Body Elements

Not only has the a6000 received a substantial bump in resolution, it also has more phase-detect points, allowing for 92% coverage across the frame.

Sony's dust removal system includes a combination of ultrasonic vibrations as well as a 'charge protection coating'.
While still respectable, the EVF on the a6000 is a step down from the one on the NEX-6. It's both smaller and lower resolution.

The resolution of the EVF is 1.44 million dots, while the magnification is 0.70x (equivalent).

An infrared sensor activates the EVF when your eye approaches it.
The directional controller is just like it is on the NEX cameras. It has a wheel for adjusting settings, and can also set the drive mode, ISO, display mode, and exposure compensation (among other things).

The Fn button opens the customisable shortcut menu, and sends images to a smartphone in playback mode.

On the top right of the a6000 is the mode dial and the main control dial, which can adjust aperture, shutter speed or, if you wish, exposure compensation.

Above that is the power switch / shutter release combo and the Custom 1 button.

A button on the back of the camera pops up the flash. It has a guide number of 6m (ISO 100), which is quite low but fairly typical at this level.

It can be held back with your finger to provide an improvised bounce flash.

However, it can't control external flashguns. This is possible only if a compatible unit is mounted on the hotshoe.

Here you can see the movie recording button, which Sony keeps moving further away from the back panel, in order to prevent users from accidentally pressing it. The downside: now it's too hard to press.

The 'NFC' symbol is the spot where you'll tap your compatible smartphone for remote control and photo transfer.
There are two ports under a plastic door on the camera's left-hand side. On the top is the multi-interface port, which is for USB, charging, and attaching a wired remote.

Below that is a micro-HDMI port for connecting to a TV or video recorder. The a6000 can output uncompressed video over HDMI, a big improvement over its predecessor.

The Alpha 6000 uses the familiar NP-FW50 InfoLithium battery, which contains 7.7Wh of energy. This translates into 360 shots per charge, according to Sony.

As mentioned in the introduction, the default charging method is over USB, with an AC-to-USB adapter included in the box. If you want faster charging, or just want a spare on-hand, you'll want to pick up the external charger.