Must Have Accessories For The Sony A6000 / A6300 / A6500

With the ever-growing popularity of the Sony A6000, third-party accessory companies all over the world have been putting out some fantastic gear for this camera. From cases to straps, I want to share some of the best accessories I use every day for my cameras that will work great for this camera and now the A6300 and A6500.

Quite a few things have changed on the A6300 since the A6000. The camera overall has been redesigned to be a mini super 35mm 4k monsters. The body is a bit more ridged since it is now composed of magnesium alloy and there are some new changes to the overall dimensions, however most of the accessories, like batteries and screen protectors are still interchangeable. The only thing that’s not are body cases.

I’ll be collecting more accessories and gear for my A6300, but for now I’ll list some of the best and most essential accessories I’ve found and that also work great on the A6000.

Sony A6000 / A6300 / A6500 Accessories And Gear

Starting with the fundamentals, there are so many brands of batteries and screen protectors, it can be very challenging to know whom to trust.

I’ve tested a few batteries and I’ve gone through a ton of screen protectors, so I’ll share with you the brands I’ve found that can be trusted.

Sony A6000 / A6300 / A6500 Screen Protectors

The A6000, A6300 and A6500 share the same size screen so any screen that you find for the A6000 will also work for the A6300 and the A6500.

The most important accessory every A6000, A6300 and A6500 owner should have is a screen protector. Sony has yet to put a great screen on any of their cameras ( in terms of glass ), so they seem to get beat up very easily. The main issue is the little bubbles that seem to appear under the glass along the edges as the camera is bumped around over the months and years of normal use, I’ve found screen protectors help alleviate this.

Expert Shield has been my favorite, although I also really like the Sony semi-hard screen. It’s slightly thicker and provides a little more ding protection.

Expert Shield Screen Protectors

Expert Shield Screen Protector Crystal Clear – Amazon

Expert Shield Screen Protector Anti-Glare – Amazon

Sony Screen Semi-Hard Protector – Amazon

Best Battery For The Sony A6000 / A6300 / A6500

Third party batteries have come a long way over the years. I would say some brands like Wasabi put out batteries that are close or as good as the Sony brand batteries.

Avoid charging your batteries with the cheap wasabi (or other cheap brand) chargers. They can mess up your batteries and cause random power losses while shooting.

There are two types of batteries I’ve found Sony to make, Chinese made and Japanese made. The Japanese batteries are heavier and last longer but I haven’t been able to find them anymore and they no longer ship with Sony cameras. So the best battery for the Sony A6000 was the Japanese Sony battery (I guess discontinued). The Chinese version is also very good as is the Wasabi.

Sony NP-FW50 Battery

This battery works for the Sony A6000, A6300 & A6500. It also works for the Sony A7 series of cameras.

Sony Battery NP-FW50 – Amazon / BHphoto

Wasabi Battery For Sony NP-FW50

Wasabi batteries have been around for years and have always been a very popular 3rd-party battery. Same holds true for their Sony batteries. Just avoid using the Wasabi battery charger that is many times included in these bundles. – Amazon / BHphoto

RavPower (2) Sony NP-FW50 Batteries + Charger

RavPower makes the best third-party battery for the Sony A6000 series in my opinion. You get two batteries with a USB charger plate that can charge two batteries at the same time. The batteries will stay charged when not in use. Also, the charger that comes with these two batteries does a very good job. It doesn’t mess up your batteries like with the Wasabi charger. – Amazon

RavPower Type-C / USB-C Battery Bank

The battery bank and solar I use are the RavPower Type-C / USB-C charging bank with QC (quick charge) 3.0 and the iNice 28W solar charger with QC 3.0. It’s all a very cool and useful combo. If I’m shooting video or something on a tripod, I’ll attach this battery bank to one of the legs then keep the camera plugged in via USB, and it will give me power for hours. – Amazon

iNice 28W Solar Charger

The Solar charger has QC3.0 and works very well to power a battery bank that can then power a Sony battery charger. or even the camera itself. There are a lot of solar chargers out there, but this one works very well. This is nice really only if you’re camping or hiking a lot. Or if you want something that can give you power in an emergency. – Amazon

Memory Card For The Sony A6000 / A6300 / A6500

Sony Memory Card Speed Tests

I’ve put the Sony A6x00 cameras through the memory card speed tests. The A6000, A63000 and A6500 all perform about the same, except the A6500 has a huge buffer.

