The number of lenses for Sony mirrorless cameras that operate with full autoexposure and autofocus features has grown dramatically since the E-mount was introduced in 2010. In addition to Sony’s own offerings intended for your a6600’s APS-C sensor, additional full-frame FE lenses for the Alpha a7/a9 series are available from Sony, Zeiss, and other vendors. These FE lenses can also be used with the a6600.

And if you’re willing to use an adapter, there are at least several hundred more lenses in Sony/Minolta A-mount, Nikon F-mount, or Canon EF-mount—often available at bargain prices—that can be used on your a6600, with autofocus and autoexposure. And the number of lenses that can be used with manual focus and Aperture Priority autoexposure using adapters for Nikon, Yashica, Contex, Contarex, Alpha, and other types of lenses is mind-boggling. Indeed, Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer (and Sony guru) Brian Smith has called the Sony product line the “universal mount” cameras.

This chapter will help you wend your way through the confusing world of lenses for the a6600. At the end of the chapter, I’m going to provide an overview of how the camera’s impressive stabilization system works with your lenses—and on its own—to provide your steadiest shots, ever. But, before we get into the actual lenses themselves, it may be useful to explore some aspects that affect how you choose and use optics.

Don’t Forget the Crop Factor

From time to time you’ve heard the term crop factor, and you’ve probably also heard the term lens multiplier or focal length multiplication factor. While some of these terms are misleading and inaccurate, they’re used to describe the same phenomenon: the fact that cameras like the a6600—and all other digital interchangeable-lens cameras using a sensor smaller than the “full-frame” 24mm × 36mm format—provide a field of view (or scene coverage) that’s smaller than you get with a camera employing the larger sensor. The a6600 (as well as numerous other cameras of several brands) uses a sensor that’s 15.6mm × 23.5mm in size.

In practical terms, let’s say you’re using a 35mm lens on a full-frame Sony a7/a9-series camera; you get a field of view of 63 degrees. But if you use that same 35mm focal length lens on an a6600, the field of view is only 44 degrees because the smaller sensor records only a part of the image that the lens projects. Knowledgeable photographers often discuss this effect as the crop factor, and you’ll often find a reference in lens reviews to a focal length equivalent; that’s 1.5X with the sensor size used by a camera like the a6600. In other words, a 35mm lens used on the a6600 is equivalent to a 52.5mm focal length on a full-frame camera like the a7 II. The most accurate expression to describe this concept might be something like field of view equivalency factor.

Figure 12.1 quite clearly shows the phenomenon at work. The green rectangle, marked 1X, shows the field of view you might expect with a 24mm lens mounted on a full-frame digital model. It provides a very wide-angle perspective, roughly 84 degrees (measured diagonally by convention). The yellow rectangle marked 1.5X shows the field of view you’d get with that 24mm lens installed on a camera like the a6600 that uses a 15.6mm × 23.5mm (APS-C—Advanced Photo System) sensor. It’s easy to see from the illustration that the APS-C rendition is narrower—roughly 61 degrees diagonally—and, compared to the full-frame version, cropped.

That 24mm lens on your a6600 has the same field of view as a 36mm lens would on the a7/a9-series camera. While you can calculate the relative field of view by dividing the focal length of the lens by .667, we humans tend to perform multiplication operations in our heads more easily than division, so such field of view comparisons are usually calculated using the reciprocal of .667—1.5—so we can multiply instead (24 / .667 = 36; 24 × 1.5 = 36). That’s the origin of the misleading term multiplication factor. The sensor image is trimmed or cropped—not multiplied.

TIP Frankly, all of this is useful only if you were previously using a 35mm SLR and frames of 24mm × 36mm film or have used or may use a full-frame dSLR like the a7 III-series. In that case, you might find it helpful to use the crop factor “multiplier” to translate a lens’s real focal length into the full-frame equivalent, even though nothing is actually being multiplied. If you have always owned a digital camera with a smaller sensor, you already have a good feel as to the field of view that you get at a focal length such as 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm. It’s highly unlikely that you would think in terms that require you to do any calculations.

Figure 12.1 This image illustrates the field of view provided by a full-frame camera with a 24mm lens, as well as the field of view you’d get when using a camera with a smaller sensor (1.5X crop) like the a6600.

In any event, I strongly prefer crop factor to focal length multiplier, because nothing is being multiplied (as I said above). When working with telephoto lenses, a 100mm lens doesn’t “become” a 150mm lens; the depth-of-field and lens aperture remain the same. (I’ll explain more about these later in this chapter.) Only the field of view is cropped. Of course, the term crop factor has a drawback: it implies that a 24mm × 36mm frame is “full” and anything else is “less than full.”

I get e-mails all the time from medium-format photographers who own cameras like the Hasselblad H6D-50c, which has a 43.8 × 32.9mm sensor that’s 67 percent larger than “full-frame.” By their logical reckoning, the 24mm × 36mm sensors found in full-frame cameras are “cropped.” Take a look at the outer, darkened area within the red rectangle in Figure 12.1. That represents the whopping 104-degree field of view you’d get with a Hasselblad HCD 24mm f/4.8 ($7,250; body an extra $14,495 if you’re compiling a holiday gift list).

Choosing a Lens

For those who have not previously owned a Sony E-mount camera, the a6600 is most frequently purchased in a kit that includes a lens, because the kit price is often several hundred dollars less than buying the body and same lens separately. Dealers may offer various other bundles, so you may have multiple choices to consider even when buying your first a6xxx-series camera and E-mount lens. This section will detail your options for that initial lens, as well as add-on optics you’ll want to consider once you begin expanding your basic kit.

First Lens Options

One common kit configuration is to pair the camera with the Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which has a useful moderate wide-angle to short telephoto zoom range. (See Figure 12.2.) It’s fairly compact and makes a great walk-around lens for everyday shooting. If one of your goals in buying a mirrorless model was to have a smaller, lighter—but fully-featured—camera, the a6600 and 18-135mm zoom (available separately for about $650) make a great combination.

Figure 12.2 The 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom is very popular, since the a6600 is often sold in a kit that includes this lens.

However, you have quite a few other choices.

• Sony PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS lens (SELP18105G). Although it’s priced about the same as the 18-135mm optic at roughly $650, I prefer this lens and find myself using it as my own walk-around lens for the a6600 (even though I own both). First, it’s a quiet power zoom lens, which makes it more versatile when shooting video that incorporates changes in focal length while shooting. It’s also a Sony G lens, one step up in Sony’s quality hierarchy. (G stands for Gold; the top-of-the-line Sony lenses receive the GM—G Master—designation.) (See Figure 12.3.)

  This lens also has a constant f/4 maximum aperture that doesn’t change as you zoom to the telephoto range. The 18-135mm lens, in contrast, has an f/3.5 maximum aperture at the 18mm position, but loses about a stop and a half (to f/5.6) at the 135mm zoom position. The 18-105mm lens’s larger f/stop comes in very handy in dimmer light and when you need to use a faster shutter speed.

  I also like this lens’s Optical Steady Shot, which works in conjunction with the a6600’s in-body image stabilization (IBIS) to provide superior anti-shake properties. As a bonus, it adds Steady-Shot capabilities to my a6400 and a6100 back-up cameras, which lack IBIS.

  Another difference between the 18-105mm and 18-135mm lenses is that the former optic, while not as compact as the latter, does not grow in length as you zoom. (See Figure 12.4, left.) The 18-135mm lens gets longer and bulkier as you zoom in, as you can see with the pair of images at right in Figure 12.4.

• Sony 16-55mm f/2.8 G (SEL1655G). If you want a slightly wider view and don’t need much telephoto reach, this newer lens is a great option. Of the three Sony lenses with roughly this zoom range, the 16-55mm f/2.8 G is clearly the best, although its superb sharpness and constant f/2.8 maximum aperture (it doesn’t change as you zoom) comes at a price—$1,400. Advanced optical elements reduce distortion for better sharpness, while virtually eliminating color fringing (purple or red blurs along the edges of subject matter) for better clarity and color accuracy. (See Figure 12.5.)
• Sony 16-50mm power zoom OSS f/3.5-5.6 (SELP-1650). Don’t confuse this lens for the superior 16-55mm f/2.8 optic described above. It’s a basic lens usually supplied with Sony’s entry-level and intermediate a6xxx-series cameras, like the a6100. It has the features most beginners need, including built-in Optical SteadyShot and power zooming that’s ideal for anyone who often shoots movies, as discussed in Chapter 10. It’s quite compact when not in use since the internal barrel retracts when the camera is turned off and it’s a decent performer overall ($300). You may see this lens disparaged in user groups as being less than tack sharp, but many of the photos in my books of European destinations were taken with this lens. I like it a lot.
• Sony 18-55mm OSS f/3.5-5.6 (SEL-1855). If you do not need the power zoom lens because you don’t often shoot video, and want an inexpensive kit-type lens for occasional use, consider this model with conventional (mechanical) zooming and the same f/3.5-f/5.6 maximum apertures. It may be hard to find new; Sony lists it at $299 on its US website, but you can find excellent used examples for less than half that at keh.com and other resellers. It’s sharp, small in size, and fast enough at shorter focal lengths for most available-light shooting. Granted, it is a stop and a half slower at the telephoto end; this is typical with lenses of this type.

Figure 12.3 The 18-105mm f/4 G OSS lens has a constant maximum aperture.

Figure 12.4 The 18-105mm f/4 lens does not extend longer as you zoom (left); the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens increases in length (right).

Figure 12.5 The Sony 16-55mm f/2.8 G lens is Sony’s “pro” kit lens for the company’s top APS-C cameras.

• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS (SEL-1810Z). A mid-range APS-C zoom with a relatively wide maximum aperture of f/4 at all focal lengths, this zoom incorporates four aspherical elements for superior image quality and Sony’s OSS stabilizer ($1000). It’s shown in Figure 12.6, zoomed to the maximum focal length, and retracted (right). This is one lens that gets significantly longer as you zoom, making it much less compact at the telephoto settings. This was my original walk-around lens for my first few Sony a6xxx-series cameras, but I’ve used it less since I acquired the 18-105mm f/4 lens. Today, it sees more use on my back-up a6400 and a6100 cameras, which benefit from its Optical SteadyShot.

Figure 12.6 The Carl Zeiss 16-70mm f/4 lens extended (left) and retracted (right).

• Sony (PZ) OSS 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 (SELP-18200)/SEL-18200LE. Sony has offered three versions of this lens, with the most recent (the SELP-18200), having a power zoom and the PZ label appended to its product name. It’s priced at $1,200. The non-power-zoom version (SEL-18200LE) has an MSRP of $899. You may also find a few of the original (SEL-18200) at $850 or less. All of them dwarf the a6600, and their maximum aperture is very small at the longest telephoto setting, but they have a great zoom range that makes them suitable for a6600 owners who really prefer to carry only a single lens. They all range in price from roughly $850 to $1,200, so they are not cheap, but they provide great focal length versatility. The built-in OSS stabilization reduces the risk of blur caused by camera shake, a definite asset in a telephoto lens that’s quite slow (with small maximum apertures especially at long focal lengths). At the maximum 200mm focal length, you should be able to get sharp photos when hand-holding the camera/lens at a shutter speed of 1/60th second.

  The power zoom version targets a6600 owners who shoot video often and will really appreciate the ability to zoom quietly and extremely smoothly.

Once you’ve acquired your first lens, you’ll probably want to begin expanding your optical arsenal. The lenses in the E-mount system range from the sublime to the meticulous, and can prove useful for various kinds of photography. Here are some more lenses for you to consider. If you’re keeping score, Sony does make APS-C lenses (that is, non-full-frame optics) in E-mount intended for video shooting, such as the 18-110mm f/4 G OSS PZ lens (SELP18110G). That particular lens costs $3,500 and is not really appropriate even for well-heeled a6600 owners who shoot video, so I won’t be describing it further in this chapter. Otherwise, here are your additional E-mount options in the Sony designated APS-C lineup.

First up, some useful zooms.

• Sony 10-18mm f/4 OSS (SEL1018). If you’re really into wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle photography, this lens is an ideal choice ($900). At the 10mm end (a 15mm equivalent) an image can encompass more than our two eyes can see without scanning. We often shoot at small apertures in wide-angle image making, but this lens is adequately fast for low-light photography indoors when using f/4 and the OSS stabilizer. You should be pleased with the image quality provided by this ultra-wide zoom because it features an impressive optical formula with super extra-low dispersion glass and three aspherical elements to minimize optical distortions. (See Figure 12.7.)
• Sony 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS. This lens arrived at the same time as my a6600 and quickly became one of my favorites. Until it was introduced, Sony didn’t really have an affordable medium-to-long telephoto zoom in E-mount for APS-C cameras. This lens filled a sizeable hole in Sony’s lens lineup. At almost $1,000, it’s much more obtainable for most of us than Sony’s more exotic long telephoto lenses, and it provides a killer 105-525mm (equivalent) zoom range perfect for field sports and wildlife photography. For such applications, outdoors is the perfect venue, as you’ll need a lot of light (or detail-robbing high ISO settings) for exposures at fast shutter speeds with its f/6.3 maximum aperture at the 350mm zoom setting.

  It’s a G lens, reasonably sharp at all focal lengths, and Optical SteadyShot that counters up to five stops of camera shake when shooting hand-held. Although it’s not a full-frame lens, I use it a lot with my Sony a6600, which produces useable 26MP images in APS-C/Super 35 crop mode. Although compact for its focal length range, the 70-350mm zoom is not small. Figure 12.8, left, shows the lens retracted, extended to 350mm (center), and at 350mm with the included hood attached (right).

• Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS (SEL-55210). If you don’t have an extra G to buy a Sony G lens, this is an affordable ($350) OSS lens with enough telephoto reach for some wildlife photography and for shooting amateur sports events. Of course, the maximum apertures are a bit small, especially at long focal lengths. As well, you will get the best image quality at f/8. As with the 750-350mm lens, you may need to use a higher ISO on dark days to be able to shoot at shutter speeds fast enough to “freeze” subject motion at f/6.3 and especially if you decide to use f/8. Optical Steady-Shot will help reduce blur from hand-held camera shake, however.

Figure 12.7 The Sony 10-18mm f/4 OSS wide-angle zoom.

Figure 12.8 Sony 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS lens retracted (left), extended (center), and extended with lens hood attached (right).

Sony offers a good selection of non-zoom (“prime”) lenses in APS-C format. They include:

• Sony 16mm f/2.8 (SEL-16F28). This flat, pancake-style wide-angle lens ($250) is also sharp and downright tiny, with dimensions of 0.89 × 2.44 inches. The f/2.8 maximum aperture is much wider than you’ll get with most affordable zooms and makes this lens more suitable for available light shooting. Granted, it does not zoom, but it’s my favorite super-compact optic.

  The 16mm lens accepts two add-on accessories that mount on the front, with the VCL-ECF2 fisheye conversion lens ($180). It gives you a fisheye view for interesting landscapes, interiors, and other subjects. Given that fisheye lenses are typically used infrequently by most shooters, the relatively low cost of this accessory offsets the less than tack-sharp results you can expect. Mount the five-ounce VCL-ECU2 wide-angle converter ($160) instead, to transform this 16mm lens into a super-wide 12mm (18mm equivalent) lens. I’ve gotten great results from mine, although it works best when the host lens is stopped down at least one or two apertures from wide open.

  Note: the VCL-ECF2 and VCL-ECU2 replace earlier versions with similar specifications; however, the new versions can now be used with both this Sony 16mm f/2.8 lens and the 20mm f/2.8 lens described next.

• Sony 20mm f/2.8 (SEL-20F28). Also very compact and featuring the same maximum aperture, this ($350) lens accepts the same add-on converters as the 16mm f/2.8 lens, and provides very fine image quality.
• Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS (SEL-35F18). Because of the 1.5X crop factor discussed earlier, this 52.5mm equivalent lens might be considered to be the “normal” lens in the system (that is, comparable to the very popular 50mm f/1.8 lens in a dSLR system). The very wide maximum aperture and OSS stabilizer make it ideal for low-light photography. Move very close to the subject, use f/1.8, and you can blur the background with shallow depth-of-field. The lens is affordable ($475) and equipped with a superior optical formula to control aberrations and a high-speed linear focusing motor that’s almost silent, a definite benefit when shooting video.
• Sony 50mm f/1.8 OSS (SEL-50F18). This more affordable ($250) model, also with a very wide maximum aperture, is a short telephoto on the a6600 and would be useful for street photography from moderate distances, and for portraits. The f/1.8 aperture is useful for blurring a background in a situation where you’re shooting a head-and-shoulders portrait. Since this is a fast lens with an OSS stabilizer that compensates for camera shake at slower shutter speeds, it’s another fine choice for available-light photography. Don’t confuse this APS-C lens with Sony’s bargain-basement FE 50mm f/1.8 (SEL50F18), which sells for somewhat less. This one is sharper and has OSS.
• Sony 30mm f/3.5 Macro (SEL-30M35). This is the current macro lens in the line. You’ll find that it features a minimum working distance of about one inch; move in extremely close to the subject and you can make images with 1X magnification (a 1:1 reproduction ratio). That might be a problem with a nature subject like a bee, but it’s certainly practical with coins, stamps, and jewelry, for example. The maximum aperture of f/3.5 is small, but in macro, we usually use a small aperture such as f/16 for adequate depth-of-field to sharply render an entire three-dimensional subject. This lens is compact, lightweight, and affordable ($300). Of course, because I own both A-mount and E-mount Sony cameras, and an A-mount to E-mount adapter, I ended up purchasing the A-mount version of this lens. For close-up work, having the smallest, lightest lens and the fastest autofocusing isn’t essential, and I saved money by not buying both.
• Carl Zeiss Sonar T* 24mm f/1.8 ZA OSS (SEL-24F18Z). This moderately wide-angle (36mm equivalent) APS-C lens with OSS stabilizer and a maximum aperture of f/1.8 is perfect for low-light street photography. I also find it useful indoors for nearby sports action (you might also like it for basketball when shooting at the baseline) and for shooting interiors where an ultra-wide view is not crucial (think larger venues, cathedrals, and museums where flash is prohibited). Frankly, this lens could easily be the star of your stable with superb image quality and freedom from distortion thanks to the use of ED glass and aspherical elements.

  A linear stepping motor provides fast, low-noise autofocus that’s ideal when shooting video. Sure, it’s pricey ($1,100), and not exactly compact at 2 3/8 × 2 1/2 inches and nearly 8 ounces, but if you need f/1.8 and its angle of view, nothing else will do the job. This lens can be hard to find since it’s often back-ordered. I have owned mine for over a year now and have gotten excellent results with this superb lens.

TIP Protecting the rear mount of your lens when it’s not attached to your a6600 is important, and you know that keeping a body cap on the camera when no lens is mounted is also essential. One vexing problem I’ve had is locating my rear lens/body caps in the dark recesses of my camera bag when it’s time to change lenses or pack up when a shoot is finished. I found some caps in “Sony orange,” shown in Figure 12.8, which have a double benefit: their color contrasts with the interior of my photo backpacks and shoulder bags, and also make it easy to identify lenses and lens accessories (such as the EA-LA for adapters) for Sony on my equipment shelves. Since I also own lenses which now boast “Nikon yellow” and “Canon red” caps, it’s easy to tell them apart. I imported a few, and you can get one of these colorful rear lens/body caps at www.laserfairepress.com for a few bucks.

