Starting with the A6000

[BurntToast]

Hello,

I'm not a noob to photography I actually sent my 80D to Adorama for a trade and seem like the A6000 would be a good fit. I been watching a lot of YouTube videos and tutorials so when I get the camera I can be ready on day one.

Question is. Is there a faster way to set iso and shutter speed? I see the defaults but was wondering can you make them go faster. Also all the tutorials have live view on. Should I shoot with live view so everything is right there ?

Thanks

 

[AlphaWorld]

You are coming from a DSLR to a Sony mirrorless, so I assume by "live view" you mean using the rear screen. I think the tutorials use the rear screen because it's difficult to show the view through the electronic viewfinder. Don't worry about that - the EVF and the rear screen generally show the same view, because Sony mirrorless cameras do not have any kind of optical viewfinder (unlike your DSLR). If you are accustomed to the viewfinder showing you less than the whole frame, you'll need to know that the EVF shows you the whole frame (well, unless you go into magnified view, but that's for another time).

I do not know the A6000, so I don't know exactly what controls it has.

Which mode are you using? P A S M, or something different? Anything other than green rectangle is good (even green rectangle is good while you are getting started!).

If you are using, say, A, and setting the aperture, I'd suggest starting with the ISO on Auto, and letting the camera choose the shutter speed and ISO. It's much faster than using M and trying to set all three variables for yourself.

Tell us a bit more about how you want to use the camera, and what lens you have, and we can probably be a bit more specific.

 

[BurntToast]

I just want sharp images.

I know if I shoot in low light I will need a fast lens or just more light and shoot or try to shoot at iso 200 to about 64000 before grain and noise.

I prefer to shoot manual, sometimes I use auto iso I like it cause I can just worry about shutter and aperture.

I would like to shoot portraits and probably some landscapes. I know my 80D doesn't have focus peaking or zebras so that's a negative.

I just want a good camera and it seems that Sony is the way to go.

Thanks

 

[AlphaWorld]

Shooting in full manual is a lot easier on a camera with at least two dials - set an ISO, then adjust shutter speed and aperture to suit. The A6000 has only one dial, and that's a hard limitation.

You can get to ISO via the multi-selector on the back of the camera, which helps.

One option would be to get a lens that has an aperture ring, then use the single dial for shutter speed. There are quite a few Sony lenses with aperture rings, but it tends to be the G or GM lenses, which ups the price. My personal choice would be a Sony 20-70mm f/4 G - it's a reasonably small zoom with a useful range, and it's very good optically. It's not especially cheap, though. You could look at third party lenses - I have a couple of Voigtlander lenses (the APO Lanthar 35 and 50) and they have aperture rings, and they talk to the Sony camera so the camera knows what aperture you have set on the aperture ring - you'd want to verify that the lens you choose has that functionality. Going with a Voigtlander lens would take your manual photography a step further, because they are manual focus lenses!

Otherwise, I'd suggest experimenting with A or S modes - you control one parameter and the camera adjusts the other one (if you fix the ISO) or two (if you use auto-ISO) to suit. It will be a lot less frustrating that fighting against the fact that your camera of choice doesn't give you the controls you need. That, or move from the A6000 to a model which does offer you another dial. I don't know which of the A6xxx models was the first to offer two dials (might be the A6600? Or earlier?) but I have the A6700, and it has front and rear dials, and that's a lot easier to operate in manual mode. Or you can leave the A6xxx range and get one of the somewhat larger A7x models - I think they all offer at least two dials - the bodies are a bit larger, so there is room for more controls.

 

[BurntToast]

Thanks.

Yes just googled the a6700 that thing is beautiful.

I'm going to start with the a6000 since that is all I can afford right now as my entry into Sony.

I will keep doing research and once I get the money I'll look into the a6700 or at least the a6400

Thanks for the help

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks.

Yes just googled the a6700 that thing is beautiful.

I'm going to start with the a6000 since that is all I can afford right now as my entry into Sony.

I will keep doing research and once I get the money I'll look into the a6700 or at least the a6400

Thanks for the help

Hey Toast, welcome aboard.
I went from being a complete noob with an A6000 to noob with an A6400 to "somewhat knowing what I'm doing" with an A6700.
Here are a few comparisons and things to be mindful of:

• A6000 and A6400 have pretty much the same controls: wheel to the right of the screen for exposure and iso, scroll wheel on top right of the camera body for aperture.
  • I often resorted to leaving ISO in auto when shooting manual.
  • The whole time I had the A6400 I wished it had another scroll wheel. I finally got it in the A6700, a 3rd programable dial by the shutter button.
• The A6000 didn't have a touch screen, the A6400 added limited touch functionality, and the A6700 has a proper touchscreen.
• A6000 and A6400 have almost the same menu system. A6700 has the new menu system which took me a while to get used to.

The A6000's image quality was pretty good, and the same sensor can be found in the A6100, A6300, A6400, A6500, A6600. What improved as time went on was the autofocus and video capabilities. When the time comes, skip the models above and jump to the A6700 or a full frame model, whatever suits your budget.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Shooting in full manual is a lot easier on a camera with at least two dials - set an ISO, then adjust shutter speed and aperture to suit. The A6000 has only one dial, and that's a hard limitation.

