When shopping for the best travel lens for Sony a6000, it is essential to consider its weight, focal length, and overall speed. Below, I’ve summarized my top five products based on these features. Keep reading if you want to know more about these best picks.
I’ve seen the Sony a6000 occasionally mentioned as travel photographers’ go-to cameras. With its powerful features and fast performance, I can understand why this mirrorless camera is a top choice among many.
The Sony a6000 is also compatible with hundreds of lenses, which give you lots of options. However, this sheer number of lens options can also be a bit overwhelming.
Fortunately, this guide will help you find the best travel lenses for the Sony a6000. Whether you need one for shooting landscapes, portraits or street photography, I included the right lens for your specific needs. I also listed the factors you need to consider before buying the best travel lens for Sony a6000.
I haven’t used any of these lenses. However, my first camera was a Sony mirrorless one similar to the Sony a6000, and I still use it until now. And as an avid Sony user, I spent a lot of time researching the best lenses for their cameras.
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Things to Look for in the Best Travel Lens for Sony a6000
Before I review the best travel lenses for Sony a6000, I wanted to discuss the characteristics to consider when buying one.
Weight
You won’t notice it initially, but when traveling, the weight of your camera lenses makes a significant difference.
You can easily pack lightweight travel lenses inside your luggage or bag. With a portable lens, you’ll also reach your destination faster, especially if you’re walking.
The last thing you want is to carry around heavy lenses during your trip. So, consider those extra pounds and see if it’s something that you’re willing to bear—quite literally.
Focal Length
Focal length is another factor you should consider when choosing a travel lens for the Sony a6000.
Focal length, typically measured in millimeters (mm), describes the lenses’ angle of view. It tells you how much of the scene you want to capture. Moreover, it determines the magnification, or how large the subject appears on the frame.
Long focal lengths result in a narrow angle of view and higher magnification.
In contrast, short focal lengths offer a wide angle of view and lower magnification.
Camera lenses are mainly categorized based on their focal lengths:
- Ultra-wide lens – These lenses have a focal length of less than 24 mm. They result in broad views, and often, distorted perspectives.
- Wide lens – These lenses have a focal length between 24 mm and 35 mm. They are suitable for landscape and structure photography.
- Standard lens – These lenses offer a focal length between 35 mm and 70 mm. They capture images similar to how our eyes see. Thus, they have minimal distortion, ideal for portraits.
- Telephoto lens – These lenses feature a focal length between 70 mm and 300 mm. They provide a magnified view of the subject, making them suitable for nature and wildlife photography.
- Super telephoto lens – These lenses have focal lengths exceeding 300 mm. They are suitable for photographing wildlife and other distant subjects.
Camera lenses are also classified into either prime or zoom lenses. Prime lenses have a fixed focal length, while zoom lenses offer a range of focal lengths.
Speed
Besides weight and focal length, you should also consider how fast the lens could go.
The lens speed determines the maximum aperture diameter (f-number) of a lens. It also defines the amount of light that travels through the lens while the shutter is open.
A faster lens means a larger maximum aperture diameter. Consequently, it allows more light to hit the sensor at a certain shutter speed, ideal for low-light shooting.
The maximum aperture number is indicated in f-numbers, such as f/2.8 or f5.6. Note that the lower f-number, f/2.8, is larger in opening. Thus, it is faster because more light is allowed into the sensor. The higher f-number, f/5.6, has a smaller opening that makes them slower.
Depending on what type of photos you take, you might need a faster lens with a wider maximum aperture, such as f/1.2 or f/1.8. These fast lenses are ideal for low-light situations and indoor sites.
Weather Sealing
When traveling, it’s essential to protect your camera equipment against harsh weather.
Fortunately, some lenses are now weather-sealed to ensure it is properly secured against moisture and dust. This feature is nice to have if you’re traveling during the rainy/snowy season or through the desert/jungle. The only downside is that it comes at a premium price.
So, before buying a lens, take your time to decide whether weather sealing is something you really need.
Lens Stabilization
Despite its powerful features, the Sony a6000 lacks in-camera image stabilization.
You can compensate by considering a lens with optical image stabilization. This type of lens ensures your images are sharp and clear. It is handy when you’re using a telephoto lens or shooting at slower shutter speeds.
Future Use
This is another factor to keep in mind, especially if you’re planning to upgrade your camera in the future.
For instance, if you want to buy a full frame Sony camera someday, you need to invest in a full-frame lens.
Fortunately, the Sony a6000 is still compatible with this type of lens, despite having an APS-C sensor size. So you can save money in the long run if you decide to upgrade your camera body.
However, full-frame lenses are usually heavier and bigger than APS-C or crop sensor lenses. You might find them challenging to bring them along on your trips.
You also have to consider the 1.5x crop factor of the Sony a6000 because of its smaller sensor.
Type of Travel
Finally, you must keep in mind the type of travel that you do before buying a lens.
Do you usually tour cities around the world? Then a standard lens might work for you since it can capture amazing street-style photos and portraits without distortion.
But if you’re mainly into wildlife photography, you should invest in a telephoto lens. It allows you to shoot animals up close without getting near them.
5 Best Travel Lens for Sony a6000
With these buying factors in mind, I’ve listed down the best travel lens for the Sony a6000.
Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS – Best Overall
The Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS is one of the best travel lenses for all-around use.
It allows you to choose between different focal lengths to capture images. It doesn’t matter if you’re taking architecture or wildlife shots.
