Sony A6000

[pierces]

BTW - if you don't have an LA-EA3 and may be interested, now's the time to grab one, before they raise the price again as these become more popular. B&H has them at $100 instant savings, which makes it $98! Great price for the adapter.

 

 

$98 = *poof*

 

Damn/Thank you Justin!

 

I was planning on buying one anyway, so your heads-up was timely...so it's mostly "thank you". ;)

 

Dave

Edited February 4, 2016 by pierces

[havoc315]

$98 = *poof*

 

Damn/Thank you Justin!

 

I was planning on buying one anyway, so your heads-up was timely...so it's mostly "thank you". ;)

 

Dave

 

 

Can't wait to see what you can get with the 16-50/2.8 on the A6300. Should be a great wedding camera!

My understanding is that eye-AF won't work, and lock-on tracking AF won't work, but face detect should work. So if face detect is good enough to nail the eyes, then you're in good shape.

[pierces]

Can't wait to see what you can get with the 16-50/2.8 on the A6300. Should be a great wedding camera!

My understanding is that eye-AF won't work, and lock-on tracking AF won't work, but face detect should work. So if face detect is good enough to nail the eyes, then you're in good shape.

 

I know there are some limitations but if it works anything like it does on the A77, I'll be a happy camper. I will likely use native lenses like the 50 f/1.8 for the stuff that needs eye tracking but having that lens with the great ISO capability will make an indoor reception a lot less hit and miss.

 

Dave

[havoc315]

I know there are some limitations but if it works anything like it does on the A77, I'll be a happy camper. I will likely use native lenses like the 50 f/1.8 for the stuff that needs eye tracking but having that lens with the great ISO capability will make an indoor reception a lot less hit and miss.

 

Dave

 

The surprising disappointment is that the A6300 didn't get IBIS. So your 16-50 won't be stabilized and you'll want to crank up the shutter speed to compensate, thus undermining the low light capability. But it will give you the convenience of a zoom, instead of being stuck at 50mm with the 50/1.8.

 

Face tracking *could* be as good as eye-tracking, depending how it calculates where to put the focus point. There is the danger it will focus on noses instead of eyes. But if it uses a smart enough algorithm to know approximately where to put the focus distance when it spots a face, then face-detection-tracking can basically serve the same effect as eye-AF, especially if you don't have super narrow DOF.

[pierces]

The surprising disappointment is that the A6300 didn't get IBIS.

 

I have a sneaky feeling that they want to hang the A7 full-frame carrot over the heads of the APS-C crowd for a while longer. If the APS-C sales continue to soar (A6000 is Sony's best-selling camera ever) they may break down and crank out an A7xxx with more MP, IBIS and some other yet to be announced magic.

 

For now...the pictures I get from my A6000 make me reluctant to double my expense on full-frame. I, like you, feel that I am the weak link in my photo workflow...;)

 

Dave

[havoc315]

I have a sneaky feeling that they want to hang the A7 full-frame carrot over the heads of the APS-C crowd for a while longer. If the APS-C sales continue to soar (A6000 is Sony's best-selling camera ever) they may break down and crank out an A7xxx with more MP, IBIS and some other yet to be announced magic.

 

For now...the pictures I get from my A6000 make me reluctant to double my expense on full-frame. I, like you, feel that I am the weak link in my photo workflow...;)

 

Dave

 

I think they chose to prioritize size with the A6300... IBIS makes it noticeably larger, and would be a drawback on one of the biggest selling points.

 

Though the new lenses were announced with the A6300, they will mostly be used by the A7 full frame crowd. And they make it clear, size is no longer the selling point of the A7 series. So 100 additional grams to the A7 doesn't really impact it much... But add 100 grams to the A6300, makes a big difference. I think they calculated that buyers would prefer compactness over IBIS.

 

They might eventually offer an A7000... a "big" body, with a big battery, large grip, IBIS, etc.

[pierces]

I think they chose to prioritize size with the A6300... IBIS makes it noticeably larger, and would be a drawback on one of the biggest selling points.

