SONY a6000

LASTOLITE

LASTOLITE

No longer has 4 inches
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Bill
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I need to upgrade my Point and Shoot, but have been reading.."Fatal" and it seems I can have something a little more versatile than just a p&s camera for a few hundred more :rolleyes: But I would like a little real world feedback from owners.

I would also like to know what lens would be a good first step...or do I get an adapter to use my nikon lens collection? - I have about 600 to spend.

Thanks.
 
If you are after the A6000 then could grab it from here https://outlet.sony.co.uk/shop/Inte...ha-/Compact-mirrorless-ILCE-/ILCE6000LB.CEC.A for a decent saving or alternatively get it from Panamoz or Digital Rev for a saving compared to normal RRP.

As for lenses the Sony SEL50F18 E 50mm f/1.8?

There are plenty of other options for £600 odd. What drew you to the A6000? Don't rule out the Fuji gear or the Panasonic or Olympus M43 stuff as plenty of good kit. What will you be shooting?
 
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I'm using a NEX 6 and the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN and Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN combo. I think it might be sightly out of the 600 budget. Focus is fast and accurate, I have used it with adaptors for Voigtlander lenses and the focus peaking works really well.

I shoot it on JPEG+RAW, with the JPEG recording B&W images using the in-built filter. The B&W JPEGs from the NEX need minimum PP, I normally just use the preset "punch" and "sharpen" in Lightroom and I'm happy with it.

What I like the most about it is the EV. Shoot it in manual and with the two dials, I can set shutter/aperture and see its effects on the image in real time, unlike with an OV. All of the kit fits into a small Kata shoulder bag, and weighs hardly anything.
 
Thanks for replies both of you!

I had thought there would be more on this A6000 as some pros are raving about it. I see there is a hype surrounding the Sony as it has some very unique features in the focus system and the live EV and real time preview as you adjust settings. 11 fps sounds unreal but as it has no shutter....

I will be shooting mainly family stuff, but I could see it as a backstop for other things and a less obtrusive street photography tool. I like the lightweight quality and the RAW shooting....Its all adding up to replace a Panni Lumix I can pass on to youngster.
 
I've got an A6000 and it's great camera especially with the 50mm. Takes a bit of practice and experimenting to understand the best af settings for what situation but once sorted it's very accurate. Only real negative I've found is lenes being able to keep up with the focus system for really demanding stuff but I'm sure more will come.
 
LASTOLITE said:
Thanks for replies both of you!

I had thought there would be more on this A6000 as some pros are raving about it. I see there is a hype surrounding the Sony as it has some very unique features in the focus system and the live EV and real time preview as you adjust settings. 11 fps sounds unreal but as it has no shutter....

I will be shooting mainly family stuff, but I could see it as a backstop for other things and a less obtrusive street photography tool. I like the lightweight quality and the RAW shooting....Its all adding up to replace a Panni Lumix I can pass on to youngster.
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it has a shutter :)

my mum has a a6000, its a great camera, and the 1650 is a small lens, id say try one in a shop, see if you like the shape
 
pingu666 said:
it has a shutter :)

my mum has a a6000, its a great camera, and the 1650 is a small lens, id say try one in a shop, see if you like the shape
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LOL indeed I meant Mirror.......
 
I bought one as a backup for my sony A7 and it has rather taken over because it is so compact and still powerful. Definitely get the basic kit lens 16-50mm, then move on from there as you find the need.
 
Oh i agree the menu system is better but if you have half a brain cell the Nex 6 is simple. The viewfinder is worse on the A6000 and the image quality is only marginally better and most probably because theres more MP's making it bigger.
But the major factor to my decision was that in all the units I looked at, I couldn't find an A6000 that would outperform the Nex in real life.
 
dcash29 said:
Oh i agree the menu system is better but if you have half a brain cell the Nex 6 is simple. The viewfinder is worse on the A6000 and the image quality is only marginally better and most probably because theres more MP's making it bigger.
But the major factor to my decision was that in all the units I looked at, I couldn't find an A6000 that would outperform the Nex in real life.
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More MP usually means more noise, so for the a6000 to beat the nex6 sensor spec in all areas is quite something. In real life the a5100/6000 also destroys the nex6 by a large margin in terms of AF. But I guess it depends if you need the AF or not.
 
