Dpreview established the Sony A6000 as the best system camera within the $500-$800 price range:
“We really cannot say enough good things about the Sony a6000. Though we have it in the $500-800 category, due to its MRSP, it can often be acquired, body only, for closer to $500. And what does that get you? AF performance in line with the best in its class, great image quality, solid video quality/features with AF and no hunting, and a nice EVF, packed into a compact, enthusiast-friendly body.”
Probably that’s the reason why Sony didn’t hurry with the A6000 successor release. There is yet no real competition…
Sony A6000 store link list:
Sony A6000 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonyStore. In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
A6000 Gariz case on eBay in [shoplink 26006 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 26007 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 26008 ebay]Camel (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 26009 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink].
74 Responses
Easily the best out there in this range, IMO. This might be my favorite camera that I’ve ever owned, even over my FF bodies.
I know the feeling — my favourite cameras are the RX100 series cameras I’ve had. Over and above my far more expensive full frame ones.
like it way better than my a7
I’ll second that. It’s nothing much to look at on the outside (probably why it’s such a stealthy street camera) but the ‘insides’ certainly produce excellent images. It’s easily the camera you always have with you – I usually have the 20mm pancake on it and I can stuff it in my jacket pocket, confident that despite its small size it will allow large prints when required. In the other pocket lies what I would call a ‘sleeper’ lens: the Sigma 60mm f2.8, for those times when a 90mm equivalent is more relevant. It’s low priced but the satisfaction level is high. Other times, when I’m only wanting the one-for-all I have the 16-70 and as a travel combo, you can’t beat it. A bit nose-heavy for the little a6000 hanging around your neck but the 24-105 equivalent range is more than enough for most subjects. If HCB is your style, then the wonderful 35mm f1.8 (50mm equivalent) with the screen out for hip shots and black-and-white mode set, you’ll buy a lot of film with the price difference on a Leica Monochrom!
What would I ask from Mr. Sony for Christmas? A normal menu structure! I’ve had my a6000 for eighteen months now and still can’t get straight to what I want in there. At least it’s not the nightmare the NEX-6 was but still, a long way from Nikon/Canon logic. Failing that a couple more configurable buttons would be welcome – I’ve disabled the commands on the rear wheel; much too easy to suddenly find you’re shooting at ISO 25000 or horrors to that effect. The EVF eye sensor is much too sensitive and I often wish it were adjustable in its sensitivity, that would make the new ‘toy’, the Playmemories eye-shutter, far more fun.
Ah, while I’ve got Mr. Sony’s attention, the other pancake I’ve been waiting for is the 70mm. Come on, if Pentax can do it, so can you. Much as I like the Sigma, a complementary tele in pancake form to the 20mm would round off this small camera perfectly.
Christmas, ah, an RX1rII somewhere deep down inside that stocking?
needs a external mic jack!
Inter
Don’t you just love Ken Rockwell?
He always makes me laugh.
I do not love him
And I do not find him funny
And his wedsite has no venuew to post comments…I wonder why Ken does not allow any comments on his website…??????
i actually prefer Nikon colors.
I think there are only very few reviewers who are not biased and issuing impartial reviews. And I respect other’s opinions, even if I disagree.
What I don’t like with Ren Cockwell is that he uses his popularity opinion-forming without making his hinds about that this fact is possibly harming somebody.
For me he is the “Bild-Zeitung” of the reviewers…
No bias = no free cameras before release.
I’ve started to suspect that Ken Rockwell is colorblind.
That’s why he pushes saturation so much, it’s the only way he sees some color.
Thing about the A6000 – my wife has one – is that if you don’t want the compromises that come with the kit zoom, tiny though it is, what do you do? The 16-70 Zony would be a hassle and a lottery to get a good one – it seems to be the worst Zony for variation – and even a good one isn’t great on the edges. If it were me I’d go primes. But for her I’m almost tempted to suggest Fuji…..
Pretty sure the 16-70 has only had good reviews. The 24-70 full frame has been the one with bad feedback from my reading.
Check out the photo zone review of the 16-70!
http://www.photozone.de/sony_nex/901-sony1670f4oss?start=1
They kept sending it back to Sony only to be told it was fine. I’ve seen others too that are like that. SLR gear gave it an OK review, but the edges still aren’t great.
