The Sony Alpha A6100 is the long-awaited update to the Sony Alpha A6000, and as such is Sony's new entry-level mirrorless camera. With a price tag of around £800, Sony has added 4K video recording, and what they're claiming is the fastest AF system available.
Sony Alpha A6100 Features
The Sony Alpha A6100 features the latest focus system from Sony, promising the fastest and most accurate autofocus system available, with 425 phase-detection AF points, which work with contrast-detection AF, giving focus speeds of 0.02s. AF tracking includes eye auto-focus, with eye-tracking, and this works with both humans and animals. Autofocus is effective down to -2 EV.
There's a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, with 14-bit raw output. The camera uses the Sony E-mount, and Sony has recently introduced new E-mount lenses, including the E 16-55mm f/2.8 G lens, with a constant aperture of f/2.8 available, and a new 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS super-telephoto zoom lens. The camera offers 11fps continuous shooting, with continuous AF / AE (Auto-focus, Auto exposure).
The camera has P, A, S, M shooting modes, giving you full manual controls, plus there's an MR setting (Memory Recall) with several different "memories" so you can set up the camera for a specific shooting scenario. You'll also find Auto, Scene modes, S&Q (Slow and Quick Motion), Sweep Panorama.
You'll find the usual Creative styles (Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape etc), and Picture Effect (digital filters) available, as well as the ability to add image ratings in playback, which is a welcome addition to the camera.
You'll also find 4K UHD video recording at frame rates up to 30fps (NTSC). You'll also find FullHD video recording (60/50fps), and high-speed FullHD video recording at speeds up to 120fps. There's a microphone socket on the side, plus a "selfie" screen that can be tilted so that you can view it when facing the camera, means it could be a good option for vlogging. More on this later.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC are built-in, and if your smartphone supports NFC connections, then this can speed up the process of pairing the camera to your smartphone.
Key Features
- 24.2mp APS-C CMOS sensor
- 3inch tilting touch-screen (16:9 aspect)
- 1440K dot OLED EVF, 0.70x magnification
- 425 AF points, fast Hybrid AF (PDAF)
- 11fps continuous shooting speed, with AF
- Real-time Face-detection and Eye-AF
- Built-in pop-up flash
- 4K UHD 30/25/24fps video recording
- FullHD at speeds up to 120/100fps
- Microphone socket
- ISO100 to ISO32000 (Native) ISO51200 (Extended)
Sony Alpha A6100 Handling
The camera uses a plastic construction, with areas that are made from metal, including the hinge for the screen, the control wheel on the top corner is also metal, and the tripod mount, as well as the lens mount (there's also a metal frame around the battery and memory compartment). This gives some of the camera the impression of a solidly built camera, however, the finish on some of the plastic, the top particularly could be better (perhaps with a speckled finish).
The camera feels good in the hand, however, thanks to the large rubber grip on the right-hand side, which features textured rubber all the way round to the back. The video record button is on the corner and slightly recessed so that you don't accidentally press it. This can make it a little tricky to press at times, but after a while, you do get used to it.
Not much has changed, externally, when comparing the A6100 to the 5-year-old A6000. I guess the old saying "If it isn't broken, don't fix it" could have been applied to the camera.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) looks good, with a reasonable resolution of 1.44m dots, but this is looking slightly dated compared to some cameras. Colour reproduction is excellent, and the view through the viewfinder gives a very good replication of what the photo will look like, with good dynamic range, and colour production. The EVF refreshes quite smoothly.
The screen is a 3inch 16:9 aspect ratio touch-screen, with 921K dots. The resolution is a little lower than other cameras, and the 16:9 aspect ratio means that standard 3:2 aspect ratio photos have black borders on the left and right-hand sides. However, the 16:9 aspect ratio is perfect for video recording. We also found that the contrast appeared a little too high at times when viewing images, leading us to think that images might be over-exposed. The EVF didn't give us the same over-exposed look. The refresh rate on the screen also seemed slower than the EVF.
Menus – The Sony menus continue to be spread over a number of pages, with photo and video options spread across the two Photo menu sections. It'd be nice if all of the video options were grouped into a "Video" section for easier and quicker access, and many other companies have done this. You can't use the touch-screen to scroll through the options or change settings, and this is the same with the Function (on-screen) controls. However, one nice feature is the "MyMenu" section where you can add your favourite options, to give quicker access. The camera doesn't offer Sony's PlayMemories apps anymore.