• Best Memory Cards For The Sony A6000
• Best Memory Cards for The Sony A6300
• Best Memory Cards for The Sony A6500

Memory cards can be tricky for Sony cameras because of the restrictions the Video Codec has. As a quick summary, most cards work great for this camera as long as they are SDXC cards. Meaning they need to be 64GB or larger. There have been some firmware changes that allow for 4k compatibility with SDHC card, so check your camera and make sure it’s updated.

Check the links above, but otherwise here is a short list of cards that have been consistently giving people good results.

Sony 64GB SDXC UHS-I U3

This is the newest version of the Sony UHS-I memory card. Sony cards work very well in Sony cameras and are the least likely to give you problems but are not usually the fastest. On a camera like the A6500, the speed difference is inconsequential. – Amazon

Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB UHS-I U3

The Sandisk Extreme Pro, or even the Plus cards are very reliable in Sony cameras. These memory cards work very well in the Sony A6000, A6300, or even the A6500. – Amazon

Lexar 633x 64GB SDXC UHS-I U3

Lexar is another brand that just works. I rarely hear about problems with any Lexar card, especially in Sony cameras. You need to make sure you get the U3 version of this card. Not the U1.- Amazon

Memory Cards You Need For 4K video – A6300 / A6500 Only

To shoot 4k 100M you need a memory card that is U3 compatible. Any of the three memory cards above should work, but you should probably grab the Sony cards first. I’ve yet to hear of anyone having any issues with them yet.

The only problem I’m seeing right now is with my Samsung cards. Most of them do not work in the Sony cameras for 4k video.

Sony A6000 Cases

I still like to put all my cameras in some form of a case. It adds a little weight but just helps them last longer. I personally like Gariz because they work well with a tripod because of the metal base. Otherwise Kaza Deluxe makes my favorite case combo.

Sony Leather-Like Protective Case A6000

This is the Sony Leather-Like case for the A6000. – Amazon / BHphoto

Gariz Leather Half Cases A6000

I’ve used the Gariz Leather cases on many of my cameras. They are built well, have a metal base and allow you to attach a tripod plate. – Amazon Other colors – Amazon

Kaza-Deluxe Vintage Combo A6000 Case

Kaza makes some of my favorite half cases. They are built really well and give the camera a nice vintage feel. You can also attach a tripod plate. – Kaza-Deluxe.com

Sony A6000 Silicone Case

Silicone cases are fairly popular because they provide the camera with some nice grip and extra protection, however, over time they become stretch and start to become loose, not fitting the camera as well. But, they’re cheap enough that replacing them is easy. – Amazon

Sony A6300 & A6500 Cases

The body has changed slightly between these cameras, so the A6000 cases will not for the A6300, but the A6300 and the A6500 have the exact same body.

Gariz Leather Half Case A6300 / A6500

A slight redesign over the A6000 case, this is the Gariz half case made for the Sony A6300 and the Sony A6500. It also has a metal base so you can attach a tripod plate. – Amazon

Kaza-Deluxe Leather Case Sony A6300 / A6500

Kaza-Deluxe makes a nice variant just for the Sony A6300 and A6500. They have a few colors including a vintage case. You can get their cases bundled with a pretty nice leather straps as well. – Kaza-Deluxe

Silicone Cases For The Sony A6300 and A6500

Like with all cameras, Silicone cases provide the camera with some nice grip and extra protection, but over time the fit starts to loosen up so you will need to replace them more often. – Amazon

Thumb Grips

I haven’t really felt the need for a thumb grip on this camera, but some people do like them. They provide you with extra grip of the camera and sort of help keep your thumb off the buttons. Lensmate really makes the best thumb grip.

