I’m thinking about upgrading my 10 year old Nikon D40 SLR to a Sony a6000. Anyone here own one? BTW, I have no additional lenses, only the kit lens, so I have no real investment in the D40. Right now Best Buy has the a6000 in stock for $499.99 with the kit lens. Any camera expert opinion would be greatly appreciated.
I use A6500 at work and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Amazing camera. Fantastic low light capabilities. Stabilization is just extra ordinary. Program the settings to your hearts desires of just simply shoot the full auto. I shoot Raw+Jpeg but often just end up using Jpeg. It does eat a lot of battery sometimes but aftermarket batteries are very reasonable.
Check B&H Photo in NYC , they have great kits. Don’t forget a proper UV filter to protect the front lens element.
I am a huge Nikon fan. Been that way for more than 3 decades. The Nikon ergonomics are unmatched by any other. But I did choose to go the Sony route.
If financials allow go the A6500 route, if not there is nothing wrong with A6000. I’ve worked on a lot files from that camera and it’s great!!
What type of photography do you intend to do?
I just bought my a6000 literally yesterday 
I’ve always needed a camera to take better low light pictures and videos, and I can tell you right now that the autofocus on this thing is amazing.
The ability to manual focus and shoot raw pics is also extremely good for low light stuff 
Eventually I might buy a larger aperture lens, but lenses are expensive and many people are fine with the kit lens, so I’m sticking with that for now.
IMO the next step up for 4k video quality would be the a6300 which jumps to basically double the price, not worth it for me.
Thanks for the response. Anyway, I’m a complete amateur when it comes to photography. I basically just take general shots, nothing fancy like my latest purchase, home improvements, etc. My D40 is getting old, so I just need a decent upgrade. I like the a6000 is mirrorless, and within my budget.
Glenn
Edit: Enderman, Thanks for your input as well.
Kodachrome40, I checked B&H Photo. It’s a dollar cheaper than Best Buy. There’s a Best Buy walking distance from my house. I’ll buy it there tomorrow I’m real excited!
You are going to love it!!
Guess what I just got? Thanks guys!
:+1:
One more question. What’s the best aftermarket spare battery to get? I already ordered a UV filter from a USA seller off ebay.
One other thing, did your battery come fully depleted out of the box? I’m charging mine now.
Congrats! Good choice.
I started out on Nikon D40, and have kind of stuck with Nikon over the years, partly because of some of the lenses I acquired over the years, and partly because of familiarity with Nikon UI, but I have seriously considered Sony a6xxx on multiple occasions because Nikon’s autofocus can be finicky. There are still some shots that I occasionally miss on my Nikon due to mis-focus, where I’m pretty sure the Sony would have done better.
Camera aside, good lighting is key for good photography. Practice, practice, practice…
BH Photo has a house brand called Watson, which is generally well regarded as far as aftermarket batteries go…
This seems pretty interesting to read: a6000 camera batteries | Sony Alpha APS-C and NEX Cameras
I would personally buy only official batteries to be on the safe side. But that’s just me. I’m not the most concerned with budget.
When I got my A6000 I just started charging it immediately, I didn’t want any chance of the battery dying during the first boot up or something that could possibly screw up the camera.
Thanks Pete! I agree, the D40 isn’t a focusing king to say the least. It’s one of the reasons I was looking for a new camera. The Sony got high marks when it comes to focusing, etc. I’m sure I’m going to love it.
I powered mine up and I got a message on the LCD screen “Battery Depleted”. It’s charging with a solid amber LED. I’m pretty sure I didn’t damage anything. (At least I hope I didn’t) The OEM battery is $50, a bit expensive. But if I have to, I’ll buy one
Yeah, those Sony camera batteries have chips in them to monitor the pack and report info to the camera. As a result, they self-discharge pretty fast. I have to charge mine every couple of months, whether or not I use my camera at all. That bugs me. Other than that, I like the Sony alpha cameras.
When I was buying a new camera, I really wanted one that took 4xAA Eneloops. Unfortunately, there was really only one dSLR that used AA cells. Almost everyone uses proprietary battery packs nowadays. They’re lighter, and they get to charge ridiculous prices for replacement batteries.
Yeah it’s probably fine, mine took a few hours to charge up.
When it’s done charging the amber LED turns off.
Coolness! Can’t wait to start taking pictures with it
G'Day atbglenn, 
Congratulations on your new camera. Superb choice and great value. 
Btw, I have Sony, Nikon and Canon Mirrorless and DSLR cameras. They all have pros & cons.
IMHO Canon & Nikon have the best ergonomics and UIs.
I strongly recommend you get genuine Sony batteries, because you get more pics per charge, they last longer, and they are more reliable.
As far as I am concerned the battery is the most important piece of equipment apart from the camera. And the Sony a6000's battery life is quite short as it is, particularly compared to DSLRs
Best Regards,
George
My personal recommendation would be to stick to OEM batteries as well. I paid $60 for a spare OEM one for my Nikon.
However, I’ve read a lot of positive feedback about durability and life of Watson’s batteries, which seems to put them a cut above all the other no-name alternatives out there. So, if you are really in a pinch, that might be a viable alternative.
I second that. Been using one for about 6 months and it’s fine. Arrived about 50% charged. Both sony batteries arrived depleted. Wasabi brand of batteries is also good.
Congrats on your purchase.