The Sony a6000, announced today, looks like a good incremental update to the NEX-6. As a NEX-7 user it is good to see that Sony is continuing to develop the APS-C rangefinder style cameras, whatever they choose to call them. Credit also to Sony for keeping the price at least reasonable - $650 body only; $800 with the 16-50 lens. I believe this is $100 less than the NEX-6 when it was first released. The big cost cutting item appears to be the viewfinder which is of a lower resolution than that on the NEX-6 and NEX-7.
I've read on a number of sites that Sony spokespeople have described this camera as a replacement for both the NEX-6 and the NEX-7. Not so. If that is the case then what they mean is that this is a replacement for the NEX-6 and there will be no replacement for the NEX-7. Which leaves those of us using the NEX-7 in the same place as those Nikon users who have been waiting years for an update to/replacement for the D300. I would like to think that there will, in due course be an 'a7000' as a direct replacement for the NEX-7, but its not something I'm confident will happen.
I can't help thinking that Nikon and Sony are playing the same game here - dither over replacing your high end APS-C model in the hope that users will instead emigrate to low end 35mm models. The problem is that even low end 35mm models are still significantly more expensive that high-end APS-C models, to say nothing of the additional cost of 35mm format lenses.
Sony certainly need an E-mount camera - or perhaps even two - to fill the huge gap between the $650 a6000 and the $1700 A7. I know many people will be wishing for a $1300-1400 35mm camera (an A5 perhaps?) but despite the sensor size it would still be a low end camera with all that implies in terms of build quality and features. I'm perhaps in the minority but I would prefer a high end APS-C - an A7000. In an ideal world perhaps Sony would do both.
While Sony are clearly committed to the APS-C E-mount market for the foreseeable future I'm concerned about how committed they are to the E-mount (as opposed to FE-mount) lens market. But that's for another time.
There's no way the a6000 would replace my NEX-7, but it would certainly make a very good second body. I'm looking forward to the reviews.
I've read on a number of sites that Sony spokespeople have described this camera as a replacement for both the NEX-6 and the NEX-7. Not so. If that is the case then what they mean is that this is a replacement for the NEX-6 and there will be no replacement for the NEX-7. Which leaves those of us using the NEX-7 in the same place as those Nikon users who have been waiting years for an update to/replacement for the D300. I would like to think that there will, in due course be an 'a7000' as a direct replacement for the NEX-7, but its not something I'm confident will happen.
I can't help thinking that Nikon and Sony are playing the same game here - dither over replacing your high end APS-C model in the hope that users will instead emigrate to low end 35mm models. The problem is that even low end 35mm models are still significantly more expensive that high-end APS-C models, to say nothing of the additional cost of 35mm format lenses.
Sony certainly need an E-mount camera - or perhaps even two - to fill the huge gap between the $650 a6000 and the $1700 A7. I know many people will be wishing for a $1300-1400 35mm camera (an A5 perhaps?) but despite the sensor size it would still be a low end camera with all that implies in terms of build quality and features. I'm perhaps in the minority but I would prefer a high end APS-C - an A7000. In an ideal world perhaps Sony would do both.
While Sony are clearly committed to the APS-C E-mount market for the foreseeable future I'm concerned about how committed they are to the E-mount (as opposed to FE-mount) lens market. But that's for another time.
There's no way the a6000 would replace my NEX-7, but it would certainly make a very good second body. I'm looking forward to the reviews.