Hands on with the Sony a6600 and a6100
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Sony’s just dropped two new APS-C interchangeable lens cameras, the a6600 and the a6100, at a launch event in New York City. We’ll be working with the cameras to get you our initial impressions as soon as we can, but for now, we’ve had a chance to see how they handle, as well as give you a closer look at some of the design changes Sony’s brought to the series.
We’ll start with the a6600, which Sony is describing as the new flagship of its APS-C range.
The new Z-type battery
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Aside from the Real-time Tracking autofocus enhancements Sony has bestowed upon the a6600, one of the most significant upgrades is that the camera now uses Sony’s NP-FZ100 battery, first seen on the a7-series of full-frame cameras.
This battery offers 2.2x the capacity of the older NP-W50, and gives the a6600 a CIPA rating of 810 shots per charge using the rear LCD (this drops to 720 using the EVF exclusively). As with all CIPA ratings, you can expect to get more shots in real-world use. In our experience with this Z-type battery in Sony’s full-frame offerings, we’ve enjoyed several days’ worth of fairly frequent shooting and reviewing before we needed to top it off.
Headphone and other ports
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On the side of the new a6600 is an updated array of ports, the most significant addition being a headphone jack for monitoring audio while recording video. This immediately makes the a6600 a more appealing video camera, particularly for run-and-gun style shooters who don’t want to carry an external audio recorder.
Above the audio jacks is a micro-USB port offering USB 2.0 transfer speeds as well as in-camera charging for the new battery. There’s also a standard micro-HDMI port as well.
Selfie screen
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The a6600 has inherited the updated screen mechanism we first saw on the midrange a6400. This means it tilts down by 90 degrees for shooting from high angles, and it also tilts up 180 degrees for shooting selfie photos or vlogging.
Helping out users who are into vlogging – or really, video shooters of all kinds – will be the a6600’s in-body image stabilization, which can combine with in-lens stabilization to produce smoother footage than either system on its own. We’ll be sure to test the effectiveness of this system when we have a final review sample.
Not-so-updated controls, no built-in flash
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The controls on the a6600 are largely the same as the a6500 that preceded it – though there is an additional ‘C3’ customizable button by the Menu button that wasn’t present on the a6500. But you’ll notice there’s no longer a button to pop the flash up, because…there’s no built-in flash. At least Sony left the hotshoe in so an external flash unit can be added if necessary.
Of particular note is the lack of any type of AF joystick, but the touchscreen on the a6600 supports touchpad AF, so you can drag your finger across the screen to move your autofocus point around while your eye is to the viewfinder.
Top-plate controls
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Here’s a better view of the top-plate controls, where you can see the ‘C1’ and ‘C2’ customizable buttons. It’s worth mentioning that you can’t see a front command dial in this photograph, because there isn’t one. The a6600 is still technically a ‘twin-dial’ camera, with one dial on the right shoulder and one on the rear plate, but both dials are operated with your thumb. We really wish Sony would’ve added a front dial to the a6600, but alas, it’s just not meant to be.
On to the a6100
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Now that we’ve covered the flagship a6600, let’s take a look at its lower-end sibling, the new a6100. This camera will slot in between the existing a6000 and a6400 cameras (at least for now), borrowing bits from each while bringing some valuable updates as well. Let’s take a look.
Side ports
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As expected, the a6100 has the same port array of the a6400, missing out on the headphone jack that was added to the a6600 flagship. Those interested in shooting video will also be disappointed by the a6100’s lack of picture profiles, including any sort of Log shooting. You do still get a microphone jack though, as well as micro USB (which can be used to charge the battery) and micro-HDMI connectors.
A smaller battery
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To keep cost, size and weight down, the a6100 continues to use Sony’s venerable NP-FW50 ‘W-type’ battery. With a CIPA rating of 420 shots, battery life is actually quite decent, if not exemplary. You can expect to get through at least a day of heavy shooting without running out of juice.
Happily, both the a6100 and a6600 continue to offer NFC, as you can see from the icon on the side of the camera here. That means that pairing your Android smartphone with the camera is as easy as tapping the two together.
Rear controls
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The rear of the a6100 brings few surprises, though the camera loses the AF/MF rocker switch, instead making due with a simpler AEL button that will almost certainly be customizable. That glossy screen is the same panel we’ve seen before, but the addition of touch functionality should make this a friendlier camera to use than the older a6000.
Tilting screen
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And of course, the a6100 gets the new tilting screen mechanism from the a6400 and a6600, which tilts up 180 degrees for selfies and vlogging. In this view, you can also see the ‘C1’ customizable button next to the shutter on the top plate.
Top plate controls
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Here’s a better view of that top-plate, which shows that the a6100 retains the built-in pop-up flash that the a6600 lost. We’re told that the distinctly glossy a6100 body is made of high-strength plastic. The a6600, meanwhile, uses magnesium alloy in much of its construction.
That’s a wrap
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And that’s all for now! What do you think of Sony’s new APS-C duo? Let us know in the comments, and please do pepper us with questions – we’ll answer them if we’re able, and if we’re not, we’ll forward them on to Sony courtesy of our staffers at the launch event in New York.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)