Sony a6500 Sample Images / Early Review
/BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: Sony a6300 - $998 with a $100 B&H Photo Gift Card | More Black Friday DealsI spent the last few days shoot with the Sony a6500 - Also the Sony RX 100 Mark V and the a99 Mark II - more on those cameras soon. The a6500 is what I want to share more about. And a quick reminder that I think the a6000/a6300 are awesome cameras - the a6300 low light performance is fantastic and it was the only camera I took to Moab, Utah last April - leaving my heavier full frame camera at home - I had no regrets. See my original review of the Sony a6300 and my a6300 shooting tips video.https://youtu.be/l-227X1gA_kA few of my favorite Sony a6300 shots from the last yearhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BKtTD4IjvVn/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BKRsUsJj73O/https://www.instagram.com/p/BIXaKc4Degq/
A6500 Review -
Remember the a6500 is NOT being positioned as a replacement for the a6300- rather a higher model that offers several advantages over the earlier model.
Advantages of the a6500 over the a6300
- Stabilization! The sensor in the a6500 is now stabilized like the a7Sii, A7Rii and the new a99ii - this means every lens you attach, even old legacy lenses via adapters, are stabilized. Good for slower shutter speed shooting when using a handheld video or not using a tripod. In my testing, the difference is noticeable and the stabilization is useful.
- Faster and more responsive. Deeper buffer with internal changes means the a6500 can capture 107 RAW images at 11FPS. The a6300 was limited to just 21 RAWS. And, you can now start to preview images as they are writing to the card. The a6500 also provides an indication of where it is in the writing process with a little meter in the top left corner of the screen. The a6300 does not provide this and, at times, it feels very slow to clear and be ready for any action again. In two days of shooting fast action with the a6500, I found very few frustrating slowdowns. It is a much more responsive camera.
- The a6500 offers a touchscreen. Unfortunately, it takes some getting used to and is still not at the level of the excellent touchscreen you find on a Canon or the Panasonic GH4 . However, you can use it to touch to focus and, somewhat similar to the Nikon D5500, you can put your eye to the viewfinder and slide your finger around on the touchscreen to change the focus point - this feels a little loose and it wasn't until I found several menu settings that let you adjust this control that I started to understand exactly how it worked. It still isn't great but, better than nothing. Touchscreen does not work for menu navigation or image playback.
- Slightly deeper grip and an additional customizable button. It does feel a little nicer in hand, especially with longer lenses and I appreciate the VERY large amount of customizability these small cameras offer.
- A redesigned menu - it is now better organized and colorful :)
Advantages of the a6300 over the a6500
- Cheaper - a6300 Body Only at B&H Photo $998.00 | a6500 Body Only at B&H Photo $1398.00
- $400 difference for a more responsive camera, stabilization and a fiddly touchscreen- Worth it to you?
- Battery life - The touchscreen and the image stabilization do drawn additional power and you get a little less time out of each battery with the a6500.
Clearly the a6500 has advantages over the a6300 - but I do think those advantages apply to fairly narrow audience and most photographers would be better saving money on the a6300 or putting those savings toward a nice prime lens that will get you some awesome results.Support this site - Buy the Sony a6500 from B&H PhotoOr Buy the Sony a6300 and the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (see my list of recommended Wide angle lenses including sony options)
