The Sony a6000 is one of the most successful, if not the most successful mirrorless camera to ever have been released. Despite being announced five years ago, Sony has kept the a6000 on the market and progressively decreased its price. As a result, the camera remains a tempting offer today for those just starting to experiment with photography, or those who want a second inexpensive body in their bag.
In this article, we’ve put together the most popular questions about the a6000 and included some tips and tricks that we hope you will find useful. And if you have any additional queries, don’t hesitate to leave a comment at the bottom of this post!
Ethics statement: we tested the a6000 in 2014 and compared it against the a6300 in 2015. We were not asked to write anything about this product, nor were we provided with any sort of compensation. Within the article, there are affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When was the Sony a6000 released?
Should I buy an a6000 in 2019?
Is the Sony a6000 a mirrorless camera?
Is the Sony a6000 a full frame camera?
Mount and lenses
Which mount the Sony a6000 has?
What is the Sony a6000 kit lens?
Can the Sony a6000 use a-mount lenses?
Can I use Canon or Nikon lenses on the Sony a6000?
Can the Sony a6000 use full frame lenses?
General info
What’s in the Sony a6000 box?
Is the Sony a6000 weather sealed?
Does the Sony a6000 shoot RAW files?
Does the Sony a6000 have a touch screen?
Does the Sony a6000 have Wifi capabilities?
Does the Sony a6000 have a silent shutter?
Does the Sony a6000 have image stabilisation (ibis)
What is the AEL button / function on my Sony a6000?
Does the Sony a6000 have a built-in flash?
Video
Is the Sony a6000 good for video?
Does the Sony a6000 shoot 4K video?
Does the Sony a6000 have S-Log profiles?
Can the Sony a6000 shoot 120fps slow motion video?
Does the Sony a6000 have a mic input?
What is the zebra setting on the Sony a6000?
I can’t find my video files shot with the Sony a6000. Where are they?
Focus
Does the Sony a6000 have Eye AF?
Does the Sony a6000 have focus peaking?
Card, Battery and firmware
Which SD memory card should I buy for my Sony a6000?
How to charge the Sony a6000?
How to update the Sony a6000 firmware?
When was the Sony a6000 released?
The Sony a6000 was announced in February 2014 and released in the April of the same year. It is the successor of the Sony Nex-6 and brought a change to the naming of the series: Sony dropped the “Nex” label and adopted the A6XXX nomenclature instead.
Should I buy an a6000 in 2019?
Yes. The a6000 is still worth buying in 2019 if you’re looking for a quality solution on a budget. The camera has been a best-seller for many years and can been found for under $500 with the kit lens, making it one of the most affordable mirrorless cameras on the market. You’ll often find it bundled with two lenses, a memory card and other accessories for a very reasonable price.
Check price of the Sony a6000 on:
Amazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay
The a6000 is an excellent choice for beginners who want to learn the basics. Granted, it is more than five years old now so it doesn’t have the latest technology and its menu system is quite confusing, but it still produces excellent images and has a good autofocus system. For these reasons, despite its age, the Sony a6000 is a good choice for photography.
Is the Sony a6000 a mirrorless camera?
Yes. The Sony a6000 is a mirrorless camera. It lacks the flipping mirror found inside DSLRs and relies on an electronic viewfinder instead of an optical VF. This design solution allows the distance between the lens and the sensor (flange distance) to be much shorter. The a6000 is part of Sony’s mirrorless family which includes several models in the a5xxx, a6xxx, A7 and A9 range. The series was born in 2010 with the Nex-3.
Is the Sony a6000 a full frame camera?
No. The a6000 is not a full frame camera. It has an APS-C sensor, which is also referred to as a crop sensor, although this isn’t my favourite definition as it is a bit misleading. APS-C sensors have a dimension of approximately 23.6 x 15.6mm, which is 2.3x smaller than 35mm format (35.9 x 24mm). That said, APS-C remains larger than other sensors such as micro four thirds.
Which mount does the Sony a6000 have?
The a6000 uses the E-mount, which is Sony’s mirrorless mount. It has a diameter of 46mm and flange distance (mount to sensor) of 18mm. The E-mount is used by Sony for its APS-C and full frame mirrorless cameras as well as several professional camcorders.
What is the Sony a6000 kit lens?
The official Sony a6000 kit lens is the E 16-50mm f/3.5/5.6 OSS. It is a compact “pancake style” zoom with a decent range (24-75mm equivalent), optical stabilisation and a power zoom mechanism. Zooming can be controlled electronically which is ideal when recording video. The optical quality is decent to start with but sharpness is not the best, especially at close focus distances. A bundle with the 16-50mm and E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS telephoto zoom lens is also available.
