Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6 – Detailed Comparison

It is wise to invest in a venture you have done some research on. And if that investment has anything to do with cameras, we are pleased to be of help. In today’s review, we will be comparing two Sony mirrorless-type cameras: Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6.

Our comparison of the Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6 is quite a long one. So, if you need to make a really quick decision, the next three sections are for you.

Anyway, if you can, do try to make it all the way to the end. In the last two sections, we tell you what we think as well as the thoughts of customers who have used these.

Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

Table of Contents

Comparison Overview – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6

We have divided this sector into 4 major subsectors to help you more easily grasp this summary. Let’s get right to it!

Where Do They Both Get It Right – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

First off, both cameras come with RAW support. This allows your images to be stored in the most uncompressed form possible. 

Furthermore, filming people and shooting portraits is made really easy with the Sony Alpha a5000 and the Sony Alpha NEX 6. This is because the two cameras come with face detection autofocusing systems.

Another thing that these cameras got going for them is that they each come with a 3 inch articulating screen. So, taking those creative shots is way easier, as the LCD on these cameras favour shooting from flexible positions.

Now, to help with shooting in some of those low lighting conditions, Sony fitted both the a5000 and the NEX 6 with a built-in flash.

Still on lighting, Sony equips these two cameras with automatic exposure bracketing to assist with setting exposure when shooting in tricky lighting conditions.

Also, both cameras under review come with wireless connectivity. This makes the transfer of pictures from the camera to a nearby smartphone easier.

Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6 – A Sony a5000 Demonstration Video

Where Do They Both Get It Wrong – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

Sony got it wrong in a number of ways with these two cameras.

One of those ways is in not making any one of these cameras – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6 – with a built-in image stabilization.

Well, why is image stabilization even important?

Shooting with a camera that has a built-in image stabilizer helps reduce the likelihood of shooting blurry images.

This is because what that feature does is that it automatically stabilizes the camera’s sensor and lens against vibrations or movement in the camera’s positions.

Another thing that cannot be overlooked is the battery life of these cameras. Neither of them comes with amazing battery life.

It is true that mirrorless cameras are not known to have very long lasting batteries. And these cameras – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6 – coming with batteries that produce 420 shots and 360 shots per full charge, respectively, these cameras have indeed shown characteristics true to their kind.

However, if you intend to go on a shooting spree, the a5000 obviously would be your better pick.

More so, neither the a5000 nor the NEX 6 comes with environmental sealing on their bodies.

The most common cause of camera damage is the moisture and dust particles that creep into the camera body.

This is the major reason some cameras come with environmental sealing on their bodies, as this provides some protection against tough weather conditions.

It is quite unfortunate that Sony did not fit either of these cameras with a weather-sealed body.

Finally, another feature missing in the two cameras under review is the touch screen. A touch screen would have made shooting a lot easier, but well, you would have to make do.

How Do They Differ From Each Other – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

While both these cameras come with the same type of sensor, their maximum sensor resolutions differ.

The Sony Alpha a5000 comes with a 20 mega pixel APS-C CMOS sensor, while the Sony Alpha NEX 6 boasts of just 16 mega pixels.

What this means is that you will be able to get more pixels in pictures taken with the a5000 than in those taken with the NEX 6.

Further, while the Sony Alpha a5000 offers just 25 focus points to choose from, the Sony Alpha NEX 6 tops that and offers a pretty impressive 99.

And well, it will interest you to know that the speed and accuracy of the camera’s focusing depend on these autofocusing systems.

Moving on, the remote control feature is another thing that creates a difference between these two cameras – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6.

This feature allows you to control your camera with your smartphone, and it is only present in the a5000.

A Sony Alpha NEX 6 Demonstration Video

https://youtu.be/K_mHdqA9_pU

Which Has The Better Price-Value Ratio:
Sony Alpha a5000 or NEX 6?

