APS-C mirrorless cameras
This article is designed to help photographers looking to "go mirrorless" or invest in their first interchangeable lens camera. It will compare various systems available...
31/01/2022
This article is designed to help photographers looking to "go mirrorless" or invest in their first interchangeable lens camera. It will compare various systems available from different manufacturers to help readers make an informed choice. In the second half of this article, we will continue to support photographers who have chosen to invest in a Sony A6000 series camera (including the A6300 and A6500 models).
Something better than a smart phone< /p>
Smartphone cameras and older compact digital cameras can be very limiting for photographers who want to be very creative and explore a wider range of subjects to photograph, eg birds in the garden, wildlife on safari Africa or majestic landscapes at dusk. If you want to explore creative photography as a hobby, you've probably made the decision to purchase a fixed-lens (prosumer) superzoom or interchangeable-lens camera. The interchangeable lens camera offers the best image quality and flexibility to choose from a range of specialty lenses. Your system can then be modified or expanded to meet your own creative needs.
Disclaimer: Before reading further, it is important to note that I am a Sony Global Imaging Ambassador. Although I chose Sony over other brands and Sony chose me to showcase their products, I wrote this article to offer advice that may be useful for users to make their own thoughtful choice about camera and manufacturing to invest in. If you have not chosen Sony Mirrorless, or decide not to choose Sony Mirrorless, please do not express your disapproval of my own personal choices. If you find any technical error in this article, I will be more than happy to change it.
DSLR or mirrorless
The first choice when buying an interchangeable lens camera (ILC) is to choose between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera. DSLR cameras have always been the choice of professional photographers until recently. Recent advances in technology over the past few years have allowed mirrorless cameras to match or even better the performance of traditional DSLR cameras. The main differences for the user now come down to size and weight (mirrorless cameras are generally smaller and lighter than a traditional DSLR) and how we view our subject before capturing the image. 'picture. A DSLR camera uses an optical viewfinder and mirrorless cameras mostly use an electronic viewfinder or "EVF". The DSLR's optical viewfinder displays an image that may differ from what is actually captured by the sensor. To verify that the image is correctly exposed and in focus, the DSLR user should usually review the image after it is captured. A mirrorless camera's EVF and monitor display a "live view" or "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) image (similar to using the camera on our smart phones). If you have decided to buy a mirrorless camera, the next decision is to choose the size of the imaging sensor that the camera uses inside (the most important component and the heart of the camera ). This is an important decision because the lenses you buy for this camera may not fit a camera you buy in the future if it has a different sensor size.
Switching to a Sony Mirrorless System from a DSLR
If you are considering "Going Mirrorless", know that most of your existing DSLR lenses can be used on a Sony mirrorless camera. These can be attached to the camera via a 'lens adapter'. This lens adapter will place the lens the appropriate distance from the imaging sensor (taking up the space where your DSLR's mirror was) and allow the lens to communicate with the camera body ( transmitting focal length and aperture information and sometimes retaining autofocus). For Sony DSLR and DSLR users, you should buy a lens adapter
LA-EA4 or LA-EA3
. For Canon and Nikon users, you should look at adapters made by companies such as
Metabones
Where
Sigma MC-11
series of adapters. Some DSLR users may decide to replace their old DSLR lenses with "native" E-mount lenses only over a period of time, easing the financial burden of "going mirrorless".
The image quality that can be achieved by these two cameras is almost identical as they both use a very similar sensor.
Sensor size
Most camera manufacturers design camera systems around the size of the imaging sensor. Larger sensors generally produce higher image quality compared to cameras that use smaller image sensors. The downside, however, of choosing a camera with a large sensor is that the cameras are larger, heavier, and generally more expensive. Many camera manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon and Sony use imaging sensors the same size as an image frame from a roll of 35mm film used by analog cameras (36 x 24 mm). This sensor size is often referred to as "Full Frame". If the sensor is smaller than "Full Frame", it is called a "crop sensor". Common sensor sizes found in interchangeable lens cameras are:
Micro Four Thirds: This is the smallest of the crop sensors listed here and is used by Olympus and Panasonic (Lumix). Although these camera manufacturers use a small sensor size, some of their cameras are larger than the APS-C cameras offered by Sony (see camera size comparison below)
APS-C: This is larger than Micro Four Thirds and is the most popular 'crop sensor' size. It is widely used by Canon, Nikon, Fuji and Sony.
