22 Best Sony A6400 Lenses in 2023: The Ultimate Guide

Last updated: October 18th, 2023

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Are you looking for the best lenses for Sony A6400 but aren’t sure where to start? Here are the absolute best Sony A6400 lenses for all kinds of photography, from portraits to wildlife.

The top tips in this guide are based on my 15+ years of experience as a pro photographer.

There’s literally an ocean of lenses that are compatible with the Sony A6400, so in this guide, I’ll help you figure out which ones are most suited for your interests and needs.

But before we go into details, here’s our top pick for the best all around lens for Sony A6400.

📸 The Best Sony A6400 Lenses: A Quick Overview

This guide covers a lot of lenses, so here’s a quick summary of our absolute top picks. These lenses cover all kinds of photography, and you can find their detailed reviews further down.

🔍 The Best Zoom Lens for Sony A6400

A zoom lens allows the camera to smoothly change from a long shot to a close-up (or vice versa) by varying the focal length. Zoom lenses are great for casual everyday shots as well as travel photos as they’re very flexible and allow you to shoot from varying distances.

See more best Sony A6400 zoom lenses

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👧🏻 The Best Portrait Lens for Sony A6400

The best portrait lenses are prime lenses with a focal length of 50mm or longer. These lenses have very wide apertures, allowing you to create stunning bokeh, a shallow depth of field, and better subject-background separation — all of which would enhance your portraits.

See more best Sony A6400 portrait lenses

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🏞 The Best Wide Angle Lens for Sony A6400

Ever seen a scenery so grand that it just does not fit into your frame? That’s what wide-angle lenses are for. These lenses have a maximum focal length of 24mm and are perfect for capturing wide landscapes, grandiose architecture, and close everyday surroundings.

See more best Sony A6400 wide angle lenses

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🎥 The Best Video Lens for Sony A6400

A good video lens should have a fixed aperture for smooth transitions, a wide max aperture for beautiful bokeh, and image stabilization to prevent blurs. If you’re planning to vlog, go for a wide-angle lens with a minimum focus distance of around 0.30 m (1 ft) or less.

See more best Sony A6400 video lenses

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⚙️ The Best Prime Lens for Sony A6400

A prime lens has a fixed focal length (e.g. 50mm rather than 17-50mm), and typically, an aperture of f/2.8 or wider. This essentially makes it a bokeh king. For this reason, prime lenses are most commonly used for portraits, but are also very useful for videos and everyday shots.

See more best Sony A6400 prime lenses

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🐝 The Best Macro Lens for Sony A6400

Macro lenses allow you to get incredibly detailed close-ups of microscopic subjects, such as insects, flowers, and water droplets. These specialized lenses can focus extremely close to a subject so that it appears large in your photo, and every tiny detail can be seen.

See more best Sony A6400 macro lenses

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✈️ The Best Travel Lens for Sony A6400

If you’re looking to travel with your Sony A6400, you’ll want a small, lightweight, and portable lens. A versatile zoom range will also come in handy if you want to shoot a variety of things. If you want to capture starry nights or architecture, consider a low-light lens too.

See more best Sony A6400 travel lenses

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🦉 The Best Telephoto Lens for Sony A6400

Telephoto lenses are typically used to shoot wildlife, sports, and other far-away subjects. They also allow you to zoom in on landscapes to capture creative perspectives. Telephoto lenses typically have a minimum focal length of 70mm and can go up to 600mm or more.

See more best Sony A6400 telephoto lenses

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💰 The Best Budget Lens for Sony A6400

There are plenty of high-quality budget-friendly lenses for the Sony A6400, including macro, portrait, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses. These lenses are typically pretty compact and lightweight, too. Expect to spend up to $300 USD for a good budget Sony A6400 lens.

See more best Sony A6400 budget lenses

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📷 The Best Lenses for Sony A6400 in 2023: Reviews

📸 Note: The Sony A6400 mirrorless camera uses the Sony E-mount and has an APS-C sensor, which means that any lens with a Sony or third-party E-mount is compatible with this camera.

⭐️ Best All-Around Lens: Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 ⭐️

The best value standard zoom lens that you can get for any Sony APS-C mirrorless

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

📸 What makes it the overall best lens for Sony A6400:

The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is an incredibly versatile everyday zoom lens that offers spectacular value for money. Its bright f/2.8 aperture makes it a wonderful upgrade from the Sony A6400 kit lens, yet it’s still very beginner-friendly and easy to use.

With this lens’s great zoom range, you can shoot a wide variety of photos, including portraits, landscapes, events, and street shots. It also focuses very closely, so it’s quite useful for macro (detailed close-ups) too.

