While there are many DSLRs and cameras with interchangeable lenses nowadays, most photographers prefer using kit lenses. The main reason for this is that it might be difficult to choose the right lens for your camera. To facilitate this task, I have compiled the list of the best lenses for Sony A6500 that can easily outperform any kit lens your camera comes with.
Professional photographers know that it’s better to use an average camera with a high-quality lens than an advanced camera with plastic optics. However, it’s not enough for a lens to be made of glass to deliver great performance. This is why it’s crucial to know which features you need to pay attention to while choosing a lens.
Mount: E | Diaphragm blades: 7 | Autofocus: good | Min focus distance: 0.3m | Max magnification: 0.215x | Filter thread: 40 mm | Dimensions (WxL): 50mm | Weight: 4.09 ounces
⊕ Light and portable
⊕ Fast, noiseless autofocus
⊕ Image stabilization
⊕ Minimal focus breathing
⊖ Noisy zoom motor
This 16-50mm lens is retractable, which means that the length of its barrel can be extended. As it doesn’t weigh much, it is perfect for those who travel a lot and need to use portable equipment. You can adjust the aperture to make the background blurry.
Thanks to circular aperture blades, this travel lens for Sony A6500 creates a magnificent bokeh effect. Standard aperture blades are flat-sided and create polygonal out-of-focus points. Alpha lenses come with apertures that create circular shapes when being wide-open or closed by 2 stops. It accounts for a more defocused background with unusual bokeh.
Mount: FE | Diaphragm blades: 9 | Autofocus: good | Min focus distance: 90 cm | Max magnification: 0.31x | Filter thread: 70mm | Dimensions (WxL): 300 mm | Weight: 1.88 lbs
⊕ Impressive telephoto zoom range
⊕ Terrific image quality
⊕ Rugged design
⊖ A large f-stop number
This full-frame telephoto lens comes with an E-mount and boasts an advanced optical system consisting of 4 aspherical glass elements and 2 extra-low dispersion glass elements. Thanks to Sony’s signature Nano AR coating, you will hardly notice any signs of distortion, chromatic or spherical aberration. The Optical SteadyShot IS system accounts for impressive resolution when you take photos and capture video footage.
This lens for Sony A6500 comes with a round bayonet hood. The SEL70300G is easy to control thanks to convenient buttons and switches. You can use a focus hold button, switch between focus modes, limit focus range, use a zoom lock or Optical SteadyShot switch.
Mount: F | Diaphragm blades: 9 | Autofocus: good | Min focus distance: 0.8m | Max magnification: 0.13× | Filter thread: 82 mm | Dimensions (WxL): 85 mm | Weight: 371 g
⊕ Unprecedented sharpness
⊕ Virtually perfect drawing
⊕ Stunning bokeh
⊖ Chromatic aberrations
The Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 is extremely easy to use and delivers excellent performance. While it’s less expensive than most 85mm models, it produces high-quality images.
The only shortcoming of this portrait lens for Sony A6500 is that you might notice some flare when you take photos against the light source. If you can disregard it, it’s a nice option to consider. Impressive image quality makes this lens well worth its price. With this budget full-frame mid-telephoto prime lens, you can take pro-level portraits.
Mount: F | Diaphragm blades: 9 | Autofocus: good | Min focus distance: 80 cm | Max magnification: 0.12x | Filter thread: 79mm | Dimensions (WxL): 85mm | Weight: 2.16 pounds
⊕ STM Step Mute Motor
⊕ HD Nano multilayer coating
⊕ Firmware upgrade
⊖ Focusing issues
If you are a portrait photographer, you will benefit from using this 85mm prime lens with a max f/1.8 aperture as it allows you to capture images with a mesmerizing bokeh effect. It can be considered as one of the best lenses for Sony A6500. Its f/1.8 aperture allows it to collect more light even in the evening or when you are taking photos in a poorly-lit room.
The lens consists of 10 elements in 7 groups, with 1 ED, 4 short-wavelength and 1 high-transparent lens elements among them. The optical system minimizes chromatic aberration and delivers high contrast across the frame even with a wide-open aperture. It allows the lens to produce an image with impressive edge-to-edge sharpness.
Another advantage of this prime lens is its 9-blade circular aperture that enables you to take pictures with beautifully blurred backgrounds and naturally looking defocused light points. By using the bokeh effect, you can make the subject stand out.
Mount: E | Diaphragm blades: 7 | Autofocus: good | Min focus distance: 0.45m | Max magnification: 0.29x | Filter thread: 55 mm | Dimensions (WxL): 135 mm | Weight: 0.72 lbs
⊕ Portable
⊕ Great sharpness
⊕ Hardly noticeable distortion and vignette
⊖ Narrow aperture
This 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 lens is designed to suit an APS-C format sensor. It is compatible with Sony Alpha E-Mount cameras, delivers an outstanding 7.5x magnification and has a 35 mm equivalent focal length.
One aspherical and two ED-glass elements account for top-notch sharpness. The Optical SteadyShot IS system allows you to take sharp photos and videos. Released in 2018, it still can be considered as one of the best Sony Alpha A6500 lenses thanks to its ultra-fast autofocusing.