Ok, Ive not tried the cameras for shooting birds nor would I. Although Ive tried the cameras in semi low light and I personally found the Nex 6 better in providing a sharper image. You know we can argue this point til the cows come home but I also threw cost into the mix.
I wanted a camera that would give me DSLR image quality without the size and weight and Ive got it!
Ive also got a camera that I can fit all my Nikon lenses to so I'm happy once again.
 
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dcash29 said:
Ok, Ive not tried the cameras for shooting birds nor would I. Although Ive tried the cameras in semi low light and I personally found the Nex 6 better in providing a sharper image. You know we can argue this point til the cows come home but I also threw cost into the mix.
I wanted a camera that would give me DSLR image quality without the size and weight and Ive got it!
Ive also got a camera that I can fit all my Nikon lenses to so I'm happy once again.
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AF isnt just for birds. I'm not sure how it did that but yes I do agree that the nex6 is very cheap for what it can do, its a nice camera.
 
Yes and I agree that the A6000 is a nice camera. I looked at the Panasonic G6 which is also great although the physical size let it down. The Olympus models look dated (old mans camera) and I'd never touch Fuji again after all the bad experiences Ive had with them prior to buying the Nex 6.
 
I have an A6000 and a bunch of E mount lenses, plus the FE 70-200mm F4
A truly amazing camera that punches well above its weight
I have owned many dslrs and CSC's and this has become my favorite
It's like a Nikon D7100 in a fairly tiny package, but with 11 frames a second and fantastic AF
I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
 
Hogboy said:
I have an A6000 and a bunch of E mount lenses, plus the FE 70-200mm F4
A truly amazing camera that punches well above its weight
I have owned many dslrs and CSC's and this has become my favorite
It's like a Nikon D7100 in a fairly tiny package, but with 11 frames a second and fantastic AF
I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
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Thanks! Its charging up as I write......John Lewis at my service, again! Camera will be tested tomorrow :banana:
 
Hogboy said:
I would recommend picking up a dual charger and a couple of spare batterys, the ExPro brand are excellent
I'm not a fan of the usb charger
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ex-Pro®-BC-VW1-Battery-Charger-NP-FW50/dp/B00QVLUO94/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1428137204&sr=1-5&keywords=Ex-Pro+fw50
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Yeah, not a fan myself. But its a handy feature if you are running out of power and you have a power pack available with USB output. I will get a charger though, thanks for the link.
 
Just a little update

After buying the A6000 I have been very surprised by its abilities as a P&S take with you anywhere camera as well as the manual control it offers. I bought with the kit zoom 16 - 50mm and to be honest I would like a faster prime rather than the zoom, but to be fair when there is enough light the lens is very capable and is more than enough for starters.

The AF is lightening fast as I expected and the images are very clean at low ISO and there is DOF in abundance. I am most impressed with the AF in Video mode along with the same DOF enjoyed in the still images.

All in all its made a great first impression on me.....
 
I like being able to charge straight to camera as it helps with portability especially as I can just shove my android charger in it. A supplied dedicated charger would have been handy though.
 
LASTOLITE said:
I bought with the kit zoom 16 - 50mm and to be honest I would like a faster prime rather than the zoom, but to be fair when there is enough light the lens is very capable and is more than enough for starters..
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I wish that I had bought the kit lens. I'm watching some on ebay.

I have the SEL18200 which is good but bulky and a mix of legacy prime lenses. Mostly I use a ZM Zeiss 28/f2.8 but converting the A6000 to a pocketable point and shoot would be a definite plus.
 
No, what I want is the 16-50 because it is so pocketable. I won't buy any other APS lenses because I have the A7 and will stick to FE lenses if I buy any more.
The A6000 is technically my wife's but she prefers a smartphone.
 
I had a look at the a6000, but it seems to be lacking on the lens front ... no real decent quality/reasonably priced standard zoom as far as I can make out? The zeiss stuff seems silly expensive for what it is, that seems to be the trump card that Nikon/Canon have with DSLRs, lots of good and cheap lens options.
 