Both the a5000 and Nex 6 are affordable cameras, but the NEX 6, even more so. The prices are very much justified for the value they each offer. However, we believe that you will be a getting better price/value ratio with the NEX 6.

Brand Strength – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6

Sony is no doubt a major game player in the camera producing market, especially with its wide range of quality cameras. With Sony, there is a camera for everyone – beginners, enthusiasts, pros, literally everyone.

Sony has been declared to be the producer of world’s best image sensors, making it a trusted brand.

So, whatever your choice is between these two – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6 – you are sure it is coming from a brand you can count on.

Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

Comparison Table – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6

 

Sony Alpha a5000

Sony Alpha NEX 6

Announcement date 7th January, 2014 25th March, 2013
Weight 269 grams 345 grams
Sensor resolution 20.0 megapixels 16.0 megapixels
LCD resolution 461k dot 921k dot
Battery life 420 shots per full charge 360 shots per full charge
Electronic viewfinder No Yes
Continuous shooting 4 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Auto Focusing (AF) 25 points 99 points
DxOMark Overall Score 79 78
Smartphone remote control Yes No
Near field communication Yes No
Colour depth 23.8 23.7

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

What Situation Is Each Best Suited For – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

Sony Alpha a5000

Sony Alpha NEX 6

With its medium-sized body, thickness, and sensor size, the Alpha a5000 is a good choice for daily photography.

You can rest assured that it won’t be a burden to carry around this camera, whether it’s on a vacation, or a long shooting spree.

The other great features of the Sony Alpha a5000 complement its size, so you are not carrying around an unimportant lightweight, but a little treasure.
This camera’s fast-continuous shooting, good low light ISO, and electronic built-in viewfinder, live-view, face detection, and articulating screen, make it an acceptable choice for street photography.
Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

 

What Do They Have In Common – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

Here are the things that make the Sony Alpha a5000 and the Sony NEX 6 similar:

i. Articulating screen

ii. Battery

iii. Light body weight

iv. Built-in flash

v. Auto exposure bracketing

vi. RAW support

vii. Face detection focus

We will now look at each of them in detail…


Articulating Screen

An articulating screen is simply an LCD screen that is not fixed, but can be turned in a number of directions independent of the camera body.

Each of the cameras in comparison here comes with a 3 inch articulating screen. This type of screen affords you flexibility while you shoot.

The interesting difference, however, is that only the screen of the a5000 can be tilted up to 180 degrees upwards. What this means is that that camera is the only selfie friendly one of the two.


Battery

The Sony Alpha a5000 and the Sony Alpha NEX 6 each come with an NP-FW50 battery pack. And while the a5000’s battery offers you 420 shots per full charge, you get only 360 per full charge of that of the NEX 6.

Looking at these numbers, it would be profitable to invest in extra batteries, especially if you intend to go on long shooting sprees very often with the NEX 6 particularly.


Light Body Weight

Considering the weights of the two cameras under review, we can comfortably say that they will not be a burden to you.

The Sony Alpha a5000 has a weight of 269 grams, which proves to be even lighter than the Sony Alpha NEX 6 which weighs 345 grams.

Apart from being lightweight, the a6000 and NEX 6 are also pretty compact as they have an average thickness of 45 millimetres and 43 millimetres respectively.


Built-In Flash

The built-in flash of a camera comes in handy when you have to shoot in low-lighting conditions, and also when you would rather not carry an external flash.

However, this is not us suggesting that the built-in flash is the overall solution for low-lighting issues.

Yes, it does a fantastic job, but sometimes you would need an external source of light for even brighter images in poor lighting.


Automatic Exposure Bracketing

Most times when shooting in tricky lighting conditions, it is confusing to know what exposure is best for your image. It is in times like this that auto exposure bracketing becomes highly needed.

Exposure bracketing entails you shooting one image at a particular exposure, and then two other images at adjusted exposures.

After taking a look at the three images shot, it is easier to determine the best shot and then choose what you want to do with the other two.

