Buy Sony A6000 now on sale, or wait for new model?

[Turtles06]

As I've mentioned on another thread, I'm very close to buying the Sony A6000 (my knees are no longer happy about carrying DSLR gear around all day), but have been reading that Sony is about to release a newer model. I'm wondering whether it makes sense to wait. Obviously, this is hard to decide, not knowing what the new features would be.

 

Here's what we do know. There are good sales going on right now for the A6000. I could get the camera and the two kit lenses (16-50mm and 55-210mm) from B&H for a total of $846.

 

One recent set of unconfirmed rumors about the newer model says it would include this:

 

I wanted to share the rumors I heard about the new A7000 or better A6100 which will not be announced in april, but has been pushed back till may. From what I heard Sony is preparing to kick the established camera producers butt even more than with the A6000

Please be careful I have not personally confirmed them, but according to my source the A7000 is already in manufacturing.

 

Here some basic stuff:

It will be called A6100, not A7000 or A6000M2

24 Megapixel sensor

will going to feature built in image stabilization system

4k video, that is part of the reason it is delayed

XAVC-S video codec

New image processor

 

Price point would be 700$ for the body with a “basic” kit for 900$ and a premium kit with weather sealed Zeiss lens for 1200$. Production of the hardware already has started, it has been held back because of overheating problems with the sensor while in 4k mode. If the Sony engineers don’t find a firmware solution the camera will be released possibly with a limit of only 15min recording of 4k movies or may be limited to Full HD Recording only.

 

http://thenewcamera.com/category/sony-rumors/

 

 

The 4K video is not of great interest to me, but are the other upgrades worth what will likely be a large price differential? (Some rumors say the new camera will be announced this coming week, which might moot this discussion, but who knows?) I'd hate to buy the A6000 now only to find that a significantly better model is released in a month or so.

 

I would certainly appreciate any thoughts and advice anyone can offer about buying now or waiting. Thanks!

[pierces]

There is an outside chance that the replacement for the A6000 will be more of a replacement for the NEX-7 with in-body stabilization like the A7 II. Since my NEX-7 has decided to retire (its idea, not mine), I am hesitating on replacing it with a second A6000 pending more news.

 

The wait is tough because I already have the A6000 and am very pleased with it and the prices for the body and kits are fantastic right now. A lot of money can be saved by following one generation behind the latest tech...;)

 

Hypothetically, if you bought the two lens kit and looked at the kit as $450 worth of lenses with a very inexpensive A6000 body, when the new body comes out, the A6000 could become an incredibly capable (and dirt cheap) second body...

 

As you may have surmised...I rationalize these purchases a lot. :)

 

 

Dave

[chipmaster]

For the most part the trend is smaller, lighter and more power efficient for everything from computers, phones, cameras and even cars for the most part.

 

There is ALWAYS going to be a new model that is better in some small and measurable way.

 

Comes down to if the model that is on sale has what you need / want and you won't regret when the new gee wiz model comes out.

 

THe lower the model in the line the more likely you'll see a new model sooner.

 

 

These days I always buy used, so let someone else suck the initial depreciation be it camera, car, house etc.

 

Sorry, probably no help :D

[havoc315]

There is an outside chance that the replacement for the A6000 will be more of a replacement for the NEX-7 with in-body stabilization like the A7 II. Since my NEX-7 has decided to retire (its idea, not mine), I am hesitating on replacing it with a second A6000 pending more news.

 

The wait is tough because I already have the A6000 and am very pleased with it and the prices for the body and kits are fantastic right now. A lot of money can be saved by following one generation behind the latest tech...;)

 

Hypothetically, if you bought the two lens kit and looked at the kit as $450 worth of lenses with a very inexpensive A6000 body, when the new body comes out, the A6000 could become an incredibly capable (and dirt cheap) second body...

 

As you may have surmised...I rationalize these purchases a lot. :)

 

 

Dave

 

Or re-sell the body only... Clearing at least a few hundred. Then buy the a6100/7000 body only. In the end, might even be cheaper than buying the a7000 with the same 2 lenses.

 

Word of caution... Ibis would likely increase the size of the a6000, noticeably. (Wouldn't become a massive camera but noticeably larger).

[Turtles06]

Thanks everyone for all the thoughts above.

