The A6300 is Sony’s flagship APS-C-based mirrorless cameras offering DSLR-like autofocus, a small and convenient form factor, and 4K video recording. However, not everything has been bubblegum and cotton candy. Since its launch, reports of overheating issues have plagued the camera – especially among video shooters.
A new firmware for the A6300 may possibly hold a solution to those issues, if Sony’s description is accurate. In addition to the “overall stability and operability” of the camera, the firmware description notes improved stability in picture shooting mode achieved by optimizing temperature control.
Now, as that clearly states, the firmware appears to only affect the still-image-related overheating issues. It is unclear exactly how it achieves this, but it appears to have something to do with optimizing how the cameras heat management algorithms work. Any true overheating issues would likely need to be addressed with hardware modifications, which obviously aren’t happening with a firmware update.
For video shooters though, it looks as if the A6300 overheating issues will continue, and as noted above — short of some sort of hardware modification — it seems unlikely that any significant progress can be had in that regard.
Sony isn’t the only company dealing with heat-related problems on small form-factor cameras, either. Many Fujifilm owners wanted to know if the X-Pro 2 would be able to support 4K video as the newer X-T2 does, but Fujifilm responded that it would not, in large part to its lack of the necessary hardware heat sink needed to effectively dissipate the heat produced by recording 4K video footage.
A6300 owners can download the firmware at Sony’s website.