The camera has high-speed AF tracking, with "real-time" tracking, including eye-AF for humans and animals. The AF area covers a wide area of the sensor, almost all of it, with 425 phase-detection points, and 425 contrast-detection points, for improved accuracy. Focus sensitivity is down to -2 EV, with an AF illuminator helping. You can use the touch-screen to set the focus point. In use, focus was extremely rapid.
The camera features built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and with built-in NFC on the side, it can be easy and quick to set up a connection to your smartphone, as long as it's got built-in NFC.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 380 shots using the viewfinder, or 420 shots using the LCD screen. The battery can be charged in the camera, meaning you can easily charge the camera when needed, using the MicroUSB connection. There's also a microphone socket on the side, an update over the original A6000.
Sony Alpha A6100 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.
Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to the first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
| Shutter Response | <0.05secs |
| Wide - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.1secs |
| Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.1secs |
Focus is very rapid. Continuous shooting is also rapid at 11fps, with 8fps available with a silent shutter. One thing that can slow you down, is a frustrating "Writing to Memory" message displayed if you try and change settings too quickly after taking a shot.
Sony Alpha A6100 Sample Photos
Sample Photos - The Sony Alpha A6100 is capable of producing images with pleasing colour reproduction, with quite rich and warm images. Exposure is generally very reliable, however, images can look over-exposed on the rear screen, causing some concern when out and about shooting. Fortunately, this isn't an issue when viewing images back on a computer. Focus is excellent, with reliable results every time. The face and eye-detection focus works extremely well.
Sony Alpha A6100 Lens test images
The new Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G lens gives a 24-82.5mm equivalent zoom range, with a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range, however, with the price of the 16-55mm f/2.8 lens, it's unlikely you'd pair this lens with this camera, although there's no reason not to. The lens will give a shallow depth of field, and pleasing bokeh (background blur), as well as give better low-light performance than the standard kit lens. The sharpness and clarity delivered by the lens is impressive, with results on a par with a good prime lens, when looking at these results. However, we did manage to induce some quite strong flare, when shooting into the sun. The lens has a reasonably close focus distance, making close up product shots possible. Distortion is automatically corrected in-camera.
The lack of optical image stabilisation or in-camera image stabilisation is a little disappointing, however, if you go for the 16-50mm PZ OSS kit lens, then this does come with "Optical SteadyShot", Sony's name for Optical Image Stabilisation. There is no setting in the camera to set the minimum shutter speed when using Auto ISO.
Sony Alpha A6100 ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - The A6100 delivers great noise performance, with good results up to ISO6400. Detail remains even at higher ISO speeds up to ISO6400, with more detail than we expected at ISO12800. At ISO25600 noise becomes stronger, and this setting may be useful if resized. ISO51200 is best avoided. The camera offers an extended ISO range, compared to the A6000.
Sony Alpha A6100 White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a warm result under tungsten lighting on standard settings, and you have the choice of warm or white results. For corrected result, the Tungsten preset performs well. AWB gives good results under mixed and fluorescent lighting. The options for Standard, Ambient (warm), and Cool (white) auto white balance can help you capture the atmosphere of a dimly lit scene, or help you get accurate whites if taking product shots.
Video - The video quality is rather good, however, as long as you have the camera on a tripod, and don't move the camera, as there are a number of issues, such as jello from panning too quickly, as well as the lack of image stabilisation. You can use an optically stabilised lens, but if you don't have one, then there is no digital image stabilisation option.
To use 25fps you need to be in PAL mode. If you want to record at 30fps or 24fps, then you need to be in NTSC mode. Is 24fps an NTSC frame rate ONLY? If you do want to switch between NTSC and PAL, the camera will tell you to format your memory card! Touch-tracking is useful, letting you set the focus point simply by touching the screen. Unfortunately, you can't use the touch-screen to change function settings, and unlike other recent Sony cameras, the A6100 doesn't offer different function screen customisation for photo/video.
