Sony A6000 Review

One of my resolutions for 2016 is to do a better job at timely completion of projects, and one of such tasks is to catch up with all the long-overdue reviews of gear that I had a chance to use, but never had a chance to write about. I will start off by reviewing the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 61e1944ab48b251fcbf70fe87c1d837b cb 1454324243404, an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera that has been Sony’s flagship APS-C product since it was released almost two years ago (and soon to be be replaced with a Sony A6100Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 36fb59dbd9198e5377f98af061e2e808 cb 1454324261033).

Sony dumped the “NEX” name in its line of mirrorless APS-C products and merged everything into the “Alpha” ecosystem with the launch of the A3000, A5000 and A6000 cameras, so it looks like all the future iterations of these cameras will be labeled similarly. Let’s take a look at the A6000 in more detail, see what it has to offer and compare it to other popular mirrorless cameras on the market.

Sony A6000 Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l kia linkId 438d921328f607a694d16f255debb3b8 cb 1454324766813I had a chance to shoot with the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4f486a7468db7484fd0b093bd8be8860 cb 1454324337344 on a couple of occasions and I have to say, the camera did not disappoint. Although at launch it seemed like the A6000 was designed to be a lower-tier camera with its MSRP of $650 when compared to the NEX-6Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 2fa6af28a530734ddd2622ceed651c9a cb 1454324372945 and the NEX-7Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 96a75d625806d007cff5f47e74783d2a cb 1454324348528, Sony packed so many features into the camera, that it practically left no room for any other NEX camera to compete with. And if we take into account the sub $400 price of the camera today, it really makes it tough to choose any other mirrorless camera on the market with the same or smaller sensor size! Small, compact, fast, versatile and very affordable – the A6000 is a serious tool with a lot of power, on top of its superb image quality. It did not take much time for the A6000 to become one of my all-time favorite mirrorless cameras to shoot with. I know this is a spoiler at the beginning of the review, but so be it; the camera has been out for so long that most people already know what to expect out of it anyway. For this and other reasons, I won’t be going into much depth about what the camera has to offer and instead showcase some photos, along with my personal observations on what I liked and did not like about the A6000.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (9) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 9

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 7d1df6c54e25a1029f13e6551d11b636 cb 1454324798388 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 6e0317a8edcc759100b224f16e35e944 cb 1454324814504@ 20mm, ISO 200, 1/80, f/8.0

In essence, the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 3e525c6927ba0f7f56b6dfe55caf8a60 cb 1454324931457 is the continuation of the Sony NEX-6Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 8e4b45e72d49712ffc3cd58ed56164f9 cb 1454324941491 line. It has a similar camera design / form factor and somewhat of a similar base feature-set, although there are certainly some differences gained and lost in comparison. First of all, the A6000 got a higher resolution 24.3 MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a more powerful Bionz X image processor, compared to the 16.1 MP sensor and the previous-generation Bionz processor on the NEX-6. Second, the A6000 got a newer, much more advanced 179-point Hybrid autofocus system that covers 92% of the frame, compared to 99 focus points covering only 50% of the frame on the NEX-6.

Thanks to the more advanced image processor and a superior AF system, the A6000 is much better at tracking moving subjects than all previous NEX cameras and it can do so while being able to shoot at a whopping 11 fps. The A6000 also got a buffer upgrade, being able to shoot twice as many RAW images before the buffer fills up. The new image processor was also able to squeeze a bit more images out of the same battery on the A6000. At the same time, the A6000 got downgraded on the EVF – instead of the 2,359K EVF found on the NEX-6, the A6000 received a lower resolution 1,440K dot EVF. Not a huge deal in my opinion, especially once you factor in the price difference of $200 MSRP between the two at launch.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (20) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 20

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId e2452c9771cab09d52240e0e6f794f7f cb 1454325061958 + E 10-18mm F4 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 850d138e135c5043f6871157d4a0a912 cb 1454325080694 @ 15mm, ISO 100, 1/640, f/5.6

1) Sony A6000 Specifications

Main Features:

  1. 24.3 MP Exmor™ APS HD CMOS image sensor
  2. Hybrid AF System with 25 contrast-detect and 179 phase-detect focus points
  3. Full HD movie shooting up to 1080p @ 60 fps
  4. Battery life for up to 420 images
  5. Tiltable 3″ LCD with 921K dots
  6. OLED viewfinder with 1,440K dots
  7. Intelligent Scene Recognition and Face Detection
  8. Electronic First Curtain shutter
  9. Up to 11 fps continuous shooting at full 24.3 MP resolution
  10. Peaking AF display for precise manual focusing
  11. WiFi with NFC Capability

Sony A6000 Sample Images (31) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 31

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId baf9237640e9ab5f2045807f32637a4f cb 1454325144390 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 8520f25175573031c8729107baa4da84 cb 1454325136486 @ 34mm, ISO 100, 1/160, f/5.6

Detailed technical specifications for the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 908153253c1939546c2d025c93a4be88 cb 1454325156094 are available at Sony.com.