The Sony “Trinity”

If your needs aren’t met by Sony’s current APS-C E-mount lineup, or if you either plan to add a Sony full-frame camera to your stable in the future or already are using one, you’ll want to consider a few of the superb full-frame lenses the company offers, all of which have the FE designation to differentiate them from their E-mount APS-C siblings.

Indeed, serious photographers, whether shooting the a6600 or a full-frame model like the a7 III/a9-series, consider the lenses that make up the E-mount “trinity” to be must-have optics in terms of image quality and flexibility, regardless of price (each of them costs in excess of $1,000). Originally, the Sony trinity consisted of three lenses, with 16-35mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm focal lengths, all with constant f/4 maximum apertures. (That is, the maximum aperture does not change as you zoom; it remains f/4 as you zoom from the widest to longest position.) Since then, however, Sony has introduced new, more expensive GM (G Master) lenses that are even better optically, have more rugged builds, and each boast f/2.8 maximum apertures. Three of them—the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master, 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master, and 70-200 f/2.8 G Master—supplement the original trinity. The company has continued to add more G Master optics, including superb FE 85mm and 24mm f/1.4 GM lenses, an FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens that, at about $2,500, is the closest many of us will get to affording a “super” telephoto lens. The original three in Sony’s trinity, which are more within the financial reach of many a6600 owners, can be seen in Figure 12.9.

• Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS/Sony (SEL-1635Z). This is the lens you need for your architectural, landscape, and indoor photography in tight quarters. It covers an almost perfect range of focal lengths, from a wide 16mm to a 35mm “normal lens” field of view. One wonderful thing about this optic is that it has curved aperture blades, producing smooth circular defocused highlights for great bokeh. At around $1,350, it’s a bit of a stretch for the a6600, but if you shoot a lot of wide-angle images at least it’s more affordable than the f/2.8 G Master version, priced at about $2,200.

Figure 12.9 Sony’s three key FE lenses, left to right: 16-35mm f/4, 24-70mm f/4, and 70-200mm f/4.

• Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS (SEL-2470Z). This lens includes my personal least-used focal length range. I tend to see my subjects either with a wide-angle view, often with an apparent perspective distortion aspect, or with a telephoto/selective focus approach. Another Zeiss-branded product, it is useful as a walk-around lens for travel photography, full-length and three-quarters portraits, and indoor sports like basketball and volleyball. Unfortunately, it won’t be the sharpest optical knife in your toolkit, despite the Zeiss label. I find it perfectly acceptable when stopped down two or three stops from maximum aperture, but for $900, I expected more.

  You might explore the $450 Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS SEL-28700 kit lens. It’s abominably slow (f/5.6) at the 70mm zoom position, but you might find that saving $500 while filling out your trinity alleviates the pain. If you have very deep pockets, the SEL-2470 GM 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master lens is priced at about $2,200.

• Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS (SEL-70200G). This is one of my favorite lenses, although it’s very expensive at around $1,400. I’m able to justify it for my a6600, because I use it as a primary lens on my Sony a7R III full-frame camera as well. Indeed, I often choose which camera I am going to use based on the type of work and the effective focal length of this lens. If I am shooting portraits, fashion, and concerts, I often go with the a7R III, because the 70-200mm focal lengths and fast f/4 maximum aperture are perfect for subjects that can benefit from the a7R’s 36-megapixel resolution. On the other hand, for sports and wildlife photography, I am more likely to combine my a6600 and this lens. The camera’s 24M resolution doesn’t cost me much detail, but the effective 105-300mm equivalent focal length works very well for those subjects.

  The Sony SEL-70200GM f/2.8 version is a bit heftier (in effect nullifying the lightweight benefits of the a6600 itself) and is much more expensive, at $2,500.

Other E-Mount Lenses

Because Sony’s full-frame and APS-C mirrorless cameras complement each other so well, I’ve discovered that many photographers (including me) purchase both. In that case, the decision to spring for extra money to buy full-frame lenses becomes even easier. The next sections will list my choices of other full-frame lenses from Sony, Zeiss, and other vendors. They include walk-around lenses, some fast primes for photojournalism and other available-light applications, and even a stellar macro.

Sony FE Lenses

These are some of my favorite full-frame lenses suitable for both the Sony a6600 and full-frame mirrorless models. Again, I’m not going to delve into the ultra-expensive lens category, where lenses like the FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 and 400mm f/2.8 G Master reside. Instead, I’m going to stick with cheap-o lenses priced at less than $5,000. (Hah!)

• Sony FE 55mm/1.8 Sonnar T* ZA (SEL-55F18Z). So, why get excited about a “normal” lens with an f/1.8 maximum aperture and a $1,000 price tag? After all, both Nikon and Canon offer full-frame 50mm f/1.8 prime lenses for $200 or less. In this case, your ten Benjamins buys you one of the sharpest lenses ever made, with exquisite resolution at every f/stop—including wide open. Given that perspective, this lens is actually a bargain. You’ll love using it for head-and-shoulders or 3/4-length portraits using selective focus at f/1.8. It’s said to rival super-costly lenses, like the 55mm f/1.4 Zeiss Otus, which has a $4,000 price tag. As this book was going to press, Sony introduced a less expensive ($250) Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 FE (SEL-50F18F) lens. Unless you definitely plan to upgrade to full frame in the future, the APS-C 50mm f/1.8 optic is roughly the same price and should have better image quality.
• Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS (SEL-2440). On first glance, a 10X zoom lens stretching from a semi-wide-angle 24mm field of view to the super telephoto realm at 240mm (36mm to 360mm equivalent on the a6600) sounds very tempting. With a second look, this optic’s $1,000 price adds to the appeal. The reality check comes only when you realize that mating this hefty (1.72 pound), somewhat slow lens (f/6.3 at maximum zoom) to the compact a6600 counters the best reason for toting around a tiny mirrorless camera. If you truly want to walk around with only a single lens and can justify the bulk, this optic does fill the bill. It would also be an efficient choice for photography that might call for extreme wide-angle views and telephoto reach in rapid succession. Given its modest price tag, you can expect this lens will be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. I’d rather carry a medium-sized camera bag and fill it with the trio of lenses described in the previous section, even at a cost premium of $3,000.
• Sony FE 28-135mm f/4 G PZ OSS (SELP-28135G). The specs alone might lead you to believe this is a faster, heavier (5 pounds) walk-around lens with a more restricted zoom range. You’d be wrong. This $2,500 monster is especially designed for pro-level 4K video productions, and if heavy-duty movie making isn’t on your agenda, you probably don’t want or need this lens. Video shooters, though, will delight in its near-silent precision-variable 8-speed power zoom, and responsive manual control rings for zoom (with direction reversal for smooth zooms), focus pulling, and aperture.
• Sony FE 28mm f/2.0 (SEL-28F20). Here’s a lens that comes with its own bag of tricks. It’s a compact prime lens with a fast f/2.0 aperture, so you can shoot in low light and even gain a modicum of selective focus with its (relatively) shallow depth-of-field wide open. Despite its $450 price, it boasts an advanced optical design with ED (extra-low dispersion) glass elements that improve contrast and reduce troublesome chromatic and spherical aberrations. (You’ll find descriptions of lens aberrations later in this chapter.) If that’s not enough, you can attach either of two adapter optics to the front. There is a 21mm wide-angle version (SEL-075UWC, $250), which converts it to a 21mm f/2.8 wide angle that focuses down to eight inches, and a 16mm fisheye attachment (SEL-057FEC, $300) that I personally find more interesting and fun. But then, I own eight different fisheye lenses, so I’m susceptible.
• Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA (SEL-35F14Z). This Zeiss lens is a photojournalist’s dream, with a wide-angle focal length that lets you get up close and personal with your subject, and a fast f/1.4 aperture suitable for low light and selective focus. The Zeiss T* (T-star) coating suppresses contrast loss from internal reflections among the lens elements. It’s great for video, too, as the aperture ring can be de-clicked with a switch. The only drawback is the price: $1,600, which is a lot to pay for a lens that doesn’t give you a range of different focal lengths to work with. However, the shooters this lens is designed for will confirm that it’s worth it.
• Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA (SEL-35F28Z). This tiny lens is a perfect match for the compact camera. At a mere eight ounces and measuring 2.42 × 1.44 inches, it makes a great walk-around lens for stealthy photographers. The image quality is great, but you’d expect that from a Zeiss lens that, at $800, is not bargain-basement cheap.
• Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS (SEL-90M28G). I expect that Sony will make additional macro lenses available for the E-mount cameras, but until then this $1,100 lens is an excellent choice. Its 90mm focal length gives you a decent amount of distance between the camera and your close-up subject, even at its minimum focusing distance of 11 inches. With internal focusing such that only the internal elements move, the lens doesn’t get longer as you focus, avoiding a common problem. You can add a set of auto extension tubes to get even closer. I use Fotodiox Pro 10mm and 16mm tubes. Those tubes are primarily plastic and not especially rugged, but are serviceable for light-duty use.
• Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS (SEL-70300G). This lens’s $1,200 price tag becomes more palatable when you realize that it gives a6600 owners the equivalent of a 105mm-450mm telephoto lens.

Zeiss Touit Lenses

While the Zeiss FE lenses produced and sold by Sony all feature autofocus, Zeiss also independently sells its own optics, including this Touit trio of fast prime lenses designed specifically for Sony APS-C cameras like the a6600. They are priced more affordably than the full-frame lenses, but still have excellent optical quality, rugged builds, and excellent autofocus/autoexposure features. If you’ve been meaning to get a round Touit, these were your options at the time this book was written:

• Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 lens. With a full-frame equivalent focal length of 18mm, this compact lens verges on ultra-wide-angle territory. It’s fast f/2.8 maximum aperture makes it a good choice for indoor architectural photography. It has a list price of $999, but has been selling with rebates and instant savings at many retailers for as little as $699.
• Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 lens. If you think Zeiss is nice, then you’ll find this lens and its f/1.8 maximum aperture ideal for street photography, photojournalism, indoor sports, and other subjects photographed under low lighting conditions. At $720, it costs less than half of the Sony Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 full-frame lens.
• Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8M lens. For about $1,000, you can own this superb macro lens, which offers a 1:1 magnification ratio and a minimum focus distance of 6 inches. Combined with third-party extension tubes from Fotodiox, Vello, and other vendors, you can get even closer.