Cameras that come with the automatic exposure bracketing (AEB) feature – like these ones in comparison today – allow you to automatically set this up.

This feature enables you to set the width of the three shots to be taken. So that the first shot taken will be in the set exposure, while the second shot will be underexposed by the number of stops set. And then the third shot will be overexposed, also by the number of stops set.

More so, auto exposure bracketing makes it really easy for you to get lovely HDR photos.

Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

RAW Support

Shooting RAW simply means that the images being taken are stored as uncompressed files containing minimally processed image data from the camera’s image sensor.

What all that means is that the camera stores your images in such a way that no data is lost when you need to carry out post-processing later on.

On the other hand, when you shoot JPEG, the stored images are already compressed, and so, have lost a lot of image data.

However, to print the pictures or share them online, you will have to process the RAW files and convert them to JPEG or other suitable image formats.

Now, the benefit of having RAW support in your camera is that you are able to get any one of those image formats whenever you want.


Face Detection Focus

A camera with the face detection focusing feature is one which is able to automatically set its focus and exposure for a shot once it detects human faces.

This makes such a camera a great choice for portrait and group photography.

Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

How Different Are They From Each Other – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

Which comes with an electronic viewfinder: a5000 or NEX 6?

If you are all for shooting with the technologically advanced electronic viewfinder, then you will have to go for the NEX 6, as it is the only one of the two with this feature. A viewfinder is that part of the camera where you look through to ensure better composition and focusing of pictures.

Viewfinders are of two types: optical and electronic. The most basic difference between these two viewfinder types is that the optical one makes use of a window, while the electronic one makes use of a screen.

The other difference is that while the optical viewfinder shows you what the lens sees, the electronic viewfinder shows you what the sensor sees.

With the electronic viewfinder, you are sure that the finished result of your shooting will be exactly what you see through the viewfinder.

Well, all of this will only be enjoyed with the NEX 6, as the a5000 does not even give you an option of using an external viewfinder.

Which is better for flash photography: a5000 or NEX 6?

Both the Sony a5000 and NEX 6 come with built-in flashes, but option for external flash support is only offered by the NEX 6. Being the only one with an external flash hot shoe, this camera is quite literally the only one of the two that allows you improve on results of the built-in flash with an external hardware, thereby making it the better camera for flash photography.

Which has the better sensor resolution: a5000 or NEX6?

With a sensor resolution of 20 mega pixels, images taken with the a5000 will be having about 25 per cent more pixels than those taken with the NEX 6 which has a sensor resolution of 16.0 mega pixels.

Quality of pictures is usually attributed to the sensor resolution of the camera which was used to shoot them. This makes sensor resolution one of the most important things that are considered before deciding to purchase a camera.

We know that there is more that contributes to the quality of an image than a camera’s sensor resolution. This is not in any way downplaying the need to get cameras with amazing sensors.

Having a camera with high sensor resolution provides higher flexibility for cropping images or printing larger pictures without forgoing details or image quality.

Which can be remote controlled: a5000 or NEX 6?

The Sony Alpha a5000 comes with the remote control feature which allows you to control your camera with your smartphone. This will make photography with this camera a little more convenient to use and a little more fun than with the NEX 6.

Which allows for a one touch wireless connection: a5000 or NEX 6?

The near field communication (NFC) feature on a camera allows wireless connectivity with compatible devices simply by touching them together. Only the Sony Alpha a5000 comes with near field communication, this feature is not present in the Sony Alpha NEX 6.

Which has more focus points: a5000 or NEX 6?

While the Sony Alpha NEX 6 offers 99 focus points to choose from, the a5000 offers only 25. This is quite a large gap, and will be greatly affecting the quality of pictures produced by these different cameras.

Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

What Are The Unique Pros Of Each Product – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?