Full-frame: This sensor size is found in Nikon, Canon, and Sony cameras, but only Sony currently offers a full-frame mirrorless camera (A7 and A9 cameras).
Medium Format: This sensor size is found in cameras made by Hasselblad, Phase One, Fuji and Pentax and the sensors are mostly made by Sony. These large and expensive cameras are mainly used by commercial photographers. While they offer outstanding image quality, they're currently not very good at capturing fast-moving subjects.
The Olympus OM-D camera uses a smaller "micro four thirds" sensor than Sony APS-C cameras but their cameras are often larger
Why Choose a Sony APS-C Camera
Choosing an APS-C mirrorless camera instead of a Micro Four Thirds or full-frame mirrorless camera is appropriate if you don't want to carry the added weight of a full-frame camera system, but also want a camera with a larger sensor than the Micro Four Thirds. Note > Higher quality Micro Four Thirds cameras may not offer savings in weight or camera size, but the long telephoto lenses available for these cameras may be considerably smaller than the APS-C long telephoto lenses or full frame - something to consider if you are interested in photographing small or distant wildlife. Larger sensors, however, lead to increased image quality (especially at higher ISO values which are needed when shooting in low ambient light without flash or a tripod) and also the ability to capture images with very shallow "depth of field" (the camera's ability to separate the subject from the background by making the background very blurry). For users of Micro Four Thirds cameras to match the shallow depth of field possible with cameras with larger sensors, they would need to invest in larger, heavier, and more expensive lenses with wider apertures of the Olympus or Lumix range.
If you've decided to buy a mirrorless camera that uses an APS-C sensor (instead of a Micro Four Thirds or Full Frame system), you're probably considering the Fuji or Sony series of cameras like those two systems. offer the largest selection of camera bodies and lenses. Premium Fuji mirrorless cameras (like the Fuji XT 2) are slightly larger, heavier, and more expensive than the equivalent Sony mirrorless camera (A6500). Both cameras are at the cutting edge of APSC mirrorless technologies, but Sony benefits from the superior performance of autofocus, body image stabilization and ultra high frame rate when capturing movies. In favor of Fuji is its USB 3 connection and slightly faster frames per second in Continuous Drive (14 frames against 11 frames per second). The range of Fuji APS-C lenses is also more extensive than the APS-C lenses currently offered by Sony APS-C. Fuji doesn't make a full-frame mirrorless camera, so they've focused on creating a wide range of APS-C lenses. Sony, on the other hand, designs lenses for APS-C and Full Frame systems. Choosing Sony over Fuji gives the user the option of investing in a full-frame camera later and using their existing lenses when they "trade in" or choosing a Sony lens from their FE or full-frame range ( although these can be larger and more expensive than an equivalent Fuji APS-C lens).
Choosing a Sony APS-C camera has a few advantages over choosing one of their full-frame cameras. APS-C cameras are smaller, lighter and cheaper than full-frame cameras that share the same lens mount (E-Mount). The A6K line (A600, A6300 and A6500 cameras) feature superior phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and faster shooting bursts (frames per second) than the first generation A7 cameras as well as the A7SII and A7II cameras. This makes it a better choice for photographing very fast-moving subjects (children playing, sports, or wildlife). The Sony A7RIII and A9 cameras also excel in this area, but they cost more than twice the price of the A6500 camera. The Alpha A6500 camera is Sony's high-end "crop sensor" or "APS-C" mirrorless camera. It is much smaller and lighter than full frame mirrorless cameras (A7 and A9 cameras). APS-C cameras are also an ideal choice for those who want to reduce the size and weight of their camera bag. Not only are APS-C camera bodies smaller than full-frame camera bodies, but also APS-C lenses compared to their full-frame counterparts.
