Sony a6000 mirrorless camera is already more than six years old. It was first released in 2014 as Sony's APS-C flagship interchangeable lens camera. It is discontinued but you may still find it brand new or buy one from the second hand market. But should you invest in the Sony a6000 in 2021? Is it still good enough?
Lets have a quick look at the Sony a6000 specs:
- 24.3 megapixel APS-C (23.5 x 15.6mm) sized CMOS sensor
- Maximum resolution of 6000 x 4000 pixels - Aspect ration 3:2 and/or 16:9
- Hybrid
autofocus system - 25 contrast detect and 179 phase detect points -
Face and eye detection autofocus - 92% coverage of the frame
- A tiltable 3 inch LCD screen with 921600 dots
- Native ISO range 100-25600 boosted up to 51200
- Maximum shutter speed of 1/4000
- Built in EVF with 1.44M dots
- Can shoot continuously up to 11 fps with mechanical shutter
- Up to 1080 50p recording (Full high definition 8 bit). Depends if you choose NTSC or PAL - MPEG-4, AVCHD and XAVC S formats.
- Built in flash
- Wi fi ( 802.11b/g/n with NFC)
- Play memories (downloadable apps)
- Battery life - around 340 images- Can be charged via USB cable
Built- Ergonomics - Handling - Menus
Sony a6000 is a compact rangefinder-style design. There are two dials on the top of the camera. The first one is used to select the modes and the second one to adjust the aperture or the shutter speed. For example, if you selected the shutter mode with the first dial you can then adjust the shutter speed with the second dial. If you select manual then you adjust the lens aperture with the top dial and you adjust the shutter speed with a third rotary dial at the rear of the camera. The second dial can't be reached with ease though.
The same goes with the rest of the buttons. You cant really "feel" them with your fingers. Especially the video recording button. Basically you will have to look to locate them because all buttons feel the same! The good news is that there are two customs buttons (C1 and C2) to assign the features that you want. Basically C1 and C2 allow you to have shortcuts instead of diving deep inside the menu system. Personally i use C1 to use the focus magnifier and C2 to enable or disable "Lock on AF". Ergonomics is not the strong point of this camera but i guess this is the price that you have to pay for such a compact design. Later models have been improved in the area though.
The menu of the camera seems bloated and complicated but it is customizable and after a few days it feels like home. It could be better organized but its not so difficult. There is just a certain amount of learning.
LCD and EVF
The resolution of the LCD screen is not high so you may notice that a picture that looked sharp and in focus is actually bad and out of focus when you view it on a large screen. The LCD is not fully articulated but it will allow you some creative
shooting angles because it can tilt upwards up to 90 degrees and down by
45 degrees. In direct sunlight the LCD screen (not a touchscreen) is
not bright enough, even if you select "sunny weather". In such case you
will have to use the EVF. Speaking of the electronic view finder it is
not the best in class but it is relatively fast and responsive and gets
the job done.
Image Quality - Video - Low light
The image characteristics and quality is really nice and images are sharp. Even with the kit lens (sel1650) which is surprisingly wide, image quality is more than enough for on line creators, facebook and instagram users etc. If you take a photo with the kit lens and you zoom in you may notice some softness in the corners but for the price and the compact size it is acceptable. If you attach a better lens you can even have some great 40 x 60 inches prints. A sensor with 24 megapixel resolution is good enough for every need unless you need some really large prints.
Some people do not like Sony's color science and prefer Canon colors which are more saturated. Personally i like both approaches but i prefer Sony because colors are more neutral and realistic.
In low light conditions the camera can capture decent images up to iso 3200. At iso 6400 the noise levels are increased but they are still usable with some post processing.
The Sony a6000 can record 8 bit videos up to 1080 60 fps with a time limit of 30 minutes. The user can have full control of the settings (iso, shutter speed etc) and you can record decent videos, especially if you combine it with a gimbal cause it lucks in-body image stabilization (IBIS). There are no picture profiles such as s-log or cine 4 but you can use the "Neutral" picture profile with some tweaks to emulate them. In low light you can boost the iso up to 6400 and still have some great results.
Speaking of ISO and low light performance we must realize that the camera has a cropped sensor. If you absolutely need great performance during nigh shots then you should buy a full frame camera or a low light beast like the Sony a7S iii.
Sony a6000 Autofocus system
The autofocus system is surprisingly fast even if you compare it with modern entry level cameras. But fast does not always mean accurate. If you shoot fast moving objects using autofocus continuous and area wide you will notice that only 1-3 out of 11 shots (11 fps) are sharp and in focus. (The performance depends from the lens too).
You will also need some time to set up the autofocus system. For example to assign the eye autofocus to a button cause this setting is really hidden inside the menu!All those problems were solved in later models such as the Sony a6500, a6400 etc.
Overall the autofocus system is good and makes the right choices especially when faces are involved in the scene. If not, the camera will focus to the closest object. Keep in mind that when a lot of persons are in a scene you can register a face and the camera will automatically track this person among others!
And the bad
Sony a6000 has no environmental sealing. That means that you can not use it when its rainy outside. There are some horror stories that a single drop of water on the hot-shoe ruined the camera. Also the sensor can easily gather dust and dirt and that is very annoying cause you will have to edit pictures. If the sensor has dust spots while you are recording a video then things become even worse. So when you order your camera don't forget to buy a sensor cleaning kit because you will need it very soon.
Epilogue
Disclaimer: Today's gear can be found in my amazon affiliate links. If you purchase products using my links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Support me with a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/denisrandomtech
Search for a second hand Sony a6000 on eBay: http://ebay.us/AVR38w
No comments:
Post a Comment