Sony A6100 FIRST LOOKS review vs A6000 vs A6400

Hands-on first-looks with the Sony A6100 mirrorless!

[DocBoA]

I just got this unit as a live-streaming camera and now find myself doing some regular content due to its "class-leading" video specs. Top notch content GL

[dougmorato]

I agree. I’d rather get the A6100 and a Zhiyun M2 Gimbal.

[sifatrabby]

Now in March 2020 (it is Feb 29 when I am commenting), A6100 is being sold 600 Body, 700 w/ Kit lens. Where A6400 is still being sold for 850 to 900 USD for the body alone.
A must buy for people who will work with stock footage and minimal color grade.

[MegaWoodswalker]

Thanks Gordon. I think the A6400 is the best buy in the Sony APSC line. 150 more is worth it for the better weather resistant body for outdoors content creator. I am disappointed in both of the new cameras.

[stefpix]

I bought 2 A6100s and the 16-55 to replace my A6300 and A7ii. Autofocus is such a game changer, the continuous eye AF is a huge feature upgrade. One big con that does not get mention is the slow shutter speed in P and A modes with Auto ISO. The A6100 in interiors tend to pick 1/30 shutter speeds while keeping the ISO at 100 / 200. It drives me crazy, as P and A modes are what i like to use for street photography when you can transition from full sun to darkness quickly. The A6400 has the minimum shutter speed Auto ISO setting, stripped from the A6100. Yet the A6000 in Auto ISO picks faster shutter speeds and bumps up the ISO, which to me makes more sense. If i want to use slow shutter speeds in the dark, i'd more likely use M, and P, A for more dynamic, unpredictable situations. Now the A6100 is 40% cheaper than the A6400. I was going to get the A6400, if price difference would have been 150 USD, but otherwise I think it's a great buy. I don't use picture profiles for video, but turning down contrast and saturation at -3 produces a pretty flat image with good dynamic range.

[aoikemono]

I just unboxed my a6000 and it looks basically identical to the a6100 in this video, down to the button placement and shiny case. Honestly think they are phoning it in and don't care about their crop sensor cameras anymore. People talk about Canon neglecting their ef-m line but sony isn't much better. Still no a7000 after so many years. Putting a microphone jack necessitates a new release. Addition of mediocre IBIS, new release. 4k that doesn't overheat, yet another new release. Still can't believe they are still using dots to measure resolution (I guess some consumers are still dumb enough to fail for the spec, like dynamic contrast on TVs.) A $50 smartphone is higher res and brighter than the LCD here. And the EVF you put so close to your eye being only SVGA...

[carlneraphoto]

Great and detailed review sir! I think the A6100 is a camera that is great for vloggers who doesnt need to color grade plus it is super light and affordable! That extra cash left, you can get better lens! Sony did a great job on the A6100.
On the A6600 on the other hand, the downside is the price though, I would pick the A7iii over. 😄

[fernandorodrigues]

Today is the release day in Europe of the a6100 and the prices here are not what I expected so don't be fooled! In some stores in Germany the a6100 with the kit lens costs 999 euros and the a6400 that is a better camera overall costs 989 euros . Sony "new" messy naming scheme is trying to catch less informed costumers. Thank you for your review and vs it's very helpful!

[CKramburglar]

I was set to go with the a6100 until I saw that it used the a6000 body instead of the a6400 body (which makes sense, given it's an a6000 replacement, but still). I don't shoot much video, so the picture profiles don't bother me, but I would prefer the updated body. So now I'm back to being undecided.

[melenriquez]

Thanks again, Gordon! Although I already know the differences between the 3 models, it's still nice to hear it from you!
In a nutshell here is the main differnece between the three in ascending comparison:


A6100 vs a6400- Low rez EVF, non magnesium body, not weather sealed, no profiles in video (slog), less buttons. Price Difference is U$150
A6400 vs A6600 - No eye focus in video, non magnesium body, IBIS, no audio out. Price difference is U$500
A6600 - NO flash hot shoe. larger grip due to the fz100 battery.



The a6600 is overpriced in my opinion. at U$500 more vs the a6400. If it were U$1, 200, more will bite. But it will hit that price maybe in 2-2.5 years. It may drop U$100 on the first year. The way I look at it, Sony may want to really push people to the a6400. This is not a new pricing strategy. But it is patently obvious in this case.
Personally, I don't think that the a6600's IBIS is good enough, especially for video. For photos, it helps a bit. But you still need the lens to have OSS on the lens for it to be a bit useful in video. This shows that the a6600 is still using the old a6500 IBIS tech. To my eyes, I'd gravitate to the a6400 as the IBIS on the a6500/a6600 is virtually useless. And you are right, it would be better to get a gimbal for that U$500 difference. There is also the cheaper Zhiyun crane M2 for U$350 if you just use it with light lenses (like the kit lens).

The a6100 will sell well. This is most true that Canon basically has nothing to front that is as good in performance. Nikon, by default that it has no MILC and its DSLRs are not really making any impact, is absent. Fuji also has nothing in that price range . Think of an a cheaper XT-30. Maybe they can come up with something to match the a6100.

In essence, the a6100 will sell a lot and the a6400 will be 2nd place. We shall know the outcome of this in the 1st Quarter FS in 2020.



Just a question for you, Gordon if you will do a comprehensive test (to this)
- how long is the battery life in 4k-30p shooting?

[kiska_]

Thank you for a video! all the comparisons, really helpful!

[astigmatik]

Please Mr Gordon test the 1080p quality of the a6100 AND we would love to see a comparison with the M6 Mark II. Yes, the M6 mark 2 might seem better at first glance but the a6100 I think has AF in 120fps and it can be powered with via USB. If the price difference is not much, the a6100 might be a better buy.

[mipmipmipmipmip-vx]

"Tech Gear Talk" mentioned a doubled shutter life for a6400, 200k vs 100k for a6100. Useful or photographers / buying used!

[mexps]

May I ask if the a6100 has the same powerful autofocus system that the a6400 has? and can I use it in video shooting too?

[lboymusic]

the best budget camera with a selfie LCD

[SimonPun]

Some of the key differences between a6400 and a6100 are missing:
Larger buffer size
30 min movie limit
Missing 102400 extend iso
AEL AF toggle lever

[pramodgeorgehq]

I just came back to this video after watching other videos on the same topic to say thanks! Great to the point video!

[youraveragejoe]

On the off chance you see this, what camera did you use to shoot this video? :) ps very helpful videos, thanks

[sanghuloom]

Awesome as expected from you sir! BTW, Can you test the a6100 unlimited recording/overheating test on your final review? Thank you!

[AnabelDC]

In terms of image quality, which one would you recommend ? A6100 or A6400?