2) Sensor, Dynamic Range and Image Quality

The Sony A6000 uses a modified high-resolution 24.3 MP sensor, with 179 on-chip phase-detection points that cover almost the whole area of the sensor. While this might not sound like a big deal at first, the difference is actually quite drastic when compared to the NEX-6 – the wider coverage of the focus points not only makes it easier and faster to acquire focus with the subject off-center, but it also allows for better and more accurate tracking of moving subjects, thanks to the much bigger number of those focus points. In addition, thanks to the more powerful Bionz X processor, the camera’s sensor JPEG output has received a few updates, allowing for more intelligent sharpening of scenes, even when shooting at diffraction-limited apertures, along with better application of noise reduction. This is on top of the already provided Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO), High Dynamic Range (HDR) and lens correction features we have previously seen on NEX-series cameras.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (1) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 1

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4c031c5b8a780b1acd52e698c9a78389 cb 1454325337112 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 2c13aa26c8a21eb99f44a7de8064d9cd cb 1454325329566 @ 37mm, ISO 100, 1/100, f/5.6

With Sony making not only its own sensors, but also sensors for many other camera manufacturers, we have come to expect superb performance from each new generation camera. And that’s where the A6000 does not disappoint – its 24.3 MP sensor is indeed superb, delivering stunning dynamic range and excellent image quality, especially at low ISOs.

For the sample images in this review, I pushed both highlight and shadow regions of RAW files pretty aggressively and I was really impressed by how much I could get out of each RAW file – there is a lot of legroom to play with! Although noise and dynamic range performance do fall considerably fast as ISO is increased, you can still get quite impressive results even at ISO 3200-6400 range, especially once down-sampling and noise-reduction are applied to images.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (2) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 2

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId b96a0bb25e33e8ba6b30718dbe9da8f1 cb 1454325393975 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId eb4efb17ef8199db718dfd161a752b37 cb 1454325403549@ 43mm, ISO 1000, 1/80, f/5.6

Similar to other Sony cameras, the Sony A6000 produces natural-looking colors that are easy to work with in post-processing. Both Adobe’s ACR and Lightroom already have camera profiles for the A6000, so you can easily utilize such presets as Standard, Vivid and Landscape, allowing you to make quick adjustments that somewhat resemble the camera presets (see this article for more information).

Sony A6000 Sample Images (3) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 3

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId a03fd7ba5b02367aa88fb4adbeef4093 cb 1454325473219 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 1fd2bab4fde93a70b4404b2000edb95a cb 1454325462386 @ 24mm, ISO 100, 1/200, f/5.6

3) Camera Construction and Handling

Although the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 83ef7b581c664e78a40fa1964e55b1cb cb 1454325488386 has somewhat of a similar design and layout as the NEX-6, there are a few important differences worth mentioning. First of all, Sony decided to use a dual dial design on the top of the camera – one camera mode / PASM dial and a secondary function dial to change camera settings. This brings a big and welcome change to the ergonomics of the camera, because you can utilize the top dial for different purposes depending on what mode you are in.

Sony A6000 Top Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 TopSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l kia linkId f7c949c9342b3335c20aed470ff37e22 cb 1454325512261In Aperture Priority and Manual modes, for example, the dial is used to adjust lens aperture, while in Shutter Priority mode, it changes the camera shutter speed. On top of that, you can also simultaneously utilize the rear rotary dial as another function dial. For example, when shooting in manual mode, you could use the top dial for adjusting aperture and the rear dial for adjusting shutter speed, similar to what one can do on Canon DSLRs. Surprisingly, such simple and straightforward ergonomics are usually not seen on entry-level DSLRs – one would have to move up to higher end DSLR cameras to get a similar dual dial layout. Other than this and the renaming of the “Fn” button to “C1“, the top layout stayed pretty much the same as on the NEX-6Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 8613d5a9e7480c4d7e34b4cb536813be cb 1454325530807.

