Sony just announced the a6600 and the a6100, and I want to run through the video specs of both and tell you whether I think they are worth buying.
Fair warning: I don’t think I have ever had such a mixed reaction to a camera as I have to the a6600.
a6600 Video Features
APS-C sensor, 4K at up to 30 frames per second, 1080p at up to 120. The sensor oversamples 4K from a 6K readout, so it is going to look very sharp.
That 4K 30 though. When Sony announced the a7R IV with similar video specs, I had been hoping it was a fluke, that the a7R IV is a photography camera and that is why 4K 60 wasn’t there. The a6600 and a6100 prove that wrong. And they give me a lot less hope about the a7S III on 4K 60. I hope I am wrong, but I am starting to lose faith that the a7S III is going to be as mind-blowing as we all want it to be.
So neither of these cameras shoots 4K 60. But think about it for a second: both of them would pair very nicely with another camera that also doesn’t shoot 4K 60. The Sony a7 III.
So for the rest of this, keep two things in mind. First, how well one of these would work as a B camera for an a7 III. Second, how good these could be for YouTube vloggers.
The first big spec is that the a6600 takes the best thing Sony announced in July with the a7R IV: real-time eye detect autofocus for video. If you are filming a wedding and you need to nail focus on a bride’s eye as she walks up the aisle, this camera will do it easily. And if you want to vlog with it, it should be seriously impressive.
Speaking of vlogging, the a6600 brings over the flip-up screen from the a6400. It tilts up about 180 degrees and down about 74. So you get a screen you can see and you get very impressive eye detect. This camera is going to be so good for vlogging.
On audio, a Sony first: this is the first APS-C Sony mirrorless body with a built-in headphone jack, so you can actually monitor what you are recording while you record it.
Picture profiles are the same set you get on the a6400 and the a7 III. S-Log2, S-Log3 and HLG are all there, so you should get that beautiful highlight roll-off.
a6600 Build And Battery
Now the bigger features, and I mean bigger literally, because I want to talk about the battery.
The a6600 uses Sony’s Z batteries, which are physically larger than the old ones and last significantly longer. Sony claims 2.2 times the life of the NP-FW50. That makes me very happy.
a6600 Recording And Stabilization
The next literally big thing: there is no recording limit on video. Your clips can run as long as you need. No more hitting record again after 30 minutes. Long ceremonies just got a lot easier to cover, especially paired with that battery.
And the last one is not literally big but it is a big deal. The a6600 has IBIS. No, not irritable bowel syndrome, that is IBS. I-B-I-S, five-axis in-body image stabilisation.
This one feature is the reason so many people didn’t buy the a6400. I am so glad it is here.
Yes, Yes, Yes, No
Overall the a6600 checks so many boxes. Reading down Sony’s spec sheet I kept going yes, yes, yes.
- Same picture profiles as the a6400. Yes.
- IBIS. Yes.
- Bigger, better battery. Yes.
- Flip-around screen. Yes.
- Same eye detect autofocus as the a7R IV. Yes.
- Resolution, frame rate and bit rate not improved over the a6500. No!
The a6600 is so good. I just wish the frame rate and resolution were better.
a6600 Market Competition
It costs $1,400, and that drops it into a very tough neighbourhood.
For $100 more you can have a Fuji X-T3 that shoots 4K at 60 frames per second in 10 bit.
For $100 less you can have a Blackmagic Pocket 4K and shoot RAW 4K 60, on a 4/3 HDR sensor with dual native ISO up to 25,600 and a 5 inch touchscreen. Granted, with the Pocket 4K you are also signing up for a lot more hard drive space and a much more powerful computer to edit that footage on.
But do you see my point? The competition is very good right now. Sony is winning the battle on flip-up screens, battery life and autofocus, and losing the war on actual video quality with the same 8 bit codec they have been shipping since 2015.
Filmmakers have a real choice now, and it is up to you whether the a6600 offers enough for the money. You have until November, when it ships, to decide.
a6100 Specs And Price
I have barely touched on the other camera, but Sony also announced the a6100, and it is arguably the more exciting of the two, because it takes many of the same features and cuts the price nearly in half to $750.
You want an APS-C Sony that shoots 4K at up to 30fps and 1080p at up to 120fps without a crop? The a6100 does that. It oversamples from a 6K readout too, so it looks super sharp and crispy. You want a flip-up screen? It has that as well.
So what is missing? How is it so much cheaper than the a6600? No IBIS and no real-time eye autofocus for video, for a start. But the a6400 doesn’t have IBIS either and that camera is $900. How is the a6100 $150 cheaper than that?
What else did Sony cut? Did they pull 24p, like Canon does on their cheaper cameras? No. Sony cut exactly two things: S-Log and HLG picture profiles, and a lower resolution electronic viewfinder. That’s it.
a6100 Value And Impact
Are you starting to see why I am excited about this one? When the a6400 launched I was very happy with the $900 price. Seeing them charge $750 for what is essentially an a6400 minus a couple of minor things is even better. I think the a6100 is going to be a fantastic budget option for anyone who wants to shoot 4K without breaking the bank.
There is a second benefit to the a6100 landing at $750, too. It is going to drag down the price of Sony’s earlier cameras, which are still very good in their own right. The a6300 gets cheaper. The a6500 should get cheaper. If you are just getting into filmmaking, that is a lot of good options about to get a lot more affordable.
Final Verdict
The a6600 and a6100 bring a pile of new video features and then pair them with a frame rate, resolution and bit rate from 2015. That troubles me.
If I had to spend $1,400 on a new camera right now, there are arguably better options than the a6600, with the Fuji X-T3 and the Blackmagic Pocket 4K being my top two.
But if you already own a lot of Sony gear, and especially if you already shoot on an a7 III, either of these would make a great B camera that drops straight into the workflow you already have.
The a6600 ships in November for $1,400 and the a6100 ships in October for $750. Pre-orders: a6600 at B&H, a6600 on Amazon, a6100 at B&H, a6100 on Amazon.
And if you are a wedding filmmaker, my free guide to booking more weddings is right here.