This lens delivers outstanding image quality. Even when shooting wide open, it is beautifully sharp throughout the frame. Autofocus is very fast, accurate, and silent.

Thanks to this lens’s built-in image stabilization and fixed f/2.8 aperture, it is also fantastic for videos, bokeh, and low-light situations such as starry nights.

On the downside, there are no physical controls on this lens for stabilization or focus modes, so you’ll have to change them through the menu system in your camera. This lens also shows strong onion ring bokeh, which isn’t for everyone.

Overall, though, given its great price, there’s really no standard zoom Sony APS-C lens that offers better value for money.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a versatile general-purpose zoom lens that offers fantastic image quality, beautiful bokeh, and good video capability.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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📸 Best Everyday Zoom Lenses for Sony A6400

While the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 is our top pick, there are many other great zoom lenses out there. Here are some more excellent general-purpose Sony A6400 zoom lenses.

💎 Best Premium Zoom Lens: Sony 16-55mm F2.8

The best standard zoom lens for the utmost image quality — ideal for professionals

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G is the best lens for you if you’re after the ultimate image quality. In fact, while it’s much more expensive than the above-mentioned Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8, this lens is a better choice for professionals and serious amateurs.

Compared to the Tamron lens, it’s 1mm longer on the wide-angle side and has more physical controls. It also prevents aberrations, reflections, flares, and ghosting better than the Tamron lens, which is more prone to distortions and ghosting.

With this premium Sony lens, you’ll get outstandingly sharp images throughout the zoom range. Autofocus is also very fast, quiet, and precise. This lens delivers sharp and noise-free images in low-light conditions too, so it’s great for starry nights as well.

Bokeh on this lens is incredibly smooth, whereas the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 suffers from strong onion ring bokeh. If you’re an amateur, this probably wouldn’t matter, but professionals might care about this distinction.

Note that unlike the Tamron lens, the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G lacks image stabilization, so if you’re planning to shoot videos, you’ll probably want to pair it with a gimbal to get smooth results. The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 is also better for macro & portrait shots.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want the utmost image quality & professional-level results and are willing to pay whatever it takes.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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🎈 Best “Do-It-All” Lens: Sony 18-135mm F3.5-5.6

A highly versatile lens that combines travel-friendliness and telephoto reach

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS is a highly versatile lens that can shoot just about anything — from landscapes and portraits to wildlife, and even some close-ups, too.

Despite its generous focal range, this lens is super light and easy to carry everywhere. This makes it one of the best value zoom lenses for the Sony A6400; instead of switching between different lenses, you can just use this one compact all-in-one lens to do it all.

This lens delivers outstanding image quality. Central sharpness is excellent even when shooting wide-open at 135mm. Distortions and vignetting are minimal, and autofocus is very fast, accurate, and silent.

This lens also comes with built-in image stabilization, so you can get sharp and blur-free shots even when shooting handheld at slower shutter speeds. Thanks to its close focusing distance and 0.29x magnification ratio, this lens can also be used for casual macro shots.

Note that this lens is not weather-sealed. Its narrow aperture also doesn’t make it the best lens for bokeh or low-light photography. In fact, when shooting in dim lighting, you might need to use noise-inducing ISO settings.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a high-quality, travel-friendly lens with a mighty zoom range so that you don’t have to switch between different lenses.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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🎥 Best Zoom Lens for Videos: Sony 18-105mm F4

A versatile “do-it-all” lens that’s especially suitable for everyday videos & vlogging

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS is another “do-it-all” lens that in all honesty, can’t match up to the above-mentioned Sony 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 in terms of sharpness and portability.

However, it still delivers decently good image quality and more importantly, is a fantastic lens for videos. It’s got a big focal range, built-in image stabilization, and unlike the Sony 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 — a fixed aperture which comes in very handy for videos.

This lens’s large focal range makes it suitable for a wide variety of videos. At the shorter end, 18mm is perfect for vlogs, and at the longer end, 105mm is amazing for close-ups with smooth bokeh.

Moreover, the fixed f/4 aperture allows the exposure level of your videos to stay constant as you zoom in and out — making the transitions look very smooth and natural.

This lens is also equipped with image stabilization, which prevents blurs and shakes when you’re shooting handheld videos.

On the downside, sharpness is a bit lacking at the edges of the frame, and there’s also visible pincushion distortion (straight lines bending inward). This lens is also quite bulky and not weather-sealed.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a large zoom range suitable for a variety of videos. (If you’re mostly going to shoot stills, the Sony 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 will deliver much better overall image quality.)