Similar to the NEX-6, the A6000 also features an ISO standard hot shoe, which allows mounting of all kinds of camera and flash accessories. Since I own a few Nikon speedlights, it was nice to be able to mount them on the A6000 and use them when I needed to. You can use a number of other third party flashes and flash triggers on the A6000 as well, which is great. As for the built-in pop-up flash on the A6000, which it is nice to have it on the camera, I would only use it as fill-flash when photographing a close subject against a bright background. For everything else, the built-in flash simply lacks the power. Sadly, just like the previous-generation NEX cameras, flash sync speed on the A6000 is still limited to 1/160th of a second.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (6) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 6

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 6577086fd151535b3770c34d1eab58f1 cb 1454325582171 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId dde76e638fe5adf629909bddb1263cff cb 1454325574553 @ 42mm, ISO 250, 1/80, f/5.6

While Sony kept the rear layouts of both NEX-6Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 553659ce69a42b48c38fdd88d8acdd7c cb 1454325594718 and NEX-7Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId e3d8ba938721f16b07614fd16e8f4f41 cb 1454325601711 cameras very similar, the A6000 went through a number of changes worth pointing out. First of all, the “Play” button has been assigned to the previously unlabeled button below the rotary dial on the NEX-6/NEX-7, while its place has been taken with a “Menu” button. This is a welcome move, because there are no more confusing, unlabeled buttons to deal with! The second unlabeled button on the top of the rotary dial now serves as a dedicated Function button. Lastly, Sony added another button “C2” to the right of “Play”, which now serves as both a programmable function button and a trash button when playing back images.

Sony A6000 Back Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 BackSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l kia linkId 33e12d531969e0b303e0c661dff3f261 cb 1454325636140I personally really like all these ergonomic changes Sony brought into the A6000. The menu button, the function button and the dual function dials work really well when shooting and make much more sense compared to the layout of the NEX-6Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId f90959c41f6e05426008d61accac54a1 cb 1454325649347 and NEX-7 cameras. The only thing that still does not make sense is the video recording button – it is still located on the side of the camera, like it was on the NEX-6. Such a weird place to put this button. I wish Sony moved it to the top of the camera instead, as that’s where it truly belongs in my opinion. The Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId c96d3da61acbe807a4e180a9ce3f4afb cb 1454325661381 features a tilting LCD screen with the capability to tilt up and down, which can be very useful when photographing at different angles. Sony has been consistently incorporating tilting LCD screens on its mirrorless cameras, which is great, because this feature is very useful to have on every camera.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (16) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 16

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId f933f8c9ac64c5d548f77f2c9bd14076 cb 1454325805918 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 366023f34152bd9af5bb3f19fe50dab0 cb 1454325795413@ 70mm, ISO 100, 1/250, f/6.3

Compared to the NEX-6 that used a high-end XGA electronic viewfinder @ 1024×768 resolution, Sony decided to use a lower-end SVGA 800×600 OLED EVF. While this seems like a big loss, I honestly could not really tell much difference between the two. What’s more important than resolution is the refresh rate, which the A6000 certainly improves on, making movements in the viewfinder appear less jittery. In addition, when shooting in indoor / dim environments, the EVF does not seem to lag as much as on the NEX-series cameras.

As for weather sealing, although the A6000 does not have any weather sealing, the camera does quite well in harsh conditions. As you can see from the sample images in this review, I shot quite a bit in gloomy, rainy English weather and the camera performed admirably. Despite the extreme humidity and often very wet conditions, the A6000 just kept on clicking.

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ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId a9f67513b7106d7ae6a49f82bf390142 cb 1454325857515 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 40bb325204de55383009066f89c10fd2 cb 1454325851365 @ 19mm, ISO 3200, 1/60, f/5.6

Overall, the A6000 handles very nicely for such a small and lightweight camera. The grip is comfortable to hold and the camera balances very well with smaller E-mount lenses.

