Sony is so closely associated with full-frame mirrorless cameras that it’s easy to forget that it also sells the A6000 APS-C series – especially since the latter, A6600it came out five long years ago in 2019. Finally, the flagship A6700 came last yearthough with a feature list that looks to be worth the wait.
It’s the same price as the A6600 was when it launched four years ago, but it does away with its predecessor’s major flaws by upping the resolution slightly and reducing the bezel. At the same time, the mini-FX30 has been likened to a cinema camera, as it has the same sensor and video capabilities.
I’ve never been a big fan of Sony’s A6000 series. But now that the A6700 has been around for a while, I wanted to see if it lived up to some of the hype and how it compared to rival Canon and Fujifilm models. As you can see, this is good news with just a little bit of bad news.
Sony
The A6700 is Sony’s first APS-C mirrorless hybrid camera in years, but it was worth the wait. It significantly reduces the sliding shutter, which was a pain point in previous models, and at the same time increases the sharpness of the image. This is an excellent video camera with 4K and 10-bit recording up to 120 fps. The main drawback is the speed, which is far behind the competition, especially in the electronic shutter mode
- Excellent video capabilities
- Accurate autofocus
- Improved management
- Minimal slippage
- Good picture quality
- Slow burst rates
- Overheating
Body and handling
One thing I’ve disliked about Sony’s APS-C bodies over the years is the usability and looks, especially compared to Fujifilm’s pretty and easy-to-use models. I wouldn’t call the A6700 beautiful, but at least Sony got the controls right.
The redesigned handle is larger and more comfortable, making it more comfortable to use all day. At the same time, Sony added a new control wheel to the front, which made it easier to use the camera in manual or priority modes.
It includes a new custom photo, video, and Q&A collection that lets you save settings for each separately. The menus are also a big step up, as the A6700 uses an improved system from recent full-frame models. The only thing missing is a joystick, but the focus point can be adjusted using the d-pad-like dial on the back.
The A6700 is also the first Sony APS-C camera with an articulating display, so it’s better for vloggers than the flip-up display in past models. The relatively low-resolution EVF is a weak point, as checking focus is sometimes difficult, but most of the time it gets the job done. .
Another downside is the single card slot, but at least it supports high-speed UHS-II cards. Fortunately, it has the same large battery as the full-frame models, giving it an excellent CIPA rating of 570 shots.
Other features include microphone and headphone ports (along with support for Sony’s hot shoe audio accessories), a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, and an HDMI port. The latter, unfortunately, is of the delicate and fragile micro variety.
All of this adds up to a 6000 series camera that I would happily use for most types of work. I used to find these models inefficient, especially for video.
Performance
Performance is more of a mixed bag. Lossless RAW bursts are possible at 11 frames per second in mechanical or electronic shutter modes. This compares to the similarly priced 15 and 30 fps Canon EOS R7 and for 15/20 fps Fujifilm X-T5. Considering that the latter two have higher resolution sensors, this is quite a drawback.
The A6700 only stores 36 compressed RAW frames before the buffer fills, compared to 45 on the A6600 and its rivals. Although based strictly on speed, the R7 and X-T5 are better action cameras.
Fortunately, autofocus is excellent, and that’s even more important for a consumer camera. In continuous mode, you’ll get reliable results, even with fast-moving objects. AI tracking locks onto eyes and faces, ensuring you don’t miss important shots of rowdy kids, soccer games and more.
It also works with planes, animals, birds, cars or trains, and insects. Unlike Canon’s automatic system, you have to tell the A6700 exactly what you’re tracking. Once you’ve set it up the way you want, it’s a touch more reliable than Canon’s system, and significantly better than the X-T5.
Five-axis in-body stabilization is good but not great, offering 5 stops compared to 8 on the EOS R7 and 7 on the Fuji X-T5. Still, I was able to capture sharp photos down to an eighth of a second.
My main gripe with the A6600 was the rotating shutter, but it’s now vastly improved and as good as you’re going to get without a built-in sensor. However, it’s still available, so you’ll want to use a mechanical shutter for fast-moving objects like propellers and trains.
Image quality
With a new 26-megapixel sensor, the A6700 captures more detail than previous 24-megapixel models. As mentioned, this is a disadvantage compared to the 32.5-megapixel Canon R7 and 40-megapixel X-T5.
Colors are mostly spotty, but I still prefer Canon’s skin tones. JPEGs look good out of camera if a touch too sharp. With 14-bit RAW uncompressed files, I found plenty of room to adjust and correct images, smooth out highlights or add detail to shadows. Remember that when shooting bursts, RAW files are only shot with 12-bit color accuracy.
The lower resolution has a benefit. The A6700 is better than its rivals in low light, with noise well controlled up to ISO 6400. Images are usable up to ISO 12800, but anything above the ISO 102,400 limit is for emergency use only. It’s best to emphasize shadow exposure at high ISOs, as raising them a few stops creates excessive noise.
Video
The A6700 is so superior to its predecessor in terms of video that it’s useless to compare them. Instead, consider it cheaper, the smaller FX30 movie camera with the same image quality. The main difference is that the A6700 doesn’t have the same cooling capabilities, which I’ll discuss in a moment.
It subsamples the full sensor width for 4K at 30 and 60 fps, so video is sharper than the X-T5 or R7. And while the A6700 is significantly cut back at 1.58x, it beats both of those models by having a 4K 120fps mode.
Due to the relatively small body and lack of fans, you have to be careful not to overheat at 120p, as it will cut off after 20-30 minutes. You can shoot up to 4K 60p non-stop with the “auto power tempo” setting on “high” for indoor shooting. Outside on a hot day, however, you can hit the limits and have to wait for the camera to cool down.
Like the FX30, you can shoot all 10-bit video modes with S-Log3 capture. You can also upload your own LUTs or convert it to the final image to make it easier to track log footage.
The rolling shutter is still there, so you can still use whip pans, quick objects, etc. you have to be careful with However, this is less of a concern than past Sony product sensor models.
It actually has one video feature that the FX3 doesn’t have, namely auto framing. This is handy for vloggers, as it can crop and track them as they move in the frame – with less loss of quality than the ZV-E1 (this feature is subtle on the A6700, so make sure you test it first). It also offers focus compensation that digitally eliminates ghosting, and again, compared to the ZV-E1, this extra resolution results in a sharper result.
Stabilization for video is not as good as the ZV-E1. Active mode is good for manual use and slow pans, but doesn’t do much to smooth out footsteps and adds 1.13x output.
When it comes to video quality, you see the same accurate colors and solid low-light capability as in photos. The 10-bit log options allow a lot of flexibility in post, especially with high-contrast images.
Collection
The A6700 is easily Sony’s best APS-C camera, excelling in both stills and video and offering better handling. Despite being much more capable than the A6600, it has the same $1,400 price tag.
As a camera, it is slower than its main competitors, the Canon R7 and the Fujifilm X-T5, so these models are better for shooting action. The Sony’s autofocus is slightly better, and the faster bursts are worthless if the photos aren’t sharp.
As a camcorder, though, it outshines its main rivals overall. All of these make it a great choice for content creators or hybrid shooters who prefer video but do a little photography. If this is you, I would highly recommend it.