 

Word of caution... Ibis would likely increase the size of the a6000, noticeably. (Wouldn't become a massive camera but noticeably larger).

 

Thanks, this was a concern... An increase in size would indeed be a negative for me. The smaller volume (not just weight) of the a6000 (compared with a DSLR) is a very big plus.

[pierces]

 

Word of caution... Ibis would likely increase the size of the a6000, noticeably. (Wouldn't become a massive camera but noticeably larger).

 

Yup. A real consideration. But they did manage to squeeze 5-axis stabilization of a full-frame sensor into the A7 with an increase of only a centimeter in body thickness. I'd settle for 3-axis and a smaller increase...depending on whether any other improvements justified the increase in volume. The A6000 is already a marvelous camera and it might take a game changer like a generational improvement in the sensor for me to pay new-tech premiums for it's succesor.

 

I wish all my difficult choices had two good answers like this! :)

 

Dave

Edited May 16, 2015 by pierces

[havoc315]

Yup. A real consideration. But they did manage to squeeze 5-axis stabilization of a full-frame sensor into the A7 with an increase of only a centimeter in body thickness. I'd settle for 3-axis and a smaller increase...depending on whether any other improvements justified the increase in volume. The A6000 is already a marvelous camera and it might take a game changer like a generational improvement in the sensor for me to pay new-tech premiums for it's succesor.

 

I wish all my difficult choices had two good answers like this! :)

 

Dave

 

Agreed, it's hard to imagine the a6000 being massively upgraded. I suspect 4k video, which isn't a factor for many people. And ibis, which isn't going to be a big factor if you're already using stabilized lenses.

 

The a7ii is noticeably bigger than the a7... Still not huge but definitely bigger.

[GUT2407]

It doesn't look like a big savings at that price.

 

Can you wait?

 

The A6000 will go lower when the new model hits.

[Turtles06]

In case anyone has been waiting, the latest (May 21) rumor is that the successor to the a6000 has been delayed and won't likely be available outside Japan until July:

 

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/category/rumors/

 

Again, just a rumor...

 

BTW, I pulled the plug over the weekend and my new a6000 just arrived the other day. Little time with work to do much so far, but for anyone else new to this camera, the Sony UK site has a more user-friendly manual than does the USA site:

 

http://download.sony-europe.com/pub/manuals/consumer/ILCE6000_HG_EN.pdf

[havoc315]

If you are really convinced that a new release is absolutely imminent, then it's ok to wait a few days.

But when just dealing with rumors... you can drive yourself crazy. You expect the "new" product to come... then days and weeks and months go by... In the meantime, you missed those days, weeks and months when you could have been enjoying your camera.

 

If the camera you want now, is available now, at a price you like, then you go for it. If there really is a new release days later, you have return options, if the new model is even something you'd want to pay for.

 

Sony is launching a new marketing campaign for the A6000, I believe. It's still a very popular compelling camera. I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't upgraded for another year or more. There are *rumors* of some other E-mount camera coming, but those rumors have been around for months -- First the camera was supposed to come January, then Photokina in February, then April/May, now hearing June/July. EVENTUALLY, the rumors will be "correct"... as eventually the rumor site will guess right! If they keep predicting it every month -- eventually there will be an upgrade and they will be right.

 

If there is something *missing* in a current model, that you think will be fixed in a new model... then wait. But I wouldn't sit back and wait just as a "wait and see" approach. Of course, if you are totally happy with your current gear, then you can wait and see... and never buy anything until you see something that really excites you.

[CruisingSince2012]

What I have found while camera shopping is the new model is not always better than the old one. Sometimes a feature you like is removed. Other times you do not like a feature that was added. Some people say they prefer the older one to the new camera. I also noticed some new cameras are rated lower than the old, discontinued predecessors. (You can still buy a retired model on Amazon.) So it makes absolutely no sense to wait for a new model before it is put in stores and reviewed by several buyers, especially if you still like what you have now.

 

BTW my camera search is far from over. With my Alaska cruise coming up soon I definitely can't wait for the next Sony A-series camera. What do people love in the A6000?

[havoc315]

What I have found while camera shopping is the new model is not always better than the old one. Sometimes a feature you like is removed. Other times you do not like a feature that was added. Some people say they prefer the older one to the new camera. I also noticed some new cameras are rated lower than the old, discontinued predecessors. (You can still buy a retired model on Amazon.) So it makes absolutely no sense to wait for a new model before it is put in stores and reviewed by several buyers, especially if you still like what you have now.

