First impressions of Sony a6600

I've been out and about for a couple of hours with the a6600 this morning. It's the first time that it's been out of the house and I'm quite pleased to say the least. I was quite apprehensive really as its pretty much double the price of any camera body I've had before but it doesn't disappoint. It's also nice to have the digital spirit level back too, something the a68 lacked. Small things I know but it's a nice touch. The offset evf isn't hard to get used to either, plus it's comfy to use with the standard eye cup. All good so far. Well almost.

It may seem very trivial to some but where they've put the loop for the neck strap to attach too is a bit low for my liking. As it's on the grip rather than on the top of the body that can be a bit uncomfy.

The fact that the camera picks up if the AF lens is set to AF or MF isn't something I'm used to either but it's appreciated too. Nice feature that is.

Incidentally, AF-C mode is unavailable when I was using the Tamron 45mm f1.8 a mount lens via the LAEA3 adapter. I'm not sure if this was because its a third party lens or because its via the adapter but that's no massive deal. Just something to keep in mind I suppose.

All in all I'm very happy so far. Its proven a decent investment and although it's early days for sure and I have tons to learn about the e mount system as a whole, I'm really looking forward to it. Plus I promised myself I wasn't going to jump off the deep end and purchase alit of glass like I did with a mount, there's three lenses I'm already looking at for e mount use.

Sony SEL30M35 macro.
Sony SEL90M28 macro.
Sony SEL18135 zoom

In no particular order really, but I certainly found the a mount 30mm SAM macro a very useful multi purpose lens so I'd like to get that focal length back again. I'm hoping that someone like Christopher Frost does one of his excellent lens reviews on it which are about as impartial as I've found so far. We will see.

Anyway I think I've babbled on enough for the time being at least. It's an early Christmas present to myself and I'm delighted really. As for my a68, it'll be happy to continue in service with the screw driven lenses which I do have quite a few of.

Merry almost Christmas everyone. 👍🙂

I was experimenting with different settings during shooting some still images. I doubt I'll be using the video function much. But that explains it, no AF-C mode with the adapter. Thanks for confirming that. Something I've learned and this is only day 1.

I'm very happy with the performance of the Tamron 45mm f1.8 so doubt it'll be getting replaced anytime soon.

I am very interested in a short macro but haven't quite explored all the options of the 30mm length yet. The sony SEL30M35 is looking good especially for the price but there seems to be a lack of reviews at the moment.

Thanks.

QuietOC wrote: balacau wrote: Incidentally, AF-C mode is unavailable when I was using the Tamron 45mm f1.8 a mount lens via the LAEA3 adapter. I'm not sure if this was because its a third party lens or because its via the adapter but that's no massive deal. Just something to keep in mind I suppose. Do you mean AF-C in video mode? I don't think any E-mount camera supports that with the LA-EA3. AF-C only works in bursts at the "LO" frame rate for stills with the LA-EA adapters. The LA-EA2 and LA-EA4 support AF-C in video recording in the normal SLT manner. The Samyang AF 45/1.8 is a nice replacement for that Tamron. I use the SAL30M28 on my A7II. The Sigma 30mm F2.8 DN is better on APS-C for non-macro use.

Thank you.

Its good to read some feedback on this macro as there are so few reviews (in-depth ones anyway) concerning this lens. I have actually considered purchasing the a-mount SAL30M28 again however I'm not 100% sure that'd be worth it really even though it is a cheaper option (£60GBP difference as far as London Camera Exchange prices go). Is the aperture difference really that big of a deal? Most likely not as far as I'm concerned as I doubt I'd be using it wide open anyway, more likely F5.6-F8 or so. But I certainly used that lens alot on my a-mount camera body through from the a55, a57 and a68 so its a no-brainer having that size of a macro available for my a6600.    

Kilkry wrote: I bought the SEL30 3,5 for use w- my a7rii and have no complaints. A stabilized house is a benefit for it, unless on a tripod I don't use it w. my A6000.

Yes it does! I'm not sure why it wouldn't before (quite possible I had manual focus enabled on the lens at the time) but its certainly working now. Although I'm laughing I feel like a bit of an idiot for that one... As I said before, I have so much to learn with the a6600 so maybe David Busch's book on the camera is a good place to start, alongside the youtube tutorials and hints/tips that are already appearing.

I have given the LAEA-4 adapter some thought and although I realise this will give me AF capability on my screw-driven lenses, I don't think its worth the cost especially since I still have a functioning a-mount body.

I am genuinely surprised how easy it was to get used to an offset EVF though. That was one of my main worries about shifting to e-mount aps-c.

Thanks.

QuietOC wrote: So, does your LA-EA3 allow AF-C in stills with your Tamron 45/1.8? Because it should do that. My A6400 gives me AF-C in stills with the LA-EA3 and the Sony/Zeiss 24-70/2.8 and Sigma 35/1.4. If not, check the firmware of your LA-EA3. Enjoy your new toy!