In summary
The α6300 retains the familiar ‘NEX’ form factor with rangefinder styling and a compact body that appeals to many photo enthusiasts.
With one of Sony’s smaller kit lenses (for example the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS) the α6300 can slip reasonably comfortably into a jacket pocket or purse. This makes it a good choice for travellers and a great little camera for street photography ““ although the addition of a touch screen would make it even better.
Shots taken with the supplied Vario Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 lens were very clean and detailed and performance was good at higher ISO settings. The other lens delivered images that were slightly flatter and softer looking.
Video clips recorded in the 4K modes delivered an impressive amount of detail. The quality of the Full HD clips varied, with the main problems being associated with focus tracking and recording of motion. Most people should find them ‘good enough’ for everyday recordings.
The 23.5 x 15.6 mm Exmor CMOS sensor in the α6300 applies a 1.5x crop factor, which can be advantageous if you want increased zoom length but reduces angles of view for wide-angle photography. Regardless of which Sony model you choose, like the α7 models, this camera’s battery capacity is less than an equivalent DSLR camera.
Another downside of the α6300 is its lack of sensor-shift built-in stabilisation, which has been an integral feature of the A7 series. Users who want stabilisation must fit a stabilised lens to the camera and face the associated extra cost and weight. (Sony’s wide-angle lenses seldom provide built-in stabilisation.)
Full review
Released roughly two years after the popular α6000 model (which we reviewed in August 2014, Sony’s α6300 introduces a new sensor with 425 phase-detection AF points embedded in its surface, a significant improvement on the 179 AF points in the α6000’s sensor. Resolution remains unchanged since the α6000 but the new sensor is made using a fabrication process that replaces the previous wiring with copper. This has improved conductivity and, therefore, enables the camera to support faster data transmission and provide greater battery capacity.
Angled view of the Sony α6300 camera with the Zeiss Vario-Tessar E 16-70mm f/4 OSS lens. (Source: Sony.)
Who’s it for?
The α6300 retains the familiar ‘NEX’ form factor with rangefinder styling and a compact body that appeals to many photo enthusiasts. It’s smaller, lighter and cheaper than the α7 Mark II, which offers the same resolution but from a larger sensor.
The 23.5 x 15.6 mm Exmor CMOS sensor in the α6300 applies a 1.5x crop factor, which can be advantageous if you want increased zoom length but reduces angles of view for wide-angle photography. But, regardless of which Sony model you choose, like the α7 models, this camera’s battery capacity is less than an equivalent DSLR camera.
Another negative aspect of the α6300 is its lack of sensor-shift built-in stabilisation, which has been an integral feature of the A7 series. Users who want stabilisation must fit a stabilised lens to the camera and face the associated extra cost and weight. (Sony’s wide-angle lenses seldom provide built-in stabilisation.)
Finally, we remain unimpressed by Sony’s menu systems, which are complex, long-winded and poorly organised. This is particularly problematic when the Quick menu (accessed via the Fn button) isn’t supported by touch-screen accessibility.
Build and Ergonomics
While the new camera has a superficial resemblance to its predecessor, some small changes make it better to use. The α6300’s magnesium alloy body is slightly deeper and more robust than its predecessor’s. It also has a larger, more comfortable grip moulding, a reinforced lens mount, a new shutter release button and an improved mode dial design. Dust and moisture resistance has also been upgraded.
Nine customisable buttons provide plenty of scope for setting key controls where you like them. Any one of 64 functions can be assigned to each of these buttons to provide one-touch access.
Unfortunately, Sony hasn’t addressed a few aspects of the α6000 that needed improvement. For example, the movie button is still very small and located on the corner of the camera body, just to the rear of the strap loop, where it’s difficult to reach. The two control dials are also difficult to reach, particularly if you want to use the camera one-handed.
Front and top views of the Sony α6300 camera.(Source: Sony.)
Angled rear view of the α6300 showing the tilting monitor screen. (Source: Sony.)
Another feature that could have been improved (but wasn’t) is the compartment in the base of the grip, which is shared by the memory card and battery. It’s very cramped and the card slot is still pushed up against the hinge of the compartment cover, making it quite difficult to insert and remove cards.
