Sony A6000

[wmjivey]

Yes Dave, you are spending all my money!

 

John

[c230k]

Yes Dave, you are spending all my money!

 

John

 

I will drink to that!!!!

 

Tom :cool:

[zelker]

Dave et al .... any thoughts on the NEX-7 which is now $200 less than the A6000? NEX-7 w/18-58mm lens, $498. A6000 w/16-50mm lens, $698. Pros/Cons of one over the other? Thanks.

 

amended to say: if that's the only lens one wants, it's a great deal but if you add the 55-210mm to the NEX-7, it's basically the same price as the A6000 with two lenses. hmmm...................

Edited June 10, 2015 by zelker

[pierces]

Dave et al .... any thoughts on the NEX-7 which is now $200 less than the A6000? NEX-7 w/18-58mm lens, $498. A6000 w/16-50mm lens, $698. Pros/Cons of one over the other? Thanks.

 

amended to say: if that's the only lens one wants, it's a great deal but if you add the 55-210mm to the NEX-7, it's basically the same price as the A6000 with two lenses. hmmm...................

 

I have a NEX-7 which, sadly, has succumbed to age and is in need of repair. It was actually the NEX-series camera that pushed me over the edge on the e-mount and became my primary shooter over the A77. Before that, My NEX-5 was a backup with the less-used focal length on it in the bag.

 

The NEX-7 is a very capable camera but is definitely a generation behind the A6000. It has a higher resolution viewfinder and is built more solidly (solidly as in metal, the A6000 is quite solid but uses more polycarbonate). The generational differences are in the focusing where the A6000 leaves it in the dust and the low-light capability which is at least a full stop better (though absolute resolution is identical). The A6000 has a Sony DSLR-type menu where the NEX retained the original NEX graphic menu which can (and should) be avoided by judicious control button customization.

 

If I were to compare the two for purchasing, I would probably pop for the extra $$s and go with the A6000. Just my opinion...I could be wrong. :)

 

Here are links to my reviews of both cameras so you can compare my impressions of both:

 

http://www.pptphoto.com/articles/nex7.html

 

http://www.pptphoto.com/articles/a6000.html

 

 

Dave

[wmjivey]

Has anyone downloaded firmware 1.21 from the Sony Japan website? Read alot people have done it, just don't know if SonyUSA has a reason not to offer it right now.

 

JOhn

[CruiseReg]

Has anyone downloaded firmware 1.21 from the Sony Japan website? Read alot people have done it, just don't know if SonyUSA has a reason not to offer it right now.

 

JOhn

 

What's special about 1.21?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[pierces]

What's special about 1.21?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

Rumored to improve JPEG processing, stop minor battery drain when off, etc.

 

Updates often add lens correction data for new lenses.

 

Specific data is sparse and I don't know why it is available only in Asia.

 

Dave

[wmjivey]

So Dave have you done it?

[c230k]

Found this information on web site dpreview.com

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55612273

 

Tom :cool:

[c230k]

I just finished updating my A6000 to ver 1.21

 

I used the Japanese web site that the forum recommended. The web site was all in Japanese, put I saw update to 1.21 use PC or Mac. Click on Mac and downloaded, came up great all in English. Make sure you follow the instructions and have a full charged battery, or close to it. Takes a good 5 to 8 min. and it WORKED!!!!

 

Tom :cool:

[pierces]

I just finished updating my A6000 to ver 1.21

 

I used the Japanese web site that the forum recommended. The web site was all in Japanese, put I saw update to 1.21 use PC or Mac. Click on Mac and downloaded, came up great all in English. Make sure you follow the instructions and have a full charged battery, or close to it. Takes a good 5 to 8 min. and it WORKED!!!!

 

Tom :cool:

 

"Worked" as in did not brick your camera? Or "worked" as in made noticeable improvement? ;)

Edited June 12, 2015 by pierces

[c230k]

Low light focus seems quicker, and the camera definitely boots up faster! I tried low light focus before the update and after. Boot up is way faster. Still do not understand why USA Sony does not update, of course they are the ones that had their Sony A7R on sale for $200.00 lol.

