Sony A6300 Review: Pro-Worthy Mirrorless Camera

Our Verdict

The best mirrorless camera offers a better build, great 4K video and a nice improvement in image quality.

For

Exceptional photo quality

Incredibly sharp 4K movies

Extremely fast autofocus

Fast continuous shooting, with good motion tracking

Excellent high-res OLED viewfinder

Solid and reassuring alloy body

External microphone jack

Versus

Confusing menu system

So-so, non-touch LCD screen

High price, compared to the similar model a6000

Smaller lens selection than DSLR competitors from Canon and Nikon

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The Sony a6300 is a mirrorless camera for those with pro-level ambitions. Building on the success of the Sony a6000, this premium cousin sports the same 24-megapixel resolution, but with a new sensor that offers improved low-light photo quality. The a6300 also stands out with its fantastic 4K video, external mic jack and sturdier metal design. However, the a6300 costs almost twice as much as the a6000, which is why it's the

best mirrorless camera

for those who aren't quite beginner photographers, but don't want to spend more than $1000.

Since the launch of the a6300, Sony has released a number of other compact mirrorless cameras. We have compiled this

how-to guide that compares the sony a6300 to the a6000, a6100, a6400, a6500 and a6600

.

Sony A6300 Photo Samples

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Design

The biggest design improvement of the a6300 is the upgrade from a composite material (reinforced plastic) body to a magnesium alloy. That adds 0.63 ounces (for a total of 14.25 ounces), but it's a positive change. While fairly durable, the a6000 always felt flimsy; the weight of the a6300 removes the unpleasant feeling that you could break the camera. The rest is essentially the same, for better or for worse. The a6300 has slightly smaller dimensions (4.7 x 2.6 x 1.9 inches), a deep grip, a pop-up flash for fill lighting, and a hot shoe for a more powerful strobe (or mounting of a microphone).

Sony A6300 (Black) on Amazon for $888.55

Some small adjustments mean a lot. The already pretty cool OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) gets a resolution upgrade to 1024 x 768 pixels (XGA) from 800 x 600 pixels (SVGA), along with an option to bump the frame refresh. screen from 60 to 120 frames per second ( fps) to prevent blurry preview when panning.

The rear 3-inch, 640 x 480 LCD screen still provides a view below the EVF and, unlike most other mirrorless cameras at this price, it's not a touchscreen. Still, your ability to tilt the LCD 90 degrees up and 45 degrees down is great for framing extreme shots, as well as keeping the camera steady when shooting video. A sensor automatically switches the preview from the LCD screen to the EVF when you bring the camera to your eye. You can disable this feature and configure one of the camera's programmable buttons to switch between screens. (We'll get to that in a moment.)

The addition of an external microphone jack allows the a6300 to use virtually any mic - a big improvement over the a6000, which only lets you plug in a few. Sony microphones in its flash shoe.

MORE:

Sony mirrorless camera guide: Alpha a6000 vs a6300 vs a6400 vs A6500

Orders

Buttons and menus continue to be a mix of good and bad on the Sony a6300. Good is the freedom to program the C1 and C2 buttons as shortcuts. Additionally, almost any button can be reassigned to trigger almost any menu option. A new combination button and switch near the right corner of the LCD display toggles between autofocus and manual focus and activates auto exposure lock.

Bad is a sloppy menu layout that has expanded even further. Press the menu button to display six sub-menus, with up to nine sub-sub-menus under each and up to six parameters under each sub-sub-menu. It's hard to understand the logic, for example why something like LCD quality level is in the toolbox icon submenu instead of the icon submenu of gear.

These programmable shortcut buttons sometimes save you from falling into the abyss menu. The Fn button is also useful, which brings up an on-screen menu for quick settings such as ISO (light sensitivity) and autofocus mode or metering mode. You can adjust settings like aperture and shutter speed using a dial on the rear right of the camera or a (hard-to-reach) dial on the top right. Still infuriating is the tiny video record button recessed under the top wheel, where it's almost blocked by the camera strap mount.

The interface has some small improvements for the pros, like displaying audio levels when capturing video and customizing image filenames and embedding copyright information. Show gamma Assist makes it easy to preview on-screen video in professional S-Log format. If those upgrades seem superfluous or confusing, the a6300 probably isn't worth it for you.

Image quality

Great photos (and videos) make up for the a6300's lackluster interface. This mirrorless camera retains the 24-megapixel resolution of its predecessor. It has an improved APS-C CMOS sensor (the same size as in most DLSRs) that provides a higher maximum ISO of 51,200, compared to 12,800 on the a6000. It's an aperture (illumination level), so it's not as spectacular as it looks, and images don't look pretty at that maximum setting.