Lensmate Thumb Grip A6000

This is the thumb grip for the Sony A6000. It swings out so you can access the control dial.- Amazon

Lensmate Thumb Grip A6300, A6500

This is the thumb grip for the A6300 and the A6500. It can swing out so you can access the control dial. – Amazon

Battery Grip

Sony does not make an official battery grip for the Sony A6000 or the A6300 / A6500. But there are a few third-party vertical battery grips available. Meike is one of the most popular third-party battery grip manufacturers.

Meike MK-A6300 Battery Grip For The A6300 / A6000

There is a new Meike Battery grip available for the Sony A6300 that comes with a remote. – Amazon

This does not work on the Sony A6500.

Meike MK-A6500 Pro Battery Grip For The A6500

This is the battery grip for the A6500. Comes with a controller that works up to 100M. – Amazon

Flash Diffuser

The flash on the A6300 and A6000 is a nice feature but it tends to generate too harsh of light. I recently purchased these diffusers designed for the A6000 and they also work for the A6300. They work surprisingly well when used indoors. 

A6000 / A6300 / A6500 Flash Diffuser

These are a lot of fun, the clear one worked the best for me. The orange one is nice to match lighting. They can be a little tricky to get one and off. – Amazon

Camera Straps

The Sony A6000, A6300 and A6500 are the right size to work great with a wrist strap, but you can also use a full strap. If you’re traveling around you might want a nice full strap just to let it hang, but if you use the camera as sort of sidekick / around the house type camera, wrist straps work great.

 Wrist Straps

Here are the wrist straps I’ve really liked over the years.

Gariz Leather Wrist Strap

I’ve owned a couple of these for years and they still are in good shape. Made from Genuine leather, which means it’s pretty much a leather hotdog, but these are strong. Overtime they will fade and get sorta of frayed. Multiple colors available. – Amazon

Gordy’s Wrist Strap

This is my favorite strap for the Sony A6300. A bit thicker than the Gariz strap and is also made from Latigo belt leather which is usually a full grain or top grain leather. Available in multiple colors. – Gordyscamerastraps.com

Hard Graft Slide Camera Wrist Strap

This is an amazing strap. It’s very durable and very comfortable. The Slide Camera Wrist Strap is made from veg tanned leather and made in Italy with excellent craftsmanship. I own several of their products. – HardGraft.com – See Review

Full Straps – Leather

I personally have fallen in love with leather straps. Here is a list of some of the most popular leathers straps.

I don’t make any profit off these links. Hard Graft sends me stuff from time to time but that’s it. I’m listing these because these I’ve personally used straps from these companies and trust the quality. 

Luigi’s Deluxe Strap

This site is Legit, I promise. I have the Deluxe strap which as very soft leather and has an amazing handmade quality. Click on Luigi’s Straps on the left. – Luigicases.com

HardGraft Leather

These guys make all sorts of great premium leather products including camera straps and cases. I believe they make their stuff seasonally because there are always new straps coming and going every year. Check their site to see what they have today. I have an older ReProcess strap from them that’s made from Italian leather and German Felt. – HardGraft.com

Tap&Dye

Tap&Dye makes some great durable straps, some made with a tougher veg tanned leather, some with Horween Chromexcel and some made with veg tanned with the Chromexcel should strap. Very nice straps. – TapAndDye.com

Non-Leather Straps

If you like straps that connect to the bottom of the cameras for a quick release, then C-Loop and Black Rapid make some nice stuff. C-Loop just put out a new strap that I haven’t tried yet but I’ll list it because it looks a lot more suited for the A6000 compared to their other straps.

C-Loop Camera Air Strap

Universal and adjustable, light weight and made with a cushy neoprene shoulder pad for comfort. This works well with their C-Loop but can also be used on any camera. – Amazon

Black Rapid RS10SC

This is classic black rapid design. It’s larger, but still lightweight and very comfortable. Can easily handle full size cameras including any of the A6000 series cameras even with a vertical grip. – Amazon

Strap Accessories

If you’re looking to connect your strap to the bottom of your camera then C-Loop makes a few options as well as Black Rapid.

