Sony A6600 recommended lenses and accessories

Sony A6600 Recommendations

I have previously made my recommendations for the Sony A6400.  One can read that article to find various recommended lenses and accessories for different types of shooters. This article will be a bit different. The Sony A6600 is extremely similar to the A6400, with a price tag $500 more, and a few key differences. With the difference in price and difference in features, I’m going to assume the Sony A6600 brings very specific types of shooters. As I’ll discuss below, those who do not fit the specific molds may be better off considering the cheaper Sony A6400 or the more expensive Sony A7iii.  Thus, the first question we will address is whether we recommend the Sony A6600 or one of the alternatives. The second issue will be the lenses and accessories that fit the best. (The Sony A6600 is scheduled to be released in late November, I’ve had the opportunity to do a little bit of shooting with it but I will fully review it after its release). If you just want to see recommended lenses and accessories, scroll down. 

[Pre-Order the Sony A6600 on Amazon / Adorama]

Sony A6600 And the Other options

The Sony A6600, the successor to the Sony A6500, is currently the high-end Sony aps-c camera. There are four Sony A6xxx cameras considered current: the aging entry level Sony A6000, the newest entry/mid Sony A6100, the mid level Sony A6400 introduced in early 2019, and the more recently introduced Sony A6600. While these cameras occupy various different price points, they are more similar than different in a lot of ways. Sony has not meaningfully upgraded the sensor since 2016, so the A6100, A6400, A6600 all share the same sensor as found in the discontinued Sony A6300 and Sony A6500. With the same sensor, all the cameras offer the same resolution and essentially the same potential image quality. Furthermore, with some subtle differences, they mostly share the same body, offering similar functionality and ergonomics. All three of the most recent models will shoot 11 frames per second. They share the same touch screen LCD, the same autofocus system. The more expensive models will offer better weather sealing, slightly better electronic viewfinder. The Sony A6100 is a cheapened form of the A6400: lower quality electronic viewfinder, less weather sealing, one less custom button, slightly smaller buffer for burst shooting, and poorer video features (lack of picture profiles). Costing $150 more than the A6100, the Sony A6400 offers a number of small advantages. The Sony A6600 tacks on another $500 over the A6400 for a very very similar camera. With an introductory price tag of almost $1400, the potential Sony A6600 should consider their options carefully. 

Sony A6600 vs Sony A6400

The Sony A6600 offers the following main advantages over the A6400:

In-body stabilization (IBIS): Sony’s full frame bodies have included stabilization in the body for the last several generations, while the Sony A6500 and Sony A6600 are the only aps-c mirrorless cameras from Sony with IBIS. The advantage is this places stabilization in every lens attached to the camera, and is especially helpful for video shooting. But most Sony aps-c lenses are already stabilized. If the lenses you use are already stabilized, IBIS may offer some slightly improvement but generally not a significant difference. By far, IBIS is the biggest difference between the A6400 and A6600. If you aren’t going to be taking advantage of IBIS, then the other advantages probably are not worth the price difference over the A6400.

Larger Battery: If you have shot an earlier Sony aps-c model, you know the pain of the poor battery life. Where one might go through 2-3 batteries per day with older models, the Sony A6600 battery should power you through a day easily.

Larger Grip: The body of the A6600 looks pretty similar to the other models with this critical difference. I can attest that the Sony A6600 is more comfortable to hold, especially with larger lenses, due to the larger grip.

More Custom Buttons: While sharing an extremely similar body with the other models, the Sony A6600 squeezes in a couple of extra buttons.

Headphone out port:  Strictly a benefit for video shooters. All of the recent cameras have a microphone port, but if you want to monitor sound levels with headphones, the A6600 is the only camera to get you covered.

Video Eye-AF: Continuing the video advantages of the A6600, all of the recent cameras share virtually identical autofocus systems but the  A6600 is the only camera to offer eye-af in video.

Sum of A6600 advantages over the A6400: So for 50% more cost, you add a couple of video advantages, IBIS, larger battery, larger grip, and a couple more custom buttons. On the downside for some people, you increase the weight and lose the built-in flash.

It’s also important to see where the A6600 slots in compared to the Sony A7iii, which is fully priced at just under $2000, but you are starting to see bundle pricing discounts closer to $1800. So for $400-$600 more than the A7iii, what are the critical differences.