Zeiss Loxia Lenses

Wandering back into full-frame lens territory, the Zeiss Loxia lenses are among the best you can buy for Sony E-mount cameras, with, so far, five lenses available, all manual focus. Not including autofocus helps keep the price down on these otherwise premium-quality super-sharp lenses. Of course “low price” is a relative term, as these optics all cost between $1,000 and $1,500. If you choose one of these, keep in mind that your a6600 has a wealth of manual-focus-friendly features, including focus peaking and focus magnification, all described elsewhere in this book. You can get all five in a special kit, a de-click tool kit, case, and other accessories for about $6,000.

• Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* lens. If you’ve been involved with photography for any length of time, you’ll recognize the Zeiss Planar name, first applied to a symmetrical lens design as far back as 1896. This fast manual focus lens does a good job of correcting for chromatic aberration and distortion, and is one of the best lenses you can buy for roughly $850. Like all the Loxia lenses, the manual aperture ring can be de-clicked, using a supplied tool, for use when constantly varying apertures are desired when shooting video.
• Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* lens. Another name out of the past, Biogon lenses have historically been some of the best wide-angle optics you can buy, and this fast 35mm f/2 lens has been optimized for use with digital cameras (that is, illumination emerges from the back of the lens at a less steep angle, as explained in Chapter 2). Your $1,200 buys you a well-corrected lens suitable for street photography, architecture, landscapes, and other subjects.
• Zeiss Loxia 21mm f/2.8 T* lens. This lens was introduced in December 2015, for $1,500. It’s an extra-compact lens using the famed Distagon design, which overcomes some of the drawbacks of many wide angles to provide consistent sharpness from edge to edge, with little light falloff and excellent correction for chromatic aberrations.
• Zeiss Loxia 85mm f/2.4 T* lens. This $1,300 lens is weather-sealed and the manual aperture can be “de-clicked” to afford silent operation when shooting video.
• Zeiss Loxia 25mm f/2.4 T* lens. Another weather-sealed, de-clickable lens, it has two low-dispersion and one aspherical element for excellent image quality, and is priced at $1,200.

Zeiss Batis Lenses

Here we have reasonably priced full-frame autofocus lenses from Zeiss. If you’re looking for a futuristic touch, they each feature an illuminated OLED (organic LED) display that dynamically shows focus distance and depth-of-field. In the good old days, prime (non-zoom) lenses had etched or painted color-coded depth-of-field markers on the lens barrel, but those largely disappeared when zoom lenses became dominant. Now depth-of-field can be displayed on your lens in a more useful form. As I write this, the five available Batis lenses are as follows:

• Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 lens. This is a $1,100 medium-telephoto autofocus lens that’s ideal for portraits, and a primo choice for low-light photography and selective focus. It was the first Zeiss lens introduced that had optical image stabilization (the equivalent of Sony’s trademarked OSS).
• Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2.0 lens. There’s a bit of overlap in potential use between this autofocus lens and Sony’s own 28mm f/2.0 optic. This one is more expensive at $1,200, sharper, and isn’t compatible with Sony’s wide-angle/fisheye adapters.
• Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 lens. This has the widest field of view in the Batis line, with a list price of about $1,300, boasting the same weather-resistant build and OLED readouts.
• Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF lens. Priced a little less than $1,200, the CF in the product name stands for Close Focusing. It has a minimum focusing distance of 9.4 inches, and a maximum magnification of 1:3.3.
• Zeiss Batis 135mm f/2.8 lens. This has the longest telephoto (so far) in the Batis line, with a list price of about $1,500, with an optical image stabilization, floating elements, and the rugged weather-resistant build and OLED readouts found in the other Batis optics.

Other Third-Party Lenses

It’s fairly easy for third parties to adapt their existing full-frame lenses to fit your camera. There are some interesting lenses available. I’ve purchased a bunch of them, including a 28mm f/1.4 Kamlan lens I bought from their Kickstarter campaign. Several companies are developing fast 50-58mm f/0.95 to f/1.1 lenses that look interesting for low-light photography and applications in which a wide aperture is desirable to produce extremely shallow depth-of-field. Third-party lenses often produce quirky or interesting bokeh effects in their out-of-focus highlights. Here’s a sampling of some of the other lenses to consider:

• 7Artisans. This newish company has introduced a flurry of almost a dozen E-mount manual lenses priced at a few hundred dollars (or less), including a 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye, 35mm f/1.2 wide-angle, and other interesting fast lenses, mostly in the wide-angle to short tele (12mm–55mm) range.
• Mitakon/Zhongyi. This company makes an ultra-fast 85mm f/1.2 manual focus lens ($800), and hyperfast 50mm f/0.95 and 35mm f/0.95 lenses ($800 and $600, respectively) in Sony E-mount, with the two latter optics having the distinction of being the world’s fastest full-frame E-mount lens. They also offer a 24mm f/1.7 for a bargain $350.
• Voigtlander. Probably the oldest name in camera gear, dating back to its founding in Vienna in 1756 (well before the invention of photography itself), this company produces some interesting lenses, including 10mm and 12mm f/5.6 Heliar and a 15mm f/4.5 Heliar. I own the 10mm lens, and it is one of my all-time favorites—although it has to be used on my a7R III to take full advantage of its incredible field of view. On a full-frame camera, it’s the widest rectilinear (non-fisheye) lens available, with a breathtaking 130-degree field of view. With the a6600’s cropped sensor, though, it’s a more mundane manual focus non-zoom lens with a 109-degree field of view, and a slow f/5.6 maximum aperture. The Sony 10-18mm zoom is probably a better bet—unless, like a growing number of us, you also own a Sony full-frame E-mount camera and can use it on both.
• Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Len. Another full-frame lens that may be of interest to discerning a6600 owners is this super-low-distortion manual focus wide angle. It’s not a fisheye—it’s a rectilinear lens with two aspherical elements and three extra-low-dispersion (ED) elements for impressive optical quality. Available since early 2017, it focuses down to seven inches, making some interesting distorted perspective shots possible.
• Samyang/Rokinon. This company’s manual focus 12mm f/2.8 fisheye resides in my fisheye collection, and I often alternate its use with my 15mm f/2.8 Sigma fisheye. I use them in manual focus mode with adapters, but Samyang/Rokinon also sells lenses in E-mount (sometimes under the Bower brand name). They include a 14mm f/2.8, 24mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.4, 135mm f/2, and a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens that produce 1:1 (life-size) magnification at a minimum focusing distance of 12 inches. The company has introduced its first autofocus lenses, and Sony fans are the beneficiaries. The 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC and 50mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC are full-frame (FE-style) lenses, but work just as well on the a6600.

Because of the popularity of the camera line, third-party vendors have rushed to produce lenses for these models. Because the a6600’s “flange-to-sensor” distance is relatively short, there’s room to use various types of adapters between camera and lens and still allow focusing all the way to infinity. There are already a huge number of adapters that allow mounting just about any lens you can think of on the a6600, if you’re willing to accept manual focus and, usually, a ring on the adapter that’s used to stop down the “adopted” lens to the aperture used to take the photo. You can find these from Novoflex (www.novoflex.com), Metabones (www.metabones.com), Fotodiox (www.fotodiox.com), Rainbow Imaging (www.rainbowimaging.biz), Cowboy Studio (www.cowboystudio.com), and others.

Some adapters of certain types and brands sell for as little as $20 to $30. With many of them you should not expect autofocus even if you’re using an AF lens from some other system; as well, many of the camera’s high-tech features do not operate. However, you can usually retain automatic exposure by setting the a6600 to Aperture Priority, stopping down to the f/stop you prefer, and firing away.

The ultra-high-grade Novoflex and Metabones adapters for using lenses of other brands sell for much higher prices. I found only two that are said to maintain autofocus with a lens of an entirely different brand. The Metabones Canon EF–to–Sony Smart Adapter (Mark V) and their similar Speed Booster model ($400 and $650, respectively) maintain autofocus, autoexposure, and the Canon lens’s image stabilizer feature when used with a camera. The “Speed Booster” part of the name comes from the adapter’s ability to magically add one f/stop to the maximum aperture of the lens (thanks to the adapter’s internal optics), transforming an f/4 lens into an f/2.8 speed demon.

The Metabones Smart Adapter V has been taking the Sony world arena by storm, thanks to the ability to use AF-C with Canon’s EF or EF-S lenses and your camera’s hybrid phase detect/contrast detect autofocus system. Reports are that autofocus with these lenses is equal to or superior to that of the same lenses when mounted on their native Canon camera bodies. The Canon lenses’ in-lens IS also works. The Metabones Smart Adapter V is well made, with brass components, and costs a hefty $399, but if you are switching over from a Canon system, the ability to use your existing lenses is priceless. Other vendors are working on adapters, both for Canon and Nikon AF lenses, but I have not had the chance to evaluate them.

Other vendors are working on adapters, both for Canon and Nikon AF lenses. The first Nikon adapter I have had a chance to evaluate is the FotodioX Fusion Smart AF Adapter for Nikon F Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera. The reason Nikon AF adapters have been slow in coming is that Canon stops down its lens from wide open to the “taking” aperture (used to expose the image) electronically, whereas Nikon, which has used the same basic F-mount design since 1959, relies on a lever in the camera body to physically move a matching lever in the lens to stop down the lens. Commlite, which developed the technology used in the FotodioX adapter, had to include a motor in the adapter itself to adjust the f/stop at the moment of exposure, based on signals from the Sony camera.

