SONY Cameras
Sony a6700 Review
Sony a6700 replaced the a6600 in 2023 as Sony’s most advanced APS-C model. It introduced a new 26 MP BSI sensor and offered class-leading features like Sony’s latest AI-Powered autofocus system, improved color science, 4K 120 fps recording, oversampled 4K 60 fps recording, IBIS, a fully articulating screen and more.
Sony E-Mount
Sony introduced the E-mount in 2010 alongside their first mirrorless cameras, giving them a huge head start. Over a decade later, there are over 100 native lenses and more than 200 if you include third-party options. Because the mount hasn’t changed, old lenses still work with newer cameras, creating a huge second-hand market. Compare that to Canon and Nikon, which only introduced new mounts in 2018, Sony users have had years to build and upgrade their kits without starting from scratch. For beginners entering the Sony system that means more options and much better prices.
SONY a6700 Price
Sony a6700 Specifications
General
Sony a6700 features a newly developed 26 MP APS-C sensor and Sony’s BIONZ XR processor. The same sensor was already used in the FX30, released a year earlier.
According to Sony, the new setup with a new BIONZ XR processors and an additional AI processing unit offers up to eight times more processing power than previous versions. This leads to better subject recognition and tracking, better low-light performance, more dynamic range and more natural colors.
In-body 5-axis image stabilization (IBIS) provides up to approximately 5.5 stops of shake reduction, benefiting both handheld stills and video.
The grip is larger than on other a6000 series cameras, but the camera is still very compact. The body is of course + weather sealed.
The a6600 finally introduces a fully articulating LCD screen. It features headphone and a microphone jacks and it finally upgrades to a USB Type C charging port. There is an additional customizable dial on the front of the camera. It also introduces a new menu system.
The camera has just one SD card slot that accepts UHS-II SD cards.
Just like the a6600, the a6700 also uses larger NP-FZ100 batteries, the same type used in Sony’s full-frame cameras. Battery life is more than doubled compared to older a6000 series cameras.
Autofocus
Sony’s autofocus is widely regarded as one of the best in the industry and the a6700 easily offers the best AF out of all Sony APS-C cameras. It uses a new version of Sony’s ‘Fast Hybrid AF’ system with an AI-based deep-learning engine for enhanced subject recognition and tracking.
The a6700 offers 759 phase-detection AF points covering roughly 93% of the frame.
The camera can recognize and track humans, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and airplanes. You can manually select the type of subject you want to photograph or leave the camera in Auto Mode since it’s also extremely capable of detecting different kinds of subjects.
Eye-Detection is available for humans, birds and certain animals and AI is used to detect and track the eyes and face of the subject with extremely high precision.
The camera also maintains focus well in low-light conditions and even when the face is upside down and when a person is wearing a helmet or something else that obscures the face. When the subject turns around and there is no eye to focus on, the camera immediately switches to face-detection, body detection or classic subject tracking and if the subject turns back again it switches back to eye-AF.
Photography
Image quality is excellent and color science is improved over the older models thanks to a new processing pipeline. Images also offer a bit more detail thanks to the slightly higher-megapixel sensor.
Shutter options include mechanical, electronic front-curtain (EFCS) and fully electronic (silent) shutter modes.
Sony a6700 is capable of shooting at up to 11 fps in RAW with full autofocus for 2 seconds in lossless compressed RAW (around 23 shots) and for up to 10 seconds in compressed RAW (up to 110 shots). After that the shooting speed drops to around 1 fps. It can take the camera more than half a minute to clear the buffer. If you don’t mind shooting just JPEGs, you likely wont’ outrun the buffer.
Using the electronic shutter can still cause some rolling shutter distortion and banding may occur under certain lighting conditions, especially with flickering lights.