I took pictures with the 3X zoom kit (16-50mm) lens, as well as a sleek 4.4x (16-70mm) Zeiss lens, which costs around $900. The camera captured both uncompressed JPEG and RAW images simultaneously, to assess the in-camera processing, which was pretty good. Light metering and focus adjustment depended on the subject, but was mostly multi metering (also called evaluative or matrix) and wide autofocus.

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Best DSLR Cameras

Like virtually all cameras, the a6300 performs well on a sunny day. It perfectly captures the skin tones and colorful gear of divers emerging from the Pacific. With the Zeiss 16-70mm lens, the a6300 quickly locked sharp focus on the far left foreground figure.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, F11, 1/640s, ISO 400, 70mm Credit: Sean Captain)

Accurate color is indistinguishable between a6300 (left) and a6000 (right)

(Image credit: Both: F9, ISO 800, 50mm; a6300: 1/200s; a6000: 1/250s. Credit: Sean Captain)

Detail is fine and color is true in this close-up of a cactus.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, F8, 1/200 sec, ISO 100, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

It's just a bit sharper (and a bit brighter) than an image taken with the a6000.< /p>

(Image credit: Sony a6000, F9, 1/200 sec, ISO 100, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

Dynamic range

The a6300's ability to capture both highlights and shadows is evident in the cactus shots and this other beach shot - ranging from late afternoon sunlight beating down on mother's forehead to her shady hair and less lit baby face. The kit lens captures detail well.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, F5.6, 1/320s, ISO 500, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

I used the camera's default Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) setting for this shot and most others. It processes a single photo to bring out highlights and shadows, without combining multiple shots (with frequent blurring) to create an HDR image. Like the a6000, the a6300 has both automatic and manual DRO settings, allowing you to push the dynamic range to levels close to HDR, as shown in these two photos, first taken in Auto mode, then at level 4 (out of 5) DRO.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, f16, 1/80s, ISO 200, 44mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

MORE:

How to take great photos with the Sony a6300 or a6000

Results in low light

Color and details

The a6300 and a6000 perform almost identically on photos of a bar at night at very high ISOs.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, F5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO 6400, 35mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

When you're using auto white balance, an amber tint is to be expected in both the a6300 photo above and the a6000 below.

(Image credit: Sony a6000, F5, 1/60 sec, ISO 6400, 31mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

ISO performance

The a6300 achieves a high light sensitivity of ISO 51200, which is in line with competing cameras, but the results aren't pretty. In photos from the Queen Mary liner, images looked clean up to ISO 3200, when displayed at around 1280 x 800 pixels, or about the resolution of a typical laptop screen. Images were acceptable at ISO 6400 and showed just a bit of blur on very smooth surfaces like the sky. Things fell apart a higher f-stop (ISO 12800), but these are solid results for a camera with a sensor of this size.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, F5.6, 1/60 sec., ISO 3200, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

The same photo taken with the a6000 at ISO 3200 is a bit more mottled, especially in the sky.

(Image credit: Sony a6000, F5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO 3200, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

Focus and Speed

Ultra-fast autofocus, a feature of the a6000, gets even faster in the a6300: 0.05 versus 0.06 seconds, according to Sony's specs. Sony attributes the advantage to the huge 425 phase-detection autofocus sensors on the new 24.2MP imaging chip, compared to 179 in the a6000.

(Image credit: a6300, F9, 1/400 sec., ISO 160, 70mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

The camera had no trouble locking focus on the tiny kite target high in the sky.

(Image credit: as above. Cropped to show kite detail. Credit: Sean Captain)

Continuous shooting and AF tracking

The a6300 matches its predecessor's maximum burst speed of 11 fps (refocusing between each shot). I found the 6fps average speed to be sufficient, and since it fills the buffer less, I could shoot longer to capture more action.

Both cameras have focus tracking smart enough to distinguish correct subject movement about two-thirds of the time. In about half a dozen tests, the a6300 seemed a bit better than the a6000 at catching a target and staying on it, like this rider. You can see the progression in a handful of wide shots, as well as a 100% crop on her face.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, f5.6, 1/500s, ISO100, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

To fully appreciate how fast the shot is (even on the Mid setting), check out this GIF made from a burst of 24 shots of a skateboarder. For some reason the white balance changes in two images.

(Image credit: Sony a6300, f5.6, 1/400 sec, ISO 100, 50mm Credit: Sean Captain)

Video quality

The a6000 is an exceptional HD video camera (up to 1880p, 60 fps). The a6300 continues that quality, as you can see in this clip of volleyball players.