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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👧🏻 Best Portrait Lenses for Sony A6400

To take the best portraits on the Sony A6400, look for a prime lens with a focal length of 50mm or longer. Prime lenses have very fast apertures, which allow you to achieve sharp subject-background separation through shallow depths of field and stunning bokeh.

You can also go for a 30mm or 35mm prime lens for wider shots such as environmental portraits and street photography. These focal lengths are also great for casual everyday shots and are more versatile compared to the longer 50mm+ prime lenses.

Here are the best Sony A6400 prime lenses for portraits.

👧🏻 The Best Value Portrait Lens: Sony E 50mm F1.8

Ultra-light, affordable & offers everything you could possibly need in a portrait lens

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is hands down one of the best Sony A6400 portrait lenses you can invest in. This ultra-light and affordable prime lens packs incredible value into its low price tag and has very few flaws.

Even when shooting at f/1.8, this lens is sharp, especially in the center of the frame. It also focuses quickly and silently. There’s practically no distortion, and the fast f/1.8 aperture produces beautifully smooth bokeh.

This lens also comes with image stabilization, which makes it very useful in low-light situations as it’ll allow you to shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds without seeing blurs. Stabilization will also help you shoot smooth handheld videos.

Note that this lens isn’t weather-sealed, and at fast apertures, there are some chromatic aberrations at the edges of the frame. You can remove chromatic aberrations in just a few clicks on Adobe Lightroom, though.

All in all, if you’re looking for an affordable lens with all the important traits needed for stunning portrait shots, then look no further than the Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a budget-friendly prime lens that gives you all you could ever need for taking stunning portraits.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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👧🏻 The Sharpest Portrait Lens: Sigma 56mm F1.4

The best Sony A6400 portrait lens for razor-sharp results & the creamiest bokeh

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is the best portrait lens for you if you’re very picky about sharpness and really want the crispiest and sharpest photos possible (without spending an arm and a leg).

In fact, this lens is significantly sharper than the previously mentioned Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS. It also delivers even creamier bokeh thanks to its faster aperture.

As mentioned before, this lens is razor-sharp from edge to edge, even wide-open at f/1.4. It also focuses quickly and silently, and has a premium build quality.

Thanks to this lens’s f/1.4 aperture, you can expect sharp and blur-free shots even in low-light conditions. For its small size and low price tag, this lens truly offers fantastic value.

On the downside, the lack of image stabilization doesn’t make this the best lens for videos. If you’re planning to shoot videos in addition to stills, then the Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is without a doubt a better option.

This lens also isn’t weather-sealed and has visible pincushion distortion (straight lines bending inward). The latter is a one-click fix on Lightroom, though.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want the sharpest, crispiest portrait shots and the creamiest, smoothest bokeh.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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👧🏻 Best Portrait + Everyday Lens: Sigma 30mm F1.4

The most versatile Sony A6400 portrait lens — very budget-friendly with incredible value

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is the best lens for you if you prefer to have a bit more flexibility with your portrait lens.

This lens’s 30mm field of view is closer to the normal eye level and allows you to capture a lot more of your surroundings than a 50mm lens would. As a result, this versatile portrait lens is also great for general everyday shots and street photography.

This lens delivers spectacular image quality. It is extremely sharp across the frame even at f/1.4, and focuses very quickly and silently even in dim lighting.

Its super-fast aperture will allow you to capture sharp, noise-free, and blur-free shots even in low-light situations. On top of that, bokeh is super creamy and beautiful.

Given that this lens is also very budget-friendly and compact, it truly is one of the best value portrait lenses for any Sony APS-C mirrorless.

Note that this lens lacks image stabilization, so it’s not ideal for videos. It isn’t weather-sealed, and there’s also some barrel distortion and chromatic aberrations. However, both of those things can be easily corrected in post-processing via Lightroom.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a top-notch portrait lens that’s also useful for general everyday shots.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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👧🏻 Best Close-Up Portrait Lens: Sony 85mm F1.8

A top-value mid-range telephoto lens perfect for headshots, events, sports & bokeh

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 is a full-frame lens that works perfectly well on the Sony A6400. When mounted on the Sony A6400, its field of view is equivalent to a 130mm full-frame focal length, which makes this lens perfect for close-up portraits and headshots.

This mid-range telephoto lens is also very useful for events, sports, and discreet street photography as it allows you to capture subjects from a large distance.

This lens offers exceptional value for money. It’s extremely sharp edge-to-edge at every aperture. It’s also distortion-free and has great flare/ghost control. Autofocus is not only fast and reliable but also completely silent.

