Sony α6000
The Sony α6000 (model ILCE-6000)[1] is a digital camera announced 12 February 2014.[2] It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC), which has a smaller body form factor than a traditional DSLR while retaining the sensor size and features of an APS-C-sized model. It is targeted at professionals, experienced users, and enthusiasts. It replaced the NEX-6 and NEX-7.[3] Review websites note that although the α6000 uses a 24 MP sensor like the Sony NEX-7, the Sony α6000 can also be seen as more of a replacement of the Sony NEX-6.[4] In the Firmware version 1.10, an android subsystem was added. The sub system was used to run Sony's apps.
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Maker | Sony |
| Type | Mirrorless interchangeable lens camera |
| Released | February 2014 |
| Lens | |
| Lens mount | Sony E-mount |
| Lens | Interchangeable |
| Sensor/medium | |
| Sensor type | Exmor HD CMOS |
| Sensor size | 23.5 × 15.6 mm (APS-C type) |
| Maximum resolution | (3:2) 6000 × 4000 (24.3 MP) (16:9) 6000 × 3375 (20.1 MP) |
| Film speed | Auto, 100 – 25600 |
| Recording medium | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Focusing | |
| Focus areas | 179 focus points |
| Flash | |
| Flash | Incorporated flash (pop-out), hotshoe |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter speeds | 1/4000 s to 30 s |
| Continuous shooting | 3 frame/s, 11 frame/s in speed priority mode |
| Viewfinder | |
| Viewfinder | Built-in 1.44 million dots OLED Electronic viewfinder |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.7 |
| Frame coverage | 100% |
| Image processing | |
| Image processor | Bionz X |
| White balance | Yes |
| General | |
| LCD screen | 3 inches with 921,600 dots |
| Battery | NP-FW50, InfoLITHIUM, 7.2 V, 1080 mAh, 7.7 Wh, Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery |
| Dimensions | 120 × 67 × 45 mm (4.72 × 2.64 × 1.77 inches) |
| Weight | 344 g including battery |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Sony NEX-6, Sony NEX-7 |
| Successor | Sony α6300 |
At the time of its release, the Sony α6000 was advertised featuring the "world's fastest autofocus" with lag of 0.06 second and 11 fps continuous shooting with tracking AF. Its MSRP is $700 with a 16–50 mm power-zoom kit lens f/3.5-5.6.[5]
Despite the announcement of an updated model in February 2016, the α6300,[6] Sony has said they will continue production of the α6000.[7]
Compared to its predecessor, Sony NEX-6
The Sony α6000 was released one and a half year later, and has a slightly different shaped body than the NEX-6. The α6000's body silhouette is almost like a perfect rectangle. They use the same sensor size, but the α6000 has a 24 megapixel resolution, which is a 50% higher resolution, than the 16 MP NEX-6. The alpha model has an extra physical control dial, compared to the NEX model. The newer model has a slightly faster burst rate (11 fps vs 10 fps) and has almost twice as many autofocus points (179 vs 99), which makes it a lot more capable of sports photography. The α6000 also offers Near-field communication and smartphone remote control over Wi-Fi, which the NEX cannot do. The SD card slot supports UHS-I in the α6000 whereas the NEX-6 doesn't support any UHS standards. But there is one aspect which is a bit indistinctive and better in the older model: The NEX-6 has a 63% higher resolution electronic viewfinder than the α6000 (2,359,000 dots vs 1,440,000 dots).
Compared to its other predecessor, Sony NEX-7
The NEX-7 was introduced in 2011 and has a more rounded body, than the 3 years newer α6000. They use the same, 24 MP image sensor, but the noise performance is better in the newer model, thanks to the better processor. It also offers a higher maximum sensitivity (25,600 vs 16,600). The biggest difference is the autofocus: The NEX-7 only has 25 focus points, the α6000 has 179, so it's a lot more accurate and also faster. The burst rate is the same as the NEX-6 in the NEX-7, (10 fps), the α6000 can shoot a tiny bit faster continuously (11 fps). Similarly to the NEX-6, there is no NFC, Wi-Fi remote control or UHS memory card support in the NEX-7, but the α6000 has these features. The Alpha model is 56g lighter than the NEX. However, there is also one aspect, which the NEX-7 is clearly better, than its successor, and this is the fact, it has a microphone jack input, which is present in the NEX, but the α6000 lacks it for some reason. In terms of buttons, they have a different layout, but there are the same dials and buttons on the two cameras.