The A600 camera series
The A6500 didn't replace the A6000 or A6500 cameras - it represents the top of the line model. The main reasons you'd choose the A6300 over the A6000 are its 4K movie capability and the superior implementation of AF Lock-On Tracking (the camera's ability to automatically track and hold focus). focus on fast moving subjects). This is achieved by using a greater number and spread of AF points (what Sony calls "4D focusing"). The main reasons you would choose the A6500 over the A6300 are its "Body Image Stabilization" (IBIS or SteadyShot INSIDE) and its larger buffer that allows you to shoot at 11 frames per second for extended periods of time. periods. If you're not planning on shooting fast action or 4K movies, the A6000 offers the best value with Sony's mirrorless camera. The only negatives about choosing a 6K-series camera over a full-frame camera are the smaller E-Mount APS-C lens lineup and slightly lower image quality in low light. ambient light. Full-frame sensors provide superior image quality at higher ISO values, and high-resolution A7R cameras provide the ability to perform greater amounts of cropping in post-production.
What if I decide to "upgrade" to a Sony FullFrame Frame Camera in the future?
If you own a Sony APS-C camera and decide to purchase a full-frame camera in the future, you can continue to use all of your existing lenses. Both APS-C and full-frame cameras share the same lens mount or "E-Mount". The imaging area produced by a lens specifically designed for a crop sensor, however, will not cover the larger sensor area of full-frame cameras. However, full frame cameras will automatically start shooting in APS-C mode to account for this difference if an APS-C lens is used. The downside is that the megapixel count will drop because the camera will only do so using the central part of its sensor. When using a 42.4 megapixel A7RII or A7RIII camera, the resolution will drop to 18 megapixels (when using a cropped or APS-C lens) and 10 megapixels if using the sensor of 24 megapixels of the A7II and A9 cameras. Remember, you only need a little over 8 megapixels to cover a 4K screen. If you think upgrading to full frame is "likely", you can choose to buy full frame lenses for your APS-C camera.
The movie above will introduce you to some of the additional lenses you might consider buying to increase the range or variety of subjects you can shoot. It is also possible to use any of Sony's full-frame lenses on APS-C camera bodies, although some of these full-frame lenses may look very large when mounted on APS-C cameras. C smaller. This film, however, features three of the smallest full-frame lenses that could be considered. Sony uses a prefix or naming system to help customers determine which camera a lens was designed for.
SEL: These lenses are designed for Sony's e-mount cameras
SAL: These lenses are designed for Sony A-Mount DSLR and DSLT cameras. They can be attached to mirrorless cameras via a lens adapter (LA-EA4 or LA-EA3). If you are using the A6300 or A6500 cameras with a SAM or SSM A-Mount lens, the LA-EA3 is the preferred choice.
FE: These lenses are designed for the Sony Full-Frame E-Mount camera but can be used on APS-C E-Mount cameras.
E: These lenses are designed for Sony APS-C E-Mount cameras and can be used on the Full Frame E-Mount camera without an adapter.
The movie below features a lens that was not available when the movie above was made. This lens is an excellent choice if you are looking for a zoom lens with greater reach than the kit lens and with superior optical performance. This lens would be a good choice for someone who travels and doesn't want to change the lens very often (if at all).
Additional support for setting up your Sony Mirrorless camera
I have created a series of accessible films on my
Alpha Creative Skills YouTube channel
or section
Movies
of this website designed to help new users get the most out of their cameras. An example of this is highlighted below.
Learn about movies to help users configure custom camera settings for their A6300 or A6500 cameras
Support for users new to Interchangeable Lens Cameras
If you are new to buying an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera, the film below is intended to help you create a basic kit of affordable accessories.
Mark Galer is a Global Imaging Ambassador for Sony, an Experienced Educator and an Imaging Ambassador for Adobe. In addition to public speaking, it offers training in the form of
creative workshops
and
individual training.