 

Though the new lenses were announced with the A6300, they will mostly be used by the A7 full frame crowd. And they make it clear, size is no longer the selling point of the A7 series. So 100 additional grams to the A7 doesn't really impact it much... But add 100 grams to the A6300, makes a big difference. I think they calculated that buyers would prefer compactness over IBIS.

 

They might eventually offer an A7000... a "big" body, with a big battery, large grip, IBIS, etc.

 

I agree. The size of the A6000 compared to what's inside of it is one of its strongest selling points. If they made an A7000 with some gonzo new stacked sensor tech, IBIS and room for the A-mount battery, I would forgive a little bulk but for the time being, I'm happy with the A6000 and pleased that the A6300 has the same form-factor. I won't even complain about the extra 50g of magnesium in the body...I miss the tank-like feel of the NEX-7.

 

Dave

Edited February 4, 2016 by pierces

[zackiedawg]

I could also feasibly see a future Sony full-frame mirrorless body in a pro-DSLR like body shape. They've been getting ever closer to solving the performance gaps between big full frame pro DSLR bodies and mirrorless, and releasing a continually filling in line of FE lenses including some pretty large and pro-oriented ones, so at some point a larger full-frame body could come along to suit pro and semi-pro users who just want all the top tech and sensor performance and don't care about size. They've been holding off likely because they needed to hold onto the size as the differentiator, since there were still some areas where they weren't quite ready to compete with the big bodies...with the OSPDAF just about there, low light focus performance getting there, and with A-mount adapter compatibility now being just about a wash...a full-frame large body with lots of controls and top performance specs could be a next step for Sony, also allowing them to further separate full frame from APS-C in e-mount. I think if they ever came out with such a beast, they would no longer be afraid to stick IBIS in an APS-C body. There's also the possibility that advancing tech will allow IBIS to fit in a smaller body without overheating issues in a year or two...and they could be waiting to figure out how to keep the A6000 size and include APS-C. We know M4:3's smaller sensor can fit it in reasonably small bodies, and full frame bodies which are much bigger can fit IBIS in.

[pierces]

I could also feasibly see a future Sony full-frame mirrorless body in a pro-DSLR like body shape.

 

How about an A-mount mirrorless with the NP-FM500H battery? About the size of A7 but maybe ½" taller body (and no "prism" bulge) to cover the A-mount?

 

Ah, dreams...besides, the intro of the new FE lenses sort of drives another nail into the A-mount's coffin unless the rumors of an "amazing" A-mount camera aren't just vapor.

 

Dave

Edited February 4, 2016 by pierces

[zackiedawg]

I admit I was exactly 1 step from dumping my A-mount when the A6300 announced. The one thing that kept me from doing it was the lack of IBIS. Not that I think it's needed in general, but for my birding and wildlife shooting, I like to be able to handhold the Tamron 150-600mm lens - and stabilization is pretty well needed to get away with that. I can use the Tamron 150-600mm on the new A6300 via the LA-EA3 adapter, but it will be mostly a tripod restricted combo for still birds and animals at distances, or will have to crank up the shutter speed to use for BIF or occasional handheld distant animals. It is more comfortable to have stabilization when shooting that lens handheld - so I still foresee some DSLR/SLT body use in my near future even if I get the A6300. A future possibility could be to go with a Canon mount of the Tamron 150-600mm that has stabilization built in, and use the Metabones or similar EF/E adapter which will likely work at full normal speed on the A6300 - but that would obviously be more money spent having to replace a current lens I already have just to get the stabilization.

 

Question is whether I keep the A580 around for the handheld 150-600mm work, use the A6300 for most else...or replace the A580 with an A77II which would give me the nicer 24MP sensor for the DSLR body and get the A6300 for all else.

 

If there was an option for an e-mount APS-C body with IBIS built in, a larger battery like the FM500, and more spread-out controls, I could definitely see getting that to replace the DSLR for exclusive long-lens work, and run alongside the A6300 for most else. I might like that idea even more than a mirrorless A mount - since it could work essentially the same with both A and E lenses!

