Alin Popescu (Click here) posted the first full Sony A6000 review.
I can say with all my heart, this little guy which is a6000, is the most precise and fast focusing mirror-less camera I have ever tested. Even better than many dSLRs that got in my hands.
And the A5000 sensor got tested at DxOmark and it shows only a marginal quality increase over the predecessor:
Although it lacks the on-chip PD-AF pixels required for faster autofocus of the older 16-Mpix sensor in the NEX-5T, it concedes nothing in IQ while the higher pixel count is promising. At around $499 it doesn’t look overpriced.
This is the updated preorder list with US and Europe links:
Sony A6000 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
Silver A6000 at WexUK (Click here).
Sony A6000 with lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here), Sony Canada (Click here), WexUK (Click here).
Silver A6000 with lens at WexUK (Click here).
Sony 70-200mm FE at Amazon (CLick here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT
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Can the A7 vertical battery grip be used on the A6000? Seriously need a battery grip for APS-C camera, the third party one looks bad.
No chance. The A6000 and A7 have different dimensions. Even if the grip could communicate with the A6000, it just wouldn’t fit.
Fuji X-T1…. 🙂
Which is twice as expensive…
and can compete in the water color paint class and still will lose the game. Go on photographyblog and see the X-T1 samples in full size. I ask myself if I should laugh or whine. I ask myself when Fuji will finally accept that the x-trans sensor is crap. Their only camer that make huge shots is the cheapest one with the simple Sony 16 mpix sensor.
Dreams can be weird…
Am I reading this right in Alin’s review? Is the ultra fast phase detection focus only available in AF-C and you cannot select the subject to focus on? That’s new to me and makes the A6000 a lot less attractive to buy really.
You can do it (select subject to focus on), by using the Lock-on AF. But still, PDAF for me looked like working only on AF-C.
Being a pre-production camera, I would wait more opinions on this before drawing a conclusion.
In your AF-C indoor test, it looks that everything was in focus already. Why didn’t you use 50/1.8 for autofocus test?
1. I don’t have a 50 1.8
2. the one I’ve tested in a camera shop on a6000 didn’t support PDAF (not yet updated to new firmware).
I totally agree! Assuming the review is correct: People are being sold on 0.06s AF. That implies 0.06s + equally tiny shutter lag till first shot with intended AF point. If you have to use AF-C you will not achieve that for first shot due to auto focus selection. Unless it changes it seems that this is only useful for a series of shots using AF-C. Perhaps that’s why “World’s fastest AF” only costs $650.
I also find it highly dubious that no other reviewer has mentioned this and all happened to be on AF-C? When did the reviewers get the camera to test? How much change can be implemented between then and April?
The real surprise from this review is the lenses comparison, and how much better was the dirty cheap 16-50 kit lens compared to the over priced 16-70 Zeiss and the 18-105; especially considering how bad it was on the NEX-7.
I don’t believe that is the case on production models. As he says maybe firmware was not optimized for these lenses.
There is no firmware in this world that could make sharp image look dull or fix the dull image to make it look sharp. Something was seriously wrong in his test.
If the A6000 has offset lenses on the sensor like the A7R, that might help quite a bit, but that’s the only thing I can think of that would explain a difference. You’re right, firmware couldn’t account for the difference in resolving power. The 16-50mm lens as tested looked amazing!
I’m guessing only the 16-50 had jpeg correction enabled
Hi, does anyone know if the c1 button on the top of the camera can be set so that when depressed the dial behind it changes between aperture and shutter speed in manual mode (or is the only option to use the dial on the back of the camera)?
I wonder why the new action cam, HDR-AS100V, has XAVC S but they didn’t include it in the A6000.
You sir are using logic! Sony doesn’t like that… The AS100V has XAVC-S because it doesn’t challenge Sony’s existing, high-margin camcorder business. Think the RX10 is expensive? the same camera (with an arguably lesser lens) is available for the low, low price of $2k in camcorder form!
I have an honest question (which can be addressed to anybody): besides “bragging rights”, what’s the point of magnesium alloy body if it’s not weathersealed?
Don’t get me wrong, though. I really like that “chuncky piece of metal feeling” but I used to think more that it was a “big thing”. But, realistically, there’s no difference between plastic and metal, as long as you take good care of your camera.
The only couple of things that I trully would like to have improved over my current Nex 6 (things that I miss) are IBIS (a wet dream, I know) and weathersealing.
Mag-alloy is tougher than most plastics so if you need that (depending on how/where you use your cam) you pay extra. All bodies are made from components so sealing is required whatever the body is made from.
Yes, I know they’re tougher. But those high grade plastics aren’t weak either. My “plasticy” A100 is still in perfect shape and had its shares of bumps and small falls.
Also, usually, one relates “tough” with “weathersealed”. I mean, if you’re willing to put your camera under rough conditions (climbing a mountain, for instance) then it’d be nice to have some weathersealing for the camera to resist dust. And so on.
Makes sense, mate.
The point is that the magnesium alloy can provide the necessary structure with less material and therefore weigh less. In plastic, you require more material, increasing weight or, at the same weight, providing less strength.
That’s a more reasonable explanation. Thank you!
Magnesium can be both stronger and less flexy using less material, which is an advantage when you want to make a smaller camera that still might be used to hang heavy and/or, high-leverage accessories off of, like a big flash.