If you update and are not sure about the changes you can always reload 1.20

 

 

Tom :cool:

[pierces]

Firmware 1.21

 

I honestly just didn't get around to it. I had been following the thread Tom linked to and didn't see anyone with a disaster or any glowing praise of the changes. It doesn't seem to "fix" anything that is broken but also doesn't seem to have any risks. Nothing to inspire urgency, though faster boot was attractive.

 

So.... I did it.

 

As Tom noted, the startup is noticeably faster and I don't get the "big box" focus confirmation (camera not able to find solid focus and "guesses") as often in dim light.

 

A couple of meaningless desktop and furniture shots in crappy light showed no night-and-day improvement in high-ISO JPEGs but there does seem to be less color and detail smearing at 3200 and 6400. Noise seem a little more grain-like. Just a warning before you get all excited..I don't pixel-peep on every shot anymore, so improvements seen in the current state may be no more than my forgetting how good the old state was. :p

 

The hour and a half since I did the update hasn't produced any proof that the battery drain issue is fixed. I did notice before that the battery would fade a bit after an extended period of inactivity but since I almost never go more than a week without shooting something, it was never a serious issue for me.

 

Bottom line is officially a win for me. The boost in boot up speed was more than worth the minor effort.

 

Your mileage may vary.

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

I've personally been hesitant to bother with it specifically because it doesn't really seem to introduce any whiz-bang huge improvements, but mostly because I never had any of the 'issues' some folks reported with their cameras to begin with. My worry is that I may have some fluky camera that snuck through with no low light focusing struggles at all, and zero battery loss...and then I'll do the update and suddenly find I start losing battery when off! Those who say they had the battery drain problems seemed to be reporting as much as 10% loss per week, and even if with the update it's 'much better' - only a 2% or 3% drain per week would actually be WORSE than what I get. So far, I'm still running the original firmware 1.0 and have been quietly avoiding any updates...as long as it keeps focusing in extreme low light accurately, tracks as amazingly as it does, and has 0% loss of battery per week, I don't see any compelling reason to make the update myself.

[pierces]

In retrospect, I can't remember seeing a drop when using a Sony or Wasabi battery. I'm pretty sure the power loss that I occasionally noticed was due to the third-party battery, not a failing of the camera.

 

Further fooling about has shown that any boost in the low-light focusing may likely in my head. A similar amount of fiddling has shown that the boot-up time is significantly improved.

 

That alone made it worth the multi-tasked half-hour it took to download it and install.

 

No regrets.

 

Dave

[pierces]

Now we know why the US didn't get an "official" release of firmware v1.21.

 

v2.0 Released this morning on the usual ESupport sites.

 

http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=ILCE6000&template_id=1&region_id=1&tab=download#/downloadTab

 

Looks like the same update as v1.21 but adds support for the XAVC S video recording format.

 

Loaded as expected but I would do the update with an empty SD card. I got a message about the image database needing to be rebuilt which I suspect is related to the new video format. I had an empty card in it (call me overly cautious) and the image DB update took all of a second but I don't know if it would affect a card with images on it. I suspect not but....overly cautious. ;)

 

Happy updating!

 

Dave

[c230k]

A new update software for the A6000.

http://www.cameraegg.org/sony-a6000-a7-a7r-a7s-firmware-updates-version-2-00-released/

 

Tom :cool:

[pierces]

Great minds Tom. Great minds...

 

Dave

[Turtles06]

Thanks for the firmware update info. I've only updated firmware once on a camera, my Nikon D7000. IIRC, it was done by downloading the update onto a memory card, and then updating the firmware in the camera. I might be remembering incorrectly. In any event, I certainly don't want to screw up my new a6000 - -- any quick instructions for how to do the firmware update?

 

Do I download the update onto my computer, and then connect the a6000 to the computer? (I know I want to have a fully charged battery, whatever the process is.)

 

The robot-voiced video tutorial below says you first need to have the Play Memories App on your computer.... Sounds weird to me, so I'd appreciate any help. Thanks!

 

[Turtles06]

Thanks for the firmware update info. I've only updated firmware once on a camera, my Nikon D7000. IIRC, it was done by downloading the update onto a memory card, and then updating the firmware in the camera. I might be remembering incorrectly. In any event, I certainly don't want to screw up my new a6000 - -- any quick instructions for how to do the firmware update?

