Review: Sony a6000

Jordan Steele

Conclusion

sigma30_a6000Pros

  • Small body that handles well due to the comfortable grip
  • Well placed buttons and dials for such a small camera and the wide array of control customization allows you to set up the camera how you like to shoot
  • EVF is low-lag, large and clear (despite a lowering in resolution from the NEX-6)
  • Excellent image quality, with very high levels of detail from the 24 Megapixel sensor
  • Outstanding dynamic range and color response
  • High ISO retains excellent detail while keeping noise at an acceptable level
  • Very quick autofocus with phase detection covering the entire sensor and providing some of the best continuous autofocus in the mirrorless world
  • Super-fast 11 frame per second burst mode, even while tracking motion
  • Responsive body with low shutter lag
  • Vastly improved menu system over its predecessors
  • Wi-Fi provides many features and the ability to remotely control the camera and transfer images
  • App store allows for adding of features to the camera (though at an extra cost)
  • Excellent face detection algorithms
  • Good video features and quality
  • Price!

Cons

  • Build quality is a step down in feel from the NEX-6, with a less durable finish and a flimsier rear screen
  • 16:9 aspect ratio on rear screen produces a smaller image than competitors
  • RAW files are compressed, which can cause some artifacts even at low ISO if the images are pushed hard
  • Remote control app is laggy and slow
  • No in-camera RAW conversion capability
  • Apps in the PlayMemories store can be expensive
  • No GPS capability, even through a smartphone
  • No included external battery charger

The Sony a6000 is the latest in a very long line of APS-C mirrorless cameras from Sony, and with this model, Sony was aggressive in establishing the feature set at such a price.  For $649, the a6000 packs a ton of power into its small body.  The excellent 24 megapixel sensor produces fantastic quality in the images, while the new hybrid autofocus gives the a6000 some of the best continuous focusing in the mirrorless market.  However, the biggest thing for me was the fact that the a6000 fixes almost all of the infuriating quirks that drove me nuts about the NEX-6 and NEX-7.  The interface is streamlined, customizable and vastly improved over its predecessors.  Put in the incredible response and 11 frame per second shooting, and you have a camera that punches far above its weight.

The camera does feel a little more cheaply built than the NEX-6, though it is still a tightly assembled camera.  The a6000 is somewhat of a difficult camera to evaluate when you compare it to the competition.  The price of $649 puts it firmly in the mid range with regards to price, and the build quality is right at home at this price point.  However, the extremely robust feature set and high image quality make the a6000 feel like a camera that is much higher end than the price would indicate.  The a6000 is one of the few Sony cameras I have taken an immediate liking to, and I thoroughly enjoy shooting with this little wonder.  With the features, quality and aggressive price, I feel confident in saying that the a6000 is currently the best value in mirrorless.  It’s hard to get more bang for your buck than this little gem.

Sample Images

Click to enlarge an image

Upper Falls, Hocking Hills, OH - Sony a6000 with Sigma 19mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Upper Falls, Hocking Hills, OH – Sony a6000 with Sigma 19mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Supreme Court Fountain - Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 100
Supreme Court Fountain – Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 100
Swinging - Sony a6000 with Sony 18-105mm f/4 G OSS @ ISO 100 (Continuous AF)
Swinging – Sony a6000 with Sony 18-105mm f/4 G OSS @ ISO 100 (Continuous AF)
Ohio House - Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 100
Ohio House – Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 400
At the Piano - Sony a6000 with Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 @ ISO 2500
At the Piano – Sony a6000 with Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 @ ISO 2500
Cedar Falls - Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 100
Cedar Falls – Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 100
Ohio Senate - Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 1250
Ohio Senate – Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 1250
Fishy Arch - Sony a6000 with Sigma 19mm f/2.8 @ ISO 200
Fishy Arch – Sony a6000 with Sigma 19mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Sparklers - Sony a6000 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Sparklers – Sony a6000 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ ISO 200
House Column - Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 1250
House Column – Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 400
Deep Woods - Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Deep Woods – Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Windows to the Soul - Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 200
Windows to the Soul – Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 320
Statehouse Minuteman - Sony a6000 with Sigma 19mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Statehouse Minuteman – Sony a6000 with Sigma 19mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
800 Broadway - Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 100
800 Broadway – Sony a6000 with Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ ISO 200 (3 shot HDR)
Staring - Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 200
Staring – Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Upper Falls, Hocking Hills, OH - Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Upper Falls, Hocking Hills, OH – Sony a6000 with Sigma 60mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Biking - Sony a6000 with Sony 18-105mm f/4 G OSS @ ISO 200 (Continuous AF)
Biking – Sony a6000 with Sony 18-105mm f/4 G OSS @ ISO 200 (Continuous AF)
Stormy Morning - Sony A6000 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100
Stormy Morning – Sony A6000 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ ISO 100

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Comments

31 responses to “Review: Sony a6000”

  1. HF Avatar
    HF

    Very nice review.
    How do you rate this camera when compared to the X-E2 or X-T1?

