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Sony a6000, a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500, a6600: what’s the difference and which should I buy?

11 Sep

Introduction

The a6000-series cameras all look very similar, which can give a confused picture of a lineup that is designed to appeal to photographers from beginners up to enthusiast users

The a6000 has been one of the world’s best selling cameras but it’s only the first rung on a ladder of cameras trying to cater to a range of photographers. If you go online you’ll probably end up be confronted with the a6000, a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500 and a6600. We’re going to try to make sense of the lineup: which ones are current, how they all compare and which ones are worth a look.

We’ve used all these a6x00 series cameras we’re going to talk about here, listened to Sony’s explanation of its intent and have been around the block enough times to be able to cut through the, er, let’s call it ‘marketing speak.’

The lineup as it stands

For everything from snapshots and upwards, Sony’s latest JPEG color is an appreciable upgrade, but that’s only the start of it

At its simplest, the current lineup is the a6100 as the entry-level model, the a6400 as the slightly more enthusiast-friendly one and the a6600 as the range-topping, image stabilized version. All three cameras are based around the same sensor, so the image and video quality ends up being identical but the spec differences between the cameras may make a difference to how well they suit your needs.

Interestingly, Sony insists that the a6000 remains in the lineup. This may be the case, or it could simply be that there’s inventory still floating around the market that Sony doesn’t want to devalue by declaring the camera ‘dead.’ Whichever it turns out to be, we wouldn’t recommend buying one, no matter how inexpensive, for reasons we’ll come to.

Real-time Tracking AF

Even the entry-level a6100 has an AF system that confidently maintains focus on your chosen subject (particularly human subjects), whatever’s going on in front of it

The biggest change in the refreshed Sony lineup is ‘Real-time Tracking’, an autofocus system that’s been trained to recognize people and pets so that it tracks them doggedly (or, by logical extension, ‘cattedly’). It’s present in the a6100, a6400 and a6600.

Oddly, Real-time Tracking isn’t switched on by default (or ever referred to as such on the cameras). But, once the cameras have been switched across to AF-C mode and one of the ‘tracking’ AF area modes has been chosen, the system is really impressive. Point the camera at your subject, half press the shutter and it’ll dependably follow it, wherever it moves in the scene. This makes it one of the simplest and most effective AF systems we’ve ever used.

‘Real-time Tracking’ is present in the a6100, a6400 and a6600

We don’t say this lightly (and we’re not easily impressed) but, having experienced it, we think it helps the latest models stand out, even though some other aspects of their spec aren’t particularly exciting.

However, while the system is really impressive in the daytime, we found it’s less effective in low light. We’ll be testing this in more detail as part of our a6600 and a6100 reviews, so don’t take this as an unalloyed recommendation until we’ve completed that testing.

In with the new

The a6100, a6400 and a6600 all now offer touchscreens that tilt all the way up, to facilitate selfies and vlogging

This ‘Real Time Tracking’ AF system is good enough to make it awkward to go back and use the earlier models and Sony appears to recognize this. The a6300 and a6500 are, we understand, discontinued and replaced by the a6400 and a6600 respectively.

There’ll no doubt be some last-minute sell-offs of any remaining stock, so we’d suggest thinking how dependent your photography (or videography) is on autofocus, and whether you need any of the other improvements, before deciding whether to try to grab a bargain.

For instance, the new generation of cameras all gain touchsceens, which only the a6500 previously had. They also promise improved color rendering in their JPEGs. These improvements add up.

They add up most noticeably when you compare the a6100 to the generations-old a6000, which is why we’d suggest side-stepping the older model at this point.

Sony a6100

The a6100 looks a lot like the a6000 but gains improved AF and more attractive JPEGs, as well as features such as a mic socket

The a6100 is the most basic of the models. It is built from an engineering plastic and has a lower-resolution viewfinder [800 x 600 pixels] than the rest of the models.

The most recent JPEG engine gives it much more attractive color than the a6000

The most obvious change over the (we suspect) outgoing a6000 is the vastly improved AF system. This in itself makes it a much more capable camera. In addition it gains the ability to shoot 4K video (albeit with very noticeable rolling shutter) and, also pretty significantly, it has the most recent version of Sony’s JPEG engine, which gives it much more attractive JPEG color than the a6000 produced.

Capable but entry-level

The a6100’s screen is touch-sensitive and flips all the way up, neither of which was true of the a6000

Unlike the a6000 and in common with the other new a6x00 cameras, it’s got a touchscreen that flips up by 180 degrees, for vlogging or selfie shooting and a mic socket.

The a6100 doesn’t have the full capabilities of its more expensive siblings, though. It can’t shoot Log video, and loses some subtle features such as the ability to let you specify the shutter speed at which Auto ISO mode changes ISO and to let you set up different AF points and modes for portrait- and landscape-orientation shooting.

Also, while you can customize the camera’s ‘Fn’ menu, you can’t define separate versions for stills and video shooting: something the a6400 and a6600 let you do. It’s really useful if you switch back and forth between the two types of shooting.

These are small changes but they add up. For example, we regularly assign a button to access ‘Auto ISO Min Shutter Speed’ so that we can change the camera between 1/focal length and something faster, depending on whether we’re more concerns about camera shake or subject movement.

Sony a6400

From the outside, it’s only really the switch around the AEL button that distinguishes the a6400 from its more basic sibling

The next model up from the a6100 is the a6400. You get a higher-res viewfinder, giving 1024 x 768 pixels from its 2.36m dots. You also get ‘moisture and dust resistant’ magnesium alloy construction (though, as is all too common, this resistance comes with no guarantee or substantive claims of effectiveness).

The a6400 offers a customizable AF/MF switch on the back of the body, which the a6100 lacks, but that’s about the extent of the physical handling differences. On the software side you gain a handful of menu options, including the ability to set the Auto ISO shutter threshold, define different AF areas and area modes by camera orientation and set up custom features such as ‘My Dial.’ These all make a difference if you like to define the fine detail of the camera’s handling.

Mid-level option

The a6400 lets you take more fine control of its operation than with the a6100

Video shooters gain the ability to shoot S-Log and HLG video footage over the a6100, which opens up opportunities for color grading or output to high dynamic range televisions. However, this is only in 8-bit and is still subject to significant rolling shutter in the cropped 30p mode which gets even worse in the full-width 24p mode. We were very impressed with this highly detailed footage when the a6300 was launched, back in 2016 but the likes of Fujifilm’s X-T30 will now offer better results.

The a6400 offers some benefits over the a6100 but you may find better options from other camera makers

So, while the a6400 offers some benefits over the a6100, you may not find the difference worth the cost. And, if you’re looking for a more advanced camera, and want to take more control, you may find better options from other camera makers.

Sony a6600

Not only does the a6600 offer image stabilization over its sister models, it also adds a headphone socket and much larger ‘Z-type’ battery. There’s no built-in flash, though

The range-topping model is the a6600. The main thing you gain over the lower models is in-body image stabilization, which is a major benefit for both stills and video shooting. A new feature of the a6600 is the inclusion of a much larger NP-FZ100 battery. This significantly boosts the camera’s endurance and will all-but eliminate concerns about keeping the camera charged, while you’re shooting.