Popularity
The Sony α6000 proved to be an extremely popular camera. By early 2016, it was reported to be the best-selling interchangeable-lens camera in the over-US$600 price range[8] as well as the best-selling mirrorless camera of all time.[9]
Firmware updates
Firmware version 1.10, released on 30 October 2014, added faster start up time and support for the "Smart Remote Control" Play Memories application.[10]
Firmware version 1.20, released on 26 March 2015, improved images captured on new lenses and added a few minor enhancements.[11]
Firmware version 1.21, released on 6 April 2015, fixed an error in version 1.20 and improved lens performance.[12]
Firmware version 2.00, released on 16 June 2015, enabled video capture with the XAVC S codec to support high Bit Rates.[13]
Firmware version 3.10, released on 17 March 2016, optimized lens performance (applied to the lenses releasing after 2016 March).[14]
Firmware version 3.20, released on 26 July 2016, optimized lens performance (SEL-70200GM).[15]
Firmware version 3.21, released on 19 March 2019, improved stability of the AF operation.[16]
Mobile phone application update 2019
There is an application (Image Edge Mobile) which allows a user to control the Sony A6000-A6500 camera. The application also allows a user to transfer photos over wireless to the user's mobile phone.[17]
References
- "Sony α6000 promises world's fastest AF and 11 fps subject tracking". dpreview. 12 February 2014.
- "Sony α6000 officially announced! It's the world fastest autofocus camera!". sonyalpharumors.com. 12 February 2014.
- "Sony α6000 (ILCE-6000) Hands-On Review". ephotozine.com. 12 February 2014.
- Carter, Kevin (9 April 2014). "Sony α6000 sensor review: Little wonder". Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- Zach Honig (11 February 2014). "Sony's A6000 is the mirrorless camera you'll want to own, ships this April for $800 with lens".
- "Press Release Sony Introduces New α6300 Camera with World's Fastest Autofocus". Sony official news. Sony, Inc. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- Butler, Richard (6 April 2016). "Upwardly mobile: Sony α6300 Review". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
Sony says it (the α6000) will live on, alongside the α6300
- Gray, Jeremy (26 April 2016). "Sony α6300 Field Test: Mirrorless camera offers many improvements and great all-around performance". Imaging Resource. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
The Sony α6000 was a very popular camera indeed; the best-selling interchangeable lens camera over $600 and the best-selling mirrorless camera.
- Moynihan, Tim (3 February 2016). "Sony Adds New Powers to Its Best-Selling Mirrorless Camera". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
According to Sony, the company's α6000 is the best-selling mirrorless camera of all time.
- Sony Japan (October 2014). "Notice to owners of Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera ILCE-7 / ILCE-7R / ILCE-6000 / ILCE-5100 / ILCE-5000 for system software update". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- Sony Asia (March 2015). "ILCE System Software Update version 1.20". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- Sony Japan (April 2015). "本体ソフトウェアアップデート". Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- Sony Japan (June 2015). "Notice to owners of Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera "ILCE-7", "ILCE-7R", and "ILCE-6000" for system software update". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- Sony Japan (March 2016). "Notice to owners of Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera "ILCE-6000" for system software update". Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- Sony Japan (July 2016). "Notice to owners of Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera "ILCE-6000" for system software update". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- Sony Corporation of America (March 2019). "ILCE-6000 System Software (Firmware) Update Ver. 3.21 (Windows)". Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- Keller, Jeff (16 January 2019). "Sony announces new Imaging Edge mobile app, updates desktop software". dpreview. Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
