trade in the 57 for an A6000

For discussion of the E and FE mount mirrorless system
classiccameras
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trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by classiccameras »

I'm thinking of down sizing my two A mount bodies I have A57 & A37 for a A6000, My only concern is the kit lenses for the A6000, they do not get very good reviews, but CZ lenses are out of my price range, It seems that the 18-55 is better than the more compact 16-50 although still not wonderful, I would appreciate any advice and suggestions on my trade in.

Pete
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by peterottaway »

I think we need some more information before being able to make suggestions to you. What sort of photography interests you, are your interests general or more targeted to specific interests ? What lenses do you currently own and are you planning on replacing or renewing any over the next couple of years ? Adapters ?

Currently A6000 prices are very good and the camera itself is a good performer, but have you tried out the "NEX" design to see if it suits you ?
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by alphaomega »

I bought an A6000 in the autumn utilizing the Sony £50 cash back offer. I have the 16-50 pancake used on my NEX-6. I was wondering how this lens would perform on a 24Mp sensor, but I have been pleased with the results. I have also been surprised at how well my 10-18 and 55-210 mm E zooms have performed on the A6000. This is important for me as for normal daylight photography I use the RX100M2 (same range as 16-50 pancake) and the wide and long zooms on A6000 as required. I don't need the A6300 spec. upgrade. I also use the LA-EA2 with A lenses occasionally and I am very pleased with the focus speed. I still have an A58, but really mostly use E mount and RX100M3 now as I cannot carry heavy lenses any longer. For occasional video I only do MP4 and use my NEX-6 with LA-EA2 and Sony 18-250 mm A lens. Works fine for me for the type of video I take - steam trains heading towards me at speed preferably. I must confess that for my use I think that the RX100M3 and A6000 will satisfy me for a long time to come.
classiccameras
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by classiccameras »

Peter, mostly general and landscapes, including vintage vehicles shows and such like where I do need a sharp lens, No sports or fast moving subjects or video.
I am concerned that the 24mp A6000 needs a high quality optic to get the best out of the sensor but that may be prohibitive price wise, I have also thought about trying primes instead of zooms such as the Sigma 19mm & 30mm which get good reviews and seem to beat the Sony equivalents. I think alphaomega has answered that worry about the 24mp.

Pete
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by peterottaway »

You are not likely to pick up better primes than the Sigma's at anything like the same price. Convenient size as well.

I have noticed that the Sigma's have been disappearing from some stockists shelves and this could mean simply a distributor shortage or that Sigma has ceased production. If you have decided on them it may be advisable to buy them sooner than later.

So I would recommend both the A6000 and the Sigma's. If you develop a yearning for something like the Sony G 18-105 then buy it when you can, it would be convenient but not absolutely necessary for your interests.
classiccameras
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by classiccameras »

It will be nice to go back to primes, all my 35 mm SLR days were primes, not many zooms were around and they were not as good as a prime tele or prime wide angle. I looked at the Sigma E mount primes, they get excellent reviews and they are currently on a sale at the moment. I noticed there are two versions of each model, but it looks like a cosmetic change. I currently have a couple of A mount zooms one being the 18-135 and the standard kit 18-55 SAM and a couple of Minolta zooms, I wondered if getting a converter would be worth doing, but its an area that confuses me for focal length changes and optical quality issues if there are any?
Thanks for the advice

Peter
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by alphaomega »

I think alphaomega has answered that worry about the 24mp.
Pete
My 16-50mm pancake is fine on my A6000. Could be a superior copy and I use LR/PS cloud. LR has a lens profile for 16-50 and probably A6000 does some correction as well. You should seek other opinions as well and read a couple of reviews.
I think I noticed that the A6300 was offered with the 16-50 pancake as well by Sony so they must have confidence in the lens.
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by peterottaway »

I have a copy of the A mount 18-135 zoom as well. It may not be the all signing, all conquering super zoom but I do find it very convenient for a lot of general duty photography, so if you can pick up a Sony EA adapter at a good price you should probably consider keeping this lens.
classiccameras
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by classiccameras »

Peter, I already have the 18-135 Alpha SAM lens and its superb on my A37, so yes, I intend to use it on the A6000 body, its just getting the right adapter, I'm prepared to use it manually, as that's all we had in the early 35mm SLR days, so its not a problem, its just working out how the shutter speeds and F/stops are adjusted in camera so they are displayed in the view finder.
Another option is a fully manual Samyang 21mm F/1.4, which is available in E mount, should be a good land scape lens.

