>>3321825>whats the battery life on the thing like?Depends what model you get, CIPA ratings for the I through VI are 330, 350, 320, 280, 220, and 240 shots. Real world battery life will tend to be quite a bit better than that but by how much depends on many factors (screen brightness. flash usage, whether you have image review on, and how much you use the EVF as that uses a bit more power). Sony have various numbers on their site including for movie recording.
>and how does its zoom capabilities hold up?It's basically the same as an 18-55mm crop kit lens, or a full frame 24-70mm (I and II is 28-100mm equivalent and the VI is 24-200mm). It's enough for most purposes and with its fast aperture and IS it can even handle low light situations.
The area where I find mine most lacking is the close focusing distance, for that I carry an add on diopter lens that attaches with a Carry Speed Magfilter adapter (no need to screw it on and off). Pic related is the closest focusing distance at 24mm (70mm will give a bit less magnification) without the diopter, the sides cropped off because IG.