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ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 26d05437a6333d6ea3fb2d017b3f05cb cb 1454325900792 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 08db1f09e31a88ac72355c94536eb77c cb 1454325893566@ 22mm, ISO 100, 1/125, f/5.6

4) Camera Menu System

With the A6000, Sony abandoned its old GUI / menu system we have previously seen on the NEX-6Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 80b4c0f20856392aaa3b81ac536e57e0 cb 1454325917492/NEX-7Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 37a439b7a91649d2e50128a31427fe94 cb 1454325924009 cameras and switched to the newer menu system we have been seeing on the Sony A7-series cameras. This means that the A6000 now looks a lot more complicated, because Sony’s menu system is quite complex and confusing to use, especially for beginners. The good news is that once you get everything configured the way you want, you probably won’t need to access most of the menu options in the future, but the bad news is that if you lose those settings, you will have to start over by digging through the tons of menu options. Since a number of our readers previously requested us to provide some help with the confusing menus, I published an article with the recommended settings for the Sony A6000 a while ago. If you don’t know where to start with the camera menu, I would encourage you to read the article – I explain the basic camera buttons and functions, along with my recommendations on the camera settings there. I hope Sony figures out a way to simplify its menu system and make it user-friendly on the upcoming A6100.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (24) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 24

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId a5b1d07a49c31b84355ed4daf8f95702 cb 1454325976561 + E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId d120fe73e8e49714e4d39c20c299b388 cb 1454325968534@ 50mm, ISO 1250, 1/80, f/5.6

When it comes to overall responsiveness, the A6000 performs admirably. Throughout the time I used the camera, I do not remember encountering any serious lags or delays, which is something I certainly did experience on a number of other Sony mirrorless cameras before.

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ILCE-6000 Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 968e329072a664e6bc5fb26f4803e818 cb 1454326003783+ E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 31d082e68e5d0c2d7d0538e75189fc9f cb 1454326012901 @ 27mm, ISO 3200, 1/50, f/5.6

5) Lens Corrections

Similar to the NEX-series cameras, the Sony A6000 also has the capability to correct lens issues like vignetting, chromatic aberration and distortion. Interestingly, when importing images, Sony forces software like ACR and Lightroom to automatically apply some of the lens corrections like chromatic aberration. When going through the “Lens Corrections” module of Lightroom, you might see an “i” button that says “Built-in Lens Profile applied”. Clicking on the info button will show something like this:

Sony A6000 Lens Corrections Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Lens CorrectionsIn such cases, you cannot disable these corrections – you will need to use other post-processing software to reveal all the optical issues.

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ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 02a17994b9908d23e92ce9c7877d6bed cb 1454326071091 + E 10-18mm F4 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId f0ddb9ae1e0f57b9320654e817fc2c55 cb 1454326078158 @ 10mm, ISO 800, 1/20, f/4.0

6) Sony E-mount Lenses

Although Sony started out pretty strong with the E mount, making quite a few lenses initially, the development of E mount lenses pretty much stopped ever since Sony started making full-frame cameras. Now it seems like all the development efforts have shifted towards FE lenses, which is quite disappointing. While the selection of E mount lenses is fairly good today, it is nowhere close to what Micro Four Thirds has got to offer today. True, you can mount FE lenses on the A6000 too, but at what cost? You also lose the weight / size advantage by moving up to FE lenses, which does not make much sense. The only case where it would potentially be appealing, is if one owned both the A6000 and a Sony A7-series camera and wanted to share lenses. Let’s take a look at all the E-mount lenses that are available today from Sony:

  1. Sony 10-18mm f/4 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId ad3d7e07954f3e8e7429c276ca821d2c cb 1454326141917
  2. Sony 16mm f/2.8Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId f3d361a16636874c52521d7066d8d798 cb 1454326152223
  3. Sony 20mm f/2.8Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId dd16dd330c1fe0ef01a35e3a1cf5f89e cb 1454326168465
  4. Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4290bc7a5b1fbe9ee915a8a9fc5d391c cb 1454326178561
  5. Sony 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 54616b885468b5c8b045628ce2760154 cb 1454326186704
  6. Sony 24mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* ESony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId ffe200ced2ad37cf94de45791e69a8f9 cb 1454326198500
  7. Sony 30mm f/3.5 MacroSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 6402854418f0fe45c78dffd66e16ddce cb 1454326210993
  8. Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 5def326707e70fff6821194731be77de cb 1454326219732
  9. Sony 50mm f/1.8 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 390860cf977aec791af4e68dba135b17 cb 1454326233297
  10. Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4cca1046829d9cdb0920a5e2f7439c1e cb 1454326243924
  11. Sony 18-105mm f/4 G OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4b028a0972159f3d56c2b30caac7b9cf cb 1454326251814
  12. Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId f933bfc91d61dbbc4436ca606024a7f7 cb 1454326259932
  13. Sony PZ 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 287f94c0a51a22fc83a4d97545b3efdd cb 1454326268062
  14. Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 896406907d6498a5169639dfe0aa2d53 cb 1454326277426

