Sony Announces Two NEW cameras the a6500 and RX100V

October 7, 2016 ·

Rad Drew

 

2-cameras

Publishers note: This has been quite a year for Sony camera announcements.  There is no question that Sony has plans to dominate the mirrorless market and with the release of over 7 cameras this year they are certainly showing they have the desire.  I can’t help but think that many of these new camera releases and lenses are proof of concept for the technology that we may soon see in higher end cameras.  The recent a99 announcement proves they have the ability to shoot 12 frames per second on a 42 megapixel chip and the cameras below show even more capabilities that hopefully will find their way into the rumored soon to be announced upgrades to the A7 line as well as maybe even a new camera altogether.  Just follow any of the rumor sites and they are predicting all sorts of things.  If any company can pull it off it will be Sony.  Exciting times.


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In its first product release since moving to its new facility at 11 Madison Avenue, NYC, Sony announced on Thursday, October 6th, two new flagship cameras: the A6500 and the RX100V.

The A6500 will be available in November for $1400 US, while the RX100V, available later this month, will sell for $1000 US.

Both cameras reflect Sony’s responsiveness to consumer demand for resolution, sensitivity, and speed, all in the increasingly popular small package.

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The RX 100V is about the size of a tin of breath mints, easily fitting in a shirt pocket, and its 20.1-megapixel sensor, 0.05 sec AF response and the ability to shoot at 24fps for up to 150 shots puts this jewel at the top of the heap of premium compact cameras.

As small as it is — and these compact cameras always feel awkward to me at first — the buttons and controls on the RX100V are easily accessible and the LCD screen is sufficiently large enough that you can see fine details even when shooting fast moving subjects. And, unlike many of its compact camera competitors, the RX100v has a pop-up viewfinder allowing for better framing and composition.

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Can you imagine these features in an underwater camera? Well, Sony also has announced its new underwater housing, the MPK-URX100A, good to a depth of 130 feet and compatible with all RX100 series cameras.

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big differences in your experience and the quality of your images, like the RX100V’s ability to shoot silently, its anti-distortion shutter that eliminates skewing of fast-moving subjects, and its ability to capture a photo from a recorded video.

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The A6500 is a beast. It boasts the world’s fastest autofocus speed and the highest number of auto-focus points (425) allowing for clear focus and the ability to lock on to moving subjects in 0.05 seconds. Similar to the A6300, the new model has a deeper buffer and more processing power that not only captures 300 frames in a burst  but also allows for faster review of shots. While exploring the demo model, the capture and review speed lived up to these claims presenting the “camera busy” message only after exceeding these limits.

Small Cameras - Big Hands
Small Cameras – Big Hands

Combined with its high-speed continuous shooting capability, a huge buffer, and price point, the A6500 will appeal to the professional sports photographer as well as the soccer mom. Recently Kevin Raber used the a6300 its predecessor to photograph bears in Alaska.  I know Kevin would have loved to have the IBIS which is a major addition to this model.

Image quality benefits from the 5-axis in body stabilization, especially when shooting macro photography, night shooting, and movies, and the 6500’s APS-C 24.2 megapixel image sensor has a wide sensitivity range of ISO 100- 51200 with better clarity and lower noise.

The A6500 features touch screen focus, making focusing and changing focus possible with a touch or swipe on the screen.

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With video rapidly becoming the next big thing, the A6500 has powerful 4K movie-making capability. By oversampling to 6K equivalent, the 4K output is of surprisingly high quality.

Sony is clearly the sensor king, and the technical innovation packed into this compact body make it an extraordinary value for the photographer who wants to go small and light without sacrificing quality.

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My one beef is not with the technical aspects of the A6500 but with its ergonomics; I don’t like the feel of the camera in my hand. When holding the camera, there’s no room for my little finger to land, and with longer lenses, my finger is crowded and pinched between the lens and the body. Kevin brought that up in his review too. This is alleviated somewhat by the addition of a grip that extends the body to provide room for my fingers. Although I appreciate and am in awe of the technical capabilities of this mirrorless camera, I look forward to the day when Sony invests more in the ergonomics of the device. That said, given the extraordinary processing power and speed of the A6500, I can live with a little ergonomic discomfort!

Optional Grip
Optional Grip

Time to get in line and place an order.  You can pre-order the A6500 and the RX100V at B&H Photo or your local camera dealer.


I would like to thank Rad Drew who stepped in to cover the press event for Luminous-Landscape while I have been out in California videoing the NEW Shooting with The Master Series.


Rad Drew
October 2016

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Avatar photo

Rad A. Drew (http://www.raddrewphotography.com) is a professional photographer who lives in historic Irvington on the east side of Indianapolis with his wife, metalsmith, Nancy Lee (http://www.ndesignsmetal.com). His creative iPhone images have received numerous international awards and have made their way into galleries and juried international shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas, Vermont, New York, Toronto, Collingwood, Seattle, and Melbourne. He is author of the fine art books, In Good Light, Images of the Circle City and Rural Indiana, A Beauty all its Own, and is a contributor to today’s most comprehensive volume of iPhone instruction, The Art of iPhone Photography: Creating Great Photos and Art on Your iPhone. Rad is a frequent speaker at photography conferences and camera clubs throughout the U.S. His destination workshops to Cuba, France, Ireland, and points throughout the U.S. including Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, PA, and Provincetown on Cape Cod, are great ways to learn while photographing beautiful areas of the world. In his popular webinar series, How I Did It!™ Rad demonstrates the apps and processes he uses to create award-winning images with the iPhone. As a webinar presenter for Topaz Labs, Rad shares his processing techniques using Topaz products to process digital images from traditional cameras as well as the iPhone. Contact Rad or visit his website for more information on art purchases, workshops, books, tours, exhibits, speaking engagements, and the How I Did It!™ webinar series. Rad, as an associate editor for Luminous-Landscape (https://luminous-landscape.com), writes a periodic iPhoneography column, covers special events, and writes product reviews.

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