Nikon D5300 or Sony A6000


tcydennis

Member
Dec 15, 2014
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Singapore
Seeking opinion:
I am looking to upgrade from Point and Shoot camera. Original intention was to buy a DSLR but also read that the new mirrorless was as good as the DSLR

I like to use the new camera to take pics of my toddlers, who are naturally fast moving. And so need camera to capture them in motion, as well as good portraits.

I have zoomed down to two choices: the Nikon D5300 or Sony A6000, two of which are within my budget range.
I am not sure whether i will upgrade the lenses, but taking it a step at time as need arises.

Which should i get? Thanks for your opinions.
 

Seeking opinion:
I am looking to upgrade from Point and Shoot camera. Original intention was to buy a DSLR but also read that the new mirrorless was as good as the DSLR

I like to use the new camera to take pics of my toddlers, who are naturally fast moving. And so need camera to capture them in motion, as well as good portraits.

I have zoomed down to two choices: the Nikon D5300 or Sony A6000, two of which are within my budget range.
I am not sure whether i will upgrade the lenses, but taking it a step at time as need arises.

Which should i get? Thanks for your opinions.

Standard procedure for this is...

head down to the shop and test these cameras up. Choose the one that feel best in your hands.

BTW, both cameras are excellent, they performed very very well. I have read that A6000 focus a little faster than D5300 and had a faster fps.
 

Seeking opinion:
I am looking to upgrade from Point and Shoot camera. Original intention was to buy a DSLR but also read that the new mirrorless was as good as the DSLR

I like to use the new camera to take pics of my toddlers, who are naturally fast moving. And so need camera to capture them in motion, as well as good portraits.

I have zoomed down to two choices: the Nikon D5300 or Sony A6000, two of which are within my budget range.
I am not sure whether i will upgrade the lenses, but taking it a step at time as need arises.

Which should i get? Thanks for your opinions.

DSLR vs mirrorless. The main difference is OVF vs EVF and it's usually personal preference, pros and cons of each type of viewfinder. Battery life, D5300 hands down. articulated screen of D5300 is slightly more advantageous vs A6000 tilt . As for IQ, I doubt there's huge difference between both models, though lens do play an important role as well. Nikon would win with the range of lenses.
Certainly something you need to ask yourself (as a father I would assume), as one major difference is weight & portability, would you lug a dslr or mirrorless camera? As suggested by rhino123, best to visit a store and test both, from handling to images rendition to menu and dial controls.
 

Thanks to rhino123 and wonglp for your advice!
 

I don't know about Sony, but Nikon probably has the best overall mix of good sensor, lenses and auto focus tracking system. Between the 2, I will take d5300.
 

I don't know about Sony, but Nikon probably has the best overall mix of good sensor, lenses and auto focus tracking system. Between the 2, I will take d5300.
Well, if you don't know about Sony how can you make such a statement then?
 

Well, if you don't know about Sony how can you make such a statement then?

Key word: Probably

Just an opinion. Didn't say Sony not good.

Moreover would u not agree Nikon 3D focusing and variety of lenses are better than Sony?
 

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Moreover would u not agree Nikon 3D focusing and variety of lenses are better than Sony?
No, I wouldn't. I am not familiar enough with both brands to make any reasonable judgment. Without a proper testing under controlled conditions all these words about focus speed are nothing but subjective impressions by single persons. Highly subjective, coloured by expectations, experience, maybe some hearsay...
Secondly (and this was mentioned many times in other, similar threads): What is the point of a large lens line up if most users only need kit lenses and maybe one or two primes? If the Sony lenses cover the required focal length range then there is no disadvantage.
Let's stick to facts that help TS here.
 

I don't know about Sony, but Nikon probably has the best overall mix of good sensor, lenses and auto focus tracking system. Between the 2, I will take d5300.

Key word: Probably

Just an opinion. Didn't say Sony not good.

Moreover would u not agree Nikon 3D focusing and variety of lenses are better than Sony?

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but try to refrain from coming up with general comments like which is better than which... it will only end in ugly brands war.

The Nikon and Sony both made excellent cameras, they function very well and did what they are designed to do excellently. Different people would have different preferences over the camera and photography is a very personal thing (some would say art). It is like asking which phone is better - iphone or android phone, and people will kill each other for the brands they supported.

As for the variety of lenses... more doesn't means better. And Sony actually had heaps of lenses in its arsenal too... remember Minolta?
 

