Hi, UncleVanya... Thanks for taking an interest in my out-of-left field post. I bought my A5000, as new, with a total shutter count of 51 on eBay for comfortably under $150 at auction. With a full 3rd party warranty of 60 days and return privileges. A6000 bodies were going used... some well used... for circa $425. And yes, I really believe (provisionally, and not from first hand experience) that the Sony 20.3mp sensor is something of a sleeper, even in this feature-humble Sony, which uses the same Bionz-X processor as does the A6000... and that it will equal or beat (in subjective terms, my guess) the A6000 for IQ near base ISO, which is what I wanted it for, complementing my full frame A7 and K3. I embrace the monopod, I might add, especially for the EVF-less A5000 and its ilk. The beauty of Canon lenses with the Sonys is that their IS and STM features work! I bought the very good 40mm f2.8 STM new for $104, also on eBay, for my A7 to complement my C-V MF 40mm Ultron. I like having a choice of renderings -- a way to compete with the guys sporting Zeiss Batises and such. Not that those guys necessarily know how to take a great picture without a lot of luck or some frame blitzing exercises being involved.
And, yes, there is a total no-brainer choice for at least the ultra-wide to wide-versatile range on APS-C -- again, it's Canon's own 10-18mm IS STM, weighing a scant 8 ounces! But here, I'd say you'd have a serious auto-focusing problem with the A5000. I myself take the long view and see Sony's A7R II BSI hybrid sensor as pointing the way downmarket Sony sensors are headed pretty soon. I will probably buy that 10-18mm Canon sooner rather than later as well, and just put up with loss of auto-focus, in order to get better, more consistent IQ and FAR less weight than I could from using the 10-20mm Sigma, popular here, on my K3. I already have the DA 15 Limited on hand, and vintage 17, 20, 21, 24, and 25mm primes for the A7. I'm not so sure about vintage primes on the A7 below 24mm vs. the truly modern, high performance WA zoom, even used on APS-C. Hence my interest in an 8 ounce solution to complement my present options for going really wide.
For a more practical travel solution, choices for Sony in E-mount are still quite limited. There's Sony's own 10-18(?)mm wide zoom for APS-C. It's decent, they say, but I am frankly underwhelmed by the price performance ratio of pretty much all of Sony's "better" zoom lenses for e-mount. That one is more "worth it", but does seem to fetch well over $400 used on eBay (a bit much as yet, in my view). And it doesn't quite get you a "normal" FL, or a fast f-stop. It will, however, do O.K. on FF, too, at 16mm and above, a very nice plus. The small kit zooms for Sony APS-C are not so hot, relatively speaking, but the more wide ranging alternatives are better regarded. I think you have something like 18-105mm and 18-250mm options (don't quote me). The former seems to be a smart choice -- it is VERY well liked by video-centric shooters, especially. See YouTube on that one. My own choice for you, if not the former zoom, would be the compact Sigma 19mm and 30mm prime lens combo for E-mount. They're all you really need for travel. Unfortunately, they are sought after, so draw high-ish prices used in auctions, compared to just buying new. I just have the A5000 for telephoto reach, some macro, and to have a grab-&-shoot 2nd body with a complementary FL lens attached when I have a prime or ultra wide zoom mounted on the K3 or A7. It's so small, it can clip on to you anywhere it's most handy. All hypothetical, of course, since I'm still disabled... for now.