C-Loop

A little attachment for the bottom of the camera that you attach your strap to. Allows the camera to hang upside down but also allows you to quickly remove your strap. These are very strong and very well built, so you don’t have to ever worry about them breaking of slipping off your camera. If you leave it permanently on your camera, just make sure you check to see if it’s still tight. They can eventually wiggle loose. – Amazon

C-Loop Mini

Same as the C-Loop but smaller. – Amazon

 Must Have Software For Sony Mirrorless

Aside from using the traditional Lightroom and Photoshop combo, if you’re a landscape, travel or HDR photography I highly recommend checking my Aurora HDR review.

It’s made my post processing workflow way faster and less of a chore.

• Aurora HDR Review
• Machphun Luminar

Must Have Cleaning Supplies

There are a few cleaning supplies everyone should consider having. Air blowers, micro fiber wipes and a sensor brush.

99% of time if you’re sensor gets dirty you should use an air blower to clean it. If you find that a piece of dust is stuck to your sensor then I really have had great success with a sensor brush. I wouldn’t use anything else. Those are the “dry methods” for cleaning your sensor. I wouldn’t recommend using the wet method unless you’ve really done something bad to your sensor, like tried to blow dust off it with your mouth and got spit on it. I’ve done that and if that’s the case, you can get it cleaned at a camera store or for a similar price, buy all the supplies to do the wet cleaning method.

I buy Micro Fiber cleaning cloths in bulk now because they always get dirty and need to be replaced. It’s also nice to just grab a fresh cloth to clean your lenses.

Rocket Air Blower

I’ve had several of these over the years, some smaller some bigger. They work great at getting dust uv filters, sensors, and lenses. This is a must have for any photographer. Absolutely essential to keeping the camera clean. 

– Amazon

6-Pack Micro Fiber Cleaning Cloths

You may need a lot of micro fiber cleaning cloths for different reasons. If you’re trying to clean off the lens on the EVF or trying to wipe your camera down, you don’t need a fresh cleaning cloth. But if you want to get a UV filter clean, you’ll want to use a clean cloth that hasn’t accumulated too much oil. For example your rear LCD screen will get a lot of oil on it from being in contact with your fingers and face when looking through the EVF. So you don’t want to use the same cloth on your rear screen as you do on your lens because it will collect a lot of your body oil and make it very difficult to get your lens perfectly clean. – Amazon

Sensor Brush APS-C

You can use really nice soft bristle paint brushes to clean your lenses and camera, but you’ll want to keep a brush just for your sensor. Sometimes small pieces of dust won’t come off with the rocket air and you’ll need to use something like this sensor brush. Always use your rocket air to clean off the bristles before using it and never touch the tip of the brush since the oils from your hands will ruin it. – Amazon

Lenses And Adapters

A list of all the available APS-C lenses and Lens Adapters designed for the Sony E-Mount – Sony APS-C E-Mount Lens List

Lens Adapters

I’ve listed a few of the best lens adapters here, but I recommend checking out the E-Mount lens list above.

Canon

For Canon I was using the Metabones for a long time but it slowly began to diminish to the point where it would only work on manual lenses. I could have sent it in for repair but the shipping to Asia alone would have cost at least $50 dollars.

Now I use the Fotodiox. For a fraction of the price the Fotodiox is just as good in my opinion. And considering Metabones only has a 1 year limited warranty that does not include shipping fees, you might be better off with the Fotodiox.

• Metabones EF to E Mount T Smart MK IV – Amazon
• Fotodiox – EF to E Mount – Amazon

Nikon

I don’t use Nikon lenses but my friend does. He has the Fotodiox on his A7sII, I messed with it for a while and it seemed very solid and well-built, no play. He also has zero complaints.

• Metabones F to E Mount – Amazon
• Fotodiox F to E Mount – Amazon

Leica

I love using my Leica mount lenses on my Sony cameras. Just keep in mind that they are full manual and your 35mm lens will have the field of view of 50mm with the A6000 APS-C sensor.