The Sony a6000 will not recognise the lens: if this is happening on your camera, try unmounting and re-mounting the lens, and make sure that the electronic contacts on the back of the lens are clean. When attaching the lens, rotate it until you hear a small click. This indicates that the lens is correctly mounted. (You’ll know also because you won’t be able to rotate it any further.)
Can the Sony a6000 use A-mount lenses?
Yes. The Sony a6000 can use A-mount lenses but you will need an adapter. Sony’s A-mount lenses have a different bayonet than E-mount lenses so they can’t be attached directly. Furthermore, A-mount lenses are designed for Sony’s DSLR and DSLT cameras which have a longer flange distance (sensor to mount) than mirrorless cameras. The adapter re-establishes the distance needed for the lens to focus correctly.
Sony has two adapters, the LA-EA3 and LA-EA4. The latter has a separate AF sensor inside but is more expensive. Keep in mind that despite having phase detection AF points, the a6000 is not designed to focus quickly with adapted lenses. Furthermore, its compact and lightweight design doesn’t really suit large and heavy DSLR lenses.
Can I use Canon or Nikon lenses on the Sony a6000?
Yes. You can use Canon and Nikon DLSR lenses on the Sony a6000 but you need an adapter, just as with A-mount lenses. The same reasoning that I wrote above applies here as well (flange distance). You can find many Canon EF to Sony E-mount or Nikon F to Sony E-mount adapters but don’t expect great autofocus performance. Note that you can’t adapt new lenses designed for Canon and Nikon mirrorless systems. Nikkor Z, Canon EF-M and RF lenses won’t work on the a6000.
Some adapters are manual focus only which can be a problem because many Canon and Nikon DSLR lenses don’t have an aperture ring, so you need to find an adapter that can let you control these settings electronically (the adapter must have electronic contacts on the mount). Again my opinion is that it is not really worth it, unless you’re planning to adapt older manual focus SLR lenses such as Canon FD glass or old Nikon lenses.
Can the Sony a6000 use full frame lenses?
Yes. You can use Sony E-mount full frame lenses on the a6000 in addition to the ones designed for APS-C. With full frame lenses, the original angle of view of the lens will change when mounted on your A6000. For example the FE 55mm 1.8 ZA produced for the A7 series will give you the same angle of view of a 82.5mm lens which means that the field of view of your scene will be narrower. You can also use full frame DSLR lenses via an adapter (see paragraph above).
What’s in the Sony a6000 box?
The Sony a6000 comes with the following items in the box:
- camera
- mount cap (attached to the camera)
- NP-FW50 rechargeable battery
- eye cup (might be already attached to the viewfinder)
- shoulder strap
- micro USB cable
- AC adapter AC-UB10 and mains lead
- warranty (duration can vary from country to country)
- instruction manual and Wifi/NFC guide
- lenses (if you bought the a6000 with one or two kit lenses that come bundled with the camera)
A separate battery charger is not supplied. You can connect the camera to the wall with the provided AC adapter, or charge it via USB. If you’re planning on buying multiple batteries and a charger, check out our recommended accessory list.
Is the Sony a6000 weather sealed?
No. The Sony a6000 is not weatherproof. The body features metal and polycarbonate plastic parts with a smooth paint finish. It comes in black, silver or graphite silver and the mount is made of metal. A few small drops of rain should not harm your camera, but the lack of protection against moisture and dust means you should be careful when the weather conditions aren’t ideal. If you’re wondering where the Sony a6000 is made, the answer is Thailand.
Does the Sony a6000 shoot RAW files?
Yes. The a6000 can shoot RAW files at 12-bit. The Sony RAW files have the .arw extension and can be opened with most editing software programs. You can also choose to record with RAW and JPG at the same time or solely in JPG format.
Does the Sony a6000 have a touch screen?
No. The a6000 doesn’t have a touch screen. It has a rear LCD with 921k dots of resolution but unfortunately no touch sensitivity.
Does the Sony a6000 have WiFi capabilities?
Yes. The a6000 has WiFi capabilities. You can connect the camera to your mobile device (smartphone or tablet), transfer JPG images or remotely control the camera. You need to install the Imaging Edge Mobile app which is available for iOS and Android. Also note that to use some functionalities, you’ll need to download some app onto your camera from the PlayMemories store.
Another method is to use NFC (Near Field Communication). You can launch the connection by simply tapping your device to the a6000. If you’re wondering where the NFC on the Sony a6000 is, it is located on the right side on the grip. There you should spot the little engraved N logo.
