The Best Cheap Mirrorless Camera
- Sony a6000 Specs
- Sony a6000 Body & Design
- Sony a6000 Build & Handling
- Sony a6000 Video Performance
- Sony a6000 Lenses
- Sony a6000 Price
photo by oatawa via iStock
In spite of the fact that it was released back in 2014, the Sony a6000 still represents one of the best entry-level mirrorless cameras on the market.
This camera is a mix of powerful features and ease of use, while it is also very affordable if we compare its price with other mirrorless cameras of the same class. For less than $500, you can get a camera with a 24 MP sensor, a superb autofocus system, impressive burst shooting speed, and satisfying video capabilities, all packed in a compact and portable body.
Although the Sony a6000 has more updated successors (the Sony a6300, Sony a6500, and Sony a6400) it is certainly not outdated. For sure, new models have added some useful features and improved what was already a great camera, but the Sony a6000 still rocks, especially because of its consumer-friendly price.
Now, let’s dive into the Sony a6000’s capabilities.
Table of Contents
Sony a6000 Specs
The Sony a6000 combines a 24.3-megapixel CMOS APS-C sensor and Bionz X image processor in order to achieve great image quality and impressive operating speed.
The camera works smoothly in low-light conditions, although its internal noise reduction results in some loss of details when you go beyond ISO 1600. In very dark conditions, you can use a small built-in flash that has a range of six meters at ISO 100.
At the moment of its release, Sony claimed the a6000 featured the fastest autofocus speed ever. Although this might have changed in the last five years, the AF speed of 0.06 seconds offered by this camera is still hard to beat.
The a6000 uses a hybrid autofocus system with 179 phase-detect and 25 contrast-detect AF Points, and it covers around 92 percent of the sensor. What is most important is that the autofocus works like a charm when it’s put into practice.
Another great thing about this camera is its fast burst rate. The Sony a6000 has the continuous shooting speed of 11 frames per second, which makes it suitable for people who are into sports, wildlife, or any other action photography.
Although the video capabilities are not as impressive as in new mirrorless cameras, the Sony a6000 still offers satisfying video features such as 1080p HD video at 24p and 60p. The camera also has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows you remote control it through a smartphone or computer.
In conclusion, these features are definitely sufficient for producing authentic and professional-like photos and videos.
Is the Sony a6000 still worth buying in 2019? Find an answer to this question in the video above by Jason Morris.
Sony a6000 Body & Design
As is the case with most mirrorless cameras, the Sony a6000 is very tiny and lightweight if compared to an average DSLR camera. The camera measures 4.7 x 2.6 x 1.8 inches and weighs only 12.13 oz (with batteries included). Because of this, the a6000 seems to be a perfect choice for travelers and street photographers.
The camera is very small, but you will not have problems in framing your shots because it has a very good LCD screen and electronic viewfinder. The LCD display is tiltable, and it has a resolution of 921,600 dots. Unfortunately, it does not have touchscreen technology, which is useful for quickly going through camera settings, setting autofocus points, and reviewing images.
The electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 1,440,000 dots, it offers a 100% coverage, and allows 1.05x magnification. Since we are talking about a mirrorless camera, the Sony a6000 has Live View inside the viewfinder so you will see the preview of the image and its exposure settings before you release the shutter.
The camera is very small, but you will not have problems in framing your shots because it has a very good LCD screen and electronic viewfinder. The LCD display is tiltable, and it has a resolution of 921,600 dots. Unfortunately, it does not have touchscreen technology, which is useful for quickly going through camera settings, setting autofocus points, and reviewing images.
The electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 1,440,000 dots, it offers a 100% coverage, and allows 1.05x magnification. Since we are talking about a mirrorless camera, the Sony a6000 has Live View inside the viewfinder so you will see the preview of the image and its exposure settings before you release the shutter.
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Sony a6000 Build & Handling
While some parts of the Sony a6000 were made out of magnesium-alloy, some parts are encased in plastic. Although the camera does not have a weather-sealed body, it has shown to be very durable, and a few drops of snow and rain shouldn’t do much harm. Still, be careful when using the camera in extreme weather conditions if you want to make sure it will have a long life.
The Sony a6000 has a simple and intuitive design. However, bear in mind this camera is very compact so you might have some issues in handling the camera with heavy and long lenses. Since the camera’s body is partly made out of plastic, extremely heavy lenses might damage the Sony a6000 if they stay attached to a body for a long time.
The grip will feel comfortable for most photographers, but not everyone will be happy with the size. While the company improved the grip in the a6000’s successors, you can solve this issue by buying an additional vertical battery grip for the Sony a6000.
Sony a6000 Video Performance
The Sony a6000 is much better for taking stills than for making movies, although we shouldn’t underestimate its video recording capabilities. The camera allows you to shoot 1920 x 1080 videos at 60p, 1440 x 1080 videos at 30p, and 640 x 480 videos at 30p.
While its successors feature 4K video capabilities, the Sony a6000 maxes only at Full HD. To be fair, this should satisfy the needs of most users.
The camera offers an HDMI output for displaying images on an external display. Still, there is no microphone and headphone jack, which can be a disadvantage for those who are looking for professional video recording capabilities.
Take a look at videos produced by the Sony a6000 in the video above by Cody Blue.
Sony a6000 Lenses
The Sony a6000 is compatible with all Sony E Mount lenses while you can also use products made by other companies with the help of an additional adapter.
As we already mentioned, due to its compact size, the camera works great with lightweight and compact lenses. For example, the Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS lens does a great job for a wide range of situations, while they will not feel much of a burden if you move a lot.
If you are looking for a wide focal range, you might try the Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS, while you should buy the Sony E 20mm f/2.8 lens if you want to pair the already compact camera with a tiny featherlight lens that is ideal for travelers.
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Sony a6000 Price
If you are looking for a camera that packs powerful features at an affordable price, the Sony a6000 is definitely worth considering. After all, this is one of the best-selling mirrorless cameras of all time. This means a lot of people are using it, and although there are newer versions, given its quality, it will stay on the market for a long time.
There are a lot of places to look for the Sony a6000 in 2019, but we suggest you check out the market of used cameras on MPB. On this platform, you can find a used Sony a6000 in excellent condition for the price as low as $329. (If you’re unfamiliar with MPB, be sure to check out our complete MPB review to learn about the benefits of buying and selling used gear.)
If we look back at features and specifications of this camera model, there will be no doubt this is an extremely low price for what you’ll get. If you decide to buy it, share your first impressions in the community forums on our website.