The space demands of this larger battery have prompted the design of more substantial, more comfortable hand grip than on other a6x00 models and these ergonomic improvements are supplemented by the addition of an extra custom button, which leaves the a6600 with one more than its predecessor and two more than its current siblings.

Steady endurance

The a6600 offers two more custom buttons than the others in the lineup: one on the top plate and a second, marked ‘C3’ on the back

However, while these improvements make the a6600 stand out from its own sister models, it looks like a half-generational update of the a6500. Its autofocus is, without question, best-in-class and its battery life is the best of any of its peers. But its video isn’t especially competitive, either in terms of specifications (Fujifilm’s X-T3 can shoot much more gradable 10-bit footage), or in terms of appearance (the rolling shutter is likely to limit the way you shoot, if you don’t want it to be visible in your videos).

The a6600 also gains a headphone socket for monitoring audio, which is a first for the series

And, in sharing the same 2.36m dot EVF panel with the a6400, its viewfinder is noticeably lower resolution than the Fujifilm.

The option to pair the a6600 with a sensibly-sized 16-55mm F2.8 lens makes the camera more attractive for enthusiasts, but puts it worryingly close in price to an a7 III with the more flexible 24-105mm F4, which will offer similar output and access to a potentially larger performance envelope (or even Tamron’s 28-75mm F2.8).

Impressive AF but…

The latest a6x00 cameras may seem like minor upgrades in some respects, but the improved AF system makes them significantly easier to shoot with

Sony’s latest cameras have an AF system that out-performs anything we’ve experienced before and, importantly, makes it relatively easy to exploit this potential (though we’d prefer it to be engaged by default, especially on the a6100). They also produce more attractive JPEGs than the older models, particularly when compared to the elderly a6000.

But, as we’re sure the comments below will remind you, none of these camera is cutting-edge in terms of hardware such as sensor or viewfinder tech. Sony’s touchscreen implementation is still oddly limited (why isn’t the Fn menu touch-sensitive?), they all shoot only lossy Raws that limit the processing flexibility and they still have one of the most difficult-to-navigate menu systems on the market. This means they’re beginning to slip behind the best of their peers in some respects, particularly in terms of video.

Compared to their peers

Between Canon’s EF-M cameras, Fujifilm’s X-series and various Micro Four Thirds options, the new a6x00 models have a lot to live up to

In the absence of a replacement for the image stabilized Fujifilm X-H1, the a6600 looks pretty strong at the top end, so long as the shortcomings and omissions listed on the last slide don’t affect your shooting too much. Its video isn’t as good as the X-T3’s, but the better AF in both stills and video mode, along with built-in stabilization may be more appealing for some people.

The 16-55mm F2.8 lens makes APS-C E-mount look more photographer-friendly

The a6100’s simple autofocus and relatively low price immediately make it a strong contender against other entry level APS-C and Micro Four Thirds rivals. It’s the a6400, which has to square up against the Fujifilm X-T30 and Canon’s new EOS M6 Mark II that’s probably the least compelling of this trio.

That said, it should also be recognized that Sony has made some effort to address previous criticisms and that its latest models will produce nicer images than its older APS-C cameras and will do so more easily than ever before. And, perhaps more than this, the arrival of the 16-55mm F2.8 lens makes APS-C E-mount look more photographer-friendly than it’s previously appeared.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Action-packed: Sony a6500 review

15 Dec

The Sony a6500 is the company’s top-tier APS-C mirrorless model, a 24MP stills and video camera with image stabilization. It sits above the similar-looking a6300 in Sony’s lineup, adding touchscreen capability and stabilization for enthusiasts willing to dig a little deeper into their pockets.

Key Features:

24MP APS-C CMOS sensor with 425 phase detection points
2.36m dot OLED EVF
Tilting rear touchscreen
5-axis in-body image stabilization
11 fps continuous shooting for up to 300 JPEGs / 100 Raws
1/4000th sec maximum shutter speed

As should be apparent, many of its core specifications are shared with the a6300 – itself a DPReview Gold winning camera. The biggest differences are the touchscreen, the image stabilization and a ‘Front End LSI’ (processing chip) to allow faster and more complex processing. There are also a few small tweaks, such as the addition of a highlight spot metering mode.

The touch sensitivity of the rear screen can be used for your choice of two things: as an touchscreen for positioning the focus point or triggering focus and shutter, or as a touchpad, when the camera is held to your eye.

The added processing oomph promises a more responsive camera: one that allows immediate image review even when shooting bursts of images. The a6500 also gains a much-needed update to Sony’s menu system, adding color-coding to make it easier to recognize and remember different parts of the menu.

This change to the menu, and the addition of a quick way of setting AF point immediately address two of our biggest frustrations with the a6300. However, Sony is making no claims about improvements in terms either of rolling shutter or of recording longevity. With the most recent firmware, the a6300 can often record 4K video for the full 29:59 duration that the camera allows but this is not always possible in warm conditions or if you’ve just shot a long clip. Sony only claims ‘about 20 minutes’ of 4K recording for both cameras.

The a6500 uses the same form factor as both the mid-range a6300 and the entry-level a6000

Despite being positioned significantly further up the market, the a6500 uses the same form factor (and dial arrangement) as both the mid-range a6300 and the entry-level a6000. Although all three cameras have two control dials, they are arranged so that both must be controlled using the thumb and, for many people, requiring the hand to be repositioned when switching from one to the other. Such a limitation is reasonable at the a6000 end of the market but seems an odd fit for a $ 1400 camera.

The other similarity with the 6300 that seems even more odd at this level is Sony’s decision to only offer lossy compressed Raw, limiting their processing latitude.

This table compares how the a6500 compares with Fujifilm’s fairly similarly-priced X-T2 (probably the most capable rival in terms of stills and video shooting).

	Sony a6500	Fujifilm X-T2	Sony a6300
MSRP (Body only)	$ 1400	$ 1600	$ 1000
Pixel Count	24MP	24MP	24MP
ISO Range	100-25600 (51200 with multi-shot NR)	200-51200	100-25600 (51200 with multi-shot NR)
AF Point control	Touchscreen/touchpad	Joystick	4-way controller
Card slots	1 x UHS I	2 x UHS II	1 x UHS I
USB	USB 2.0	USB 3.0	USB 2.0
Continuous Shooting rate	11fps	14fps (e-shutter) 8fps (mechanical)	11fps
Rear screen	Tilting up/down touchscreen	Dual tilt: Up/down/right	Tilting up/down
Flash	Built-in	Clip-on (supplied)	Built-in
Image stabilization	In-body (+In-lens where available)	In-lens	In-lens
4K video capability	UHD 4K at 24/25/30p	UHD 4K at 24/25/30p	UHD 4K at 24/25/30p
4K video crop	24/25p Full Width 30p 1.23x crop	1.17x crop	24/25p Full Width 30p 1.23x crop
4K video duration	Up to 20 minutes (temperature dependent)	~10 minutes (Up to 29:59 with optional grip)	Up to 29:59 (temperature dependent)
Video log profile	S-Log2 & S-Log3 with extensive video-focused Picture Profile settings	F-Log (over HDMI only)	S-Log2 & S-Log3 with extensive video-focused Picture Profile settings
USB Charging (USB Power?)	Yes/Yes	Yes/No	Yes/Yes
Battery life – CIPA (Rear screen/EVF)	350/310	340	400/350

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Action-packed: Sony a6500 First Impressions

22 Nov

Sony a6500 First Impressions

by Dan Bracaglia

ISO 200, 1/3200 sec at F4. Shot using the 70-200mm F2.8 G Master lens. JPEG edited to taste in Adobe Lightroom.