Pros Of The Sony Alpha a5000

  1. The Sony Alpha a5000 has a higher sensor resolution of 20 mega pixels than the 16 mega pixels of the Sony Alpha NEX 6.
  2. The battery of this camera lasts longer than that of the NEX 6. This means that this camera is better for those shooting sprees you would like to go on.
  3. Of the two cameras under review, only the Sony Alpha a5000 is fitted with the smartphone remote control feature.
  4. Only the a5000 comes with the near field communication feature. This means easier and more convenient wireless connectivity with this camera.

Pros Of The Sony Alpha NEX 6

  1. This is the only one of the two with an external flash hot shoe. This means that it is the more suited one for flash photography.
  2. Being the only one with an electronic viewfinder, this camera will be allowing you frame your photos better than the a5000.
  3. With 921k dots, this camera’s screen resolution is nearly a hundred per cent higher than that of the a5000.
  4. You will enjoy continuous shooting with this camera with its impressive 10 frames per second speed on burst mode.
  5. You will be getting better focused images with the NEX 6, because this camera gives you 74 more focus points than the a5000.
Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

What Are The Unique Cons Of Each Product – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?


Unique Cons Of The Sony Alpha a5000

  1. This camera will not do so well at flash photography because it is not compatible with external flashes.
  2. The a5000 does not have an electronic viewfinder, and this might not be good news of you will be shooting a lot in direct sunlight.
  3. The a5000’s 461k dots in screen resolution is low and pretty unimpressive.
  4. The burst mode speed of this camera (4 frames per second) is not amazing at all. As a matter of fact, it is more than 2 times slower than that of the NEX 6.
  5. The Sony a5000 comes with few focus points – 25.

Unique Cons Of The Sony Alpha NEX 6

  1. With only 360 shots per full charge, this camera’s battery life is not very impressive.
  2. The smartphone remote control feature is absent in the Sony Alpha NEX 6.
  3. The NEX 6 does not come with the near field communication feature.
  4. You will be getting 25 per cent less pixels in photos taken with this camera compared to those taken with the a5000.

Check these other articles:

What Pros Are Common To Both — Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

 

Sony Alpha a5000

Sony Alpha NEX 6

Articulating screen This camera’s 3 inch tilting LCD screen allows you to shoot from flexible positions. The Sony Alpha NEX 6 also has a 3 inch LCD screen that affords you flexible shooting positions.
Light body weight The Sony Alpha a5000 weighs 269 grams. So, carrying it around daily will not pose an unnecessary burden.

This camera weighs even less than its counterpart which is equally lightweight.
The NEX 6 weighs a bit more than the a5000. But weighing 345 grams, this one surely belongs in the league of lightweight cameras.
Built-in flash The built-in flash of the Sony Alpha a5000 comes in handy when shooting in low lighting conditions. The Sony Alpha NEX 6 comes with a built-in flash, too.
Automatic exposure bracketing Efficiently shooting in tough lighting conditions with the Sony Alpha a5000 is possible because it comes with auto exposure bracketing. The Sony Alpha NEX 6 also comes with the auto exposure bracketing.

When shooting high dynamic range (HDR) and in tricky lighting conditions, this really comes in handy.
RAW support The RAW support feature of the Sony Alpha a5000 allows you to store your images as uncompressed files. The RAW support of the Sony Alpha NEX 6 ensures no loss of image data as images are stored unprocessed.
Face detection focusing The Sony a5000 comes with the face detection autofocusing feature which allows it efficiently detect the human faces in the frame.

After that, your camera then proceeds to automatically set its focus and exposure to take a shot.
This feature is also present in the Sony Alpha NEX 6, making it a wonderful choice for shooting portraits and filming people.
Creative shooting The a5000 allows you record time-lapse videos with an optional app.

More so, you can make great panoramic photos with this camera, too. Really awesome.
Same as the Sony a5000.
Extend display You will be able to use an HDMI cable to extend the display of the Sony a5000. You will also be able to use USB cables with this camera.
Wireless connectivity This camera allows you use Wi-Fi to send files quickly and easily to a nearby compatible device.

