Sony Alpha a6100

Sony a6100: full review

Halfway between Sony’s Entry Level (a5000) and a mid-range like the a6400, the Sony a6100 is an Advanced…. Entry Level. Very similar to the previous a6000, at least aesthetically, the Sony a6100 is a mirrorless APS-C with several new features, first of all: a flip-up display that will delight selfie lovers and video bloggers. It is the typical camera for those who started with smartphones but with the ambition to progress in photography, or also an excellent second option for professionals.

The Sony a6100 has an updated Exmor APS-C CMOS sensor and a BIONZ X processor. The AF is very fast, the ISO range goes between 100 and 51,200, the burst is 11 frames per second. The video recording specs are pretty good too: 4K at 30 frames per second (or 2K at 120 fps). You also have an electronic viewfinder with automatic brightness control and 13 image effects for those approaching photography for the first time, coming from smartphones.

The Sony a6100 is a machine that winks at video makers, this shown by the presence of the input for an external microphone and the HDMI connector, it’s not bad even in terms of battery life: about 400 shots for "average use" of the Sony a6100. Obviously, while the display is turned off… performance improves; contrariwise, with videos, performance inevitably drops.

Sony a1600: ergonomics, camera body and display

The Sony a6100 has a 396-gram ABS / Polycarbonate camera body that still manages to handle the weight of superior lenses compared to the ones present in the kits. The structure is sturdy, the external controls simple, with reasonable rings for an harmonious but minute body. The grip has improved compared to the a6000, thanks to a knurled handle that offers a firm grip.

Only 67 millimetres high, and with a very slim profile, the Sony a6100 can fit inside a large jacket pocket and it’s also available in black or silver. The design offers nothing revolutionary compared to Sony's APS-Cs, which are notoriously more substantial than… aesthetically beautiful.

At the top, on the camera body, we find the metal slide for optional accessories and the hand-adjustable pop-up flash, also useful for indirect lighting. The Sony a6100 unfortunately does not have a headphone jack given the limited space, it has an SD slot located next to the battery compartment, in the lower part.

The arrangement of the rings is not ideal: in addition to the one for the ignition, there are two others in the upper part. One, on the side, is for the diaphragm, then there is another for program selection. Better if they had been placed in an inverted position, since it is more natural for the thumb to act more on the programs. On the top we also find the customizable C1 button and, well positioned the one dedicated to shooting.

On the back of the Sony a6100 you find the buttons: the C2 button, AEL, the flash button and the FN button and finally the four-way sliding D-PAD. Another appreciated aspect is, given that it is an entry level camera, the presence of the electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 1.44 million points and a good shaping that isolates the eye, but obviously of lower quality compared to the EVFs of more expensive cameras such as the Sony a6600.

We kept for last, what is one of the most important aspects of this Sony a6100, the 7.5 cm foldable display with its 921,600 points, (180 degrees upwards and 74 downwards). A panel like this, aside fostering greater creativity with comfortable shots, also allows you to control the focus during video shootings.

The Sony’s a6100 display has an aspect ratio of 16: 9 so when viewing is in 3: 2 photos appear with black bars on the sides. The same issue also appears with the Fuji X-A7, which has a display with the same ratios.

If among the advantages of the Sony a6100 display we remember the selection of the AutoFocus points, the zoom control and the search for images to playback, among the defects we must not forget the scarcity of touch screen functions, since there is no possibility of navigating the panel for the menu and settings.

Sony a6100: technical specs

Sensor (24.2 Megapixels): APS-C type Exmor® CMOS (23.5 x 15.6mm)

Processor: Bionz X

ISO sensitivity: 100-32,000 (expandable up to 51,200)

Exposure: 1200-zone evaluative metering

Image quality modes: RAW, RAW and JPEG, JPEG

Autofocus: speed of 0.02 sec. Hybrid AF: 425 points (phase-detection AF) / 425 points (contrast-detection AF)

Shutter: Electronically controlled, vertically shifting, focal plane.

Shutter speed: Still images: 1/4000 to 30 sec.

Viewfinder: 1 cm (0.39 ") colour electronic (1,440,000 dots)

Display: Touch LCD (7.5 cm) tiltable 180 degrees upwards, 74 degrees downwards (921,600 points)

Video recordings (HDMI output): 3.840x2.160 (30p, 25p, 24p); 1.920x1.080 (60p, 50p, 50i, 24p)

Interface: Mass Storage, MTP, Remote PC, Multiple / Micro USB, NFC, Integrated Wireless Lan, Bluetooth 4.1, Micro HDMI Connector (Type D), 3.5mm stereo mini jack

Battery life (photo): About 380 shots (viewfinder); approx. 420 shots (LCD monitor)

Battery life (video): Approx.70 minutes (viewfinder) / approx.75 minutes (LCD monitor)

Weight: 396 grams

Dimensions: 120.0mm x 66.9mm x 69.3mm

Sony a6100: Performance, picture and video quality

The Sony a6100's Autofocus is a snappy (0.02 sec), reliable, dynamic and quiet system, it’s definitely above average among the mirrorless cameras in this range. Equipped with different modes - continuous, automatic, single, central point and spot, with wide area - the AF system has one of the most versatile and interesting features in the "Tracking: Wide Flexible Spot" function, ideal for different types of scenarios and situations; great for newbies. Performing even in low light, the Sony a6100's AD system also has a, now close to perfection, Real Time Eye AF, capable of capturing the most dynamic details of a scene. Not as satisfying instead, is the burst at 11fps, due to a lazy buffer.

As you know, the photographic quality is influenced by the lens involved and the 16-50mm of the Sony A6100 kit is certainly not a superlative lens, but with better lenses, the images are sharp and detailed up to 3200 ISO. If the skin tones are unnatural - the only case in which the colours can give some problems - just lower the contrast for a flatter range, by editing the image after the shot.

Finally, the video recordings: the Sony 6100 reaches 4K at 30 frames per second with a slight crop, avoidable by dropping to 25fps. With the Slow & Quick mode, with which you can record videos in FullHD, slow motion reaches up to100 frames per second (4x) in quick motion up to 1fps (25x).

Sony a6100 vs Canon EOS M50

There is a fair price gap between the two models so not so favourable for the Sony A6100. Is this a justifiable difference?

The better video quality, an AF that wouldn't look out of place on more advanced models and a wider choice of native lenses… The answer is yes. In other respects, however, the Canon model beats the Sony a6100. For example, in waterproofing, of which the Sony model is not equipped; the M50 also has AutoFocus the phase detection for video recordings. On the battery performance with its 200 shots, the Canon model loses the comparison with the Sony a6100, which can reach up to double the autonomy.