I have zero experience with photography and want to start as a hobby. I have my mind set on buying an a6400 but need suggestions on what lens to start with. I want to start doing street photography and need a nice budget lens to start with. I was thinking about getting the sigma 30mm f1.4 but l'm not sure if starting with a prime lens is a good move. I'd appreciate any tips! My budget is $200-$300
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Heads-up, you might need to double your budget if you want camera body and lens in your first purchase.
Heads-up #2, I'm not a street photography guy so take my input with a pinch of salt. I do a mix of family and family-event photography with the occasional flowers or landscape thrown in for funsies.
I had the a6400 with the 18-135mm kit lens and loved it. It was a great travel combo, with OSS and lightweight with a versatile range. However, it didn't do so well in dimly lit areas like inside museums or in the evening. Even the 16-50 kit lens (which suffers the same dim light penalty) is capable of making some great photos in bright light. Still you asked for a recommendation so I would suggest you look for a deal on an used A6400 with the 18-135 as they were frequently sold together as a kit. You might also be able to find an A6100 which was virtually identical to the A6400 for still photos, but since the build quality was slightly lesser (High quality plastic vs Magnesium alloy) the cost will be less.
Once you start getting to know your camera and your preferred focal range more, you can form your own opinion on which lens to acquire next. Maybe you'll want something for portraits or street photos that performs well in dim light or has exceptional Bokeh, in which case you might like the Sigma 56mm. Maybe you'll want a jack-of-all-trades zoom with a decently wide aperture to cover events, I can recommend the Tamron 17-70mm for that. Or Maybe you'll say you don't want a collection of lenses or low light performance and just want a superzoom to rule them all, in which case watch out for the Sigma 16-300 being launched in April (Tamron 18-300 is also an option here and can be purchased pre-owned).
Heads-up, you might need to double your budget if you want camera body and lens in your first purchase.
Heads-up #2, I'm not a street photography guy so take my input with a pinch of salt. I do a mix of family and family-event photography with the occasional flowers or landscape thrown in for funsies.
I had the a6400 with the 18-135mm kit lens and loved it. It was a great travel combo, with OSS and lightweight with a versatile range. However, it didn't do so well in dimly lit areas like inside museums or in the evening. Even the 16-50 kit lens (which suffers the same dim light penalty) is capable of making some great photos in bright light. Still you asked for a recommendation so I would suggest you look for a deal on an used A6400 with the 18-135 as they were frequently sold together as a kit. You might also be able to find an A6100 which was virtually identical to the A6400 for still photos, but since the build quality was slightly lesser (High quality plastic vs Magnesium alloy) the cost will be less.
Once you start getting to know your camera and your preferred focal range more, you can form your own opinion on which lens to acquire next. Maybe you'll want something for portraits or street photos that performs well in dim light or has exceptional Bokeh, in which case you might like the Sigma 56mm. Maybe you'll want a jack-of-all-trades zoom with a decently wide aperture to cover events, I can recommend the Tamron 17-70mm for that. Or Maybe you'll say you don't want a collection of lenses or low light performance and just want a superzoom to rule them all, in which case watch out for the Sigma 16-300 being launched in April (Tamron 18-300 is also an option here and can be purchased pre-owned).
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It is probably best to start with a zoom lens till you understand what your style and what focal length you like. So something like the Sony E PZ 16-50 might be a good option or the Sony E 18-55. I think really anything that covers the 18mm to at least 50mm as that will give you a 27-75mm full frame equivalent range.
I just linked B&H as examples but check other used markets as well.
I just linked B&H as examples but check other used markets as well.
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