Sony a6300 Hands-on Review (Draft)

For the last few days I have been in Miami shoot with the Sony a6300, 24-70 f/2.8 GM series and the 85mm f/1.4 GM.  I will have a full video review soon (subscribe to my Youtube Channel to be notified) - below are some thoughts after spending three solid days with the Sony a6300 and shooting 3,000 photos. Sony a6300 Review - The headline features: Redesigned 24MP sensor, Improved AF system (4D Focus) with 425 Phase detection points - almost complete coverage of AF points from corner to corner and improved speed of focus 0.05 seconds. 11fps at high+ mode, 4K including 4k at Super 35mm.a6300 Spoiler Review - This is the best hybrid (photos & video) camera you can buy at this price point: focus is impressive, low light capabilities are some of the best I have seen in a crop sensor and 4K video looks great.   A few small issues hold this camera back from perfection but I would very happy to walk out the door with the Sony a6300 for just about any photo or video task.The Good -Focus system works as advertised, We shot wake boarders, parkour athletes and salsa dancers and I was impressed with the speed and tracking capabilities.  In one example I watched the tracking squares lock on and follow a sprinting, tumbling athlete cross from one corner of the frame to the other. - He moved by people, intersecting objects and it capably tracked him.     When I compare this system to the Sony a7RII or the a6000 I see noticeable improvements and increased intelligence. One of my big complaints about sony is picking the focus point - no touchscreen and no dedicated joystick make it difficult but with the increased smarts the camera selected my subject most of the time and when it didn't a new feature to the a6300 - focus selector, helps.  This allows you to use the directional pad on the back as a joystick to move your focus points without an extra button press.  This does require an extra press to get into the other functions of the directional pad- e.g. ISO, exposure compensation ect. So not perfect but I appreciate the choice.Focus during movies - good, with customizability on speed.  I will have more to say after I send time carefully reviewing all the footage I shot.a6300 Photo Quality - Despite sharing the same MPs (24) as the a6000 they did redesign the sensor, increasing copper blah blah, do you really care. I don't I just want to know the result, and I believe this will be the new king of APS-C low light performance.   I shot 12,800 images that while noise was certainly present it was far below what I expected and I would be happy to deliver those images to a client or bride.(MORE sample Images from the a6300)Video Quality - Very good - more to say soon.  These are good Codecs with S-Log as an option.Body and Handling - Very similar to the a6000- an additional switch at the AEL button allows a little more customizability.   Still can't assign shutter button to start video :(  Bodies construction is upgraded, honestly not sure I can really tell when I hold but it should be more robust.   The EVF is upgraded - nice rubber cup and it is higher quality with NO lag. With image review off I was tracking and shooting wake boarders without issue. Now with mic jack or you can use Sony's hotshoe mic.  Still no headphone port.Features- I mentioned the focus point selector. It's great! Also new option to magnify live view and focus for ultra precise focusing.  120fps full HD video! And of course 4k and cinema 4K - again, this will be the best performing low light camera for photos or video at this price point and honestly you have to spend significantly more to see improvements.  Custom 1 and 2 on the dial are additional nice touches.   Additional customization options in menu too  but. .The Sony menu system - This isn't particular to the a6300 but as these Sony cameras add additional features it becomes harder and harder to find and set all the variables you need for best performance in certain shooting situations. For example AF options are spread out over multiple tabs and pages and it makes it very difficult to find everything you need.  Additionally no favorites tab or customizable page mean if you want to seriously use this camera you will NEED to spend time memorizing the location of menu items.Anemic Buffer - Sure it can shoot 11 fps but that is a short burst and the camera locks up and is all but useless until it finishes writing to the card - this can be very frustrating in some situations.I will have lots more to say in my video- for now I will repeat the line. This is the best hybrid (photos & video) camera you can buy at this price point: focus is impressive, low light capabilities are some of the best I have seen in a crop sensor and 4K video looks great.I plan to compare the a6300 vs the Gh4, the 70D and 80D and it's big brother the Sony a7RII- but really, is it fair to compare a $1,000 camera vs a $3,200 camera?What else would you like to know or see covered in the review?ORDER the Sony a6300 from Amazon  or B&H Photo. 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