In this blog, I want to introduce APS-C Mirrorless Camera Sony A6100 and I will look at the picture performance, photography, and what else the camera still has to offer.

Sony A6100 is the first successor to the A6000 in a handful of options, but the Sony A6000 has been sold for more than five years. A6100 looks similar to the previous generation equipped with the same kit mirror the same battery but A6100 is among Sony’s many A6000 series cameras the most cost-effective one.

When Sony A6100 come out many people and photographers weren’t interested in it at all but now it’s probably one of the best options as an entry-level mirrorless camera.

I know you already have full-frame Sony mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7S ii or Sony A7R ii or maybe cinema cameras like Blackmagic Ursa and Blackmagic pocket cinema camera and those cameras just didn’t fill any needs for you.

All sony full-frame mirrorless cameras can do photos and videos while some are better at one or the other sony indicates photo geared cameras with the letter which stands for resolution.

A6100 is one of the best-selling successors one of the most sold in the history of sony to the very successful and one of the best mirrorless cameras of the alpha 6000 series.

There are currently six Sony A6000 series cameras but it’s really hard to choose what camera suits you. If you are looking what is the best budget 4K vlogging camera you can get right now the horse of this camera is A6100.

After Sony released A6100 the big question is should you upgrade from your other Sony A6000. Sony A6000 has been released in 2014 and the Sony A6100 has been released in 2019. So, basically, both cameras are mirrorless cameras and also APC.

Sony Alpha A6100 is catching huge popularity in the market especially with its big brother the Sony A6400 but should you consider this as your next camera is this camera really for you or not.

If you are fairly new to the Sony A6100 it’s very similar to other Sony models l will tell you a few advanced tips where these cameras actually fit into Sony’s lineup. So, the A6600 is basically an upgrade from the A6500 with the newest generation of autofocus technology and the same kind of body with a flip screen as A6400 just like A6100 as an upgrade from A6000.

The differences between both cameras are identical they do the same thing basically pictures but they have different specs and the A6100 has a better processor than the Sony A6000.

I think Sony is up against some real competition some full-frame cameras like the Canon EOS R5 and wildlife cameras like Nikon D500.

so if you are interested in possibly upgrading the Sony full-frame mirrorless or you’re just simply curious this review should help you out.

At the end of the Sony A6100 review, I will give you my opinion on which camera would get if I would start when it comes to like photography or videography.

1. Sony A6100 Performance

Sony A6100 can do 4K 30 frames per second not 60 frames per second at 1080p. It can go up to 120 frames per second which you could use to do some limited slo-mo stuff and things like that on 4K.

I have compared Sony A6100 and Canon M50 Mark II they both have pretty similar settings clean HDMI and an APS-C sensor.

A6100 is the long-awaited replacement to the original A6000. Since its release, the original A6000 has remained the cornerstone of Sony’s alpha 6 lineups.

A6100 can shoot up to 4K24/25/30p you can also shoot a very cinematic 120p slow motion and this 120p has sound and auto focus the screen can be reversed 180 upwards.

A6100 is a 24 million pixel APS-C mirrorless camera its surprisingly the same as Sony A6400, Sony A6500, or Sony A6600 the difference is that those are more expensive models than A6100. A6100 is based on a Bionz-X sensory processor, the picture quality of A6100 is similar to Sony A6400, Sony A6600, and other models.

A6100 provides continuous shooting speeds of up to 11 frames per second using the mechanical shutter with continuous autofocus and exposure a similar setup as the A6300. The camera’s buffer is also improved over the predecessor reaching 33 RAW images before buffering and 57 percent improvement on the video.

A6100 shoot 4K UHD video up to 30 frames per second and 1080p full-HD video up to 120 frames per second, supports sound and AF a rare feature in this class both 4K and 1080p.

this camera also provides unlimited video recording just like A6400 in addition to an 8-bit 4.2 signal via HDMI output. the main difference is the A6400 has picture profiles.