I know I definitely appreciated the magnesium top plate of my 5N and the forged aluminum arm (hidden inside the plastic) of the FDA-EV1S. I abused that setup to heck.
Body material and weather sealing are completely unrelated subjects, apart from cost issues. It’s perfectly possible to produce a weatherproof plastic body as easily as a magnesium allow one. Personally I have no need for weatherproofing as I don’t tend to use my camera in conditions where it’s required. However, I quite like the feel of an alloy body. However, I’d be hard pressed to produce a rational reason as a properly engineered plastic body can be as tough as a metal one (although I wouldn’t recommend plastic lens mounts).
So, if you like the feel of an allow body and don’t care about weathersealing (the vast majority of cameras ever produced don’t have it after all), then why not?
nb. I should add, that under “plastic” I include carbon fibre composites. They aren’t, strictly speaking plastics, but have twice the strength and toughness of magnesium alloy. I suspect the reason that it isn’t much used on cameras (but is on things like tripods) is that it’s probably difficult and expensive to use on such small bodies with so many attachments (although it is, of course, used on some premium laptop computers).
Yes, I know that body material and weathersealing are unrelated. But, usually, you have weathersealing on premium bodies which are…. metal bodies.
Also, it’s not that I always shoot under rough conditions. But when you live in a place (or are travelling to a place) that has some crazy weather, that changes out of nowhere (like New Zealand), it’s always nice to have some extra protection. Just in case 🙂
I think weather sealing would be rather pointless given that no lenses are weather sealed. Personally I too think magnesium alloy body is overrated unless you’re in rough situations (think buying a Panasonic Tough Book laptop as opposed to a normal laptop). Some people prefer the extra weight but a camera maker could simply balance it better with cheap lead weights.
Not to mention that NEX lenses are electronic, which means they would be even more sensitive in case water got inside them.
But if you had a weathersealed body, you could use weathersealed lenses from other manufacturers (in case you happen to have them already).
Magnesium is used in camera’s and laptops as it is strong and tough especially against shocks such as a drop on the floor. Moreover magnesium can work as a heat sink with high performing electronics direct attached to the shell. This allows engineers to make a more compact design, compare the old NEX3 with the NEX5 for example
What lenses support PDAF focus by way of firmware upgrade? I guess the Zeiss 16-70 does? But does the 50mm 1,8 and the Zeiss 24? These are the three lenses that I have right now which would be the most interesting to have improved focus with. The SEL 50mm has such bad focusing speed and accuracy that I have trouble using it… It constantly focuses on the background instead of the subject and refuses (or is very slow) to change focus subject. It desperately needs improvement.
SEL 35mm has same problems on NEX7. Its autofocus is useless and manual focusing is really bad, you have to turn and turn and turn that focus ring.
What I found helps is to use spot focusing and selecting the part of the face without any background.
Most of the reviewers of SEL 35 1.8 said the same thing about it, it can’t focus automatically, it’s always backfocusing.
the 50 1.8 is slow indeed, and it does not support pdaf. the other issue mentioned, I don’t understand. the optics doesn’t choose which part of the image to focus on, the camera does, in auto mode. our YOU do, if you opt for spot focusing (which you should). now, the camera having a hard time figuring out what part of the image to focus on, could have to do with the shallow dof that you get with fast lenses such as the 50 1.8 and the 35 1.8.
The 50 1.8 does support PDAF, you just need to have the firmware updated.
Ok, so there is an update for the 50mm? So there might be hope then… On my NEX-7 I have loads of trouble getting it to focus properly. I would say that accuracy is almost suffering more than speed though. Unfortunately there are no really good alternatives in that focal-length for the NEX. Both the 50mm Touit macro and the 50mm FE Zeiss are very expensive. I’m contemplating the A6000 just because I really need improved AF, it’s the only major problem I have with my NEX-7, otherwise I really like the camera.
Speaking of which, there’re some autofocus tests online, but they’re heavily criticized for not being useful. Can anyone contribute how to quickly test the lens and camera in the store for focus speed and quality?
Sure?
The 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 work just fine with the PDAF points on my 5R.
I did not know that. Great news!
I’ve the same concerns. Can’t wait to find out how a6000 will perform with fast primes. On the other hand, maybe it’s better to go with the kit lens. At least for now so called uber fast autofocus works on it with no problems.
NEX-5N to NEX-5R,T, S etc to “ILCE 6000”- what are differences and why so many names (“models”) every other year? Is it of any benefit to Sony camera users?
I meant 5N, 5R,T,S and the “ILCE 5000”. The 6000 would appear to have a very different sensor (mp count)….
has anyone tried this huge little HD CCTV lens offered on e-bay, 35mm/1.6. I bought one and can say it surprises me
Care for review?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181333818060
Are there any more comments on the viewfinder on the A6000? I was disappointed to hear that it was smaller and lower-resolution than the NEX-7. This, and the fact that the tri-navi is gone and that the body seems to have less refined build quality, are issues that make me doubt upgrading to the A6000. I can still see myself upgrading to get the faster AF, but it’s not as much of a natural upgrade as a genuine NEX-7 successor would have been, with all the great features of the NEX-7 preserved…
looks promising.
Very interesting Alin, thank you! A lot of good information, and a few revelations.
I didn’t skip to the AF section, but it’s the first time I’ve heard that the PDAF points only work in AF-C and wide focusing mode. A bit disappointing, but at least it works well!
Nice! I hope to see more about the a5000, the internet is extremely scant with information about it.