The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Fun with A6000

tashley

Subscriber Member
Somebody had to do it.

Not sure yet how much fun I'm having, but they are with the A6000...









 

D&A

Well-known member
Tim, I really like the "look" of that last posted image (B&W). Doesn't sound like you're all too thrilled with the A600 in terms of handling. Am I reading you wrong?

By the way, did you paint those "6's" on the sheep to note point of focus? I would have opted for a small black "x" :D

Dave (D&A)
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
Tim, I really like the "look" of that last posted image (B&W). Doesn't sound like you're all too thrilled with the A600 in terms of handling. Am I reading you wrong?

By the way, did you paint those "6's" on the sheep to note point of focus? I would have opted for a small black "x" :D

Dave (D&A)
Lol! No need to paint the numbers, they are how the lambs recognise their mothers ;-)

The A6000 is just fine and will make a great camera for a lot of people. My take on it, however, FWIW is that if you're going to carry it you might as well an A7 or R and get the better IQ, assuming you have or can afford the FE mount lenses.

I wanted to try it out of curiosity after all the AF claims and the videos that people were posting from preview models of it having lightening fast performance. The truth as far as I can see is that it is very very fast but so what? The A7/R are fast enough for me and so the advantage I wanted was in tracking, and try as I might I can't make it track particularly well. I'm sure it is very good for the class (I wouldn't really know) but for anyone hoping to use it to make up for A7/R deficiencies for sport or fast moving kids'n'pets... good luck with that....

I was thinking of keeping it maybe for the extra range it gives the new 70-200. On the one hand, the pixels are about the same size as those of the A7R so actually there's no advantage over a cropped frame from that camera. On the other hand, it has an EFC and seems less prone to shutter blur. For me it's so marginal that it'll probably go back.

I count all this as a failure of my hopes (I can't call them expectations) rather than a weakness in the camera.

EDIT: some other thoughts:

* It seems not to be a great pairing with the 24-70 F4. Not bad, just sometimes seems a less than you might expect. But the 55 1.8 really sings on it.

* I don't like it for ISO above about 800

* The RAW files look quite digital and seem prone to what may be compression artefacts. Not sure.

* The DR seems a little lower than the A7R. Again, not sure, someone will test it soon but I seem to find more scenes that are beyond it and which are slightly blown at both ends of the histo.
 
Last edited:

D&A

Well-known member
Tim,

Good Stuff! I had hopes that possibly the A6000 combined with a A7(r) might ultimately supplant my Nikon system (although not sure if anything could also have me replace my rangefinder, simply due to joy of personal use). The a7(r) alone can't quite do it for some of the things I shoot along with the shots I'm required to get. Therefore along with the A7(r), I would require a body that not only has fast AF and lock-on acquisition, but track with some of the upper echelon Nikon bodies, along with use of some longer lenses. Sounds like the A6000 might fall short with the Af-tracking capability.

Dave (D&A)
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
Put it this way, and this is from memory rather than direct scientific comparison which would in any event be hard to do, but I think my 5DII tracked better despite having so few points and my D800 also did, as long as you tracked from left to right ;-)

So I can't see the A6000 matching the upper mid range cameras as far as tracking performance let alone the 1Dx D4/s class. Its focus acquisition speed is extremely fast but its tracking is like a naughty dog, it keeps losing interest in what you want it to look at and sniffing around something else....

All those preview videos I saw of tiny focus squares flickering at incredible speed seem to have been made with Wide Area mode and not tracking mode as far as I can see. Fine: if you want the camera to decide what the subject is, then it is very quick indeed!

I really want to double check this with some other users so I can see if I am missing something.
 

peterv

New member
Its focus acquisition speed is extremely fast but its tracking is like a naughty dog, it keeps losing interest in what you want it to look at and sniffing around something else....
Priceless! :)

Thanks for sharing these images and thoughts, Tim.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Put it this way, and this is from memory rather than direct scientific comparison which would in any event be hard to do, but I think my 5DII tracked better despite having so few points and my D800 also did, as long as you tracked from left to right ;-)

So I can't see the A6000 matching the upper mid range cameras as far as tracking performance let alone the 1Dx D4/s class. Its focus acquisition speed is extremely fast but its tracking is like a naughty dog, it keeps losing interest in what you want it to look at and sniffing around something else....

All those preview videos I saw of tiny focus squares flickering at incredible speed seem to have been made with Wide Area mode and not tracking mode as far as I can see. Fine: if you want the camera to decide what the subject is, then it is very quick indeed!

I really want to double check this with some other users so I can see if I am missing something.

Thanks Tim. If you still have your E-M1 and lenses I would be interested how the A6000 compares with regards to tracking.

To compare tracking performance of E-M5 and E-M1 I used the 75-300 II lens at 300 mm. I first focused on the text of a hummingbird feeder bottle, indicated by a yellow wire frame in the viewfinder, and then rocked the cameras back and forth. Whereas the E-M5 easily lost the tracked object, the E-M1 in contrast did quite well in keeping focus on the tracked object. I think comparing the tracking ability of the A6000 with another camera could offer a new insight.
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
@K-H, I'm afraid the E-M1 is long gone but I would put their tracking in the same loose league - not enough for my occasional needs. Honestly, I'd rather do it the old way, using pre-focus, than use a tracking system that too often doesn't quite keep up. So I can't do a comparison :-(

@ Peter - thanks!

@ Nostatic, I don't think there is but I am no longer inclined to experiment because I think the camera is going back. It would be a really nice camera if I didn't already have better alternatives overall. But the shutter is fairly quiet and is very quick. On top of extremely fast focus, there is what seems to be very little shutter lag but then I have been shooting exclusively with the A7R these last few weeks and anything seems lag-free by comparison. Luckily that rarely matters for my style of shooting... I just get used to anticipating things and pressing the shutter too early!
 

jfirneno

Member
@K-H, I'm afraid the E-M1 is long gone but I would put their tracking in the same loose league - not enough for my occasional needs. Honestly, I'd rather do it the old way, using pre-focus, than use a tracking system that too often doesn't quite keep up. So I can't do a comparison :-(

@ Peter - thanks!

