Help a Novice - 2015 Sony Alpha a6000

[zachlegomaniac]

Hi there. I purchased a Sony Alpha a6000 in early 2015. I barely used it, unfortunately. I am now working on a project where photo quality (beyond what my iPhone 11 Pro can produce) would be a big advantage. I am a novice photographer. Is this still an excellent camera in 2022? It came with the standard 16-50mm power zoom lens. The project will require me to take pictures of flora and fauna in a wetland setting. If this camera is still great, and I can get someone to teach me my way around it, could someone here recommend a lens for macro photos (plants and insects) and a basic telephoto lens (wildlife)?

If the past seven years have offered major advancements in digital photography I'd also be interested in what folks here might recommend for a beginner like myself so I can create impressive reports.

Learning how to use a camera would be a big benefit to me in my field.

Thank you!

 

[MacNut]

The a6000 won't have the newer auto focus capabilities of it's counterparts but it's still a good camera.

 

[CK Williams]

Hi zachlegomaniac,

The minimum focus distance for the lens that came with your camera may not allow you to take true macro photos. You may be able to crop the images though to give the appearance that it was taken much closer to the subject. Adding a zoom lens like the Sony 55-210 may be a simple way to get 'closer' to objects without actually having to be next to them. There are better quality (and more expensive) lenses available for the a6000, but I'd recommend moving slowly when purchasing new equipment in case you decide to change cameras later.

You can use the images posted here in the forums like the Photo of the Day as references to give you ideas on what type of photos you would like to take. I highly doubt that any of the members would mind answering questions about the way they took the photo.

I'd also recommend the resources of YouTube for camera training. There are a number of excellent outdoor photographers who provide free training resources that demonstrate the techniques you will want to learn. The ability to see what the instructor is trying to explain will make it easier for you to understand the topic.

Once you get the basics down then get out and take photos. I've found that I learn more through experience than any other way. Don't trust the back screen of the camera though when reviewing your photos. Many of the ones I've taken looked great on the small screen and were immediately deleted when I looked at them on my computer monitor.

Hope to see some of your images posted!

 

[zachlegomaniac]

Hi zachlegomaniac,

The minimum focus distance for the lens that came with your camera may not allow you to take true macro photos. You may be able to crop the images though to give the appearance that it was taken much closer to the subject. Adding a zoom lens like the Sony 55-210 may be a simple way to get 'closer' to objects without actually having to be next to them. There are better quality (and more expensive) lenses available for the a6000, but I'd recommend moving slowly when purchasing new equipment in case you decide to change cameras later.

You can use the images posted here in the forums like the Photo of the Day as references to give you ideas on what type of photos you would like to take. I highly doubt that any of the members would mind answering questions about the way they took the photo.

I'd also recommend the resources of YouTube for camera training. There are a number of excellent outdoor photographers who provide free training resources that demonstrate the techniques you will want to learn. The ability to see what the instructor is trying to explain will make it easier for you to understand the topic.

Once you get the basics down then get out and take photos. I've found that I learn more through experience than any other way. Don't trust the back screen of the camera though when reviewing your photos. Many of the ones I've taken looked great on the small screen and were immediately deleted when I looked at them on my computer monitor.

Hope to see some of your images posted!

Thank you for the insight! I think the 55-210 may help me get photos of the waterfowl that I simply can’t get close enough to - even in my waders. I think I will try that.

How do you think the a6000 stacks up next to the camera on the iPhone 13 Pro - or possibly even the next iteration of iPhone? Does it still take better photos by a wide margin?

 

[CK Williams]

How do you think the a6000 stacks up next to the camera on the iPhone 13 Pro - or possibly even the next iteration of iPhone? Does it still take better photos by a wide margin?

Glad to help.

The image quality will depend on a number of factors including cropping, the size the image is printed at, and the lighting conditions. I haven't used the a6000 or the iPhone 13, but, based on the specs, I think the quality of the Sony images will be much higher than the iPhone. The sensor size of the a6000 is much larger with more megapixels. Although more megapixels doesn't always mean a better image, the sensor should help with the light gathering capabilities of the sensor as well your ability to crop the image.