Sony A6100 Specs

• 24.2 MP APS-C Sensor
• 11fps with AF/AE
• Buffer 77 shots JPEG standard
• Video up to 4K 30 fps 8-bit
• No Ibis
• Pop-Up Flash
• Flip-Up LCD Screen
• Battery Life 420 shots (CIPA)
• Charging via Micro USB

2. Sony A6100 Sensor

the A6100 boasts an impressive APS-C image sensor with approximately 24.2 effective megapixels and shoot in 4K at 30 frames per second as well as 24 frames per second but in1080p it shoot a whopping 120 frames per second.

Sony A6100 has the same sensor as the A6000, A6400 but is similar to Sony A6600. So, the image quality should be pretty much identical with A6600, it’s got a nice multi-screen, not an articulating screen.

With this camera, Sony has a real entry-level offering that builds on the proven successes of its predecessor and a camera aimed to take on Canon EOS M50, Canon M6 Mark II.

Sony has made improvements to the sensor with an upgrade in the form of better color science and marks the second camera in Sony’s A6000 series a feature initially taken from the Sony A7 iii.

So, the sensor will receive the image coming through as a 6k image because as I mentioned before it’s a 24-megapixel sensor, and it downsamples it’s a 4k so you get really crisp a really really nice image that comes off this sensor. This sensor is a great performer with great dynamic range and it’s wonderful in low-light performance.

In comparison, the Sony A6100 sensor is about 10 percent bigger than the Canon M50.

3. Image Quality

the image quality and the colors are amazing especially paired with this newer line of APS-C cameras from a sharpness standpoint there is a 24-megapixel APS-C image sensor image stabilizer in the camera inside and partly the camera is synonymous with the A6400 and A6600.

Sony Alpha A6100 just like the larger A6400 and A6600 comes at least 11 pictures per second and the buffer memory is sufficient for 33 pictures. If you want to record a more neutral image turn the color and the sharpness down that will give your production a slightly more cinematic look.

the photos I have taken have been really good so far they have been crisp, sharp the dynamic range is also really good paired up with the burst mode and autofocus mode.

There is no image stabilization built-in in this camera especially considering the price because it is a budget camera but some of the lenses that are available for this camera do have optical image stabilization.

the image quality is really good at all I don’t know what else to say so if you are thinking about what camera you should pick up the A6100 or any sony APS-C camera or a full-frame camera unless you know that you need the resolution of a full-frame camera APS-C camera will work perfectly fine.

But there’s the Sony A7 III, Sony A7S III, Sony A7R II, and all these full-frame cameras will do better quality images but I really like A6100.

4. Sony A6100 Battery

Sony A6100 has the same battery as you find in the A6000 they have an updated various VFW 50 battery. But if you’re doing a long amount of filming using an external USB block or plug it into the mains. The battery still uses the old battery Instead of the Z-type battery used in A6600.

You can shoot almost endlessly with this camera battery life is gonna be your main issue eventually maybe overheating but it’s just a solid performer all-around for video the A6100 is the best entry-level camera I have extensively tested.

5. Sony A6100 Body

Its body is not weather-sealed use caution when it rains it does not have IBIS anti-shake in addition, it’s too light for handheld shooting. The button layout on the camera is quite accessible, its grip and quite small and good enough to force with the fingertips to hold it steady.

the body design and dimensions are mostly the same as the A6400 and the button layouts between both cameras are virtually identical. It offers a larger grip but outside of that has a built-in flash panorama, a microphone input, wireless connectivity, HDR USB charging, and Sony’s interval shoot function.

Sony Alpha 6100 itself isn’t different to the alpha A6400 actually almost identical the same dimensions on the bottom memory card and the battery compartment for the known np VFW 50 battery NFC on the side on the top you have one Trigger main adjustment wheel.

Sony A6100 body construction is the same as A6000 and looks like polycarbonate construction in comparison with Canon M50 body is about an inch taller than the Sony A6100. In comparison with the A6400, this camera has a metal body and the A6100 has a modified plastic body.

