Sony a6000 review | the best beginner camera for walking

When working out what to put in our Sony a6000 review a memory popped up. Somewhere halfway up the Italian Apennine mountains, 1,500km or so through our walk to Rome, I fell over. Losing my footing on the scree I suddenly sprawled forward, the camera I was wearing swinging wildly and hitting the rocky ground with a definite crunch. I was fine, but I was pretty sure our camera wouldn’t be so lucky.

We’d walked for over three months by that point, documenting our journey every day with this one camera. Photography is important to us while walking: we want to capture moments and landscapes that few other people have seen. So we never put it away, instead taking turns wearing it strung around our necks, clipping it in under the rucksack belly buckle while we walked.

Usually clipped under a belly buckle. I sat on the ground and looked down at the loose camera grimly.

I let out a big breath of relief. Lens cap still on, the camera was perfectly fine, bar a little scratch on the body. And not for the first time we thought how good this little camera had been for us.

It was a Sony a6000, our second camera, and even now it’s still one of our best small cameras for walking, hiking or just travelling with.

Hiking and photography together can pose some real challenges. Weird weather, constant use, and the relentless rigours of backpack living all mean our precious camera was essentially required to fend for itself, in the wild away from the comforts of the camera bag. Our fierce, feral camera.

But we have found the little Sony a6000 up for the task. So we thought we’d put up our own Sony a6000 review talking about it.

For one, it’s compact and tough

This camera is small. That means we could wear it for long periods and it didn’t get too cumbersome. And as we can attest, it’s a durable little thing too – the above incident not the first time we managed to bash, drop or generally mistreat our most expensive piece of equipment.

Just as importantly, the quality of photographs is good

You can shoot in RAW, do everything you’d do with an SLR and it has remote control capability.

And we’re not the only ones who think that either. Photographer royalty Chris Burkard has previously mentioned the Sony a6000 as one of his favourite cameras on the go.

That said, it’s not a complicated camera – so perfect for beginners

It’s small, mirrorless – making it very light – and incredibly quick (Sony claims it focuses faster than a DSLR, and we tend to agree).

It does have a crop sensor so if you want big, expansive photos to print, this may not be the best option. But for a first-timer that’s a-ok.

It’s versatile

When we first started using Sony cameras, we used the one kit lens (yep, really). But you can use all the Sony e-mount lenses with the a6000, plus a decent selection of Sigma ones too.

We tend to use three: the Sigma 30mm F1.4 (amazing value for this high-quality prime lens which can create awesome bokeh!); the Sony 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 (robust entry-level zoom lens that we have no desire to upgrade!); and the Sony 16mm F2.8 (not bad, but we’re after another wide angle lens).

You can also attach a remote control to it as well, meaning we can both be in shots if we want.

And it’s not too expensive

Just a quick glance at prices now tell us you can get it from Amazon for £464. Buy the Sony a6000 here.

And apparently, you can drop it

Okay we’ll not guarantee that one but after four months of constant use the little Sony a6000 certainly stood the test of time. And rain, rock and rough use too.

Sony a6000 review: our shout for the best beginner camera for walking. Buy it here.

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