Battery charging is still via a USB cable, which means a charger is an optional extra. This arrangement is typical of cameras designed for amateur snapshooters and it’s rather clumsily implemented. Extra batteries and the separate charger will cost you AU$99 each.
Finally, the camera is not optimised to take advantage of the faster data transfer speeds of UHS-II memory cards (a surprising omission in a camera with 4K movie recording). This can lead to glitches during continuous shooting.
On the positive side, there’s been a small change to the mode dial, with the amalgamation of the iAuto and iAuto+ positions into a single Auto mode. This has allowed Sony to add a second Custom memory setting, which some photographers could find useful.
The AE Lock button has been integrated into a new button and lever control just above the top right hand corner of the monitor screen. Flipping the lever up lets you toggle between auto and manual focusing modes, while when it’s down it provides the normal AE lock.
The EVF is the same size as on the α6000 but its resolution has increased from 1,440,000 dots to 2,359,296 dots. a jump of over 60%. Its refresh rate is now adjustable, with a choice between the normal 60 frames/second (fps) and 120 fps for smoother viewing of subject motion.
What’s New?
The α6300 features a new high-density tracking AF technology that is supposed to improve subject detection and tracking performance. Sony claims it can quickly activate a large number of AF points surrounding a subject and ‘intelligently’ adjust them in accordance with the subject’s motion, focusing in as little as 0.05 seconds.
Eye AF is now available when shooting with continuous autofocus, along with an expanded flexible spot AF function and focus magnification with autofocusing. These features have been ported across from the α7 models. Sony has also added a silent shooting mode and expanded the camera’s AE bracketing options to include five frames in 0.3EV steps or nine frames in 1EV steps.
Video has been upgraded to support 4K movie recording and Sony has introduced many features that parallel those in its α7 cameras. Movie data is supplied with pixel readout and no pixel binning, enabling the camera to collect 20 megapixels of information and then oversample the information to output the recording in the popular Super 35mm format (3840 x 2160 pixels). (See the Video section below for more information.)
The α6300 is also the first Sony E-mount camera with an APS-C sized sensor to make the 425 phase detection AF points, enhanced tracking and focus accuracy available A-mount lenses with a mount adaptor like the Sony LA-EA3. The only other cameras with this capability are the full-frame α7R II and α7 II models.
Unchanged Features
The tilting monitor is identical to the earlier cameras, with a resolution of 921,600 dots. It pulls out from the camera and can be tilted up through approximately 90 degrees for waist-level viewing and down by about 45 degrees for shooting with the camera held above the photographer’s head. Touch controls are not supported.
The arrow pad includes a control wheel plus four directional ‘buttons’ that access the Display, ISO, drive and exposure compensation/Photo Creativity settings. All are customisable. Just above the arrow pad is a Fn (function) button that is also programmable.
The menu system is the same as the α6000’s, with six sections, some containing six or seven pages, while others have one or two. The Creative Style and Picture Effects settings are the same as in the α7R and covered in our review of that camera.
The α6300 provides the same communications facilities as its predecessor, with both Wi-Fi and NFC. We’ve covered these functions in our review of the α7R.
Sensor and Image Processing
Although resolution hasn’t changed, according to Sony literature, the α6300 features a new 24.2-megapixel sensor that employs copper wiring in its structure. This improves light collection efficiency and delivers faster readout speeds.
The BIONZ X image processing engine utilises an upgraded image processing algorithm designed to maximise the sensor’s overall capabilities. Together they enable the camera to offer sensitivity settings up to ISO 51200 and deliver low noise and high resolution in the mid-to-high sensitivity range.
Like its predecessor, the α6300 supports continuous shooting at up to 11 frames/second (fps) with autofocusing, along with a new 8 fps continuous live-view mode. According to Sony, the latter provides 100% accurate framing for fast moving subjects on the LCD screen or viewfinder.
There’s space in the buffer memory for up to 44 JPEGs (Large/Extra Fine), a reduction on the α6000’s buffer memory because the JPEG files are slightly larger in the new camera. Alternatively, you can store 21 ARW.RAW files or RAW+JPEG pairs.