This is the ultimate A6400 portrait lens for creamy and smooth bokeh thanks to its super long focal length and f/1.8 aperture. Plus, despite the lack of image stabilization, this lens demonstrates fantastic low-light performance thanks to its bright aperture.

On top of that, for a lens of its kind, it’s also relatively small, lightweight, and inexpensive. In fact, it is the most affordable 85mm prime lens with autofocus for the Sony A6400.

The only downside is that there’s strong vignetting at wider apertures, though that’s very easy to fix in post-processing.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a telephoto portrait lens to shoot headshots, events, sports, performances, and other situations where the subject is far away.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

🔮 If you’re planning to shoot portraits and lots of detailed close-ups, check out my review for the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS. It’s a specialized macro lens that also doubles as an incredibly sharp portrait lens.

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🏞 Best Wide Angle Lenses for Sony A6400

Wide-angle lenses allow more of the scene to be included in the photo, which is very useful for landscape, architectural, and interior photography, where you may not be able to move farther from the scene to include it all in the frame.

An APS-C wide-angle lens has a maximum focal length of 24mm. Here are the best Sony A6400 wide angle lenses.

🏞 Best Value Wide-Angle Lens: Sigma 16mm F1.4

A budget-friendly lens that delivers premium-quality performance — even in low light

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is an extremely sharp wide-angle lens that can tackle a variety of low-light situations. It’s very budget-friendly, and yet, delivers premium image quality — offering spectacular value for money.

This lens is outstandingly sharp edge-to-edge, even when shooting wide-open, which is truly impressive. That, paired with its fast aperture, makes it great for shooting starry skies.

This lens is also fantastic for bokeh (providing you shoot subjects from a close distance). Autofocus performance is superb as well; it grabs focus impressively fast in both bright and dim lighting conditions and tracks moving subjects very easily.

On top of that, this lens’s build quality is very sturdy, weather-sealed, and made to endure difficult conditions. Distortions and flares are also very low and barely noticeable.

Note that this lens provides no image stabilization, but to be honest, its bright aperture takes away the need for it. You’ll be able to get sharp and blur-free handheld shots in low light anyway. For handheld videos, though, I recommend using a gimbal stabilizer.

Overall, it’s truly hard to find a better wide-angle lens at this price point.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want an incredibly sharp wide-angle lens that’s weather-sealed and performs extremely well in low-light situations.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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🏞 Best Wide-Angle Zoom Lens: Sony 10-18mm F4

A very travel-friendly ultra-wide zoom that packs incredible value in a tiny package

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS is an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens that packs incredible performance and strong optics all in one tiny, lightweight lens.

It’s the widest wide-angle zoom lens you can get for the Sony A6400, and it’s an amazing gear to travel with. Given its useful focal range and compact build, it’s perfect to bring on any hiking and backpacking trip.

This lens delivers excellent sharpness even when shooting wide-open at f/4. Both chromatic aberrations and distortions are well-controlled, too. This stabilized lens is also great for vlogs and handheld videos.

Thanks to its fixed f/4 aperture and built-in image stabilization, this lens performs decently well in low-light conditions. It’s obviously not the same as having an f/2.8 lens, but you can get some pretty decent dark sky shots with this lens.

Note that while this lens focuses quickly under bright lighting conditions, it can struggle to focus accurately in dim lighting conditions or with subjects of low contrast.

Also, given its relatively high price tag, it’s a shame that this lens isn’t weather-sealed.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a light & travel-friendly wide-angle zoom lens that delivers fantastic image quality and works decently in low light.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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🏞 Top Ultra-Wide Angle Lens: Laowa 9mm F2.8

A very travel-friendly lens that delivers close-to-zero distortion & premium optics

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D is one of the widest wide-angle lenses you can find for the Sony A6400. The most notable thing about it is that it has close-to-zero distortion and delivers a level of performance that’s very rare for lenses this wide.

In fact, this lens offers premium-quality optics and build, which for its very reasonable price, is fantastic value for money. It’s also impressively small and compact, making it perfect to travel with.

This lens is incredibly sharp edge-to-edge and really shows close-to-zero distortion: straight lines remain perfectly straight all the way to the edges of the frame.

Planning to shoot in dim lighting conditions? This is the lens to get. In fact, it’s one of the best Sony A6400 astrophotography lenses thanks to its ultra-wide field of view, fast aperture, and great coma control.

On the downside, this lens lacks autofocus, so you’ll have to get used to focusing manually. There’s also no image stabilization and some visible vignetting at all apertures.