Does the Sony a6000 have a silent shutter?
No. The Sony a6000 doesn’t have a silent shutter because it doesn’t have an electronic shutter mode. It does have the electronic first curtain shutter, where the camera uses the electronic mode when starting the exposure and the mechanical curtain when stopping the exposure. It is useful to reduce blur when taking pictures at slow shutter speeds, but it is not silent.
Does the Sony a6000 have image stabilisation (IBIS)?
No. The Sony a6000 doesn’t have image stabilisation, otherwise known as IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilisation). You can gain access to stabilisation when using a lens with OSS (optical stabilisation, or optical Steadyshot as Sony calls it). Most zoom lenses and a few prime lenses feature OSS, including the kit lens.
Likewise, the Sony a6000 doesn’t have video stabilisation. Once again you can rely on OSS lenses or external support such as gimbals.
What is the AEL button / function on my Sony a6000?
The AEL button on the Sony a6000 allows you to lock the exposure while composing your photograph.
For example, if you’re taking the picture of a friend and the sun is behind him, you’re in a high contrast situation because the sun behind your friend is brighter than his face. Using an automatic or semi automatic shooting mode (Auto / P / A / S), you can move the camera while it meters (measures the exposure) until you find the right brightness on your friend’s face. Then by pressing the AEL button, you can lock the exposure and make sure it doesn’t change if you move the camera again.
When the exposure is locked, a * symbol will appear on the screen. You must press and hold the AEL button to maintain the exposure lock. If you release the button, the exposure will reset.
AEL Lock can be assigned to a button other than AEL (Menu / Custom Settings / Custom Key Settings). If you set Menu / Custom Settings / AEL w/shutter to On, the camera will lock the exposure when you half press the shutter button.
Does the Sony a6000 have a built-in flash?
Yes. The a6000 has a built-in flash that pops up from the top of the camera when you press the dedicated button on the rear. Once it is out, the camera automatically enables the flash. The built-in flash is not very powerful so make sure you are close enough to your subject.
Is the Sony a6000 good for video?
Yes. The Sony a6000 is capable of delivering good video quality with sharp footage in Full HD (1080p) and good high ISO performance. With firmware 2.0, you can use the XAVC S codec which records at a higher bitrate than AVCHD (50Mbps vs 28Mbps). It is a good camera if you’re just starting out and are on a tight budget. It will give you good results for family videos or other simple movies. The a6000 is also good for YouTube uploads.
You will find different settings in the menu. To start recording video, you can switch to the movie mode with the dial on top and press the dedicated movie button located on the right edge of the thumb grip. You can also a start video recording at any moment (regardless of the shooting mode selected) by pressing the same button, but be aware that the camera may not use all the settings selected while in movie mode.
Does the Sony a6000 shoot 4K video
No. The a6000 does not shoot 4K video. It came out at a time when none of Sony’s mirrorless cameras had 4K capabilities yet. In the a6XXX series, all the other models can record 4K movies including the a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500 and a6600.
Does the Sony a6000 have S-Log profiles?
No. The Sony doesn’t have any Log curves nor does it have the Picture Profiles, Sony’s advanced settings for video. You have to rely on the Creative Styles which are the same profiles designed for still shooting.
Log profiles allow you to record video footage with a wider dynamic range and have more control when colour grading in post production. Later models such as the A6300 and A6400 can record with this setting.
Can the Sony a6000 shoot 120fps slow motion video?
No. The a6000 can’t record 120fps slow-motion video. The maximum frame rate available is 60p. If you conform it to 24p, you get a 2.5x slow result which is better than nothing. However you’ll have to do this on your computer using a video editing software because the a6000 cannot do slow-motion in camera.
Does the Sony a6000 have a mic input?
No. The Sony a6000 doesn’t have a mic input in the form of a traditional 3.5mm jack analog input. The camera can record sound with the built-in stereo microphone which is better than nothing but won’t give you high quality results, nor will it be able to properly separate someone’s voice from the noise in the background.
However if you really want to add a microphone, you can look for Sony microphones that are compatible with the Multi-Interface shoe on top of the camera such as the Sony XYST1M. With this solution, you won’t need a mic input because the microphone will transmit sound to the camera via the electronic contacts of the shoe.
What is the zebra setting on the Sony a6000?
The zebra setting on the a6000 is a tool that helps you control the exposure of your image. It can be viewed on the LCD screen or electronic viewfinder.
