Sony a6000: The First 24 Hours

The Sony a6000 camera and 50mm f/1.8 lens arrived yesterday and I spent a few hours putting it through its paces. Not a ton to say just yet but this camera is every thing I expected, mostly good and a bit of bad.

The good: Incredible imaging in a tiny, very convenient to carry almost anywhere little camera body. Full sensor readout for video (vs. line-skipping which many DSLRs and mirrorless cameras do),  electronic viewfinder, good build quality, assignable custom buttons. Screen articulates for low and high angle shots. Hotshoe so I can add proper portable strobes. Focus is fast and so far, feels as good as my DSLR. More to come on all of this.

The Bad: Tiny battery needs frequent swapping out, strange, somewhat onerous menu system, how do I get a histogram overlay on top of the live-view image? Video record button in an odd location on the handgrip.

Here's my first real foray into the Sony ecosystem (the camera I bought for my wife doesn't count). So far I really like it. It is small enough that bringing a proper camera with me more often is a real possibility. I'll be putting it to use at a concert later this week alongside my Nikon D750 to see how well it holds up for video and stills.

It needs a fast card to record to the XAVC S 50mbps codec so I'll need to order another UHS-3 card along with a battery charger and extra batteries (we've had good luck with Wasabi Power batteries which are priced at a fraction of the OEM Sony batteries).

Sony a6000: I Caved and Bought It

I've had my eye on Sony for a while. If you've been following the blog here, you know about my mixed feelings on the matter: Sony is innovating like crazy and I love what they're doing. Their cameras aren't perfect  but they are very, very compelling! I don't like that they use such tiny batteries that need replacing way too often. I don't like that they shut down after about a 20 minute video clip. I don't like that they don't send 10-bit color out their HDMI port (Panasonic GH4 does). The color science is sometimes a little wonky (e.g., strange looking skies). The menus are a little funky, too. But all that aside, their alpha line of cameras are really, really impressive!

And for me, I like APS-C sized sensors for video. They're a great middle ground. Bigger than micro4/3 which always seems to struggle at ISOs above 800 when shooting video. But not so big that you have to stop way down to get a person entirely in focus like on a full frame sensor. And frankly, for cinema, APS-C/"Super 35" is sort of the closest thing to a standard size. Many of the cinema cameras have sensors this size.

The a6000, in particular has been tempting me for months. I know, it isn't a new camera - in fact, it is quite old (released in early 2014). But Sony has added the XAVC-S codec with 50mbps bit rate. No, it doesn't have any log profiles, but I don't think log profiles on 8-bit 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 color sub-sampling cameras actually works out that well in most cases anyway. Once you get that footage into Resolve or any other color grading app, the image is rather fragile. So I don't think I'm going to miss that too much for my work.

I couldn't pass up the holiday pricing so I just placed my order for the Sony alpha A6000 over at B&H. $398 for the body, $198 for the 50mm f/1.8 lens (when you buy with the a6000 body, $249 otherwise). Can't wait to put it to use!

Sony a6000 Camera Special Pricing

I am so tempted right now... But I already have two very capable cameras...

B&H has the Sony a6000 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera for just under $400 USD right now as part of their black Friday specials. I bought the a5100 for my wife last December and she's been really happy with it. Truth be told, I've been really happy with it too as its the camera that usually comes along on family outings.

When I reviewed the a5100 early this year, the a6000 didn't have the XAVC-S codec while the a5100 did. In true Sony fashion, they since added the XAVC-S codec in a firmware update for the a6000 so now it is capable of recording full HD at 50mbps and reads out the entire sensor to make that image. It is quite beautiful. In fact, I like the footage the a6000 produces better than my Nikon D750.

But the a5100 doesn't have an electronic viewfinder which can be a problem when shooting outdoors. And now the price of the a6000 is same that I paid for the a5100 last year - only $400 for the body.

Yes, Sony will probably release an update of this camera some time in 2016, but wow, this is a great deal for a camera that produces some very nice HD footage with a solid codec. High ISO performance is very solid up through 3200 and maybe even up to 6400. That's not Sony a7S II territory, but plenty of gain for 99% of the shooting I do. Focus system is solid, even in video mode. I really love these little Sonys.

So the $400 gets you just the body, or for $550 you can get it with the 16-50mm kit lens. And that lens is ok, but not the fastest (f/3.5 - 5.6). When we took it along to an indoor dance competition, my wife asked me to shoot during her competition. And while that lens got some great shots, it would have been nicer to have a few more stops to work with. I could have walked away with more motion-blur-free photos. So if I were buying, I'd probably get the body only and then add the Sony 50mm f/1.8 lens.

In case you missed it, here's the review I did of the a5100 earlier this year. Nearly everything on the a5100 also applies to the a6000 except that the a6000 has that electronic viewfinder (which would be very helpful when shooting outdoors):

Please don't be tempted like I am unless you are in the market for a camera and have the cash sitting around.  ;-)