So I'd like to get a "proper" camera..

[Sprout]

I actually have held an a6000 btw. A friend of a friend got one for Christmas and she let me fiddle a little bit and take a couple of snaps. Camera and grip size was good, and I like that it still has plenty of manual dials. She only had the basic kit lens though, and had barely used the camera herself yet, so I couldn't tell very much from the encounter.

This is an interesting one:
Complete Sony A6000 photo kit.
That's a ridiculous price, right? I think all of that new would be just over £2000. From what I can tell so far.. Cameras and lenses usually don't drop 50% of their value when they're used, right?
But, as long as it's in decent condition, it would probably be a good purchase for me tbh, cos:
- Many lenses! I don't plan to own/keep that many (with my aim being to travel light). But it seems like a perfect opportunity to try a broad range of basic lenses out, and see which types work best for me.
- Those converters could be a lot of fun, since.. I already really enjoy taking super wide-angle shots. Some way of getting a wide-angle on a "proper camera" (lens/converter) is definitely something that I'd end up purchasing at some point anyway.

Anything in the kit that I find I don't have a use for (most likely including the second body tbh!), I could either sell online or take down to that camera shop, maybe trade in for some more useful accessories (eg tripod etc).


Edit: *cough* I bought the thing. I messaged the guy asking the condition of everything, any scratches/dents etc, how extensively it's been used and by who.
He said:
"Hi,
I bought both bodies new last year - One has a little use and the other has hardly ever been used. I was toying with the idea of using the kit to shoot weddings, but a rival company has very kindly offered to supply me with their brand - hence the sale.

ALL lenses are in great condition - no scratches on the glass. I could sell the items individually and make a fair bit more in terms of profit, but I'm looking for a quick sale. I would suggest you do your own research by looking up the items on eBay and seeing how much it would cost you to get the individual items. Remember, there are two bodies and the complete range of lenses - this is a genuine bargain.

Best regards
John"

So er, I clicked the button. o/
If it turns out I don't like it, no harm in re-selling the lot. I'll hopefully have learned a lot in the mean time at least.

 

[cherylynne1]

Wow! I clicked on the link before reading the rest of it, and saw that it had sold and though, oh, too bad.... Yeah, if he's being honest about there being no damage you could resell that if you don't like it and maybe even turn a profit. Which lenses are those? I didn't see a description.

 

[cherylynne1]

Oh, there's the description! Yeah, that's more than I have in my kit, lol! I have the 35 mm, the 50mm, and the 55-210mm. I don't have the 16mm, but I do have the 16-50 kit lens, which I don't see there. But to be honest, I never use the kit lens. The 35 is on my camera most of the time, I switch to the 50 for formal portraits and the 55-210 for when I need reach. That's truly a fantastic kit.

The only thing I might do if I were you would be to sell the extra body and use the money to buy a flash like the HVL f32m. I never go anywhere without that flash, I use it all the time.

Congratulations, I can't wait to hear how it works out for you!

 

[Sprout]

Yeah! It should arrive on Wednesday. Hopefully it's as clean as he said. Then again, I don't mind superficial scratches myself, (although makes things a bit harder to sell I guess), so as long as it works properly..

The lenses are:
- Sony SEL35F18 35mm f1.8 OSS
- Sony SEL50F18 E 50mm f/1.8 OSS
- Sony SEL16F28 16mm F2.8
- Sony 55 - 210 mm / F 4,5 - 6,3 OSS
Then the Sony VCLECU2 + VCLECF2 converters.

I think the 16mm is the only lens out of this bunch that the converters work with. (apparently they also work with a 20mm f2.8, but narrower FoV)

I've not looked into external flashes yet! I've no idea what sort of scenarios I'd need more than the popup yet, or even.. When I'll need the popup. I always avoided using the flash on my little camera so far, but, I think I read the a6000 flash can actually tilt?

 

[Designer]

I've not looked into external flashes yet! I've no idea what sort of scenarios I'd need more than the popup yet, or even.. When I'll need the popup. I always avoided using the flash on my little camera so far, but, I think I read the a6000 flash can actually tilt?

Flash on camera makes the light flat and (usually) harsh. Most people assume that is the only "look" that can result from using flash. However, getting the flash off your camera makes a world of difference. There are several methods of firing the flash off camera that I think you should investigate.

 

[cherylynne1]

That's true...most of my pictures are portraits or candids of people indoors, either bouncing the flash or using off camera flash. You'll be using your camera outdoors most of the time, and it's doubtful you'll be getting into off camera flash for that anytime soon! Don't forget that if you do take low light indoor shots that you can bend the pop-up flash back to bounce off the ceiling. It's infinitely more flattering, and as far as I know, Sony is the only camera company to design the flash that way. Any other camera you have to use a flash card or purchase a flash if you want to bounce it.

