One of the most popular mirrorless camera models of 2015 was undoubtably the Sony a6000. Not only did it incorporate much of the latest technology including a 24MP APS-C sensor, hybrid autofocus, snappy 11fps continuous shooting and a built-in EVF but it was also much more affordable than other models, even on the day of its release.
Photographer Thomas Fitzgerald has owned the a6000 for almost as long as it has been on the market. Just recently, he posted his “long term review” of the camera following a year of intense usage for both stills and video. Thus far, it it is probably the most in-depth review I’ve seen of the camera.
Throughout the review, which has been divided into three parts, he uses the Sony Nex 7 and Fujifilm X-E1 as points of comparison. In addition to providing tips on how to make the most out of the camera, he also puts his vast experience with Lightroom and Aperture to use by describing how these programs handle the Raw files.
Interestingly, he also names the a6000 as his favourite street camera, even though he originally bought it for video purposes. As to why it is such a good camera for street photography, he states:
First of all, as I mentioned earlier in this review, it’s very fast. … Using the flip up screen is very useful too, especially when you’re trying to shoot candidly. … The other big advantage of course is the camera’s size.
However, he doesn’t have many kind words for the optical quality of Sony’s native E-mount lenses for the APS-C system, nor the resolution or aspect ration of the screen and viewfinder.
He sums up the camera in the following manner:
At the end of the day, perhaps this is the best thing I can can say about the A6000: I bought it as a cheap camera for shooting video, but I ended up using it extensively over the past year, for both stills and video. … It’s a camera that is occasionally frustrating to use, but can produce some fanatic results.
To read Thomas’ full review, be sure to visit his website!