 

[glenthompson]

How do you think the a6000 stacks up next to the camera on the iPhone 13 Pro - or possibly even the next iteration of iPhone? Does it still take better photos by a wide margin?

The one advantage of the iPhone camera is that it's always with you. The Sony is a little harder to carry around. Otherwise the image quality of the Sony is significantly better than the iPhone, mainly due to the sensor size. The A6000 is still plenty capable for doing what you want. I still use a Sony Nex-7 from 2012. No need to upgrade as it does what I need it for.

As for training, there are tons of resources out there. Check if your local library provides access to Lynda.com. They have lots of general photography courses. YouTube is also a good source. Sony provides guides too at Alpha Universe. Local photography clubs might have people willing to provide hands on help.

 

[Clix Pix]

Macro: there is a reasonably-priced dedicated 50mm macro lens made by Sony, and there is also the possibility of using a closeup-filter on your 16-50mm kit lens, or you can also buy and use extension tubes. Either of these two methods will get you and the camera closer to the subject so that you can shoot closeup.

Sony makes several telephoto lenses in various focal ranges, some quite reasonably priced. How close will you actually be to the waterfowl? Will they be within shooting distance of a 55-210mm zoom lens or will they actually be further away than that? This is something to take into consideration before purchasing a telephoto lens.

 

[zachlegomaniac]

How close will you actually be to the waterfowl? Will they be within shooting distance of a 55-210mm zoom lens or will they actually be further away than that? This is something to take into consideration before purchasing a telephoto lens.

I get as close as 20’. If I could even be 50’ away I think it would work well. It’s an urban Stormwater wetland so the wildlife is quite comfortable with humans. I would still use it at other, more remote, job sites at times, though.

Thanks everyone for the great tips! Glad I thought to post about this here.

 

[tizeye]

While I normally shoot with a Sony a7rIII, when I feel like going light (and enjoying the crop factor with wildlife) I take my wife's A6000. It is an excellent camera and while has had several 'upgrades' it is still sold today as the entry level rather than replaced by one of the upgrades.
One thing I would do, that is free and relatively simple to do, is upgrade to the most recent firmware for both the camera and the lens. It unlocked some of the features included in current models. Just start with a full battery nd follow the instructions on the Sony support site.

I am guessing you didn't get the "other" kit lens, the 55-210mm which is decent. Technically, I could have put my much heavier 70-200 full frame lens on it, but was happy using the 55-210 and detail was relatively good. It will also be better for flower close-up as the telephoto compresses the background, together with a more wide open aperture giving a nice background blur. While no flowers during the hike, several on my photos in the May POTD (hawk, gator, heron, egret) were taken with the A6000 with the 55-210 combination. Will post some more, today after typing this, and later this week.

If I were to upgrade the A6000, would stay with Sony if for no other reason than my lens on the full frame fit the A6000. Forsee primary use for B-roll video with crop sensor and the A6400 and A6600 are nice but will wait for the next generation, however, there has been a slowdown with chip shortage and general feeling on Sony neglecting the crop sensor line. The 16-50mm lens is, like all pancakes, arguably a poor lens but I have no problem with the quality and is equal to if not better than the iPhone 12. Sony does make some better "normal" lens which later upgrades, like the 6600 demanded. With the possible exception of the sensor being more developed in the 6600, they all use the same 24mp sensor as the original A6000.

There are a lot of YouTube videos providing instructions on the use. One thing I did do that you may run across in the video is create a custom function on one of the program buttons. For lens that don't have a manual focus override switch, like the 55-210, I programed the C1 button to bring up the focus menu to quickly switch to manual focus when the camera wants to auto select a branch in the foreground, but I want the bird in the back.

 

[glenthompson]

I am guessing you didn't get the "other" kit lens, the 55-210mm which is decent.

Igot the 55-210 for my Nex-7, primarily to use for motorsports photography. Also use for wildlife. It's nice and lightweight for a longish telephoto. I see some people dragging around 400-500mm full frame lenses and glad I have my compact lens. The Nex-7 came with the 18-55 kit lens which covers most needs very well.

 

[zachlegomaniac]

I've been watching YouTube tutorials and the 55-210 is coming today. I'm looking forward to trying it out/practicing a bit tomorrow at the wetland. Thanks again, all.