Really good camera, but unfortunately excessive system !!!

Really good camera, but unfortunately excessive system !!!

Sony Alpha 6000 system camera (24 megapixels, 7.6 cm (3 ") LCD display, Exmor APS-C sensor, Full HD, high-speed hybrid AF) black (Camera)

Customer Review

I photograph now for 3 years and had started with a Canon 1100D, and then I switched to a Sony Alpha 57. Because of the size and the weight, I then decided that there should be a Mirrorless in future. Actually, I would have liked to stay with Sony, but Sony NEX NEX 6 and 7 had not convinced me in many ways. It has then become an OM-D E-M5.
Now, the A6000 has been published and seem to come up with some improvements therefore. Since I was able to borrow from a friend a couple of days I would like to describe my impressions here.

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>>>>>>>> PROCESSING / DESIGN <<<<<<<<<

The housing is unfortunately only plastic, not of a magnesium alloy, as I first thought. Overall, it works but still very robust, but an improvement on the NEX 6 is not. The buttons and the triggers have the right pressure point and the dials turn pleasant, with the necessary resistance.
The design I personally find rather boring. Some may like this modern, straightforward and unfussy design of the new Alphas, but I do not like it. Is just a matter of taste.

# Interim conclusion >>> Solid, but not high-quality workmanship and a linear design that may or may not like.

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>>>>>>>> HANDLING / Ergonomics <<<<<<<<<<

The NEX 7 has this ingenious tri-Dial-operating concept, which was praised by the testers and customers and which many would have liked for the A6000. Unfortunately, this was not implemented. Probably because the A6000 is placed in the entry-level segment and that would have been too complicated there, what I really find very great pity.
Otherwise, the camera has a wonderfully shaped handle, so you can keep a long time wonderful camera also. The mode dial is exactly where the thumb, which is why it would have been better if it had switched places with the operating control at the top. However, you get used to it after a while.
Unfortunately, there is no control wheel on the front, but only one at the top and at the back, so that you can use both at the same time never, but always has his thumb between the two jump back and forth. This slows the setting of some parameters but from something.

Finally also the catastrophic menu of NEX has been improved and there are 6 more assignable buttons, so you can customize the camera to their wishes.
Unfortunately, the selection of the AF target has not improved. One need usually to enter the selection several clicks. If you have Vario-AF mode, one indeed reached by clicking the center button in the shift mode of the AF-field, but that's in very small steps, so that you have to press several times until you have AF in place has , The make other manufacturers significantly better.
Gladly I would have seen a touch function, but you can not bear certainly.

# Interim conclusion >>>> The A6000 is great in the hand and can be operated excellently thanks to two operating wheels and many programmable keys. However, the arrangement of the operating wheels is not optimal and the workflow will be thwarted by something and some other odds and ends. Who ever a mirrorless system camera from Panasonic, Olympus and Fujifilm in hand had know it better.

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>>>>>>>>>>> EQUIPMENT <<<<<<<<<<<

> Viewfinder:
The viewfinder now dissolves only 1.44 million pixels, which you can already see. Overall, the resolution, however, is perfectly adequate. The viewfinder is large and can overlook quite well even when wearing glasses. It is also something of view more stable than it was in the NEX 6. There, the picture was always the same distorted if one has not exactly straight reingeschaut what no longer so extreme now.

> Display:
Raises high on, but unfortunately again in 16: 9 format, so that is not used the full width of the image display. But overall not bother because you eh most photographed through the viewfinder.

> Functions:
Finally you can also set an upper limit for the Auto ISO setting. That was not for sale at this price point and one of the reasons the NEX 6 in NEX6 for me an absurdity.
Otherwise, I have nothing missing except of course the spirit level. What do you ask Sony ??? Even significantly cheaper models, such as the A5000 and A3000 even have a spirit level. All other models have a position sensor for the water level and here it let them off ???

# Interim conclusion >>>> The decor is great, good viewfinder, good display, flash and hot shoe and everything you could wish to functions so wishes, except being the spirit level.

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>>>>>>>>>> Autofocus / SPEED <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

While the auto focus on the NEX 6 was still very comfortable, he is now really fast. Although the AF-S my OM-D E-M5 is even better, but he comes very near. If it is significantly darker it may be that the AF before 1 / 2-1 sec investigated, but he finds the target almost always. Overall, therefore, significantly better than the NEX. 6

Particularly impressive is of course the C-AF. In some tests my yield was about 30-60%, depending on how fast the object is moving, what / s results in a lot of great pictures really very good and at 11 images.

Something bad is that allows you to customize a bit awkward the AF area and the targeted use of AF is not quite as liquid goes out of hand.

# Interim conclusion >>>> Top of AF has improved noticeably and also the C-AF is to finally use really good.

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>>>>>>> IMAGE QUALITY / kit lens <<<<<<<<<<

The 16-50mm kit lens is really processed extremely compact, but not really good. That this little thing is to cover a 24 MP APS-C sensor properly may physically not work already. I've also compared to the rather weak 12-50mm kit lens of my OM-D E-M5 (16 MP). The higher resolution of 8 MP A6000 you can imagine in the highest image center. Continue towards the margins I even found the really low resolution E-M5 better.
The Sony 16-50mm so you can view more than nice little bonus to try out. For better quality you have to resort to fixed focal length lenses.
So I have time on it screwed the 50mm f / 1.8 and was quite impressed - extreme sharpness and detail. Since saw my E-M5 with corresponding fixed focal length a bit old and you could see the difference of 8 MP already clearly.

