My 6300-Mile Field Test

On our recent vacation, my camera of choice was Sony’s newest mirrorless camera. While I also brought a much larger Nikon D700 conventional DSLR, I relied mostly on the the Sony A6000. As a comparison, I captured about 150 images with the Nikon D700 and more than a thousand images with the Sony A6000.

My setup was the A6000 coupled with Sony’s 18-200mm lens. This combination is lightweight and compact, produces quality images and just happens to fit beneath the driver’s seat for fast, convenient access.

Hopefully, the following photographic sampler illustrates the A6000’s versatility. I’ll add a few techie details afterwards.

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The A6000 is smaller than a conventional DSLR so it’s both lighter and more compact.	You can compare the sizes of the A6000 next to the conventional Nikon D700 DSLR.
The A6000’s high resolution 24MP sensor renders scenics with very high detail.	Additionally, the camera can capture subjects that have a wide range of exposure levels.
The A6000’s articulated LCD makes it easy to capture stills and closeups.	The much improved focusing system works well for wildlife shots.
With the 18-200mm lens, I can keep dry while still in on the action.	Here’s some quick, responsive focusing
The A6000’s bright viewfinder makes it easy to compose and frame in bright sunlight.	The electronic viewfinder previews the scene with the camera adjustments applied.
It handles action shots well and can capture up to 11 frames per second.	The exposure system works quite well with a wide variety of subjects.
I used the camera’s sweep panorama feature often to automatically produce some very pleasing large images.

I suppose it doesn’t matter than I traveled 6300 miles with the camera other than I used it under a variety of conditions.

My “film” was a 32GB SD card, but I never filled it with the 200 pictures a day (the camera was set to record simultaneous RAW and JPG images). All in all, I’m very happy with the images that the camera produced. The one small gotcha is that the A6000 has a short battery life – probably due to the electronic viewfinder. Thankfully, I had an extra battery that I carried along.

Since this is my third Sony mirrorless camera, you can safely assume that I’d recommend this camera to others. In fact my daughter must have agreed with my assessment and purchased one.

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For those interested, here’s a few of the technical specs for the A6000:

Sony A6000 os a mirrorless with a 24MP sensor. One of the reasons for choosing this camera is its fast and accurate hybrid focusing system that allows up to 11 frames per second capture. Other proven features are its “sweep panorama”, automated HDR capture, easy exposure bracketing, and Sony’s proven video recording.

List price for the A6000 body without lens is $650. The 18-200mm lens cost $850, more than the body but this single lens allowed me to enjoy the scenery without clutter of additional lenses.

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Written by: Arnie Lee

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