Sony Alpha A65 Camera with Two Lenses

An APS-C camera with a 24 megapixel sensor and two lenses for different jobs.

You want it where a phone runs out: shooting a project for a portfolio, photographing a board so the markings are legible, covering an event, taking decent product photos of something you intend to sell.

The two lenses

• 18–55 mm f/3.5–5.6 — the general-purpose zoom. From a wide shot of a room to a portrait without changing lenses. It is not fast, so in a dim room it runs out of light.
• 50 mm f/1.8 — a prime, no zoom, but four times the light. Indoors without flash, with a blurred background, for portraits and product shots — this is the one. It makes you walk instead of turning a ring, which is not a drawback.

Sony puts the stabilisation in the body, so it works with both lenses — noticeable at the long end handheld.

What it is good for

• Shooting your project for the Wall of Fame or for an application
• Product photography: an object, a board, a part close up
• Events in the hackspace and the coworking room
• Portraits in poor light — with the 50 mm
• Full HD video

How to use

1. Take the camera and the lens you want out of the bag. Change lenses with the camera off, quickly, and facing down so that less dust lands on the sensor.
2. Check the battery and that a memory card is in.
3. Shoot. If you are unsure of the settings, mode A (aperture priority) covers most jobs: you choose the depth of field and the camera works out the rest.
4. Return the camera, both lenses and the caps to the bag. The caps are not optional: an open mount and a bare rear element collect dust immediately.

What not to do

• Do not touch the glass or the sensor with your fingers. A mark on the front element comes off with an optics wipe; a sensor is cleaned separately and not on a kitchen table.
• Do not change lenses in wind, in dust, or over a bench covered in swarf.
• Do not carry the camera by the lens — the mount is not built for it.

Renting it

The camera goes home and out on shoots — with both lenses, the strap and the bag. Bring your own memory card: nobody wants somebody else's shots on a shared one. The daily rate and the term are in the rental block on this page.

Access

The camera is in the coworking room, so a plan with coworking access is enough. No induction is needed.