were able to find the best lens for you!
So, which of these lenses do you think you’ll get?
Do you think we’ve missed any great lenses?
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