When activated, a zebra-like pattern appears on the monitor in the zones of your frame that are overexposed or close to overexposure (too bright). The zebra setting can be adjusted so that more or less of the pattern appears on the screen for the various levels of brightness.
I can’t find the video files shot with the Sony a6000. Where are they?
The a6000 can record in two video formats: AVCHD and XAVC S. When you look inside the SD card connected to your computer, you may wonder where are your videos files stored because they are not visible at the root of the memory card. Don’t worry, they are there – they are just hidden in some directories.
With AVCHD, you’ll find the files in a folder called AVCHD inside the private folder that you can see when opening the card’s content on your computer. The actual video files have the .mts extension and are found in the following directory: private / AVCHD / BDMW / STREAM.
You may find that the AVCHD folder is interpreted as a video file by your computer system (at least it does on a Mac). If you double click on it, you should be able to see all your clips. When you transfer the data from your memory card, make sure to copy the entire AVCHD folder to avoid any issues with your video software. If you import the video footage from the card using an editing program, it should recognise the AVCHD format right away.
The files recorded in XAVC S are found in private / M4ROOT / CLIP. They end with the .mp4 extension. Each file is accompanied by an XML file with the same name but you don’t need to copy these as well (I never do and never had a problem).
Does the Sony a6000 have Eye AF?
Yes. The a6000 has Eye AF. It only works in Single AF, not with continuous AF. It can detect eyes on people’s faces but it doesn’t work with animals. It is one of Sony’s first integrations of eye detection technology and although it is not as fast or reliable as that of the latest E-mount cameras, you will get decent results.
Does the Sony a6000 have focus peaking?
Yes. The a6000 has focus peaking. You can choose between three levels of intensity (High, Mid or Low) and three colours: white, red or yellow.
If you want to know how to manual focus on the a6000, first make sure to switch the AF mode to MF (Manual Focus). Then simply turn the focus ring until you see the coloured outline of the zone you want in focus.
Another method that I personally find more reliable is focus magnification. To activate it, you can either assign it to a custom button (the default one is the centre button of the rear control wheel), or have it activate automatically when turning the focus ring of your lens (Menu / Custom Settings / MF Assist to On). Note that the latter won’t work with manual focus lenses that lack electronic contacts.
Which SD memory card should I buy for my Sony a6000?
The Sony a6000 uses SD (Secure Digital) memory cards with the UHS-I protocol. My favourite brand is Sandisk simply because their cards are the ones I’ve used the most over the past ten years and I’ve never had a single problem with them. For stills, a Sandisk Extreme (yellow) or Extreme Pro (black) 32GB is relatively inexpensive, will give you plenty of space and all the speed that you need.
Reminder: the links below are affiliate links. If you decided to buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission.
Check price of the Sandisk 32GB Extreme SD card on:
Amazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay
If you’re recording video using the XAVC S codec, Sony recommends a SDXC card with Class 10. SDXC starts from 64GB and the Extreme Pro version from Sandisk does the job just fine. I still have mine after many years and often use it with 4K capable cameras too.
Reminder: the links below are affiliate links. If you decided to buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission.
Check price of the Sandisk 64GB Extreme Pro SD card on:
Amazon | Amazon UK | B&H Photo | eBay
How to charge the Sony a6000
The a6000 battery is the NP-FW50. To charge it, you connect the power cord (mains lead), the AC adapter and the Micro USB cable to the camera. Make sure to turn the a6000 off or the battery will not charge. Alternatively, the a6000 can be charged via USB by a portable power bank or you computer.
If the a6000 will not charge, the possible causes are as follows:
- The camera is turned on. Turn it off.
- Try removing and re-inserting the battery, make sure the battery connectors are clean.
- The temperature is too high (don’t leave it near a window or any place where the sun might hit the camera directly).
- If you’re charging the camera via a laptop, don’t restart or put the laptop to sleep.
- If the charging lamp keeps flashing, the battery might be faulty.
How to update the Sony a6000 firmware
To update the Sony a6000 firmware, you need to go onto the Sony Support website. From there, go to:
- Cameras and Camcorders
- Digital Cameras
- Interchangeable Lens-Cameras
- E-mount body
- ILCE-6000 series
- and finally ILCE-6000.
There you’ll see a Download section where you’ll find the latest firmware available. Select the right version (Windows or Mac) and follow the instructions carefully. You’ll have to download a file to your computer, connect the camera to your computer and run the file to update the firmware.
If you can’t update the a6000 firmware, make sure to check all the steps again, make sure that the battery is fully charged and that Mass Storage is selected in the Setup Menu for USB connection.
