Sony A6000

[pierces]

$548 at Amazon with the 18-50mm kit lens!

 

Second body Dave?

 

It was $398 body only earlier...I resisted!

 

Dave

[c230k]

Still $398.00 would make great early xmas present. I now have (2) A6000 and nice not have to change lens, just grab and shoot. Have 10-18mm on one and 18-105mm on the other.

 

Or are we waiting for the A6000 replacement. May be next year. lol

 

 

Tom :cool:

[tommui987]

Still $398.00 would make great early xmas present.

Tom :cool:

 

 

Great minds run ...

 

Just sold my NEX7 and will get another A6000.

 

And you and DAVE led me into temptation and my 118mm-105mm arrives tomorrow. Had to sell the two Sigma.

 

Did you see that glossy 4-D leaflet from Sony? (new software for the A6000).

[shootr]

The 18-105 is definitely my new EDC lens unless I need the 16-50 due to size / ease of carry issues.

 

This weekend it never left the camera body - shooting the family indoors in mediocre light was amazing - not "blow up and frame" incredible but "memory saving" wonderful. Aiming the on-camera flash at the ceiling only added to the enjoyment.

 

Outdoors the zoom range in the gardens and trails was perfect for me. There is a bit of a weight penalty, but not too much more than the 55-210 - and the f4 makes up for that.

 

I fully believe you will dig it!

[pierces]

18-105

 

Doing research on it for you guys may adversely affect my finances.

 

Damn/Bless this thread!

 

Dave

[gambit57]

Doing research on it for you guys may adversely affect my finances.

 

Damn/Bless this thread!

 

This! Prior to reading this thread, I thought I was set on cameras.

Edited December 4, 2015 by codex57

[pierces]

This! Prior to reading this thread, I thought I was set on cameras.

 

The little A6000 gem has that effect on people...:)

 

Dave

[JessandLevi]

Dave I took your advice and have been taking pictures in both JPEG and Raw. My question is what do I use the raw for? My computer won't let me open them. Do I need to download something?

[Babycat]

Some cameras come with a complimentary program for RAW file handling but if not, I'd suggest Adobe Lightroom.

[pierces]

Dave I took your advice and have been taking pictures in both JPEG and Raw. My question is what do I use the raw for? My computer won't let me open them. Do I need to download something?

 

You may have confused mine with some of the other postings. I primarily shoot JPEG except under unusual conditions like really bad light or events where things move too fast to double-check settings.

 

But that won't stop me from answering! :)

 

Your RAW files can allow you more latitude for exposure correction, use of stronger noise reduction or just choosing another white balance setting if you screwed up. To do this additional processing, you need a program that understands the encoding of the RAW file which is not in any way "standard". Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and even free options like Google's Picasa can do this. You can go to Sony's e-support site and download the driver for Windows that will allow you to view the thumbnails in Windows Explorer. Other free programs like InfanView will allow you to open them and view them.

 

If you don't own any of the editing software to process RAW, you can as mentioned above, download the Sony PlayMemories Home app that is a huge improvement ofver the Picture Motion Browser of old.

 

Honestly, unless you own one of the Adobe products mentioned above, shooting RAW will provide no advantage. It is useful but in no way necessary to get great images from your camera. If you really are interested in what RAW can do, Photoshop Elements is a great place to start and has a lot of tutorial support included and online.

 

I wrote an article on RAW vs. JPEG that answer a few of your questions about whether it is right for you: http://www.pptphoto.com/articles/rawvsjpeg.html

 

Hope this helps.

 

Dave

[JessandLevi]

You may have confused mine with some of the other postings. I primarily shoot JPEG except under unusual conditions like really bad light or events where things move too fast to double-check settings.

 

But that won't stop me from answering! :)

 

Your RAW files can allow you more latitude for exposure correction, use of stronger noise reduction or just choosing another white balance setting if you screwed up. To do this additional processing, you need a program that understands the encoding of the RAW file which is not in any way "standard". Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and even free options like Google's Picasa can do this. You can go to Sony's e-support site and download the driver for Windows that will allow you to view the thumbnails in Windows Explorer. Other free programs like InfanView will allow you to open them and view them.