Sadly, not many of the above lenses could be considered solid, capable of resolving enough detail or rendering beautiful images. From my experience, E-mount lenses often have pretty disappointing performance on the A6000. Sony also does not seem to be doing a very good job with the quality assurance process in making E-mount lenses. In one case, I had to go through several samples of a lens to get adequate performance and that was supposed to be a solid lens to begin with – the Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS. Having tested a number of Sony and Zeiss-labeled Sony lenses in my lab, I often came across severely de-centered lens samples, which was rather surprising. The same cannot be said about Sigma’s 19mm f/2.8Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId c48eb42a37a431e957a2449eaa2ffd68 cb 1454326294941 and 30mm f/2.8Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 58a6ce3c4202805e0df44df6ed723c75 cb 1454326320068, along with Zeiss Touit lenses, which seem to have much better overall reliability and performance. Don’t get me wrong, the above lenses are not bad – just not as good as they should be for a high resolution camera.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (4) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 4

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId d27ffcac0462f76efef64d24026f6a71 cb 1454326381378 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId b3e322ce3cc7c8011f7a8f9b71dd97b9 cb 1454326361302@ 19mm, ISO 100, 1/60, f/5.6

I really hope Sony won’t stop developing E-mount lenses. It has been a while since we have seen announcements, so I hope we will see more capable lenses with the introduction of the A6000 successor…

7) Autofocus / Manual Focus Performance and Metering

Without a doubt, one of the biggest upgrades and reasons to move up to the A6000 from lower-end and previous-generation NEX models is the new Hybrid AF system with a whopping 179 phase-detection points. While the number of focus points seems unreasonably high, it is actually quite useful to have when tracking subjects in motion. Speaking of which, to date, I have not been able to find a mirrorless camera that can be reliably used for tracking moving subjects. Although the A6000 is far from being a high-end DSLR for photographing action (and lack of super telephoto lenses does not help either), it can be used quite effectively for photographing moving people in daylight. The camera might miss a shot or two when subjects move fast and it might not do a very good job at photographing running pets, but that’s still impressive performance for a mirrorless camera. Sadly, the same does not apply for low-light performance. In dim environments, the camera’s AF reliability drops fast and once the camera switches to contrast-detection AF, its speed and reliability pretty much go down the drain.

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ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 8adc93646d8646f022759b729c709b8c cb 1454326424925 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4719d37cb0f666e249767981ceb34ddc cb 1454326418044 @ 16mm, ISO 100, 1/800, f/5.6

Also, I found AF performance to vary greatly from lens to lens. Some lenses, like the Sony 70-200mm f/4 OSS performed admirably with the A6000, while other lenses like the Sony 50mm f/1.8 OSS can be quite unreliable, even in daylight conditions (and yes, I did upgrade the lens firmware). I could be wrong, but my guess is that the lenses that Sony initially made for the older NEX cameras did not have fast AF motors and they are in dire need of updates to keep up with the latest Hybrid AF found on the A6000. Another reason for Sony to start paying closer attention to the E-mount lenses!

Sony A6000 Sample Images (15) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 15

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4566d424d680c0cc18e174a4759864b2 cb 1454326467841 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 8579ed9a744db14dc1276f83a8ed0078 cb 1454326454262@ 70mm, ISO 100, 1/250, f/5.0

On paper, the shooting speed on the A6000 is insanely fast – up to 11 fps. Couple that shooting speed with the tracking capabilities of the camera and it seems like a real champ. However, the A6000 is no Nikon D500Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId c6382f41efee85d6935e5d7c5bb84d23 cb 1454326487778 – at its full speed, the camera’s buffer fills up in less than 2 seconds when shooting in RAW format and takes a long time to clear up before the buffer is empty again. This makes the A6000 only usable for capturing very quick action, not something that would last more than a few seconds…

Just like its predecessors, the Sony A6000 is a very friendly camera for manual focus operation. If you choose to use third party lenses with an adapter, you will love the focus “peaking” feature (can be found in the camera “Setup” menu). I found focus peaking to be a useful feature, because you do not have to guess anything when shooting in MF mode. The camera will automatically detect sharpness and paint it with a chosen color, making manual focus operation a breeze. In addition, the available zoom levels let you get much closer to the focus area and really nail focus. I have used the zoom feature quite a bit and got great results, both when shooting on a tripod and when hand-holding the camera. This MF implementation is one of the best I have seen so far on mirrorless cameras.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (23) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 23

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 7ede31baa846a09607effdb0c6e97281 cb 1454326530286 + E 10-18mm F4 OSS @ 18mm,Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 76d930fa789e3b3342c0e64afc432f2c cb 1454326518889 ISO 100, 1/40, f/5.6

As for exposure and metering, I was rather pleased with the accuracy of the camera exposure and metering system. In most cases, it provided accurate results, minimizing the use of exposure compensation (I primarily shot in Aperture Priority mode).