I spent two and a half days shooting in Austin, Texas with the Sony a6500 on a Sony-sponsored press trip. This was the first time most journalists, including myself, had got a chance to put hands on the camera, let alone shoot with it. One of my favorite things about these trips is getting to talk to other writers to see how their experiences with the camera compare. While specific opinions on the a6500 varied, there was one aspect of the camera everyone seemed to agree on: the touchscreen on the a6500 is a letdown.

See our Sony a6500 Sample Gallery

Of course the addition of a touchscreen is not the only thing the a6500 has going for it, the camera also receives 5-axis in-body image stabilization, new menus, a deeper buffer and front-end LSI (which stands for Large Scale Integration – basically an additional chip providing more processing power). Not to mention it retains the 425-point on-sensor PDAF system, the same viewfinder, the same video specification and the same 8 fps burst rate (with Sony’s implementation of live view) as its mid-range sibling, the a6300 (11 fps with no live view).

Usability and speed

ISO 6400, 1/1000 sec at F2.2. Shot using the 85mm F1.4 G Master lens. JPEG edited to taste in Adobe Lightroom.

We spent the first day shooting all sorts of fast action subjects, including basketball. I’ve shot a lot of college basketball games in my life (close 100) but this was the first time shooting a game using a mirrorless camera. And you know what? I really enjoyed it! I mainly stuck to the ‘wide’ AF area, though occasionally switched to the ‘Flexible Spot-M’ option. In both cases my hit rate was just as good as when using a sports-oriented DSLR: nearly all my shots were in focus!

I found the responsiveness of the shutter, from the time I pressed it, to the time the photo was taken, near instantaneous. And following the action at 8 fps was no problem, I didn’t notice any EVF lag (I switched the EVF refresh rate from it default of 60 fps to 120 fps).

“My hit rate was just as good as when using a sports-oriented DSLR.”

In the two days with the camera, Sony managed to cram in not only an opportunity to shoot basketball, but the chance to also shoot skateboarding, tennis, rodeo, lacrosse, live music and flying disk dogs. In each scenario, I walked away impressed with the hit rate. Simply put, for action photography the a6500’s AF system, fast burst rate and a deep buffer make it a very tempting/capable choice.

This image was part of a 50+ photo burst. ISO 6400, 1/3200 sec at F4. Shot using the 85mm F1.4 G Master lens. JPEG edited to taste in Adobe Lightroom.

Furthermore, while shooting long bursts, I almost never encountered a ‘Writing to memory card, unable to operate’ error screen, which is a breath of fresh air having used the a6300. Even after shooting a burst of 50 or so Raw+JPEG files, I was able to hit the playback button and see the most recent image to clear the buffer. The a6500 also features a buffer countdown in the upper left corner so that users know how many images are left before it’s fully cleared.

New Menu

Sony makes some of the most technically capable cameras on the market but the user experience has always been a bit rough around the edges. Of course many folks, by dedicating the time to learn and work around Sony’s peculiarities, they are able to tolerate any U.I. shortcomings and get the most out of these cameras. But for the rest of us, picking up a Sony for the first time can feel confusing, frustrating and uninspiring.

Menu heads are now color-coded and there is a dedicated video menu.

The a6500, with its new menu system and faster processing is a major step in the right direction for overall usability. Menu heads are color-coded and there is now a separate video menu. But there is no ‘My Menu’ style option for customizing a menu page, something offered by most other camera makers. To some degree, we’d have just preferred a customizable menu over Sony’s reorganization, to collate most-used menu items that still remain unassignable to the camera’s Fn menu.

On a positive note, I encountered far fewer error screens than I’m used to when shooting with a Sony. Still, I did occasionally hit one. And there is nothing worse than trying to dial in a setting only to encounter an ‘Invalid operation,’ screen. Hey Sony, instead of tossing up an error, why not make a suggestion so that users know what settings to change to avoid more error messages (and include direct access to the setting that needs changing)?

The touchscreen

I had super high hopes going into this shooting experience that the a6500’s touchscreen was going to be awesome. It’s not. I owned an LG Dare cellphone in 2008 and the a6500’s touch implementation reminds me of that. It’s unresponsive when tapping and laggy when dragging one’s finger. Not only that, the touchscreen cannot be used for anything other than moving AF points and flipping through images in playback. How silly is that? Numerous times I found myself hitting the Fn.menu button and then tapping one of the icons on the screen, only for nothing to happen.

Furthermore, the a6500 is a premium camera with a premium price point, but only one top plate control dial. A touchscreen is the perfect answer to a lack of physical control points, but by limiting its use, Sony shot themselves in the foot.

“The touchscreen on the a6500 is the one feature of this camera that does not feel up to par with everything else.”

Still, its encouraging to see touch capability make its way into this line of camera. No doubt Sony knows how to make a decent touchscreen: it manufactures smartphones for crying out loud, so here’s hoping the next generation actually nails the touchscreen. Because the touchscreen on the a6500 is the one feature of this camera that does not feel up to par with everything else.

It’s not completely without merit though. I quite enjoyed using the flip-out screen at the skatepark we visited to get super low angles and the touchscreen allowed me to easily choose my point of focus. Still, the focus squares can be difficult to see in very bright or very dim light.

ISO 640, 1/1600 sec at F5.6. Shot using the Somny 10-18mm F4 lens. JPEG edited to taste in Adobe Lightroom.

Using the touchscreen as an AF touchpad was also a disappointing experience. The responsiveness is not fast enough, the points are hard to see and there is a noticeable delay when dragging one’s finger around (pretty much the same experience as just using the touchscreen).

There are three touchpad area modes: ‘Whole Screen,’ ‘Right 1/2 Area’ and ‘Right 1/4 Area.’ The ‘area’ refers to which portion of the screen will activate touchpad AF and are meant to help avoid accidentally changing one’s AF point with say, your nose. When using ‘Right 1/2 Area’ for instance, only the upper half of the right side of the screen will engage the touchpad. And when using ‘Right 1/4 area’ only the upper quarter of the right side of the screen will engage the touchpad. Honestly, I was hard put to tell the difference between ‘Whole Screen’ and ‘Right 1/2 Area.’ Also when I put the camera in ‘Right 1/4 Area’ I found it nearly impossible to get the touchscreen to work at all!

