Sony A6000 Comparison Review

The Sony Alpha A6000 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in February 2014 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Sony A6000 a good camera? The A6000 has a Camera Elo of 2101. This rating puts the A6000 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the A6000 ranks among the top 40 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Sony A6000 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony A6000 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)		Street Price
1.		Sony A6000	120 mm	67 mm	45 mm	344 g	360	n	Feb 2014	599
2.		Canon M3	111 mm	68 mm	44 mm	366 g	250	n	Feb 2015	679
3.		Canon G7 X	103 mm	60 mm	40 mm	304 g	210	n	Sep 2014	699
4.		Sony A6300	120 mm	67 mm	49 mm	404 g	400	Y	Feb 2016	999
5.		Sony RX100 IV	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	298 g	280	n	Jun 2015	999
6.		Sony A5000	110 mm	63 mm	36 mm	269 g	420	n	Jan 2014	449
7.		Sony A5100	110 mm	63 mm	36 mm	283 g	400	n	Aug 2014	549
8.		Sony A3000	128 mm	91 mm	85 mm	411 g	470	n	Aug 2013	329
9.		Sony NEX-3N	110 mm	62 mm	35 mm	269 g	480	n	Feb 2013	499
10.		Sony NEX-5T	111 mm	59 mm	39 mm	276 g	330	n	Aug 2013	699
11.		Sony NEX-6	120 mm	67 mm	43 mm	345 g	360	n	Sep 2012	999
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony A6000 was launched in the US market at a price of $599. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony A6000 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony A6000 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports		DXO Overall
1.		Sony A6000	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.1	13.1	1347		82
2.		Canon M3	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.8	11.8	1169		72
3.		Canon G7 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	23.0	12.7	556		71
4.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437		85
5.		Sony RX100 IV	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.6	591		70
6.		Sony A5000	APS-C	19.8	5456	3632	1080/60i	23.8	13.0	1089		79
7.		Sony A5100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.8	12.7	1347		80
8.		Sony A3000	APS-C	19.8	5456	3632	1080/60i	23.7	12.8	1068		78
9.		Sony NEX-3N	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60i	22.8	12.5	1067		74
10.		Sony NEX-5T	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60p	23.6	13.0	1015		78
11.		Sony NEX-6	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60i	23.7	13.1	1018		78

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The A6000 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the A6000 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the A6000 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 1440k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Sony A6000 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Size (inch)	LCD Resolution (000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Sony A6000	1440	n	3.0	922	tilting	n	1/4000s	11.0	Y	n
2.		Canon M3	optional	n	3.0	1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	4.2	Y	n
3.		Canon G7 X	none	n	3.0	1040	tilting	Y	1/2000s	6.5	Y	Y
4.		Sony A6300	2359	n	3.0	922	tilting	n	1/4000s	11.0	Y	n
5.		Sony RX100 IV	2359	n	3.0	1228	tilting	n	1/2000s	16.0	Y	Y
6.		Sony A5000	none	n	3.0	461	tilting	n	1/4000s	3.5	Y	n
7.		Sony A5100	none	n	3.0	922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
8.		Sony A3000	202	n	3.0	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.5	Y	n
9.		Sony NEX-3N	optional	n	3.0	460	tilting	n	1/4000s	4.0	Y	n
10.		Sony NEX-5T	optional	n	3.0	922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	10.0	n	n
11.		Sony NEX-6	2359	n	3.0	921	tilting	n	1/4000s	10.0	Y	n

One convenient feature of the A6000 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Alpha A6000 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Microphone	Internal Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Sony A6000	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
2.		Canon M3	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Canon G7 X	-	stereo	mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
4.		Sony A6300	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Sony RX100 IV	-	stereo	mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Sony A5000	-	stereo	mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
7.		Sony A5100	-	stereo	mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Sony A3000	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Sony NEX-3N	-	stereo	mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Sony NEX-5T	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Sony NEX-6	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-

It is notable that the A6000 offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the A6000 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)			Street Price
1.		Sony A6000	5/5	+	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	599
2.		Canon M3	4/5	o	75/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2015	679
3.		Canon G7 X	4/5	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	699
4.		Sony A6300	4.5/5	+	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2016	999
5.		Sony RX100 IV	4.5/5	+ +	85/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	999
6.		Sony A5000	3/5	+	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2014	449
7.		Sony A5100	4.5/5	+	..	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2014	549
8.		Sony A3000	3/5	+	..	4/5	4/5	Aug 2013	329
9.		Sony NEX-3N	3/5	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	499
10.		Sony NEX-5T	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2013	699
11.		Sony NEX-6	5/5	+ +	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	999
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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