Video: A quick look at the Sony a6300

It is a bigger upgrade than many other camera models but whether it is worth it for you personally is entirely dependent on what you consider weaknesses on the A6000. Personally I found it too noisy for street shooting so the A6300 option for silent shooting is a major plus. It also sounds like it could be a better action camera and may even sway a few OVF fans but that remains to be seen. Battery life is apparently a bit longer too..

That's what I"m curious about too... I love my a6000 but the lack of lenses remains an issue.. just bought a 40-150 2.8 Pro and em5 body and boy oh boy... that a combo!

It lacks a wired remote. Sony is famous for adding this but taking away that. Also missing is a PC flash terminal. A shutter speed dial on the top would be great. A BSI sensor and IBIS would also be great along with a touch screen. Oh, and a real OVF ( hybrid) would be the icing on the cake. Sony just doesn't read these posts.

After purchasing the Sony a6000, and two prime lenses: I switch to Olympus OM-D E-M10 II. The main reasons are the outstanding line of lenses, and interchangeability between Olympus and Panasonic. Plus the price, and a large reason is the built-in 5-Axis image stabilization for sharper images

I totally agree with you! Just another hype supported by nothing

If you ignore the new sensor, new autofocus, improved EVF, and fast burst rates with live view ,you have a good point.

Yeah, just ignore the stronger magnesium body, better AF system, new sensor, better EVF, silent shooting mode, etc! Sheesh.

But the A6000 is a great buy. For those who don't want or need what the A6300 offers, just get an A6000. Great camera for $500.

" A6000 has been on sale for $400 recently"

Often when a new camera version is announced, the about-to-be-obsoleted camera is sold at substantial discount for a short time as the retailers empty their inventory (B&W). Sony increments cameras pretty frequently and getting one of the slightly older models can be a real bargain.

The 70-200 does have IS, but as Sony says, it works best when the camera has built-in IS too. The A6300 lacks that.
But with a probable MSRP of around $3000, this lens is not for A6300 owners anyway.

its filmed from the evf/display, of course it does look bad.

That was recorded using a phone camera held up to the eyepiece - the blown-out sections are a result of the phone's metering getting confused by the blackout between shots.

We'll shoot something better as soon as we get a camera but this is the best we could improvise during the available time, I'm afraid.

So it is a GoPro?

And does it have weather sealing? That would be a no sale as well.

It's not an "action camera", it's sony top of the line APS-C mirrorless. Most of these will not be purchased solely for action but as a jack of all trades (ref, look at the dpreview forums and see how many action A6000 picts there are versus everything else).

it does have weather sealing

" Aesthetically, the new α6300 camera features an extremely solid feel in hand thanks to its robust, magnesium alloy design. It can be customized to fit nearly any shooting style or preferences, with 9 customizable buttons that one of 64 different functions can be assigned to. The camera adds a digital level gauge as well as upgraded dust and moisture resistance "

So not weather sealed. It's also not top op the line. The D500 is a top of the line APS-C camera made for pro's. This one is clearly not

It's not weather sealed. Sony admits as much in a footnote to the press release. Just like the A7 cameras, there are no seals (rubber gaskets) like you'd find in say a Canon 7D II, Nikon D500, Pentax K-3 or Olympus E-M5, which are all splash proof bodies. That's why Sony uses the expression "dust and moisture resistance", and state explicitly (in the footnote) that the A6300 isn't splashproof or waterproof. It's made to keep moisture and dust out, but there's no guarantee that it will survive rain or a blizzard.

@ Revenant:
False, it does have seals, as also higlighted on the website.

"sealed buttons/dials and double-layered interlocking components prevent entry and moisture, for reliable operation under tough conditions".
And then there's a schematic visualization of all the seals:
http://sonyglobal.scene7.com/is/image/gwtprod/555afbafb0c3fa416623282ad4bd22c4?fmt=jpeg&wid=280&qlt=85

"Only the physical shutter still reminds of a real camera."

Because a camera isn't a real camera unless it has a touchscreen and IBIS?

One of those "it doesnt need" argument...just ridiculous.

what if you want to shoot at 1/30, no tripod...oh yeah, who "needs" this and that...

sheesh louise

if you think changing a battery is hasell ....it a good job you never had a film camera

Come on dave, Film days are gone history done for.