The Fusion adapter works amazingly well and, in my case, allows me to use my dream lens, a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/1.4E ED lens on both my a7R IV and a6600. Because both have fast phase detect autofocus, the lens focuses extremely fast. I use it as a portrait lens on my full-frame camera and as a sport lens on the a6600, as it provides the equivalent of a 158mm f/1.4 lens on the APS-C camera. Those who do own Nikon lenses will want to know that the adapter requires a Nikon lens with a built-in autofocus motor (AF-S or AF-I) and will not autofocus with Nikon AF lenses, which lack the motor. (See Figure 12.10.)

Figure 12.10 Sony a6600 with Nikon 105mm f/1.4 lens attached.

Using the LA-EA Series Adapters

Sony makes four A-mount to E-mount adapters, which allow using Sony/Minolta A-mount lenses on an Alpha E-mount camera such as the a6600. Why four different adapters? All four, the LA-EA1, LA-EA2, LA-EA3, and LA-EA4, allow connecting an A-mount lens to an NEX/Alpha-series camera. The two odd-numbered adapters use only contrast detect autofocus with lenses that have built-in AF motors and are compatible with them. The two even-numbered adapters have built-in SLT-like phase detection AF systems for fast focusing with lenses that use the original screw-drive AF system. The LA-EA1 and LA-EA2 are designed for APS-C cameras, while the LA-EA3 and LA-EA4 shown in Figure 12.11 are intended for full-frame models like the a7 III series (but they will also work just fine with the a6600).

To make sure you are buying the right kind of adapter, it’s important to keep in mind the difference between the two types:

• If you are using newer A-mount lenses. Most newer Sony-designed lenses have AF motors built into them, which you can tell from the SSM or SAM indicators in their product names, such as the Sony 300mm f/2.8 G SSM II (SAL-300F28G2). Such lenses receive autofocus instructions electronically from the camera through their contacts and use their internal motors to adjust focus. These lenses make the best use of the LA-EA1 and LA-EA3 adapters, because they utilize the a6600’s native sensor-based AF system. Autofocus is fast and accurate.

Figure 12.11 The LA-EA3 (left) and LA-EA4 (right) adapters allow using A-mount lenses on the a6600.

Figure 12.12 A Minolta 100-400mm zoom mounted on the a6600.

• If you are using older Sony or Minolta A-mount lenses. These lenses do not have AF motors inside, and focus must be adjusted using a screw drive motor built into the adapter. Therefore, you must use the LA-EA2 or LA-EA4 adapters, which, as I’ve noted, incorporate their own SLT-type translucent mirror autofocus systems, including a motor. While focus is slower, you may find it eminently acceptable with many lenses. I get great results from my 100-400mm f/4.5-6.7 APO Tele-Zoom (pictured in Figure 12.12).

The LA-EA3 adapter and LA-EA4 adapters are the most versatile, as they work with full-frame and APS-C cameras like the a6600. Choose one or the other, depending on the type of autofocus used in your A-mount lenses. I own both, because I have a mixture of SSM, SAM, and screw-drive lenses. The LA-EA2 and LA-EA4 are clever because both involve, basically, building a version of Sony’s Translucent Mirror Technology, found in the SLT cameras, into an adapter, as you can see in the exploded diagram shown in Figure 12.13. (In actual use, the lens must be physically mounted to the adapter; and don’t worry: this configuration does not actually explode.)

Figure 12.13 The design of the LA-EA4 adapter looks like this.

If you’re not familiar with the SLT cameras, light from the lens reaches a semi-silvered non-moving mirror, with 70 percent continuing through the mirror and adapter to the a6600’s sensor. The 30 percent of the light reflected downward by the mirror is directed through a lens and another mirror to a 15-point AF sensor with three extra-sensitive cross-type sensors. The camera magically gains the same on-screen AF point selection options and high-speed phase detection autofocus in both Continuous AF and Single-shot modes as its SLT stablemates, and an electronic aperture drive mechanism allows full autoexposure functions with all A-mount lenses (except those used with a teleconverter). Virtually any Sony/Minolta A-mount lens can be used.

While the LA-EA2 and LA-EA4 adapters are large at 3 1/8 × 3 1/2 × 1 3/4 inches, they each have a built-in tripod mount, so you can use them with bulky, heavy lenses that don’t have a tripod mount of their own. For a few hundred dollars (plus the cost of your A-mount lenses), you can convert your a6600 mirrorless camera into a camera with a mirror! I’m glad Sony has made these accessories available for the a6600, but I find it amusing that such a petite camera can be fitted with pounds and pounds of adapters, lenses, and viewfinders that transform it from a compact model to a model that’s easily the same size—or larger—than the SLT and dSLR alternatives. Table 12.1 summarizes your options concisely.

You’ll find that these adapters give you access to some excellent lenses, such as my A-mount macro lens that has been collecting dust since my Sony a77 II is seeing less use, now that I’m working with mirrorless cameras so much.

TABLE 12.1 LA-EA Series Adapters

AF Micro Adjustment

The AF Micro Adj setting in the Camera Settings I-07 menu is the key tool you can use to fine-tune your A-mount lens used with the SLT-style adapters. This entry can be manipulated only when you’re using a Sony or a Minolta Maxxum/Dynax A-mount lens with the EA-LA2 or EA-LA4 adapters. It is not available when using the LA-EA1 or LA-EA3 adapters. (The micro adjustment may work with an A-mount lens of another brand, but Sony warns that the results may be inaccurate.) Millions of A-mount lenses have been sold over the years, and the adapter is not terribly expensive, so I will assume that many readers will eventually want to consider the fine-tuning feature.

If you do not currently have such lenses or the adapter, you cannot use the AF Micro Adjustment feature. But if you do own the relevant equipment, you might find that a particular lens is not focusing properly. If the lens happens to focus a bit ahead or a bit behind the desired area (like the eyes in a portrait), and if it does that consistently, you can use the adjustment feature.

Why is the focus “off” for some lenses in the first place? There are lots of factors, including the age of the lens (an older lens may focus slightly differently), temperature effects on certain types of glass, humidity, and tolerances built into a lens’s design that all add up to a slight misadjustment, even though the components themselves are, strictly speaking, within specs. A very slight variation in your lens’s mount can cause focus to vary slightly. With any luck (if you can call it that) a lens that doesn’t focus exactly right will at least be consistent. If a lens always focuses a bit behind the subject, the symptom is back focus. If it focuses in front of the subject, it’s called front focus.

You’re almost always better off sending such a lens in to Sony to have them make it right. But that’s not always possible. Perhaps you need your lens recalibrated right now, or you purchased a used lens that is long out of warranty. If you want to do it yourself, the first thing to do is determine whether or not your lens has a back focus or front focus problem.

For a quick-and-dirty diagnosis (not a calibration; you’ll use a different target for that), lay down a piece of graph paper on a flat surface, and place an object on the line at the middle, which will represent the point of focus (we hope). Then, shoot the target at an angle using your lens’s widest aperture (smallest available f/number) and the autofocus mode you want to test. Mount the camera on a tripod so you can get accurate, repeatable results.

If your camera/lens combination doesn’t suffer from front or back focus, the point of sharpest focus will be the center line of the chart, as you can see in Figure 12.14. If you do have a problem, one of the other lines will be sharply focused instead. Should you discover that your lens consistently front focuses or back focuses, it needs to be recalibrated. Unfortunately, it’s only possible to calibrate a lens for a single focusing distance. So, if you use a particular lens (such as a macro lens) for close-focusing, calibrate for that. If you use a lens primarily for middle distances, calibrate for that. Close-to-middle distances are most likely to cause focus problems, anyway, because as you get closer to infinity, small changes in focus are less likely to have an effect.

Figure 12.14 Correct focus (top), front focus (middle), and back focus (bottom).

You’ll find the process easier to understand if you first run through this quick overview of the menu options:

• AF Adjustment Setting. This option enables AF fine-tuning for all the lenses you’ve registered using this menu entry. If you discover you don’t care for the calibrations you make in certain situations (say, it works better for the lens you have mounted at middle distances, but is less successful at correcting close-up focus errors), you can deactivate the feature as you require. You should set this to On when you’re doing the actual fine-tuning. Adjustment values range from –20 to +20. Off: Disables autofocus micro adjustment.
• Amount. You can specify values of plus or minus 20 for each of the lenses you’ve registered. When you mount a registered lens, the degree of adjustment is shown here. If the lens has not been registered, then +/-0 is shown. If “-” is displayed, you’ve already registered the maximum number of lenses—up to 30 different lenses can be registered with each camera.
• Clear. Erases all user-entered adjustment values for the lenses you’ve registered. When you select the entry, a message will appear. Select OK and then press the center button of the control wheel to confirm.

Evaluate Current Focus

The first step is to capture a baseline image that represents how the lens you want to fine-tune autofocuses at a particular distance. You’ll often see advice for photographing a test chart with millimeter markings from an angle, and the suggestion that you autofocus on a particular point on the chart. Supposedly, the markings that actually are in focus will help you recalibrate your lens. The problem with this approach is that the information you get from photographing a test chart at an angle doesn’t actually tell you what to do to make a precise correction. So, your lens back focuses three millimeters behind the target area on the chart. So what? Does that mean you change the Saved Value by –3 clicks? Or –15 clicks? Angled targets are a “shortcut” that don’t save you time.

Instead, you’ll want to photograph a target that represents what you’re actually trying to achieve: a plane of focus locked in by your lens that represents the actual plane of focus of your subject. For that, you’ll need a flat target, mounted precisely perpendicular to the sensor plane of the camera. Then, you can take a photo, see if the plane of focus is correct, and if not, dial in a bit of fine-tuning in the AF Fine Tuning menu, and shoot again. Lather, rinse, and repeat until the target is sharply focused.