I also found it pretty difficult, though possible, to use touchpad AF when shooting through my left eye. There is an option to turn the touchpad off when shooting vertically, so as to not change one’s AF point with their nose. But seeing how unresponsive the touchscreen is, I never ran into this issue. I guess that’s one plus of the lack of responsiveness. Users can choose whether to just use the touchscreen, just the touchpad, both or neither.

Using the Touchscreen during video capture

Like all Sonys, the ‘Lock-on AF’ area modes are greyed-out when shooting video. And as such, there is no intuitive way to tap-to-track when recording video. You can track (though not tap) by assigning a button to toggle ‘Center Lock-on AF’ on and off. But shooting video this way is pretty annoying as you must wait until your subject is dead center to begin tracking. Also the ‘Center Lock-on AF’ option seems to use an older tracking algorithm.

In the ‘Wide’ AF area mode, if you tap the screen, it turns on something called ‘Spot AF,’ which just maintains focus on the chosen point. Based on this video by cinema5D, I’m convinced there is some way to use touch-to-track in video mode. I have a hunch that if you turn ‘Spot AF’ off in the menu and tap the screen, it may engage tracking. I’ll have to wait until we get the camera into the office to confirm this, but either way, engaging tap-to-track in video mode is far from intuitive and the exclusion of lock-on AF area modes in video is inexcusable at this point.

Image Stabilization

ISO 3200 1/2 sec at F4.5. Shot using the 24mm F1.8 Zeiss lens. JPEG edited to taste in Adobe Lightroom.

It’s exciting to see image stabilization make its way into Sony’s APS-C mirrorless line. Initial impressions using image stabilization to shoot stills are positive. The above image was shot at 1/2 sec using the 24mm F1.8 lens. Ordinarily I could probably hold a shot steady, with no IS, down to about 1/30, maybe on a good day, 1/25 sec. So right there we’re seeing a nearly 4-stop advantage using IS at a normal-ish equiv. focal length.

Using IS while recording video made it easier to shoot hand-held at wide to normal focal lengths, like in the clip above. However at longer focal lengths the IS system is very jumpy. You can see an example of that in the clip below.

Having just finished testing video IS on both the Panasonic FZ2500 and Panasonic G85, I’m not all the impressed with the Sony’s video IS performance. Of course both the cameras mentioned use smaller sensor, which in theory should be easier to move around. But more to the point, those cameras offer something the a6500 does not: an option to combine mechanical IS with electronic (digital) IS. Although digital IS tends to slightly crop (and then upscale) footage and therefore costs some image quality, it can lead to impressively glidecam-esque footage.

Physical Improvements over the a6300


The a6500 (left) features two top plate custom keys and toothier dials compared to the a6300.	The battery door on the a6500 (left) has also been redesigned. It seems less flimsy than that on the a6300. The camera also gains a deeper grip.

The a6500 gains some very minor physical improvements over the more basic model, including an additional top plate custom function (C2) button. The C1 button has moved to the top shelf, and is now eminently more usable than the one that provided almost no haptic feedback on the a6300. A comfier grip, more similar to that offered on the a7 II models. The control and mode dial also have a nicer tooth to them and the bottom battery door has been redesigned and now feels more secure.

The Takeaway

Make no mistake, the Sony a6500 is a very good camera. It’s lightweight, fast and capable. Still, I can’t help but think Sony may have benefited holding off on the release to spend more time refining it. After all, it is the company’s top tier APS-C mirrorless offering (this despite one top plate control dial). Because some aspects of the camera operation just feel unrefined.

For instance, when shooting 4K video, the screen automatically dims. There is no way to use the ‘Sunny Weather’ option: it’s simply greyed out. This makes the a6500 nearly impossible to use in bright sunlight while shooting 4K video with the LCD. And I’m told the reason is to mitigate overheating, which seems like a thoughtless fix to a known issue, and one that creates a new issue entirely.

I always close with a rock and roll shot: ISO 1600, 1/800 sec at F2.2. Shot using the 85mm F1.4 G Master lens. JPEG edited to taste in Adobe Lightroom.

The image stabilization is useful when shooting stills, but initial impressions in video mode have us less impressed. The new LSI processor goes a long way to making the a6500 a more usable camera than the a6300. The buffer depth, while we have yet to fully max it out, is impressive. And the camera does not lock users out of settings while the buffer clears. The new menus are also a step in the right direction. Still, there is room for improvement in terms of organization of items and adding a customizable page.

Two days shooting with it proved to me that the a6500 is the most usable Sony APS-C camera on the market and certainly a refinement over the mid-level a6300. I was impressed at how capable it is for sports and action (almost no noticeable EVF lag) and it can certainly capture some lovely-looking 4K video (just watch out for rolling shutter). But the touchscreen, one of the main things you get for the extra $ 400 over the a6300, is simply not good enough. And for that reason I didn’t love the a6500, but I did like it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Woof! Sony a6500 sample images are here

18 Nov

Having just wrapped up an action packed two days of photographing Austin with the new Sony a6500, I’ve barely had time to sleep, let alone look through my images (Note: it was a Sony sponsored press trip). One thing’s for sure, this camera is fast and seriously capable! It didn’t take much use to realize it operates like a more refined version of the a6300, though retains some pain points.

Also, spoiler alert: the touchscreen is a huge let down – it’s simply not very responsive. More on that soon. For now, here’s some samples from the camera, all JPEGs straight out of camera. Once we get Raw support I’ll update the gallery with some conversions.

Sony a6500 Sample Images Gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Sony a6300 versus a6500: what’s changed, and what still needs to change

18 Oct

Sony a6300 versus a6500

That was quick.

Just eight months after Sony introduced the a6300, a higher-end sister model to the a6000, we now have another higher-end sister model in the a6500. The sheer speed of Sony’s product releases lately is somewhat appropriate, given the outright shooting speed these cameras are capable of.

Both cameras feature the same 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor, the same 425-point on-sensor PDAF system, the same viewfinder, the same video specification, and the same 11 fps burst shooting rate (8 fps with Sony’s implementation of ‘live view’). Wait a second – what exactly is new to the a6500?

Turns out, there’s a handful of changes that can have big implications for how photographers will interact with and use these cameras, but are they worth the $ 400 premium on the new model? Let’s take a look.

Continuous shooting

Patrick Murphy-Racey discusses using the a6500 for peak action (like drag races) due to its burst speed and autofocus system.

A deeper buffer combined with a newly developed front-end LSI (which stands for Large Scale Integration – it’s basically an additional chip providing more processing power) promise more responsive performance when shooting bursts – 300 JPEG or 107 Raw images can be captured at 11 fps with full autofocus and autoexposure. Users can also instantly review or check focus on the last image that the camera has written to the card (though that might not necessarily be the last image in that burst), with the added plus of an indicator showing just how many images remain to be written to the card.

Comparatively, the a6300 can still shoot at 11 fps with full autofocus and autoexposure, but only for 44 JPEG or 21 Raws. And while the camera is writing to the card, you can’t enter playback, or magnify the displayed image (if you have image review on). We’re particularly happy to see that last limitation go, as it makes the camera eminently more usable.