| Feature | Sony a6700 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 2023 |
| Megapixels | 26.0 MP |
| Image Resolution | 6192 × 4128 |
| Sensor Size | APS-C |
| Sensor Type | BSI CMOS |
| Image Processor | BIONZ XR + AI Processing Unit |
| IBIS | 5-axis, 5.5 stops |
| Weather Sealing | Yes |
| Lens Mount | Sony E |
| Body Type | Mirrorless |
| PHOTO | |
| Native ISO | 100 – 32,000 |
| Expandable ISO | 50 – 102,400 |
| Shutter Speed | 1/8000 – 30s |
| Burst Rate (Mechanical) | 11 fps RAW |
| Burst Rate (Electronic) | 11 fps RAW |
| Buffer | 23 - 110 RAW |
| Shutter Types | Mechanical, Electronic, EFCS |
| Silent Shooting | Yes (Electronic Shutter) |
| Exposure Compensation | ±5 EV |
| High-Res (Sensor Shift) | No |
| Pre-Capture Mode | No |
| VIDEO | |
| 4K Video | 4K 60fps (oversampled from 6K) |
| Max Frame Rate | 4K 120fps (1.5x crop) / 1080p 240fps |
| Bit Depth | 10-bit |
| Recording Limit | 13 hours |
| Timelapse Recording | Yes |
| AUTOFOCUS | |
| AF System | 'Fast Hybrid AF' + AI-based deep-learning engine for enhanced subject recognition and tracking |
| AF Points | 759 |
| AF Coverage | 93% Frame Coverage |
| AF Joystick | No |
| DISPLAY / VIEWFINDER | |
| Articulated Screen | Fully Articulating |
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| LCD Size | 3.0" |
| LCD Resolution | 1,036,800 |
| EVF Resolution | 2,359,296 |
| EVF Refresh Rate | 120 fps |
| EVF Coverage | 100% |
| EVF Magnification | 1.07× |
| MORE INFO | |
| Card Slot 1 | SD (UHS-II) |
| Card Slot 2 | / |
| Sensor Protection System | No |
| USB | Type C 3.2 Gen 2 |
| USB Charging | Yes |
| HDMI | Type D (Micro HDMI) |
| Microphone Port | 3.5 mm |
| Headphone Port | 3.5 mm |
| Built-in Flash | No |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Battery | NP-FZ100 |
| Battery Life | ~ 600 frames |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Yes |
| Dimensions | 122 × 69 × 75 mm |
| Weight | 493 g |
Video
Sony a6700 can record oversampled 4K at up to 60 fps with a very slight crop, producing very detailed footage. Rolling shutter distortion is still noticeable.
4K up to 120 fps is available, but with a heavy 1.5x crop and reduced detail.
Full HD (1080p) recording is available at up to 240 fps without a crop.
The a6700 has dual native ISOs – ISO 800 and ISO 2500 – resulting in great low-light performance.
The a6700 finally introduces 10-bit recording to the a6000 series. Picture profiles include S-Log 2 and S-Log 3.
In-body image stabilization (IBIS) helps with handheld recording. When set to ‘Standard’ performance is very similar to the older a6600. Using ‘Active Mode’ results in much more stable footage, but it applies an additional 1.2x crop.
The a6700 also features a new AI-based autoframing option that uses eye detection, face detection or subject detection to track a person in front of the camera. This makes it look like the camera is moving by utilizing a 1.5x crop.
Streaming via USB is available in 4K 30 fps or in 1080p at 30 or 60 fps.
The camera officially has a 13 hour recording limit and the battery reportedly allows for up to 3 hours of 4K 24 fps recording. In practice recording will likely be limited by storage or potential overheating.
The a6700 allows users to adjust overheating sensitivity through ‘Standard’ and ‘High’ settings, with the High option extending recording times. Using the flip-out LCD screen and avoiding direct sunlight can also help minimize overheating.
4K recording at up to 30 fps is unlikely to overheat in a typical studio environment, but shooting 4K 120 fps generates much more heat and usually allows only around 10-20 minutes of recording before thermal shutdown.
Understanding Sony's APS-C Camera Lineup
Sony’s modern APS-C camera lineup, commonly referred to as the a6000 series, includes some of the most popular beginner and hobbyist cameras on the market. They’re compact, lightweight and offer fast autofocus, great image quality and excellent value. They benefit from Sony’s long-standing E-mount ecosystem and there are plenty of affordable used options available since they are very popular and has been around for quite a while.
The first 6 cameras in the lineup all used the older 24 MP sensor. The a6700 is the only model with the new 26 MP BSI sensor and the only model with the new BIONZ XR processor.
Sony a6000
2014
Sony a6300
2016
Sony a6500
2016
Sony a6100
2019
Sony a6400
2019
Sony a6600
2019
Sony a6000, a6300 and a6500 are considered the 1st generation of a6000-series cameras. They are no longer in production, but can be found at an affordable price on the used market.