The easiest way for Pentaxians to get up to speed on Sony E and A-mount Sony/Minolta lens options is probably Kurt Munger's website. It's a bit dated, but still handy and comprehensive, with helpful image comparisons backing up his judgments. I think Kurt's eye is very reliable here; though I don't believe he emphasizes much of a high end sensibility, so just don't over-rate what lenses you look at there as a result of Kurt going a little easy on them. BTW, I think the sleeper telephoto zoom for A-mount, adaptable for E-mirrorless, is the older Minolta 100-200mm f4.5 zoom -- it's incredibly tiny and weighs just 13.3 ounces in all metal, old school form! It's a little jewel. I got my one happy owner, minty example on eBay for $21 at auction. Yep, no one wants 'em these days. People can be very stupid. That fellow, age 70+, decided to go in his retirement to just the new 24-225mm full frame super zoom for his A7 II. He said the old Minolta was still a bit better within its range -- again, on the FF A7 II! The further beauty of this lens is that it is optimum across 2/3 of the frame at f5.6. The far corners sharpen up at just f8 (with the center now being slightly DIFFRACTION LIMITED!) The fabled and huge "beer can" 70-210mm zoom is effectively about 1 stop SLOWER attempting to match the IQ of the $21 special, if Kurt's images are representative. So basically, you can pre-set this baby at f5.6 or f6.3 using any old Minolta film body... and then forego the price-y Sony smart adapter... and just use the circa $15, no-electrics Minolta to E-mount adapters from Amazon or eBay! So, 150mm to 300mm FF-equivalent, none of that f8-f11+ for "acceptable" IQ stuff... fits in your pocket... does full frame perfectly... and $36 all in. Nice! Good luck making your choices. I think the super cheap refurb A5000 makes a great complement to a Pentax rig. I'm guessing that mine was never disfunctional or returned -- just the remainder from some vendor or distributor splitting a Sony kit package for more profit. It does swell video, too, as you can see on YouTube. One A6000 semi-pro owner with a channel there uses the A5000 preferentially to shoot his videos for YT. FWIW. And one more thing -- I have seen the DSLR-styled A3000 with the same sensor and somewhat low rez EVF go in minty shape for as low as $109. I don't recall if it uses the Bionz-X processor like the A5000/A6000, but it is better than its successor model, the A3100 [?].
---------- Post added 10-14-15 at 09:12 PM ----------
Excuse me, but I was NOT advocating the purchase of Canon DSLRs over Pentax. Or going mirrorless only with Sony or anyone else. So get off your high horse. I have no intention whatsoever of switching out of Pentax in any foreseeable future and never even hinted such a thing. I never even paid attention to Canon before I got my A7, for reasons well understood here. The A7/A5000 acquisition changes things quite a lot, given the new lens options. But you apparently missed my point completely. ALL the qualifiers were in there -- you just ignored them; then acted insulted: fine if that's not for you, he-man. But you really need to read more carefully. And don't flatter yourself to think I proposed all that just for your benefit.
And all that is too shabby for someone stepping up from the 18-55mm kit lens? ...Really? Pray tell, where did you get all your experience and knowledge all of a sudden?
Where do you think you're going to find a 375mm FF-equivalent (and let's say cropped to 400mm, even)... to shoot at *f5.6* at that FL... which MOST Pentaxians here wouldn't mind too much carrying... and would consider highly affordable... that won't produce sub-enthusiast level results under those conditions? The DA 60-250mm would be the obvious candidate, but besides the often discussed IQ compromises near the 250mm end which you have to consider vis-a-vis price and bulk, how many others here would wish to climb with that one ALONG WITH A SET OF MEDIUM TELE MF PRIMES UP TO 200mm, as in my case? I see the Canon as a complement to my primes, not a replacement. There is nothing like a comparable Pentax or third party equivalent. If you don't see the value of a lightweight second body, fully usable with all suitably proportioned Pentax lenses... again, fine. But as a former pro who needed that second body at the ready, I can assure you that I know what I'm talking about. I have no intention at my age of carrying two 29 ounce DSLRs. Or 50+ ounce long primes or Sigma 120mm's-to-whatevers... And with the A7 and its EVF, I can now PROPERLY focus the fine Zeiss primes and purpose-selected vintage glass I own under a wide variety of circumstances. And get the FF advantage and so many more options on the wide end. Your snobbery just shows your ignorance.
You'll let us know all about the overall superior options to the above which you'll being enjoying soon, won't you now?
