Mirrorless Setup: Sony A6000

[Ryaneburgess]

Morning All,

Just picked up a Sony A6000 last week and haven't had much time to go out and play with it yet. Does anyone have any prior experiences using Sony's Alpha line and any recommendations on any extra's I should try and pick up?

I was hoping to pick up a Joby Gorilla Tripod and an extra battery/wall charger here soon in next few weeks.

I will typically be shooting Landscapes, Street, Action Sports, & Sports, limited ability to shoot skiing while being in the Midwest / IN / KY / OH region but just looking for anything you have found while using the A6000 / A6300.

 

[JuliusJ]

The a6000 kicks ass.

Things to note for shooting action sports/anything with a high frame rate, shooting RAW the buffer speed isn't great. When it shoots 11fps its easy to run out cause it can only handle like 16 frames before the buffer kicks in - Its easy to make sure your settings are correct and just shoot jpeg and you'll be fine.

I had only the kit lenses for a long time and they work fine, broke my 16-50 and bought a 12mm rokinon prime and 50mm 1.8 to replace. I didn't like that the kit lens didn't have a easy way to manually focus for star shots, and the 12mm is pretty rad and sharp for being a $300 lens.

Long kit lens doesn't autofocus particularly well, that said the AF is probably what lacks the most in the a6000. The app isn't great either - can only shoot a single shot remotely and can't work video (i've wanted to make a "selfie" edit for biking) and you have to pay for timelapses to work. The cold seriously kills the battery life.

Those are the quirks that I notice, all in all its fucking great. Its small, packs a punch, and lens selection is getting better and better.

 

[Hoodliving]

The a6000 kicks ass.

Things to note for shooting action sports/anything with a high frame rate, shooting RAW the buffer speed isn't great. When it shoots 11fps its easy to run out cause it can only handle like 16 frames before the buffer kicks in - Its easy to make sure your settings are correct and just shoot jpeg and you'll be fine.

I had only the kit lenses for a long time and they work fine, broke my 16-50 and bought a 12mm rokinon prime and 50mm 1.8 to replace. I didn't like that the kit lens didn't have a easy way to manually focus for star shots, and the 12mm is pretty rad and sharp for being a $300 lens.

Long kit lens doesn't autofocus particularly well, that said the AF is probably what lacks the most in the a6000. The app isn't great either - can only shoot a single shot remotely and can't work video (i've wanted to make a "selfie" edit for biking) and you have to pay for timelapses to work. The cold seriously kills the battery life.

Those are the quirks that I notice, all in all its fucking great. Its small, packs a punch, and lens selection is getting better and better.

I recently played with a 80d a gh4 and the a6000 and I was fucking blown away by how actually great the a6000 is. Found out it has the same sensor as the a7 line from a couple years back which Is rad. With your 12mm is it a true e mount or is it a fixed on adapter? Also have you messed with a metabones or fotodiox adapter for other lens choices yet?? I'm really thinking about picking one up as a second shooter. Batteries suck but I never expect them to last more than 3hrs in any camera.

 

[JuliusJ]

With your 12mm is it a true e mount or is it a fixed on adapter? Also have you messed with a metabones or fotodiox adapter for other lens choices yet?? I'm really thinking about picking one up as a second shooter. Batteries suck but I never expect them to last more than 3hrs in any camera.

True e-mount. Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 . Its pretty rad, especially for a $400 lens. Manual focus, but i mean at 12mm (basically 16mm w/the crop sensor) i can usually have it set at infinity and it'll be plenty sharp. Lens flares can be a bit harsh sometimes, but all in all it kicks ass. Few shots on it from earlier this winter:





That said, haven't really bothered with a metabones adapter. Spendy and I don't really have other glass. Maybe if I filmed more with it I'd be interested.

 

[Hoodliving]

True e-mount. Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 . Its pretty rad, especially for a $400 lens. Manual focus, but i mean at 12mm (basically 16mm w/the crop sensor) i can usually have it set at infinity and it'll be plenty sharp. Lens flares can be a bit harsh sometimes, but all in all it kicks ass. Few shots on it from earlier this winter:





That said, haven't really bothered with a metabones adapter. Spendy and I don't really have other glass. Maybe if I filmed more with it I'd be interested.

I feel you on the price of the metabones, do you have any other lens that gives a longer focal length prime or zoom? Looking to see which one to pick up also.

 

[liamrashotte]

I feel you on the price of the metabones, do you have any other lens that gives a longer focal length prime or zoom? Looking to see which one to pick up also.

How much are you wanting to spend on a longer lens?

 

[Hoodliving]

How much are you wanting to spend on a longer lens?

I was looking at 500-800 but after realizing I'm going to need an external audio setup with the a6000 that brings my budget to about 450 for a month or so. Why cant I just not pay bills and buy gear instead! Lol

 

[liamrashotte]

I was looking at 500-800 but after realizing I'm going to need an external audio setup with the a6000 that brings my budget to about 450 for a month or so. Why cant I just not pay bills and buy gear instead! Lol

The 28-70 f/3.5-5.6 is $450 right now on b&h which from what I've seen is pretty good for a variable aperture lens. If I were you I'd save up an extra $100 and get the 18-105. It's got a constant aperture of f/4 so not that fast but for the price is amazing.