 

Do I download the update onto my computer, and then connect the a6000 to the computer? (I know I want to have a fully charged battery, whatever the process is.)

 

The robot-voiced video tutorial below says you first need to have the Play Memories App on your computer.... Sounds weird to me, so I'd appreciate any help. Thanks!

 

 

Edited to add: I've found this set of written instructions for updating firmware on the a6000 (it's for an older update, but I would assume the process should be the same...) For those who have updated the a6000, does this instruction list look correct? Any tips/advice? (For example, Dave says to do the update with an empty SD card in the camera, but do you need a card in there at all?)

 

Thanks!

 

http://briansmith.com/firmware-update-1-20-sony-a7-a7r-a7s-a7ii-a6000/

Edited June 16, 2015 by Turtles06

[pierces]

Download the update and run it on the PC. It will walk you through connecting the camera, setting the USB mode to Mass Storage and proceed step by step.

 

Be patient. The update takes 5 minutes or more and the "Finish" step when the camera reboots leaves the LCD blank for a nerve-wracking minute or so.

 

Download - run - read - click - done.

 

Dave

[Turtles06]

Download the update and run it on the PC. It will walk you through connecting the camera, setting the USB mode to Mass Storage and proceed step by step.

 

Be patient. The update takes 5 minutes or more and the "Finish" step when the camera reboots leaves the LCD blank for a nerve-wracking minute or so.

 

Download - run - read - click - done.

 

Dave

 

Thanks Dave, especially for the advice about the LCD being blank. I'm sure I'd flip out if I were not expecting that! :)

[shootr]

Yay, now I get to hang out in this clubhouse. :)

 

1] What, if any, auxiliary flash is anyone using?

 

2] Is anyone using hoods on their lenses?

[pierces]

Yay, now I get to hang out in this clubhouse. :)

 

The instructions for the knock and secret handshake should already be in your inbox.

 

1] What, if any, auxiliary flash is anyone using?

 

I have an HVL-F43AM flash that I used on my A77 and NEX-7 cameras. I'll need to add the ADPMAA Shoe Adapter to use it on my A6000. Though it is a mid-range flash, it will light up a large room with a bounce.

 

The newer model of the mid-range flash is the HVL-F43M with the new shoe to fit the A6000 and A7 series. I'll probably pick one of these up to avoid having to fool around with the adapter and allow for a two-flash portable setup or one on the A77 and one on the A6000 for an event.

 

There is also the lower-power HVL-F20M which is smaller and more portable and the HVL-F60M which is the most powerful Sony external available.

 

There are third-party flashes from Sigma, Nissin and a few others that are compatible, well-built and favorably reviewed.

 

I also have a radio trigger that is adapted to my A77 and natively on the A6000 that controls my Alien Bees studio strobes. (If you ever have the need for studio flashes, the Alien Bees line offers an amazing value.)

 

Honestly, I don't use an external flash all that much. The built-in unit can be held upright to bounce and is really sufficient for most purposes. The low-light capability of the A6000 has reduced the need for flash dramatically. Even so, you will eventually need one, so try to figure out what is best for you as far as a balance between power, price and portability.

 

2] Is anyone using hoods on their lenses?

 

I use the supplied hoods for all of my lenses. Unless it is very dusty or near active salt spray, I don't use a UV protector filter. The hoods serve to take all the bumps and abuse that I dish out on a regular basis. One silent bonus in the e-mount cameras is that the low mass makes the average swinging impact less damaging. Yay Physics! I haven't bothered to get one for the 16-50 since it has an odd thread configuration and isn't well suited to a third-party rubber hood. (I use a step-up ring to mount filters from the other lenses on it when needed.) I keep my caps on a leash, so I just pop it back on and power off the camera when I'm on the move.

 

Congrats on the A6000! I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

I don't use external flash with my A6000 (or any flash to be honest) - I use an external flash on my DSLR as I'll use that for event shooting and other such, but for casual and hobby shooting I vastly prefer all natural light and low light, so with the A6000 I stick with high ISO or a tripod when the light gets low.

 

I always use supplied hoods on all my lenses, at all times. For some of my legacy lenses which didn't have or come with hoods, I purchase flexible collapsible rubber hoods to mount on those. I prefer hoods for flare reduction and general lens protection, and tend not to use any form of protective filter.