[See the Sony A6400 on Amazon / Adorama ]

Sony A6600 vs Sony A7iii

Advantages of the Sony A7iii compared to A6600:

• Newer Full Frame Sensor for significantly better image quality
• Dual Card Slots, including UHS-II support for faster buffer clearing
• Ergonomics generally considered superior, including thumbstick and more direct controls

Similarities between the Sony A7iii and Sony A6600:

Beyond both sharing similar Sony DNA in their bodies, the two cameras will give you very similar experiences in many ways:

• Both offer the same resolution of 24mp
• Both use the same battery and will deliver similar battery life
• Both shoot similar burst rate, at 10 fps on the A7iii and 11fps on the A6600
• Both lack built-in flash

Advantages of the Sony A6600 over the A7iii:

Beyond being 25% cheaper than the Sony A7iii body, the Sony A6600 offers a few real distinct advantages over the A7iii:

• Flip up LCD: Flawed because it is blocked if you put a microphone in the hotshoe, but if you don’t block it, it has value for vloggers and the Sony A7iii doesn’t flip up all the way to a selfie-angle.
• Smaller and Lighter: The A7iii comes in at 650 grams while the A6600 comes in at 503 grams. Additionally, aps-c lenses are typically lighter than full frame lenses. 
• 1.5x Crop: As true of all aps-c cameras, if you like to shoot telephoto, the same lens will give you 50% more reach. It’s almost like having a 1.5 teleconverter on every lens.
• Real Time Tracking AF: The Sony A6600 has the newest autofocus system, which offers better lock on tracking than the Sony A7iii. But the Sony A7iii has a very capable autofocus system; this is not a make or break difference for most shooters.

[See the Sony A7iii on Amazon / Adorama ]

Honest Price Comparing with the Sony A6600 vs Sony A7iii

It’s long been stated that aps-c is cheaper than full frame but this gap in price is closing. Beyond the gap in the price of the bodies, one may find even less of a gap in the prices of lenses. APS-C is definitely cheaper than full frame if you are comparing the cheapest possible aps-c kits compared to mid-level full frame kits. With third parties like Tamron, Samyang and Sigma now concentrating more on full frame than aps-c, there are some great third party value lenses for full frame cameras. If you intend to only use the cheapest lenses on the camera, then I’m not sure why you’d spend $1,400 on a Sony A6600 body. If you are putting the best lenses on the body, you may find the lack of any significant price savings compared to something like the Sony A7iii. To the extent the Sony A7iii complete kit may cost a little more, most people would find the large gains outweigh the price differences.  

For example, this bundle includes the Sony A7iii with Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 and other accessories for under $2900. The Sony A6600 + Sony 16-55mm F/2.8 lens would run about $2800. 

Who Should Pick the Sony A6600:

As I said above, I think it’s very specific shooters who should choose the Sony A6600 over both the A6400 and the A7iii. If you are extremely price conscious, you probably should go with the Sony A6400 over the Sony A6600, as the mostly small differences may not be worth the $500 difference in price. Meanwhile, if you are looking for a camera that can support the best image quality, you can step up to the Sony A7iii without significantly increasing your costs. 

I recommend the Sony A6600 for the following types of shooters:

Vloggers

Within the Sony lineup, the Sony A6600 is probably the best vlogging camera. There are a number of advantages for vlogging compared to the other Sony alternatives. Of the three cameras being discussed here, it’s the only one that offers video eye-AF. Compared to the A7iii, it has the advantage of the selfie-LCD. Compared to the A6400, it has the headphone jack and IBIS. It may not be the perfect vlogging camera, but it’s probably the best option for Sony.

Amateur Wildlife Shooters and others who value reach

In a relatively light-weight lens, the new Sony 70-350mm gives the photographer the equivalent reach of 525mm. In order to shoot 525mm on a full frame camera would require a much larger and much more expensive lens. While the professional may not mind lugging around 20 pound packs on safari, shooting a crop camera can give professional-level reach into small camera bodies. The Sony 70-350mm weighs in at a mere 625 grams, just slightly more than the A6600 body. To get equivalent reach on a full frame body, the Sony 200-600mm lens weighs in at 2115 grams, more than triple the weight (as well as double the price). So if you want long reach in a small lightweight kit, aps-c cameras have great value over full frame cameras. 

