Sony Alpha NEX A6000 Pro Reviews

It's easy to fall into the trap of discounting interchangeable-lens cameras as subpar to their DSLR counterparts, and certainly the early generations perhaps focused more on affordability and size than they did image quality. It's also clear that the same isn't true today.Instead, the A6000 makes a strong argument for why it deserves to be considered a worthy part of the Alpha range. The proof is in the photos; that it's well-constructed and cleanly designed is the icing on the cake, though I still wish Sony had opted to carry over the touchscreen from some of its cheaper cameras. Still, getting to grips with Sony's straightforward software and plentiful physical buttons is worth the investment in time. The combination of an excellent sensor, fast and capable processing, and impressive AF make for a camera that punches above its $650 (body-only; $800 with the 16-50mm power zoom) price.

Hits a home run for quality, performance, features and price

The a6000 brings Sony's latest interface improvements and enhanced JPEG processing to a well-featured, competitively-priced mid-range camera. Its stand-out features are its comprehensive video controls and continuous autofocus performance unprecedented at this price. The flexible but optically average power zoom make this a highly capable and compact package.

The Sony Alpha A6000 offers an impressive range of features, including a good electronic viewfinder, and a tilting 3inch screen. The 24 megapixel sensor is new, and noise is well controlled up to ISO3200, with the camera delivering bright saturated photos with reliable exposure. Dynamic range is good and the camera has a number of easy to use ways to improve this further. Continuous shooting with auto focus is very good, shooting at just over 10fps at full resolution, making the camera ideal for anyone who wants to track or shoot quick moving subjects. The A6000 is offered at an impressive price point, under-cutting a number of the competition, whilst offering high speed shooting. The only area this camera is let down, is in the choice of the 16-50mm OSS kit lens, which we feel does not deliver the full potential of this camera. While the 16-50mm OSS is a reasonable starter lens, and would suit lower resolution Sony E-mount cameras, to get the best out of the A6000 we would recommend getting a prime lens.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise: We gave the NEX-6 an Editor’s Choice, and with higher resolution, faster burst mode, and improved AF and menu system the A6000 gets one too. A touchscreen LCD really would’ve made the package even better, as would relocating the video record button, but we can’t have everything. If it were our money, however, we suggest you purchase just the body, and then buy higher-end primes and zooms that suit your photographic vision. This way you’ll maximize that 24.3MP APS-C sensor and have one of the best sub-$700 CSCs available.

The Sony Alpha 6000 focuses instantly and shoots at 11.1fps. Its image quality matches its speed, making it our Editors' Choice.