Solved! Nikon D3400 vs Sony A6000

[evaquidditch]

Thank you for all your nice reviews!
I’m having great trouble making a decision on which camera I should buy. I’m just an amateur photographer who appreciates nice sharp photos with vivid colours and who uses the camera specially for travelling (I don’t do videos so much).
I was completely convinced on the Nikon D3400 with the 18-140mm lens f3.5-5.6 (as even though most of my pictures are between 18-55, 40% of my shots are higher than 55 and I don’t want to change the lens so much) and in a near future acquire the 35mm f1.8.
However, recently I discovered the Sony A6000 and it seems very tempting. It is a bit lighter than the Nikon D3400, but I see that lenses are more expensive and there is less to choose from, not to mention they are quite heavy too...
Which one would you go for?
Many thanks!

 

[sander9620]

I started studying photography in September and I use the Nikon D3400 (with 18-105 kitlens). I'm very happy with the body and that lens. Teachers are also happy with my work. It has never let me down.

I also bought the 1.8F 35mm second hand. The quality is really nice on 1.8F but isn't good on all the other apertures. Making it only usefull for portraits. I also have a lot of chromatic abberation with that lens. So I recommend you buy the 50mm 1.8F instead. It's around the same price and it's a fullframe lens as well so you could keep using it after an upgrade to fullframe and the quality is better.

The camera has never let me down. The sensor is very new so it's really good and the 5fps do help. Nikon is also a bit more mainstream giving you more options for lenses and other addons like flashes and such.

I recommend the d3400 as a perfect starters dslr from my experience with the camera and without experience of the sony. I had bad experiences with the 1.8F 35mm but could be because it was a second hand.

 

[bjornl]

The Nikon 18-140 lens is an exceptionally sharp kit lens. It won't match a prime. But for a low-priced zoom, it is amazing.
The Nikon d3400 has a very advanced sensor. It is very light, reasonably compact.
The Sony a6000 is smaller but with a lens it is not as good ergonomically. This will matter if you hold it in your hand for more than a few minutes at a time. They have the same size sensor and so the total kit will be around the same size. Sony does not have a lens which compares to the 18-140. The closest they have is the 18-105 f/4, which is a good lens but not quite as sharp. If you want the same or better image quality you need the even more expensive 16-70 (costs nearly double).
Nikon has the largest lens support of any brand. Canon is very close. Sony is an up and comer but they aren't there yet with the lens catalog.

If you want the sharpest images possible, get a body and a few primes. The lens that Sander9620 mentioned is exceptionally good. And very cheap. Once you learn that lens, then consider if you want a little wider, little longer or something else completely (like maybe a macro lens).

Ultimately most who buy a Nikon or a Sony are both happy with their purchase. So if you are sitting there agonizing over this, rest easy in that there is little buyers regret on either model.

 

[beno90]

Nikon D3400 is a DSLR camera, while the other one is a mirrorless camera, i know a lot of photographer that make the switch to mirrorless cameras because they list cool features and an easy to use, without forget their compact weight, but the major fact is that Sony a6000 is great for videos, so if you want to record videos for youtube channel, use Sony a6000, while Nikon D3400 can be a great gear to start Photography, but don't expect a lot from it because it i an entry level dslr camera. Good luck