Lessons
Introduction & Basic Controls
06:10 2Top Deck: Mode Dial
12:55 3Top Deck: Other Functions
03:28 4Back Side
05:18 5Back Side: Function Button
21:08 6Back Side Other Functions
05:46 7Left Side, Right Side & Movie Options
04:07 8Bottom & Card Reader
03:47Lesson Info
Front & Lens
On the front of the camera, we have stereo microphones to try to get the best sound possible. There is a mounting index mark that you'll notice on your cameras and so, let's just bring up one more thing. There's our sensor, 24 megapixel sensor, and then CPU contacts, which we'll also see on the back of our lenses, and then our lens release. And so, if you got this camera and you had any other lenses, let me just quickly show you taking the lens on and off. On the front of the camera, we have a lens release right down here in the corner and a little bit of a turn, and our lens comes off and there's our sensor in there. So, we'll see contacts on the back of our lens, which match up with the ones on the cameras, and what we're really looking for on this camera, or on the lens, is this white dot right here and the white dot up here. And so, white dot to white dot and then a little bit of a turn until we get a nice click and things are turned on and safe. And so, try to keep the camera with...
a lens on it. You don't wanna leave that uncovered 'cause there's dust that can get in on the sensor. We do have our remote sensor over on the side of the camera. If we are gonna be using one of the remotes that you can get separately from Sony, that'll allow you to zoom the lens and shoot video and take still photos from a distance, which can be helpful so that you're not bumping the camera in those situations. And then we have a little self-timer and Auto Focus Illuminator up on the top of the camera, and if you don't like this light turning on, you can turn it off so that it doesn't annoy other people or get in their eyes in any way. So, Sony has a relatively complex line of lenses and that's because they have, essentially, four different styles of cameras in between the different size of sensors that they have and the different size sensors that they are. The different size sensors and the different type of lens mounts, whether it's a mirror-less or an SLR camera. Now, for those of you who may not know, Sony's whole system of cameras started with the Minolta cameras, and Minolta was a lens manufacturer and camera manufacturer for many years and they had a very common lens mount that they used for many, many years and that is used in the SLT models of the Sonys and in their older SLR cameras. And it's what's called an A Mount system. They then came up with a digital mount that was smaller in size, it's called a DT Lens, that would be used on it. And so, those are lenses that are designed for the smaller sensor size in these SLRs. And then, on a separate track, Sony started developing mirror-less cameras like this one, the Sony a6000 which uses a smaller sensor, but it's a mirror-less camera which has a different mounting system and so this uses what's called an E Mount. So, there's an A Mount and there's an E Mount and the 6000 has an E Mount system on it. And not too long ago, they introduced a Full Frame version of these style cameras and it's still an E Mount, but it uses FE Lenses, and I apologize for the confusion. I did not come up with this design, but it's just kinda the evolution of cameras and the changes that they've been going through. And so, it seems to me, and most people, that the direction that Sony is going is more in the mirror-less realm and so, the E Mount is the route going forward. And for those of you who have this camera, you can use E Lenses or FE Lenses. And so, if you wanna use an FE Lens, it's gonna be capturing a little bit more information than you actually use on the smaller sensor, but it will work perfectly well and it's 100% compatible with the camera. For the most part, you're gonna wanna be looking at the E Mount lenses, which are the ones that are specifically designed for this camera. The 16 to 50 is gonna be one of the smallest, most versatile lenses. Optically speaking, it's not the best of them, but it's a very convenient lens to have, so I can understand using it. A very common second lens is gonna be the 55 to 210. This is gonna get you some telephoto capabilities, some reach-out capability to photograph something that's a little bit further away. You'll notice that a lot of the Sony lenses have a number of letters on them and this is designating some aspect of that particular lens about it. For instance, OSS is Optical Steady Shot. This is a system where lenses work on pitch and yaw system to help balance the camera to get steadier shots. Now, Sony has also started a partnership with Zeiss Manufacturing out of Germany. For those of you who don't know, Zeiss is a very high-end, elite lens manufacturer and you will have, actually, three different types of lenses. You are gonna have pure Sony lenses, you'll have some pure Zeiss lenses that work on Sony cameras, and then you'll have some Sony lenses that were not completely designed, but they were approved and they meet the Zeiss quality standards. And the 16 to 70 would be a for instance of that Zeiss quality. It's still Sony's idea for a lens, it's Sony's lens, but it meets all the Zeiss standards and qualifications, and so, it's a really nice lens if nothing else. It's also a pretty expensive lens. And so, that would be a really nice lens to have on this camera. If you wanted to have a good wide angle lens, there's not too many options, but Sony's 10 to 18 would definitely get you covered on the wide angle lens. So, if you were, say, a real estate agent and you're trying to show as much from side to side in a small, confined area, that 10 to 18 would be a good lens to look at. A few other lenses that you might wanna look at are the Primes. These are fixed focal length lenses. They make a couple of pancake lenses, which are really small, very lightweight, if you wanna keep the size of the camera package down so small you could keep it in a coat pocket. Another really nice lens is, if you want a slightly wide angle lens, this is a Zeiss 24 millimeter lens. You know if it's Zeiss, it's one, expensive and two, very good quality. But a good Prime, if you just want a basic lens, the 30 millimeter 1.8 is a great lens for learning photography, good average focal length. And if you want a nice portrait lens, look at the 51 1.8. It's just the right focal length for doing great portraits of people with a fairly fast aperture to give you a pretty shallow depth of field. Now, there are lots of other lenses and we don't have time to get into them, but this should cover you on some of the more basic lenses.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
user-f49136
You've invested in the Sony A6000 so let John help you discover and understand all it can do with his terrific video class. I'm a visual learner so this was perfect for me. I printed his class materials for easy reference. Thanks to John I'm a beginner with the confidence to go out and play with my new camera!
Debbie Walker
MERCY!!! this was excellent for me!! I am not familar with cameras so this definitely helped me understand better how to use my Sony A6000; I was honestly ready to give up!!! Great explanations ! well worth the time!!!
JulieannaD
I learned more during this class than I did in 4 months of owning the camera ! Finally able to use the focus options properly, including my favorite; Back Button Focus. John is a fantastic teacher, I enjoy all of his classes and his excellent teaching style. Watched all 3 hours of this class in one evening. From now on I will always purchase his classes when I get a new camera. 2 thumbs up !
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