Sony A6000 Sample Images (13) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 13

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId c6f5ca4d25d4a305317bc913d4d44997 cb 1454326566184 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId eec8f2e6156d6854f4e893c11e5bd941 cb 1454326558201 @ 32mm, ISO 100, 1/125, f/5.6

8) Movie Recording

The Sony A6000 can record videos up to 1080p @ 60 fps, which is very good for this class of the camera, especially once you factor in the ability to have full control of exposure during video recording. What’s nice is that you can not only adjust exposure parameters such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO on the fly, but you can also apply exposure compensation and even lock exposure, all while actively recording video content. The camera LCD will reflect these changes and you will see exactly what you are capturing. As for Sony’s Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, it works pretty well when recording videos, but you have to be careful when panning the camera with SteadyShot turned on, because it will occasionally bump the camera up or down. This is normal behavior and the same thing would happen if you were to pan while taking stills.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (28) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 28

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId b264cf9ef4ff6652d49af035bf3c3942 cb 1454326620110 + E 10-18mm F4 OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 3b382885e4197c1b8009fe29588fb2a3 cb 1454326612372@ 11mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/5.6

Where the A6000 truly shines when compared to any modern DSLR, is the AF capabilities during video recording. While most DSLRs have very slow contrast detection autofocus capability in live view mode, making it easier to just use manual focus instead, the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId d0b9c7ab6396e7e234ab630e843c33fa cb 1454326637320 not only focuses much faster, but it also allows for accurate and fast subject tracking.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (7) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 7

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 7b6c71c8a5ba21084aed31fa39ebcbf4 cb 1454326675357 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId c2aafa12f5449f348df76d7a3072040e cb 1454326668639 @ 16mm, ISO 100, 1/60, f/5.6

9) Summary

After using the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId d841a3f9be53634166a296eb14e636c9 cb 1454326711824 for a few months on two separate occasions, I can honestly say that it is one of the most capable and versatile mirrorless cameras on the market. With its compact and lightweight camera body, comfortable grip, fast and accurate hybrid autofocus system, bright and responsive electronic viewfinder and superb image quality, the A6000 has been my top recommendation for those who wanted to get into photography, wanted to get a secondary camera, or wanted to try out a mirrorless camera.

This was particularly true during the holiday periods, when the price of the camera was slashed down to the $350-$400 range, making the Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId ca2921ad0c6a38ded3e1f4a726cdf187 cb 1454326700025 one of the best camera deals around. Every person I recommended the camera to was blown away by the image quality and the results they were getting and the A6000 surely did not disappoint, which speaks to how well-balanced the camera really is, especially in the hands of capable photographers.

Sony A6000 Sample Images (8) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 8

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 3a99501a8f3fcd1c13a18e2d604ea72b cb 1454326758855 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 066f89a197c3ce102d416614421470be cb 1454326737568@ 32mm, ISO 200, 1/80, f/8.0

While I can say a lot more about how good the A6000 is, I would like to also point out a major pitfall, which interestingly, is not even related to the camera itself: it is the lenses. Sony has done an excellent job with its mirrorless NEX and the newer Alpha-series cameras, but sadly, I cannot say the same thing about the E-mount lenses. The company has been pushing more and more resolution, but does not seem to understand that resolution also puts quite a bit of a burden on lenses. Without high quality lenses capable of providing the necessary resolving power, any bumps in resolution are going to be meaningless. With the upcoming A6100 rumored to have 36 MP, this concern grows even more.