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      It’s hard to say. The a6000 for the most part has feature parity with the X-T1, excepting the intervalometer..but you can pay for that…plus a higher burst rate and a wider PDAF area. In some cases it’s superior, in others it’s not. The X-T1’s viewfinder is notably better (though the a6000’s is a bit better than the one in the X-E2), and both Fuji cameras are built better…the X-T1 notably so. While I enjoy shooting the a6000, I do prefer the control scheme on the Fujis more. The X-T1 feels like a pro grade camera, and the a6000 feels like a mid range (but performs like a pro-grade).

      The a6000 is definitely the better bargain, but I still prefer my X-T1 overall, primarily because of the amazing EVF and especially the quality and direct controls, which I prefer to any camera I’ve ever owned. I’ve shot a lot with my a6000 over the past several weeks, though, and it’s a wonderful small camera with an amazing feature set.

      Image quality wise, the a6000 has more detail and when shooting landscapes with foliage at a distance, can resolve green detail better. At high ISO, the Fuji cameras are cleaner (even when accounting for ISO fudging), though the a6000 retains more detail at similar sensitivity (along with more noise). The Fuji files do hold up to punishment better, as the RAWs are completely uncompressed…shadow noise when pushing the shadows at low ISO is notably better as well. DR seems very similar between the two, and color and contrast rolloff is different, but it’s hard to say which is ‘better’. The Fuji produces images with more punch right out of the camera, but the Sony images produce more pleasing natural tones in many cases.

      If choosing between the two when starting a new system, I think the lenses hold more sway, and there, Fuji has the upper hand when it comes to enthusiast/pro level lenses….the Fuji glass is exceptional, and they have a very wide array of fast high end gear, while the Sony APS-C lineup is more consumer oriented. While there are some excellent Sony lenses (and the Sigma trinity is outstanding), overall, the Fuji lens lineup is better. Right now I use my Fuji kit as my main kit, and the a6000 + a few lenses as my ‘small’ kit. (The a6000+ the 3 Sigma Art primes is very tiny and VERY high quality.)

      Reply
  2. aza Avatar
    aza

    thank you for your good review.
    How about focus speed when you use sigma 60 compare with sony lens?

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      The Sigma 60 focuses quite quickly. No major difference between it and my 18-105mm f/4, though there may be a slight edge to the Sony lens there. However, the Sigma 60 doesn’t appear to use PDAF for tracking, so in continuous AF it’s no question that the Sony lenses will do better there. My Sigma 60mm review will be coming in the next week. (Hint, it’s an incredible lens).

      Reply
      1. aza Avatar
        aza

        Thank you for your information. and waiting for your review sigma 60mm

        Reply
  3. Peter Avatar
    Peter

    Thanks so much for this review. I have enjoyed all of your reviews. I have the NEX6 but mostly shoot the E-M1 because of the superb set of lenses I have for it. I have enjoyed the image quality of the Sigma 60 (90mm equiv) on the NEX and actually feel it is sharper than the Olympus 45mm (also 90mm equiv)… but wouldn’t stake my live on it just yet 🙂

    Thanks for the review on the EVF on the 6000. My problem on the NEX6 is 1) the darks are blocked up and 2) with glasses I can’t see into the corners which is especially problematic because I always use the live histogram and the right side of the histogram is in the bottom right corner. Grrr.

    And finally, since I am always searching for good lenses for the NEX6, I have read your review of the 18-105. How does this lens stack up on the newer a6000? I can’t remember whether your review used the NEX7 or the lower pixel NEX6.

    THanks!

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      The 18-105 is about as good on the a6000 as it is on the NEX-6. You get a tiny bit more resolution out of it due to the higher sampling, but overall it’s, again, a competent lens, but not an outstanding lens. The NEX-6 was used for that review, but the conclusions are valid on a 24MP sensor as well.