Overall, this lens is truly a gem: other ultra-wide-angle lenses with a similar focal length are much heavier and twice as expensive, or simply don’t offer an aperture as wide as f/2.8.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want an ultra-wide field of view and don’t mind focusing manually.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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🏞 Top Medium-Wide Angle Lens: Sony 24mm F1.8

An extremely sharp wide-angle lens that’s great for environmental portraits as well

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* E 24mm f/1.8 ZA is a compact and travel-friendly wide-angle lens with a focal length that’s closer to the normal eye level. This makes it very suitable for environmental portraits and street shots in addition to wide landscapes and architecture.

This lens is also very useful in low-light conditions thanks to its bright aperture. Image quality is absolutely phenomenal, too. Even when shooting wide-open at f/1.8, it delivers exceptional sharpness edge-to-edge.

This lens also has really good ghost and flare control, and very low distortion. It focuses with great speed and accuracy, too.

Normally, wide-angle lenses aren’t the best for bokeh, but because this lens focuses super closely (0.16 m / 0.52 ft), it’s capable of achieving a beautiful shallow depth of field and superb bokeh.

Note that there’s some vignetting when shooting wide-open, no image stabilization, and no weather-sealing on this lens. This lens also isn’t cheap.

With that said, if you’re looking for a medium-wide-angle lens with exceptional image quality, then it’s hard to find a better choice.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a wide-angle lens with a field of view that’s closer to the normal eye level and you’re a fan of bokeh & shallow depths of field.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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💸 Top Budget Wide-Angle Lens: Rokinon 12mm F2.0

An ultra-wide lens that delivers professional results & spectacular low-light performance

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS (AKA Samyang 12mm f/2.0 — it’s the exact same lens; different in name only) is a budget-friendly wide-angle prime lens that delivers way beyond a budget performance.

In fact, this lens gives professional results, spectacular image quality, and very impressive low-light performance. For its low price tag, it truly offers excellent value for money.

This lens has a sturdy build and is super light and compact. Despite all that, image quality isn’t compromised one bit: it is super sharp throughout the frame, even wide-open at f/2.0. Distortions are minimal, and the little you see can be easily corrected via Adobe Lightroom.

Coma control is also very impressive, which, combined with the fast aperture and ultra-wide field of view, makes this lens fantastic for astrophotography, too.

Note that this lens lacks autofocus, so you’re limited to focusing manually. Keep in mind that if you’re planning to shoot in really dim lighting, autofocus would be pretty useless in those scenarios, so you’d have to focus manually anyway.

In addition, chromatic aberrations are quite visible at the edges of the frame, but you can easily remove them via post-processing on Lightroom.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want to budget as much as possible for a wide-angle lens without compromising on image quality and performance.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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🎥 Best Video Lenses for Sony A6400

There are a couple of things to look for when choosing the best video lens for Sony A6400.

First, look for a lens with a fixed aperture. This ensures that the exposure level of your video stays constant as you zoom in and out — making these transitions look smooth and natural.

You might also want a lens with a wide fixed aperture (f/2.8 or wider) for beautiful bokeh and good low-light performance.

A good Sony A6400 video lens should also have built-in image stabilization. This prevents videos that are shot handheld from coming out shaky or blurry. If your preferred lens doesn’t come with image stabilization, you can pair it with a video stabilizer kit.

If you’re looking for the best vlogging lens for Sony A6400, consider a wide-angle lens (max 24mm focal length) with a minimum focusing distance of around 0.30 m (1 ft) or less so that you can easily stay in focus while talking to the camera.

Here are some of the best Sony A6400 lenses for videos in 2023.

☀️ Best everyday Sony A6400 video lens: Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
This sharp lens has a great general-purpose zoom range, image stabilization, and a fixed wide aperture that’s great for bokeh & low light. Its close focusing distance of 0.19 m (0.62 ft) at 17mm also makes it fantastic for vlogs.

🎥 Best Sony A6400 vlogging lens: Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS
This wide-angle lens has a close focusing distance of 0.25 m (0.82 ft), which is perfect for talking to the camera. You can also showcase more of your surroundings with this lens’s wide field of view. This lens also has image stabilization and a fixed aperture.

🎈 Best “do-it-all” Sony A6400 video lens: Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS
This versatile lens’s big focal range is perfect for both close-ups and vlogs. It also has image stabilization and a fixed aperture. Bokeh is great at the longer focal lengths. For its generous focal range, this lens is also pretty lightweight.

💸 Best budget Sony A6400 video lens: Sony E 50mm F1.8 OSS
This lens is affordable, stabilized, and has a fixed wide aperture that’s great for bokeh and low-light videos. Keep in mind that its fixed 50mm focal length is not wide enough for vlogs, though — at least not when you need to talk to the camera.

