STEP 1

Visual inspection

Detect dust or scratches on the sensor, dead pixels on the screen and viewfinder, and fungus or scratches on the lens. Duration: ~10 minutes.

1.1 · Sensor dust test SENSOR

Sensor dust shows up as fixed dark spots, always in the same place in the photo. It's easiest to see with the aperture closed down to f/11; we use A mode so the camera works out the light by itself and the photo comes out bright, not black.

Turn the mode dial (top-right dial) to A (aperture priority).

With the rear wheel, set the aperture to f/11. Press the right side of the wheel (ISO) and select ISO 100. The camera sets the shutter speed by itself: forget about it.

Switch to manual focus: MENU → Camera Settings → Focus Mode → Manual Focus and turn the lens ring until everything is completely out of focus.

Point at a white wall or the sky, filling the whole frame, and shoot. The photo should come out bright and uniform; dust stands out against that background. If it's blurry from movement, it doesn't matter for this test.

Press ▶ (playback, lower rear corner) and zoom in with the zoom lever. Scan the whole image at 100% looking for fixed dark spots.

Clean: uniform surface, no spots. Sensor in good shape.

2-3 faint specks: normal in a used camera. A clean with an air blower solves it.

Large smudges or lines: possible scratch or residue from a botched cleaning. Grounds for a complaint to the seller.

Trick: sensor dust appears in the exact same place in every photo. If you take two or three shots and a speck moves or disappears, it's dust on the screen or an actual cloud, not the sensor.

1.2 · LCD screen and viewfinder LCD / EVF

We're looking for dead pixels (fixed black dots) or stuck pixels (colored dots that never change).

With the lens cap on, switch the camera on: the screen will look black. Then press MENU to see light backgrounds. Inspect both cases looking for dots that never change.

Bring your eye to the viewfinder (the proximity sensor turns it on by itself). Repeat the same inspection. Turn the diopter wheel next to the viewfinder if it looks blurry: that's adjustment, not a fault.

No fixed dots: screen and viewfinder fine.

Dead pixel in the EVF or LCD: it doesn't affect the photos, but it's a claimable defect if it wasn't declared.

1.3 · 16-50 mm lens OPTICS

Fungus (white cobwebs) and internal haze degrade contrast and spread over time. Light scratches on the front element barely matter; on the rear element they do.

Remove the lens (release button next to the mount) and shine your phone's flashlight through it from behind, looking through at an angle. Look for white filaments (fungus), a milky veil (haze) or scratches on the glass.

Mount the lens again and switch the camera on. Move the W–T lever on the side several times from end to end: the power zoom should run smooth, with no dragging noises or jams.

Clean glass and fluid zoom: optics in good shape.

Loose internal dust: almost every used 16-50 has it; it doesn't affect the image.

Fungus, haze or a grinding zoom: serious defect. On the 16-50 a repair isn't worth it: complaint.

STEP 2

Functional check

Verify autofocus, burst, optical stabiliser and flash. Duration: ~10 minutes.

2.1 · Autofocus HYBRID AF 179 PTS

The a6000's AF is its strong point: it should lock in under half a second. A slow AF, or one that "hunts" (goes back and forth without locking), points to a lens or phase-sensor problem.

Mode dial on P. Put focus back on automatic: MENU → Focus Mode → Automatic AF (AF-A). Important: you're coming from step 1.1 with ISO fixed at 100, so set it back to ISO AUTO (right side of the wheel → all the way up); otherwise the low-light tests will come out very dark.

Press the shutter halfway pointing at objects at different distances: close (50 cm), medium (3 m) and far. You should hear the confirmation beep and see the green boxes in under ~0.5 s.

Repeat in a dimly lit room. It's normal for it to take a bit longer and use the orange AF illuminator on the front — check that this light comes on.

Locks quickly at every distance: AF fine.

Hesitates only in extreme low light: normal behaviour for this model.

Constant hunting, or never locks at one particular distance: lens or body defect. Complaint.

2.2 · Continuous shooting 11 FPS BURST

The burst stresses the shutter and the processor at the same time: if something mechanical is failing, it usually shows up here as irregular noise or freezes.

Press the left side of the rear wheel (stacked-photos icon ⧉) and choose Cont. Shooting: Hi.

Hold the shutter down for 3 seconds in good light. You should hear a fast and perfectly regular rattle (~11 photos/second) with no odd pauses.

Regular machine-gun rhythm: healthy shutter.

Slows down after a few seconds: that's the buffer filling up, especially in RAW. Normal.

Irregular noise, double clicks or on-screen errors: mechanical problem. Complaint.

2.3 · Optical stabiliser OSS

SteadyShot lives in the lens, not the body. If it fails, every handheld shot in low light will come out shaky.

MENU → Camera Settings → SteadyShot → check that it's set to On.

Zoom all the way in (50 mm), aim at an object with text 3-4 m away and watch through the viewfinder with the shutter half-pressed. The image should look noticeably steadier than your natural hand shake. Then switch SteadyShot off and compare: the difference should be obvious.