And of course, you already know it is a lot easier with this camera because of the near field communication feature it comes with.
This camera come with a built-in Wi-Fi, too.

But like we have already established, no near field communication. So, no one touch connection with this camera.
Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

What Cons Are Common To Both Products – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

 

Sony Alpha a5000

Sony Alpha NEX 6
Image stabilization The Sony Alpha a500 does not come with built-in stabilization.

The absence of image stabilization can become an unpleasant issue if use very long lenses without placing the camera on a tripod or rig.
The Sony Alpha NEX 6 is also not fitted with built-in image stabilization.

This can result in blurry images whenever there is a change in the movement or position of the camera while shooting.
No environmental sealing There is the absence of environmental sealing on the body of the Sony a5000.

Without environmental sealing, the camera is exposed to dust particles and moisture.

This could consequently lead to a shortened camera lifespan.
There is no environmental sealing on the Sony Alpha NEX 6, either.

Extreme care will be needed if this camera is to be used in tough weather conditions.
No touch screen The screen on the Sony Alpha a6000 is not touch-sensitive.

Using a camera with a touch screen is usually a different shade of cool.

However, the absence of this might not be so much of a big deal if you already know your way around a camera.
The screen on the Sony Alpha NEX is also not touch-sensitive.
No Bluetooth The Sony a5000 does not come with Bluetooth.

What this means is that wireless connectivity will be entirely limited to just the built-in Wi-Fi.
You also will not be getting the convenience of Bluetooth with the NEX 6.
No built-in GPS You will not be able to geo-tag images with the Sony a5000. Same as the Sony a5000.
No external microphone jack This camera does not allow you attach external microphones.

What this means is that you won’t be able to improve audio quality of recordings made with this camera beyond what the internal microphone offers (which is usually not very amazing).
You also will not be able to use external microphones with this camera.

What Do People Think Of Both — Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

Sony Alpha a5000

Sony Alpha NEX 6

The medium-sized body of the a5000 made many users call it “the little-sized wonder”.

The high-quality images produced by the Sony a5000 amazed people when users showed them the little camera that shot them.

Due to its size and efficiency, many photographers appear to have agreed that the Sony a5000 is an excellent travel companion.
Many users were pleased with the NEX 6’s ability to accommodate a wide range of lenses with the use of an adapter.
There have been mixed feelings about the battery of this camera.

While some customers complained that the battery of the a5000 didn’t do so well, others seem to be just satisfied with its performance.

Some other users have suggested that putting the camera on “airplane mode” when not in use would help prevent quick draining of the battery.
The size of the NEX 6 was a major favourite for users.

Users pointed out that the image quality it produces could pass for that of a DSLR, and this was without having to bear the clunky weight of a DSLR. Win-win situation for them.
Many users had no idea that the built-in flash of the a6000 was a pop-up flash, and were really delighted to make that discovery. The electronic viewfinder is another thing some users found helpful. They said when shooting in bright sunlight and it was hard to use the rear screen, so, using the viewfinder quite literally saved the day.
The absence of an environmental sealing on the body of the a6000 really put a damper on people’s excitement about this little-sized wonder.

Users were displeased because this restricted the use of the camera to capture picturesque moments in tough weather conditions.
A lot of users found the menu arrangement to be really clumsy, and this was a huge drawback.

Some even hinted that this meant that the camera was for beginners who will appreciate just shooting in auto mode.

More so, environmental sealing was one feature the users really wished was present on the Sony Alpha NEX 6.
Generally, a great majority of users found it to be worth the price despite the flaws they pointed out. In all, users pointed out that the NEX 6 is a good camera to grow into. Plus, it is a great budget camera.
Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

What’s Our Take On Them – Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6?

Sony Alpha a5000

Sony Alpha NEX 6

Looking at the feature set of both cameras, one might say that the Sony a5000 has the more favourable feature set.