This was filmed on a drone and the 18-105

 

[Hoodliving]

The 28-70 f/3.5-5.6 is $450 right now on b&h which from what I've seen is pretty good for a variable aperture lens. If I were you I'd save up an extra $100 and get the 18-105. It's got a constant aperture of f/4 so not that fast but for the price is amazing.

This was filmed on a drone and the 18-105

Right on yah I would only want a constant zoom I dont like the idea of a vari aperture lens in general. Thanks for the info!

 

[Ryaneburgess]

The a6000 kicks ass.

Things to note for shooting action sports/anything with a high frame rate, shooting RAW the buffer speed isn't great. When it shoots 11fps its easy to run out cause it can only handle like 16 frames before the buffer kicks in - Its easy to make sure your settings are correct and just shoot jpeg and you'll be fine.

I had only the kit lenses for a long time and they work fine, broke my 16-50 and bought a 12mm rokinon prime and 50mm 1.8 to replace. I didn't like that the kit lens didn't have a easy way to manually focus for star shots, and the 12mm is pretty rad and sharp for being a $300 lens.

Long kit lens doesn't autofocus particularly well, that said the AF is probably what lacks the most in the a6000. The app isn't great either - can only shoot a single shot remotely and can't work video (i've wanted to make a "selfie" edit for biking) and you have to pay for timelapses to work. The cold seriously kills the battery life.

Those are the quirks that I notice, all in all its fucking great. Its small, packs a punch, and lens selection is getting better and better.

dude so rad for the insight! I appreciate it a ton! I may/should be moving to Denver over the summer and will be using it to document my move! I'll hit you up if I have any questions!

 

[JuliusJ]

I feel you on the price of the metabones, do you have any other lens that gives a longer focal length prime or zoom? Looking to see which one to pick up also.

I want a (better) longer lens for sure. Something thats faster, but honestly haven't looked too much into a faster, long lens that fits into my budget. I'll look into it and get back to you.

dude so rad for the insight! I appreciate it a ton! I may/should be moving to Denver over the summer and will be using it to document my move! I'll hit you up if I have any questions!

No sweat dude! Rad though, definitely should get some fun use with it in the front range!

 

[hemlockjibber8]

I just made a thread about this but figured I could keep the a6000 chatter in one place.

I've got a Sony a6000 with the 16-50 kit lens (meh) and need another auto lens. I've got photodiox adapters for a few old manual lenses ( 1.4/50, 5.6/400 and a number of crappier minolta manual lenses) but for action shots I feel I need another auto and a bigger zoom. Something along the lines of Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS LE.

I shoot surfing, skiing, and everything else really. Some instances where I felt limited were shooting surfing late in the evening ( hard to manually focus on the 50mm and not enough zoom at times, 16-50 isn't bright enough), bird watching (400mm is the only big enough zoom and am not good enough to shoot freehand and manual focus, plus sometimes too much zoom).

I guess I'm looking for a do everything (including video) lens. I don't have an unlimited budget as it's all recreational. Beyond sensor crop, is there a reason to not consider an older FE lens if it is in the price range?

 

[Hoodliving]

I just made a thread about this but figured I could keep the a6000 chatter in one place.

I've got a Sony a6000 with the 16-50 kit lens (meh) and need another auto lens. I've got photodiox adapters for a few old manual lenses ( 1.4/50, 5.6/400 and a number of crappier minolta manual lenses) but for action shots I feel I need another auto and a bigger zoom. Something along the lines of Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS LE.

I shoot surfing, skiing, and everything else really. Some instances where I felt limited were shooting surfing late in the evening ( hard to manually focus on the 50mm and not enough zoom at times, 16-50 isn't bright enough), bird watching (400mm is the only big enough zoom and am not good enough to shoot freehand and manual focus, plus sometimes too much zoom).

I guess I'm looking for a do everything (including video) lens. I don't have an unlimited budget as it's all recreational. Beyond sensor crop, is there a reason to not consider an older FE lens if it is in the price range?

Hey man, I have the 55-210mm 4.5-6.3 you can find them for around 190 on amazon new opened box. I love the lens the af is quick on it, the oss is awesome for tracking subjects. It is sharp and has great color rendition, little soft on the edges but haven't had to do much correction in post even on landscapes. Filming with it was a breeze the oss is efficient enough you can shoot handheld pans holding it up to your eye without much shake at all. On a video head itd be amazing. Now for your next lens' to get I would recommend the rokinon 12mm buy the samyang version exact same lens 100 less. Then go straight for the sigma art lens line, they are sharp awesome lens' with low price point. Get one or two between the 20mm and 60mm range and you will have a decent kit costing only around 1k.

 

[Ryaneburgess]

I want a (better) longer lens for sure. Something thats faster, but honestly haven't looked too much into a faster, long lens that fits into my budget. I'll look into it and get back to you.

No sweat dude! Rad though, definitely should get some fun use with it in the front range!

Heading out next week man! Can't wait!