 

If you don't own any of the editing software to process RAW, you can as mentioned above, download the Sony PlayMemories Home app that is a huge improvement ofver the Picture Motion Browser of old.

 

Honestly, unless you own one of the Adobe products mentioned above, shooting RAW will provide no advantage. It is useful but in no way necessary to get great images from your camera. If you really are interested in what RAW can do, Photoshop Elements is a great place to start and has a lot of tutorial support included and online.

 

I wrote an article on RAW vs. JPEG that answer a few of your questions about whether it is right for you: http://www.pptphoto.com/articles/rawvsjpeg.html

 

Hope this helps.

 

Dave

 

Oops sorry about the confusion. I decided to sign up for the free trial of Lightroom to see if I like it enough to buy it and all I can say is WOW! I thought the pictures were good when I first took them but only minimal editing (I chose the raw) the pictures look great! Not bad for an amateur photographer 😝

[pierces]

Oops sorry about the confusion. I decided to sign up for the free trial of Lightroom to see if I like it enough to buy it and all I can say is WOW! I thought the pictures were good when I first took them but only minimal editing (I chose the raw) the pictures look great! Not bad for an amateur photographer 😝

 

Sign up for the Photographer's bundle on Adobe Creative Cloud. You get LR and full Photoshop for $9.99/mo. Fantastic always-current bundle.

 

Photoshop has a pretty steep learning curve but most of that curve isadjustment tools that you would do in Lightroom anyway and the controls are the same. I use LR for 95% of my edits and only go into Photoshop for major touch-ups and spot/object removal (minor spot removal is done in LR).

 

Have fun!

 

Dave

[tommui987]

Should add that it is my personal feeling that if your shots are mostly for 4x6, 5x7 and even 8x10, there is no "real" reason to use RAW

[gambit57]

Yeah, it's amazing what some minimal editing can do to your photos.

 

That said, for an amateur like you and me, I don't feel Adobe's monthly deal is worth it. We simply won't use it enough.

 

I'd much rather pay for a hard copy of Lightroom. My local camera store sells "bundles" where I got Lightroom essentially for $50 (plus like a $1 item to make it a "bundle"). I only need to use it for more than 5 months and I'd be ahead than if I had taken the $10/mo option. Photoshop has a REALLY steep learning curve and it's enough to just master Lightroom. Plus, there's Photoshop Elements that is actually very powerful for an amateur that you can purchase by itself as well.

 

Still, Pierce mentioned the spot/object removal in Lightroom. We've used that. For your basic family photos, that's all that's really needed.

 

The problem with RAW is that it can really minimize some photography mistakes. Jpeg forces you to make sure you get the lighting, exposure, and other basic steps right (or at least better) the first time. You can fall into bad habits or get lazy when shooting RAW. The editing should really be about fixing photos were you were forced to make some compromises or shoot in less than optimal conditions, not fix what you were too lazy to do when you took the photo. We're fighting this battle right now (along with eating better, exercising more, and a host of other issues :) )

Edited December 4, 2015 by codex57

[c230k]

The A6000 does a great job with JPEG, use Pacasa 3 and for special changes, like object or spot removal I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 14. Works great when you need to process a lot of pictures, like from a cruise lol.

 

Tom :cool:

[shootr]

Still learning the 18-105 lens - this is a video from my sons high school jazz performance. Be sure to click to the little gear at the lower right to pick HD playback.

 

Horribly dim lighting, all handheld. Shot it at f/4 and 1/60th, with judicious use of the power zoom button. The variable speed is tricky to use, but the slooooow smooth zooming is pretty cool.

 

I did overheat the sensor though when shooting about 6 minutes straight, so that warrants some investigating

 

(Ah, lots of info - just the way it is - I was shooting video for close to an hour off and on before his performance, so found good tips like articulate the screen away from the back to give the back a little more air, etc.)