Edited February 4, 2016 by zackiedawg

[havoc315]

I admit I was exactly 1 step from dumping my A-mount when the A6300 announced. The one thing that kept me from doing it was the lack of IBIS. Not that I think it's needed in general, but for my birding and wildlife shooting, I like to be able to handhold the Tamron 150-600mm lens - and stabilization is pretty well needed to get away with that. I can use the Tamron 150-600mm on the new A6300 via the LA-EA3 adapter, but it will be mostly a tripod restricted combo for still birds and animals at distances, or will have to crank up the shutter speed to use for BIF or occasional handheld distant animals. It is more comfortable to have stabilization when shooting that lens handheld - so I still foresee some DSLR/SLT body use in my near future even if I get the A6300. A future possibility could be to go with a Canon mount of the Tamron 150-600mm that has stabilization built in, and use the Metabones or similar EF/E adapter which will likely work at full normal speed on the A6300 - but that would obviously be more money spent having to replace a current lens I already have just to get the stabilization.

 

Question is whether I keep the A580 around for the handheld 150-600mm work, use the A6300 for most else...or replace the A580 with an A77II which would give me the nicer 24MP sensor for the DSLR body and get the A6300 for all else.

 

If there was an option for an e-mount APS-C body with IBIS built in, a larger battery like the FM500, and more spread-out controls, I could definitely see getting that to replace the DSLR for exclusive long-lens work, and run alongside the A6300 for most else. I might like that idea even more than a mirrorless A mount - since it could work essentially the same with both A and E lenses!

 

You could always go full frame. Get your IBIS on the A7ii or A7rii.

Yes, the A7rii is pricey... But if you are thinking about buying an A77ii AND A6300 -- can just get the A7rii instead. And the 42mp would give you enough extra crop room, that you may not miss the 1.5 crop factor.

Then it's just a matter of whether 5 fps is enough for you. And whether the A7rii can track as well as the A6000/6300.

 

And for that matter, going with the A6300 and basically trading your Sony/Tamron 150-600 for a Canon/Tamron 150-600 -- You can probably take a minimal $$$ hit. You may even find someone willing to do a straight trade. That would still be cheaper than the A6300 + A77ii.

[havoc315]

I agree. The size of the A6000 compared to what's inside of it is one of its strongest selling points. If they made an A7000 with some gonzo new stacked sensor tech, IBIS and room for the A-mount battery, I would forgive a little bulk but for the time being, I'm happy with the A6000 and pleased that the A6300 has the same form-factor. I won't even complain about the extra 50g of magnesium in the body...I miss the tank-like feel of the NEX-7.

 

Dave

 

Personally, I'd take the IBIS, because I foresee adapting a lot of lenses. But I think I'm in the minority -- they see the core buyers of the A6000 series to be buyers more interested in size than worrying about adapting legacy glass. They expect that the majority of enthusiasts (obviously not all enthusiasts) will be drawn more to the A7 line up.

[Babycat]

You could always go full frame. Get your IBIS on the A7ii or A7rii.

Yes, the A7rii is pricey... But if you are thinking about buying an A77ii AND A6300 -- can just get the A7rii instead. And the 42mp would give you enough extra crop room, that you may not miss the 1.5 crop factor.

Then it's just a matter of whether 5 fps is enough for you. And whether the A7rii can track as well as the A6000/6300.

 

And for that matter, going with the A6300 and basically trading your Sony/Tamron 150-600 for a Canon/Tamron 150-600 -- You can probably take a minimal $$$ hit. You may even find someone willing to do a straight trade. That would still be cheaper than the A6300 + A77ii.

 

Additionally, the A7R2 has a crop mode. It reduces the image to a measly 18 mp though lol.

[zackiedawg]

Additionally, the A7R2 has a crop mode. It reduces the image to a measly 18 mp though lol.

