Hopefully this post doesn't come across as "another one of those"...
I ordered the a6000 w/ SEP1650PZ from best buy as their open box special for 449.00 was low enough to motivate me to test the mirrorless arena with arguably the best mirrorless camera (or so I keep reading in here!). Aside from the camera being clearly used with scuffs, a scratch on the screen and missing the eyecup piece these are my first impressions after a day of play:
Size wise, this thing is smaller than I was expecting. Very compact with the 16-50mm lens which will make it a great travel camera.
Included lens seems OK for snaps but will require better glass to really use the resolution of the sensor.
Feels sturdy, a good weight.
Good (not great) customization options.
EVF takes some getting used to but it is bright and big and easy to see. Can also customize and easily change the information that is displayed. Everyone seems to be a convert to the EVF but so far I'm not converted, I still prefer the OVF of my Nikon.
Focus seems to be quick, really quick, in good lighting. Though, in low-light, it doesn't lock on the focus point and often defaults to the larger area (seems to be equivalent to a focus "guess"). My D7100 can focus in near black comparatively.
JPG colors OOC are pleasing and well represented but error on the side of slightly over saturated (which I like anyways).
Lens: Small, compact. Decent focal range. Good center sharpness but soft on edges (not surprising). Still looking for it's "sweet spot."
Lens: Power zoom I thought would be smooth with variable speed that would work with video. Nope. You can't slowly zoom. So, moving the dial slowly causes the lens to jitter as it zooms. Power zoom - lame.
Lens: OSS seems to work well.
Needs more buttons. Yeah, buttons. After you assign the buttons to their functions you want there's still missing functions that require menu dives.
Menu... can be somewhat confusing with oddly grouped items. Though Nikon isn't much better.
Small grip. very small. I don't have large hands at all and found the grip to be barely adequate. It needs an indent on the front-inside of the grip to make it easier to hold. With a bigger/heavier lens I can see this being an issue...
Control dial is placed too far to the right. You can barely hold the camera and spin the control wheel with your right hand. Wish there was a front wheel as well...
Kit doesn't include the body cap, rear lens cap and hot-shoe cover. Not sure why Sony would omit these but annoying they're not included.
Missing some little things that I like on my Nikon, such as one-click focus point reset to center, one-click focus check (zoom image to 100% at the focus point) and a few others not worth mentioning.
Using wifi functions on the camera is finicky and barely works. Often can't connect.
Installing apps via computer/web was an effort in system debugging only to give up and use the camera to do it itself, which is tedious (but it works).
Updating firmware went smoothly despite reading several complaints on dpr.
You can't power the camera via USB connection, only charging. Rather lame as I always have a portable USB power source to charge phones with me.
Lens cap is almost too small. It'll be lost in a week I bet. Would be cool if this was built into the lens so when it collapses it closes.
Well, that's all for now. I haven't commented yet on the most important aspect of a camera and that's image quality. I'm just not thinking that a few test snaps around the house is enough to judge on that aspect. After all, it's the IQ that will ultimately determine if this is a keeper. Despite the few quibbles above I do like the camera but I'm definitely not selling my Nikon gear anytime soon.
If anyone has any suggestions for any of the above mentioned items please feel free...
I ordered the a6000 w/ SEP1650PZ from best buy as their open box special for 449.00 was low enough to motivate me to test the mirrorless arena with arguably the best mirrorless camera (or so I keep reading in here!). Aside from the camera being clearly used with scuffs, a scratch on the screen and missing the eyecup piece these are my first impressions after a day of play:
Size wise, this thing is smaller than I was expecting. Very compact with the 16-50mm lens which will make it a great travel camera.
Included lens seems OK for snaps but will require better glass to really use the resolution of the sensor.
Feels sturdy, a good weight.
Good (not great) customization options.
EVF takes some getting used to but it is bright and big and easy to see. Can also customize and easily change the information that is displayed. Everyone seems to be a convert to the EVF but so far I'm not converted, I still prefer the OVF of my Nikon.
Focus seems to be quick, really quick, in good lighting. Though, in low-light, it doesn't lock on the focus point and often defaults to the larger area (seems to be equivalent to a focus "guess"). My D7100 can focus in near black comparatively.
JPG colors OOC are pleasing and well represented but error on the side of slightly over saturated (which I like anyways).
Lens: Small, compact. Decent focal range. Good center sharpness but soft on edges (not surprising). Still looking for it's "sweet spot."
Lens: Power zoom I thought would be smooth with variable speed that would work with video. Nope. You can't slowly zoom. So, moving the dial slowly causes the lens to jitter as it zooms. Power zoom - lame.
Lens: OSS seems to work well.
Needs more buttons. Yeah, buttons. After you assign the buttons to their functions you want there's still missing functions that require menu dives.
Menu... can be somewhat confusing with oddly grouped items. Though Nikon isn't much better.
Small grip. very small. I don't have large hands at all and found the grip to be barely adequate. It needs an indent on the front-inside of the grip to make it easier to hold. With a bigger/heavier lens I can see this being an issue...
Control dial is placed too far to the right. You can barely hold the camera and spin the control wheel with your right hand. Wish there was a front wheel as well...
Kit doesn't include the body cap, rear lens cap and hot-shoe cover. Not sure why Sony would omit these but annoying they're not included.
Missing some little things that I like on my Nikon, such as one-click focus point reset to center, one-click focus check (zoom image to 100% at the focus point) and a few others not worth mentioning.
Using wifi functions on the camera is finicky and barely works. Often can't connect.
Installing apps via computer/web was an effort in system debugging only to give up and use the camera to do it itself, which is tedious (but it works).
Updating firmware went smoothly despite reading several complaints on dpr.
You can't power the camera via USB connection, only charging. Rather lame as I always have a portable USB power source to charge phones with me.
Lens cap is almost too small. It'll be lost in a week I bet. Would be cool if this was built into the lens so when it collapses it closes.
Well, that's all for now. I haven't commented yet on the most important aspect of a camera and that's image quality. I'm just not thinking that a few test snaps around the house is enough to judge on that aspect. After all, it's the IQ that will ultimately determine if this is a keeper. Despite the few quibbles above I do like the camera but I'm definitely not selling my Nikon gear anytime soon.
If anyone has any suggestions for any of the above mentioned items please feel free...