In line with other Sony cameras, the α6300 lets users choose between 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios and provides three levels of JPEG compression for each. The standard Sweep Panorama settings are also available with horizontal and vertical sweeping, each in two directions, plus a choice between standard and wide image sizes. Typical file sizes are shown in the table below.
|
Aspect ratio |
Pixels |
Typical file sizes |
|||
|
ARW.RAW |
JPEG Extra-fine |
JPEG Fine |
JPEG Standard |
||
|
3:2 |
6000 x 4000 |
26.3MB |
19.4MB |
9.4MB |
5.8MB |
|
4240 x 2832 |
n.a. |
11.8MB |
5.4MB |
3.9MB |
|
|
3008 x 2000 |
7.5MB |
3.7MB |
2.9MB |
||
|
16:9 |
6000 x 3376 |
16.7MB |
8.4MB |
5.2MB |
|
|
4240 x 2832 |
10.3MB |
4.9MB |
3.6MB |
||
|
3008 x 1688 |
6.7MB |
3.4MB |
2.8MB |
||
|
Sweep Panorama horizontal |
8192 x 1856 |
8.4MB |
|||
|
12416 x 1856 |
12.3MB |
||||
|
Sweep Panorama vertical |
3872 x 2160 5536 x 2160 |
5.5MB |
|||
|
7.01MB |
|||||
Video
Like other Sony 4K cameras, the α6300 uses Sony’s proprietary XAVC S codec, rather than the MP4 codec used by other camera manufacturers. You need an SDXC card with a capacity of 64GB or higher to record 4K movie clips and a UHS Speed Class 3 card is required for the highest resolution. We used a Lexar Professional SDXC UHS-II card with a 2000x speed rating and the ability to record at 300MB/second for our recording tests.
While XAVC S uses the same MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression in an MP4 wrapping format, it’s not as widely supported in the consumer market as MP4 ““ although it is easier to integrate with the professional XAVC format and supports more ‘professional’ features. While not a true match for professional recording quality, the XAVC S codec records at a high bit rate of 100 Megabits/second (Mbps) during 4K recording and 50 Mbps during standard Full HD shooting, with the aim of ensuring maximum detail and clarity in both video formats.
Pro-level movie functions offered in the α6300 include S-Gamut3 for a wider colour space and S-Log3 gamma for wide dynamic range shooting, which delivers an exposure latitude of approximately 14-stops. Both options provide greater scope for processing video in post-production.
Also included is a microphone line input that accepts external microphones and also supports XLR input with Sony’s XLR adapter kit, as well as Gamma Display Assist, a new function that allows users to monitor images or check focus when recording S-Log movies. Enhanced Zebra functionality ensures greater exposure control. Picture profile settings are available, as well as Time Code / User Bit and 120fps Full HD recording.
Like the α7 models, the α6300 also supports Full HD 1080-pixel settings in the AVCHD format and Full HD and HD (720p) in the MP4 format. Full HD video can also be recorded in XAVC S format at 120 fps with a bit rate of 100 Mbps, another first for Sony’s cameras with APS-C sized sensors.The table below shows the options available for movie recording in PAL format countries.
|
Movie format |
Resolution |
Record setting |
Bit-rate |
Recordable time |
|
|
XAVC S 4K |
3840 x 2160 |
25p 100M |
Approx. 100Mbps |
35 minutes |
|
|
25p 60M |
Approx. 60Mbps |
1 hour |
|||
|
XAVC S HD |
1920 x 1080 |
50p 50M |
Approx. 50Mbps |
1 hour 15 minutes |
|
|
25p 50M |
|||||
|
100p 50M |
|||||
|
120p 100M |
Approx. 100Mbps |
35 minutes |
|||
|
120p 60M |
Approx. 60Mbps |
1 hour |
|||
|
25p 16M |
Approx. 16Mbps |
55 minutes |
|||
|
AVCHD |
FX |
1920 x 1080 |
50i 24M |
Approx. 24Mbps |
3 hours |
|
FH |
50i 17M |
Approx. 17Mbps |
4 hours 5 minutes |
||
|
PS |
50p 28M |
Approx. 28Mbps |
2 hours 30 minutes |
||
|
FX |
25p 24M |
Approx. 24Mbps |
3 hours |
||
|
FH |
25p 17M |
Approx. 17Mbps |
4 hours 5 minutes |
||
|
MP4 |
1920 x 1080 |
50p 28M |
Approx. 28Mbps |
2 hours 35 minutes |
|
|
25p 16M |
Approx. 16Mbps |
4 hours 10 minutes |
|||
|
1280 x 720 |
25p 6M |
Approx. 6Mbps |
10 hours 55 minutes |
||
The P, A, S and M shooting modes can be used for recording movie clips, giving photographers plenty of control over exposure levels. Note, these are the only modes that support 120p or100p recording.
