Best astrophotography lenses for the Sony a6400
41 astrophotography lenses that fit the Sony a6400 (Sony E mount) — wide and bright for stars and night sky. Lenses we can link to a new listing on Amazon US come first, each group sorted brightest-aperture first; every spec from the manufacturer's catalog.
Start with the Sirui Sniper 16mm f/1.2. At f/1.2 it is the brightest of the 41 astrophotography Sony E lenses that fit the Sony a6400 — the full comparison is below.
Showing 41 of 41 lenses
Stabilisation uses a marker in the manufacturer model name; no marker is not a negative claim. Price filters use a current price when available.
Not counted as astrophotography on the Sony a6400: Voigtländer Nokton 21mm f/1.4 E (21mm, frames like 32mm), Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art (24mm, frames like 36mm), Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM (24mm, frames like 36mm), Samyang AF 24mm f/1.8 FE (24mm, frames like 36mm), 7Artisans AF 24mm f/1.8 (24mm, frames like 36mm), Meike AF 24mm f/1.4 MIX (24mm, frames like 36mm), Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 (25mm, frames like 38mm). They are astro lenses on full-frame, but the Sony a6400's 1.5× crop makes them frame tighter than 30mm-equivalent, so they are left out of this list. They are still in the full Sony a6400 table.
One limit of this table: it lists only Sony E lenses that mount natively on the Sony a6400 — lenses fitted through an adapter are not included here. See which mounts adapt to which.
What these focal lengths actually give you on the Sony a6400
The Sony a6400 has an APS-C sensor, so it sees a 1.5× crop of what each lens projects. Every focal length below therefore frames 1.5× tighter than its marked number. That works against you here: the widest option, the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D, frames like 14mm — not as wide as its marked number suggests. For a genuinely wide view on the Sony a6400 you want a lens marked around 16mm or shorter.
How long can you expose before the stars trail on the Sony a6400?
A rule-of-thumb answer for each lens above, at its widest focal length and widest aperture. The NPF rule takes the Sony a6400's pixel size into account; the older 500 rule does not, and gives longer times that can show slight trails on today's sensors.
Weight & weather sealing on the Sony a6400
On long approaches the decision is often made by weight, not aperture. Published weights for 40 of the 41 lenses above (the other 1 has no verified weight in our dataset yet — omitted, never estimated):
| Lens | Weight | Weather sealing |
|---|---|---|
| Sony E 16mm f/2.8 | 67g | Not verified |
| Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 Air | 170g | Not verified |
| Viltrox AF 9mm f/2.8 Air | 175g | Not verified |
| Viltrox AF 15mm f/1.7 Air | 180g | Not verified |
| Sony E 11mm f/1.8 | 181g | Weather-sealed |
| Samyang AF 16mm f/2.8 P FE | 207g | Weather-sealed |
| Samyang AF 12mm f/2 E | 213g | Weather-sealed |
| Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D | 215g | None claimed |
| Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G | 219g | Weather-sealed |
| Sigma 15mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary | 220g | Weather-sealed |
| Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary | 225g | Weather-sealed |
| 7Artisans AF 10mm f/2.8 (APS-C) | 232g | Weather-sealed (E-mount figure as published; 7Artisans claims a dust- and splash-resistant build with a weather-sealed mount ring) |
| Yongnuo YN 11mm f/1.8S DA DSM WL | 260g | Not verified |
| Yongnuo YN 16mm f/1.8S DA DSM | 274g | Not verified |
| Sony FE 16mm f/1.8 G | 304g | Not verified |
| Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 | 330g | Weather-sealed |
| Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD | 335g | Weather-sealed |
| Tokina atx-m 11-18mm f/2.8 E | 335g | None claimed |
| Sigma 20mm f/2 DG Contemporary | 370g | Not verified |
| Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G | 373g | Weather-sealed |
| Sirui Sniper 16mm f/1.2 | 384g | Not verified |
| Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary | 405g | None claimed |
| Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G | 409g | Weather-sealed |
| Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 | 415g | Mount gasket only (dust-proof seal at the aperture ring and mount joint, not full weather sealing) |
| Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD | 420g | Weather-sealed |
| Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 | 440g | Not verified |
| Samyang AF 14-24mm f/2.8 FE | 445g | Weather-sealed |
| Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary | 450g | Not verified |
| Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM | 460g | Weather-sealed |
| Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D FE | 500g | None claimed |
| 7Artisans AF 10mm f/2.5 (fisheye) | 504g | Not verified |
| Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8 FE | 505g | None claimed |
| Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 | 550g | Not verified |
| Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G | 565g | Not verified |
| Tamron 12-20mm F2.8 (A084) | 570g | Weather-sealed (Tamron's own term is "Moisture-Resistant Construction" — "leak-resistant seals throughout the lens barrel"; the maker does not use the words weather-sealed. Source page states "Length and weight are for Sony E-mount", so 570g is the Sony E figure (the nikon-z entry's 585g comes from a different source and is not in conflict).) |
| Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | 630g | Weather-sealed |
| Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art | 795g | Weather-sealed |
| Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM | 847g | Weather-sealed |
| Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG Art | 1160g | Weather-sealed |
| Sigma 15mm f/1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art | 1360g | Weather-sealed |
Packing light? The lightest here is the Sony E 16mm f/2.8 at 67g. The lightest weather-sealed option is the Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at 181g.
FAQ
What is the best astrophotography lens for the Sony a6400?
Sirui Sniper 16mm f/1.2 (16mm f/1.2) is the standout astrophotography option that fits the Sony a6400. 41 astrophotography Sony E lenses fit in total — compare them below.
Do these astrophotography lenses fit the Sony a6400?
Yes — every lens here is a Sony E mount lens, so it fits the Sony a6400 and covers its APS-C sensor.
What is the lightest astrophotography lens for the Sony a6400?
The Sony E 16mm f/2.8 at 67g (manufacturer-published weight). The lightest weather-sealed option is the Sony E 11mm f/1.8 at 181g. Weights for 40 of the 41 lenses on this page are in the weight table above.
Already own the Sony a6400, shopping for a spare or an upgrade? See the Sony a6400 with the 18-135mm lens on Amazon
Other uses on the Sony a6400: Wide-angle (56) Landscape (41) Vlogging (29) Budget (75) Compact (42) Travel (59) Low-light (96) Pro standard zoom (26) Street (61) Everyday (100) Standard prime (59) Telephoto (54) Budget pro (6) Wildlife (16) Wedding & event (39) Portrait (78) Macro (11) Sports & action (28)
All lenses for the Sony a6400 · the same use across mounts: Astrophotography lenses for Sony E · all cameras