In 2015 I picked up the Sony a6000 from Amazon. It came with the standard kit lens, and with it I also bought the the Sony 10-18mm. Previously, I had been using a Canon T2i and while I didn’t have any major complaints with the T2i (other than being old), I decided to see what all the fuss was about with these new Sony mirrorless cameras.

One thing I really liked about the Canon rebel digital cameras was how small they were compared to full frame cameras. So needless to say, part of what excited me about the Sony a6000 was when I compared it to the T2i, the Canon rebel seemed huge now! The a6000 was much more low key and incognito for me to carry around while on our trips abroad, and they didn’t scream “HEY I’M A TOURIST! ROB ME!”, like bigger bulkier cameras would. Also, the smaller form factor meant there was less weight for me haul around, and that it would be easier for me to pack it in our limited baggage that we carried. There was a lot more than just the smaller size that attracted me to the Sony a6000 though.

Reading and watching all of the great reviews that came rolling in like waves when the Sony a6000 dropped, it was hard to not believe the hype. Comparing it to its competitors at the time, the camera had more megapixels, better autofocus (still?), faster shutter speeds, and wireless transfer connectivity. The only thing that wasn’t up to par with the other cameras in the price range, was the availability of lenses for Sony E Mount. Since the system hadn’t been out too long there wasn’t a ton of options, and the good ones were all quite spendy (see Sony 10-18mm). Other than that it was hard to see any downfalls with the new Sony mirrorless camera.

After shooting with the Sony a6000 for over 3 years now, I’d have to say it’s been an excellent camera without a doubt. While I’ve tried out quite a number of lenses I would have to say the 2 main lenses I’ve used most regularly are the Sony 10-18mm and the Sony 18-105mm. I’ve taken this camera on multi-day backpacking expeditions into the mountains, deserts and beaches. I’ve traveled with it by my side on trips from Southeast Asia all the way to Spain. There’s not a lot that I haven’t done with this camera, and I have very few complaints.

Now to keep my gear reviews honest, I do my best to talk about the pros and cons of any given product, and while I have 100% loved shooting with the Sony a6000 over the past few years, there are a few things worth mentioning. My first problem with the camera is that it doesn’t have a normal microphone jack. This limits you to having to use only Sony microphones or ones that work with the Sony hot shoe adapter, which is a pain in the ass. The other thing that the a6000 does not do, is shoot in 4k. Now, neither of these are a huge deal breaker if only to do photography and don’t want to do video, but if you do want to record video, they can be deal breakers.

To sum it all up, I really loved this camera. Even to this day, if you’re looking for a good starter camera to begin trying photography this would be a super affordable option. That said, if you want to film video I would probably suggest spending a little more and getting a newer version in the alpha series like Sony a6300 or a 6500 that have regular mic jacks and 4k capabilities. That’s all I got, thanks for reading yall!