Well, I finally got around to doing an actual video with my newly acquired Sony a6000. I got the camera cheap off of eBay for a small series I shot with Fitcrunch a few months ago. Since then I've been building up my kit for this camera (I've been shooting with Canon for the better part of my life, so this was a change) and getting used to the striking differences between this camera and others I've used.
Here are a few things I'm going to need to get used to.
1) The image quality. This camera has incredible image quality. All the stats and whatnot are out there so I won't bore you with all of that. What it really comes down to for me is what it actually looks like. And, wow, I'm totally blown away. This camera, even with just the kit lens, is super crisp. The colors are vivid, almost to a fault, and even out of camera, with no color grading, everything just popped. In the video posted below I didn't do anything in the way of color grading. As you can see, it's just incredible what this little guy produces. I always loved the rather muted and flat quality I got out of my Canon cameras. Canon colors have a very classic look and feel and the Sony look is bright and flashy. Definitely something I'm going to have to get used to.
2) This sucker is TINY! I had to get a SmallRig cage for it so I wouldn't feel like I was going to drop it... or crush it... or mistake it for a cell phone and slip it in my pocket or something. The viewfinder is also tiny. I'm very used to a standard viewfinder. I shoot professionally with broadcast ENG style video cameras so getting used to a viewfinder that's about as big as my pinky nail will be an adjustment. That being said, what I see through this tiny viewfinder is solid. Once I got used to the size, I was amazed at the quality of the image. There's plenty of color information there and I didn't really have a problem actually seeing what was being recorded. The tilt screen on the back of the camera really didn't work well even in the sparse, overcast afternoon sunlight, so using the viewfinder was necessary.
3) This sucker is LIGHT! It weighs nothing. Using this camera on the tripods I already own is going to take some practice to get right as those tripods are made for cameras with some heft. As you can see in the video posted below, I picked up some shake at times. This is more of an issue with me than with the camera, but, yeah, it's gonna take some adjustment.
Overall, I'm really happy with this camera. As with all things, this new thing is going to take some practice to get good with, but I'm excited to take the time to master it. Check out the link below to see my first time out with it and check back to see what I do next. I'll be reviewing the lenses soon. Sneak peak - I friggin' love this 50mm f1.8!