      Reply
  4. Sony TidBits… | sonyalpharumors

    […] 28-70mm and 24-70mm test at Photojottings. Full review of the Sony a6000 is up on Admiring Light. A6000 review at BestMat. Japanese SAL50F14 test at Ascii. Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f4 FE OSS Review at […]

    Reply
  5. Mark Avatar
    Mark

    I would like to know if you are an iPhone or Android user, as the experience with PlayMemories app is VERY different. Everything works very well on Android, on iphone, the experience can be very flakey. Some iOS versions work better than others. On Android, anything Android 2.3 on works without issues.

    Also it’s worth mentioning that you can connect the camera to your PC and download the apps from your browser, you don’t have to navigate the PlayMemories app store on the camera itself. This is my preferred way of doing things. it’s so much easier. It’s also worth mentioning that there are plenty of decent free apps there, and any apps you want to buy, if you don’t like using creditcards, you can buy pre-paid cards to use (both this and Playstation Network use the same “SEN” card, so a PSN-prepaid card will work just fine to buy camera apps.

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      I’m an iPhone user. The app as a whole works pretty well except for the odd ‘exit then go back in’ behavior much of the time, but that does it when it thinks too much.

      Reply
  6. pbass wil Avatar
    pbass wil

    Good review and even better sample shots!

    One thing I’d add to your “Cons” (Pros & Cons): Sony’s got a ways to go to catch up on the breadth of lenses — at least half-way attainable non-Zeiss ones.

    I’m currently on Olympus, and own every single focal length of lens I want, none costing over $1000 (most much less), and all are _excellent_ and of either quite fast or very fast aperture.

    They’re getting better for this APS-C E line, but I’d still like to see a more complete selection of native fast AF primes that don’t cost a kidney or a first born child.

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      I agree on the E-Mount line, though the line has expanded enough that there are good choices for the most part (though still a distinct lack of native fast glass), but this isn’t a system review, but a camera review.

      Reply
  7. Dino Avatar
    Dino

    I primarily shoot in manual mode. Do you find it easy to adjust the exposure triangle with the available buttons/dials? Or do you have to do a bit of menu digging to say adjust ISO in M mode.

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      No menu digging necessary. If the rear wheel is active all the time, you have aperture on the top and shutter speed on the rear wheel (you can switch these if you choose). ISO is accessed by pressing right on the 4-way then adjusting with the rear wheel. (or whatever button you set ISO to…it’s the right direction by default). It’s not as easy as with a camera with dedicated dials, but it’s not bad.

      Reply
      1. Dino Avatar
        Dino

        Thank you for the prompt response. That is great to know. It just might be my future purchase

        Reply
  8. Aubrey Avatar
    Aubrey

    I really enjoyed your review, but I would like to know if you believe the a6000 is worth upgrading from the NEX-6? I would also like to know what are the best lenses for the NEX or a6000 cameras.

    Reply
  9. Tony Avatar
    Tony

    Firstly, my congratulations on a truly excellent review of the A6000; certainly the best I have read.

    I am wanting to change from Nikon D700 + heavy lenses to a lighter system with improved resolution. I am torn between Fuji and Sony and your comparison between the XT-1 and the A6000 are most helpful. (If only I could combine the best from both…)

    As it is, neither camera/system ticks all the boxes, so the indecision continues.

    I am holding off my decision until the news is available re new cameras/updates from Photokina next month. I would dearly like Fuji to announce improvements to the XT-1, or an X-Pro2, to more closely match what the A6000 offers in critical areas.

    Again, my thanks.

    Tony

    Reply
  10. phil Avatar
    phil

    hi Jordan,

    Great review with top-notched photos as usual. I am also on the fence when it comes to interchangeable mirrorless so your reviews offer a great deal of info for me to consider and therefore many thanks for that.

    I’ve got a question about Rokinon 12mm f2.0, your photos show amazing quality. What is your thought on it vs Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 or Fuji 14mm f/2.8?

    Thanks
    -Phil

    Reply
  11. phil Avatar
    phil

    Also, Samyang 10mm F2.8 ED AS NCS CS was just introduced and that makes me even more excited although the price is ~double. Are you going to review that lens too :)? Thanks

    Reply
  12. Mirrorless Year in Review 2014 – Admiring Light

    […] also looked to expand enthusiast offerings in the APS-C space and did so aggressively with the excellent a6000.  The a6000 packs a huge amount of features and an excellent 24 megapixel sensor into a small and […]

    Reply
  13. Sony A7 II vs. Sony A6000 – Landscape Use – Admiring Light

    […] angle zoom.  The combination together retails for $3,046.  On the smaller side, I brought the a6000 and the Rokinon 12mm f/2. This is the latest 24 Megapixel APS-C sensor from Sony, along with a very […]

    Reply
  14. Jim Radford Avatar
    Jim Radford

    I’m weighing APS-C cameas … A6000 and the 7D2 … quite different, including price, thus a dilemma. Any thoughts? Choice?