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🦉 Best Telephoto Lenses for Sony A6400

To take close-up shots of wildlife or subjects far away from you, you’ll need a good telephoto lens, which typically has a minimum focal length of 70mm and will allow you to capture subjects from a large distance.

If you want to maximize reach, go for a super-telephoto lens, which typically has a focal length of 300mm or more. Here are the best Sony A6400 telephoto lenses.

🦉 Best Value Tele Lens: Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3

A very versatile & compact telephoto lens that delivers outstanding image quality

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS is a very impressive telephoto lens that packs big performance into a small package. In fact, for a lens of its focal range, it’s very lightweight and compact — without compromising one bit on image quality.

This lens’s generous focal range makes it very versatile. In fact, it’s suitable for a variety of photos, including sports, wildlife, discreet street shots, and close-up landscapes. It also has some macro capability, too!

This lens is outstandingly sharp edge-to-edge throughout the zoom range, even wide-open. Autofocus is very rapid, and accurate, and essentially silent. It also tracks moving subjects really well, which comes in very handy for wildlife photography.

This lens also has image stabilization, which keeps your handheld shots sharp and blur-free even at 350mm. Ghosts and flares are really well-controlled, and chromatic aberrations are minimal too. Bokeh is nice and creamy at the longer end, especially at 350mm.

There’s some pincushion distortion, which you can fix with just one click on Lightroom. Because of its dim aperture, this lens is also not the best for low-light situations.

At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a top-notch, versatile telephoto lens that’s also decently lightweight, then look no further than the Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want an outstandingly sharp, versatile, and portable telephoto lens that’s useful for a variety of situations.

🛒 Check latest price on Amazon

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🦉 Best Budget Tele Lens: Sony 55-210mm F4.5-6.3

The smallest, lightest & most affordable telephoto lens for the Sony A6400

🛒 See price on Amazon

A closer look:

The Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS is significantly less expensive than the previously mentioned Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS. However, it has very mediocre image quality.

With that said, if photography is purely a fun hobby for you and you simply want the most affordable telephoto lens possible, then this is definitely a great choice.

This lens comes with image stabilization, which will help you get blur-free handheld shots even at 210mm. And even though it’s not weather-sealed, build quality is decently solid.

This lens is also super light and travel-friendly, especially for a telephoto lens. Autofocus is reasonably fast and silent, and bokeh is reasonably good at 210mm. At 55mm f/4.5, this lens is very sharp edge-to-edge.

However, sharpness drops significantly once you reach the telephoto zoom range. Between 130mm and 210mm, image quality falls below the minimum standard of what’s considered sharp, and you’d have to stop down to about f/8 to get sharp results, which can be limiting.

There’s also some pincushion distortion and vignetting, though both of them can be easily fixed on Adobe Lightroom. This lens is also not great for low-light situations because of its narrow aperture range.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want the most affordable & lightest telephoto lens and are happy to sacrifice some image quality to get that.

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🌃 Best Low-Light Tele Lens: Tamron 70-180mm F2.8

The best Sony A6400 telephoto lens for low-light conditions & gorgeous bokeh

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A closer look:

The Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD packs incredible quality and performance all in a very reasonable price tag. In fact, it’s hands down the best value fast-aperture telephoto lens you can get for the Sony A6400.

This is a full-frame lens, so when mounted on the Sony A6400, you’ll get a 105-270mm full-frame equivalent field of view, which is a great zoom range for a variety of photos, such as sports, events, wildlife, and portraits.

If you value bokeh quality and low-light performance, then this is the telephoto lens for you. Its bright aperture will allow you to get beautifully smooth bokeh and high-quality, noise-free shots even in dim lighting conditions.

This lens is very sharp in the center even wide-open, throughout the zoom range. Corner-sharpness is also very impressive, although you’ll see some soft edges at 180mm.

Autofocus is very fast, silent, and accurate. Ghosts and flares are very well-controlled, and the lens’s sturdy build is resistant to dust and splash.

Note that this lens lacks image stabilization, so if you’re planning to shoot with a very slow shutter speed at 180mm, you might want to use a tripod. If you’re planning to do a lot of low-light work, a tripod would be necessary anyway.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a fast-aperture telephoto lens so that you can get the creamiest bokeh and high-quality low-light shots.

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🦉 Best Super Tele Lens: Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 

The best value Sony A6400 lens for wildlife photography & super far away subjects

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A closer look:

The Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM is a full-frame lens that when mounted on the Sony A6400, gives you a whopping 150-600mm full-frame equivalent field of view.

Thanks to its mighty telephoto reach, this is the ultimate telephoto lens for wildlife. It’s also amazing for sports and close-up landscapes.