One thing to bear in mind is that the camera does not feature picture profiles, so you can't, for example, pick a flat profile, or S-Log 3, as the camera simply doesn't have it. The Sony Alpha A6300 has these, plus weather-sealing, but is unfortunately discontinued. You could also look at the Sony Alpha A6400. If you want in-camera image-stabilisation, you'll need to look at the A6500 or A6600. Instead, you can use the "Creative Styles" and there is 7 built-in, including Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Black and White, and Sepia. You can customise these, and adjust contrast, saturation, and sharpness. There is no HDR video mode. You can set the ISO speed from ISO100 to ISO32,000.
Value For Money
The Sony Alpha A6100 is available for £788 body only, or £874 with 16-50mm PZ lens. This makes it reasonable value for money when compared to the competition, however, we'd hope that the price might drop to match some of the other 4K recording cameras. Alternatives include the following cameras.
Sony Alpha A6000, 24mp, 11fps, FullHD video, £449 with 16-50mm lens
Sony Alpha A6400, 24mp, 11fps, 4K video, £879 body only
Fujifilm X-T30, 26mp, 8fps, 20fps (mech/elec), 4K video, £849 body only
Canon EOS M6 Mark II, 32mp, 14fps, (30fps cropped), 4K video, £869 body only
Canon EOS M50, 24mp, 10fps, 4K video, £599 with kit lens
Panasonic Lumix GX9, 20mp, 9fps, 4K video, £689 with lens
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III, 16mp, 8.6fps, 4K video, £529 body only
Nikon Z50, 20mp, 11fps, 4K video, £849 body only
Have a look at more mirrorless cameras in the Top 20 Best Premium Mirrorless Cameras Buyers Guide (with EVF), or have a look at the Top 10 Best Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras, or for a lower-cost option, have a look at the Top 11 Best Entry-Level Mirrorless (Entry level, may have EVF under or around £500).
You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Sony Alpha A6100 Verdict
With so many models in the A6x00 range, it's difficult to tell the difference between them all, with only minor differences when looking at the cameras side-by-side, due to Sony making very little changes between models when it comes to design. However, it's on the inside that you'll find the differences, with 4K video, enhanced focus, and improved image quality.
The A6100 is not limited by a lack of lenses, as some camera systems, but the camera could have been much better, had it featured some of the more useful features from other cameras in the range, such as picture profiles for video, or customisable Fn screens (for stills/video). It'd also be nice to see in-camera raw editing, something we've come to find useful in other cameras that have it.
You could say that if you just want a high-quality camera that you can take DSLR quality images with, and have manual controls, then the Sony Alpha A6100 would make a great choice, but if you're wanting more from the camera, then that's where you'll find that you're going to get more from an alternative. Such as the Fujifilm X-T30, which has in-camera raw-editing (just one example), or the Panasonic Lumix G90, with unlimited 4K video recording and V-Log, or the Olympus OM-D E-M10 III with in-camera image stabilisation, and that's just some of the alternatives, and some of the features.
You've also got the issue of having to switch between NTSC and PAL modes to change frame rates for video. Sure other cameras (Canon) may do this too, but they don't insist you format your memory card! Others simply let you choose whatever frame rate you want to use, without any kind of hassle. If you don't record video, then this doesn't really affect you.
Onto the positives, the Sony Alpha A6100 delivers great-looking images, with low levels of noise, and video quality is also excellent, with high-quality 4K UHD video. You'll also get up to 120fps high-speed FullHD video in NTSC mode, or up to 100fps in PAL mode. There is a good range of lenses available, and this also enhances the appeal of the system.
The A6100 is capable of taking great photographs, much like every other Sony Alpha camera, but it's the user interface and the handling that make a camera enjoyable or not.
It's difficult to come to a conclusive verdict on this camera. If the price of this camera drops, which we expect it will over time, then some of the shortcomings, and foibles could be overlooked, however, if you're paying full price for the camera, then the issues do become less forgivable, and if you can stretch to it, the A6400 should be much more suitable for videographers. If you're simply interested in the photography side of things and don't need or want 4K video, then the A6000 still represents excellent value for money.
| The Sony Alpha A6100 offers great image quality and a good range of lenses, but also has a number of shortcomings you'll need to be aware of. |
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