You can use the focus target shown in Figure 12.15, or you can use a chart of your own, as long as it has contrasty areas that will be easily seen by the autofocus system, and without very small details that are likely to confuse the AF. Download your own copy of my chart from www.dslrguides.com/FocusChart.pdf. (The URL is case sensitive.) Then print out a copy on the largest paper your printer can handle. (I don’t recommend just displaying the file on your monitor and focusing on that; it’s unlikely you’ll have the monitor screen lined up perfectly perpendicular to the camera sensor.)

Figure 12.15 Use this focus test chart, or create one of your own.

Then, follow these steps:

1. 1. Position the camera. Place your camera on a sturdy tripod with a remote release attached, positioned at roughly eye-level at a distance from a wall that represents the distance you want to test for. Keep in mind that autofocus problems can be different at varying distances and lens focal lengths, and that you can enter only one correction value for a particular lens. So, choose a distance (close-up or mid-range) and zoom setting with your shooting habits in mind.
2. 2. Set the autofocus mode. Choose the autofocus mode you want to test.
3. 3. Level the camera (in an ideal world). If the wall happens to be perfectly perpendicular, you can use a bubble level, plumb bob, or other device of your choice to ensure that the camera is level to match. Many tripods and tripod heads have bubble levels built in. Avoid using the center column, if you can. When the camera is properly oriented, lock the legs and tripod head tightly.
4. 4. Level the camera (in the real world). If your wall is not perfectly perpendicular, use this old trick. Tape a mirror to the wall, and then adjust the camera on the tripod so that when you look through the viewfinder at the mirror, you see directly into the reflection of the lens. Then, lock the tripod and remove the mirror.
5. 5. Mount the test chart. Tape the test chart on the wall so it is centered in your camera’s viewfinder.
6. 6. Photograph the test chart using AF. Allow the camera to autofocus, and take a test photo using the remote release to avoid shaking or moving the camera.
7. 7. Make an adjustment and re-photograph. Navigate to the Custom Settings menu and choose AF Micro Adj. Make sure the feature has been turned on, then press down to Amount and make a fine-tuning adjustment, plus or minus, and photograph the target again.
8. 8. Lather, rinse, repeat. Repeat steps 6 and 7 several times to create several different adjustments to check.
9. 9. Evaluate the image(s). If you have the camera connected to your computer with a USB cable or through a Wi-Fi connection, so much the better. You can view the image(s) after transfer to your computer. Otherwise, carefully open the camera battery/card door and slip the memory card out and copy the images to your computer.
10. 10. Evaluate focus. Which image is sharpest? That’s the setting you need to use for this lens. If your initial range doesn’t provide the correction you need, repeat the steps between –20 and +20 until you find the best fine-tuning. Once you’ve made an adjustment, the camera will automatically apply the AF fine-tuning each time that lens is mounted on the camera, as long as the function is turned on.

What Lenses Can Do for You

A sane approach to expanding your lens collection is to consider what each of your options can do for you and then choose the type of lens that will really boost your creative opportunities. Here’s a guide to the sort of capabilities you can gain by adding a lens (using an adapter, if necessary) to your repertoire.

• Wider perspective. A 16-35mm lens can serve you well for moderate wide-angle to medium telephoto shots. Now you find your back is up against a wall and you can’t take a step backward to take in more subject matter. Perhaps you’re standing on the boulevard adjacent to the impressive domed walls of the Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb, Croatia, and you want to show the expanse of the walls, as I did for the photo at top in Figure 12.16, made with the Sony 10-18mm f/4 zoom lens. Or, you might find yourself just behind the baseline at a high school basketball game and want an interesting shot with a little perspective distortion tossed in the mix. If you often want to make images with a super-wide field of view, a wider lens is in your future.

Figure 12.16 A 10mm view shows a broad expanse of wall outside the Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb, Croatia (top). A view at roughly the same distance at 100mm (center). A long telephoto lens at 300mm captured this image (bottom).

• Bring objects closer. A long focal length brings distant subjects closer to you, allows you to produce images with very shallow depth-of-field, and avoids the perspective distortion that wide-angle lenses provide. If you find the traffic on the street intrusive, as I did in Zagreb, you can zoom in to eliminate the distraction, as in Figure 12.16, center. A zoom or prime lens with a 35mm focal length can be your best friend.

  Or, perhaps you want to zoom in on one of the domes. As I write this, the longest focal length in an E-mount zoom lenses are found in the company’s 100-400mm and 200-600mm FE optics. If you own such a lens, it’s easy to blur the background because the maximum remains f/4 at long focal lengths. With the right adapter, you can also use a different super telephoto lens on your a6600, as I did for Figure 12.16, bottom, using my own Minolta 100-400mm lens.

• Bring your camera closer. Sony’s 90mm FE macro lens is great, but you can also use an adapter and work with other close-up lenses if you don’t want to purchase the E-mount 30mm f/3.5 macro lens. Sony has two excellent A-mount macro lenses that would be fine for use with an adapter; you might own one of these or may be able to borrow one: the 50mm f/2.8 and the 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

  Even if the autofocus speed you get isn’t fast enough for you, the need to manually focus a macro lens is not a tremendous hardship. Most serious photographers use manual focus in extreme close-up photography for the most convenient method of controlling the exact subject element that will be in sharpest focus. A longer macro lens is preferable to the shorter macro lenses in nature photography because you do not need to move extremely close to a skittish subject for high magnification. And you can get a frame-filling photo of a tiny blossom without trampling all the other plants in its vicinity.

• Look sharp. Many lenses, particularly the higher-priced Sony and Zeiss optics, are prized for their sharpness and overall image quality. Your run-of-the-mill lens is likely to be plenty sharp for most applications at the optimum aperture (usually f/8 or f/11), but the very best optics, such as the Zeiss FE 55mm f/1.8, are definitely superior. You can expect to get excellent sharpness in much of the image area at the maximum aperture, high sharpness even in the corners by one stop down, more consistent sharpness at various focal lengths with a zoom, and better correction for various types of distortions (discussed shortly).
• More speed. Your basic lens might have the perfect focal length and sharpness for sports photography, but the maximum aperture may be small at telephoto focal lengths, such as f/5.6 or f/6.3 at the far end. That won’t cut it for night baseball or football games, since you’ll need to use an extremely high ISO (where image quality suffers) to be able to shoot at a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. Even outdoor sports shooting on overcast days can call for a high ISO if you’re using a slow zoom lens (with small maximum apertures).

  That makes the lenses with a very wide aperture (small f/number) such as the 24mm f/2 optic a prime choice (so to speak) for low-light photography when you can get close to the action; that’s often possible at an amateur basketball or volleyball game. But there are lower-cost fast lens options, such as the 50mm f/1.4 lens ($450), which might be suitable for indoor sports in a gym and whenever you must shoot in dark locations, in a castle or cathedral or theater, for example.

Categories of Lenses

Lenses can be categorized by their intended purpose—general photography, macro photography, and so forth—or by their focal length. The range of available focal lengths is usually divided into three main groups: wide-angle, normal, and telephoto. Prime lenses fall neatly into one of these classifications. Zooms can overlap designations, with a significant number falling into the catchall wide-to-telephoto zoom range. This section provides more information about focal length ranges, and how they are used.

Any lens with a focal length of 10mm to 14mm is said to be an ultra-wide-angle lens; from about 15mm to 24mm is said to be a wide-angle lens. Normal lenses have a focal length roughly equivalent to the diagonal of the film or sensor, in millimeters, and so fall into the 30–40mm range on an APS-C camera like your a6600 model. Telephoto lenses usually fall into the 75mm and longer focal lengths, while those with a focal length much beyond 300mm are referred to as super telephotos.

Using Wide-Angle Lenses

To use wide-angle prime lenses and wide zooms, you need to understand how they affect your photography. Here’s a quick summary of the things you need to know.

• More depth-of-field (apparently). Practically speaking, wide-angle lenses seem to produce more extensive depth-of-field at a particular subject distance and aperture. However, the range of acceptable sharpness actually depends on magnification: the size of the subject in the frame. With a wide-angle lens, you usually include a full scene in an image; any single subject is not magnified very much, so the depth-of-field will be quite extensive. When using a telephoto lens however, you tend to fill the frame with a single subject (using high magnification), so the background is more likely to be blurred. (I’ll discuss this in more detail in the sidebar below.)

  You’ll find a wide-angle lens helpful when you want to maximize the range of acceptable sharpness in a landscape, for example. On the other hand, it’s very difficult to isolate your subject (against a blurred background) using selective focus unless you move extremely close. Telephoto lenses are better for this purpose and, as a bonus, they also include fewer extraneous elements of the scene because of their narrower field of view.

• Stepping back. Wide-angle lenses have the effect of making it seem that you are standing farther from your subject than you really are. They’re helpful when you don’t want to back up—or can’t because of impediments—to include an entire group of people in your photo, for example.
• Wider field of view. While making your subject seem farther away, as implied above, a wide-angle lens also provides a more expansive field of view, including more of the scene in your photos.
• More foreground. As background objects appear further back than they do to the naked eye, more of the foreground is brought into view by a wide-angle lens. That gives you extra emphasis on the area that’s closest to the camera. Photograph your home with a 50mm focal length, for example, and the front yard probably looks fairly conventional in your photo. Switch to a wider lens, such as the 16mm setting of the 16-35mm f/4 zoom, and you’ll discover that your lawn now makes up much more of the photo. So, wide-angle lenses are great when you want to emphasize that lake in the foreground, but problematic when your intended subject is located farther in the distance.
• Super-sized subjects. The tendency of a wide-angle lens to emphasize objects in the foreground while de-emphasizing objects in the background can lead to a kind of size distortion that may be more objectionable for some types of subjects than others. Shoot a bed of flowers up close with a 16mm or shorter focal length, and you might like the distorted effect of the nearby blossoms looming in the photo. Take a shot of a family member with the same lens from the same distance, and you’re likely to get some complaints about that gigantic nose in the foreground.
• Perspective distortion. This type of distortion occurs when you tilt the camera so the plane of the sensor is no longer perpendicular to the vertical plane of your subject. As a result, some parts of the subject are now closer to the sensor than they were before, while other parts are farther away. This is what makes buildings, flagpoles, or NBA players appear to be leaning over backward (like the building shown in Figure 12.17). While this kind of apparent distortion is actually caused by tilting the camera/lens upward (not by a defect in the lens), it can happen with any lens, but it’s most apparent when a wide angle is used.
• Steady cam. You’ll find that it is easier to get photos without blur from camera shake when you hand-hold a wide-angle lens at slower shutter speeds than it is with a telephoto lens. And, thanks to SteadyShot stabilization, you can take sharp photos at surprisingly long shutter speeds at a long focal length without using a tripod. That’s because the reduced magnification of the wide-angle lens or wide-zoom setting doesn’t emphasize camera shake like a telephoto lens does.