Mount: F | Diaphragm blades: 8 | Autofocus: good | Min focus distance: 40 cm| Max magnification: 0.113x | Filter thread: 49 mm | Dimensions (WxL): 35 mm | Weight: 10.4 ounces
⊕ Amazing background blur
⊕ Stunning bokeh
⊕ Slight vignette
⊖ Noticeable distortion
This lens boasts a large f/1.4-1.6 aperture that lets a lot of light in even in low-light conditions. The metal barrel is quite durable and easy to adjust. The lens is protected with a multi-layer coating. This wide angle lens for Sony A6500 is a great choice for landscape, product and portrait photographers.
It covers the image circle of an APS-C-format image sensor and has impressive visual angles. The lens consists of 8 elements in 5 groups. As it is manual, you will need to select the “M mode” or “Release without lens” options in your camera’s settings.
Thanks to the 35mm fixed focal length, this wide-angle model produces nice bokeh, which makes it suitable for close-up photography.
Mount: T | Diaphragm blades: 7 | Autofocus: goood | Min focus distance: 35 cm | Max magnification: 0.23× | Filter thread: 55 mm | Dimensions (WxL): 70 mm | Weight: 0.68 lbs
⊕ Great sharpness across the aperture range
⊕ OIS
⊕ Small-sized
⊖ Some blur at edges
Thanks to an advanced optical system, this mid-range model can be compared to the best lenses created by Carl Zeiss. It delivers unprecedented contrast and clarity across the frame. Featuring 4 aspherical elements and one ED-glass element, it produces a high-quality image.
Only central elements of the lens move, while the rest of them stay fixed, which accounts for better focus. Its other selling points are quick autofocusing and a short min focusing distance. You won’t need to rotate the filter thread at the front, which allows you to work with a polarizing filter more easily.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Sony 16-50mm
Our choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Sony 70-300mm
High quality |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Sony 85mm F/1.8-22
Compact |
CHECK PRICE → |
Manufacturers indicate a max aperture on all models. It is directly connected to the light-gathering capabilities of a lens and impacts how much light reaches the sensor. If an aperture lets in more light, it allows you to take terrific photos even in low-light conditions. It also accounts for reduced blur caused by camera shake. An aperture number is indicated in a specific format, such as f/2.8, or 1:2.8. If its quite small, your camera will collect more light. In theory, the best lens should come with an aperture number equal or close to 1. In reality, however, even the high-end models feature a max aperture of around f/1.2. For casual use, you can pick a lens with an aperture of between f/2.4 and f/3.2, depending on your budget. Lenses with large apertures, such as telephoto models, are more expensive as they are harder to make.
If you want to buy a zoom lens for Sony A6500, pay attention to 2 aperture numbers. For instance, they could be written like f/2.8–f/5.6. The smallest number tells you how much light the lens lets in when you use it at the widest angle. The other number indicates how it will perform at the maximum of its capacity.
If you want to purchase an interchangeable lens camera, pick a brand that offers a wide choice of high-quality options. For instance, Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras have compatible lens mounts. Before making a purchase, you need to check if it’s possible to use a camera body with lenses released by other companies. Panasonic and Olympus models can be used with Micro Four Thirds mounts, while Panasonic, Leica and Sigma are also perfectly compatible with L-mounts. Take note, that some brands release lenses that can’t be used with some of their camera bodies, so make sure to check if a lens actually matches your model.
Nikon created mirrorless lenses that are incompatible with DSLRs. If you intend to purchase a DSLR or mirrorless camera for beginners, most likely, it will come with an entry-level lens with magnification ranging from 18 to 55mm or from 14 to 42mm depending on the brand and model. Some people mistakenly believe that interchangeable lens cameras have better magnification. However, it could not be further from the truth. An 18-55mm model features a 3x magnification, which is far less impressive than what point-and-shoot cameras offer. Not to mention that the Nikon P1000 comes with a 125X zoom.
In most cases, an interchangeable lens allows for a maximum 10x magnification. However, it might be wrong to compare DSRL, mirrorless and point-and-shoot cameras. Interchangeable lens cameras deliver better image quality and weigh more if you compare them to portable options. They also have large sensors and need huge lenses. This is the main reason why compact cameras have better zoom. If you have a large model, you will need to buy several lenses to achieve the same magnification.
Fixed lenses are also called primes, as they come with a fixed focal length. In most cases, it equals 35mm or 50mm. As they don’t allow you to zoom in on objects, they are easy to use. With a prime lens for Sony A6500, you get decent image quality at an affordable price. If you use a 35mm lens, your camera will see what the human eye sees. Such lenses are perfect for taking portraits because they come with wide maximum apertures and deliver better image quality than zoom models.
Full-frame EE lenses can be mounted on the Sony A6500 camera with a 1.5x multiplication factor. However, it might be smarter to choose a lens created for this camera model, as it’s more lightweight and less expensive.
If you need a telephoto lens, take a look at the Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS or Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS. The Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS is a great wide-angle lens, while the Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN or Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 are more suitable for portraits. The Sony E 20mm f/2.8 is one of the best thin lenses on the market.
Sony designed a series of high-end lenses, such as the FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS. While the best lenses for Sony A6500 can easily outperform models offered by Sigma, the latter created more affordable lenses that deliver impressive performance. However, Sony lenses have a longer focal length which comes in handy when you need to capture photos of faraway subjects.
The 8 G Master is one of the sharpest lenses I have seen. Make sure to read its reviews to learn more about its features. If you need a wide-angle model, check out the Sony FE 12-24mm f/4G, the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM and the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.
