Five Essential Accessories for Your Sony A6500 Camera

There are plenty of reasons why the Sony A6500 have turned into one of the most popular contemporary mirrorless cameras beloved by the majority of indie filmmakers and enthusiasts alike all over the world. The company’s top-tier APS-C mirrorless model provides highly demanded features such as stunning 4K video recording, excellent slow motion capabilities, decent low light performance, built-in image stabilization and much more in a small, lightweight, and most importantly, affordable package.

Just as any other camera system, however, there are many other additional bits and pieces that can help users to turn the camera into even more powerful and effective filmmaking tool while maintaining its relatively small and compact form factor. In the next video, Jack Junior shares a bunch of enticing A6500 accessories that he uses extensively on a daily basis and highly recommends to all A6500 shooters out there.

When it comes to lenses for the Sony A6500, the obvious choice for many hobbyists and professional videographers is the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens. The unit not only covers a huge focal range but also provides a constant aperture of f/4.0 throughout the entire focal range which makes it incredibly versatile and flexible lens both for stills and video. But if the price of the Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens doesn’t fit your budget, you can opt for the even cheaper Sigma 30mm 1.4 prime lens.

While being a fast and versatile piece of glass, the 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens from Sigma is specifically designed for APS-C-format mirrorless cameras and Sony E-mount in particular. In addition, the bright f/1.4 maximum aperture makes the lens extremely efficient in low-light conditions and also affords extensive control over focus placement for using selective focus techniques. Plus, the third-party lens is half the price of the native Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS glass.

Another essential accessory included on the list is the Manfrotto 323 RC2 Quick Release Plate. Once you attached it to the camera body, you can still get full access to all the ports on the A6500. In conjunction with a GorillaPod or any other conventional tripod or monopod, this small accessory can turn into an absolute life-saver when it comes to switching between multiple rigs on the fly while moving fast from location to location.

Regarding audio accessories, Jack Junior recommends the Rode Video Mic Micro that connects directly to the Sony A6500’s 3.5mm input jack. Even though it doesn’t use any internal power whatsoever, the mic delivers much better audio quality than the built-in mic on the camera itself. Plus, it’s significantly less expensive then the bigger sibling the Rode VideoMic Pro and also has a smaller and more compact form factor when compared to the latter.

Last but not least, comes the SmallRig Cage for the Sony Alpha A6500. This must-have accessory not only allows you to attach a bunch of useful add-ons to your Sony A6500 but it’s also very reasonably priced especially when compared to other rivals costing $500 or even more.

So, if you’re just starting out and you’re not planning to use a ton of accessories with your Sony A6500, the SmallRig Cage can do some fantastic job for your workflow on the go. Of course, these five accessories are pretty basic and could only give you a decent starting point when it comes to rigging up your A6500, so if you have some other suggestions in mind, feel free to share these in the comments below.

[source: Jack Junior]

B&H and Amazon US Order Links:

• Sony Alpha a6500 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only) (B&H, Amazon)
• Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens (B&H, Amazon)
• Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E (B&H, Amazon)
• Manfrotto 323 RC2 System Quick Release Adapter with 200PL-14 Plate (B&H, Amazon)
• Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone (B&H, Amazon)
• SmallRig Cage for Sony Alpha A6500 (Amazon)