Sony Alpha a6000 review: Excellent performance for the price

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The mirrorless interchangeable lens camera segment is heating up. We have seen some really good mirrorless cameras across price segments this year. There’s certainly more action happening in this segment and the advanced point and shoot segment, than the DSLRs which are just iterating on set design specifications and features. Sony seems to be on a roll on that front. Although the current mirrorless camera we are testing – Sony Alpha a6000 – would also be an iterative upgrade considering it retains most of the design elements and features of the yesteryear NEX 6 (the naming convention since discontinued), one has to hand it to Sony for prolifically coming out with cameras across categories.

In terms of design, it is safe to say that the Sony a6000 takes more than an inspiration from the yesteryear Sony NEX 6. You have almost similar dimensions, the same moulded chunky palm grip with the textured rubber surface continuing all the way behind the a6000. It also takes some inspiration from the Alpha 7 in terms of the dial placement. In the NEX 6, you had the mode dial placed atop the control dial, but with the a6000, you have separate dials. But while the Alpha 7 had dials on top of the top plate, the a6000 has recessed dials. The shutter button surrounded by the switch is present on the top of the palm grip and you also have a custom button on the side. Barring the AF LED, there’s nothing much on the front portion of the a6000. The top plate has the electronic viewfinder on the extreme left hand side, followed by the accessory port, a pop-up flash menu, a mode dial and control dial on the extreme right hand side.
On the rear side, you have the non-touch 3-inch tilting LCD screen which is ideal for low angle as well as over-the-shoulder shots. The circular dial also acts as the directional pad which is surrounded by buttons. The buttons though recessed have a good feedback. Movie record button in particular is placed around the edge and it prevents accidental clicks, but it is a bit too recessed.

The metallic build on the dials as well as on the camera body is quite sturdy. Mode dial requires slight amount of force to rotate unlike the control dial beside it. The two custom buttons can be customised according to your preference. The electronic viewfinder comes with an eye-sensor and a dedicated eye-cap which makes it seem like it’s protruding out. The bundled Sony 16-50mm lens also comes with a metallic build and an electric power zoom spring-loaded slider as well.

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