 

BTW my camera search is far from over. With my Alaska cruise coming up soon I definitely can't wait for the next Sony A-series camera. What do people love in the A6000?

 

Image quality that is among the best of any aps-c camera, performance that rivals pro-level dslrs, for $600 in a compact body.

 

For a consumer photographer, the a6000 is the "dslr" I recommend most highly. In its price range, no traditional dslr can match it.

 

The only real drawbacks: limited battery life. And limited selection of premium lenses. But this is a non-issue for a consumer looking to stick with 2-4 fairly basic lenses. (And it does have a few phenomenal lens choices as well).

[Turtles06]

Image quality that is among the best of any aps-c camera, performance that rivals pro-level dslrs, for $600 in a compact body.

 

For a consumer photographer, the a6000 is the "dslr" I recommend most highly. In its price range, no traditional dslr can match it.

 

The only real drawbacks: limited battery life. And limited selection of premium lenses. But this is a non-issue for a consumer looking to stick with 2-4 fairly basic lenses. (And it does have a few phenomenal lens choices as well).

 

Having been playing with my new a6000 for a little over a week now, I also want to add to the above "plus" list that I absolutely love the EVF. It's not just amazingly large, bright, and clear, but it's great to be able to see the camera settings right in the viewfinder, not to mention be able to preview what a change in something like WB will do to the image.

 

I've just taken delivery of the 18-200mm lens (I like having a walking around lens with that range when I'm out all day touring somewhere) and will try it out this weekend.

 

If I were going to Alaska, though (asked by a poster above), I do think I'd want something longer. (And I've been there.)

 

Last night, I compared the "volume" and weight of the a6000 (with the 18-200 lens attached) to my Nikon D5100 with the Nikon 18-200 lens attached. I already knew from the specs that the former set up is about 6 oz lighter (I might be mis-remembering here, give or take a little), but the lesser volume is really noticeable and I think will be a huge plus when traveling. (Weight wise, my Nikon D7000, which I absolutely love, has just gotten too heavy for me when I'm out walking around for the day.)

 

I agree that the battery life of the a6000 is not great (I have really been spoiled by those Nikon batteries!), so you must have some spares, as well as an external charger. And do things like keep the camera in Airplane mode and turn Pre-Auto Focus to Off to save battery life.

 

I think we need a thread on here devoted to a6000 "tips and advice." :)

 

I'm still in the period when I can return this camera and am still evaluating it, but I did want to give my impressions so far.

[pierces]

I agree that the battery life of the a6000 is not great (I have really been spoiled by those Nikon batteries!), so you must have some spares, as well as an external charger. And do things like keep the camera in Airplane mode and turn Pre-Auto Focus to Off to save battery life.

 

I think we need a thread on here devoted to a6000 "tips and advice." :)

 

You will find the battery life improves as you get used to the camera and the obsessive reviewing of images tapers off. :)

 

Here's a tip: Go to Settings (little gear) > Section 1 > Auto Review and set it to off. You can always press the play button to review.

 

Dave

[Turtles06]

You will find the battery life improves as you get used to the camera and the obsessive reviewing of images tapers off. :)

 

Here's a tip: Go to Settings (little gear) > Section 1 > Auto Review and set it to off. You can always press the play button to review.

 

Dave

 

LOL and thanks for that additional tip! :)

[pierces]

LOL and thanks for that additional tip! :)

 

I assume that LOL = guilty?

 

Been there, done that, bought the extra batteries....

 

Dave

[Turtles06]

I assume that LOL = guilty?

 

 

Yes of course!!

 

BTW: I have had one instance so far when shooting of this message suddenly appearing: "camera error. please turn camera off and then on." That did not work, so I took out the battery and that cleared the problem. I've since "googled" this to find that others have gotten this error message as well, and Sony says sometimes you have to re-set the camera settings to default. (User reports say that too, and also that sometimes just taking the battery out, as I did, will do the trick.)

 

I realize there are a lot of electronics in play, but it was a little distressing to have this happen. Obviously, I'll keep shooting and see if the problem recurs, but has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts/advice?