It's a nuisance one i am willing to take but still.
Not just carrying a second or 3rd battery(considering size i don't give a damn. But making sure i have them charged that's the bigger issue. Especially when you can only charge one at a time.

Mine is fine and I appreciate it is there - was good to blocking the bright light when on the ski slopes...

The eyecup is there (aside from sheltering view from ambient light) so that when it falls off you know you're beating your camera a bit to hard.... ;-)

I've grown to love the touch screen on my EOS-M. When I switch to my A6000 I especially miss:

Choosing a focus point for stills and video. All of the A6000 hacks (zone focus, poor (in low light) AF tracking) don't make up for me being able to rapidly touch and command the camera to focus on a specific point.

Touch to snap or whatever it's called. Your touch does not just select the focus point, it selects the focus point and snaps the shutter. Not a second lost and great for chasing kids around or any other action. An added bonus is you hand it to a stranger to take your picture, tell them it's just like a smart phone and actually get a decent picture exposed on your face in return.

Thanks ZeneticX, missed it.

I'll repeat my comment from above:

"It's not weather sealed. Sony admits as much in a footnote to the press release. Just like the A7 cameras, there are no seals (rubber gaskets) like you'd find in say a Canon 7D II, Nikon D500, Pentax K-3 or Olympus E-M5, which are all splash proof bodies. That's why Sony uses the expression "dust and moisture resistance", and state explicitly (in the footnote) that the A6300 isn't splashproof or waterproof. It's made to keep moisture and dust out, but there's no guarantee that it will survive rain or a blizzard."

Thanks for the clarification Revenant, appreciated.

@ Revenant:
And I'll repeat that your statements regarding the lack of seals are false. Not just because they aren't supported factually (other than the assumption based on the excerpt you mention, which does NOT state there are no seals). It's false because Sony specifically states it DOES have seals:
"sealed buttons/dials and double-layered interlocking components prevent entry and moisture, for reliable operation under tough conditions".
And then there's a schematic visualization of all the seals:
http://sonyglobal.scene7.com/is/image/gwtprod/555afbafb0c3fa416623282ad4bd22c4?fmt=jpeg&wid=280&qlt=85

Not everybody shoots under extreme conditions. Most people actually don't . Sony cameras don't really breaks down easily. I have/had 5 different Sony bodies total, none of them have broken down in my hands.

@m27x4 - the Sony is an "advanced P&S"? Seriously? The A6300 packs a considerable amount of power and performance. Also, not everyone shoots in extreme conditions. In fact, the overwhelming majority of photographers will never shoot in extreme conditions. Why buy a Range Rover off-road vehicle if you never venture off of paved roads?

I`d get both..

As an A6000 owner I have to laugh at your dilema. Point and Shoot on steroids or pro DSLR? It should be an easy choice.....

Actually wouldn't Sony be flattered?

The a6300 is $1000
The Nikon $2000

Can you imagine someone saying the same thing for any other industry? Nobody has a hard time deciding between a $25,000 Toyota Camry and a $50,000 Lexus. Different market segments.

Both the nikon and Sony are spectacular releases - as is the fujifilm xpro2 and Olympus offerings.. All these Japanese companies fighting for your dollars is fantastic.

No worries for me, if I'm getting wet or sandblasted I won't let my camera suffer along with me....

BarnET

Style without substance?
How comes?
Pen-F has a high res. viewfinder, has a lot of direct manual controls, even a two-dial interface, touch screen, IBIS, 20Mpx (which is an improvement over the past m4/3 offerings)...
The design & style may not be to your liking - and that's perfectly fine.... but calling it style without substance?

aside from a better AF, and less blackout in between of shots.,.. the a6300 still has a mediocre operators interface (ergonomics), still has no touchscreen, still has no ibis,...

The pen-F isn't a sub 1000 dollar camera.
Not a lot of mirrorless lack EVF's below 1 grand. And all mirrorless above 1 grand have significantly larger EVF's.

Gx-8 EM-1 EM-5II and XT-1 for instance. They are also all weathersealed.

My NEX-5N.

I wonder if SONY are treating the touchscreen and EVF as mutually exclusive. For one, without a toggle to disable the touchscreen's function, the shooter would always be pressing buttons with his/her nose.

That's why there is proximity sensor that disable touchscreen when you raise camera to your eye!

Clearly Panasonic knows something that Sony doesn't.