Key word: Probably

Just an opinion. Didn't say Sony not good.

Moreover would u not agree Nikon 3D focusing and variety of lenses are better than Sony?

Sony recently announced 4D tracking :bsmilie:
 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but try to refrain from coming up with general comments like which is better than which... it will only end in ugly brands war.

The Nikon and Sony both made excellent cameras, they function very well and did what they are designed to do excellently. Different people would have different preferences over the camera and photography is a very personal thing (some would say art). It is like asking which phone is better - iphone or android phone, and people will kill each other for the brands they supported.

As for the variety of lenses... more doesn't means better. And Sony actually had heaps of lenses in its arsenal too... remember Minolta?

Noted. Thanks for pointing out.
 

Sony recently announced 4D tracking :bsmilie:

Out in the market yet?

Btw I'm also waiting for Panasonic organic sensor and also water-based zoom lens for mobile phones.
 

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Lets get back to TS question and focus on that. Let us not talk more about other nonsenical stuff... bottomline, Sony and Nikon and Pansonic and Canon and Pentax and Olympus, etc, made good cameras, they work as advertised, be it 3D focusing, 4D focusing, and whatsoever... all these are not what TS is asking...

Refrain from making TS more confuse, and turning a normally perfectly okay thread to a penis contest.
 

Lets get back to TS question and focus on that. Let us not talk more about other nonsenical stuff... bottomline, Sony and Nikon and Pansonic and Canon and Pentax and Olympus, etc, made good cameras, they work as advertised, be it 3D focusing, 4D focusing, and whatsoever... all these are not what TS is asking...

Refrain from making TS more confuse, and turning a normally perfectly okay thread to a penis contest.

4D Focusing is in the A6000 and that's why i mentioned it. read the link below

http://www.slashgear.com/sonys-4d-autofocus-system-adds-the-dimension-of-time-17346762/

[video=youtube;qZGmLf6o6Bc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZGmLf6o6Bc[/video]
 

Hi OP

Not a D5300 vs A6000 comment but hope this gives you more ideas.

I was in your shoes a few weeks back (upgrading from P&S for my kid) and I ended up with the Olympus EM10. I've been using it for a few weeks now and these are my thoughts:
- great, small(ish) size camera. I played with a Canon 70D and while the Canon felt better in my hands, the smaller size of the Oly meant it's easier to lug around. My other option was a Ricoh GR but there were 2 features on the Oly had that was important - IBIS and AF face detect.
- Fast AF, even in lowlight.
- The 14-42 kit lens is compact and decent, but I bought the 25mm f1.8 as well. I've been using the 25mm quite a lot and love it since it allows me to shoot in lowlight at decent ISO and shutter speed. Plus better bokeh if you care about that sort of thing.
- IBIS has been awesome. I've done some 1/15 shots that looked amazing - by my standards anyway =)
- OOC JPEGS are good. I haven't had a chance to play with the RAW files yet as I'm still learning how to convert.
- EVF was a pleasant surprise. It kinda brightens up in lowlight so you can see a little better.

To be honest, the only thing I dislike so far is the grip, which I knew when I bought it. If you have large hands, you can't fully grip the camera like you would a normal sized DSLR. I'm still finding it a little awkward but this is not deal-breaker.

If small size and fast AF is important to you, I think the A6000 would fit you better. Awesome AF and great portability. If you can get a decent fast prime, you should be set.
 

Hi OP Not a D5300 vs A6000 comment but hope this gives you more ideas. I was in your shoes a few weeks back (upgrading from P&S for my kid) and I ended up with the Olympus EM10. I've been using it for a few weeks now and these are my thoughts: - great, small(ish) size camera. I played with a Canon 70D and while the Canon felt better in my hands, the smaller size of the Oly meant it's easier to lug around. My other option was a Ricoh GR but there were 2 features on the Oly had that was important - IBIS and AF face detect. - Fast AF, even in lowlight. - The 14-42 kit lens is compact and decent, but I bought the 25mm f1.8 as well. I've been using the 25mm quite a lot and love it since it allows me to shoot in lowlight at decent ISO and shutter speed. Plus better bokeh if you care about that sort of thing. - IBIS has been awesome. I've done some 1/15 shots that looked amazing - by my standards anyway =) - OOC JPEGS are good. I haven't had a chance to play with the RAW files yet as I'm still learning how to convert. - EVF was a pleasant surprise. It kinda brightens up in lowlight so you can see a little better. To be honest, the only thing I dislike so far is the grip, which I knew when I bought it. If you have large hands, you can't fully grip the camera like you would a normal sized DSLR. I'm still finding it a little awkward but this is not deal-breaker. If small size and fast AF is important to you, I think the A6000 would fit you better. Awesome AF and great portability. If you can get a decent fast prime, you should be set.