It also provides a new 4K/UHD option (up to 30fps) with video so crisp you could cut yourself on it.

4K video at night is equally stunning. The 30 fps limit (typical of 4K/UHD cameras) is a plus, as it allows for a slower shutter speed than the HD clips I shot at 60 fps.

The hiss in the second and third clips, triggered by even a slight breeze, shows the limits of built-in microphones. The option to connect an external mic, such as one with a noise canceling windsock, is very handy.

Another fun upgrade is the ability to shoot HD video in HFR (high frame rate) at 120fps, which provides 4x slow motion when you play it back at 30fps. This video shows a clip of the same volleyball match, the first shot with the a6000 at normal speed and the second shot with the a6300 at 4x slow motion. (A curious artifact is how the slowed-down audio makes players scream like demons from The Exorcist.)

Wireless Sharing

Sony has made transferring photos over Wi-Fi radically easier. Instead of requiring you to manually enter the camera's Wi-Fi hotspot password into your phone, Sony took inspiration from camera makers like Olympus and now displays a QR code on the camera. a6300's LCD screen that you can scan with the latest PlayMemories Mobile app to establish a connection. It's less important with NFC Android phones, as you can pair by tapping the camera, but it's a huge improvement on iPhones, which don't have this capability.

You can also connect the a6300 to Wi-Fi hotspots to share photos over the network. It's also easier, as Sony has added WPS push, which only requires you to press a button on the phone, as long as you have a router that supports the technology. Unlike many competitors, the a6300 does not allow you to control the camera from a smartphone.

Battery life

Using the CIPA standard method, Sony rates the a6300's battery life at around 400 shots if using the LCD and 350 shots if using the power-hungry viewfinder. I got 153 shots in one session, 218 in another, and 513 in a third. (In the latter case, I shot in burst mode, getting plenty of shots compared to downtime when the LCD was on.)

You can use the battery in a number of ways, such as dimming the screen and viewfinder, and using the default standard LCD quality setting, instead of the High option. It's useful to set a short amount of time for the camera to fall asleep between shots, as well as to program a shortcut button to trigger monitor off, so you can turn off the LCD screen and the viewfinder between shots.

MORE:

How to take great photos with a DSLR or mirrorless camera

Even with all the power-saving tricks, you'll feel more relaxed during a day's shooting with an extra Sony NP. FW50 lithium-ion battery, which sells for around $50.

Goals

The 16-50mm kit lens option only adds $150 to the base price, for pretty good quality. It held up well to the Zeiss 16-70mm lens; it provided a sharp quality in the center of the photos, but faded all the way to the edges, as you can see in this photo.

(Image credit: 16-50mm kit lens, f9, 1/160 sec., 100ISO, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

In comparison, the SEL1670Z 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS lens that came with our review unit stayed sharp across the entire frame. Another advantage of the Zeiss is its wide f4 aperture throughout its zoom range. The maximum aperture of the kit lens ranges from f3.5 (wide) to f5.6 (telephoto) - a standard range for kit lenses that is a slight handicap in low light.

(Image credit: 16-70mm Zeiss lens, f9, 1/160 sec, ISO 100, 50mm. Credit: Sean Captain)

If $900 is beyond your means, Sony has other options. A good low-light alternative for close subjects is the Sony SEL35F18, a 35mm prime lens (non-zoom) with a giant f1.8 aperture that sells for around $400. For serious telephoto work in bright light (like bird watching), the E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS image stabilized zoom is a bargain at around $350. Combine that with the 16-50mm kit lens and you can cover a huge range, from ultra-wide to super-telephoto. If you decide you don't need the added benefits of the a6300, you can get the a6000 and save a lot of money on lens upgrades.

Summary

Although you might not be a fan of labeling yourself, it could be a good exercise when you have to choose between the new Sony a6300 and the older, cheaper a6000. If you consider yourself a really "serious" photographer who wants the absolute best quality, the better low-light performance and a slight improvement in autofocus may be worth it. The a6300's case grows if video is a priority, as you can shoot in 4K and get respectable audio from the external mic jack.

The a6000 is the best option if you want to spend less but still enjoy great photo quality and speed. Whichever model you choose, you'll have loads of fun capturing beautiful images.

Today's best Sony Alpha a6300 deals

$888.55

on Amazon

$1199.95

on Amazon

$1274.95

on Amazon

Sean Captain

Sean Captain is a technology and science writer, editor and photographer.