The a5100 has a touchscreen since it has so few hard controls on the camera body and is geared more to newbies. There was a touchscreen on my old NEX-5n and I turned it off since every time I moved the LCD I changed the focal point, or some other function. Personally, I like touchscreens on Smartphones, tablets, etc., but not on real cameras...

what is the dying industry??? And Why? Are you referring to DSRL?

It's not quite dying yet, just coughing and wheezing a bit, maybe a little shaky in the knees.
The attending physicians are doing everything in their power ...

I think with the influx of crappy smartphone pics out on the net, those of us with the passion for REAL proper photography are reaping the rewards of true talent and effort. Nothing against smartphone cameras, but IMO... I am glad that everyone "just uses their phone" for most photography. Just makes "our" pictures stand out more! I will get this camera. I have hesitated on jumping into the 4k world, this might be the bridge to start it for me anyways. I do own 2 Sony RX line of cameras. I love em.

Guess I should of said suposidly dying!
I'm quite frankly amazed at the current offerings.
Couldn't have asked for a better time to retire as an amateur photographer! It will just get better IMO.

Keep on waiting, I don't think there is a single camera that met all your requirement

@Thematic Not even close. Mirrorless enthusiast bodies alone and a D4s thrown in for fun does not compare to 7D.2, D7200, K3, etc...
I for one would love to see a well-done true sports shootout (one that puts CS's amateu- hour video in its place).

"By Thematic (10 hours ago)
https://youtu.be/up8K_xd_iwU

Already done last year..... A6000 second only to Nikon D4s."

How is indoor sports equal to outdoor motorcross racing? My A6000 totally sucks at basketball. I call it "sunny day PDAF" because in anything but splendid lighting the auto tracking falls on it's face; almost useless for indoor sports.

Not sure the two are comparable. Completely different sensor sizes, and one weighted toward high fps shooting with (probably) class-leading AF (for mirrorless, that is), and live view with minimal blackout for following action at high (8 fps) frame rates.

And the differences definitely don't end there. Panasonic has much nicer ergonomics IIRC. Very different cameras.

Ok, agree but the panasonic has the 12-40 2.8 lens with oss and its much cheaper (600€) than comparable sony lenses, which actually doesnt exist besides the 16-70mm which has only f4 and bad reviews and the full frame lenses like the 16-35f4 which are very expensive and bulky compared to the 12-40mm.

Well on the 12-40/2.8 and potentially other m43 lenses that Sony APSC E mount lacks equivalent to, Sony tackles this with the LA-EA3 + A mount lenses. You can use the Sony 16-50/2.8 with the EA3. How fast is the AF and tracking is yet to be tested but definitely faster than on the A6000 at least from what they claim. Size and weight with the EA3 combo is fully arguable when compared to m43 but again we are comparing different sensor sizes, there are compromises.

People aren't going to use the adapter. Nobody wants to do that. A very small minority of people will.

Sony does need to work on the lens lineup- but they are riding the full frame momentum of FE right now, as they should.

Not sure about that, but we're already seeing apparently endless comments from people that don't understand how technology journalism works.

A few weeks ago it was Nikon. Then it was Fujifilm. Now it's Sony. Kind of interesting how the 'endless articles' seem to coincide with product launches. Possibly a correlation? Me thinks yes.

I remember 10 years ago when all (99.9%) comments here were polite and respectful. What happened?

With 8 fps shooting with live view and very minimal blackouts as shown in our video here, the a6300 introduces technology that looks poised to break down one of the last remaining strongholds of DSLR.

How's that for hyperbole?

Wait, is it hyperbole?

@DaveClark: that's because we didn't have comments then :)

A humble request about the impending hyperbole. Could we have a moratorium on "game changer" and "something-killer."

I think it's hyperbole, I didn't think there were any remaining strongholds left lol. Seriously though, blackout for high FPS isn't on everybody's list of must fixes. On the other hand, only offering one dial and no sealing, no touch screen, no IBIS, is a step backwards at this price, especially considering the added cost if you want to avoid the bad lenses. E mount has good glass but it aint cheap.

Something tells me we are going to see endless articles about cameras here.../

I am intrigued how the staff does not hesitate to partake in the snark. In fact, they lead it, and set a cultural standard for the comments here.

I won't attempt to evaluate whether that is vice or virtue, because if I condemn snark I will be a hypocrite. But it's noticeably different from other corporate cultures (aside from those that go out of their way to brand themselves with snark).