I was just offered an A6300 for a decent price, should I buy it?

[JonathanF2]

Lately I've thinking of adding an APS-C Sony body to my kit. I mainly want something that accepts AF adapters and can give me additional "crop" reach when shooting telephoto. Also I have the 16-35mm and 70-200mm f4 lenses which can work as a standard and a longer telephoto zoom combo. My current kit consist of two A7III camera bodies. I actually preferred the A6300 over the A6500 mainly due to much better battery life with the NP-FW50 batteries. The A6300 also has Eye-AF, both my zooms have OSS and my Samyang 18mm/45mm primes become an approximate 28mm and 70mm prime lens combo, which might be useful for street photography to get a more standard view. I also miss having an AF fisheye, so I was thinking of adapting something like a Tokina or Sigma fisheye lens.

My only issue is that I have to deal with NP-FW50 batteries again (I sold all my older bodies) and the A6300 doesn't USB Type-C requiring a micro USB cable for travel. Also the buffer isn't very big maxing out at 21 raws at 11fps, but I don't plan on shooting any serious sports action with it. Should I buy it or not cave into GAS?

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Just tryin' to help you out with your dilemma Jonathan.

 

[somnambulist_squirrel]

Yes......? I mean, sure, why not? It's a great little rig (I use one at work, and owned an a6000 as well as my A7Rii). The lenses you have will be great on it, and it's a great size for travel. Throw a manual Meike 25 on there for a pocketable street rig.

 

[Richard Crowe]

Using an APSC camera in tandem with my full frame A7iii is a no-brainer for me. I have the A7iii and a pair of APSC cameras (A6400 and A6500).
I really like using an APSC body in tandem with my full-frame A7iii because it allows me more versatility in lens choice. I normally shoot with a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens on the A7iii and use the APSC camera with a 12mm f/2.0 Rokinon when I need a wider view. I have pre-ordered a Sony 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS lens to use on the APSC camera when I need a longer reach. Of course, the 70-200mm f/4 G OSS is a nice lens for a crop camera also...
The new 70-350mm lens only works on an APSC camera but, I only used my Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS ii lens on my crop Canon 7D Mark-ii anyway...
The 70-350mm lens gives me 1/2 stop less light at full extension and 50mm less reach but, allows a 30mm wider view on the wide side so I have an equivalent 105-525mm equivalent focal length as opposed to the 150-600mm of the Canon lens.
I can live with those short comings since my A6400 and 70-350mm lens weighs only 2.2 pounds while the 7D Mark-ii and 100-400mm Canon lens weighed 5.6 pounds. That 3.4 pounds lighter weight is a decent trade off for the 1/2 stop and 50mm less reach. The 2.2 pounds or one kilo weight of the A6400 with the 70-350mm lens and the even lighter weight of the A6400 and Rokinon combination allows easy carrying of the second camera on a Black Rapid Strap.
The A6300 is a very viable camera but, I do like the A6400 because of full frame Eye-AF combined with Animal Eye-AF. Of course, we have both of these capabilities in the A7iii with the latest firmware.
Another handy factor of my additional APSC cameras is that I can carry a light weight camera/lens combination when I just want a single camera or a pair of cameras at the smallest form factor possible...

 

[TedG954]

I am very pleased with my A6300. I'd recommend one.

 

[JonathanF2]

Any idea what's a good used price on an A6300 body? I actually want an A6600 to have shared NP-FZ100 batteries, but I might have to wait another 4 years for the price to drop to something reasonable!

 

[JonathanF2]

Just tryin' to help you out with your dilemma Jonathan.

Did you vote or did I miss your suggestion?

 

[TedG954]

Any idea what's a good used price on an A6300 body? I actually want an A6600 to have shared NP-FZ100 batteries, but I might have to wait another 4 years for the price to drop to something reasonable!

I believe eBay is a good reference for current values of used goods. Items that are overpriced don't sell, so the fair market values are set by those actually interested in making a purchase. While you don't have to buy on eBay, you will at least get a general value for your search.

 

[bdbits]

With ebay you need to look at "sold" items only, which you can select on the left. And consider US-only as a filter also.

My quick scan on ebay and FM looked like $400-$450 for a used A6300 (body only).

 

[WNG]

If the decent price puts you ahead of the curve, then go for it. What you've stated as the intended purpose, you aren't going to be spending any funds on APS-C lenses, you're set with the full frame ones. Only investment is to pick up a half dozen W50 batteries. Luckily, they are dirt cheap now, so are dual USB chargers. One other recommendation for the APS-C bodies is to invest in a dedicated L-bracket. It doesn't add much weight, but those extra few millimeters of thickness improves the grip-handling a lot. Plus, if you use Arca-Swiss gear, there's no need for tripod plates. I think the prices for the a6300 have stabilized now that all the newer a6xxx bodies have been released. If you change your mind later, simply put the body back onto the market.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Did you vote or did I miss your suggestion?

I only voted as I'm stuck in full frame land with my A7ii + iii.

 

[Drd1135]

If you can afford it, sure. If you don't use it much, you can sell to someone else. It's just hard to know how much you will like a little camera versus the difference of capabilities and IQ from your FF stuff. Some things you just have to do experimentally.

 

[JonathanF2]

Never mind, I ended up passing on the deal! After going through some A6300 raw files, I decided I'm too hooked on FF to go back to an APS-C camera!

 

[Drd1135]

Doomed, doomed I say. Or at least your bank account.