Earlier this year, I made the somewhat large purchase of the Sony a6000 mirrorless camera. After going back and forth (with myself) about it for so long, I finally bit the bullet and bought it on Amazon. I wanted to wait at least a few months of using it before giving an opinion, and that time has finally come! Spoiler alert: I love it.
Why a mirrorless camera? Well, a few reasons:
- The size and weight:
- My Canon 5D MKII is amazing, but it weighs, like, a million pounds. When I go on vacation, I don’t even bring it out of my suitcase when I’m touring because it hurts my back to carry it around all day! Talk about a waste of precious luggage space. My Sony a6000 weighs just over a pound WITH a lens on. Plus, it’s small and can fit in my purse easily!
- The moveable LCD screen:
- The back screen on the Sony a6000 is moveable, which makes it easier to get really high up or down low shots. I can put my camera on the ground and take photos without having to get on my stomach to see and compose my shot! It’s also great for when I don’t have a ladder handy — I can just stick my arm straight up in the air to get a birds-eye shot!
- The image quality:
- I get such good quality photos from my Sony a6000! I took it to San Francisco, and the photos turned out beautifully and very large — I was able to blow all my photos up and print them without losing image quality!
- The shooting speed:
- The lack of a mirror makes it easier to take image after image after image with a mirrorless camera. These cameras are also quicker and almost completely silent, a luxury which the DSLR does not have.
There are, of course, a few (very small) drawbacks to this camera.
- Battery life:
- The Sony a6000 needs to be plugged into an outlet just like your phone. You can definitely get spare batteries and a wall charger, but if you’re looking to travel light, you have to remember to plug it in each night before you’re planning to use it. I’ve been able to set reminders for myself before trips, but it’s easy to forget so you have to stay on top of yourself!
- Lens choices:
- Mirrorless cameras have really expensive lens options, especially if you already have a DSLR and don’t want to buy even MORE lenses. However, I found a workaround! If you buy this adaptor for either your Canon or Nikon lenses, you can use your existing DSLR lenses on your mirrorless. Boom!
Neither of these, to me, are reasons to reconsider a mirrorless camera. They both have easy solutions, and the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks.
Overall, I highly recommend the Sony a6000 camera. It has wonderful functionality, and for travel, outweighs a DSLR (at least in my opinion).
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What do you think? Have you tried this camera, or are you interested in trying it out? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Sound off in the comments below!