True, the new FE lenses are indeed excellent, but they are big, heavy and pricey, which defeats the purpose of a compact APS-C system. If Sony does not focus more efforts in making high quality E-mount lenses, it will start losing its market share to Fuji, Micro Four Thirds alliance and other players on the market. With the release of the Sony full-frame A7-series cameras, it seems like Sony’s focus has shifted significantly towards FE lenses. For a couple of years now, we have not seen any solid E-mount lens announcements, except maybe from some third party manufacturers. I really hope to see positive changes in the E-mount lens development, and the sooner, the better. And with that, I hope Sony can also tighten up its quality control, which has been quite weak lately…

Sony A6000 Sample Images (10) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 10

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 35ce1d0c2bda7e802f3d28bbc3ad85d9 cb 1454326828875 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 2e2529283f0d8968124d566d9703c631 cb 1454326811626 @ 26mm, ISO 200, 1/40, f/5.6

I will be honest, going through my 2014 Lightroom catalog images and looking at my long list of notes from the time I used the A6000 two years ago was painful. Realizing that I should have done this a long time ago, I do feel bad for sitting on this review for so long. The drastic changes in my life in 2014 put a heavy load on my schedule and significantly shifted my priorities, making it hard to keep up with everything that was going on in the photography world. The Sony A6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4222fdc9b3c34f0c403f4e422729a599 cb 1454326840599 is far from being the only camera that I did not review – I have gone through many other cameras and lenses in between, with many more sample images and notes left in my computer. However, better late than never, and certainly no more excuses! Going forward, I will do everything I can to catch up with some of the older reviews and focus my time more on reviewing the newer and more exciting gear that comes out, so that I can complete it all in a timely manner. Once again, my apologies for publishing this review so late!

10) Where to Buy

B&H is currently selling the Sony A6000 (body only) Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 72c2f60e9bcaa12599c4b6d22d07d26c cb 1454326871447for $498 and the Sony A6000 kit with the 16-50mm zoom lensSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 03f62c94ba1d5a590bd768a5e44fec0e cb 1454326928651 for $664.95 (as of 02/02/2016).

11) More Image Samples

Sony A6000 Sample Images (5) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 5

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId bb1a04d2b1db6dd7a3c7bd73ba1c79f6 cb 1454327043134 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId ab46a74759700302e1406ada18c2b7e0 cb 1454327036270 @ 26mm, ISO 100, 1/60, f/5.6

Sony A6000 Sample Images (12) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 12

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 1c243e1af8ed474aea9ded0fa8bfaf3d cb 1454327108419 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 9f594aaaebf3edab26bd7db6143177d0 cb 1454327065904 @ 45mm, ISO 100, 1/80, f/8.0

Sony A6000 Sample Images (14) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 14

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId cf27e43e7580687bb0997e343001009e cb 1454327163632 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId d02a54accaab257242704f7438a1b46c cb 1454327137715 @ 16mm, ISO 100, 1/125, f/5.0

Sony A6000 Sample Images (19) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 19

ILCE-6000 Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 4157d1083769b194bf8ce3622e0e1088 cb 1454327193717+ E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 811ad4296383f67456d72e8bcea65d80 cb 1454327186864@ 36mm, ISO 100, 1/100, f/5.6

Sony A6000 Sample Images (21) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 21

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId e16a929943431f48d9b0fc4dd9309667 cb 1454327243038 + E 10-18mm F4 OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 35b9402ffdd9501cc89d1e4bf6077fde cb 1454327225446@ 10mm, ISO 200, 1/60, f/11.0

Sony A6000 Sample Images (22) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 22

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 5781a88e7018398e42b57e5059ae2907 cb 1454327271676 + E 35mm F1.8 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId cad22df7cba617cdf5387386a826e408 cb 1454327281265 @ 35mm, ISO 100, 1/640, f/1.8

Sony A6000 Sample Images (25) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 25

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 272859f7cf2fd0e349d0a0439ddb5a2c cb 1454327381240 + E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSSSony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 2a059fdf5f17beedc27a3b233c8868bd cb 1454327350984 @ 34mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/5.6

Sony A6000 Sample Images (26) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 26

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 54560e87256b3cc26373c3437edfaeba cb 1454327415563 + E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 192a535b0ff82b0ae8a01270b737740f cb 1454327408615@ 31mm, ISO 125, 1/60, f/8.0

Sony A6000 Sample Images (30) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 30

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 115850fc06c48fa82309e4a9acc2376f cb 1454327456024 + E 35mm F1.8 OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 1dbb5062636b30ed7ec9c7ad05e29b77 cb 1454327445322@ 35mm, ISO 100, 1/160, f/1.8

