The Sony A6000 has subsequently succeeded by the Alpha A6300 and the Alpha A6500; however, the price has dropped significantly, making it an excellent purchase for anyone who wants a feature-packed mirrorless camera at a reasonable price.
It has been a few months since Sony officially dropped the NEX moniker from its E-mount compact system cameras. Instead, the company has renamed all its interchangeable lens cameras with the Alpha brand, regardless of whether the camera has an A mount or an E mount (formerly known as NEX cameras). This indicates that some Alpha cameras, such as the A6000, are compatible with lenses with an E mount, while others are compatible with lenses with an A mount.
Sony a6000 Features
Sony anticipates that consumers of the NEX-7 will go toward the direction of the A7, while the newly released A6000 will cater to customers of the NEX-6. This is because the A7 and the A6000 are visually and physically comparable devices.
It utilizes a newly developed APS-C CMOS sensor capable of capturing 24.3 million individual pixels. The sensor, like the device found in the A7, features a gapless on-chip architecture intended to enhance the amount of light collected efficiently.
The sensor additionally features 179 autofocus points, of which 179 are utilized for phase detection, and 25 are also used for contrast detection as part of the hybrid autofocusing technique employed by the camera.
This autofocusing mechanism makes it possible for Sony to claim that the camera has the quickest AF in the world. Of course, this claim applies to cameras with APS-C-sized sensors at the very least, but it also includes DSLRs and other compact system cameras. Lock-on AF, Eye AF, and AF area settings are features shared with the A7.
Sony a6000 Build Quality.
Taking a glance at the A6000, there are quite a few parallels that can be seen between it and the NEX-6, the camera that it “replaces” in a sense. Using a camera like the A6000, which has many specialized dials and buttons, is likely to be satisfying for photographers who place a high value on having access to a wide variety of control options.
While compared to the NEX-6, the A6000 has a grip that is ever-so-slightly more prominent, making it easier to handle, especially when using the camera with one hand. The camera’s surface has a pleasant feel, which not only makes it easier to obtain a firm grasp on it but also gives it an impression of superior craftsmanship.
Sony a6000 Performance
Sony is responsible for manufacturing some of the most fascinating and reliably high-performing cameras now available. After having such a positive experience with the Sony A7 and the A7R, I was very interested in seeing the performance of the APS-C version of those cameras.
It gives me great pleasure that the A6000 can create some remarkable photographs. The colors are vibrant, and even though this may sometimes result in a too-vibrant impression, the overall picture is beautiful.
You can adjust the Picture Styles on your camera if you want to play around with how colors look directly from the device. There are a variety of default settings, including Landscape, Vivid, Clear, or Monochrome, each of which may be modified in various ways, such as by changing the contrast.
Picture Styles have the advantage of being able to be captured in raw format, which means that you will always have a “clean” version of the image at your disposal if you require it at a later time.
Sony a6000 Image Quality
During this evaluation, the Sony A6000 captured photographs of exceptionally high Quality. The ISO range of the Sony A6000 can go from 100 up to 25600, making it incredibly versatile. The range from 100 to 800 ISO is noise-free, while the range from 1600 to 6400 ISO delivers results that are more than acceptable, and even ISO 12800 and the fastest setting of 25600 are appropriate for usage in an emergency. However, the RAW examples show how much processing the camera undertakes by default since they are significantly noisier than their JPEG counterparts across the board, regardless of the ISO value.
The 24-megapixel images come out of the camera a little soft when using the Standard creative style as the default. For the best results, you should sharpen them more by utilizing an application like Adobe Photoshop; alternatively, you can adjust the level of sharpening that the camera applies automatically.
The built-in flash performed admirably indoors, preventing redeye and producing photographs with adequate exposure overall. The night shot turned out well thanks to the camera’s maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and its Bulb mode, which allow lots of room for creative experimentation during nighttime shooting.
A practical Dynamic Range Optimizer function will extract additional data from an image’s shadow and highlight sections without adding any noise or other artifacts that aren’t intended. For example, the High Dynamic Range mode combines the results of two separate photos taken at various exposures into a single image. The result is an image that has a higher dynamic range than what would be produced by a single photograph.