I’m not saying it’s terrible: it’s remarkably small for a 24-100 equivalent with a fixed aperture. If you don’t care about the periphery of the frame it could be a very useful lens. But if you do…
I actually think (worrying QC and manufacturing issue aside) that this lens and the 24-70 both are the result of a design that tried, understandably, to keep size down as much as possible consistent with good punchy centre imagery. But then if I was that worried about size I’d go a smaller format…
Just when I thought I’d decided on my next lens purchase.
Yeah I’m not sure Matthew.
If you have access to a store which will take lenses back no questions asked (or can use one even if you pay a bit more compared to eBay) it might be worth it.
You don’t need to do any fancy testing; just find a boring brick wall and focus on a tripod from about 3 metres away or wherever and do an aperture series. You’ll see gross decentering or skew easily, as one side being much worse than the other. The thing is not to get *too* picky. Just about every non-Otus lens has one corner a little worse than the rest.
Once you have a good copy, then it’s just a question of what you want. It’s *terrific* over much of the field. As for the edges, I don’t think you can do much better at this size for this focal range and price. Sure there are more even standard zooms around from various people. But they all have less range, more size and weight, or both. Usually both.
I’ve heard people say “I would never pay this kind of money for less than perfect edges”. Right. But you can’t get a 24-100 constant aperture equivalent lens in APSC for any money, let alone a little one….
But then a voice in my head says if I want little and I’m not prioritising maximum IQ I might get with primes, then surely I should be thinking RX100IV…..
I use FF myself, and put my 24-70 up for sale. For similar reasons. I think it’s a very fine lens for it’s size and parameters (the Canon is quite a bit bigger, and while generally better, is not so at 50). But didn’t I go FF for quality? And don’t I have an old RX100 for convenience??
Insightful. Helpful and balanced. I hope you keep on posting.
Have some shops that will let you return lenses, but I would need to have a plan B as they allow you to exchange only.
Right now I don’t have one (plan B) besides a prime.
Might wait a little longer and just keep working on my skills for now.
Fuji.
Fuji has it’s issues. I’ve been trying to move, but came back.
Has to be said Fuji looks like a nice system. My preference would still be a used Pentax K-5IIs (can be had for peanuts) and a few essential crop primes, 15/4, 35/2.8 Macro, 70/2.4 (again used, for small money). Not heavy, very far from heavy in fact and a wonderful camera to shoot with superb dynamic range and in-body stabilisation. Still my favourite all round capable camera to this day.
There’s actually a 16-50 vs 16-70 on dpreview, many people guessed wrong.
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3674590
“Probably that’s the reason why Sony didn’t hurry with the A6000 successor release. There is yet no real competition…”
Well, the thing about competition is… “if you’re not getting faster, you’re getting slower”
Thing is, even if the A6000 has a successor at the 2 year mark (that would be February I think?), then Sony is refreshing faster than anyone else in the industry. Canon 7D was 3-4 years or more for a refresh.
The A7 line has seen rapid refreshes because Sony is trying to establish a foothold in that market – so their engineering resources are going into the high-end products with high profit margins that allow them to be profitable despite only spreading out NRE over a year or so. The A6000 is lower in priority for a refresh because at close to 2 years it STILL has its market segment on lockdown.
Lol, how many Samsung guys on dpr forum going crazy about the fact that they proclaimed a camera without touch screen as best.
Touch is so overrated. I honestly can’t believe how many reviews list that as a ‘con’ of this camera.
Seriously, I’m really happy with how easy and quick it is to bam through the menus with the scroll wheel.
Touch or not, the a6000 lcd is pretty bad. One of reasons I hated using mine.
Compared to what? I find it easier to see than the rx100 screen. That said the evf was one of the deciding factors for me.
Just about every modern camera. No touch and the resolution is bad
Hmm. It seems to do the job it was made to do. As far as every modern camera, not really. The NX 3000 has less than half the resolution and that was just the first one in the same price range I pulled up.
They aren’t supposed to live only on the camera lcd. If I want a quick pixel peep I nfc to my Nexus and look on it.
Edit : Fuji X30 has less as well. I assume you must be comparing it to higher range models.
It does do the job. My E-M5 has similar resolution. But the experience is so much better for me on modern LCDs (just about every camera released since 2013.)
For me the A6000 LCD is great, and by the way, i normally use the visor. Great you can move the lcd in some angles to take a great capture.
For entry level makes life easier to people comming from Smartphones.
Yeah. I mean there’s a really clear pattern in the industry that you only see touchscreens on low-end consumer cameras.
Touch screen with EVF sucks. Nose keeps moving the AF point.
What camera exactly expressed this behaviour given there’s a proximity sensor on EVF?