There are a few adapter options, I personally use the Voigtlander and love it. Novoflex makes some really high-end stuff, but it might be overkill for this.

There are also adapters with close focus controls. Many Leica and Voigtlander lenses have pretty bad minimum focus distances, so having a close focus adapter that can extend might come in handy.

• Voigtlander M to E-Mount Adapter – Amazon
• Voigtlander M to E-Mount Close Focus Adapter – Amazon
• Novoflex M to E-Mount Adapter – Amazon
• Fotodiox M to E-Mount Adapter – Amazon

Carrying Cases & Backpacks

If you’re looking for the best bags for the Sony A6000, A6300 or A6500, or even a simple bags that just work, here is a short list of what I use regularly.

For higher end bags, Ona makes some great stuff as well as HardGraft, but they can get really expensive, really quick.

Mirrorless Mover 20

The Mirrorless Mover bag is a high quality bag. It has a magnetic locking top flap, plus a zipper. So if you forget to zip it up, the magnets will keep the top at least somewhat closed.

They have other sizes as well, but I love this bag for light travel.

– Amazon

LowePro Fastpack 250

This is my primary bring around town bag because it holds a laptop as well as a few lenses. 

They’ve changed the style on this bag a few times now. I’ve had two of the three styles. On my old one, the zipper for the laptop eventually broke so I upgraded. The main difference is, they moved the laptop insert pouch from the side to the top. This is a very popular backpack, I know several people that have it, and I personally use it almost every day.

– Amazon

LowePro Vertex 200 AW Backpack

This is the backpack I use as my adventure bag. It’s big and heavy but holds all my stuff. It’s also all-weather. I only wish it was lighter, but it’s a great bag.

I tried the bigger version of this bag, but it was just too bulky and too heavy. The 200 is where it’s at.

– Amazon

Calibration And Color

I almost never talk about color calibration, but I really should and I encourage you to seriously consider it. It’s a game changer and an absolutely must have item for any photographer that’s halfway serious. Even if you don’t have great monitors, it does wonders. This is a must have accessory for any photography!

I’ve used two color calibrators. The Spyder, and the i1 Pro.

I personally like the i1 Pro more, it’s a little faster and a little easier to use, however, they both produce very good results. At my work I use the Spyder3Elite at home I use the i1 Pro.  The i1 Pro was producing more consistent results between various monitors, but again I am using the older Spyder 3. The new Spyder5 has had some major improvements.

X-Rite i1 Display Pro

There are a few bundles, and a few other options. This is the basic version. I bought the one that comes with the color checker passport that I was using to help me with lens review and other tech stuff like that. It’s also handy if you’re shooting something like wedding with two different cameras, or by two different brands. You probably don’t need the passport color checker unless you know you need it. If that makes sense.

• Amazon

Datacolor Spyder5Pro

They have a few types, the Pro, Elite, and Express. But the difference is actually just in the software. Some allow you to calibrate your whole studio to match ambient light; express is geared more towards home use with simple color correction. The Pro model is probably your best choice if you’re serious about your colors. Otherwise if you just like to shoot for fun and want to make sure your monitor is properly balanced, the Express will be fine. I personally would use the Pro.

• Amazon

Best Accessories A6000 / A6300 / A6500 | Conclusions

This is a basic list of some of the best accessories I’ve found that I trust. I’m always testing new gear, new cameras and new technology and I’ll continue to update these lists with the best stuff. 

If you’ve found something you really like that you feel like it will make shooting with the A6000 a better experience for other photographers, please let me know.

Many of these links are affiliate Amazon links but also many are not. If something is good, I’ll list it even if I don’t get a commission. Ultimately, I want to make these lists the best, most complete lists of great accessories that make shopping for photographers a much easier and better experience and I will continue to expand the technology that powers this site to make things cleaner, simpler and faster. But it all takes time and money so buying your next accessory though one of these links does help me a lot.