Sony A6600 system camera

Sony A6600 - the pieces are starting to fall into place

With the emphasis on speed and versatility, the Sony A6600 is a small but feature-packed APS-C format mirrorless camera that's great for stills and video. Featuring a classic 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, the A6600 produces high-resolution images and video up to UHD 4K resolution with no recording limit, more efficient processing and faster focusing.

The 4D focusing system that covers the 84% image area uses 425 phase focus points and 425 contrast detection points. Focusing is fast and intuitive thanks to Real Time Eye AF, both in still and video. The image stabilizer is equally useful for both jobs, with 5-axis SteadyShot technology taking care of the job at home. In addition to image capture, the Sony a6600 is worth mentioning that the body is a sturdy magnesium alloy and dust and moisture resistant, so you'll be able to work in even the most demanding conditions. The compact profile includes a high-resolution XGA Tru-Finder 2.36m-point OLED viewfinder. Taking pictures is easy because the viewfinder is bright and sharp, with 120 fps screen refresh to keep up with the action. Target tracking is smooth with fast-moving objects. The 3 inch 921.6K dot touch LCD in the back is quite adequate with its swivel design. Handy for when you want to work in top and bottom situations, and the touch feature is great thanks to the intuitive touch-to-focus function. For videographers and puppeteers, headphone and mic ports are included, while audio management is a notch better. Wireless is the order of the day, and that's why the camera has Wi-Fi and NFC systems, so you can get data to mobile devices or control the camera intuitively from your mobile device.

24.2MP Exmor CMOS sensor

24.2MP Exmor CMOS sensor produces a pretty picture that is of good quality. Even at higher sensitivities, noise is tolerable. Sensitivity ranges from 100-32000, and can be extended up to ISO 102400 when you're really deep. The sensor is unique in its design, utilising thin copper wiring, enhanced processing and improved front-end LSI technology to improve light capture. Noise has been reduced at the same time and the readout speed is well suited to video shooting. The combination of the sensor and the Bionz X processor allows tough shooting speeds of up to 11 fps with autofocus and exposure metering, and 14-bit RAW.

Video photography

UHD 4K video recording in XAVC S format is possible at up to 30fps and the video from a Super35mm recording area shot at 6k resolution, when super-sampled, is very sharp. Oversampling avoids pixel binning, and the image is high quality without moiré and jaggies. Full-cell 4K recording has also been dramatically improved, and at higher sensitivities the image quality is finer. FullHD 1080p recording is supported up to 120 fps. Both resolutions use the 100 Mbps XAVC S format in MP4 compression with 4:2:0 sampling. Fast 120 fps shooting allows 4x and 5x slowdowns when the frame rate is 30p or 24p. a6600 has no time limit, so you can shoot as long as the card will hold. In addition to the high-resolution internal recording, you can also output uncompressed footage via HDMI, giving you pure 4K 4:2:2 footage on an external recorder. 4K video also allows you to record individual frames from video into 8 megapixel images. The camera is well equipped from an HDR perspective, allowing you to customise colour and gamma settings , black levels and other video stuff of importance. In addition, users can use the same S-Log2 curve found on Sony's high-end cameras. It allows the 1300% to have more dynamic range available than the traditional REC709 format. HLG (hybrid Log-gamma) support is also available, as well as BT.2020 color space when you want to record with a wide color palette, not to mention S-Log2 and S-Log3 jobs. With these you get an effective 14 aperture dynamic range to work with.

Slow & Quik Motion function is an easy way to slow down footage directly inside the camera or similarly speed up a slow-moving event. Improved Zebra function, facilitates exposure control in high-contrast lighting situations. The video signal level limit can be set between 0-109, and precise limits can be set to make adjustment easier. Time Code and user bit settings. The time code allows you to record hours, minutes and seconds and frames in the image data for more precise editing when working with multiple cameras.

Auto focus, image stabilisation and other key features

4D FOCUS sounds like a marketing term, and let's be honest, it's far from it. But a good focusing system is what the Sony a6600 has. 425 contrast points make focusing fast, with accurate focus found in as little as 0.02 seconds. There are focus points all over the sensor, and because the density of points is so high, subject tracking is very accurate. Real-time Eye AF can start focusing on the eyes of the subject (human or animal) and is available in both AF-S and AF-C modes for stills and video. Phase detenction points also allow you to use A bayonet mount lenses with separately available LA-EA3 or LA-EA1 bayonet adapters with full AF support. The capable 4D Focus system is handy in all situations, it's accurate, refined and fast. Lock-on AF keeps the focus on target like tar throughout the range of use, and if that's not enough you can turn on Expand Flexible Spot mode which also takes advantage of nearby focus points. Autofocus can also be used with Focus Magnifier magnification when you want to see exactly what's going on. In addition to autofocus, the a6600 is equipped with Peaking MF, which highlights sharp edges with colour for easy manual focusing.