However, it does yield some excellent effects even though it can only function with JPEGs and stationary subjects. Even after all these years, they are using Sony’s Sweep Panorama, which is still a delightful experience. While the range of creative Picture Effects enables you to produce unique looks in a short amount of time, which would otherwise require you to spend a significant amount of time in the digital darkroom, the Creative Styles give you a quick and straightforward way to adjust the JPEG images captured by the camera.
Sony a6000 Specs
| Body type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
|---|---|
| Body material | Composite |
| Sensor | |
| Max resolution | 6000 x 4000 |
| Other resolutions | 6000 x 3376, 4240 x 2832, 4240 x 2400, 3008 x 2000, 3008 x 1688 |
| Image ratio w h | 3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels | 24 megapixels |
| Sensor photo detectors | 25 megapixels |
| Sensor size | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) |
| Sensor type | CMOS |
| Processor | Bionz X |
| Color space | sRGB, AdobeRGB |
| Color filter array | Primary Color Filter |
| Image | |
| ISO | Auto, 100-25600 (51200 with Multi-Frame NR) |
| White balance presets | 10 |
| Custom white balance | Yes |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Uncompressed format | RAW |
| JPEG quality levels | Extra fine, fine, normal |
| File format | JPEG (DCF v2.0, EXIF v2.3)RAW (Sony ARW 2.3) |
| Image parameters | ContrastSaturationSharpness |
| Optics & Focus | |
| Autofocus | Contrast Detect (sensor)Phase DetectMulti-areaCenterSelective single-pointTrackingSingleContinuousFace DetectionLive view. |
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes |
| Digital zoom | Yes (2X) |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Number of focus points | 179 |
| Lens mount | Sony E |
| Focal length multiplier | 1.5× |
| Screen/viewfinder | |
| Articulated LCD | Tilting |
| Screen size | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 921,600 |
| Touch screen | No |
| Screen type | TFT LCD |
| Live view | Yes |
| Viewfinder type | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 1.05× (0.7× 35mm equiv.) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 1,440,000 |
| Photography features | |
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 sec |
| Exposure modes | iAutoSuperior AutoProgrammed AEAperture PriorityShutter PriorityManual |
| Built-in flash | Yes |
| Flash Range | 6.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| External flash | Yes (via Multi Interface Shoe) |
| Flash modes | Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction, hi-speed sync, wireless control. |
| Flash X sync speed | 1/160 sec |
| Continuous drive | 11.0 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot)) |
| Metering modes | MultiCenter-weighted spot |
| Exposure compensation | ±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps) |
| AE Bracketing | ±5 (3, 5 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV, 2 EV steps) |
| WB Bracketing | Yes |
| Videography features | |
| Resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) |
| Format | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| Storage | |
| Storage types | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Connectivity | |
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| HDMI | Yes (micro-HDMI) |
| Microphone port | No |
| Headphone port | No |
| Wireless | Built-In |
| Wireless notes | 802.11b/g/n with NFC |
| Remote control | Yes (wired or PC) |
| Physical | |
| Environmentally sealed | No |
| Battery | Battery Pack |
| Battery description | NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery and USB charger |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 360 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 344 g (0.76 lb / 12.13 oz) |
| Dimensions | 120 x 67 x 45 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 1.77″) |
| Other features | |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| GPS | None |
Sony a6000 Verdict
Once again, Sony has introduced something that has the potential to be innovative and thrilling in the realm of tiny system cameras. Those who spent the latter part of 2013 drooling over the A7 but ultimately decided against purchasing it due to its exorbitant price tag are likely to be particularly enticed by the A6000.
This camera is impressive, considering how close it is to becoming the ideal tiny system camera. But, unfortunately, it’s so close to being perfect that it’s maddening.
The process of manually adjusting the autofocus point is far too arduous for a camera of this caliber, and this accounts for a significant portion of the problem. While it could appear to be a trivial problem, it can slow down the process of shooting images, which is the thing that matters the most.
Since it is much simpler to adjust the AF point when using the A7/R, I continue to keep my fingers crossed that Sony will be able to resolve this issue with a software update. However, focusing speeds are outstanding, with only a little slowdown while working in low light.