@ Nostatic, I don't think there is but I am no longer inclined to experiment because I think the camera is going back. It would be a really nice camera if I didn't already have better alternatives overall. But the shutter is fairly quiet and is very quick. On top of extremely fast focus, there is what seems to be very little shutter lag but then I have been shooting exclusively with the A7R these last few weeks and anything seems lag-free by comparison. Luckily that rarely matters for my style of shooting... I just get used to anticipating things and pressing the shutter too early!

Tim:
I guess you aren't interested in interior work with it but by any chance did you notice if it had very good AF in low light conditions? I'm interested in something that augments my other camera at occasions and parties. A7R is okay but if the A6000 was really fast and accurate I could deal with the higher noise level.
Regards,
John
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
John, I just tried it and made a very rough comparison to the A7R in a late evening sitting room lit by a mix of incandescent lights, about the same light level you might find at a wedding reception. To me it feels a little bit faster than the A7R, but only a little, and they are both a bit 'hunty'.
 

jfirneno

Member
John, I just tried it and made a very rough comparison to the A7R in a late evening sitting room lit by a mix of incandescent lights, about the same light level you might find at a wedding reception. To me it feels a little bit faster than the A7R, but only a little, and they are both a bit 'hunty'.
Thanks Tim:

That's exactly what I wanted to know.

Regards,
John
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
Update: the camera has gone back. I only wanted it for tracking situations and, fast and sure though its AF is, it can't track the sorts of subjects I sometimes want to shoot as well as I'd like. Otherwise it seems like a great camera but honestly, it is to all practical intents and purposes the same ballpark size and weight as the A7 and R and I'd rather carry one of those cameras...
 

nostatic

New member
Updating this with another data point. I had cancelled my preorder with B&H but did so when they were closed. My plea was ignored, and the a6000 kit shipped as soon as they opened. I decided to give it a quick whirl, and it ended up very quick - all of 5 minutes.

Short story - it is not a small camera. The A7 isn't that much bigger. The shutter also is louder than the A7 I think. If you turn off the EFC it gets into A7r territory, though not quite as loud. The power zoom - uggh. Just say no. AF was snappy, but frankly I can't really complain about the A7.

So I'm with Tim - no reason to carry the a6000 imho. The iq of the A7 is superior, as is the handling imho. Really no upside. From the pics the a6000 looks like a smaller cam that it is. By contrast the A7 looks bigger than it is.

Oh well, saved me $800. Huzzah (for once)!
 
Well, I'll be a contrarian to all the negative reports.

I picked up the body only to use as an effective tele extender for my E and A mount glass as well as a solid wide platform with the Touit 12mm. No complaints at all so far and I was able to figure out the AF tracking settings alright, although Sony does their best to bury them.

So far I've shot a concert with the 55/1.8 and Touit - I can't post photos here due to a usage agreement but you can see some at this link: The National take Austin by storm with 3 sold-out shows - CultureMap Austin

I also tried out the tracking at my son's lacrosse game with the LAEA-4 and Minolta 200/2.8 APO making for a 300/2.8 effective combo. Very cool. Not sure if the adapter works as well as with native e-mount lenses but I did nail a few action series without any issue. Will post some tomorrow...

The shutter is much more discreet than the A7 - more of a "shhhhtick" sound - although I won't be replacing the A7 anytime soon. I've settled into using the A7 for the 28mm-55mm range, and supplementing with the A6000 and A900 for wide and tele.

At $650 the A6000 is just too good to not have in a bag alongside the A7 - it doubles FOV options while taking up very little space. I'm really enjoying the 55/1.8 on the A6000 as it makes for a nice, super sharp and relatively compact fast 85mm.

Build quality is fine for a camera in this price range. I recently had to use a Canon 7D (don't ask) and was revolted at how cheap and poorly designed that camera is. I'd take the A6000 over it any day.
 

Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
Well, I'll be a contrarian to all the negative reports.

I picked up the body only to use as an effective tele extender for my E and A mount glass as well as a solid wide platform with the Touit 12mm. No complaints at all so far and I was able to figure out the AF tracking settings alright, although Sony does their best to bury them.

So far I've shot a concert with the 55/1.8 and Touit - I can't post photos here due to a usage agreement but you can see some at this link: The National take Austin by storm with 3 sold-out shows - CultureMap Austin

I also tried out the tracking at my son's lacrosse game with the LAEA-4 and Minolta 200/2.8 APO making for a 300/2.8 effective combo. Very cool. Not sure if the adapter works as well as with native e-mount lenses but I did nail a few action series without any issue. Will post some tomorrow...

The shutter is much more discreet than the A7 - more of a "shhhhtick" sound - although I won't be replacing the A7 anytime soon. I've settled into using the A7 for the 28mm-55mm range, and supplementing with the A6000 and A900 for wide and tele.

At $650 the A6000 is just too good to not have in a bag alongside the A7 - it doubles FOV options while taking up very little space. I'm really enjoying the 55/1.8 on the A6000 as it makes for a nice, super sharp and relatively compact fast 85mm.

Build quality is fine for a camera in this price range. I recently had to use a Canon 7D (don't ask) and was revolted at how cheap and poorly designed that camera is. I'd take the A6000 over it any day.
Nice work, Chad. :clap:
 

Shac

Active member
Tim/Chad thank you for these insights. How was the EVF by the way - notice any clear difference from the Nex6/A7/r?
Thanks
David
 
Top