As we leave 2017 behind and welcome 2018, a couple of things made the list on our greatest purchases for the year. One of which is our Sony A6300 – though having been in the market for awhile, offers great quality in such a compact build.
Choosing a camera in this day and age may not always be the easiest, with so many models and brands in the marketplace. Whether you are doing it casually, just getting into photography, or a professional, there’s no one camera that fits all in terms of the specs or accessories you are looking for. Personally, the experience of purchasing our first camera equipment was an arduous process back in 2010 – not because it was hard to decide what we wanted, but rather the investment trade-off at that point of time (when we were in our teens to early 20s) – which was the most valuable aspect in terms of what we were looking for. Sure, our phones have served us well (and will still continue to do so), but having a camera might make a world of difference. While this article might simply provide little pointers to how we made the decision to purchase the ideal camera for us, it’s truly in your best interest to do a little research first. We’ll also share some pictures we’ve took with our Sony camera.
1. Hardware mount for variety of lenses
When it comes to photography, I feel that we put in a little part of ourselves in each picture – whether it’s calming, neutral, emotive – there’s a certain style and feel to it. And this can come across in any forms of photography; whether you shoot landscapes, street, portraits, candid or just anything.
Floral Watercolour Painting, Sony @ Wisma Atria
Of all things we photograph, food is arguably our primary subject – with so much going on behind the scenes. From figuring the lighting, to curating the style, there’s a whole other dimension behind each production. We particularly decided on the brand and model by determining the hardware mount we will be working with as this will determine the available lens options tied to it. Sony remains among the pioneers in mirrorless cameras and offers one of the most advanced mirrorless systems in the market.
Especially for an interchangeable lens camera like the Sony A6300, this was especially crucial in our purchasing decision and we did quite a bit of research on this. While there are ways to counter interchangeable lenses with mount adapters etc., it might compromise on several functionalities. Having said that, ensuring your camera of choice has the specific lenses available for your photographic style is key, which brings us to our next point.
2. Versatility of mirrorless cameras and ILCs
Mirrorless cameras have no doubt delivered the flexibility of an interchangeable lens system. We never fully comprehended the debate until we experienced for ourselves the real benefits of interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) from its performance, during shoots and final image quality.
The versatility of mirrorless cameras and ILCs are also perfect for someone like me who’s not as familiar with cameras, with interchangeable lenses tailored to any shooting required. It goes without saying that your gear has to be up to the task and with the appearance of food not always being camera ready (ie. ice cream melting, hot food fresh from the oven), we rely heavily on getting that perfect shot within minutes. We purchased the E35mm f/1.8 OSS lens – great to produce sharp and high quality images – useful particularly if you shoot raw files or low-light shooting.
Food photography styling
At the end of the day, if the flexibility of an interchangeable lens system appeals to you, go for it.
3. Small and lightweight
It’s really a breeze carrying it around. I typically work on the go, so having a lightweight and compact camera is a major plus point. The Sony A6300 is approximately 120 x 66.9 x 48.4 mm (w x h x d) and weighs approximately 404g with battery and memory card included. In comparison to several other models, the A6300 felt the most comfortable on hand too. Try it yourself and you’ll know what I mean.
When shopping for a camera, especially your first one – I personally feel that heading down to a shop and speaking to a staff is the most crucial point that will help you make that final decision. I headed down to the Sony store at 313 Somerset and spent a couple of minutes holding and having a feel of the camera. It’s really the hands-on experience, getting the feel for different brands, taking a few shots, going through the tangible process of things. Sure, the specifications of a model are important, but with quite a number of similarities across other brands, most of us will pick one over the other in an intuitive way.
To us, it’s the perfect size and weight for a camera with this much quality.
4. Fast auto focus, great in low light shooting
A mentor once told us that when it comes to choosing your camera, think about the size of the image sensor. The bigger it is, the higher quality of images. ILCs are built around large sensors and offers fast autofocus. The Sony A6300 has a fast hybrid AF (phase-detection AF/contrast-detection AF – 0.05s) providing clean images with precise focusing and world’s most phase-detection AF points (425).
Low light shooting
If you’re into high-speed continuous shooting, this camera is perfect for you with superior speed, response and quality in such a compact body. Personally, I’ve always struggled with photography – how impactful we can tell the story or frame our subjects. Varying the camera angle and recomposing styles has always been our mantra but realizing that our images turn out so clean in all lighting conditions is truly amazing. For shots that you have to bump up the ISO, you don’t really see the noise or grain that much. Either way, it picks up all the details and will take your photography to the next level.
5. NFC one-touch functionality
Hands up if you have a drawer of obsolete cable stashed away in your home. With the world experiencing a wireless declutter, your typical round flex cables might no longer be necessary – and for good reason.
Taken with PlayMemories Mobile app™
Like many other mirrorless cameras available in the market, sharing has never been easier. Most cameras are fitted with a built-in Wi-Fi with NFC technology – giving you the edge to share your photos on your socials straight from your camera. Sony A6300 comes with a NFC one-touch functionality and eases the transferring, exporting, uploading and sharing with the PlayMemories Mobile app™. I truly enjoy the option of remote control via your smartphone.
Though the A6300 might be in the market for quite a while and there’s many other options out there too, we personally feel that it is pretty promising for the price, quality and compact body.
Sony
Address: #02-28 to 37, 313 Somerset Road, 238895 (multiple locations)
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm
Contact: 6634 9497
Website: www.sony.com.sg
With lots of love,
An Affair With Food
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