In-body 5-axis stabilization

Sony consolidated the shutter charge and shutter mechanisms to one side to make room for the IBIS unit in the a6500.

Without increasing the depth of the camera body, Sony has redesigned the a6500’s shutter mechanism to not only be more durable (tested – though not guaranteed – to 200,000 cycles), but also to incorporate 5-axis stabilization with non-stabilized lenses. What’s more, when you pair an optically stabilized lens with the a6500, the camera knows to pass of pitch and yaw correction to the lens’ stabilization system. This doesn’t increase the effectiveness more than the rated 5 stops, but is likely to help maintain effectiveness when shooting at longer focal lengths.

There’s also the intriguing possibility of shooting full 4K stabilized video with any lens – but we’re withholding our verdict on the resulting image quality until we can test it for ourselves. After all, core video specification and performance hasn’t changed from the a6300 to the a6500, and we’re curious to see if the stabilization system has any effect on the rather lackluster rolling shutter performance of the a6300.

And, of course, the a6300 offers no in-body stabilization.

Touch and see

The a6500’s screen is touch-enabled, whereas the a6300’s isn’t. They share the same resolution (and the touch-panel doesn’t seem to have affected glare or fingerprint-resistance), but on the a6500, you can now use the screen to quickly place an AF point, move your AF point around by acting as a ‘touchpad’ with your eye to the finder, and also double-tap to zoom and swipe around an image in playback.

So while AF performance will likely remain the same on the a6500, you may now find you’re more quickly able to adapt to a scene in front of you by using the touchscreen as opposed to the cumbersome sequence of button presses most Sony cameras require for focus point movement.

That said, in touchpad mode, the control of the AF point is unfortunately always relative, rather than (at least an option for) absolute, so you swipe to move the AF point from its current position, rather than touching exactly where you want it to be. This meant we found ourselves often swiping repeatedly to get the AF point from one side to the other. This could be obviated with absolute positioning in combination with limiting the touchpad area to the upper right quadrant, something we suggested to Sony in-person. Lastly, we found the touchpad performance to be decidedly laggy, especially when compared to competitors’ offerings.

When it comes to video, the a6500’s touchscreen is particularly useful for focus pulls, since you can just tap to change the focus point and initiate a rack focus (and as always, you can control how quickly the camera will rack focus). Less easy is getting the camera – in video – to continue to track your subject around the frame after you’ve tapped on it, since Lock-on AF is unavailable in video (something we continue to request Sony to address).

There appears to be a workaround, though: if you turn the old, vesitigial ‘Center Lock-on AF’ on, then tapping appears to initiate subject tracking. Unfortunately, ‘Center Lock-on AF’ isn’t always the most reliable, and it’s still somewhat cumbersome to work this way as you have to first turn this feature on, which requires either a (Fn/main) menu dive or a dedicated button assigned to it, plus a couple more button presses before you tap.

Controls and usability

Autofocus and video options are among the new ‘groupings’ within the updated Sony menu system.

Besides the touchscreen, the other major control change on the a6500 compared to the a6300 is the addition of C2 | C1 custom buttons on the top plate, a7-style. They’re nicer buttons than the soft-press C1 button of the a6300, providing more haptic feedback. The a6500’s grip has also been redesigned to be ‘chunkier’ and deeper than that on the a6300, again much like the a7 Mark II cameras, which should help when using heavier or longer lenses.

The a6500 also inherits the redesigned menu interface that debuted in the a99 II which is, in our opinion, much more user-friendly than the interface on the a6300 (and a6000, for that matter). The tabs are now color-coded, but more importantly, similar functions like autofocus, image parameters and movie settings are grouped. This makes it much less likely that you’ll miss a moment while rocketing through the menu to find a setting you swear you saw somewhere in there last week. It’s one of our favorite additions to the a6500, and it’s about time.

Unfortunately, you still can’t make a custom ‘My Menu’-like page in this menu system. A shame, as it’s an easy way to group most-used menu items into one section for quicker access, particularly ones – like movie options – that can’t be assigned to the custom Fn menu.

What hasn’t changed (and should have been)

There’s no question that the a6500 is incredibly well-specified camera in an impressively small package. In terms of usability, Sony has made great strides on this new model with the addition of a touchscreen and a revamped menu system. Unfortunately, there’s still a few aspects of the a6500 that we can’t help but wish Sony would have addressed.

Unfortunately, like the a6300, the a6500 lacks a control dial on the front of the camera – an omission that is all the more glaring at its higher position in the market. Unlike the a6300, all of the a6500’s direct peers offer twin control dials, and a front control dial would further aid usability in our opinion (though we’d also happily take the ‘Tri-Navi’ system of the old NEX-7 flagship as a compromise).

The core stills and video specification hasn’t changed at all since the a6300 (although the new front-end LSI is supposed to help with JPEG performance at higher ISO values). Now, the a6300 already produced great results under almost any circumstances with one big exception – rolling shutter in 4K. While the detail level is impressive and the capture aids are extensive (S-Log, zebra patterning, focus peaking, etc.), we would really have liked to see Sony address the rolling shutter issue in this new model. And a headphone monitoring port wouldn’t hurt, either.

Limited battery life is a problem endemic to mirrorless cameras as a whole, and the a6000-series is no exception. Still, probably thanks to the additional processing and touch-screen, the a6500’s battery life rating has actually decreased compared to the a6300 by over 10%. It goes without saying that’s a change in the opposite direction than we would like.

Adding it all up

The a6500’s additions over the a6300 are small in number, but potentially huge for what they offer users. Sure, the new model comes at a $ 400 premium over its mid-range sibling, but the upgrades in the new flagship model have the potential to be significant.

Of course, whether they’re significant to you depends on whether they line up with what you like to shoot. If you don’t shoot long bursts, or don’t find yourself checking focus all that often, the additional buffer performance isn’t likely to matter. If you shoot a lot of video and want more flexibility with lens choice, the in-body stabilization is likely to be very helpful. One thing that we feel will positively impact all users – even those who primarily use the viewfinder – is the touchscreen. That said, its laggy behavior is disappointing considering just how much processing power this camera has.

We generally feel that, given the sheer capability of this camera, the price premium over the a6300 is warranted. The Sony a6500 represents a lot of camera in a very lightweight package, and it’s encouraging to see that Sony is continuing to refine its APS-C offerings.

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Video: Sony a6500 First Look

08 Oct

From a pure design standpoint, Sony’s a6500 look all that flashy at first glance, but don’t let the looks fool you. It may look like an a6300, but with 5-axis in-body image stabilization, a touchscreen for focus point placement (even with your eye to the finder), and an improved processor that brings an extensive buffer and instant image playback/review to the Alpha line, it’s a compact force to be reckoned with. Get the low-down in our overview video.

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Sony a6500 adds 5-axis stabilization, touchscreen and processing power

07 Oct

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Sony has taken the wraps off of its 24MP a6500 mirrorless camera. The flagship APS-C camera gains five-axis image stabilization and touchscreen operation. A larger buffer and more processing power also help set it apart from the existing a6300. It will cost around $ 1400.

