Sony a6500: Sony’s most Premium APS-C
The Sony a6500 is still one of the most top tier APS-C models to date. It shares a lot of its core specifications with its predecessors most notably the a6300. But it has built on to those with some more exciting features. It is a more of a refined version of the a6300.
Features
Having the same 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor but this is now coupled with a front end LSI and the BIONZ X image processor for even faster performance. The light sensitivity of the camera is pretty decent giving you high performance in low light with an ISO ranging from 100 – 51200. There are two continuous shooting modes called the Hi+ mode and the Live view mode with speeds up to 11 fps and 8 fps respectively. The buffering capacity on the camera is impressive. Capturing 301 JPEGs or 107 RAWs in a single burst with both AF and AE.
The a6500 now features 5 axis in body image stabilization, a huge plus point over the previous models. This offers 5 stops of camera shake compensation. With 14 bit raw file output you have a lot of information to play with in post processing. This gives you some really vibrant colors and tonal graduations in the final results.
Autofocus
Autofocusing on this camera is still as crisp and smooth as before. The 4D focus system covers almost the entire sensor area. With 425 phase detect autofocus points and 169 contrast detection points. The camera can focus on the subject in as little as 0.05 seconds. A welcomed feature is the ability to focus using the newly added touchscreen, so you can touch the screen at the point you want to shoot at. The focusing system has high density tracking AF for more efficient tracking of moving subjects.
Video
All the cameras in the 6000 series have brilliant performance and the a6500 is no exception. With oversampling 6K video and downsizing it to 4K video at 30 fps the camera is able to preserve at great amount of detail and clarity in video. It also gives you 1080p footage at 120 fps for slow motion videos. Both resolutions use the XAVC S image processing that records speeds up to 100Mb/s and 4:2:0 sampling. Video recording once again is improved by the 5 axis stabilization and with the power to shoot in various profiles like S log2 and S log3 you have a huge amount of color and detail you can bring out in post production.
Body
The camera is very hard to differentiate from its family of cameras, as they all look the same. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The a6500 is made of magnesium alloy giving you a more premium feel. The body is mildly dust and waterproof so you can use the device in mid rain and snow, but nothing excessive. A touchscreen has now been added to further enhance the functionality of the camera most notably the touch to focus control. This is also a tilting screen for viewing from various angles. The 2.36 million dot Tru-finder is an OLED EVF that has a 120 fps viewing mode for smooth tracking of any fast moving subject.
