With the flagship a6500 scheduled to begin shipping early December, the Sony a6000 Series hits three. Which Sony a6000 Series mirrorless camera suits you best?
Sony a6000, a6300 & a6500 all offer 24MP sensors capable of 11 Frames per Second continuous shooting in a compact, lightweight mirrorless body. But they offer three distinctly different levels of features and price points. Here’s a look at how they compare to help answer which camera is best for you.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Sony a6000 ($548 Body Only) | Size: 4.7 x 2.6 x 1.8″ | Weight: 12.13 oz with battery and memory card
Sony a6300 ($998 Body Only) | Size: 4.7 x 2.6 x 1.9″ | Weight: 14.25 oz with battery and memory card
Sony a6500 ($1,398 Body Only) | Size: 4.7 x 2.6 x 2.1″ | Weight: 15.98 oz with battery and memory card
ROUND-BY-ROUND
Round 1: Image Sensor
WINNER: Sony a6300/a6500. While all three cameras feature 24 MP Exmor CMOS image sensors, Sony a6300 & a6500 have an improved sensor that features a thin copper-wiring layer and large photodiode substrate designed for light collection efficiency resulting in less noise at High ISOs.
Round 2: Image Stabilization
WINNER: Sony a6500. The only a6000-Series model featuring 5-Axis Image Stabilization using an all-new mechanism designed specifically for Sony APS-C mirrorless sensors. You’ll get 5-axis IS with native E-mount lenses (and 8-pin Sony A-mount glass on LA-EA adapters) and 3-Axis Image stabilization with any other lenses – including lenses that were never stabilized before.
Round 3: Auto-Focus Points
WINNER: Sony a6300/a6500. Featuring 425 Phase-Detection + 169 Contrast Detection AF points (compared to 179 Phase-Detection + 25 Contrast Detection AF points on a6000) for extremely wide and dense AF point coverage throughout the frame. High-density Tracking AF Technology seamlessly activates AF points to track subjects moving within frame with precision.
Round 4: Processing Power & Buffer Size
WINNER: Sony a6500. With the most in-class processing horsepower, a6500 adds a a new LSI Processor & much larger buffer to allow for long bursts of up to 107 RAW images (or 233 JPG Extra Fine) at 11 FPS. Think of it as the a6000 Series with a Hemi-engine.
Round 5: Autofocus Speed
WINNER: Sony a6300/a6500. At a blazing fast 0.05 seconds, both the a6300 and a6500 feature the World’s Fastest Autofocus!
Round 6: Third-Party Autofocus Performance
WINNER: Sony a6300/a6500. If you’re planning to use Canon, Nikon or Sony A-mount lenses, go with a6300 or a6500 since they enable Phase-Detection AF with 3rd-party lenses on Smart Adapters.
Round 7: Touch Focus
WINNER: Sony a6500. Only Sony a6500 has touch focus. Sony a6000 and a6300 do not. If touch Focus is important to you, a6500 is your champ.
Round 8: Video Resolution
WINNER: Sony a6300/a6500. Feature full pixel readout without pixel binning for 2.4x oversampled 4K movie resolution from the full width of the sensor. Sony a6000 shoots 1080 HD video.
Round 9: Silent Shooting
WINNER: Sony a6300/a6500. Sony a6300 and a6500 have Silent Shooting Mode. Sony a6000 does not. Bear in mind that the standard Electronic-Front Shutter is extremely quiet – but only Silent Shooting mode is totally silent…
Round 10: Expected Shutter Life
WINNER: a6500. The Sony a6500 shutter is rated at 200,000 shots – double the expected shutter life of a6000 and a6300, according to Sony. [PLEASE NOTE: This is just an estimate. I’ve greatly exceeded the expected shutter life of many Sony cameras.]
Round 11: Weight & Size
WINNER: Sony a6000. Weighing in at just 12.13 oz with battery and memory card, Sony a6000 is the lightest of the a6000-Series bodies. The added weight of a6500 comes from the 5-Axis Image Stabilization mechanism. Grip size also grows from 1.8″ on a6000 to 2.1″³ on a6500. In this instance, I’d argue BIGGER IS BETTER!
Round 12: Price
WINNER: Sony a6000. If price is your bottom line, Sony a6000 weighs in at five bills and change. This makes it the lowest-priced contender in the Sony a6000 Series line-up.
AND THE WINNER IS…
Sony a6000, a6300 & a6500 are all great cameras. Pick the camera with the features – or price – that’s best for you!
7 thoughts on “Sony a6000, a6300 & a6500 Showdown: Which Camera Suits You Best?”
As someone who owned all three.. This is pretty set. I used the touch screen more than I expected. I also love that I can tie spot metering to focus point on A6500.
You forgot to compare the battery life
Battery life is essentially the same between all three cameras.
Is the low light capability much different between the a6000 and a6500
According to DxO Sensor tests, Sony a6500 is better in low light.
Just saw an A6400…. where does it fit in with this series and how does it compare?
Sony has positioned a6400 as the replacement for a6300.
I would imagine we will one day see a similar featured replacement for Sony a6500.