Sony Alpha A6700 Camera Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

The APS-C range of Alpha mirrorless cameras has now reached the point where the level of sophistication is virtually identical to their barely larger full-frame siblings. The best new technology has been brought together to make a superbly efficient stills and video hybrid, the new Sony A6700. There is still a significant difference in weight and size between the A6700 and the full frame models, justifying the continuance of the smaller format, but the gap has closed and using full frame lenses on the smaller cameras no longer looks quite so out of proportion. Ironically, it is the full frame FE 20-70mm f/4 G lens that has been provided with the camera for review, so let’s see how it all works out.

Sony Alpha A6700 Features

The A6700 feels good in the hand, all the controls being logically placed and nothing being vulnerable to accidental activation. The weight is a reasonable 493g and the camera measures up at a reasonably compact 122 x 69 x 64mm.

Looking first at the top plate, there is the multi-function interface shoe, the usual mode dial with stills/video/S&Q selector, the command dial, video start/stop and shutter release. The camera on/off switch is helpfully placed around the shutter release button, but unfortunately, the protruding grip for the finger is too far round clockwise, at the 1 o’clock position. This means it is in the wrong place for easy finger operation, it should be where everybody else places it, including Sony, at the 10 o’clock position.

The camera back is classic Sony and there are no surprises here. One really useful feature is always the four-way controller, which allows instant access to drive setttings, including the self-timer, the display on the monitor, the ISO setting and exposure compensation. It is all very tidy and no need for any change. The monitor itself is a touch-sensitive LCD TFT and the Vari-angle design is highly practical. The Q menu button allows access to all the most commonly needed features and the main menu button is at the top of the back on a slightly sloping area.

The camera back is quite plain and devoid of clutter. There is an excellent Vari-angle monitor, a small joystick and the menu and display buttons, plus a few small buttons at the top of the back plate.

The baseplate has the battery compartment and the sizeable NP-FZ100 battery delivers a reasonable 570 shots when using the monitor or 550 when using the slightly more power-hungry EVF. Video shooters will be able to record up to 190 minutes continuously.

The left side of the camera has three access doors. These reveal the single SD card slot, which is UHS-I/II compliant, the USB-C connector, the HDMI micro connector (Type-D) and the microphone and headphone sockets. It is a good choice that these are actual hinged doors rather than flexible rubber that might wear with use. Other connectivity is via the multi-function interface on the camera top plate and the usual provision of WiFi and Bluetooth, the latter having the choice of 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

Notably, there is an efficient 5-axis IBIS system built in and there is also an Active Mode for movie shooting. Focus breathing compensation is built in. Also interesting is that the shutter is now rated at in excess of 200,000 activations, something that not long ago would have been unheard of even in the highest professional cameras. It is no doubt a reflection on the number of images that we now shoot.  

Sony Alpha A6700 Key Features

• 26MP Exmor R CMOS APS-C sensor
• BionZ XR processing engine
• Electronic and mechanical shutter 11fps
• Electronic and mechanical shutter 30s – 1/8000s
• Shutter rated to beyond 200,000 cycles
• 5-axis IBIS 5 stops
• One SD card slot, UHS-I/II compliant
• JPEG/10-bit HEIF/RAW
• NP-FZ100 battery – 570 frames (monitor) 550 frames (EVF)
• Video 190 minutes continuous recording using EVF
• Video 185 minutes continuous recording using the monitor
• 6K oversampling for 4K/60p
• Movies 6.2K with no crop
• 10-bit 4:2:2 colour
• Supports XAVC S-1, XAVC HS, S-Log3, S-Cinetone and LUTs
• EVF 0.39” OLED 2.36M dots, 100% coverage, 1.07x magnification
• Monitor 7.5cm (3”) LCD Touch Sensitive 1.04M dots, Vari-angle
• ISO 50-102400
• AF range down to -3EV
• Metering range EV -3 to +20
• Subject detection: Human, Animal, Bird, Insect, Car, Train and Airplane
• WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• Compatible with Creator’s Cloud
• 10 Creative Look digital filters
• Picture profiles for stills and movies
• 493g
• 122mm x 69mm x 64mm
• Dust and moisture resistance

Sony Alpha A6700 Handling

 As Sony has continued to refine their camera range, things have now reached pretty much a peak of efficiency. Sometimes things take a slight sideways step, even the smallest of things, and the on/off switch is installed a little too far clockwise to fall naturally under the finger for ease of operation. This has already been mentioned, but it is just about the only thing that could detract from a very keenly designed bit of kit. The quality feel of the A6700 is a pleasure, and the tactile nature of photography means that this does help to make the camera handling gel.