 

And yes, I'm proud as heck of my kid!

 

4eFWuVLDQUw

Edited December 13, 2015 by shootr

[tommui987]

Horribly dim lighting, all handheld. Shot it at f/4 and 1/60th, with judicious use of the power zoom button. The variable speed is tricky to use, but the slooooow smooth zooming is pretty cool.

 

And yes, I'm proud as heck of my kid!

 

4eFWuVLDQUw

 

You should be proud! Playing an instrument is difficult and being in a jazz band is even more so! Congratulations!

 

What ISO were you using when you took the video? And how does the camera react when it overheats? (i.e. camera gets hot? message goes on?) You can see that I have not fool around yet with video!

 

Got my 18mm-105mm the other day but have not had a chance to go out and try it.

 

Nest wishes,

Tom

[Debala715]

This was a very dangerous thread to enter. Now I want the A6000! I told my husband this morning that I will be getting one!

[c230k]

This was a very dangerous thread to enter. Now I want the A6000! I told my husband this morning that I will be getting one!

 

 

You picked the right time to buy, lowest prices since the camera came out. Check out B&H Photo or Amazon com. Also save money buying a kit with lens.

 

Tom

[xlxo]

You picked the right time to buy, lowest prices since the camera came out.

Hmm.... low prices can mean a new model is coming out... will something be announced in CES 2016 in the coming weeks?

 

http://www.dailycameranews.com/tag/sony-a7000/

[pierces]

Hmm.... low prices can mean a new model is coming out... will something be announced in CES 2016 in the coming weeks?

 

http://www.dailycameranews.com/tag/sony-a7000/

 

Worst case? You buy it now and when the new model comes out, you buy it body-only and end the need for lens changes while travelling! (And still have a smaller kit than a DSLR plus one extra lens!)

 

 

I have been waiting to replace my used-to-death NEX-7 with the next model (current A6000 would become the backup body) and though it is very likely that an A6xxx or even a replacement for the NEX-7 will be announced, I will be buying another A6000 as my second body with no reservations if it doesn't appear by our next cruise later in the spring. It really is a remarkable camera and at less than $450 for the body or under $700 with both kit lenses, it is a fantastic bargain.

 

Dave

Edited December 19, 2015 by pierces

[shootr]

You should be proud! Playing an instrument is difficult and being in a jazz band is even more so! Congratulations!

 

What ISO were you using when you took the video? And how does the camera react when it overheats? (i.e. camera gets hot? message goes on?) You can see that I have not fool around yet with video!

 

Got my 18mm-105mm the other day but have not had a chance to go out and try it.

 

Nest wishes,

Tom

 

Sorry for the delay in replying - the ISO was on auto and I can't pull it up in the file information.

 

When it overheated it gave a simple message that is was. I just turned it off for a moment, turned it back on, and it was fine.

 

He started with trumpet, taught himself guitar, and now there is a keyboard waiting for him under the xmas tree because he wants to give that a whirl. This while he maintains straight A's in his AP classes. I'm a lucky son of a gun...

[tommui987]

manual focusing with the A6000 is very easy with the ç.

 

Dave

 

Dave: How do you do the "manual focusing with the A6000 is very easy with the focus magnifier and focus peaking?"

 

Still trying to figure out the menu on the A6000!

 

And to all: Best wishes for the Holidays!

Tom

[pierces]

Dave: How do you do the "manual focusing with the A6000 is very easy with the focus magnifier and focus peaking?"

 

Still trying to figure out the menu on the A6000!

 

And to all: Best wishes for the Holidays!

Tom

 

Tom,

 

Give me a day or so and I'll do a write-up on that. I get asked it a lot and it's time I documented the manual focus tricks.

 

 

Dave

[robjan245]

Just got the A6000 dual lens kit. I must say its small and nice but has trouble get a focus lock in low light. I'm already exploring a prime lens and will probably get the Sigma 30mm 2.8 for indoor portraits. I'll get a travel zoom (either the Zeiss 16-70 or the Sony 18-105) before my March cruise.