Of course, you can get the same crop advantages in the Sony A6400 but a very serious wildlife shooter may appreciate the superior grip and battery life.

Second Camera for Full Frame Shooters

If you have a full Sony full frame kit including many of Sony’s best full frame lenses, you will find many of those lenses are not stabilized.  Most Sony full frame wide zooms and most of their prime lenses do not have in-lens stabilization. So if you want to share your full frame Sony lenses on a second aps-c body, the Sony A6600 is a good option as it allows you to have IBIS on those lenses.

Those Using Non-Stabilized Lenses in a Small Kit

This is a fine line. The biggest advantage of IBIS is that it opens the door of being able to use any lens, with stabilization. Yet, for the most part, Sony’s cheaper and smaller aps-c lenses already offer stabilization. Meanwhile, best lenses are often quite large erasing the significance of the size advantage of the A6600 compared to the A7iii.

For example, if you are using lenses like the Sony 200-600mm on both the Sony A6600 and the A7iii, the lens is so heavy that any weight differences in the camera body are almost irrelevant in comparison. In other words, where the lens weighs over 2000 grams, you won’t notice saving 150 grams in the body. 

But there are indeed some small lenses (especially if you adapt lenses) that don’t have optical stabilization. The A6600 lets you add stabilization to those lenses, without stepping up to the size of a full frame body. 

Summary: Is the Sony A6600 for you?

If your goal is the best image quality with the best lenses, you may as well go to full frame, since you won’t save significant money or weight with the A6600. If your goal is fair image quality in the lightest and most affordable kit, you may as well go with the Sony A6400. In-lens stabilization can already be found in Sony’s more compact and affordable zoom lenses as well as a couple decent prime lenses. But if you are looking to keep the weight of your kit down and are carefully choosing the best light-weight lenses (which may not have stabilization), then the A6600 may be for you. Additionally, amateur vloggers and wildlife shooters may appreciate the A6600.

[See the Sony A6400 on Amazon / Adorama ]

This is what will lead to our lens recommendations. With IBIS, you can now get stabilization on any lens. So what are the best lenses to add to a Sony A6600, without having to worry about stabilization.

 

Lenses for the Sony A6600

As noted, if you are buying the A6600 over the A6400, then I’m assuming you place value on IBIS and don’t want to limit yourself to lenses with optical stabilization (OSS). If you’re buying the A6600 over the A7iii, then I’m going to assume you value size. So my recommendations are based accordingly: What are the best zoom and prime lenses to complete a full kit, that keep the size down.

Zoom lenses for the Sony A6600:

This will be a short list….

• Sony 10-18 F/4: Until now, this was my favorite Sony aps-c zoom lens. In fact, apart from this lens, I stayed away from zoom lenses when shooting a Sony aps-c camera. It covers your ultrawide shooting in good quality and a fairly compact lens. Note the Sony 10-18 F/4 has OSS, so this lens doesn’t get any significant benefit from the Sony A6600. [See the Sony 10-18mm F/4 on Amazon / Adorama ]

• Sony 16-55mm F/2.8 G: This newly announced lens is the first true professional quality zoom lens for Sony aps-c cameras. It’s also the only native Sony aps-c zoom lens that does not have optical stabilization. The lens is relatively small and compact considering the fast 2.8 aperture. The lens is expensive at $1,400: The most expensive aps-c lens from Sony, by far. There are cheaper full frame 2.8 zooms (like the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8), but if you’re looking for the absolute best customized to the aps-c body, the Sony 16-55mm F/2.8 fits the bill. This is a case of picking the lens first, and then the body. If you want the Sony 16-55mm F/2.8 and then want to get it stabilized, you need the Sony A6600. All of the other Sony normal zooms already have stabilization.  [See the Sony 16-55 F/2.8 G on Amazon / Adorama ]

 

• Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G: For years, the kit telephoto zoom for Sony was the horrible Sony 55-210mm lens, a cheap and light weight lens that offered mediocre image quality at best. Until now, I recommended that serious Sony aps-c shooters just stick to full frame telephoto lenses. For those shooters, I can now unequivocally recommend the new Sony 70-350mm F/4.5-6.3. It saves you a little weight and a little money compared to the full frame options and gives the aps-c shooter a really fantastic amount of reach. Note the lens has OSS, so this recommendation can apply equally to all Sony A6xxx owners.  [See the Sony 70-350mm G on Amazon / Adorama ]