 

That's a bit of the issue for me on the full frames. MY two choices both aren't as tempting - I either use the crop mode on the body which helps for framing purposes and for focusing on small or partially obscured subjects, but then I'm limiting myself to 18MP...or I use the full frame but end up having to crop every shot...and may have more difficulty when trying to focus through clutter.

 

APS-C has always held an advantage for wildlife and bird shooters in 'seeing' through the crop frame when trying to pinpoint or thread focus through to a bird hidden behind a bunch of branches - and I like being able to put all 24MP on that subject as it gives that much more room for any tighter cropping if needed or wanted.

 

I have the LA-EA3, so if I get the A6300 I can experiment with the Tamron 150-600mm on it and see how much the lack of stabilization is impacting me - if it's severe enough to eliminate handheld use, I could still consider using it on a tripod...or just for when I'm shooting BIF. But otherwise, a DSLR or SLT body may still be better to have as a second body for the longer lenses...or down the road consider grabbing a longer Canon lens with stabilization and use via Metabones or similar adapter, once it's been established that the OSPDAF is reliable and fast on the A6300 as it has been on the A7RII.

[havoc315]

That's a bit of the issue for me on the full frames. MY two choices both aren't as tempting - I either use the crop mode on the body which helps for framing purposes and for focusing on small or partially obscured subjects, but then I'm limiting myself to 18MP...or I use the full frame but end up having to crop every shot...and may have more difficulty when trying to focus through clutter.

 

APS-C has always held an advantage for wildlife and bird shooters in 'seeing' through the crop frame when trying to pinpoint or thread focus through to a bird hidden behind a bunch of branches - and I like being able to put all 24MP on that subject as it gives that much more room for any tighter cropping if needed or wanted.

 

I have the LA-EA3, so if I get the A6300 I can experiment with the Tamron 150-600mm on it and see how much the lack of stabilization is impacting me - if it's severe enough to eliminate handheld use, I could still consider using it on a tripod...or just for when I'm shooting BIF. But otherwise, a DSLR or SLT body may still be better to have as a second body for the longer lenses...or down the road consider grabbing a longer Canon lens with stabilization and use via Metabones or similar adapter, once it's been established that the OSPDAF is reliable and fast on the A6300 as it has been on the A7RII.

 

Just remember, lock-on AF tracking doesn't work on adapted lenses. You need to stick to the more traditional depth tracking, as with your A580.

 

I do suspect Sony will release a long telephoto E-mount lens within the next year. It's now their biggest remaining gap. It won't be cheap... They will probably charge a bit more than for the A-mount 70-400.

[zackiedawg]

Just remember, lock-on AF tracking doesn't work on adapted lenses. You need to stick to the more traditional depth tracking, as with your A580.

 

Shouldn't be an issue - with BIF shooting, I don't use lock-on AF on the A6000 even though it has it - I find AF-C, wide focus area, and 6fps to be so dead-on accurate and capable of tracking even superfast tiny birds at 40MPH (assuming I can pan and keep them in frame) that I never found the need for lock-on. I suspect I'd use the A6300 in much the same way, if it works at least as well as the A6000, or better. The A6000 is quite a bit better than the A580 in this regard.

 

I do suspect Sony will release a long telephoto E-mount lens within the next year. It's now their biggest remaining gap. It won't be cheap... They will probably charge a bit more than for the A-mount 70-400.

 

I wouldn't be out on price, unless they went into silly numbers - I could afford a bit more than A-mount prices...and would love to see something like the 70-400mm in e-mount...or even a smaller and lighter 100-400mm variant if they were working from scratch.