The a6500 is now the company’s top-end APS-C camera, sitting above the a6300. It makes use of the same copper-wired 24MP sensor with 425 on-sensor PDAF points but gains a faster (LSI) processor to allow high speed operation. Sony also promises improved processing at high ISO settings, thanks to this new LSI.

The camera gains 5-axis image stabilization which continues to work in both stills and video. The system is rated as offering 5 stops of stabilization, by CIPA standard testing.

When used in conjunction with stabilized ‘OSS’ lenses, the in-lens stabilization takes over correction of the axes that is can stabilize, though Sony makes no claims for this adding to the degree of stabilization offered.

It also gains a touchscreen for faster operation, particularly in terms of AF point positioning. The rear screen works as a touchpad if you’re holding the camera to your eye.

The buffer has been significantly increased, allowing the camera to shoot at 11 frames per second for around 300 JPEGs or 100 Raw+JPEG frames. Sony says this (presumably in combination with the additional processing power) also helps it offer a faster image review when you’ve been shooting large bursts.

It can shoot 4K video much like the a6300 but with the touchscreen allowing touch-to-pull-focus. The AF drive speed during video shooting can be controlled for smooth focus transitions. This autofocus ability is maintained across all the camera’s video modes, including 1080/120p capture.

Beyond that, the camera’s video capabilities are very similar to those of the a6300: UHD 4K at up to 100Mbps from 6K readout, meaning roughly 1.54x oversampling in each dimension (2.4x overall). The camera can also capture Full HD (1080) at up to 120p which is now offered as part of a feature that allows the camera to offer anything from 1fps to 120fps capture, for playing back as anything from 60x high speed to 1/5th speed slow motion.

Sadly, Sony is making no promises of improved rolling shutter, compared with the a6300 (suggesting it’s a sensor read-out limitation, rather than one of processing).

Like the a6300, the a6500 has a mic input but no headphone socket.

The camera’s menu has also been updated, which the company says will make it easier to search and navigate. At present, it does not appear that the camera can shoot uncompressed Raw.

Battery life is rated at 350 shots per charge when using the rear screen and 310 shots per charge when using the EVF.

The a6500 will be available for $ 1400/€1700 in the end of November and December for the US and EU, respectively.

Press release:

Sony Introduces New ?6500 Camera with Exceptional All-Around Performance

New Flagship APS-C Sensor Camera Combines World’s Fastest AF speed¹and Highest Number of AF points² with In-camera 5-axis optical image stabilization, Touchscreen AF Operation, 24.2 MP Exmor® CMOS sensor and more

NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2016 – Sony Electronics, a worldwide leader in digital imaging and the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer, has today introduced their new flagship APS-C sensor camera, the ?6500 (model ILCE-6500).

As the latest addition to Sony’s lineup of award winning mirrorless cameras, the new ?6500 shares the same unrivaled 4D FOCUS™ system as the ?6300 camera, which can lock focus on a subject in as little as 0.05 seconds, the world’s fastest¹ AF acquisition time. Also shared with the ?6300, the new ?6500 features 425 phase detection AF points that are densely positioned over nearly the entire image area – the world’s highest² number of AF points on any interchangeable lens camera. The new model can shoot images at up to 11 frames per second with continuous autofocus and exposure tracking and up to 8 frames per second in a live-view shooting mode that makes it easy to track fast moving subjects, as it combines all of the benefits of an electronic viewfinder with the immediacy of an optical viewfinder.

The camera can shoot at these high speeds for up to 307 frames³ thanks to its expanded buffer, which, along with the fast response speeds described above, are all achieved with the support of a new front-end LSI chip that has been added to the camera. This new front-end LSI also serves to enhance both still and video image quality.

Additionally, the new ?6500 features Sony’s acclaimed in-camera 5-axis optical image stabilization, making it the first Sony APS-C sensor camera to offer all of the benefits of advanced in-body stabilization, which include a shutter speed advantage of approximately 5 steps⁴. It also offers touchscreen AF capabilities for focus point selection and adjustment.

“We are continuing to push the boundaries of modern innovation in digital imaging, in particular within the mirrorless space,” said Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging at Sony Electronics. “By equipping the ?6500 with 5-axis image stabilization and touchscreen AF, we’re offering photographers and videographers more control than ever before and a seemingly endless amount of creative possibilities. As our flagship APS-C camera, it far exceeds the performance threshold of any camera in its class, and many above its class as well.”

Unmatched AF Capability

Sony’s new ?6500 camera utilizes the same 4D FOCUS system as the ?6300 – a Fast Hybrid AF system that combines high-speed phase detection AF with extremely accurate contrast AF and allows it to capture and lock on to moving subjects in as little as 0.05 seconds¹. It also features 425 phase detection AF points and High-density Tracking AF Technology, which significantly improves subject detection and tracking performance.

New for the ?6500, thanks to faster internal processing capabilities enabled by the front-end LSI, the maximum buffer for high-speed continuous shooting is an impressive 307 frames³, greatly increasing the chances to catch that decisive moment.

The camera’s 425 phase detection AF points, focusing tracking and accuracy are also available when using non-native A-mount lenses⁵ with Sony’s LA-EA3 mount adaptor. Additionally, it includes silent shooting, Eye AF in AF-C mode, AF in focus magnifier modes, Expand Flexible Spot AF and more.

5-axis Image Stabilization Provides 5 Steps Shutter Speed Advantage

One of the most exciting developments in the new ?6500 is the implementation of 5-axis image stabilization for the first time in a Sony APS-C sensor camera. Additionally, through a total revision of the internal design of the camera, this newly developed stabilization system fits entirely within a body that is nearly the same size as the ?6300 model⁶. This innovative 5- axis system provides a shutter speed advantage of 5 steps⁴, ensuring the full resolving power of the sensor can be realized, even in challenging lighting.

The shake compensation provided by the system works with a variety of lenses, including E-mount lenses without OSS (Optical SteadyShot) stabilization and A-mount lenses⁷ when used with a compatible mount adapter. When an E-mount lens with OSS is mounted, pitch and yaw are compensated in the lens and horizontal, vertical and roll axes are compensated in the camera body, resulting in optimal 5-axis stabilization⁷.

Also, with a simple half press of the shutter button, the effect of the image stabilization can be monitored in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen, allowing framing and focus to be accurately checked and continually monitored. This is available even when a lens is attached that does not have built-in shake compensation.

New Touch Screen Focusing

The new ?6500 comes equipped with touch screen functionality, allowing users to lock focus on a subject simply by touching it on the screen. This is a powerful compliment to its advanced AF system and video shooting capabilities.

Additionally, in a first for Sony cameras, the ?6500 features touchpad functionality. When utilizing the viewfinder for framing and shooting, the LCD screen can be used as a touch pad. Simply drag a finger across the screen to shift the focus point from one area to another.

Powerful 24.2 MP⁸ Exmor CMOS Sensor, BIONZ X® Processor and New Front-End LSI

The new ?6500 features an APS-C sized 24.2 MP8 Exmor CMOS sensor that works together with a BIONZ X image processor and the newly developed front-end LSI to maximize processing power and achieve an impressive sensitivity range of ISO 100-51200⁹.