Thanks for all the advice, keep it coming as I'm on a learning curve here.

Pete
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by peterottaway »

Sony USA has special at the moment on the LA-EA3 for USD 98 which is about as cheap as it gets. Not sure what import fees and tax would make that for you.
classiccameras
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by classiccameras »

Thanks, Peter, I will look into that. I really cannot see Sony's logic, the E mount has now been out a few years yet their lens support for the NEX and E mounts especially APS-C E mount is abysmal. The availability of affordable lenses is tiny and what there is are not stellar performers. Most people will keep away from some of the high end lenses from CZ once they see the price. Sony needs to address this imbalance, to make the NEX and later E mount cameras more desirable to a bigger market by offering a larger range of decent budget lenses. They must be losing out to Olympus OMD big time.
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by peterottaway »

I'm one of those who regards both Fuji and Olympus as being over priced but that is another story. I suspect many of the APS buyers simply buy the 1 or 2 lens kit and that is it. I have a number of A mount lenses so I have never really bought any of the E mount lenses, so I am at the other end of the spectrum in having more than enough lenses than I need. Either way, them or me don't provide Sony with a vibrant market especially for lower profit lenses.

Should I buy an A6300 I will consider buying the Sony 10-18 and 18-105 lenses simply because such a kit weighs about the same as a FF 70-200 / 2.8 lens. Otherwise will use my FE lenses.
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by classiccameras »

I read a fantastic comment on one of the DPreview forums, it was another dissatisfied Sony user, I quote: All Sony lenses should be smashed up, buried and all the blue prints burnt. He was clearly unimpressed with the E mount lenses. Love it, may be Sony should read it
classiccameras
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by classiccameras »

I'm still considering getting the LA-EA3 adapter so I can use some A mount lenses but I don't want to defeat the object of going small only to bolt a howitzer on the front.
I think Sonny dropped a big one not having IBIS in the NEX/Alpha E mount cameras, what a stupid oversight.
So far no independent lens manufacturer makes a good zoom (several focal lengths) for the E mount. The best we have at affordable prices are the 3 Sigma primes, all of which out perform Sony equivalents and are cheaper. Olympus and Panasonic M4/3 have got Sony over a barrel with a super lens range from both companies. May be worth waiting a while to see if the A6300 price drops, the 18-105 is a very useful zoom range on an E body.
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Re: trade in the 57 for an A6000

Unread post by peterottaway »

Trolls, disappointed Sony uses or those who simply misunderstood the question ? There seems to be a lack of technical knowledge being displayed on DPR by some very shrill critics. Some of Thom Hogan's recent comments on Nikon management will make for more corrective views.

Yes IBIS and OSS can be useful but are hardly essential in the scheme of things, but certainly appear nice on the zombie press check list. And given the lack of technical not just by newbies it certainly is advisable from a Pr point of view.

I would like a larger APS body preferably A7 in style with IBIS and then could probably retire the last of A mount cameras. And I'm not blind to Sonys failings and I recently bought a refurbished Nikon D750 as I have found it hard to let go of Nikon totally. Pragmatically I should have disposed of all the Nikon glass and moved on. The D750 is a very decent camera and although not to my liking as much as the Fuji X-T 1 in its layout, it is still better than A7 top plate. But as a system it doesn't work for me not only as much as the A7x cameras but also as the A77x cameras which was disappointing. It's not as if I'm simply not familiar with Nikons. But I think any hope that Nikon is prepared to make itself a mirrorless competitor to Sony anytime soon is long dead.

I have a lot of older glass some manual focus and some AF and with the exception of Nikon, have found very good adapters for them all. In addition to my Minolta MD I have a large collection of Contax MM lenses and so I am in no hurry to get caught up with the current missives about Batis vs Loxia let alone Canon zooms.
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