EspressoJunkie
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- Name
- Greg
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Well, I’ve been using the A6000 for over a week now, so I think it’s time to give some feedback on how I’m finding it, and the whole shift to mirrorless in general. I have a feeling this could be a long post, and I’ll probably ramble a bit…..
Prior to this switch I was using some fantastic kit (5Dmkiii, Sigma 35 1.4, Canon 85 1,8, and Samyang 14mm 2.8), and it was providing some stunning images. How did I end up with this lovely gear? I, like many people, suffered from G.A.S, which was made worse by landing a job in my work’s photography studio a couple of years ago. I genuinely had envisioned myself shooting professionally outside of work as well, and this allowed me to justify the spending. However, it gradually became apparent that I lack both the time (3 children!) and more importantly the motivation to pursue photography outside work as anything other than a hobby.
I also have become less obsessed (and I was obsessed before, believe me) with ultimate image quality, and while I appreciate that quality is still important, I don’t need to see every detail perfectly at 100%, and a bit of noise here and there doesn’t bother me like it used to. My pictures are for me and my family, and usually end up on FB, forums, and Flickr. I’m not chasing the perfect photo, and as much as I still want to improve, I have realized that I don’t need thousands of pounds worth of gear to do this, clearly it would have been nice to keep what I had, the simple fact is that the money that I made from downsizing is far better spent on my wife and kids, than on a brilliant camera, that spent most of its life in a bag. That rather nicely brings me onto the other main reason. Size. Basically the Mkiii (even with just the Sigma 35) was simply not getting used because it was cumbersome to bring out, especially with all the other stuff required for a day out with 3 kids. I wanted something smaller that would be easier to carry with me on family days out etc.
So, I settled on the Sony A6000 which seemed to give the best balance between features and price. I’ve been shooting with it for a week or so, and so far I’m glad to say that I’m actually pleasantly surprised at just how capable a camera it is. The ergonomics, while certainly different from a DSLR, are still functional enough to provide a decent level of control. Some things, such as selecting AF modes are certainly slower than a DSLR, but the vast majority of things are within a couple of button presses. There is a fairly good level of button customization as well. The tilting screen is extremely handy, although it’s a bit rubbish in bright sunlight
Size wise, it’s small, especially after coming from a 5Dmkiii and still using a D3x daily in work, but this is a huge advantage for me. With the kit lens attached, I can literally fit it into the pocket of my cargo shorts, so while it’s still not a complete pocket camera, it is much more manageable. I can currently fit the camera, wide angle prime, kit lens, and filter into the small Lowepro bag which barely held my Mkiii and one prime.
Image quality is pretty impressive as well. The kit lens isn’t the greatest, but if there’s no pixel peeping it holds up well. With a good prime (Samyang 12mm) the quality is great, and shows what the sensor is capable of. Noise at higher ISO is ok, certainly no where near the Mkiii, but this is to be expected. Dynamic range is good, and colours are great. I do miss that ‘Canon feel’ SOOC but the RAWs have plenty of scope for processing. AF is pretty good as well (and was one of my main reasons for choosing the A6000). As mentioned its not a fast to change AF modes or points, and the AFC sometimes gets a little confused, but the face detection is great, and 11 FPS certainly helps for getting shots of the kids running about.
Basically it comes down to this. Do I miss my Mkiii and wonderful primes? Of course I do, I was using some of the best kit money could buy, and in an ideal world I would still be using them. But do I feel that this camera will do everything I need it to at my level? I certainly do!
Prior to this switch I was using some fantastic kit (5Dmkiii, Sigma 35 1.4, Canon 85 1,8, and Samyang 14mm 2.8), and it was providing some stunning images. How did I end up with this lovely gear? I, like many people, suffered from G.A.S, which was made worse by landing a job in my work’s photography studio a couple of years ago. I genuinely had envisioned myself shooting professionally outside of work as well, and this allowed me to justify the spending. However, it gradually became apparent that I lack both the time (3 children!) and more importantly the motivation to pursue photography outside work as anything other than a hobby.
I also have become less obsessed (and I was obsessed before, believe me) with ultimate image quality, and while I appreciate that quality is still important, I don’t need to see every detail perfectly at 100%, and a bit of noise here and there doesn’t bother me like it used to. My pictures are for me and my family, and usually end up on FB, forums, and Flickr. I’m not chasing the perfect photo, and as much as I still want to improve, I have realized that I don’t need thousands of pounds worth of gear to do this, clearly it would have been nice to keep what I had, the simple fact is that the money that I made from downsizing is far better spent on my wife and kids, than on a brilliant camera, that spent most of its life in a bag. That rather nicely brings me onto the other main reason. Size. Basically the Mkiii (even with just the Sigma 35) was simply not getting used because it was cumbersome to bring out, especially with all the other stuff required for a day out with 3 kids. I wanted something smaller that would be easier to carry with me on family days out etc.
So, I settled on the Sony A6000 which seemed to give the best balance between features and price. I’ve been shooting with it for a week or so, and so far I’m glad to say that I’m actually pleasantly surprised at just how capable a camera it is. The ergonomics, while certainly different from a DSLR, are still functional enough to provide a decent level of control. Some things, such as selecting AF modes are certainly slower than a DSLR, but the vast majority of things are within a couple of button presses. There is a fairly good level of button customization as well. The tilting screen is extremely handy, although it’s a bit rubbish in bright sunlight
Size wise, it’s small, especially after coming from a 5Dmkiii and still using a D3x daily in work, but this is a huge advantage for me. With the kit lens attached, I can literally fit it into the pocket of my cargo shorts, so while it’s still not a complete pocket camera, it is much more manageable. I can currently fit the camera, wide angle prime, kit lens, and filter into the small Lowepro bag which barely held my Mkiii and one prime.
Image quality is pretty impressive as well. The kit lens isn’t the greatest, but if there’s no pixel peeping it holds up well. With a good prime (Samyang 12mm) the quality is great, and shows what the sensor is capable of. Noise at higher ISO is ok, certainly no where near the Mkiii, but this is to be expected. Dynamic range is good, and colours are great. I do miss that ‘Canon feel’ SOOC but the RAWs have plenty of scope for processing. AF is pretty good as well (and was one of my main reasons for choosing the A6000). As mentioned its not a fast to change AF modes or points, and the AFC sometimes gets a little confused, but the face detection is great, and 11 FPS certainly helps for getting shots of the kids running about.
Basically it comes down to this. Do I miss my Mkiii and wonderful primes? Of course I do, I was using some of the best kit money could buy, and in an ideal world I would still be using them. But do I feel that this camera will do everything I need it to at my level? I certainly do!
