Have I picked the right camera?

Soldato
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As Janesy suggested, the A6000 with 16-50mm kit lens, 18-105mm and 30mm macro lenses just about fits my budget (with a squeeze!) and is an option I'm thinking of.

I've just taken the plunge on this camera but found it online body only for £329 (after cashback) including delivery.

I've also ordered the 18-105 for £399 delivered.

Didn't want to use a HK disty on the offchance I get hit with import and then have similar price and no UK warranty.

The reviews of the kit lens aren't great so I've just decided to forgo the kit all together and will add a 35 prime at a later date.
 
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Cheers Steven, good prices :). I'll be giving them a call tomorrow as that 18-105 is "available to order" so I wonder how long they'd take to get it in.
 
Soldato
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I've just received the a6000 from bristolcameras and I suspect the following has happened.

I've ordered body only.
They've ordered Kit lens version from Sony.
Once received they removed the 16-50 lens
Sent me the open box without the lens.

What I now have is an Open box with Sony label cut open and the box is the kit 16-50 version with a lens-less camera inside.

- What do I do now baring in mind to get the cashback the camera needed to be bought before the 31st of January.
 
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I've just received the a6000 from bristolcameras and I suspect the following has happened.

I've ordered body only.
They've ordered Kit lens version from Sony.
Once received they removed the 16-50 lens
Sent me the open box without the lens.

What I now have is an Open box with Sony label cut open and the box is the kit 16-50 version with a lens-less camera inside.

- What do I do now baring in mind to get the cashback the camera needed to be bought before the 31st of January.

I can see why they did that, they'll punt the lens off separately I guess. If you are thinking of sending it back then by the time you get a replacement you'll miss the cashback offer; I can see your issue. Do you really want to send it back, you'll be at a loss due to the return postage?

My camera (with the 16-50 incidentally) should arrive tomorrow, the lenses to follow.
 
Soldato
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Yeah I know why they've done it but now my invoice for a ILC-6000B doesn't match my product which is a ILC-6000LB. I've submitted the claim form but hoping that it goes through. If it gets rejected I'll be asking bristolcameras to reimburse me the £50.

It's not really something i'd expect from a business to be honest. If it were for a gift, its the wrong box and opened it doesn't really give a good impression.
 
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I received my A6000 today and oddly the box had already been opened too. Nothing was missing and it works fine, perhaps they check them before sending them out or worse, it's been a demonstration model in the shop (but doesn't show any wear signs of this at all). Not really bothered by it though.

I received the email about the delay to the 18-105 lens as well. A bit gutted that it'll take 3 weeks to get here so I called them up and cancelled my order for it. They were okay about it and understood. So looking for somewhere else to get it from or look for an alternative similar lens.

Anyway, the A6000 is a lovely little camera :).
 
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I can now answer the question I asked in my original post, which was have I picked the right camera in the Sony a6000? That answer is yes, although I deviated in my choice of lens through recommendations from here and researching loads.

I finalised on a silver a6000 with the 16-50mm kit lens, the 18-105/F4 zoom and the 30/F3.5 macro lens, that should be a good mix for now. I also invested in some fast microSD cards with adaptors (the USB3.0 Lexar adaptor is very handy!).

a6000_and_lenses_01.jpg


The image above will hopefully be the last iphone picture I post on the forums :).

As sod's law would have it, a few days after getting my a6000 Sony revealed it's successor, the a6300. I wasn't particularly bothered due to the price difference, I wouldn't have been able to get the a6300 and the lenses I wanted within my budget anyway.

I've been playing with the camera and lenses, messing about with the various settings. It's the only way to get used to the a6000 and cameras like it. Here's a random shot of a lamp using the 18-105/F4 power zoom, handheld no less (F4, 1/20sec, ISO-800 and FL-95mm for those interested!).

lamp_01.jpg


Many thanks to those who offered suggestions, saved me money (cheers StevenG! ) and help me make my mind up. Looking forward to taking many more pictures of things other than lamps!
 
Soldato
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Many thanks to those who offered suggestions, saved me money (cheers StevenG! ) and help me make my mind up. Looking forward to taking many more pictures of things other than lamps!

That bokeh blur is soo smooth, wasn't expecting results like that if i'm honest. Happy I've ended up with the same camera and 18-105.

I'll be adding the 50 1.8 at some point for extra light but I'm focussing more on getting some accesories like straps, battery pack, flash etc first.

Keep us posted with any further images you take :)

StevenG
 
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That bokeh blur is soo smooth, wasn't expecting results like that if i'm honest. Happy I've ended up with the same camera and 18-105.

I'll be adding the 50 1.8 at some point for extra light but I'm focussing more on getting some accesories like straps, battery pack, flash etc first.

Keep us posted with any further images you take :)

StevenG

I know, isn't it smoooth :). It's a very simple image but shows the bokeh and focus really well. I like the way the light bulb cuts in to the front edge of the lampshade and also the subtle colours of inside the shade.

The weather has been too bad to get outside, so just lots of practising inside for now. I'll be looking a 50 f1.8 at some point too, but like you say, other stuff comes first.

Here's an image of my custom made SLI bridge using the 30 F3.5 macro lens in relatively low light and no flash. The SLI bridge is in full frame which I found impossible to do with the 18-105 f4 lens. I could have got even closer with the macro lens, this will be my lens for tight shots of components and the like.

custom_sli_01.jpg


The green of the LEDs in the background are now accurately captured - previously my iphone struggled with that.
 
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Do you have an iphone pic for comparison?

I would say have a look in my build log (link in sig) but most of those images (taken with an iphone) have had some element of rework to bring the levels back to reality. It's odd, the iphone can capture the green LEDs perfectly well in daylight, but at night (or low light level at least) it becomes quite inaccurate.

Here's an unaltered iphone image of what I mean:

iphone_not_quite_green_01.jpg
 
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