6. Sony A6100 Autofocus

this camera is built-in advanced real eye autofocus and that basically works both on humans and animals through a setting in the camera’s menu and it basically is what enables it to have super quick autofocus.

Another feature that is very important in the Sony A6100 is autofocus with 425 points of phase detection and 425 points of contrast detection. It sounds very complicated but basically, they are points that are far and wide the sensor and help you focus on subjects during shooting when the subject moves among all those points are going to be focused and occupy practically the entire screen.

A6100 the dual pixel autofocus system is also really good at 11 frames per second burst mode and 425 autofocus points which makes it really easy to focus your face and everything. Also mentioned this thing that it has face tracking, eye tracking it really tracks your eyes where it’s going and also it has dogs and pets eye-tracking.

Sony A6100 autofocus system has been greatly improved because A6000 has 179 face detection AF points while in A6100 there are 425 phase-detection AF points which are around 2.3 times more than in A6000.

Sony A6000 has a decent face tracking system but A6100 has become even better sony implemented a new AI-based autofocus system which makes the camera really accurate in tracking an AF. It also has a small led of focus assist.

For me, it’s a very useful feature especially when shooting fast-moving subjects if you want to try sports photography A6100 is a good entry choice.

Sony A6100 has the same autofocus algorithm and system as the Sony Alpha A6600 and Sony Alpha A6400 and possibly the same as the Sony A7.

It starts focusing on the subject eyes but when it doesn’t find eyes it switches to face tracking when it loses the track of face it jumps to body tracking and all of this happens in real-time.

the eye autofocus is incredibly fast the eye autofocus works better than any other system in existence. It’s at least a generation or two ahead of everyone else.

I have compared Canon M50 and A6100 both cameras have facial recognition, but the Sony A6100 has more focal points and definitely has faster autofocus.

7. Sony A6100 low-light performance

low-light performance is good it features a native ISO range from ISO 100to 30 mm which is further expandable toISO 51 200 and low-light performance remains mostly on par with the A6400 despite its slightly smaller native range users can expect usable images up to ISO 6400.

8. Sony A6100 ISO Range

the A6100 has a narrow ISO range extended ISO is up to 51200 in comparison with A6600 can go to 102400 and A6100 has the same 425-point hybrid autofocus system, eye-controlled focus with Sony used to record the lives of studio entrepreneurs.

9. Sony A6100 LCD Screen

A6100 has an articulating screen 7.5-centimeter touch LCD which is lean up to 180 degrees and allows capturing at angles difficult for example at high angles or at low angles.

the camera features an electronic viewfinder OLED technology with a resolution of 1.4 4 million dots and 0.7 times magnification which is average for the class physically.

With its 180 degrees, I can mount that microphone wherever I want. The Sony A6100 and A6400 have a flip-out screen which is really helpful so you can quickly use that touchscreen feature on the LCD to quickly change your autofocus points.

10. Sony A6100 Weight

A6100 small and lightweight this camera is only 396 grams which include the battery itself and the smaller kit lens. In comparison with Canon M50 Mark II, the Sony A6100 is a little heavier but only nine grams heavier.

It really stands out because of its small body size if you want to do a lot of outdoor photography or videography you will be able to handle this camera nicer than some bigger cameras.

11. Sony A6100 Price

If you are thinking about what camera to buy when you have a bit more money to spend I would go for the A6100 because the autofocus, in general, is so good on this camera and it’s worth the price the Sony A6100 body only is $748 in comparison with Canon M50 Mark II body only is only $599.

I mean A6100 is still very cheap when you compare it to the Sony A7 iii one of the latest Sony cameras. So, the A6100 is a very good budget camera they are cheaper options like the Sony A6000 and they’re also worth it.

If you have another variant of these Sony a-lines like the Sony A6000 or Sony A6300, Sony A6400, Sony A6500, all of them all look the same.