Figure 12.17 Tilting the camera produces this “falling back” look in architectural photos.

• Interesting angles. Many of the factors already listed combine to produce more interesting angles when shooting with wide-angle lenses. Raising or lowering a telephoto lens a few feet probably will have little effect on the appearance of a distant subject that fills the frame. The same change in elevation can produce a dramatic effect if you’re using a short focal length and are close to your subject.

Avoiding Potential Wide-Angle Problems

Wide-angle lenses have a few quirks that you’ll want to keep in mind when shooting so you can avoid falling into some common traps. Here’s a checklist of tips for avoiding common problems:

• Symptom: converging lines. Unless you want to use wildly diverging lines as a creative effect, it’s a good idea to keep horizontal and vertical lines in landscapes, architecture, and other subjects carefully aligned with the sides, top, and bottom of the frame. To prevent undesired perspective distortion, you must take care not to tilt the camera. If your subject is very tall, like a building, you may need to shoot from an elevated position (like a high level in a parking garage) so you won’t need to tilt the lens upward. And if your subject is short, like a small child, get down to a lower level so you can get the shot without tilting the lens downward.
• Symptom: color fringes around objects. Lenses often produce photos that are plagued with fringes of color around backlit objects, produced by chromatic aberration. This common lens flaw comes in two forms: longitudinal/axial, in which all the colors of light don’t focus in the same plane, and lateral/transverse, in which the colors are shifted to one side. Axial chromatic aberration can be reduced by stopping down the lens (to f/8 or f/11, for example), but transverse chromatic aberration cannot.

  Better-quality lenses reduce both types of imaging defect; it’s common for reviews to point out these failings, so you can choose the best performing lenses that your budget allows. The Lens Compensation feature in the Camera Settings I-02 menu can help reduce this problem. Leave it set for Auto to get the chromatic aberration reduction processing that the camera can provide.

• Symptom: lines that bow outward. Some wide-angle lenses cause straight lines to bow outward, an effect called barrel distortion; you’ll see the strongest effect at the edges. Most fisheye (or curvilinear) lenses produce this effect as a feature of the lens; it’s much more obvious than with any other type of lens. (See Figure 12.18.) The mild barrel distortion you get with a conventional lens is rarely obvious except in some types of architectural photography. If you find it objectionable, you’ll need to use a well-corrected lens.

  Manufacturers like Sony do their best to minimize or eliminate it (producing a rectilinear lens), often using aspherical lens elements (which are not cross-sections of a sphere). You can also minimize barrel distortion simply by framing your photo with some extra space all around, so the edges where the bowing outward is most obvious can be cropped out of the picture. The Lens Correction feature can help reduce this problem, too. Leave it set to Auto to allow the processor to minimize the slight barrel distortion that can occur with the more affordable lenses.

• Symptom: light and dark areas when using a polarizing filter. You should be aware that polarizers work best when the camera is pointed 90 degrees away from the sun and have the least effect when the camera is oriented 180 degrees from the sun. This is only half the story, however. With lenses like the 10-18mm f/4 zoom, the range is extensive enough to cause problems.

  Think about it: if you use the widest setting of such a zoom and point it at a part of a scene that’s at the proper 90-degree angle from the sun, the areas of the scene that are at the edges of the frame will be oriented at much wider angles from the sun. Only the center of the image area will be at exactly 90 degrees. When the filter is used to darken a blue sky, the sky will be very dark near the center of your photo. Naturally, the polarizing effect will be much milder at the edges so the sky in those areas will be much lighter in tone (less polarized). The solution is to avoid using a polarizing filter in situations where you’ll be including the sky with lenses that have an actual focal length of less than about 28mm.

Figure 12.18 Many wide-angle lenses cause lines to bow outward toward the edges of the image. That’s often not noticeable unless you use a fisheye lens; the effect is considered to be interesting and desirable.

Using Telephoto and Tele-Zoom Lenses

Telephoto lenses also can have a dramatic effect on your photography. Here are the most important things you need to know. In the next section, I’ll concentrate on telephoto considerations that can be problematic—and how to avoid those problems.

• Selective focus. Long lenses have reduced depth-of-field, a shallow range of acceptably sharp focus, especially at wide apertures (small f/numbers); this is useful for selective focus to isolate your subject. You can set the widest aperture to create shallow depth-of-field or close it down (to a small f/number) to allow more of the scene to appear to be in acceptably sharp focus. The flip side of the coin is that even at f/16, a 300mm and longer lens will not provide much depth-of-field, especially when the subject is large in the frame (magnified). Like fire, the depth-of-field aspects of a telephoto lens can be friend or foe.
• Getting closer. Telephoto lenses allow you to fill the frame with wildlife, sports action, and candid subjects. No one wants to get a reputation as a surreptitious or “sneaky” photographer (except for paparazzi), but when applied to candids in an open and honest way, a long lens can help you capture memorable moments while retaining enough distance to stay out of the way of events as they transpire.
• Reduced foreground/increased compression. Telephoto lenses have the opposite effect of wide angles: they reduce the importance of things in the foreground by squeezing everything together. This so-called compressed perspective makes objects in the scene appear to be closer than they are to the naked eye. You can use this effect as a creative tool. You’ve seen the effect hundreds of times in movies and on television, where the protagonist is shown running in and out of traffic that appears to be much closer to the hero (or heroine) than it really is.
• Accentuates camera shakiness. Telephoto focal lengths hit you with a double whammy in terms of camera/photographer shake. The lenses themselves are bulkier, more difficult to hold steady, and may even produce a barely perceptible seesaw rocking effect when you support them with one hand halfway down the lens barrel. As they magnify the subject, they amplify the effect of any camera shake. It’s no wonder that image stabilization like Optical SteadyShot (OSS) is especially popular among those using longer lenses, and why Sony includes this feature in the 18-200mm zooms (and many of the long A-mount lenses).
• Interesting angles require creativity. Telephoto lenses require more imagination in selecting interesting angles, because the “angle” you do get on your subjects is so narrow. Moving from side to side or a bit higher or lower can make a dramatic difference in a wide-angle shot, but raising or lowering a telephoto lens a few feet probably will have little effect on the appearance of the distant subjects you’re shooting.

Avoiding Telephoto Lens Problems

Many of the “problems” that telephoto lenses pose are really just challenges and not that difficult to overcome. Here is a list of the seven most common picture maladies and suggested solutions.

• Symptom: flat faces in portraits. Head-and-shoulders portraits of humans tend to be more flattering when a focal length of 50mm to 85mm is used with a full-frame camera. Longer focal lengths compress the distance between features like the nose and ears, making the face look wider and flat. (Conversely, a wide-angle lens will make the nose look huge and ears tiny if you move close enough for a head-and-shoulders portrait.) So, avoid using a focal length much longer than about 60mm with your a6600 unless you’re forced to shoot from a greater distance. (Use a wide-angle lens only when shooting three-quarters/full-length portraits, or group shots.)
• Symptom: blur due to camera shake. Because a long focal length amplifies the effects of camera shake, make sure the SteadyShot stabilization is not turned off (with a menu item). Then, if possible, use a faster shutter speed; that may mean that you’ll need to set a higher ISO to be able to do so. Of course, a firm support like a solid tripod is the most effective tool for eliminating camera shake, especially if you trip the shutter with a remote commander accessory or the self-timer to avoid the risk of jarring the camera. Of course, only the fast shutter speed option will be useful to prevent blur caused by subject motion; SteadyShot or a tripod won’t help you freeze a race car in mid-lap.
• Symptom: color fringes. Chromatic aberration is the most pernicious optical problem found in telephoto lenses. There are others, including spherical aberration, astigmatism, coma, curvature of field, and similarly scary-sounding phenomena. The best solution for any of these is to use a better lens that offers the proper degree of correction for aberrations or stop down the lens (to f/8 or f/11) to minimize the problem. But that’s not always possible. Your second-best choice may be to correct the fringing in your favorite RAW conversion tool or image editor. Photoshop’s Lens Correction filter offers sliders that minimize both red/cyan and blue/yellow fringing. A feature such as this (also available with some other software) can be useful in situations where the a6600’s Lens Compensation feature doesn’t fully correct for chromatic aberration.
• Symptom: lines that curve inward. Pincushion distortion is common in photos taken with many telephoto lenses; lines, especially those near the edges of the frame, bow inward like the pincushion your grandma might have used. You can take photos of a brick wall at various focal lengths with your zoom lens to find out where the pincushion distortion is the most obvious; that will probably be at or near the longest focal length. Like chromatic aberration, it can be partially corrected using tools like Photoshop’s Lens Correction filter (or a similar utility in some other software).
• Symptom: low contrast from haze or fog. When you’re photographing distant objects, a long lens shoots through a lot more atmosphere, which generally is muddied up with extra haze and fog. The dust or moisture droplets in the atmosphere can reduce contrast and mute colors. Some feel that a skylight or UV filter can help, but this practice is mostly a holdover from the film days. Digital sensors are not sensitive enough to UV light for a UV filter to have much effect. A polarizer might help a bit, but only in certain circumstances. I don’t consider this to be a huge problem because it’s easy to boost contrast and color saturation in Picture Styles (a menu item) or later in image-editing software.
• Symptom: low contrast from flare. Lenses are often furnished with lens hoods for a good reason: to minimize the amount of stray light that will strike the front element causing flare or a ghost image of the diaphragm containing the aperture. A hood is effective when the light is at your side, but it has no value when you’re shooting toward the sun. On the other hand, you’ll often be shooting with the light striking the lens from an angle. In this situation, the lens hood is only partially effective, so minimize flare by using your hand or cap to cast a shadow over the front element of the lens. (Just be careful not to let your hand or cap intrude into the image area.)
• Symptom: dark flash photos. Edge-to-edge flash coverage isn’t as problematic with telephoto lenses as it is with wide angles. (The built-in flash simply cannot provide light that covers the entire field of view that’s recorded by a lens shorter than 16mm.) The shooting distance is the problem with longer lenses. A 210mm focal length might allow you to make a distant subject appear close to the camera, but the flash isn’t fooled. You’ll need extra power for distant flash shots, making a large accessory flash unit a valuable accessory.

