Sony A6300 Review From The Field

[david@dgpfotografia.com]

Hi Kevin,

Nice article.

Just wondering. Have you used the 70-400 with the A7R II to do some landscape work?... just wondering how it handles vs other options in sharpness corner to corner at around f8/f11.

Best regards,

David

[Kevin Raber]

David,

I did try to lens on the full frame Sony a7rII but not for landscape.  Usually, I use the Tamron 150-600mm for use with the full frames and I have been pleased with that lens.  The lens performed fine on the a7rII but I did not do sharpness test.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Good write up from Kevin!

I am using that lens a lot on the A7rII. I have been very happy with it mostly, but on occasion I get uneven sharpness across the field. I don't know why. Where I focus, it is pretty sharp.

With telephoto i often focus on a subject and the uneven plane of focus is seldom a problem.

Here are some samples with that lens: https://echophoto.smugmug.com/Technical/70400456G/

The last 20 or so are with the A7rII. Check out original size…

Best regards
Erik

Hi Kevin,

Nice article.

Just wondering. Have you used the 70-400 with the A7R II to do some landscape work?... just wondering how it handles vs other options in sharpness corner to corner at around f8/f11.

Best regards,

David

[StuartOnline]

Hi Kevin

Enjoyed your recent article. I switched from the Canon system about 3 years ago. Currently use both the A7RM2 and A6300.
Picked up a used Sony 70-400mm f4-5.6 G SSM which I think is the older model for a good price.
Used it with the LEA3 on both cameras. Even though it worked I found auto focus a little slow.
Also it seemed to stop working after shooting after a few minutes with the A6300.
Meaning the auto focus would just stop. It may have been the over heating you mentioned.
Just installed the latest firmware today so may be that will help that issue.

On another note I do have the new FE 70-200mm f2.8 G lens along with the 2x convertor on order with a local dealer for months now.
With that setup it would give me that 600mm reach on the A6300.
Only problem it seems this is a hard lens to get hold up.
I do have the FE 70-200mm f4.0 which does work well on both cameras.

I assume you will be doing a review on the new 70-220mm f2.8 in the near future.

Cheers,

Stu

[Mark D Segal]

Very informative article Kevin, and I like the bear shots - well-composed and fine image detail - so difficult under those conditions.

The a6300 has become my mainstay camera, coupled with the Zeiss f4/16~70mm lens. Image quality and detail are excellent for my usual 13*19 inch (thereabouts) prints at 360PPI from Lightroom. I especially appreciate the movable focal point allowing one to select the exact spot in the scene where the focus will be most accurate, without moving the camera and easily managed while composing the scene looking through the EVF - pretty cool. Shooting at very high ISO (12800 or >) is usable when absolutely needed, and one is truly very comfortable at 1600 or more; so as you've mentioned, AUTO ISO becomes a real option allowing one to photograph at dusk and beyond without worrying about it. All told this a very liberating camera, allowing one to pay less attention to settings and more to making the photograph - exactly what we want.

[Farmer]

On another note I do have the new FE 70-200mm f2.8 G lens along with the 2x convertor on order with a local dealer for months now.
With that setup it would give me that 600mm reach on the A6300.
Only problem it seems this is a hard lens to get hold up.

The new 70-200 hasn't been released yet - it's due this month (along with the converters) - it could be as early as next week from what I've been told by Sony here in Australia, but could also be the following week.  I've also got it on pre-order, hence I'm following all the little updates on it - as I fly out to Hawaii in the middle of the month, I'm really hoping it shows up before then or I'll otherwise be using my older Sigma A-mount version :-)

If you've been using lenses just with LA-EA adapters, you're in for a wonderful experience when you switch to a native FE lens.  I have the FE 24-70 f/2.8 GM and the focus speed and accuracy, and the sharpness (and frankly, everything about it) is just wonderful and leaps ahead of even good lenses through the adapters.

And to Kevin - really nice article.  Having just recently got my A7Rii and getting back into my photography, I'm now seriously thinking about adding a 6300 body to the kit.

[Kevin Raber]

Stu,
I have all 3 G-Master lenses right now.  The 24-70 is super sharp and nice to work with.  The 85mm is great and really sharp. I havee done some nice head shots with it.  It is noisy though when focusing.  Lots of chatter about this issue on the internet.  I'll be meeting with the Sony guys in Germany at Photokina and will inquire more about it.  I don't have enough shot with the 70-200mm yet but what I have done is fantastic.  I am leaving on Saturday for three weeks.  I'll post an article on Tuesday about our trip.  I'll finish testing these G-Master lenses when I get back. 

[david@dgpfotografia.com]

Hi all,

Thanks all for your comments.