This lens is very sharp edge-to-edge across the whole zoom range. Under bright lighting conditions, it focuses very quickly and accurately. It also effortlessly tracks fast-moving subjects, such as birds.

This lens is also equipped with image stabilization, so you can get sharp and blur-free handheld shots even at 400mm. Distortions, flares, color-fringing, and ghosting are all kept at a minimum level, too.

Overall, image quality is nothing short of spectacular, and when you take into account the generous focal range and reasonable price, there’s truly exceptional value for money here.

Note that this lens doesn’t fare well in dim lighting due to its narrow aperture. Autofocus is quite slow in low light, and your low-light shots are also likely to be grainy. Bokeh generally isn’t the smoothest either. This lens also isn’t weather-sealed.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: focal reach is your #1 priority — you want a top value telephoto lens that lets you reach super far (especially useful when shooting wildlife).

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🔍 Best Macro Lenses for Sony A6400

Macro lenses are specialized in capturing extremely detailed close-up shots of small subjects such as insects, flowers, and water droplets.

These lenses have a 1:1 magnification ratio, which ensures the subject appears large in your photo. They also have a close focusing distance of around 0.30 m (0.98 ft) or less so that every tiny detail of the subject can be seen.

To get macro shots of insects and bugs, consider a lens with a focal length of at least 60mm so that you can shoot from further away — if you get too close to them, you might scare them away. For medium-sized subjects like flowers, food, or products, any focal length above 30mm would suffice.

🐝 The Best Budget Macro Lens: Sony 30mm F3.5

The smallest, lightest & most affordable macro lens for the Sony A6400

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A closer look:

The Sony E 30mm f/3.5 Macro is the smallest, lightest, and most affordable macro lens for the Sony A6400. Its field of view is perfectly versatile, making it great not just for detailed close-ups, but also for general everyday shots.

With that said, this is not the best lens to shoot insects with, and it’s also not the most ideal macro lens, but if you’re on a tight budget, then look no further.

Overall, this lens delivers impressive image quality. It is extremely sharp at the center of the frame even at f/3.5. The edges are soft, but this shouldn’t matter for macro shots anyway and actually gives you a good depth of field.

This lens focuses very fast and silently, and there are no visible distortions or flares. You’ll also get smooth and creamy bokeh since you can focus really up close.

The main downside of this lens is that given its short 30mm focal length and very close minimum focusing distance of 0.09 m (0.32 ft), you’ll need to get very close to the subject you’re shooting in order to get 1:1 magnification.

This can lead you to block out light and cast unwanted shadows, and, if you’re shooting insects or bugs, they might get scared by you getting too close and fly away. This lens is also not a low-light king given its narrow aperture.

📸 Insider Tip: If you’re looking for a general-purpose prime lens that can tackle low-light situations as well, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN is a far better choice. Though it’s not a specialized macro lens, it does offer decent close-up capability.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want the lightest & most affordable macro lens and don’t need edge-to-edge sharpness, low-light performance, or the best insect shots.

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🐝 The Best Value Macro Lens: Sigma 70mm F2.8

An affordable macro lens that delivers top-notch image quality & low-light performance

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A closer look:

The Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art is an affordable macro lens with outstanding performance. If you want to take top-notch macro shots without spending a fortune, then this is definitely the best lens to go for.

Though this lens is a bit more expensive than the above-mentioned Sony 30mm f/3.5 Macro, it also produces sharper results and is overall a much better lens for detailed close-ups.

This lens offers spectacular value for money. It is razor-sharp edge-to-edge throughout the whole aperture range. It barely shows any distortions, ghosts, or flares, and chromatic aberrations are really well-controlled.

Its fast f/2.8 aperture also delivers very smooth bokeh and excellent low-light performance. For a lens of its kind, it’s also decently compact and very reasonably priced.

Note that autofocus is a bit slow. This doesn’t matter much if you’re shooting still subjects like flowers or food, but it’s not ideal for shooting fast-moving subjects like insects and bugs because they may fly away before your camera has had a chance to focus.

If you’re planning to shoot fast-moving subjects, I recommended going for the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro instead.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want a top-notch macro lens with edge-to-edge sharpness & great low-light performance, and don’t plan to shoot fast-moving subjects.

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🐝 The Ultimate Macro Lens: Sony FE 90mm F2.8

An extremely sharp lens that offers everything you could possibly need for macro shots

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A closer look:

The Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS is the ultimate lens to get if you’re serious about macro photography and want the most detailed and sharp results. In fact, this lens is one of the sharpest Sony lenses out there and doubles as a close-up portrait lens, too.