  If you do not have a powerful flash unit and cannot get closer to the subject (like Lady Gaga strutting her stuff on a dark stage), try setting the camera’s ISO level to 3200. This increases the sensitivity of the sensor so less light is required to make a bright photo; of course, the photo is likely to be grainy because of digital noise. If that does not solve the problem, you will need to set an even higher ISO, but then you’ll get even more obvious digital noise in your photo.

SteadyShot and You

Even the highest resolution lenses and sensors can do nothing to correct image sharpness lost due to movement. And while higher shutter speeds can counter most subject movement, when it’s the camera that’s causing blur due to vibration, other approaches have to be taken. Your a6600 has improved technology that can help avoid blur caused by shutter movement and bounce, but when the entire camera and lens are vibrating, that’s where image stabilization (IS) comes into play.

Image stabilization/vibration reduction can take many forms, and Sony has expertise in all of them. Electronic IS is used in video cameras and involves shifting pixels around from frame to frame so that pixels that are not moving remain in the same position, and portions of the image that are moving don’t stray from their proper path. Optical image stabilization, which Sony calls Optical SteadyShot (OSS), is built into many E-mount lenses, such as the 70mm-350mm f4.5-6.3 G OSS lens I lauded earlier in this chapter. OSS involves lens elements that shift in response to camera movement, as detected by motion sensors included in the optics. Then, Sony introduced a new (at least for its mirrorless lineup) wrinkle: in-body, anti-shake technology called SteadyShot Inside (SSI), which adjusts the position of the sensor carriage itself along five different axes to counteract movement. If you’re using an OSS lens with your a6600 camera, you actually have access to two different, complementary image stabilization systems.

The results can be spectacular. Sony claims a 5-stop improvement from its in-body SteadyShot technology. That is, a photograph taken at 1/30th second should have the same sharpness (at least in terms of resistance to camera shake) as one shot at 1/750th second. I’ve found this to be true. Figure 12.19 shows two shots of pelicans taken a few minutes apart with a 100-400mm Minolta A-mount zoom lens (using the Sony EA-LA4 adapter) at 400mm and 1/125th second hand-held. This older lens has no image stabilization built-in, so the shot at top was taken using only the camera’s in-body IS. For the bottom photo, SteadyShot was turned off.

Figure 12.19 When hand-holding a lens at 400mm (top) and panning slightly to follow the pelican’s movement, I was unable to get a blur-free photo at 1/125th second. With SteadyShot deactivated, camera movement produced noticeable blurring (bottom).

No amount of SteadyShot can eliminate blur from moving subjects, but you should find yourself less tied to a tripod when using longer lenses, or when working with wide-angle lenses under dim lighting conditions than in the past. If you’re taking photos in venues where flash or tripods are forbidden, you’ll find the a6600’s image stabilization tandem invaluable. Because lens-based and in-body image stabilization work together, it’s appropriate to discuss their use in this lens-oriented chapter.

How It Works

As I mentioned, stabilization uses gyroscope-like motion sensors to detect camera motion, which can occur along one of five different axes, as in Figure 12.20. Shifts in the x and y directions are likely to occur when shooting macro images hand-held but can take place any time. Roll happens when you rotate the camera along the axis passing through the center of the front of the lens, say, to align the horizon while shooting a landscape. There may be a tendency to continue to “correct” for the horizon as you shoot, producing vibration along the roll axis. Roll is especially noticeable in video clips, because it’s easy to see straight lines changing their orientation during a shot.

Pitch movements happen when the camera shake is such that the lens moves up or down, often because the lens itself is a front-heavy telephoto lens. The magnification of the tele only serves to exaggerate the changes in pitch. Telephotos are also a major contributor to yaw vibrations, in which the camera pivots slightly as if you were shooting a panorama—even when you’re not. All five of these types of movement can be countered through image stabilization.

OSS does best in nullifying changes in pitch and yaw. SSI in the body can correct for all five types of movement. If both OSS and SSI are active at the same time, the a6600 use the two in tandem, allowing the lens to correct for pitch and yaw, while the in-body IS compensates for x, y, and roll movements. That makes a lot of sense, because in correcting for x, y, and roll, the camera is able to keep the sensor in the exact same plane to preserve precise focus and simply move the sensor carriage up, down, or slightly rotated to nullify the movement. If your lens does not have OSS, the SSI technology handles all the image stabilization tasks, in effect bringing IS to every lens you mount on the camera. That includes all E-mount lenses, as well as A-mount lenses attached with an EA-LA3 or EA-LA4 adapter (more on those later), and even “foreign” lenses like Canon EF optics using an appropriate adapter.

Figure 12.20 The five axes of in-body SteadyShot stabilization.

However, not all non-stabilized lenses benefit in identical ways from Sony’s stabilization technology. For best results, the SSI system needs to know both focal length and focus distance to provide optimum stabilization. That’s an advantage of OSS: stabilization built into the lens always knows exactly what focal length setting and focus distance is being used. For SSI, the same information has to be supplied to the smarts inside the camera body, using the SteadyShot Settings entry on the Camera Settings menu.

The lens may be one that can communicate this information to the camera. Focal length and distance data is also used with Sony’s advanced distance integration (ADI) technology for flash exposure, as described in Chapter 13. Focal length information is needed to correct for pitch and yaw, while x and y compensation need to know the focal distance. (Roll correction needs neither type of data and can do its thing just from what SteadyShot sees happening on the sensor.)

However, when all the data is available, the full array of the a6600’s IS capabilities can be used to correct on all five axes. If the lens cannot communicate this information, the focal length can still be specified using the SteadyShot Settings entry in the Camera Settings II-04 menu, as described in Chapter 3. Simply change the SteadyShot Adjustment option to Manual, then use the SteadyShot Focal Length sub-entry to specify the focal length of the lens or the zoom position you’re going to use from the range 8mm to 1000mm.

Unless you’re working with a non-zoom lens, going this route can be clumsy, but at least it works. When I am shooting sports with my 100-400mm Minolta lens, I set the focal length to 400mm, and get appropriate IS the majority of the time. Manually entering the focal length doesn’t provide the second half of the required data—the focus distance. But with only the focal length data to work with, the IS can calculate the amount of compensation to provide to correct for pitch and yaw, and it doesn’t need that data to fix roll. When using your non-compatible and foreign lenses, and lenses from third-party vendors like Rokinon/Samyang, you must forgo corrections along the x and y axes, but that deficit can be lived with, I’ve found.

One interesting variation comes when using an autofocus-compatible Metabones Canon adapter or Commlite/Fotodiox Nikon adapter with lenses that do have built-in image stabilization. Sony recommends turning off the lens’s image stabilization/vibration reduction using the switch on the lens, because, even with an autofocus/autoexposure-compatible adapter, the foreign lens has no way of working harmoniously with the in-body stabilization (and vice versa). The result would be having both the lens and the a6600 trying to correct for pitch and yaw simultaneously, and possibly overcompensating.

Here’s a quick summary of some things you should keep in mind:

• Compatible lenses. All FE lenses and most Sony E-mount lenses should be compatible, and you can leave SteadyShot turned on. The a6600 will identify the lens and choose how to apply the in-lens and in-body stabilization. For best results, turn off SteadyShot when the camera is mounted on a tripod.
• SteadyShot doesn’t stop action. Unfortunately, no stabilization is a panacea to replace the action-stopping capabilities of a faster shutter speed. If you need to use 1/1000th second to freeze a high jumper in mid-air, neither type of image stabilization achieves the desired effect at a longer shutter speed.
• Stabilization might slow you down. The process of adjusting the lens and/or sensor to counter camera shake takes time, just as autofocus does, so you might find that SteadyShot adds to the lag between when you press the shutter and when the picture is actually taken. In a situation where you want to capture a fleeting instant that can happen suddenly, image stabilization might not be your best choice.
• Give SteadyShot a helping hand. When you simply do not want to carry a tripod all day and you’ll be relying on the OSS system, brace the camera or your elbows on something solid, like the roof of a car or a piece of furniture. Remember that an inexpensive monopod can be quite compact when not extended; many camera bags include straps that allow you to attach this accessory. Use a monopod for extra camera-shake compensation. Brace the accessory against a rock, a bridge abutment, or a fence and you might be able to get blur-free photos at surprisingly long shutter speeds. When you’re heading out into the field to photograph wild animals or flowers and want to use longer exposures and think a tripod isn’t practical, at least consider packing a monopod.