Oly and Pana allow you to keep the touch-screen on to change the focus point.
Great little camera.
‘Sony didn’t hurry with the A6000 successor release’… grmpf.
Give it to me, baby, ah-huh, ah-ha!
Selfishly speaking – any news on that Sony revolution “secret” camera?
If I would tell you, it would no longer be a secret.
Now how about that NEX 7 successor? 😉
DPreview is here again to confirm (or condemn) the buying decisions you’ve already made. They don’t even have a review up for the a7rII yet, let alone their “preview” for the a7sII (I wonder what gems they’ll unveil in that? Will it use the same 12 MP sensor?). I hope SonyAlphaRumor posts the link!
If someone is in the market for a camera right now, and they want to decide on currently available technology, DPReview seems about as handy as a print magazine, if not another month slower, and they’re owned by Amazon. They’re job is essentially to sell cameras. :p
Can’t they hire another person or two? The DXO Mark database I understand. They don’t generate any direct revenue from that (that they make clear) and the comments are all full of nagging requests, complainers and sh** talkers. It makes sense for them to be behind, or if it were me doing that thankless job (and having to work with French people), quit. lol
Big LOL! Nice one!
A77II review appeared on DPR a year or so after release. This can’t be a coincidence the third or fourth time around.
My guess is somehow DPR has even more revenue for not making those reviews.
You actually need time WITH a camera to actually USE it in real-life shooting situations to make a useful comment or review about it.
Surprisingly they didn’t need time with a Leica or E-M10 II.
They might be combining both reviews from A7r/s II.
For it’s price tag there’s simply no competition at all, only a bunch of lowest-end EVFless entry-levels.
OK, correct, BUT it’s more then time for the A7000 ? Sony please !!!
I don’t think the A7000 would win this if priced at $800.
The affordable-super camera is what makes the A6000 great.
My NEX7 is still going strong. Use it all the time whenever I get tired of carrying of my nikon FFs. But I do feel it has to be upgraded sometime soon. It’s low light capability is just not enough any more for my needs.
Looking forward to the announcements in 2016. Hopefully they announce real successor this time.
It’s strong except the noisy sensor and slower AF.
Just so the administrators know, the sentence “Dpreview claims the Sony A6000 is the best…” implies that they disagree! The reader will be expecting to read, “Dpreview claim…but we don’t think it is!”
Better to write “Dpreview has chosen the Sony A6000 as the best…”
i dont agree with your claim here.
Obviously you aren’t too familiar with SonyAlphaRumor! 😉 We love to continually pat ourselves in the back while yelling at each other around here.
My reply to Fonk, who says it’s easily the best out there in this range:
I’ll second that. It’s nothing much to look at on the outside (probably why it’s such a stealthy street camera) but the ‘insides’ certainly produce excellent images. It’s easily the camera you always have with you – I usually have the 20mm pancake on it and I can stuff it in my jacket pocket, confident that despite its small size it will allow large prints when required. In the other pocket lies what I would call a ‘sleeper’ lens: the Sigma 60mm f2.8, for those times when a 90mm equivalent is more relevant. It’s low priced but the satisfaction level is high. Other times, when I’m only wanting the one-for-all I have the 16-70 and as a travel combo, you can’t beat it. A bit nose-heavy for the little a6000 hanging around your neck but the 24-105 equivalent range is more than enough for most subjects. If HCB is your style, then the wonderful 35mm f1.8 (50mm equivalent) with the screen out for hip shots and black-and-white mode set, you’ll buy a lot of film with the price difference on a Leica Monochrom!
What would I ask from Mr. Sony for Christmas? A normal menu structure! I’ve had my a6000 for eighteen months now and still can’t get straight to what I want in there. At least it’s not the nightmare the NEX-6 was but still, a long way from Nikon/Canon logic. Failing that a couple more configurable buttons would be welcome – I’ve disabled the commands on the rear wheel; much too easy to suddenly find you’re shooting at ISO 25000 or horrors to that effect. The EVF eye sensor is much too sensitive and I often wish it were adjustable in its sensitivity, that would make the new ‘toy’, the Playmemories eye-shutter, far more fun.
Ah, while I’ve got Mr. Sony’s attention, the other pancake I’ve been waiting for is the 70mm. Come on, if Pentax can do it, so can you. Much as I like the Sigma, a complementary tele in pancake form to the 20mm would round off this small camera perfectly.
Christmas, ah, an RX1rII somewhere deep down inside that stocking?