Erik, I will check your images... many thanks!!!

Kevin, again, thanks for the article.

Regards,

David

[Andrew David]

"now, bear in mind they're not coming at us to eat us..."

I see what you did there ;P

[David Watson]

Great article Kevin.

Don't care too much of the technical stuff but loved your images of the bears  - I think bears would love to be hugged by us if some people didn't go around trying to kill them.  Like all animals they have learned to fear man or at least man with a gun but perhaps not with a camera.

Well done.

[nemtom]

Dear Kevin,

just two very short side-notes on the weight concerns you have mentioned in the article.
The 200-400 is a f/4 lens, even at the tele end. The Sony is not, so in my opinion a proper lens to compare it with would be the 100-400 mark II, which is f/4-5.6 the same way as the Sony is.
The same way, maybe it would make more sense to compare an APS-C camera to an APS-C camera. For example a 7D mark II would be a good candidate.
So if I do the math, this combo would weight 32.1 oz (camera) + 55.4 oz (lens) + 5.8 oz (RRS L plate) = 93.3 oz, which is not that dramatically heavier than the Sony setup. If you add the extra batteries needed for the Sony in a day then probably the total weight would equal the canon setup.

Other than that it looks an interesting setup, worth to try. My biggest concern is the EVF though. I tried an X-Pro2 the other day, and it is just a bit marginally slow for fast paced subjects (fx birds) which requires fast reaction from the photographer. I cannot wait the moment when EVF will close this gap, because it has so many possibilities compared to an optical viewfinder (focus peaking, etc).

Thank you for the great review!
Best regards,
Tamas

[DaveCurtis]

Nice review Kevin.

I had to smile, I'm off to Africa at the end of the week on Safari. Im doin' the Canon thing with the big white lens however my partner is taking is taking a a6300. She watched your review and now she is gloating that she can shoot more frames per second than me ;-)

[Colorado David]

Great article Kevin.

Don't care too much of the technical stuff but loved your images of the bears  - I think bears would love to be hugged by us if some people didn't go around trying to kill them.  Like all animals they have learned to fear man or at least man with a gun but perhaps not with a camera.

Well done.

Timothy Treadwell.

[Photog-x]

I had the a6000 in the past.  It had many nice features/functions and the image quality was nice, but overall I just hated using it.  I've been tempted to dump my current gear and go with an a7R II, but I've resisted the temptation to go with what's becoming more popular and stick with what has been proven to work well for me and what feels good in my hand (which leads to me making more photos).

[stevebscott]

Nice video/article/photos! I can relate.

Ever since I picked up the A7II, my neck has thanked me, but I do miss the ergonomics of the bigger DSLR cameras. The AEL on the Sonys, like the A6300 / A7(r)II, is awkward. The Fn button is always on metering mode, the other settings are on the C1/C2/C3/Drive buttons, pretty much as default, but they all feel too close together, like my fingers naturally go a little further than where the buttons are placed.

That being said, the image quality is fantastic! I would like to see the A6300 with the LA-EA4 + Tamron 150-600. With the smaller sensor it would give a nice extended reach too.

I only ever carry a single camera these days (the A7II at the moment). The A6300 seems like it would make a perfect companion and an excuse to carry a 2nd body.

Cheers,

Steve

[Paulo Bizarro]

Nice article Kevin. As an Alpha 7 user myself, I am always curious about other's impressions. Regarding the GM lenses, I wonder what advantages they may offer versus similar offers from DSLR brands; they as heavy as DSLR lenses, as expected, so I wonder how much weight saving they offer while travelling? I was curious to read in your article that you have travelled with them. They would not be the lenses I would think for travel:)

Also, on another note, what sort of impression/discussion/comparison did Art Wolfe had (if any) on these new MILC systems, for his type of work? Does he still thinks that DSLRs are necessary?

Looking forward to more impressions.

[BernardLanguillier]

Nice bear images!

Also an interesting case of making available gear work for a given assignment.

Cheers,
Bernard

[CeesdeVries]

Hi Kevin,
In your article on bears and the A6300 you mention the optical stabilisation of the 70-400 lens.  I am the happy owner of that lens and I use it with a A6000. the one thing that I miss dearly is the stabilisation! Where can I find the switch?

[E.J. Peiker]

Hi Kevin,
In your article on bears and the A6300 you mention the optical stabilisation of the 70-400 lens.  I am the happy owner of that lens and I use it with a A6000. the one thing that I miss dearly is the stabilisation! Where can I find the switch?

The Sony 70-400, both versions, do not have OS.

[Kevin Raber]

I stand corrected.  I am using too many cameras these days.  In either case the images worked out just fine.  Thanks.