In manual mode, the top wheel (Exposure Compensation) becomes shutter speed or aperture.*

@BurntToast, I started my current photography hobby with an a6000. It did not take me long to upgrade to an a6500. Spend only once, it's cheaper! If I had saved up for just a couple of months longer!

The wondrous thing about a6000 is it's size and weight. It is a feather of a camera! Whenever I take it out from the back of the cupboard, I wish all cameras could be like this!

The next thing about a6000 is that I see quite a few magnificent pictures taken with it (by folk on other forums). It is absolutely a real camera! If it is all you can afford at the moment, then buy, and start using it. If, on the other hand, even two or three months could get you into the next generation (a6100, a6400, a6600) then it would be worth your while. The tech really moved on. I've lost count of how many generations of autofocus have happened since a6000.

It is slow to start up, and quite clunky compared to its younger siblings.

As you are coming from DSLR, you will not make the next mistake that I made: buying the two lens kit. Both kit lenses are next to useless for my photography, but I had spent too long with P&S and a couple of superzooms to have a clue about what focal lengths or speed I needed. You will already know what lenses you use. Allow for the crop factor to find the equivalent aps-c from 35mm/full frame.

*Yes, in M mode, you can control aperture and shutter speed with the top dial and the back wheel. The "or" in my first line might look confusing. It is because Sony allows you to choose (Menu setting) which is which.

 

[BurntToast]

Hey Toast, welcome aboard.
I went from being a complete noob with an A6000 to noob with an A6400 to "somewhat knowing what I'm doing" with an A6700.
Here are a few comparisons and things to be mindful of:

• A6000 and A6400 have pretty much the same controls: wheel to the right of the screen for exposure and iso, scroll wheel on top right of the camera body for aperture.
  • I often resorted to leaving ISO in auto when shooting manual.
  • The whole time I had the A6400 I wished it had another scroll wheel. I finally got it in the A6700, a 3rd programable dial by the shutter button.
• The A6000 didn't have a touch screen, the A6400 added limited touch functionality, and the A6700 has a proper touchscreen.
• A6000 and A6400 have almost the same menu system. A6700 has the new menu system which took me a while to get used to.

The A6000's image quality was pretty good, and the same sensor can be found in the A6100, A6300, A6400, A6500, A6600. What improved as time went on was the autofocus and video capabilities. When the time comes, skip the models above and jump to the A6700 or a full frame model, whatever suits your budget.

Thanks.

I sent my gear to Adorama and should get a quote tomorrow. If they give me enough I will get an a6700 if not the a6400 I really just want to get into the Sony ecosystem. I love shooting.

Thanks

 

[AlphaWorld]

Thanks.

I sent my gear to Adorama and should get a quote tomorrow. If they give me enough I will get an a6700 if not the a6400 I really just want to get into the Sony ecosystem. I love shooting.

Thanks

Good luck! I hope you top dollar on your old gear!

Do you know what lens you will be using?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

If they give me enough I will get an a6700 if not the a6400

There's going to be a big price difference there!

As you are a practised photographer, you probably have a steady hand and a disciplined camera-holding technique. I would certainly fail the practical camera exam on both those counts, so IBIS is quite important to me. Even with the skills, people say that IBIS really does allow them to shoot at silly-slow shutter speeds.

In the a6nnn series, IBIS started at the a6500. a6600 would be a newer generation. The a6700, of course, has everything!

Biggest single reason I would not buy an a6000: Eye autofocus does work in Continuous focus mode.

 

[BurntToast]

There's going to be a big price difference there!

As you are a practised photographer, you probably have a steady hand and a disciplined camera-holding technique. I would certainly fail the practical camera exam on both those counts, so IBIS is quite important to me. Even with the skills, people say that IBIS really does allow them to shoot at silly-slow shutter speeds.

In the a6nnn series, IBIS started at the a6500. a6600 would be a newer generation. The a6700, of course, has everything!

Biggest single reason I would not buy an a6000: Eye autofocus does work in Continuous focus mode.

Yes.

For preparation of what Adorama will give me been watching lots of YouTube videos and I don't see anyone tracking the eye with a6000. I really hope I get the 70% they said. I was told by mpb that I would get $415 if Adorama is correct I would $709 probably not good for an a6700 but probably for an a6400 hopefully a decent lens f/1.8 or f/2 I wouldn't mind..since I'm starting I will be shooting indoors low light.

Crossing my fingers. Will find out probably Friday since they are closed for two days (Jewish holiday)

Thanks

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I don't see anyone tracking the eye with a6000

No. I'm trying to remember what I did, and I can't. I might have used continuous and been content with it detecting the face, or I might have used fixed and just hoped they didn't move the head.

I think that eye-af in af-c, on the a6500, was for me something of a revaluation. (an eye opener? haha). I didn't use tracking, as such, but once fixed on the eye you want, it follows it anyway.

Don't know what aps-c camera is the same AF generation as my a7iv but tracking/wide-focus plus eye-af seems to look after me well 95%. a6700 is, of course, latest AI latest.

Don't know which aps-c camera was first to get Animal/Bird eye autofocus. If you shoot pets or wildlife, this might be important to you.

Others: please fill my knowledge gap! I thought that surely someone would have done a history of Sony auto-focus but I couldn't find it. I only did one google.