5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilizer with five-axis stabilization adds up to 5 apertures of support to the image. It compensates for five different types of camera movement in both still and video. Images become sharper and more realistic. Even with adapted lenses, or lenses with optical image stabilisation.

Body design and built-in Wi-Fi. The frame is a sturdy magnesium alloy to ensure durability, and the frame has dust and moisture protection against natural elements. XGA Tru-Finder 2.36 million dot OLED the electronic viewfinder provides a bright, high-resolution image, making it really easy to take a picture. Especially in 120fps mode, the screen refresh is quite smooth and crucial for tracking moving objects.

3.0″ 921.6k dot LCD touchscreen can be tilted 180° up and 74° down, so shooting from the top and bottom is convenient. The display features White Magic technology with RGBW pixel structure for improved brightness for easy outdoor use. The touchscreen design enables Touch Focus control and Touchpad functionality, which allows you to smoothly and intuitively select the focus point on the screen while looking through the viewfinder.

Integrated 3,5mm headphone jack and microphone ports improve sound control in video recording. Comes with NP-FZ100 the rechargeable battery provides up to 810 frames per charge when shooting from the screen, according to the CIPA standard. In addition to the battery, the a6600 can be powered via USB. The camera can also be charged via the interface. The sturdy metal bayonet supports very large and heavy lenses. The ergonomic grip is ideal for long shooting sessions and has easy access to the main controls. With built-in Wi-Fi, the Sony a6600 can quickly and easily share images to mobile devices. NFC makes it easy to connect. Bluetooth is ideal for transferring location data.

Sony A6600 - Technical specifications

• Drawing circle: APS-C (1.5x crop)
• Pixels: 24.2 Megapixels
• Maximum resolution: 6000 x 4000
• Aspect ratios: 1:1, 3:2, 16:9
• Image format: JPEG, RAW 14-Bit
• Image stabilizer: sensor movement, 5-axis
• ISO sensitivity: auto, 100 - 32000 (Extended: 100 - 102400)
• Mechanical shutter: 1/4000 - 30 seconds
• Bulb: 1/4000 - 1/4 seconds
• Measurement: centre-weighted average, multi-zone, spot
• Exposure modes: aperture priority, auto, manual, program, shutter priority
• Exposure compensation: -5 - +5 EV (in 1/3, 1/2 EV steps)
• Continuous shooting: 11 fps @ 24.2 MP 46 frames (Raw) 11 fps @ 24.2 MP 116 frames (JPEG)
• Video: XAVC S UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 24.00p/25p/29.97p [60 - 100 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 100p/119.88p [60 - 100 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 24.00p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [50 Mb/s] AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 50i/59.94i [17 - 24 Mb/s] External Recording Modes 4:2:2 8-Bit UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 24.00p/25p/29.97p Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 24.00p/50i/50p/59.94i/59.94p
• Built-in microphone (Stereo)
• External mic input (Stereo)
• Audio file format: AC3, Dolby Digital 2ch, Linear PCM (Stereo)
• Focus: Car and Manual Focus
• Focus modes: automatic (A), Continuous-Servo AF (C), Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo AF (S) Focus points: Phase Detection: 425 Contrast Detection: 425
• Autofocus sensitivity: -2 to +20 EV
• Detector size: 0.39″ OLED
• Detector resolution: 2,359,296 points
• Screen size: 3″
• Screen resolution: 921,600 dots
• Rotating display: 180° LCD
• Fastest flash sync: 1/160 seconds
• Memory card slot: 1 x SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo
• Connections: 3.5mm headphone, 3.5mm mic, HDMI D (Micro), Micro-B (USB 2.0)
• Wireless: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Battery: 1 x NP-FZ100 rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.2 VDC, 2280 mAh (approx. 810 shots)
• Dimensions: 120 x 66.9 x 69.3 mm
• Weight: 503 g (body with battery)

More about the Sony a6600 camera can be found at Sony's from. If you're looking for a smaller and more affordable device, Sony's recent a6100 is a viable option.
See other Sony E / FE system cameras and accessories here