From wide to telephoto, this Sony all-in-one lens makes it easy to adjust your frame or angle of view. There’s no need to switch between various lenses to capture that moment in front of you.
Despite its wide focal range, this zoom lens is still lightweight and easy to pack, which is highly convenient when traveling.
Moreover, the Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS features a built-in Optical SteadyShot technology. This lens stabilization is handy when shooting handheld or at longer focal lengths.
The only downside is that it’s not the fastest lens on the market. Its widest aperture is only f/3.5, which is not the best for low-light situations.
Nevertheless, it performs well in other conditions and delivers high-quality travel photos. This is the reason why we chose it as our overall best choice.
Sony 35mm F1.8 OSS – Best Travel Portrait Lens
The Sony 35mm F1.8 OSS is one of the best prime lenses for the Sony a6000. Despite its fixed focal length, it is quite versatile.
This travel lens gives you a natural-looking field of view. It has minimal distortion, especially when compared to wide-angle lenses. As such, it is suitable for most types of travel photography, including portraits and street photography.
Another factor that makes this Sony travel lens an excellent option is its maximum aperture. It is fast and flexible at f/1.8, making it ideal in various lighting conditions.
Plus, with its 35mm focal range, you can capture beautiful shallow focus or bokeh shots. You can even enjoy total control over the depth of field when using this manual focus lens.
Finally, the Sony 35mm F1.8 OSS includes a built-in Optical SteadyShot. This feature comes in handy if you’re into travel videography.
We just find it quite disappointing that this isn’t a weather-sealed lens, considering its price. But it’s still an excellent prime lens if you’re mainly shooting portraits. For these reasons, we include it on our list of the best travel photography lens for Sony a6000.
Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN – Best Prime Lens
The Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN is the only third-party lens on our list, but it’s one of the best travel lenses for the Sony a6000.
It features a fixed wide focal length at 16mm. This wide-angle lens can fit more elements in the frame, ideal for travel and street photography.
With a large maximum aperture of f/1.4, this prime lens performs well in low-light situations. It also delivers incredible depth of field in your images. Therefore, it is ideal for nighttime landscape photography.
Furthermore, this Sigma lens is an excellent choice for travel vloggers. It has a fast and responsive autofocus feature, making it easy to film just about any situation.
Packed with powerful features, the Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN is reasonably more expensive than other travel lenses on this list. We’re just a little disappointed because of the lack of built-in image stabilization. We also find it quite bulky, which makes it hard to carry everywhere. Finally, remember that this is not a zoom lens. You need to move towards or away from your subject physically.
Nevertheless, this is a good prime lens for wide angle shots and landscape photography.
Sony 10-18mm F4 OSS – Best Wide-Angle Lens
The Sony 10-18mm F4 OSS is one of the best wide-angle travel lenses for the Sony a6000. It offers a broad focal length between 10-18mm and a constant aperture at f/4.
Using this ultra wide angle lens, you can capture expansive cityscapes and sweeping skylines without worrying about the aperture. You can also shoot interior and exterior buildings in great detail.
Moreover, the Sony 10-18mm F4 OSS has a built-in Optical SteadyShot. Owing to this feature, you can easily take landscape shots handheld or at slower shutter speeds.
The only downside is that it’s expensive. For a similar price point, you can get the Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS, which is an all-in-one lens. But depending on your needs, the higher price point of the Sony 10-18mm F4 OSS might be worth the investment. It is among the best travel lenses for Sony cameras.
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 – Best for Wildlife
If you need to take photos at long-range distances, consider a telephoto lens like the Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3.
Thanks to its long focal range, this native Sony lens allows you to capture subjects that are far away. It is ideal for wildlife and bird photography.
The Sony zoom lens also has a built-in image stabilization. It effectively reduces blur when shooting at slow shutter speeds.
With these features in mind, the Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 offers great value for your money. It only costs half the other lenses on this list, but it has (more or less) the same features.
However, don’t expect the best image quality when using this travel lens. It has a variable aperture, meaning that the lens opening does not stay constant throughout the entire zoom range. So if you change the focal range in low light situations, photos will not be as sharp and detailed as the other lenses.
Nevertheless, it still delivers stunning travel and landscape shots, especially at an affordable price point. It is one of the best telephoto lenses for Sony a6000.
Frequently Asked Questions
What lenses work with the Sony a6000?
The Sony a6000 uses the standard E-mount lenses, which are intended for APS-C sensors. As of this writing, Sony offers more than 30 E-mount lenses, which gives you lots of options.
Can I use FE lenses on the Sony a6000?
Sony produced the FE-mount lenses for its full-frame cameras. However, you can still use the FE-mount lenses on the Sony a6000.
Can I use Canon or Nikon lenses on Sony a6000?
Yes, it’s possible to use Canon or Nikon lenses on the Sony a6000 as long as you have an adapter.
However, we don’t recommend using such lenses because they have difficulty fixating on a subject, especially when using auto-focus. Non-native lenses can also lead to distorted and vignetted images and videos, which can be hard to fix in editing.
While you’re packing for your trip, go ahead and grab an extra SD card or two for your kit.
Conclusion
We hope this article helped you decide which travel lens to buy for your Sony a6000.
We chose the Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS as the overall best. It features a variable focal length, which is suitable for all-around use. It also has a built-in Optical SteadyShot that comes in handy for shooting handheld.
Visit this link to purchase the Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS here.