Sony a6000 Autofocus Settings: Modes, Areas, Eye-AF

For the best Sony a6000 autofocus settings, use single-shot AF (AF-S) with a small focus area for things that hold still, and continuous autofocus with Lock-on AF for things that move. Turn to Eye-AF when you photograph people, and let the camera's 179 phase-detection points do the hard work.

If you have only ever shot in auto, that sentence might sound like a lot of code words. That is completely fine. This guide takes each word one at a time, in plain English, so you can pick up your camera and feel in control.

How the a6000 autofocus system works

Autofocus means the camera makes your picture sharp for you. Think of it like your eyes. When you look from your hand to a tree far away, your eyes change focus without you thinking about it. Autofocus does the same job for your lens.

The a6000 uses a hybrid AF system, which simply means it mixes two kinds of focus helpers. Its sensor has 179 phase-detection points and 25 contrast-detection points. Picture them as little helpers spread across your picture, each one checking whether its patch is sharp.

Feature	What the research says
Phase-detection points	179
Contrast-detection points	25
Tracking	Lock-on AF for moving subjects
Eye focus	Eye-AF
Adjustable focus spot	Flexible Spot AF with adjustable spot size
Fastest burst	About 11 fps with continuous AF available
Sony's claimed AF speed	0.06 seconds
Imaging Resource's measured full-AF shutter lag	About 0.15 seconds

The a6000 launched back in 2014. Even so, Digital Camera World calls its autofocus very good, "perhaps as good as most of us need". They also point out that it lacks the clever AF of the latest models. So think of it as a strong, simple system. It will not do everything for you, which is actually a great way to learn.

Focus modes: single or continuous

The focus mode answers one question: should the camera focus once, or keep focusing? Choosing the right one fixes many blurry photos.

Single-shot AF (AF-S)

Single-shot AF, shown as AF-S, focuses one time when you press the shutter button halfway, then locks. Imagine taking a photo of a sleeping cat. The cat is not going anywhere, so the camera only needs to focus once.

Imaging Resource's reviewer called the a6000's AF-S "lightning fast" and found it quick even in moderately low light in a restaurant. In extremely dim light, that same reviewer saw it slow down, sometimes taking half a second or a second, and it failed to focus on some low-contrast subjects. Low-contrast means things without clear edges, like a plain gray wall.

Use AF-S for portraits of people sitting still, landscapes, food, and products.

Continuous autofocus

Continuous autofocus keeps adjusting focus as long as you hold the button halfway down. Think of a dog running toward you. Its distance changes every second, so the camera has to keep up.

Imaging Resource measured the a6000's top burst at just over 11 frames per second, and continuous AF works at that speed. They also warned not to expect focus to track as well as a pro DSLR at that rate. The camera also offers Mid (6 fps) and Lo (2.5 fps) burst settings. A slower burst gives you fewer near-identical photos to sort through later.

Use continuous autofocus for kids, pets, sports, and anything that walks, runs, or flies.

Manual focus

Sometimes you want to turn the focus ring yourself. The a6000 offers both auto and manual focus, and Imaging Resource notes that switching between them is more directly accessible than on earlier Sony models. Manual focus is handy for still scenes where the camera keeps picking the wrong thing, like a flower behind a fence.

Focus areas: telling the camera where to look

The focus area is the part of the picture the camera pays attention to. A good way to think about it is a flashlight beam. A wide beam lights up the whole room. A narrow beam shines on one small thing.

Wide

Wide is the big flashlight beam: the camera looks across the frame and decides what to focus on. It is easy, but the camera may pick something you did not want, like a bright sign behind your friend.

Center

Center focuses on the middle of the frame. You put the middle of the picture on your subject, half-press to focus, then move the camera to frame your shot. This is a simple, reliable place to start.

Flexible Spot

Flexible Spot lets you move a focus box around and change its size. A smaller box is like pointing at one exact thing with your finger. Use it when your subject is off to the side and you want the camera to focus right there.

Here is some good news about speed. Imaging Resource measured about 0.15 seconds of full-autofocus shutter lag in both Center and Wide modes, which they called faster than most DSLRs. Sony claims 0.06 seconds, but Imaging Resource notes that maker claims often leave out actually capturing the photo, so the numbers are not directly comparable.

