Sony Alpha A 6500 - camera review

Sony Alpha A 6500 - camera review

Sony Alpha A 6500 is a fast compact camera with a built-in image stabilizer.

We have been using this camera for almost two years. The camera is not much different from its relatives. The same time-tested sensor, sensitivity level, shooting speed.

This model has a movable screen, rotates only in the vertical plane, but this possibility is also necessary. The screen is touch-sensitive, sometimes it's convenient, you can quickly specify where to focus.

It is better to cover the screen glass with a protective film immediately, otherwise there will be spots that do not affect the camera's performance, but will spoil the presentability of the appearance.

I think the presence of a five-axis stabilizer built into the camera itself is a big plus, it gives several additional shutter speeds when working with any lens, although it behaves a little worse with long-focus ones. But not all lenses have their own stabilizer, so the one that is always there is better. Again, for tripod shooting, the stabilizer, in fact, is not needed, but sometimes you need to shoot at the moment, without the ability to work with a tripod, and it is in such cases that there is often not enough light. And then the stabilizer helps out.

He shoots videos well. The menu is clear, there is a simplified one for quick access to the main settings, and there are with deep settings. Some of the settings can be displayed on the buttons.

Over time, the case was somewhat rubbed. But this is not so critical for the working apparatus.

We bought an additional charger and a spare battery. It can be charged via USB, but the camera drains the battery pretty quickly, including an additional one, because charging via USB is not practical. Charging was bought for two batteries at once, it is more convenient, because you can put both batteries at once for the night, and in the morning you can start working quietly, no additional actions and headaches.

Turns on quickly, focuses quickly. In general, the device is rather an evolutionary continuation in the family, but with a stabilizer and a number of other small improvements. Because the camera is light, tourists will really like it. Some photographers use it as a second camera on field shoots, including weddings.

For tourists, it may sometimes be useful to have a built-in flash. She is very weak, but still there.

Sony Alpha A 6500 is a camera for all occasions from the Japanese company Sony. Real pros and cons. Review in comparison with Canon, from a professional. A digital camera without a mirror type. In use for several months. I have been working on Canon cameras for a long time and therefore there is something to compare it with.

I bought a Sony 6500 camera wanting to try something new and in general I didn't regret it. For comparison, it is difficult to find a new camera of similar quality in the Canon system for this price. I took the camera as a second one, for photos and videos. Sony cameras have always been appreciated for their high-quality matrix with good dynamic range and ISO.

It is important that you can take pretty high-quality photos with it, and the most important thing that turned out to be a plus for me is a high-quality video, for a camera with such a price it is very good.

I want to share the pros and cons from my point of view.

+ advantages:

* Magnesium alloy housing, which is rare in cameras with such a price tag.
* Also, the case has dust and moisture protection, which means we will be able to shoot without worrying, in conditions of rain and wind, (of course, having a suitably protected lens).
* A matrix of 24 pixels, which is more than enough for a lot of purposes, (unless of course you are shooting for banners).
* Matrix with good dynamic range and light sensitivity.
* Rotary touch screen.
* Good hybrid autofocus, covering almost the entire display.
* 5-axis in-chamber stabilization.
* Good burst shooting with a large clipboard.
* Video in 4-K format.
* Lightweight housing with a convenient, far-out viewfinder and 100% coverage of the visible image.

And of course there are also disadvantages, how can there be without them:

* Small batteries, only enough for 300-400 shots, depends on whether we shoot from the screen or through the viewfinder.
* Weak built-in flash, though, thanks for at least having one.
* Not too convenient folding screen, working only up and down (the Canona is much more convenient, in any plane).
* The menu is not too convenient to configure, Canon is also easier and faster in settings.

General conclusions: I am satisfied with a good camera, for the price offered. Perfect for amateurs, or professional photographers as a second camera. Qualitatively shoots video, which is important. I can recommend it for purchase.

Sony Alpha A 6500 - a year of trouble-free operation. When the studio in which my daughter worked as a director ordered us to "live for a long time", we had an urgent question about acquiring our own equipment for videography. Own equipment is always convenient, you don't depend on anyone. For small things, of course, it makes sense to rent something, but not a camera! My daughter shoots very well herself, she has a lot of clips and series on YouTube on her account. So, for her work, the choice of camera model was not particularly worth it, they immediately decided to take the Sony A6500 and this is quite understandable. For a girl, light weight and small size are a big advantage when compared with a large full–frame Canon 80D. This is the first camera in which you can use the face recognition function, it focuses well and makes almost no mistakes. In addition, when shooting in 4K, the entire surface of the matrix is read from this device, such a function as SLOW-MO gives a great advantage, the presence of professional color profiles allows you to save the maximum color range of the image in subsequent processing. For video shooting, this camera has internal stabilization and this is also very important when working without a steadicam. There is a touch-screen display, which has a focus control function, but an additional monitor was purchased for video shooting. Convenient and practical. However, the camera has a disadvantage – it overheats. A little trick to avoid overheating, I recommend opening all the plugs on the camera itself and taking the monitor back. Of course, it would not be superfluous to buy a metal cage, which will serve as an additional radiator, and will also cool the camera itself and sits comfortably in your hand, but we have not done this yet. Although the thing is useful – I recommend it. To shoot in 4K, you will need a U3 memory card, you can use not expensive ones from Samsung. It will be necessary to purchase additional batteries, regular ones will be discharged very quickly, keep this in mind. One battery is enough for a maximum of one hour of shooting, for a start, four is enough. Buy another charger.

After purchasing the camera, we chose optics and settled on three lenses.:

The Sony 35 mm 1.8 is high-powered. Its price is high, I will not dissemble, but it is ideal for indoor work, portrait shooting, when she uses it for photography. Electronic stabilization paired with lens stabilization gives an excellent result. Shooting without matrix stabilization and lens stabilization is, to put it mildly, not a very great result.
Sigma 18-35 mm 1/8 Art for Canon. In my opinion, the most successful lens for filming, both during the day and at night. There is internal stabilization, which also affects the quality of shooting.

For filming in a car or indoors (interviews), it is better to take a moderately high-speed Samyang 14mm 2/8 lens. Just don't use it when shooting weddings. This lens does not have auto focus, and all adjustment is done manually, but having a monitor, there will be no problems with focus.

In case the camera becomes obsolete, and the lenses, as you know, are not cheap, it is easier to change the camera and use your lenses further. So, in order not to create inconvenience for themselves in the future, they took two adapters:

Sigma MC-11 E-EF, it does nothing, keeps the same focus and works just as fast, but it allows you to mount Canon optics on our camera.
Vitrox E-EF. But this one was taken because it increases the aperture and reduces the crop factor (if anyone does not know, Wikipedia will help you). Everything seems wider, bigger and as close as possible to the full frame.
Of course, there was also the purchase of a steadicam and filters, but this is already in the process. He does not part with the camera and does not give it to anyone, even if they ask. I think this is right, the technique should be in the same hands, especially when its work depends on it.

I tried to give the maximum overview of the kit we started with. It's been a year. My daughter has a lot of orders, her work can be seen on Instagram and YouTube. I just came from another expedition, from the filming of a new project. He will throw everything off for installation and go on the road again. She's happy–I'm happy, that's how it should be.