"Floating", stable image with OSS on: stabiliser fine. Set it back to On.

No difference between on and off, or constant vibration/buzzing: OSS broken. Complaint.

2.4 · Built-in flash POP-UP FLASH

The a6000 carries a small pop-up flash. It's rarely used, so a defect can easily go unnoticed in a second-hand purchase. Rule it out while you're still within the complaint window.

Press the flash button (next to the viewfinder, with the ↯ icon): it should spring up on its own, without forcing. If it doesn't rise by itself or stops halfway, the mechanism is damaged.

With the flash up: MENU → Camera Settings → Flash Mode → Fill-flash (forces it to fire every time). That way you don't depend on the camera deciding it's needed.

Take 3-4 photos in a row of a wall or someone 1-2 m away. The flash should fire in all of them and show in the exposure. Wait a couple of seconds between shots: it needs to recharge.

Pops up, fires in every photo and shows in the light: flash fine.

Takes a while to recharge between shots: normal, especially at full power.

Doesn't pop up, doesn't fire or fires intermittently: broken mechanism or flash tube. Claimable defect.

STEP 3

Shutter actuations

Confirm the shutter's real wear. This unit: 3,690 verified actuations ✓. Duration: ~5 minutes.

3.1 · Reading the counter EXIF · MAKER NOTES

The counter lives in the file's Maker Notes, data that WhatsApp, Google Photos and most apps strip out when compressing. You have to use the original file.

Take any photo in JPEG (if you're shooting RAW, the JPEG from RAW+JPEG mode works).

Copy the file straight from the card (SD reader or USB cable in storage mode). Never via WhatsApp, the camera's Wi-Fi or gallery apps that regenerate the image.

Upload it to apotelyt.com/shuttercounter (or camerashuttercount.com as an alternative). The number should match what the seller declared.

<15,000: practically new. This unit with 3,690 is at 3.7% of its useful life.

15,000–50,000: normal use, plenty of life left.

>80,000 or very different from what was declared: the seller lied. Complaint or return.

STEP 4

Battery and charging

Assess the health of the NP-FW50 battery, this model's classic weak point. Duration: one afternoon (in the background).

4.1 · Condition and endurance NP-FW50

The a6000 doesn't show charge cycles in the menu, so health is estimated from behaviour: sudden percentage drops or abrupt shutdowns give away an aged battery.

Charge the battery to 100% (charging light off) and note the time. Use the camera normally through the afternoon, taking photos and reviewing them.

Official reference: ~310 photos per charge (with the viewfinder) or ~360 (with the screen) on a healthy battery. If it loses more than 30% after 50-80 photos, it's degraded.

Take the battery out and rest it on a table: it should sit flat, with no wobble. A swollen battery gets retired immediately (don't use it, don't charge it).

200+ photos per charge and a gradual drain: healthy battery.

Short but stable endurance: aged battery. A new original NP-FW50 runs about €60-70; reliable compatibles (Newmowa, Patona) ~€25.

Sudden shutdowns at 40-50% or swelling: battery to retire right away.

STEP 5

Wi-Fi and NFC

Check wireless transfer to the phone. Duration: ~5 minutes.

5.1 · Sending a photo to the phone WI-FI · IMAGING EDGE

The Wi-Fi module rarely fails, but it's worth ruling out while you're within the complaint window. Note: the current app is Imaging Edge Mobile (the old PlayMemories no longer exists).

Install Imaging Edge Mobile (Android/iOS) on the phone.

On the camera: MENU → Wireless → Send to Smartphone → Select on This Device → pick a photo.

The camera creates its own Wi-Fi network (SSID and password on screen). Connect from the app and the photo should arrive in seconds.

The photo reaches the phone: Wi-Fi fine.

Doesn't connect on the first try: reset the network settings (MENU → Wireless → Reset Network Settings) and retry. That solves 90% of cases.

Never broadcasts the Wi-Fi network: broken module. It doesn't affect the photos, but it's a claimable defect.

STEP 6

SD card

Check the included card and leave it ready. Duration: ~5 minutes.

6.1 · Format and speed test microSD 64 GB

This card is a microSD in an adapter. It works, but adapters are the weak link: if it ever throws write errors, suspect the adapter first. Formatting always in the camera, never on the PC, guarantees the correct folder structure.

MENU → Setup (briefcase icon) → Format → Enter. ⚠ It erases everything: save any test photos you want to keep first.

Fire a long burst in RAW+JPEG (hold for 5 s) and watch the red access light: it should go off within a few seconds of finishing. Then play back several photos: none should show "File not valid".

Formats, writes the burst and plays back without errors: valid card.

The buffer takes long to empty (>20 s): slow card. It works, but a UHS-I SD at 90 MB/s (~€12) improves the burst experience.

File errors, or the camera sometimes fails to recognise it: faulty card or adapter. Replace it: the kid's photos aren't worth the risk.