The image sensor employs a thin wiring layer and large photodiode substrate that maximizes light collection efficiency, plus copper wiring in its structure for outstanding read-out speed. The BIONZ X image processor and newly developed front-end LSI ensure superior image and video quality with low noise even when using higher ISO settings, in particular those at high sensitivity values where other cameras typically struggle. The LSI is also responsible for the expanded buffer depth for continuous shooting.

Professional Video Capabilities

The new ?6500 becomes the latest Sony interchangeable lens camera to offer internal 4K movie recording, as it can shoot 4K (3840x2160p) video in the popular Super 35mm format on the full width of the image sensor. When shooting in this format, the camera uses full pixel readout without pixel binning to collect 6K of information – approximately 2.4x¹⁰ (20 MP equivalent) as many pixels as 4K UHD and then oversamples the information to produce high quality 4K footage with exceptional detail and depth.

Additionally, the ?6500 will focus exceptionally fast during movie shooting thanks to its Fast Hybrid AF system, offers touch focusing for professionally smooth focus shifts, while also offering adjustable AF transition speed and AF tracking sensitivity. The camera supports the XAVC S codec¹¹ during video shooting, which records at a high bit rate of up to 100 Mbps during 4K recording and 50 Mbps during Full HD shooting, ensuring maximum detail and clarity in both video formats.

Other professional caliber video features include the ability to record Full HD at 120 fps at up to 100 Mbps, which allows footage to be reviewed and eventually edited into 4x or 5x slow motion video files in Full HD (24p) resolution with AF tracking.

New on the ?6500 is the incorporation of a ‘Slow and Quick’ (S&Q) mode that supports both slow motion and quick motion. In this mode, frame rates from 1 fps to 120 fps can be selected in 8 steps for up to 60x quick motion and 5x slow motion recording¹². Footage shot in this mode can be previewed after shooting without the need for PC-based post processing.

The camera also offers S-Log gamma recording¹³ for wide dynamic range shooting – approximately 14-stop latitude in S-Log3 gamma setting – and supports S-Gamut for a wider color space. Both options allow for greater creativity for processing video post-production.

Shooters also now have the ability to select, extract and save still images from movie footage directly on the camera. Approximately 8 MP images and 2 MP images can be pulled from 4K modes and Full HD modes, respectively.

Enhanced Operability and Reliability

The new ?6500 has a refined design, maintaining the mobility of the ?6000 series while adapting much of the usability of Sony’s acclaimed ?7 II series. The new model features the same high contrast, high-resolution 2.4 million dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder as the ?6300 that offers exceptional corner-to-corner visibility.

New hardware features on the ?6500 include a magnesium alloy body and a high-durability shutter with a tested life span of approximately 200,000 release cycles¹⁴. It also has several design features that are borrowed from the ?7 II series of full-frame cameras, which include a robust lens mount, a recessed grip to improve handling, a larger release button and ten total custom buttons including ‘C1’, ‘C2’ and ‘C3’. It also has an improved operation feel for its mode and control dials and rear face buttons, as well as a softer eyepiece cup for more comfortable usage.

On the software front, there is a new overall user interface, which allows for a much smoother process for searching and adjusting menu settings, as well two new metering modes – Highlight, where exposure metering is focused on the brightest area of the frame, and Entire Screen Avg, which maintains an average metering for the entire image.

The camera is Wi-Fi®, QR and NFC compatible and fully compatible with Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile™ applications¹⁵available for Android™ and iOS platforms, as well as Sony’s growing range of PlayMemories Camera Apps™. The ?6500 also offers location data acquisition via a Bluetooth¹⁶ connection to a compatible mobile device and an updated menu structure to deliver a smoother navigational experience.

Pricing and Availability

The Sony ?6500 interchangeable lens camera will ship this November for about $ 1,400 US and $ 1,750 CA. It will be sold at a variety of Sony authorized dealers throughout North America.

There is also a new genuine leather body case (model LCS-EBG) that will ship in November and a new eyepiece cup (model FDA-EP17) that will be launched at a later date.

Notes:

Among interchangeable-lens digital cameras equipped with an APS-C image sensor as of October 2016, based on Sony research, measured using CIPA-compliant guidelines, and internal measurement method with an E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens mounted, Pre-AF off and viewfinder in use.
Among digital cameras as of October 2016, based on Sony research.
With “Hi” continuous shooting mode and “Fine” image quality.
Based on CIPA standard. Pitch/yaw shake only. With Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA lens mounted. Long exposure NR off.
A-mount lenses with SSM or SAM only. Users can choose phase-detection AF or contrast-detection AF in AF System menu. “Phase-detection AF” is not available during movie shooting. AF-C in AF System menu is available only with “Contrast-detection AF” selected, but no motion tracking is performed during continuous shooting (Hi+, Hi, Mid).
Excluding grip, frontal-view size and main body thickness are the same as for the ?6300
All 5-axis stabilization is performed in-camera when SEL90M28G is mounted
Approximate effective MP
Standard ISO range: 100-25600 for stills and movies. Expandable up to ISO 51200 for stills only.
In 24p recording. Approx. 1.6 times in 30p recording.
SDHC/SDXC memory card of Class 10 or higher is required for movie recording in XAVC S format. UHS-I (U3) SDHC/SDXC card is required for 100Mbps recording.
Sound cannot be recorded. SDHC/SDXC memory card of Class 10 or higher is required.
S-Log2 and S-Log3 are premised on processing pictures.
With the electronic front curtain shutter, under internal test conditions of Sony.
Use the latest version of PlayMemories Mobile
Can be connected via Bluetooth with smartphones featuring (as of the date of release)

