SonyAlpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50 mm Lens, 24 MP (White)

I'm not sure I could more clearly love this camera. I purchased this camera after looking for an excuse to buy a nice camera for a long time. When the opportunity arrived for me to teach our school yearbook class, it was time for me to learn how to take good photos. There are plenty of comprehensive reviews on here... so I will just addressed why I pulled the trigger on this purchase, and why I'm so happy with it.For starters, I FIRMLY believe this camera is the best bang for your buck you can possibly get in DSLR or mirrorless at the time of this review. In fact, I've noticed the price just dropped this month. Like many of you reading this, I've spent COUNTLESS hours doing research to be sure this big purchase was the right one. I knew I'd use the camera semi-professionally, and needed it to meet criteria that allowed it to be effective in low light and take rapid shots to capture the action of the kids I work with. The a6000 was the clear winner despite a suggestion from a family member who has a cheaper model Sony mirrorless. After comparing the two... I'm FIRMLY convinced I made the perfect decision for me.I use this camera primarily to take pictures of the kids at our school, and that includes our middle school sports program. At 11 shots per second... I don't miss a beat. I've caught some incredible photos of our kids, and the parents and school community are buzzing about the awesome impact these cool photos have on our ability to create a buzz around campus. One of the parents on campus is a professional photographer, and when she was taking photos next to me at our annual winter concert she looked at my photos and was stunned that I was not only getting photos on par with the quality of her pro DSLR setup, but that some of the low-light photos even came out BETTER.I'm using nothing so far besides the kit lens and 50-210mm lense. Though I plan to upgrade to a strong fixed lens soon.Quick heads up... the Wasabi battery pack isn't just important, it's ESSENTIAL. This camera sucks battery like crazy, but you should be able to go three to four hours of HEAVY shooting on 2 or 3 batteries. With that said, the Wasabi batteries also have a larger capacity than the Sony batteries, so I use them more often anyways.The only other minor gripe I have about the camera is the sensor that detects your eye at the viewfinder (and shuts off the LCD display) is crazy sensitive. But that's super minor compared to what feels to me like the best big dollar purchase I may have ever made.Get a good book to teach you this camera, spend a small amount of time on it, and you won't believe the quality photos you get out of it.

I've owned every Sony mirrorless camera since the Nex-5N. I've also owned every Sony A7 full frame mirrorless camera except for the A9. I'm currently shooing with the Sony A7riii professionally. The Sony A6000 was my first advanced semi-professional camera in the Sony mirrorless line and it was a game changer for me. I have since upgraded to the A6500 but in 2018 this is viable camera for those wanting to get into more serious photography and those who want a small compact travel camera that can change lenses. Many professionals also keep one of these as a backup for equipment failures. The A6000 went down in history in the Sony line as a legendary camera.Pros:Price. When I first purchased this, this was $800 with a 16-50mm kit and $650 for just the body. The price has come down a lot now to $500 for body and kit and $450 for just the body. In the used market you can find them for just a little over $300. This is an amazing deal for a camera of this caliber. When I purchased this camera, it used to be the top of the Sony mirrorless APS-C line. It was a replacement for the NEX 6/7. Nowadays there is a an A6300 and A6500 so it's become the low tier product. But at this price it's still viable as a entry-level camera.Size. There's very few cameras that are as compact as the A6000 that packs a punch. The A6000 with the kit 16-50mm lens is small enough to fit in purses and cargo pant pockets. It will also fit perfectly in compartments in backpacks and other bags. It is significantly smaller than most entry level DSLR cameras from Canon or Nikon.FAST. This camera shoots continuous bursts extremely quick. I normally shoot on continuous mode (hold shutter down) so not to miss a shot and pick out the best one later. With this camera I need to be wary of how long I hold it down for because after a few seconds I have 20+ photos in my camera that are all essentially the same. I've tried and I can't shoot less than 3 shots with one push of the shutter. If you shoot moving objects you can almost make a flip-book or stop motion movie with this. Amazing speed.Fast autofocus. The AF of this camera is PDAF and Contrast Detect. PDAF is much quicker and contrast detect is used for fine-grain adjustments. It's the same kind of AF system used in the A7 line of professional cameras. The AF is competent enough to track fast moving subjects well and should be more than capable for most people's needs.Lens Compatibility. Even though this is an older Sony E mount camera, it is fully compatible with the entire lineup of Sony E and FE mount lenses. This means you can attach a professional fast 1.8 or 1.4 lens for great low light photos and beautiful bokeh photos. Upgrading a lens is always more bang for buck than upgrading a body.Construction. Overall the camera seems well built and sturdy. It's not waterproof but good enough to handle everyday use. It would not handle serious drops however.Wireless. The wireless feature is an added bonus that most entry-level DSLRs don't have. Download the Sony Playmemories App and you can use your phone to wirelessly transfer files, use your phone as a remote, and as a secondary screen. Improvements in the Sony app has seen much better features and speed over the years.Apps. The apps on the camera are something mostly exclusive to Sony Mirrorless. They're a welcome addition. Some of the best ones are the remote shooting app, the touchless shutter, and numerous time lapse apps.Cons.LOW LIGHT. The main problem with this camera is the ISO quality has been superseded by its competitors due to the sensor's age. The photos become noisy at ISO 800 and above, which is a common ISO used in indoors situations. In low light you absolutely need some flash to fill in the light. Even in RAW shooting the low light, you'll deal with noisy photos. You can always correct some of it in post but the camera's age and limitations do show. The A6300 and A6500 are improvements in the ISO and image quality. The camera is still good for hobby and non-professional work but the A6000 is definitely not good enough for paid or professional work!Battery life. The battery life on all mirrorless cameras are still abysmal, the A6000 included. Sony has upgraded the battery capacity in the newest gen 3 A7 cameras however they have not made it over to the APSC line. The problem is, without a reflex mirror, whenever the camera is on, the sensor is on. The sensor not only takes the photos, it lets you "see" through the viewfinder or LCD. The consequence is the camera is constantly sucking juice when it's on. With regular SLRs, the sensor is only on when you shoot and a SLR will last you several days without charge with normal use. I always keep a spare battery and an external charger around. If you buy this camera (or any other mirrorless camera), I suggest you do the same.Lens compatibility. Even though this works with Sony lenses, unlike the A7 series, the A6000 is not great with many Canon to Sony mount adapters. The performance of non-Sony lenses were always a toss up even with the A7 series but as the A6000 is not a professional camera, most companies like Metabones and Sigma won't be updating their adapters to work well with this camera. If you have Canon or Sigma lenses, expect only partial support with the A6000.Overall this is a fantastic camera. In 2018, it is a bit dated by its competitors and newer versions from Sony. However its role has changed to an entry-level camera and your expectations should match as such. For the price, it is fantastic for a beginner who wants more serious higher quality photos than cell phone cameras. Additionally, professionals regularly use this camera for personal work, or as a backup camera since it can accept professional Sony lenses. Finally, the size is perfect as a travel camera.