Sony A6000 Sample Images (32) Sony A6000 Review Sony A6000 Sample Images 32

ILCE-6000Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 6e0274c46638450c7f2b766c9ab8bec8 cb 1454327475757 + E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Sony A6000 Review ir source bk t aios08 20 bm id default l ktl linkId 9e50729c5a8800f203bc16d9bc405519 cb 1454327481972@ 45mm, ISO 100, 1/125, f/5.6

Sony A6000
  • Features
  • Build Quality
  • Focus Speed and Accuracy
  • Handling
  • Value
  • Image Quality
  • High ISO Performance
  • Size and Weight
  • Metering and Exposure
  • Movie Recording Features
  • Dynamic Range

Photography Life Overall Rating

4.5

GoogleNews

Sony A6000 + Sony 90mm f/2.8 FE = a popular portrait pairing

Sony A6000 + Sony 90mm f/2.8 FE = a popular portrait pairing

January 20, 2016 - imaging resource

We once again pay homage to the most popular digital camera in the enthusiast lands. And while we don't give out an award for the most popular camera of the year, if we did there would be no close second to the Sony A6000 for two years running!...

Sony A6100 Rumored For March With 36MP BSI Sensor

Sony A6100 Rumored For March With 36MP BSI Sensor

January 4, 2016 - Ubergizmo

sony-a6000-camera-09 There are plenty of mirrorless cameras in today's market, but Sony's A6000 has been a popular option due to the fact that it packs some pretty decent specs and it isn't priced too expensive either. It also boasts as having the...

Sony China Teases Upcoming A6100 Camera

Sony China Teases Upcoming A6100 Camera

January 28, 2016 - Ubergizmo

As you can see in the image above, it seems to show a very blurred image of a camera, and thanks to a digital overlay, it seems that the photo does lineup with the design of the Sony A6000. Now if you have been following the rumors, you know that the...

Photo of the week

Photo of the week

January 29, 2016 - Pacific Daily News

17 from Hotel Nikko Guam on a Sony A6000 with a focal length of 22 mm and an ISO speed of 160. “I really like this photo because it shows how beautiful Tumon really is at night,” says the Guam Community College student. “I started photography during...

Why DxOMark Doesn't Test Fujifilm Cameras

Why DxOMark Doesn't Test Fujifilm Cameras

January 26, 2016 - PetaPixel (blog)

I was actually going to buy a sony A6000 that day however I got dizzy looking through the EVF but the Fuji had the same but lesser effect on me. That is when I got interested in the Fuji. Since being dizzy on taking 1-2 photos on EVF is a biggie I...

Freebase

Sony Alpha ILCE-6000

The Sony A6000 is a digital camera announced February 12, 2014. It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera or MILC, and this has a smaller body form factor than a traditional DSLR, whilst retaining the sensor size and features of an APS-C-sized model. It is targeted at experienced users, enthusiasts and professionals. It replaces NEX-6 and NEX-7. But DxO Labs mentions that although uses 24MP sensor as Sony NEX-7, Sony Alpha A6000 is seen more as a replacement of Sony NEX-6.

As other cameras the Sony A6000 is advertised featuring the "world's fastest autofocus" with lag of 0.06 second and 11 fps continuous shooting with tracking AF, but lags for example behind the latest Nikon 1 series with 0.01 second delay and 20 fps continuous shooting with tracking AF. Its MSRP is $800 with...

Source: Freebase .

Sony NEX-6

The Sony NEX-6 is a digital camera announced Sep 12, 2012. It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera or MILC, and this has a smaller body form factor than a traditional DSLR, whilst retaining the sensor size and features of an APS-C-sized model. It is targeted at experienced users, enthusiasts and professionals. It is replaced by the A6000.

Source: Freebase .
Articulating screen

Articulating screen

An articulating screen is an LCD which - unlike a fixed screen - can change its position around a hinge or pivot. The articulating screen is known under different other names, e.g. flip-out screen, flip screen, adjustable screen, articulated screen or hinged screen. According to the way it moves, there are two main types: 1. The LCD moves around one axis, i.e. it tilts. It’s called tilting screen or tiltable screen. 2. The LCD moves around two axes which are at a right angle to each other, i.e. the screen tilts and swivels. This type is called swivel screen, but also e.g. vari-angle screen, fully articulated screen, fully articulating screen, rotating screen, multi-angle screen, variable angle screen, flip-out-and-twist screen, twist-and-tilt screen and swing-and-tilt...

Source: Freebase .

SONY a6000 Review and video sample - Best mirror less camera



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