I know very little about converters, other than you lose about a stop of light when using them. But I've seen some pretty awesome results from fish eyes, and for landscapes you might find them really useful.

And you're right that a good tripod is probably the best next purchase for you. I'm saving up for a tripod myself! I've only rarely needed them in the part, but I think if I had a good one I would use it more.

 

[Sprout]

Aye, I think you're right that I won't use it often. But I can certainly see the difference a bounced flash makes! Shame it doesn't sorta "stick" in the upright position, though..
If I can find them in the UK, I might at least invest in something like these things: Amazon.com : Sony A6000 Flash Bounce Card : Camera & Photo
Seems nice, cheap, simple, small and light!

And yes, I've been working out whether tripod or monopod is the one for me. I think probably tripod for what I'll likely use it for, even though I'd love a lighter and easier to setup monopod..
Raining again today so no camera shop trip, but again it sounds like a good place to go for testing out tripods/monopods, especially once I've actually got the camera!

 

[cherylynne1]

You know, I just saw that bounce card for the first time a few days ago, and I thought, man, that would have been useful when I was first starting out....I did upgrade to a basic flash pretty quickly, though. I started reading the Tangent and Strobist blogs and got hooked. I love flash.

A monopod isn't really my style of shooting, but it might work for you. Expect to spend quite a bit on a tripod or monopod....as they say, no tripod is better than a cheap tripod. But hopefully you'll get lucky with a used one!

 

[chuasam]

Get the FZ300 or FZ1000. Also consider the Sony RX100 IV and the Lumix LX100

 

[intoxicatedpuma]

Get the FZ300 or FZ1000. Also consider the Sony RX100 IV and the Lumix LX100

+1 on lx100. I own one and the quality is pretty good. I feel the low light is better than the Sony 1 inch cameras. It's also super light and small but still easy to grip.

Sent from my MI PAD using Tapatalk

 

[Sprout]

Camera kit just arrived! I made a HUGE mess of my desk unpacking it all. This guy (the seller) is brilliant! Everything came in their proper boxes, and he included loads of extra bits and pieces that I definitely would have gone and bought otherwise.
All lenses came with a Hoya UV filter attached, he sent a Canon -> Sony E-mount adapter, extra batteries (10 total) and another battery charger (an external USB one, do need), and even a set of those plastic flash bounce cards (mentioned in posts above) that are only sold in the US! o:

The filters look like they need a bit of a clean, and sensor on the more-used body has a couple spots on it, which hopefully would come off with a clean (but not sure how to go about that just yet!) Some scuffs in the hotshoe of that one too, but otherwise everything looks spotless to my eye. The other body literally looks brand new.

I've never seen so many Sony logos in one place. Be warned..

I can see I'll have a lot of fun with this fisheye.
Certainly happy with the low light so far! My test snaps were taken in a dark office, with gloomy British sky outside, the blinds down and shut, and all lights off!
Auto focus really is very fast (compared to anything I've been used to anyways), except for at the long range of the zoom lens - that gets kinda slow, in this light, at least.

 

[cherylynne1]

Congratulations! What an amazing deal! Can't wait to see what you're able to produce with it!

 

[Sprout]

Man, this is a really fun camera! Just spent my lunch-break at the beach with the dog..

So far I've just used the 35mm and the 55-210mm (middle two photos were taken with that). The zoom lens fits in my jacket pocket so I can easily carry both around.

Burst mode with continuous autofocus is amazing for when this little guy is running around like a loon.
Although if he's charging at me head-on and full speed, it seems keeping the aperture around f/1.8-2.2 is a little too challenging for it. In those cases the focus tends to land just behind his head. Also, it won't let me save his dog face into it's face recognition bank, boo!
And saving RAW + JPG is filling up my 64GB SD card super fast!
But definitely really really liking it so far.

 

[cherylynne1]

Haha, those conditions are probably too much for most cameras! Pictures are looking great, it looks like we've got another Sony convert!

 

[Sprout]

Yeah I figured so, but you gotta try pushing it eh. ;D

I do have one sort of problem, however! I'll probably make a new thread, but maybe it's a very simple problem and you've got the answer anyways..
So the other camera body's sensor is really mucky. In good lighting you can clearly see this with the naked eye:

And I took one of those "f/22 against a white thing" pictures with it:



So most stuff I read about dirty sensors doesn't mention being able to see it that clearly with your eye. And I can't find any examples online that look like the first image..
Does it look like something that can be cleaned off to you, or could it be actual damage?

And any particular suggestions for cleaning it, other than the usual kit? I heard Sony sensors can be fussy.. Eg This Guy getting into real trouble trying to clean his a7!