The noise performance has hardly deteriorated for NEX 6, despite higher pixel density. Sony typically JPEG Aufbearbeitung is again quite aggressive, a little too aggressive for my taste. But the course you can counteract with appropriate settings and shooting in RAW format. Overall, the images but "out-of-the-box" very crisp and presentable.

# Interim conclusion >>>>
The picture quality is the highlight of the camera class sharpness and many details but only with appropriate lenses. Unfortunately, this kit lens counts as not to and can be a maximum of shots that you want to print or present in small packages use.

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>>>>>>>>>>>> CONCLUSION <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The A6000 is really much better than the NEX 6, has a fabulous picture quality and a very good autofocus. The camera is indeed good in the hand, but the handling is not perfect yet. I would have rather wished the operating concept of NEX 7. But overall, the bleating at a high level.

As always with Sony, the price-performance ratio is absolutely great. The only downer is that the system itself is not really attractive, and the supply of appropriate lenses seems uncertain in the future. Further information on this is available in the system evaluation that I have not included in the evaluation with, because it is quite subjective and I rate the camera and not the system here. But since one with a camera always I would like to still buys and the system does not fail to mention.

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>>>>>>>>> SYSTEM EVALUATION <<<<<<<<<<

Because you can buy not only a camera with a system camera, but committing itself to a system of this point is very important to me.

>>>> Lens selection:

When it comes to fixed focal length lenses it looks at Sony E system quite well. The Sony 50mm f / 1.8 or Sigma 60mm f / 2.8 for portraits, the 35mm f / 1.8 or Sigma 30mm f / 2.8 as Always top, a bit short 30mm f / 3.5 for macros. This is joined by two pancake lenses are optically but not as the big hit.
For the discerning customer, there are three good Zeiss lenses - 12mm f / 2.8; 24 f / 1.8 and 32mmf / 1.8, all of which are quite expensive though.

In the zoom lenses, however, it looks less rosy. Since there is very little really good. Only the Zeiss 16-70mm f / 4 will meet the demands of the 24 MP sensor. However, it is the expectations that one has in a 1000 EUR lens not entirely satisfactory in the middle of very sharp, but toward the edge rather weak with violent CAs and only to f / 4 is slightly too weak for the price.

Of course, you can connect all other Sony lenses and also the new FE-lenses via an adapter yet, but you yes buys no compact and lightweight camera system then huge lenses to connect at least I do not.
In addition, Sony somewhat neglected the APS-C E-mount cameras. There have been around for a while was not a new lens more and there is nothing in the future announced anything. Sony seems to completely focus on the new full-size E-mount lenses. Sure, you can also connect the to the A6000, but I imagine also no flower just because they as purely fits into a much too large pot.

We'll see the competition for comparison:
For Micro Four Third, there is everything you can imagine good and cheap lenses, less good and cheap lenses and good and expensive lenses that adjust in every imaginable focal lengths and in the size and weight of the sensor format. But since you can not compare different sensor sizes well prefer to look to Fujifilm.

If the lens-range of Fujifilm you look you have to admit easily that this is just damn cool. 35mm f / 1.4; 23mm f / 1.4; 56mm f / 1.2 (ahhgöttlich) plus a very good standard zoom 18-55mm f / 2.8-4.0 that less than half of Sony 16-70mm costs, larger aperture offers and is not larger and heavier.
While the lenses are all not very cheap, but the price definitely are worth and not as overpriced as some Zeiss lenses.

>>>> Customer:

Earlier I already addressed the lack of the spirit level, which even has the more favorable A5000. I expect from Sony at least, that this feature still supply later via firmware update. However, when I look into the past, I have as little hope as to the subsequently implemented in a camera features I've never experienced at Sony. For Sony NEX 6 there were 3 tiny updates that have leglich ensures compatibility with various lenses, although there is still some potential for improvement were different. So just looks to me a total of no Customer.

Let's look back to the competition: Panasonic and Olympus also throw not straight with firmware updates rum, but from time to time new features are implemented.
The prime example is here again Fujifilm. I'm not a fanboy Fuji and also possess no Fuji camera, but what the guys have done right at the lens selection continues the customer. As well as older models are regularly upgraded with new features focus Peeking and new function key for the X-E1, improved viewfinder refresh rate for X-E2, better AF performance with all lenses ,.

>>>> Conclusion System Rating:

Among the mirrorless system cameras with APS-C sensor is for me Fujifilm in all respects the system more attractive when their individual peculiarities times sidelined lets the cameras.
The lack of supply of firmware and the missing features are not for everyone I think of as great concern as for me. But the weak selection of good zoom lenses and the poor prospect of further matching lenses for APS-C E-mount cameras allow the system to look rather unattractive. If Sony yet published a good, fairly compact and affordable zoom lens and perhaps even announcing a few more appropriate APS-C lenses, then it would be hard for me to resist the A6000. However, I have little hope that that occurs.

EDIT 11/14: According to some rumors Sony will introduce a number of new lenses for APS-C E-mount cameras early 2015. A few new fixed focal lengths and a better standard zoom are talking, which would enhance the system significantly. I am very excited.

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