What is the best budget-friendly wide angle lens for Sony E-mount?

Question

trying to find a wide lens for my a6000 for a trip to the Gorge. I saw the Samyang 12mm is cheap but manual focus sounds like a pain, and then I looked at the Sigma 16mm but it looks way too bulky. My logic was to find something small for hiking under $350 but im stuck...

Swippescam · Accepted Answer

Saw this earlier but just getting a chance to reply now. I totally get the struggle with the Sigma 16mm... it really is a brick if youre doing a lot of elevation gain. I remember one trip to the Gorge where I brought a heavy kit and I honestly spent more time worrying about my shoulder strap than the view. Total vibe killer. Quick question before I throw out too many specs tho: how wide do you actually need to go? Are you looking for that super dramatic ultra-wide look for the cliffs, or would something a bit tighter work? If you want to keep things light and under budget, the Sony E 20mm f/2.8 pancake lens is a sleeper. Its so tiny you barely notice it on the a6000, which is great for hiking. Its not the widest, but it gets the job done and fits in a pocket. Another solid bet if you want more width is looking for a used Samyang AF 18mm f/2.8 FE. I picked one up second-hand last year for about $230 and it basically lives on my camera for trail runs now because it weighs like 145g. If you can find a well-used Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS on a site like MPB, that might also fit the budget and the OSS helps a ton if you dont wanna carry a tripod for those darker forest shots.

AlexSondr · Answer

In my experience, the Samyang AF 12mm f/2.0 E is the exact middle ground you need. It solves the manual focus issue with a linear STM motor while keeping weight under 215g. Over the years Ive found its optical design - specifically the extra-low dispersion elements - handles chromatic aberration way better than the cheaper zooms. It fits the a6000 perfectly and usually sits right around $330.

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What is the best budget-friendly wide angle lens for Sony E-mount?