Too funny. I have the same exact set up.
That Sigma 60mm f/2.8 Art lens is probably the best bang-for-the-buck E-mount lens out there. I get incredibly sharp portraits from that thing. The 30mm is great, too. I wish they’d release more lenses in that line.
I agree with you on the EVF eye sensor, too – highly annoying when I’m trying to shoot stealthily with the camera held down at my abdomen, as the LCD tunrs unless I hold it 6+ inches out from my body.
Im falling in love with this camera. I bought this camera this summer and it’s really a great camera.
Haha. I really tried to hate it but gave up in the end … !
Hahaha, come to the dark side, my friend…
Put a good prime lens on the A6000 and the photos are outstanding.
I own a sony a6000 and i don’t agree with dpreview’s assessment. The a6000 really lacks a good lens selection, while the canon and nikon have a large array of first party and third party lenses. You buy a camera system, not a camera.
Now granted in this price range, most general consumers just use the kit lens, which is a real shame. So they may be right in that regard, it is the best camera if you only use your kit lens.
I use my sony for travel, and only have the pricey 35mm lens and the kit lens. But the camera nicely fits into the side pocket of my backpack and is much easier to travel with than a dslr. However when i’m home, i use a DSLR, especially when shooting fast moving subjects. The a6000 still have some ways to go before i would say it’s caught up. It needs a better lens selection and better depth tracking performance.
I’ve got an A6000 too. Yes, it’s small and light but I consider it an alternative to a fixed lens P&S (with the FE 28/2), just like I consider the A7r an alternative to a full frame rangerfinder than a DSLR. Right now my overall system is a bit of a mess. That said, all up it’s pretty light for long haul travel, so it’s got that going for it I suppose.
The fact that you can use almost any lens ever created on it without problems is invaluable, you need to consider this
Well, as long as you don’t consider AF not working to be a ‘problem’, anyway…
While it works well when I have adequate lighting, it has turned out to be problematic when you use a flash on it. I’ve gotten the adapter for an existing alpha mount flash I had and on the a6000 it pretty much becomes a manual flash which means you have to set it manually for each shot… If Sony hadn’t continued to come up with new hotshoe mounts with every other iteration of camera I might be a real fan… at this point I don’t think I will bother with any more Sony cameras because I don’t like having accessories I buy for them becoming pointless as soon as their next generation of cameras comes out. They should take a page from other manufacturers that don’t change hotshoes every other year.
I don’t understand your post.
As far as I’m aware there has only ever been two flash mounts: the original Minolta and now the new multi-interface. Also, your original flash should work in exactly the same manner with the adapter, so I suspect you have a fault.
While the new shoe is not perfect, neither was the Minolta. A major criticism of both was lack of compatability. However, given the increased popularity of the A7 series, I think that will slowly change. The Nissin gear is excellent, in my experience.
Thus far the HVL f42am doesn’t do much on the a6000 using the Sony adapter beside fire when it is supposed to. The af illumination doesn’t work, the ADI metering doesn’t work… I’ve not gotten a decent shot at all from it in p mode and only get reasonable results if I shoot in manual mode and manually set the flash power. If any other folks are getting more things to work I would love to hear about it because that would mean either the flash, camera or adapter is screwed up and If it is the adapter or camera it would still be under warranty.
All those things should work exactly the same with the adapter, so there is a fault somewhere.
The only way to get to the bottom of it is to find some way of checking each item:
i.e. the flash on another camera with the iISO shoe, if it doesn’t work it is the flash, but if it does then try the flash with adapter on another Mi shoe camera. If that doesn’t work it is the adapter, but if it does then it must be the camera. You could confirm this with another flash to see if it behaves the same.
I wish I had a better idea.
was afraid it was going to be hard to find the problem… The flash does work perfectly when I connect it to an older alpha camera… So I’m kind of thinking it must either be the adapter or the camera.
Just check, without being too forceful, that there are no bits of dirt or anything blocking the hotshoe and the adapter is seated fully into the camera (use a ruler to check the relevant distance and see how far it slides in if you can)
The main complaints about the new Mi Sony shoe is that some third party items don’t fit properly, as I think the tolerances are tighter, so it may be the same with your adapter, even if it’s a genuine Sony.
I have to agree. The A6000 (with the 35mm prime) is the best compromise I have found yet between price, features, quality, weight, and speed. The Panasonic GX7 (with the Oly 25mm prime) is pretty similar (size, price, features) but the IQ of the Sony is a little better.