Tracking moving subjects with Lock-on AF

Tracking means the camera follows your subject as it moves around the picture. On the a6000 this is called Lock-on AF, and Imaging Resource describes it as a feature for tracking moving subjects.

Imagine you put a sticker on a toy car. Tracking is the camera keeping its eye on that sticker as the car rolls across the floor. Since tracking is all about motion, pair it with continuous autofocus so the camera keeps refocusing as it follows.

Keep your expectations kind and realistic. Imaging Resource cautions that you should not expect a quick autofocus lock on moving subjects in dim light. If tracking slips at a dim school play, that is not your fault. It is a limit to work around, and you now know why it happened.

Eye-AF for sharper portraits

When you photograph a person, the eyes are where people look first. Eye-AF helps the camera focus on a subject's eyes quickly.

Think about the last portrait you loved. The eyes were probably crisp, even if the background was soft. Eye-AF helps you get that look without carefully placing a focus box on a tiny eye.

Because Eye-AF on this camera is simpler than on newer models, it works best when your subject faces you and the light is decent. Setup steps for Eye-AF, and for assigning features to buttons, are covered in Sony's a6000 Online Help Guide, which AlphaShooters recommends over the printed manual because it covers functions in more detail. Imaging Resource's reviewer found the custom and function buttons easy to reach, so a button is a handy home for features you use often.

Back-button focus: splitting focus from the shutter

Back-button focus means you focus with your thumb on a back button, and you take the picture with your pointer finger. It is like having one hand open a door and the other hand walk through it.

Imaging Resource's reviewer uses the a6000's AEL button for autofocus and keeps focus separate from the shutter release. In that review, the reviewer focused on a boat once, re-framed the shot, and then took a series of pictures as it crossed the frame, without the camera refocusing on the background each time. The reviewer's point: many times you are better off not having the camera refocus every time you take a picture.

You do not need back-button focus on day one. Try it once you feel comfortable with focus modes and areas. It is a technique to keep in your pocket for later.

Focusing in low light

Autofocus needs light and edges to work, just like your eyes struggle to read in a dark room. In Imaging Resource's lab, the a6000 focused on a test subject down to just below 1/8 foot-candle with an f/2.8 lens and no help. A foot-candle is a way of measuring light, and 1/8 is quite dim. With the built-in focus assist lamp turned on, it focused in complete darkness when the subject was in range.

That lab test used a still subject with the camera on a sturdy tripod. Real life is messier, so here are gentle fixes when focus hunts:

• Use a smaller f-number if your lens allows it. Smaller numbers like f/2.8 let in more light than larger ones like f/16.
• Point your focus area at an edge with contrast, like the line where a dark jacket meets a light shirt.
• Switch to single-shot AF for still subjects in dim rooms.
• Steady the camera. Imaging Resource suggests propping it on a surface and using the self-timer to avoid shake from pressing the button.

A simple starter setup

Here is an easy way to begin. Treat these as training wheels, not rules.

• Still subjects: single-shot AF with Center or a small Flexible Spot.
• Moving subjects: continuous autofocus with Lock-on AF and the Mid burst setting.
• People: Eye-AF when your subject faces the camera.
• Dim rooms: single-shot AF, an edge with contrast, and the focus assist lamp.

The a6000 can memorize and recall banks of user settings. Save a "still" setup and a "moving" setup so you can switch in seconds instead of digging through menus.

When a photo still comes out blurry

Every photographer gets blurry shots. Each one is a clue. Zoom in on the photo and ask what is sharp.

• Something else is sharp, like the background: the focus landed in the wrong place. Use a smaller focus area.
• Nothing is sharp and the subject was moving: try continuous autofocus, and a faster shutter speed so motion does not smear.
• Nothing is sharp and the light was dim: the camera may have shaken or struggled to focus. Add light or steady the camera.

Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO all play a part in sharpness. If those three still feel like a puzzle, the guide to camera modes: auto, priority and manual walks through them step by step.

Where to learn more

For exact menu paths on your camera, Sony's a6000 Online Help Guide is the best reference, per AlphaShooters. For what spec numbers like autofocus points and frames per second actually mean, the camera specs explained guide keeps it simple.

If you move to a newer body later, the Sony a6400 autofocus guide and the Sony a6700 autofocus guide build on everything here.

Take your camera outside today and try just one setting. Shoot a still flower in single-shot AF, then a moving pet in continuous autofocus. Compare the results. That small practice session will teach you more than any menu ever could.