We feel that for its price, it is a worthy choice.

However, as we always emphasize, it all depends on what you want to get out of your photography.

If what you need a camera for is daily photography, vacation, vlogging, events photography, then the Sony a5000 really is for you.
With all the NEX 6 offers and its affordability, it is also a worthy choice of camera.

Again, it really depends on what you want in a camera.

We would recommend this one for flash photography, tourist visits, sports photography, vacations, tours, wildlife photography, and a number of other cool stuff.
Click here to buy the Sony Alpha a5000 on Amazon now.
Click here to buy the Sony NEX-6 on Amazon now.

Sony Alpha a5000 vs NEX 6 — FAQs

Does the Sony a5000 shoot 4k?

The Sony a5000 does not shoot 4K. It shoots full HD, which means that it has a video resolution of 1920 by 1080. Now, of course, full HD is inferior to 4K in quality, but so far as you are not a professional photographer or a film maker, you’ll probably be very all right with the quality full HD has to offer.

As a matter of fact, for a beginner, 4K might even be luxury, because it would require software that are more complicated than normal and laptops that with more capacity than normal to edit the videos. You probably do not want all that stress as an amateur, so, 1080p would be just perfect for you.

Does the Sony a5000 have image stabilization?

The Sony a5000 was not designed with any form of image stabilization. What this means is that if your camera shakes or vibrates when you take photos (as often happens), the quality of your images will be greatly affected.

Anyway, to avoid this, you may have to get tripod stands or gimbals for your camera to help you minimize the shakes and vibrations as much as possible. It is, however, hard to say if they will give you the exact same results that built-in stabilization would have, but they will surely do a good job.

Is the Sony a5000 a DSLR camera?

The Sony a5000 does not comes with a viewfinder of any kind, that alone is a huge sign that it is not a DSLR camera. A DSLR camera will always come with an optical viewfinder (except for very few exceptions), because the mirror mechanism requires that light from the camera’s lens is bounced off the mirror and then to the optical viewfinder where the photo can be previewed and framed.

The Sony a5000 is a mirrorless camera, and as the name suggests, it has no mirror nor does it have a reflex mechanism. This is the reason why it is a very lightweight and compact camera.

Is the Sony a5000 full frame?

The Sony a5000 is not a full frame camera. It comes with an APS-C CMOS sensor which has a maximum sensor resolution of 20 mega pixels. Shooting with an APS-C sensor gives the picture some sort of crop effect, and this is usually great for when the object or person being captured is far away from the camera, like wildlife photography.

Anyway, the only reason the a5000 will not be recommended by many as the ideal camera for wildlife photography is its slow burst mode — 4 frames per second.

Is the Sony NEX 6 good for wildlife photography?

The Sony NEX 6 will be doing a pretty good job at wildlife photography. It is not your best option for this type of photography, but if it is what you have, it will be getting a couple good photos.

The NEX 6 has an APS-C CMOS sensor which is great for wildlife photography, however, it boasts of just 16 megapixels of maximum sensor resolution which is not very impressive.

Anyway, its 10 frames per second speed in continuous shooting will be helping you get good images of animals running or bird flying, so, that’s a huge plus. However, it does not have a weather sealing, so, if the weather starts changing, you will have to protect that camera so it doesn’t get damaged.

Is the Sony NEX 6 a good camera?

The Sony NEX 6 is a good camera. It has a pretty decent ISO range of 100 – 25600, a built-in flash, and also a hot shoe for external flashes, so, you are sure it won’t be doing badly in low light. It also has a 10 frames per second burst mode speed, so, to get photos of objects moving, the NEX 6 will be doing a good job, too.

More so, the NEX 6 comes with a tilting screen, built-in Wi-Fi, and a time-lapse recording feature, so, not only is it easy to use, it is also a lot of fun. And when you consider that this camera is priced at a little above 300 USD, you will appreciate it even more.