 

I'm tempted by the 1.4x and 2x TCs as well, though disappointing that they are currently at time of announcement only compatible with the F2.8 version of the 70-200mm lens. I am distantly hoping for a firmware update that might let them pair with the 70-200mm F4 lens, as that would be an inexpensive way to extend e-mount reach for me. Those TCs may be compatible with other lenses that have a deep recessed rear glass due to their protrusion - but the 70-200mm F4 has that deep recess - so maybe there's some hope it could end up fitting and working with that lens too. If I was faced with buying the 70-200mm F2.8, plus 1.4x or 2x TCs, versus picking up an EF-E adapter and a Canon 100-400mm or Tamron 150-600mm in Canon mount...the Canon combos would actually be a good bit cheaper - so I'd be more tempted to go that direction. If the TCs can be paired with the F4 version of my lens at some point, then I'd happily pick those up to play with.

[pierces]

Missed this in the first pass...the AF/MF switch has returned! It seems that Sony really has learned to listen to users. Many of the early gripes about the A6000 (before people actually used the camera) were about the loss of some of these NEX-7 features. Alloy body, e-level, hi-res viewfinder and now the AF/MF switch...it looks like the A6300 might be the NEX-7 replacement that never was.

 

 

My piggy bank just started writing out his will...

 

Dave

[c230k]

Here is a good comparison between the A6000 and A6300

http://www.dailycameranews.com/2016/02/sony-a6300-vs-a6000-comparison/

 

 

Tom :cool:

[wmjivey]

confused, I know the EA3 is at agreat price right now, but I thought you needed the 4 for most lens to work properly. I have all older Minolta lens with screw drive I read they don't work with the EA3. So what lens are you all gonna use with it?

 

Help me the price is cheap!!

 

 

John

[pierces]

confused, I know the EA3 is at agreat price right now, but I thought you needed the 4 for most lens to work properly. I have all older Minolta lens with screw drive I read they don't work with the EA3. So what lens are you all gonna use with it?

 

Help me the price is cheap!!

 

 

John

 

The only lens I am targeting is the 16-50 f/2.8 SSM, so the $98 adapter was a screaming deal. For the screw-drive lenses you will need the LA-EA4. (Or LA-EA2 which is for APS-C only.)

 

Dave

Edited February 6, 2016 by pierces

[wmjivey]

Thanks Dave, still don't know if it worth the cost without Stabilization. So my son is safe from me poaching my lens from him. I now hope with the new 70-200 f2 the f4 will fall in my reach :)

 

John

[pierces]

Thanks Dave, still don't know if it worth the cost without Stabilization. So my son is safe from me poaching my lens from him. I now hope with the new 70-200 f2 the f4 will fall in my reach :)

 

John

 

Having owned a NEX-7 and already in the market for a second body, all the little bits I mentioned add up to a "go" for me. I can see where the incremental upgrades may not cover the price difference for some, especially since the A6000 is already a pretty awesome camera.

 

As for the 70-200 f/4, I wouldn't expect the price to drop with the intro of the new one. Two target markets being served. Personally, I am still aiming at the f/4 version because my portability vision that saw the E-mount system as salvation is blind to the three pound heft on the f/2.8. ( $$$s too) :)

 

Dave

[c230k]

Interesting video from B&H on our new A6300 camera lol...!!!!

 

 

Tom :cool:

[havoc315]

Having owned a NEX-7 and already in the market for a second body, all the little bits I mentioned add up to a "go" for me. I can see where the incremental upgrades may not cover the price difference for some, especially since the A6000 is already a pretty awesome camera.

 

As for the 70-200 f/4, I wouldn't expect the price to drop with the intro of the new one. Two target markets being served. Personally, I am still aiming at the f/4 version because my portability vision that saw the E-mount system as salvation is blind to the three pound heft on the f/2.8. ( $$$s too) :)

 

Dave

 

You may see a slight reduction in used prices. There will be people who bought the 70-200/4 as it was the only game in town, and some of them will sell on the used market as they upgrade. (Though many people will keep both, they do serve different purposes).

[pierces]

You may see a slight reduction in used prices. There will be people who bought the 70-200/4 as it was the only game in town, and some of them will sell on the used market as they upgrade. (Though many people will keep both, they do serve different purposes).

 

Hadn't considered the "gently used" market...

 

Hmmmm....

 

:)

 

Dave