The last five months have been really tough. I've been without my trusty Sony A6000 after it suddenly stopped working during my vacation in London last November. After what felt like forever, Sony finally announced the A6300 , the A6000's long-awaited successor. I pre-ordered one as soon as I could.

The Sony A6300 replaces the two year old A6000 as Sony's premium APS-C Alpha offering. The A6300 retains a similar outward appearance to its predecessor, although the new camera does feature full weather sealing against dust and moisture ingress.

Though you might not be a fan of labeling yourself, it might be a good exercise when you need to decide between the new Sony a6300 and the older and cheaper a6000. If you consider yourself a really "serious" photographer who wants the absolute, best quality, the better low-light performance and...

Stellar photo quality; Razor-sharp 4K movies; Extremely quick autofocus; Fast; continuous shooting; with good motion tracking; Excellent high-res OLED viewfinder; Reassuringly solid alloy body; External mic jack

Confusing menu system; So-so; nontouch-screen LCD; Steep price; compared to the similar a6000 model; Smaller lens selection than for DSLR competitors from Canon and Nikon

Super fast auto focus allows run and gun photography not possible before on mirrorless cameras. Stunning 4k video and 120fps at 1080p.

Easy to Use; Fast Shutter Speed; Large Clear LCD; Small / Compact

Poor Image Stabilization; Short Battery Life

Released roughly two years after the popular α6000 model (which we reviewed in August 2014, Sony's α6300 introduces a new sensor with 425 phase-detection AF points embedded in its surface, a significant improvement on the 179 AF points in the α6000's sensor.

It's hard to find fault with this camera. Yes, it's expensive (￡1,000 body only, or ￡1,100 with a 16-50mm kit zoom lens), but not crazily so. I'd imagine that there'll be better deals available for the A6300 if you're willing to wait a few months.

Fast; accurate autofocus; Great image quality; even in low light; Invaluable OLED viewfinder; Compact; lightweight and sturdy build

Pretty pricey

The Sony A6300 experience, as with many of its A series interchangeable-lens camera (ILC) models, feels like soaring through the sky one minute only to smack into a window the next. It flies with a beefed-up autofocus system, excellent 4K video (with supporting features) and improved low-light photo quality over the A6000's already great images. Combined with the usual advantages of an ILC -- smaller body and lenses, better photo preview and more streamlined video shooting -- there's a lot to appeal to enthusiasts who might otherwise buy a fast general-purpose dSLR.

A respectable update to its very popular A6000 mirrorless interchangeable-camera model, the Sony A6300 remains great but also retains some of the drawbacks of its predecessor.

The Sony A6300 delivers class-leading photo and video quality, plus good performance and features for shooting action.

Myriad small annoyances mar the experience and it has the trademark poor battery life of Sony's A series. Plus it really could use in-body image stabilization.

At a glance: Replacing the Sony Alpha 6000 was never going to be easy. Released in February 2014, the A6000 has become one of Sony's best-selling cameras, admired by reviewers and photographers alike.

Yes, its makers claim the A6300 is the fastest camera on the planet when it comes to autofocus, with its hybrid system and processor engine allowing it to lock onto subjects in just 0.05 seconds. I can't attest to that number myself (sorry, I just can't count that quickly!

Fast, accurate autofocus; Great image quality, even in low light; Invaluable OLED viewfinder; Compact, lightweight and sturdy build;

Pretty pricey;