Thank you v much for your opinions!! Much appreciated.
 

Hi OP

Not a D5300 vs A6000 comment but hope this gives you more ideas.

I was in your shoes a few weeks back (upgrading from P&S for my kid) and I ended up with the Olympus EM10. I've been using it for a few weeks now and these are my thoughts:
- great, small(ish) size camera. I played with a Canon 70D and while the Canon felt better in my hands, the smaller size of the Oly meant it's easier to lug around. My other option was a Ricoh GR but there were 2 features on the Oly had that was important - IBIS and AF face detect.
- Fast AF, even in lowlight.
- The 14-42 kit lens is compact and decent, but I bought the 25mm f1.8 as well. I've been using the 25mm quite a lot and love it since it allows me to shoot in lowlight at decent ISO and shutter speed. Plus better bokeh if you care about that sort of thing.
- IBIS has been awesome. I've done some 1/15 shots that looked amazing - by my standards anyway =)
- OOC JPEGS are good. I haven't had a chance to play with the RAW files yet as I'm still learning how to convert.
- EVF was a pleasant surprise. It kinda brightens up in lowlight so you can see a little better.

To be honest, the only thing I dislike so far is the grip, which I knew when I bought it. If you have large hands, you can't fully grip the camera like you would a normal sized DSLR. I'm still finding it a little awkward but this is not deal-breaker.

If small size and fast AF is important to you, I think the A6000 would fit you better. Awesome AF and great portability. If you can get a decent fast prime, you should be set.

I also bought one e-m10. It comes with free 45mm f1.8 lens during IT Fair promotion.
 

Hey OP, I thought I'll bring my 2 c...

I also recently had to choose the best camera under $1,000 and I too ended up with a final choice between the Sony A6000 and the Nikon D5300! I couldn't afford spending more than $1,000 and I ended up choosing the Nikon D5300 (DSLR), here’s why:
If you want to shoot in motion, I think that's one of the A6000 best feature.
For me, I wanted an all rounder (photos and videos) and ended up choosing the D5300, here's why:
– Way more lenses to choose from with Nikon than with Sony
– 40% better battery life
– A proper external mic jack (so important if you wanna shoot quality video...)

When I was making my mind up, I found a really helpful article on hubpages.com that helped me see key differences:
Just go to hubpages and search for: "sony a6000 vs nikon d5300".
I would love to put the link but I'm not allowed to post links yet...

Hope this helps...
 

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Hey OP, I thought I'll bring my 2 c...

I also recently had to choose the best camera under $1,000 and I too ended up with a final choice between the Sony A6000 and the Nikon D5300! I couldn't afford spending more than $1,000 and I ended up choosing the Nikon D5300 (DSLR), here’s why:
If you want to shoot in motion, I think that's one of the A6000 best feature.
For me, I wanted an all rounder (photos and videos) and ended up choosing the D5300, here's why:
– Way more lenses to choose from with Nikon than with Sony
– 40% better battery life
– A proper external mic jack (so important if you wanna shoot quality video...)

When I was making my mind up, I found a really helpful article on hubpages.com that helped me see key differences:
Just go to hubpages and search for: "sony a6000 vs nikon d5300".
I would love to put the link but I'm not allowed to post links yet...

Hope this helps...

Hi i think using hubpages is a big mistake

They have many missing information

A6000 smart hotshoe can mount full XLR microphone

Also has S-Log and clean HDMI and zebra, much more important for video

Also video AF is very good on A6000

Also A6000 can use all A-mount lenses and also use all classic e-mount lenses

For quality video Nikon is poor choice, even Panasonic GH2 is much better

I use A6000 with XLR and clean HDMI out for video projects and it is very very good
 

I would say do your research. For instance Nikon has apparently come up against some gremlins with a few of their camera launches...what is the report on the D5300? Something to consider I think.

Mirrorless is the new revolution. I would love to be in your shoes. My personal choice would be the Sony.