Big dilema new lens or new cam?

[sam77]

Hi!
I have a Sony a6000 camera lost in my drawer.
Recently i became a father and i remembered my old cam. Im trying to use it not only on auto mode as before. So i put my cam on RAW and Jpeg and started to watch photography tutorials on utube.
I bought an CS5 Adobe program but when i try to load raw files i got an error loading mesage.
I cant update my a6000 cam software so i started looking for a new cam - A6400.
I downloaded an RAW file from this site to verify If the Raw a6400 are compatible with my Cs5 Adobe and it gives me the same error.
I found a new solution - concert the Raw file to DNG. That works. So i have to learn DNG processing files also .
I have some money and i was looking to by a new lens - Sigma 16mm F1.4
My question is: Should i by a new lens or the A6400 ? If the unswer is New lens what do you recomand ? (I am using my cam mostly for family photos)
Sorry for long talk. Any unswer will be highly apreciated. Thank You. All the Best

 

[Slug]

I’ll probably get shouted down but for what it’s worth, I’ve owned both an A6000 and still own a A6400 and they are great little cameras. Why are you fixed on shooting RAW if most of what you do is family photos? I’ve never shot RAW with the A6400 as it produces great jpegs straight out of the camera. Using A or S priority with the in camera adjustments available you should get some great results with a bit of practice. As far as a lens suggestion goes, a 18-135 zoom works really well with that camera for general purposes.

 

[alexpler]

I would recommend enjoying your A6000, learning to take advantage of its specs, training your eye... A new camera won't make magic if you can't take good pictures with what you already have.

Also, what lens do you own now? Before buying a new one (which is always a good investment if you will stay in Sony ecosystem), try it in different situations and then think if you feel it lacking or you lost a good picture because you didn't have enough focal length. If you need a different lens you will notice what kind of lens you need after taking many pictures. It all depends on your style and subjects of interest.

 

[Brownie]

Hi!
I have a Sony a6000 camera lost in my drawer.
Recently i became a father and i remembered my old cam. Im trying to use it not only on auto mode as before. So i put my cam on RAW and Jpeg and started to watch photography tutorials on utube.
I bought an CS5 Adobe program but when i try to load raw files i got an error loading mesage.
I cant update my a6000 cam software so i started looking for a new cam - A6400.
I downloaded an RAW file from this site to verify If the Raw a6400 are compatible with my Cs5 Adobe and it gives me the same error.
I found a new solution - concert the Raw file to DNG. That works. So i have to learn DNG processing files also .
I have some money and i was looking to by a new lens - Sigma 16mm F1.4
My question is: Should i by a new lens or the A6400 ? If the unswer is New lens what do you recomand ? (I am using my cam mostly for family photos)
Sorry for long talk. Any unswer will be highly apreciated. Thank You. All the Best

Raw files aren't different from camera to camera. CS5 needs the DNG conversion regardless of the camera.

There are several free open-source programs that will allow you to open and process RAW without all the nonsense. I've been using Darktable for a while and can recommend it. Be advised there's a learning curve, but the basics are easy. From my standpoint, it doesn't matter if it's a family photo or something more critical, learning to process RAW early is very valuable. You can decide later whether you want to shoot SOOC jpegs for some of your images.

I would also recommend using your current gear. I have an A6000 and it's a fine little camera.

Which lens do you have now? For getting started, the only reason I can think of to buy something more than the kit lens is if you want to take indoor ambient light (no flash) photos. In that case a fast prime would be a good thing to own. Still, you can get by with the flash for now.

 

[sam77]

I have the 15-50mm lens.

I would recommend enjoying your A6000, learning to take advantage of its specs, training your eye... A new camera won't make magic if you can't take good pictures with what you already have.
..,... try it in different situations and then think if you feel it lacking or you lost a good picture because you didn't have enough focal length.

I have the 16-50mm lens that came with the body.
I agree with your opinion 100% but watching utube videos i was impressed by Sigma 16mm opinions and i thought (since i have some spare money ) i could try it.
I know it wont do magic but i kind of hope that it will do. Thanks

 

[sam77]

Wich lens do you have now? For getting started, the only reason I can think of to buy something more than the kit lens is if you want to take indoor ambient light (no flash) photos. In that case a fast prime would be a good thing to own. Still, you can get by with the flash for now.

I have the kit lens and i bought a Godox TT350s flash that im trying to master. Till know 90% of the pictures were indoor and the light playis triks in me thats why i bought the flash hopping to solve the problem. But .. surprize - its not that easy. I got much to learn.

 

[iain clyne]

I would suggest keeping the A6000 as it's a great little camera and get the 18-135 which should cover all your family photos. As said the jpegs out of the A6000 are great so I would work with them. If you want to shoot raw, another free bit of software to convert them is Faststone, it only works in windows and not Mac though.

 

[Brownie]

I have the kit lens and i bought a Godox TT350s flash that im trying to master. Till know 90% of the pictures were indoor and the light playis triks in me thats why i bought the flash hopping to solve the problem. But .. surprize - its not that easy. I got much to learn.

I have the same flash, it's TTL (Through the Lens), or fully automatic. Make sure it and the camera are set properly and you should get almost 100% good shots.

 

[MathuStans]

If editing RAW files is important, consider installing Adobe lightroom while still maintaining Photoshop. You can work with both simultaneously as a TIFF file.
Use A6000 to get more experience first before upgrading the camera.
For the lens get Tamron 17-70mm F2.8, its an upgrade in both F stops and reach, for group shots at 17mm and Great head shots at 70mm F2.8.
Do not forget to add a light. If you aren't on a budget consider GODOX V1s.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Welcome!
I see other members have already helped you out with the raw and software questions. I also agree that the Sony 18-135 is a great lens for multiple purposes as long as the lighting is good, or you are outdoors.
The Sigma 16 is also a great lens, but you should be sure you want such a wide lens. It is good for landscape, night sky, and group photos. Another good choice from Sigma might be their new 23mm which is the equivalent of a 35mm on a full frame camera.

Also, congrats on recently becoming a father. My little one is 11 months old and she is often the reason for me to use my camera. When your kid gets old enough to run around, consider upgrading to a newer camera body like the a6700 (if you want to stay APSC) or an A7IV or newer (if you want to upgrade to full frame) because the newer camera bodies have improved autofocus. But no need to rush, the a6000 is a good starting point.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

That 18-135mm will be a huge step up from that kit lens. I remember doing a quick low light comparison between an A6400 with that kit lens you have and an RX100 III. The RX100 murdered it to the extent I thought there might have been something wrong with the brand new A6400 and lens...