Sony has finally revealed the long-awaited follow-up to its mega-popular A6000 mirrorless camera, the new Sony Alpha A6300 (MSRP $999 body-only). The A6000 scored points with users thanks to its combination of small size, big performance, and affordable price. While Sony has billed the A6300 as the successor to the A6000, we think it's more like a big brother–largely due to the improved performance and, subsequently, the inflated price.
Even with the price increase, the A6300 doesn't shortchange users on performance, as it's simply one of the best mirrorless cameras we've tested to date. But as a result it's competing with much more expensive cameras than the A6000 ever did. While it might not replicate exactly what made the A6000 great, it's so good it'll likely pave its own road to success.
Compared to some of its peers, the A6300 is rather simple in terms of design—I suppose my biggest complaint about it is that it simply lacks character. However, Sony did a great job in almost every other respect. That includes the beautiful 2.4 million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF), which comes in handy on bright, sunny days.
The A6300 performs well in an impressive range of lighting conditions thanks to sensitivity that goes up to ISO 51,200. That said, images are a bit noisy if you're not using any noise reduction settings, so I recommend setting it to "low" if you plan on shooting above ISO 1,600.
Sony says that it has once again set the bar for autofocusing speed, claiming that the A6300 takes just 0.05 seconds to focus. That’s pretty much unnoticeable in a real life situation, but credit should be given where it's due.
The fast focusing speed pairs well with the camera’s improved burst rate. It still tops out at 11 fps (even with both continuous autofocus and exposure tracking), but the mid-range burst setting has been raised from 6 to 8 fps.
Another area where the A6300 really shines is video. The 4K video produced by this camera is absolutely stellar—sharper than most 4K footage I've tested to date, even with the included kit lens. Video shooters will also be glad to hear that the A6300 finally includes a mic jack, which was a notable omission on the A6000.
Speaking of the kit lens, it’s probably my biggest gripe with the A6300. I'm not a fan of power-zoom lenses for a number or reasons, but the biggest issue here is that it just isn't that sharp. It will get the job done in most situations, but Sony has plenty of better glass that will give you better results.
It's clear that the A6300 surpasses the A6000 on almost every front. But is that really a fair comparison? With a body-only price of $1,000 (compared to only $650 for the A6000 at launch), it's simply in another league, and likely appealing to a different buyer.
But for photographers in this part of the market, this is one of the most technically proficient mirrorless cameras on the market right now, and it's quite a bit cheaper than similar cameras like the Fujifilm X-Pro2 or Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. Video shooters might be especially tempted to pick up the A6300 for its stellar 4K capabilities.
Just about the only people who are likely to be disappointed with the A6300 are those hoping that these upgrades would arrive closer to the A6000's original launch price. If you've already got an A6000 and want a better camera, you now have to spend more to get there.
Price aside, Sony has produced an excellent camera that can compete with the best models in its class. It may not be a direct successor to the A6000, but it takes everything that camera did well and does it even better. What more can you ask for?
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