Dmac60 said:
I had a look at the a6000, but it seems to be lacking on the lens front ... no real decent quality/reasonably priced standard zoom as far as I can make out? The zeiss stuff seems silly expensive for what it is, that seems to be the trump card that Nikon/Canon have with DSLRs, lots of good and cheap lens options.
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I love my A6000, but I agree on the lens front. It's worth setting up a price alert on Amazon if you're looking at the Zeiss ones, occasionally they have a silly pricing spell where the prices drop to about 60% of usual (though still expensive) - I think a few memebers here took advantage when the 24-70 fell low for a couple of days.
 
I have reluctantly admitted defeat with the combination of my 3 year old daughter and Fuji X100, so have sold that and ordered an A6000. Looking forward to getting my hands on it!
 
You won't regret it Jon it is a great bit of kit having owned one with a Sigma 60mm F2.8DN lens and most the shots was stunning , focus peaking is also a godsend I found so is the 10x manual zoom.
Where did you order it from?
 
narbs said:
I have reluctantly admitted defeat with the combination of my 3 year old daughter and Fuji X100, so have sold that and ordered an A6000. Looking forward to getting my hands on it!
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Agree, its SLR quality in a small lightweight package...I have just been to rehearsal for a video shoot and took it with me for some shot ideas to show my partner tonight and took a few of the happy couple while rehearsal going on and they have come out just lovely, and crop-ability is great too large raw files to play with later.....

You will like the burst mode at 11fps - with a 3 year old...
 
@narbs what lens setup are you thinking of going with? Where did you order it from? I'm now seriously thinking of getting the 16-50 and then a prime when funds allow for photo and video of my toddler. I have M43 kit but this looks amazing from what I've seen for a family camera.
 
Glad I seem to have made a good choice!

Andrew, redlion - it's on order from DigitalRev so should be here early next week. I went with the kit lens and picked up an old Minolta 50mm 1.7 from eBay along with an adapter (about £25 for both). Quite fancy trying an older lens and have been really impressed with some of the images I've seen with that lens.
 
Well it's apparently stuck in customs. Hopefully it will arrive at some point and I'll be able to add some pictures to this thread!
 
redlion said:
@narbs what lens setup are you thinking of going with? Where did you order it from? I'm now seriously thinking of getting the 16-50 and then a prime when funds allow for photo and video of my toddler. I have M43 kit but this looks amazing from what I've seen for a family camera.
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I've found that you can definitely notice the difference in quality between the 50mm prime and the 16-50mm kit lens but for wide stuff it's a good lens although you do get a little bit of barrel distortion and vignetting but literally one click in Lightroom fixes that. Where I find the 16-50mm is really good is with video as the OSS is excellent. It's also a great lens for travelling light as it's so compact, although the bag I've got fits both lenses plus the charger and you barely notice it all. It's a wee Manfrotto bag I picked up from PC World, I think it's the Advanced Shoulder Compact System Bag (http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/camer...act-system-camera-bag-black-22067472-pdt.html)

The rain cover is essential for when going up the hills.
 
I have just bought the 16-50mm for my A6000 which I bought secondhand body only and I'm pleased with the initial tests. My purpose in buying it was to give a very compact general purpose outfit and I think it will serve very well. For serious video use I doubt if it will match the 18-200mm which is superb for the purpose - I believe it was originally produced for E mount video cams. I'll try to give the 16-50mm a thorough trial in the next couple of days.

This is a crop (originally about 1600px wide) from the centre at 50mm f5.6



View attachment 35770


This is the same picture recomposed with the signal in the bottom right of the picture. Same crop about 1600px wide.


View attachment 35771

That's pretty good for a £70 lens.
 
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I own the A6000 as well got it as a companion to the bulkier and much heavier A77. While the 16- 50 kits lens is capable I recently picked up the 50 F1.8 which I have to say seems to be great little lens. Also has OSS which the Sigmas don't. Not a huge point if your shooting at F1.8 a lot of time but worth considering. Worth keeping an eye out for an adaptor, if you don't mind manual focus I picked up a LA-EA1 from London Camera Exchange for around £60 brand new which means I can use my A mount glass as well.
 
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