Which prime lens is best for street photography on Sony A6400?

Question

Which prime lens is best for street photography on my Sony a6400? I just got the camera last week and honestly I am so lost with all the different numbers on the boxes. I think prime means it doesn't zoom which sounds kinda hard but people say the pictures look better? I am going to Chicago in three weeks and I want to take cool shots of people and buildings without a huge heavy lens. My budget is around $400 or so and I really dont want to buy the wrong thing.

mostly street stuff

city buildings at night

Sorry if this is a super basic question I just have no idea where to start...

StanleySoawn · Accepted Answer

I saw your post earlier and wanted to chime in because I did a long weekend trip to Chicago a few years back with my old a6000. Chicago is basically a wind tunnel. Giant skyscrapers. Crowded sidewalks. Carrying a heavy zoom there is honestly a nightmare. I ended up sticking almost exclusively to the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary for that whole trip and it worked out great. Heres the deal with primes: they basically force you to move your feet instead of turning a zoom ring. Since you mentioned buildings at night, you really need that f/1.4 aperture. It lets in way more light than a standard kit lens. Your night shots wont look all grainy and messy. The 30mm is roughly what your eyes see. Very intuitive for a beginner. If you stand on the <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=opposite+side+of+the+str&#038;BI=8941&#038;KBID=10361&#038;SID=12345&#038;DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">opposite side of the street, you can usually get those tall buildings in frame, but its also tight enough to take nice candid shots of people without being awkward. One thing tho, since the a6400 doesnt have internal stabilization, you gotta be careful with shutter speeds at night. If you find your hands are a bit shaky, the Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS is a solid alternative within your budget. It has built-in stabilization which helps a ton for those low-light city shots when things get blurry. Personally, I prefer the sharpness of the Sigma, but the Sony is tiny and fits in a coat pocket easily. Both should be under $400 if you look around.

KavitRam · Answer

Yeah, totally agree on skipping the zoom, though unfortunately most kit lenses have pretty bad chromatic aberration... I had issues with the autofocus speed on the cheaper Sony glass too. For buildings and night shots, you really need that f/1.4 aperture to keep sensor noise low. Look at these:Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary for Sony ESigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary for Sony E Both are technically superior and stay under budget.

Lens Rumors

Forum

Which prime lens is best for street photography on Sony A6400?