    Reply
  15. Richard Avatar
    Richard

    Similar to HF’s question:

    I’m looking at the Olympus OM-D5-II and the Fuji X-T1, but the Sony 6000 is there in the background as a somewhat cheaper alternative. It looks more plasticky, and the focus got horribly confused in the shop (as the X-T1 but not the Olympus), but it does seem from what is said to be a really good and compact camera body. One of my requirements is “takes less room in the bag than my DSLR”.

    I tend to shoot in available light, so have ended up using fast primes to push the performance of my Nikon D90 to the level required. But a big problem I’ve had with the D90 is the whole “Focus, Compose, Shoot” process and I hope that any replacement camera can help here. Again the OM-D1 seems good as I’ve used it, the Sony good on paper, and all I’ve experienced of the Fuji is that it didn’t perform so well in the shop.

    I do like the ergonomics of the Fuji. I feel the Olympus will take some getting used to.

    So which one? There’ s a huge price difference between them with the a6000 kit now under £500, and the Olympus and Fuji exceeding £1000.

    If the Olympus or Fuji detect multiple faces, can I tell them which one to use? How useful is touch to focus in real life? I guess it means not composing through the viewfinder.

    Thanks
    – Richard

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      The face detection for Fuji and Olympus is pretty basic, though it works well for both. It’ll try and hit the close eye if possible, and with Olympus you can specify preference for features.

      If you want fast primes, the Fuji system is amazing with their fast glass. There are some really good fast lenses for m4/3 as well, though they won’t give you as shallow depth of field if you’re into that. Sony has some very good lenses, but nothing faster than f/1.8.

      The a6000 is a really nice camera, though I prefer my X-T1 to it for most things. It’s very subjective, though, and what works for me may not work for another shooter. Perhaps it may be worth renting your top few for a few days at a time with a nice lens and see how they fit you. Sure, it’s not a super cheap outlay to try three systems, but it will probably be worth it to get what works best for you, considering the potential future investment in glass.

      Reply
  16. Chris Bubolz Avatar
    Chris Bubolz

    Love your reviews. Trying to decide between the A6000 and the GX7. Both can be had for reasonable prices. I’m looking to step up from a Canon G15. I like aspects of both cameras but am having a hard time deciding. I like taking landscape photos and pictures of my 2 1/2 yr old daughter as well as random photos around NYC. Any advice would be appreciated.

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      It’s really hard to go wrong. The a6000 will have slightly better image quality, but the lens selection for m4/3 is significantly better. If you’re after action shots of your kids, the a6000 will track motion better than the GX7, though the GX7 will be faster in single shot focusing mode.

      Reply
  17. Levi Avatar
    Levi

    Which better one is better for landscape? A6000 or XT-10?

    Reply
    1. Levi Avatar
      Levi

      Which one*

      Reply
  18. Fastguitars Avatar
    Fastguitars

    Apparently this Sony series has no real Macro option that is worth a discussion.
    Seem to be great for portraits and landscapes, but Macro shooters need not apply.

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele Avatar
      Jordan Steele

      I don’t think that’s a fair assessment. There aren’t a lot of APS-C only lenses for this, but there are definitely some high quality options.

      Sony has three lenses that do 1:1 reproduction that are native E-Mount lenses. The decent (but not great) 30mm f/3.5 macro is the worst of the three. The FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro is brand new, reasonably priced and has excellent optics from what I’ve read (I plan on reviewing this lens fairly soon). And finally, the FE 90mm f/2.8 macro (my review here) is absolutely fantastic. Sure, it’ll be big on something like the a6000, but it’ll also give you great working distance and truly outstanding image quality.

      Finally, there’s the Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8 Macro (which I reviewed here in Fuji X mount), which is a native e-mount lens as well, and made for APS-C. This lens is fantastic optically, though it costs a fair bit.

      And, if you’re OK with manual focus, you can adapt many wonderful manual focus macro lenses in a wide variety of mounts.

      Reply
  19. Mike Ross Avatar
    Mike Ross

    Do you know the base ISO for the A6000? My RX-100 is 125 but I think for the A6000 it might be 200. Thanks

    Reply

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