Using a full frame lens is not out of place, although there could be advantages to using one of the smaller crop sensor lenses to make the whole package more travel friendly. For example, the kit with the E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens should be a relatively compact and highly practical first step.

Basically, Sony has the handling truly sorted with the A6700.

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Sony Alpha A6700 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

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Sony Alpha A6700 Sample Photos

Lens Performance – The Sony FE 20-70mm G lens provided for this review has already been reviewed. The conclusion was:

At 20mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/4 to f/11 and very good from f/16 to f/22. The edges are good at f/4, very good at f/5.6 and f/8, good at f/11 and fair at f/16 and f/22.

At 28mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/4 to f/11 and very good at f/16 and f/22. The edges are good at f/4, very good from f/5.6 to f/16 and fair at f/22.

At 50mm, central sharpness is very good from f/4 to f/16 and fair at f/22. The edges are very good from f/4 to f/16 and good at f/22.

At 70mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/4 to f/8 and very good from f/11 to f/22. The edges are excellent from f/4 to f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and good at f/22.

It is clear that the level of sharpness is overall very satisfactory, only let down a little by the edge performance at 20mm, but even then at f/5.6 and f/8 there is no problem here either. The lens is thoroughly capable of producing delightfully crisp images over its entire focal length range.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is measured with any in-camera corrections switched off, so far as we can control anyway. CA is very well controlled, especially at the centre, and even at the edges, it is contained to within half a pixel. The exception is the edge at 20mm, where some colour fringing might be visible with demanding subjects, such as branches against a bright sky.

Distortion is exceptionally well controlled, especially for such a wide lens. It is barrel distortion all the way through the focal length range, measuring -1.48% at 20mm, -0.41% at 28mm, -0.10% at 50mm and -0.10% at 70mm. The lens is almost perfectly rectilinear at longer lengths.

Bokeh is very acceptable throughout, maybe slightly busy at wider focal lengths, but smooth enough for some very pleasant portraits as we zoom in.

Flare is amazingly well controlled, even with bright light sources at the edge of the frame. An excellent performance.

Vignetting is generally low, and even at 20mm is very much better than many less ambitious lens designs.

The lens was Highly Recommended, with 4.5 stars.

Sony Alpha A6700 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance – The A6700 puts in a strong performance, with images totally clean up to and including ISO 800. ISO 1600 and 3200 see some noise starting to creep in, but these settings are still usable. ISO 6400 and 12800 are quite noisy, but the integrity of the boxes on the test chart is maintained. ISO 25600 sees this breakdown, and by ISO 51200 and especially ISO102400 the grain is there but the detail has long gone. These very high settings are best suited for emergency use only, or special creative effects.

Sony Alpha A6700 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance – All the usual white balance presets are here, and of course, they can be fine-tuned as well to the taste of the photographer. AWB performs well, and it is joined by Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, 4 varieties of fluorescent, Flash, Underwater Auto, Colour Temperature and 3 custom settings. Of these, Daylight is useful for maintaining the colour of the outdoor ambient light, such as a sunset. Shade will avoid purple colour casts in shadowy areas of woodland, useful when hunting fungi. Cloudy will warm an image, giving an effect similar to a Cloudy or 81A filter on film. 

Sony Alpha A6700 Digital filters

Digital Filters – There are various digital filters provided, under the title of Creative Look. These are identified by initials only, but we can get the jist of what they are as the effects are quite obvious. Ten options are provided, not as many as some other marques admittedly. These are labelled ST, PT, NT, VV, VV2, FL, IN, SH, BW and SE. The camera also has a section in the main menu labelled Picture Profiles and slots are available for the user to create particular profiles for both stills and movies. 

Source: Photography News
Sony Alpha A6700 Camera Review
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