This is a full-frame lens, so when mounted on the Sony A6400, you’ll get a 135mm full-frame equivalent field of view, which lets you get super close to your subjects while still keeping a good working distance from them.

That’s why this is the best macro lens for microscopic subjects like bugs and insects — you can shoot comfortably from further away and won’t have to risk blocking out light or scaring them away by getting too close.

Moreover, when it comes to image quality, performance, and ease of use, it simply doesn’t get better than this lens. It is flawlessly sharp at all apertures, even wide-open. Bokeh is incredibly smooth and creamy, and autofocus is very fast and accurate.

This lens also performs fantastically in low-light situations and shows no distortions, flares, nor ghosts. It is also very user-friendly. To switch between autofocus and manual focus, you just need to push the focus ring out or pull it back in — there’s no need to flip a switch!

Unlike the previous two macro lenses mentioned in this guide, this lens also has built-in image stabilization, which makes it great for videos too. Moreover, its sturdy build is resistant to moisture and dust.

Note that autofocus can be a bit noisy, which might be disruptive when shooting in quiet environments. This lens is also not cheap. However, if you want to have everything you could possibly need for macro photography and more, then look no further than this lens.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want an extremely sharp lens that gives you everything you could possibly need for any kind of macro photography.

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🥞 Best Pancake Lens for Sony A6400

Pancake lenses sadly have nothing to do with delicious breakfast carbs or maple syrup. They’re simply incredibly small and lightweight lenses — so light that you’ll barely feel their weight at all. These lenses are great for travel and street photography in particular, especially if you’re a minimalist and prefer packing light.

🥞 Best Pancake Lens: Sony 20mm F2.8

The most lightweight & compact general-purpose lens for the Sony A6400

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A closer look:

The Sony E 20mm f/2.8 is one of the smallest lenses for the Sony A6400 that you can get. In fact, it weighs a mere 69 g (2.4 oz.) and will essentially make your Sony A6400 feel as light as a point-and-shoot.

Its wide and versatile focal length is great for a variety of photos such as landscapes, architecture, street photography, and general everyday shots. Despite its small size, there’s also little compromise on image quality.

Even though this isn’t the sharpest lens in the world, it still delivers great overall image quality. When shooting wide-open, this lens is sufficiently sharp across the frame. Autofocus is fast and silent, and flares and ghosts are well-controlled.

This lens’s fast aperture allows you to get sharp and blur-free shots even in low-light conditions. It’s also relatively affordable.

Note that there’s no image stabilization, although even without it, you should still be able to get blur-free shots at slow shutter speeds thanks to the bright f/2.8 aperture.

This lens also isn’t dust nor splash-resistant, and there’s some slight barrel distortion and vignetting, too. Both can be easily corrected on Lightroom, though.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you’re a minimalist and want the smallest and lightest high-quality lens you can find.

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🐠 Best Fisheye Lens for Sony A6400

A fisheye lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens that helps you create visuals from a fish eye’s perspective using strong distortions. If you’re looking to get creative and want to have some fun with your Sony A6400, then this is a great type of lens to experiment with.

🐠 Best Fisheye Lens: Rokinon 8mm F2.8

A top value wide-angle lens that’s perfect for both fisheye shots & astrophotography

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A closer look:

The Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 UMC Fisheye II (AKA Samyang 8mm f/2.8 — it’s the exact same lens; different in name only) is a small and lightweight lens that delivers great value for money.

It’s not only a wonderful everyday fisheye lens, but it’s also fantastic for astrophotography thanks to its ultra-wide focal length, fast f/2.8 aperture, and excellent coma control. This lens is also very affordable and demonstrates great image quality.

This lens is outstandingly sharp even wide-open, especially at the center of the frame. Edge-sharpness is impressive wide-open, too. The build quality of this lens is also very sturdy.

Thanks to this lens’s wide aperture, you can get sharp and noise-free shots even in low-light conditions. So it’s a great lens to use for beautiful Milky Way and starry night shots.

Note that there are visible chromatic aberrations towards the edges of the frame. This lens also lacks autofocus, so you’re limited to focusing manually. If you’re a beginner, this is very easy to learn, especially on an ultra-wide-angle lens like this one.

Overall, this is a top-value lens to capture creative and unique shots with your Sony A6400.

📸 In short, this lens is for you if: you want to explore your creativity and take more “unusual” shots without spending too much.

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💭 Final Thoughts on Sony A6400 Best Lenses

I hope this Sony A6400 lenses guide was helpful and that you’ve found some great options here. If you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment below. I’ll try my best to help you! 🙂

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I hope this comprehensive guide on the best lenses for Sony A6400 has been helpful!

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