Sony Alpha a6500 specifications

Price
MSRP	$ 1400 (body only)
Body type
Body type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Body material	Magnesium alloy
Sensor
Max resolution	6000 x 4000
Image ratio w:h	3:2, 16:9
Effective pixels	24 megapixels
Sensor photo detectors	25 megapixels
Sensor size	APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm)
Sensor type	CMOS
Processor	Bionz X
Color space	sRGB, Adobe RGB
Color filter array	Primary color filter
Image
ISO	Auto, 100-25600 (expandable to 51200)
Boosted ISO (maximum)	51200
White balance presets	8
Image stabilization	Sensor-shift
Image stabilization notes	5-axis
Uncompressed format	RAW
JPEG quality levels	Extra fine, fine, standard
File format	JPEG (Exif v2.3) Raw (14-bit Sony ARW)
Optics & Focus
Autofocus	Contrast Detect (sensor) Phase Detect Multi-area Center Selective single-point Tracking Single Continuous Touch Face Detection Live View
Autofocus assist lamp	Yes
Manual focus	Yes
Number of focus points	425
Lens mount	Sony E
Focal length multiplier	1.5×
Screen / viewfinder
Articulated LCD	Tilting
Screen size	3″
Screen dots	921,600
Touch screen	Yes
Screen type	TFT LCD
Live view	Yes
Viewfinder type	Electronic
Viewfinder coverage	100%
Viewfinder magnification	0.7×
Viewfinder resolution	2,359,296
Photography features
Minimum shutter speed	30 sec
Maximum shutter speed	1/4000 sec
Maximum shutter speed (electronic)	1/32000 sec
Exposure modes	iAuto Program Aperture priority Shutter priority Manual
Built-in flash	Yes
Flash range	6.00 m (at ISO 100)
External flash	Yes (via hot shoe)
Flash modes	Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Flash X sync speed	1/160 sec
Drive modes	Single Continuous (Hi+/Hi/Mid/Lo) Self-timer Bracketing
Continuous drive	11.0 fps
Self-timer	Yes
Metering modes	Multi Center-weighted Highlight-weighted Spot
Exposure compensation	±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps)
AE Bracketing	±5 (3, 5 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV, 2 EV steps)
WB Bracketing	Yes (3 frames, H/L selectable)
Videography features
Format	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Modes	3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 28 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 @ 50i / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 50i / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 16 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 6 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 16 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital 1280 x 720 @ 25p / 6 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
Microphone	Stereo
Speaker	Mono
Storage
Storage types	SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Connectivity
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI	Yes (micro-HDMI)
Microphone port	Yes
Headphone port	No
Wireless	Built-In
Wireless notes	802.11b/g/n + NFC
Remote control	Yes (via smartphone)
Physical
Environmentally sealed	Yes
Battery	Battery Pack
Battery description	NP-FW50
Battery Life (CIPA)	350
Weight (inc. batteries)	453 g (1.00 lb / 15.98 oz)
Dimensions	120 x 67 x 53 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 2.09″)
Other features
Orientation sensor	Yes
GPS	None

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Hands-on and in-depth with the Sony a6500

07 Oct

Sony announces Alpha 6500

Sony has announced the a6500, its top of the line APS-C E-mount mirrorless camera. It may look a lot like the a6300 but it’s a higher spec (and more expensive) sister model.

It’s based around the same copper-wired 24MP CMOS sensor as the a6300 but it adds several key features: most notably in-body image stabilization and touchscreen control.

An even faster Alpha

The a6500 still features the same 425 on-sensor phase detection elements as the a6300 and still shoots at at same 11 frames per second maximum burst rate, but a deeper buffer and additional processor allow it to shoot over 300 JPEG frames in a burst (or 100 frames when shooting Raw + JPEG).

The buffer and additional processing power also allow faster image review after having shot a burst, the company promises, which should avoid the frustrating ‘camera busy’ warnings that previous Sonys have been prone to give.

The camera’s shutter mechanism has been updated and has now been tested to (though not necessarily guaranteed to) 200,000 cycles. Maximum shutter speed remains 1/4000th of a second.

5-axis in-body image stabilization

The a6500 manages to squeeze a five-axis image stabilization system into a camera that’s just 5mm deeper than the a6300. The system is rated as offering 5 stops of improvement when tested to CIPA standards using a 55mm lens.

This system recognizes the presence of Sony lenses with OSS stabilization and passes responsibility for correcting pitch and yaw to the lens. Sony does not claim any additional effectiveness for this approach but we’d expect it to help maintain the 5-stop figure when using long lenses, since lens correction is able to correct for a greater degree of movement than sensor shift stabilization can.

Touchscreen focus

One of the biggest additions to the a6500 over existing models is touchscreen control. Previously reserved for the company’s more point-and-shoot orientated models, the touchscreen makes it quicker to specify the AF point position (a significant frustration with the a6300).

The touchscreen is solely used to set the AF point with no option to control settings or navigate the menus.

This touch-to-focus ability extends to video mode and video focus speed can be adjusted to provide slow, smooth autofocus pulls. However, the camera won’t touch-and-track in video mode: only the older ‘Center Lock-On AF’ system that locks onto the subject at the center of the frame is available.

Touchpad AF

Like Panasonic cameras and the recent Canon EOS M5, the a6500’s touchscreen can still be used as a touchpad to specify the autofocus point when shooting through the camera’s electronic viewfinder. The control of the AF point is always relative, rather than absolute, so you swipe to move the AF point from its current position, rather than touching exactly where you want it to be.

The camera lets you select whether both the touchscreen and touchpad modes are available, letting you disengage the touch sensitivity if you only want to use it with the camera to your eye or only want it active when using the rear LCD.

There’s also the option to disable either the right or left-hand side of the touchscreen, to avoid accidental nose focus, depending on whether you shoot left or right eyed. The touchpad can again be set to disable when you turn the camera into the portrait orientation.

Revised menus

In addition to the touchscreen, Sony has made several other adjustments to the camera’s operation and control.

The menus have been rearranged to cluster related features together and are now color-coded to make it easier to recognize and remember where a setting lives.

In addition the camera gains a second custom button on the top plate, taking the total number of customizable function buttons to 10.

4K Video

The a6500 offers the same UHD 4K capabilities as the a6300. It can shoot 4K/25p and 24p from the full width of its sensor, meaning 1.56x oversampling in each dimension. This gives very highly detailed footage, compared to taking a ‘native’ crop from the sensor. 30p 4K is taken from a smaller crop.

Sony has said nothing about changes in thermal management, so it’s likely the camera won’t be able to shoot for the full 29 minutes in warm conditions or similarly long clips back-to-back. However, with the latest firmware, we haven’t encountered overheating as a problem if you’re shooting clips to edit together, so it’s only extended shooting that’s likely to be a problem.

We’re more concerned about any interaction between the camera’s fairly high levels of rolling shutter and the movement of its 5-axis image stabilization system. Stabilized 4K video could be a hugely valuable capability of the camera but we’ll wait to see the footage before getting too excited.

Video capabilities

Like the a6300, the a6500 has a built-in mic socket but no headphone port for audio monitoring.

It also continues to offer the in-depth ‘Picture Profile’ video response modes including ITU 709 and both S-Log2 and S-Log3 gamma curves. The camera records internally at up to 100Mbps for 4K recording and requires you us a U3-rated UHS-I card. It’s happy to record to either SDXC or SDHC cards.

Internal recording is 8-bit 4:2:0 while HDMI out is 8-bit 4:2:2.

In summary

The a6500 is a very well specced camera: 5-axis stabilization, 11 fps shooting with AF, 4K UHD video capture with S-Log options, a comprehensive AF tracking system, weather-sealed body…

There are still a few things missing, though. Although the camera includes two command dials (one on the shoulder, one on the rear face of the camera), it has the same drawbacks as the a6300: both need to be controlled with the thumb. Worse still, it’s likely that you’ll have to shift your grip on the camera to reach from one to the other.

Still, the addition of a touchscreen and an even greater level of customization over the controls should give quick access to most of the features you need to change in-the-moment.

There’s a price to be paid for these additional capabilities, though. The a6500 will sell for around $ 1400 or €1700 in Europe. As always, bear in mind the European price is likely to include VAT whereas the US price is usually quoted without sales tax. This makes it 40% more expensive than the a6300’s list price and over twice the launch price of the more modest a6000.

So, while the technologies and capabilities of these three models are very different, the visual similarities risk causing customer confusion.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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