Sony A6100 is a really great camera but if you think it’s not fit your needs sony released one that is a gear tour vlog camera for content creators with the same price the Sony ZV1 and that right now just the camera you’re looking for is at about $750. With ZV1 you get a lot more features for your money but that’s just my opinion.

Sony ZV1 has the flip-out LCD versus the flip-up with a bigger sensor on this with better image quality and compared to like the A6100 the A6400 the image quality is just better. Also, you get a wider field of view, it’s a 24 full-frame equivalent.

That’s what you can expect with the A6100 shooting picture profile, the colors the field of view the autofocus looked great. If you’re looking for a nice 4K vlogging camera there are more budget-friendly cheaper options like the Panasonic Lumix G7.

However, in my experience and testing those cameras I found the image quality is better on the A6100 and for G7 and ZV1 the autofocus is a lot better.

Well, it’s all my experience about A6100, G7, and ZV1 but if you are looking at 4K 120 cameras they would be a little more expensive than you need cameras like the Canon EOS R5 and Sony Alpha A7S Iii both of which have 4K at 120 frames per second which would give you wonderful slow-motion as well as good 4K shootings.

But those cameras being really expensive and they’re first-gen of that caliber of the camera having that type of feature.

So, let’s say you have a camera that could do 4K and 60 frames per second and slow it down and you need a better and more expensive camera like the Canon EOS R6 the fuji XT4, or the Panasonic GH5. And a lot of the prices are more expensive. So, maybe you need to wait for those really expensive cameras to get cheaper because technology becomes cheaper over time.

If you want to stick with the Sony A6100 there is a lot of benefits with it as well not only is it a cheaper camera body it’s around $700 so a lot cheaper than a lot of the other cameras I was looking at.

the A6100 just ticked all the boxes with unlimited record times with 4K video, great photos, flip-up screen excellent autofocus. If you think about what camera to pick up maybe you think over the A6400, the A6600, or Sony Alpha A7C which is a full-frame camera very similar in size with a flip-out screen. Or if you are wiled to pay much more for the A6400 or A6600 to get picture profiles or in bodily stabilization.

Sony released the best entry-level camera to date for the price it provides even Sony stopped producing A6100 we still can find a place to buy I have included links below where you can find the best place to buy.

Advantages

Another important function of this camera is the ability you have to draw photos in environments where there is almost no light.

• has a deep grip and the ability to use all the holes and the quarters
•  improved the color science
• improved buffer size
• no video record limits
• supports animal eyes
• eye recognition of people or animals
• screen with sunny weather mode

Disadvantages

• one issue with overheating when shooting in 4K
• there is no S-Log and no HLG
• be more accurate when it comes to exposure
• It is difficult to correct if overexposed in post-production
• The real-time focus tracking function cannot be used when filming

Wrapping Up

it isn’t the sharpest on the block but it’s fine it’s an entry-level camera it’s an excellent deal considering its image quality it’s a great price for a great camera on a 4K video. A6100 still has the same image quality the same autofocus performance and speed and overall it’s just a really solid camera.

A6100 is a good option if you are into street photography and mainly sports photography because that situation requires the speed of the camera and because it’s 11 frames per second you’re really going to be easily able to capture the shot that you want.

And if you are going to use a really good quality SD card in this camera you are really going to get that speed as well of reading and writing your files.

I think the sony APS-C cameras are really good I mean it’s my opinion also I think they are slightly underrated for how well they perform especially in video. If you’re doing any kind of hybrid photography and video work.

this camera does not have weather sealing and I found so many online reviews of outdoor photographers and videographers saying that they saw dust spots on the camera while they used it outside.

Conclusion

If you want to shoot video I’d highly recommend the A6600 because it is gonna get you things like image stabilization and things like upgraded viewfinder which is really nice to see just like Sony’s past cameras we do have a small crop as you get into 4k 30frames per second which is not on the 24 frames per second.

it’s a substantial upgrade over the original A6000 and a worthy successor and the most affordable option from the A6 series. It brings improvements with a better color processing autofocusing touchscreen and video capabilities.