Sony a6100, a6400 and a6600, released in 2019, are the 2nd generation of a6000-series cameras. They basically serve as updated successors to their respective 1st generation models: the entry-level a6000 was replaced by the a6100, the mid-range a6300 was replaced by the a6400 and the high-end a6500 was replaced by a6600.
All 2nd generation models still keep the same 24 MP APS-C sensor, but they upgrade to a much better processor taken from the Full-Frame Sony A9 (a new version of the BIONZ X processor). This led to even better autofocus performance, noticeably better color science and more natural-looking skin tones. They all also gained a tilting flip-up screen (instead of a basic tilting screen), improved eye autofocus, a new menu system, a 13 hour video recording limit (instead of 30 minutes) and more.
All 6 models can shoot at 11 fps with the mechanical shutter. Video recording is always limited to 8-bit and all cameras (except the original a6000) can record high-quality 4K video at up to 30 fps oversampled from 6K. Image quality is comparable across the entire lineup since all six cameras use a very similar 24 MP APS-C CMOS sensor.
A few key differences worth noting:
– a6000 and a6100 are entry-level models with a cheaper body without weather sealing and IBIS.
– a6300 and a6400 both have a weather-sealed body, neither has IBIS.
– a6500 and a6600 both have IBIS and a durable weather-sealed body, a6600 also adds a larger battery.
Sony a6100 and a6400 are still in production and serve as entry-level and mid-range APS-C models. Sony a6600 replaced the a6500 in 2019 and it served as the most advanced APS-C model until the release of the new a6700 which completely replaced the a6600 by introducing a new sensor and processor.
Alternatives to the a6700
Sony a6100
Sony a6400
Sony a6100 (2019) is Sony’s modern entry-level APS-C model. It uses a 24 MP sensor, it offers excellent autofocus performance, it can shoot at 11 fps with the mechanical shutter and it can record oversampled 4K video at 25 fps and at 30 fps with a 1.2x crop. Video recording is limited to 8-bit and the maximum clip length is set to 13 hours. The a6100 uses the same non-weather-sealed body as the original a6000.
Sony a6400 (2019) is Sony’s modern mid-range APS-C model also featuring the same 24 MP sensor. Most specifications are similar to the a6100, but the a6400 uses a weather-sealed body and doesn’t apply a crop in 4K 30 fps recording. Video recording is still limited to 8-bit, but the a6400 includes Sony’s higher-quality S-Log 2 and S-Log 3 picture profiles.
Nikon Z50 II
Nikon Z50 II (2024) could be considered a competitor to the mid-range a6400. It has a 21 MP BSI sensor and uses a new version of Nikon’s hybrid AF system. It can record 4K video at up to 30 fps and at 60 fps with a 1.5x crop in 10-bit, but the footage is not oversampled. It can shoot at up to 11 fps in RAW with the mechanical shutter and up to 15 fps in RAW with the electronic shutter (30 fps in JPEG). The body is weather resistant.
Canon R7
Canon R10
Canon EOS R7 (2022) is Canon’s most advanced and most expensive APS-C model. It uses a 32 MP sensor. It offers weather resistance, IBIS, dual SD card slots, continuous shooting at up to 15 fps with the mechanical shutter and up to 30 fps with the electronic shutter in 12-bit RAW. It can record 4K video at up to 60 fps and oversampled 4K video at up to 30 fps (oversampled from 7K, but with visible rolling shutter distortion in all modes).
Canon EOS R10 (2022) is a mid-range APS-C camera. It has a 24 MP sensor. It offers continuous shooting at up to 15 fps with the mechanical shutter and 23 fps with the electronic shutter in 12-bit RAW. It can record 4K video at 60 fps with a 1.6x crop and oversampled 4K video at up to 30 fps without a crop, but video recording is limited to 8-bit. It has no IBIS and no weather-sealing.
SONY a6700 Price
Final Verdict
Sony a6700 is Sony’s most advanced APS-C camera and one of the most capable options currently available in this segment. The newer 26 MP BSI sensor, BIONZ XR processor, dedicated AI processing unit, IBIS and extensive video capabilities make it a versatile hybrid camera for both photography and video work.
That said, it is also by far the most expensive APS-C model in Sony’s lineup. If you do not specifically need features such as IBIS, 10-bit video recording, 4K 120 fps, or the latest AI-driven autofocus system, more affordable alternatives like the a6100 and a6400 may represent better value.