And 2 alternatives:

• Sony 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6: This is a kit lens covering a large zoom range, but it’s significantly better than the other Sony kit zoom lenses. The lens has OSS. Thus, if you plan on making this your main lens, you can strongly consider stepping down to the Sony A6400. But the image quality of this lens is decent when shooting in good light. For the Sony A6600, this could be a good “sometimes lens” if you don’t want to invest in the 16-55/2.8 and you intend to largely shoot prime lenses. (Note you can save money on this lens by purchasing it as a bundle with the Sony A6600)[See the Sony 18-135mm on Amazon / Adorama]

• Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8: A lightweight high quality 2.8 aperture full frame lens. While it is full frame, the small size can also make it a good match for the A6600 body. It does not have OSS, so benefits from the A6600 IBIS. With an equivalent focal length of 42mm to 112mm, it can be an interesting portrait zoom. Just be warned that you won’t be able to get very wide. [See the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 on Amazon / Adorama]

Note, three of the five recommended zooms are already stabilized. If you’re primarily a zoom lens shooter and you don’t intend to get the Sony 16-55mm F/2.8, you might want to consider saving money and getting the Sony A6400. Of course,  maybe the IBIS will provide you benefit with your choices of prime lenses:

Prime Lenses for the Sony A6600

My goal in this section  is to recommend the best prime options available in the popular focal lengths between 16mm and 85mm. Since the A6600 has IBIS, I considered the best lenses without any thought to whether the lens had in-lens stabilization. I gave no direct consideration into whether the lens was full frame or aps-c, but I did prioritize the lenses being small and light weight, and therefore generally preferred aps-c optimized lenses. I limited the list to lenses that include autofocus, to take advantage of the excellent autofocus system on the A6600. 

Shooting prime lenses is a natural fit for an aps-c shooter looking for the best quality in the smallest package. For example, if you shoot with a 24mm F/1.4 prime lens, you should get an equivalent image to a full frame camera with 35mm F/2 lens. Shooting something like a 35mm F/1.8 will give an image approximately equivalent to a full frame 50mm F/2.8. So you can match the quality of a full frame camera with a big heavy 2.8 zoom lens by using a few small fast prime lenses on aps-c.

Wide Angle Primes

• Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C: There is a shortage of good wide angle primes specifically for the Sony aps-c system, but this Sigma lens can usefully give you the full frame equivalent of 24mm F/2. [See the Sigma 16mm F/1.4 on Amazon / Adorama ] 

• Sony 20mm F2.8: This lens won’t win any image quality awards. It makes the list because of it’s size, a true pancake lens that weighs almost nothing. [See the Sony 20mm F2.8 on Amazon / Adorama]

• Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM: At 24mm, you actually get some very interesting choices. There is an aps-c designed Sony Zeiss 24mm F/1.8 which is quite good but it’s only a 1.8 lens and Sony still charges $1100 for it. There is the Zeiss Batis 25mm F/2, which is even slower at F2 and still costs over $900. The Sony FE 24mm F/1.4 GM is a full frame lens and actually one of the best lenses made by Sony. While heavier than the other options, at 440 grams it’s still balances well on a small aps-c camera. At a bit under $1400, it’s not a whole lot more expensive than the other options. Given it’s the best and fastest lens in the bunch, it’s worth spending a little more on the Sony FE 24mm F/1.4 GM. [See the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM on Amazon / Adorama ]

• Sony 35mm F1.8 OSS: At 35mm, the full frame 35mm F/1.4 lenses are simply too large to make much sense on the Sony A6600. Sony released an excellent full frame FE 35mm F/1.8, which can make sense if you want lenses that you plan to interchange between aps-c and full frame. But if you’re just shooting aps-c, the Sony 35mm F/1.8 OSS is an excellent and affordable option. (Note, it is an OSS lens, so equally suitable for all Sony A6xxx cameras). [See the Sony 35mm F/1.8 OSS on Amazon / Adorama]

  

• Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN: In the 50mm range, there are a number of good full frame and aps-c choices. If you want a lens to interchange between your A6600 and a full frame camera, then you should look at the Sony 55mm F/1.8, but no reason to spend that much if you’re only using the lens on the A6600. For most A6xxx cameras, I would look at the Sony 50mm F/1.8 OSS, since it has the benefit of stabilization. But since you have IBIS on the Sony A6600, you get stabilization benefits on the unstabilized Sigma. 56mm F/1.4 becomes equivalent to 84mm F/2, very close to the 85mm F/1.8 which is standard for many full frame portrait shooters. So this would be my top choice for those looking to shoot portraits with the Sony A6600. [See the Sigma 56mm F1.4 on Amazon / Adorama]
• Sony FE 85mm F/1.8: A full frame lens for the Sony system, but affordable and light weight. As an equivalent to a full frame 128mm lens, it can be an interesting short telephoto lens. [See the Sony 85mm F/1.8 on Amazon / Adorama]

Other Key Accessories for the Sony A6600:

There are other tools that can be much cheaper and actually much more critical than lenses. With an eye towards keeping the Sony A6600 system fairly compact, the following items really should be part of your A6600 kit.

The camera comes with a strap and it’s a fantastic strap — if you want to have neck surgery. This is true for all camera kits, they include a poor cheap strap. Especially if you may be adding a heavier lens, it’s important for your own comfort to get a strap that can equally distribute the weight, without placing that weight around your neck. I highly recommend the Peak Design Lite Camera Strap or the Blackrapid CrossShot Strap. The Peak Design offers a bit more flexibility in different configurations and may be preferable if you are using heavier lenses. The Blackrapid is a bit less bulky if you want to keep things compact.

Beware that Sony mirrorless cameras are dust magnets. Dust will result in landscape photos with black spots in your skies. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to clean the sensor on Sony cameras. I recommend the Altura cleaning kit.

Unlike every other Sony A6xxx camera, the Sony A6600 doesn’t have a flash. More advanced photographers tend to hate the pop-up flash but proper use of an external flash can be a critical element of good photography. The best small and lightweight flash for Sony cameras is the Godox TT350s. 

For videographers, there are a couple more important items. If you are a vlogger, the selfie-screen is great but it unfortunately would be blocked by a microphone. A simple cheap solution is a cold shoe extender/bracket to mount the microphone on the side of the camera. In terms of a microphone, I’m a fan of the Rode VideoMic options. 

Finally, I’m a firm believer that nearly every photographer should own a tripod. Tripods open up long exposure and night photography, as demonstrated in this article. The great thing about a small camera like the Sony A6600 is that you don’t need a big bulky tripod — there are small portable tripods that are easy to carry in a small camera bag. My favorite is the Joby Gorillapod 1K . I’ve often traveled on vacation with the Sony A6300, a couple of lenses and the Gorillapod. A light weight combination that has allowed me to capture fantastic night time landscapes.

In sum, my recommendations for everyone Sony A6600 owner:

• NP-FW50 RAVPower Camera Batteries Charger(with 2 batteries)
• Peak Design Lite Camera Strap OR Blackrapid CrossShot Strap
• Joby Gorillapod 1K
• Altura aps-c cleaning kit
• Godox TT350s
• PT-5 cold shoe bracket
• Rode VideoMic Microphone

The Most Important Recommendation:

In terms of photography, no amount of expensive gear will beat a good education.  If you just take the camera out of the box and expect award winning photos, you have wasted your money.

One doesn’t need to study in a formal program, but there are many great books and resources. The one great book sworn to by many photographers over many years (and updated regularly) is Bryan Peterson’s “Understanding Exposure.” Don’t be shy about potentially taking a continuing education class, reading books and blogs, watching youtube videos. If you wanted to just point and shoot, you’d stick to your phone. If you are buying a camera like the Sony A6400, if you are educating yourself by reading this blog, then you want to move beyond point and shoot quality. To do so, a further education is the most important element. No expensive lens or flash will replace basic know-how. And no camera will ever be smart enough to create amazing artistic photographs at the push of a button.

Conclusion

If you found this post helpful, you can support this site at no additional cost to yourself by using the Amazon and Adorama links. Please follow me on twitter and/or accept notifications from this blog to get continuing information on enthusiast photography, new lens reviews and more. In the coming months, our full review and set-up guide for the Sony A6600 will be published. Any questions, leave a comment below. 

Pre-Order the Sony A6600 on Amazon / Adorama