My Sony a6000 Camera: Why I Chose a Mirrorless

Today is an exciting day (for me, anyway). After lots of research, deliberation, and (not so) patiently waiting, my new Sony a6000 camera has finally arrived!

The pictures I’ve posted on the blog so far were either taken with my iPhone, or with Tucker’s Olympus OM-D EM-10 mirrorless camera. Some photos I’ve used were taken my Tucker himself (he’s a great photographer). I really like the Olympus, but more and more I was wishing I had my own camera to capture moments on trips or recipes in the kitchen.

Extensive research and recommendations from my photographer-father led me to the Sony a6000. Here are some of the reasons I chose this camera:

• Size was a major factor in determining which camera to choose, since I will be using it while traveling more often than not. Mirrorless cameras are significantly lighter and smaller than a traditional DSLR camera, but offer the same professional quality that larger cameras have. I considered a few DSLRs in my selection process, but after playing around with them at the store, I knew they would eventually be annoying to carry around on long trips.
• The a6000 felt like a perfect “next step” for someone (me) just getting into the photography scene. The body of the camera offered all the bells and whistles I was looking for, and the software was easy to understand. I’m also confident I’ll be able to build a collection of lenses for this camera body moving forward.
• I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a new camera, but I had saved up for several months and was ready to spend a decent amount on this new equipment. The a6000 was one of the cameras that offered the most bang for my buck, which made it feel like a great financial investment, too.
• Everything that I heard or read as I was researching for this purchase pointed to the fact that Sony has really stepped up its photography game in recent years. Some claim that Sony even outperforms Canon and Nikon in the mirrorless camera category!
• I spent quite a bit of time at the store playing around with this camera (and some others) before I committed to buying this one. One of the things I really liked about the Sony a6000 was how intuitive the software was, and how quickly I was able to figure out some of the settings. Now, I’ve still got a long way to go to learn the ins and outs of this camera, but it felt nice knowing that the interface was easy to understand right off the bat.

Now, excuse me while I go learn how to use this camera instead of just writing about it!

What’s your go-to camera? Let me know in the comments below!