Sony a6300 – Made for Travel
Photo: Editor AL at Bali with Sony a6300. (Image Credit: Cyndris Neo)
10th July 2016, Singapore/ Indonesia – Sony Singapore recently sent me the newly released a6300 accompanied by the Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Alpha E-mount Retractable Zoom Lens. When I was just wondering how should I review this camera, and without a second thought, I simply took it along with me to Bali, Indonesia for a planned photography trip. The a6300 was to be my travel camera for the trip – which turned out to be the best decision that I had ever made.
Image: Water Blow at Nusa Dua Beach, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Before we proceed, I am disclaiming (as usual) that if you found your way here looking for technical specs for the a6300 or a technical review, sorry to disappoint you – you can get those information easily from Sony’s website or on other review sites. Over here, we are only interested in what kind of images can we get from the equipment that we are reviewing.
Back to the a6300, before the Bali trip, I was asking the editorial team on how should I review this camera. Should I compare it with its earlier predecessors? Should I compare it with other competing brands in the same category or price brackets? After much considerations, I decided to review the a6300 as a standalone camera and as a travel camera – and so off it went with me to Bali.
Image: Pandawa Beach, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Pandawa Beach, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Uluwatu Temple, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Kecak Dance at Uluwatu Temple, Bali at 50mm (75mm) Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Kecak Dance at Uluwatu Temple, Bali at 16mm (24mm) Shot by Sony a6300
Made and designed by Sony as the mid-range mirrorless camera, it has (or takes) a lot to prove itself among the offerings by Sony. As the 4th 6xxx series E-mount, just like what everyone had expected, it came with many upgraded & improved features. Some key specs here – it has a new 24 mega-pixel EXMOR CMOS Sensor, a crazy 425 phase detection points to give ‘4D Focus’ Hybrid AF, 4K Video on tap, a 2.36M-dots OLED finder with 120 fps mode, Built-in Wi-Fi with NFC connection option & even a Built-in microphone socket.
Image: Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave Temple), Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Image: A family praying for blessings at Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave Temple), Bali at 16mm (24mm) Shot by Sony a6300
Image: A family praying for blessings at Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave Temple), Bali at 50mm (75mm) Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave Temple), Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Coffee Berries (Coffee Beans), Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Mount Batur, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Built quality is solid (as expected from Sony) and the a6300 features a dust and moisture resistant magnesium-alloy body that weights a mere 404 gm. Size wise, it had grown just a little (120 x 67 x 49 mm) over its predecessors which is largely maintaining the “friendly” compact size – which makes it a perfect travel camera. During the Bali trip, the a6300 was in my pocket, in my pouch and never once it was in the camera bag that I had brought along. For those who travels a lot, you will understand the convenience that I am talking about here.
Image: Tirta Empul Temple, Tampak Siring, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Image: Praying for Blessings & Cleansing of one’s soul. Tirta Empul Temple, Tampak Siring, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300
Operation wise, the handling is very “Sony”, ergonomics are comfy, switches are layout for easy control and I used the 3″ tiltable screen a lot for this trip. I just want to go really low near “some water” but not into the water – go figure. The 11 frames per second (fps) are another feature that I frequently used whenever I travel, maybe its just me, but for subjects that are moving, the fps speed does matters so I can get to select the frame that I want later during processing.
Image: The Legong Dance, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300.
Image: The Bali Museum, Bali. Shot by Sony a6300.
On image quality, I was very impressed. OK, let me share a secret, every image featured here are shot on Automatic Mode (including the rest of the images from my Facebook Album). I do away with Manual this round primarily is to just “frame and shoot” while letting the a6300 do the rest. The a6300 seems to handle shadowed areas very well, guess the metering meter was working pretty hard, and in fact the number of images that I deleted is so minimal for this trip, but gotten more keepers than expected. (don’t forget I am on Automatic mode).
Image: Jatiluwih Rice Terrace, Bali (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Shot by Sony a6300.
Focusing with the paired SELP1650 lens was fast, accurate and an almost silent operation. I locked focus in sub-seconds and always get the shot I wanted. I was really enjoying myself during the trip without worrying what the a6300 was producing after I visited the first location. With the a6300 in my hands, surely I am in good hands.
Image: Jatiluwih Rice Terrace, Bali (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Shot by Sony a6300.
In conclusion, I am very impressed with the Sony a6300. Although marketed as a mid-range compact mirrorless, I can safely say that the a6300 definitely has its advanced market standing among users & against other brands. Priced friendly, light-weight, compact, ease of use, excellent image quality and features-packed, the Sony a6300 will find their way to the hands of many upgrading photographers, travel photographers & professional photographers. For the professionals, the a6300 is your best back-up cam in your bag or even as an “off-day” camera. It simply does wonders.
Thank You Sony Singapore for the a6300!
Buy Your Sony a6300 here.
View my entire album here.
Here’s a behind-the-scene images taken by Cyndris Neo in Bali. Enjoy!
About Sony Electronics (Singapore) & Sony South East Asia
Sony Electronics (Singapore) was established on 1st October 1999 with business activities comprising engineering and manufacturing, sales and marketing, and logistics and information systems. As part of Sony Electronics (Singapore), Sony South East Asia is responsible for the marketing and sales of consumer products in Singapore, as well as for business and professional products in Singapore and other countries in the South East Asia region. It also handles export business for consumer products from Singapore to various parts of Asia. Since establishing our presence in Singapore in 1973, we have grown steadily over the years to become a leader in the consumer electronics market. For more information on Sony’s products and services in Singapore, please visit http://www.sony.com.sg/
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