Sony A6000 vs Sony A6300 Camera Comparison

The Sony A6000 vs Sony A6300 debate is going to rage while both cameras are on the market together. Many photographers looking to purchase their first Sony Mirrorless camera system will likely look at both of these options and try to decide which is best for them. Current owners of the A6000 (like myself) are likely trying to decide if they should upgrade to the A6300 or keep their current A6000. Read my Sony A6000 vs Sony A6300 comparison to see what I recommend and see the differences for yourself.

Sony A6000 Pricing*

  • Sony A6000 Body Only - $399.99
  • Sony A6000 with 16-50mm Lens - $549.99
  • Sony A6000 with 16-50mm Lens and 55-210mm Lens - $699.99

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Sony A6300 Pricing*

  • Sony A6300 body only - $999.99
  • Sony A6300 w/ 16-50mm lens - $1149.99

Check current pricing from these affiliates

*Pricing from Manufacturer's website - Current selling price may be different. Be sure to visit the links below for current pricing.

Side by Side

sonya6000vsa6300front

From the front there are not any changes other than the texture of material on the grip and Sony did away with the “APS-C” label on the bottom right.

sonya6000vsa6300rear

There are only a few minor changes on the rear of the camera. Sony removed the “AVCHD 24.3 megapixels” label below the flash hot shoe and added a new collared switch around the AEL button giving photographers a faster way to switch between the AEL/AFL function of this switch. Sony also removed the “Photo Creativity” shortcut icon from the bottom of the 4-way controller. I never used this and had to look up what it was. 🙂

sonya6000vsa6300top

Here is where we see the biggest difference between the Sony A6000 and the A6300 – the A6300 is slightly thicker in the body than the A6000. This is noticeable when you go from one to the other, but not a significant difference. Other than the change of the model label and the addition of the 4k label the only other difference is the mode dial options. Sony has dropped the Intelligent Auto Plus and the MR options and replaced them with “1” and “2” for saving your own custom “scene” modes. This gives the photographer even more control to switch between 2 common settings quickly and easily.

sonya6000vsa6300ports

Here is the other change between the A6000 and the A6300, the A6300 has added a standard Mic In jack. The A6000 offered a hot shoe accessory Mic you could use, but it only worked on Sony cameras, making it difficult to set up a better mic on the A6000. When I recorded my “Fall Photo Tips” video I used my A6000 and recorded my audio separately on an Olympus voice recorder using a stereo lapel mic. This meant I had to sync up my audio in post very carefully or my video would be like the old Godzilla movies. For more serious video this is another welcome change (along with the 4k video recording).

Sony A6000 Advantages

  • Price
  • Slightly Smaller

Sony A6300 Advantages

  • Build Quality (magnesium alloy and weatherproof)
  • 4k Video recording
  • Improved Auto focus
  • Improved Viewfinder
  • Viewfinder Level
  • Unviersal Mic In jack

Conclusion

The A6300 is a distinct improvement over the A6000 in several ways making it a slam dunk winner on paper. That is, until you take Price into account. The difference in price is $500 between the two cameras. Of course the A6300 will probably come down in price, but not until the supply of A6000 cameras is depleted. So what is my recommendation? If you can afford the A6300 then you should get it! The better Auto focus, Viewfinder, 4k video and build quality are all significant upgrades. But if you budget won’t allow you to get the A6300 then the A6000 is still a very good camera and probably the best “bang for your buck” on the market at this time (December 2016).

As far as Image Quality goes, my testing shows them to be very equal at base ISO, but at higher ISO’s the A6300 is *slightly* better, but not something that I think would show in prints, but does at 100% pixel peeping. Overall I call this a wash between the two cameras.

I love my A6000 but plan to upgrade to the A6300 in the future. But before I do, I plan to get the Zeiss 16-70mm f/4, the Sony 10-18mm f/4 lens, the Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS lens and either the 70-200mm f/4 or the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lenses. In other words, it is not my top priority, but it is on my wish list.

Sony A6000 Overall User Rating

4.56 out of 5

based on 1396 user reviews online.

: 74% (1038.5)
: 16% (225.75)
: 4% (51.75)
: 2% (31.25)
: 3% (48.75)

Sony A6300 Overall User Rating

4.55 out of 5

based on 182 user reviews online.

: 71% (130)
: 19% (34)
: 6% (11)
: 1% (2)
: 3% (5)

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Specs

Spec Sony A6000 Sony A6300
Sensor Size APS-C (1.5x) APS-C (1.5x)
Megapixels 24 24
Body Construction Composite Magnesium Alloy
Dimensions (WxHxD) 4.72 x 2.63 x 1.78 in. 4.7 x 2.6 x 1.9 in.
Weight Body Only 0.63 lbs. w/ Battery & Card 0.89 lbs.
Weather Sealed No Yes
Memory Card SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory stick Duo
Dual Command Wheels Yes Yes
Viewfinder Type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Coverage 100 100
ISO Range 100-25600 100-51200
Mirror Lock Up Not Applicable Not Applicable
Burst Rate 11 fps 11 fps
LCD Size 3 in. 3 in.
LCD Resolution 921000 pixels 921600 pixels
Articulated LCD Screen Tilt Only Tilt Only
Touchscreen No No
Image Stabilization No No
Remote Shutter Release Wireless (InfraRed) only Wireless (InfraRed) only
WiFi Yes Yes
GPS No No
AF Points 179 425 Phase Detect / 179 Contrast Detect
AF Sensitivity n/a -2ev to +20ev
Minimum Shutter Speed 30 second 30 second
Maximum Shutter Speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Flash Sync Speed 1/160 second 1/160 second
Built In Flash Yes Yes
Wireless TTL Flash No No
Video Specs 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p),
1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p),
640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
UltraHD
XAVC S
3840 x 2160p / 30 fps (100 Mbps) / 30 fps (60 Mbps) / 25 fps (100 Mbps)
/ 25 fps (60 Mbps) / 24 fps (100 Mbps) / 24 fps (60 Mbps)
High Definition
XAVC S
1920 x 1080p / 120 fps (100 Mbps) / 120 fps (60 Mbps) / 100 fps (100 Mbps)
/ 100 fps (100 Mbps) / 60 fps (50 Mbps) / 50 fps (50 Mbps)
/ 30 fps (50 Mbps) / 25 fps (50 Mbps) / 24 fps (50 Mbps)
High Definition
AVCHD
1920 x 1080p / 60 fps (28 Mbps) / 50 fps (28 Mbps) / 25 fps (24 Mbps)
/ 25 fps (17 Mbps) / 24 fps (24 Mbps) / 24 fps (17 Mbps)
High Definition
AVCHD
1920 x 1080i / 60 fps (24 Mbps) / 60 fps (17 Mbps) / 50 fps (24 Mbps)
/ 50 fps (17 Mbps)
High Definition
MP4
1920 x 1080p / 60 fps (28 Mbps) / 50 fps (28 Mbps) / 30 fps (16 Mbps)
/ 25 fps (16 Mbps)
High Definition
MP4
1280 x 720p / 30 fps (6 Mbps) / 25 fps (6 Mbps)
Mic In No Yes
Headphone Out No No
Built In Mic Stereo Stereo