Taking Great Photos with the a6000 or a6300

Tom’s Guide published a helpful how-t0 guide this week about shooting with the a6000 and the soon-t0-ship a6300. We were just in Miami at a Sony media event shooting with the a6300 and G Master lenses. The tips from Tom’s are great, with the added note of spend some time learning how to best use the speed-of-light AF on the a6300, to get it right. Also, as shared before, the Eye AF, which helps get the shot, even in the most challenging conditions.

Quick Tips from Tom’s

  • Use the Aperture Priority mode and the dial on the top of the camera to control depth of field, so you can decide how much of the image is in focus.
  • Try the Creative Style feature in the menu and select Vivid to boost color saturation.
  • Bump up the ISO to 1,600 to get better pictures in low light but don’t go above 3,200.
  • Create a blur effect in action shots with a shutter speed of 1/40 second or less.
  • Use the flash on sunny days to brighten up shadows.
  • Keep the camera in the default Pattern light-metering mode for everyday shooting.
  • Use the Exposure Compensation control if your photos are coming out too dark or too light.
  • Switch the color space to AdobeRGB to provide more latitude for adjustments when you edit photos.
  • Shoot video at 24 fps (instead of 60fps) when light is scarce.
  • Buy an external flash to attractively light photos at indoor events like weddings.

Which to Buy?

The a6000 is an exceptional camera and a best-seller that ships from Amazon or B&H for $648.00. Its successor, the a6300 costs about ~$300 more and has faster everything with 6K sampling recording to a 4K file in Super 35MM format. If you want the latest, get the a6300 or a proven body and spend that budget on lenses.

My daily shooter is Sony A1 with a vertical grip and various Sony lenses attached like the FE 20mm F1.8. Find more gear recommendations in our shop. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.