With camera’s default settings, continuous shooting is possible for approximately 29 minutes at normal temperatures. The maximum file size for AVCHD movies is 2GB, while MP4 movie recording will stop when the file size reached 4GB.
Clean HDMI output to an external recorder is supported, with the following options for the PAL TV system: 3840 x 2160 (25p), 1920 x 1080 (50p) and 1920 x 1080 (50i). Colour is recorded with 8-bit depth using the YCbCr colour model and 4:2:2 sub-sampling.
Wi-Fi
On-board Wi-Fi plus NFC connectivity are similar to the functions provided in the α6000 and covered in our review of the α7R. Connecting the camera to online sharing and storage facilities requires users to install Sony’s PlayMemories Online on connected devices.
Sony’s growing portfolio of PlayMemories Camera Apps lets users access both free and paid appsthat offer utilities and creative enhancements. Some of them are a bit clunky and difficult to use, while others are genuinely useful.
The α6300 is also compatible with Sony’s Camera Remote API programme. This requires installation of the most recent Smart Remote Control, which is available from Sony’s website.
Playback and Software
Nothing much has changed in this area. Like an increasing number of camera manufacturers, Sony doesn’t provide a software disk with the camera. Instead, Sony’s PlayMemories Home is available as a free download from the Support section of the company’s website. You’ll need this software to import video clips recorded with the camera into your computer.
While PlayMemories Home can be used to import XAVC S and AVCHD movie clips into your computer, it can’t be used for editing XAVC S clips and has limited functionality with AVCHD movies. Sony recommends the following video editors for photographers who want to edit movies taken with its 4K-enabled cameras: Adobe Premiere Elements, Apple’s iMovie 10, CyberLink PowerDirector, Pinnacle Studio 18 Ultimate and Sony Movie Studio Platinum.
Performance
The review camera was supplied with two lenses: an E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens that had seen a lot of wear and tear and a Zeiss-branded Vario Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 lens, which we reviewed in April 2015 on the Sony α7 II camera. We opted for the FE 16-35mm f/4 lens for our Imatest tests since it was in better condition and, therefore, less likely to compromise the sensor’s performance.
Because the FE 16-35mm lens interfered with the flash coverage, we used the 18-55mm lens for all flash tests and also for our night exposures. It also proved a more suitable choice for close-up shots and was less conspicuous for our movie shooting tests (although we suspect its small maximum aperture at the 55mm focal length may have interfered with AF performance).
Subjective assessment of shots taken with both lenses showed the usual Sony tendency to increase saturation of warmer hues in JPEG files. Skin tones were also pushed towards a warmer balance. Saturation was suppressed, however, in the yellow/green colour band, leading to a relatively normal level of overall saturation.
Imatest showed the camera to be a strong performer with the Zeiss-branded lens. The best JPEG images were just able to meet expectations for the sensor’s resolution, while the best raw files exceeded expectations by a comfortable margin (hence the high image quality rating).
Resolution remained high from ISO 100 to ISO 3200, inclusive, and then declined slowly but steadily with a sharp drop between ISO 25600 and ISO 51200 for JPEG files. The difference between centre and edge resolution across the camera’s sensitivity range was comparatively small, as shown in the graph of our Imatest results below.
Low light performance was generally very good. We found little visible noise in long exposures at ISO settings right up to 12800, with noise becoming progressively more obvious thereafter. Noise could be discerned in shots taken at ISO 25600 remained printable at output sizes up to about 10 x 15 cm. But ISO 51200 images were quite flat, soft and noticeably noise-affected.
Flash performance was inconsistent across the camera’s sensitivity range. The built-in flash is quite feeble and delivered slight under-exposure at ISO 100 and ISO 200. Exposures were evenly balanced from ISO 400 to ISO 3200, after which shots became progressively more over-exposed as the camera’s auto exposure system was unable to adjust the lens aperture and/or shutter speed to compensate for the higher sensitivity. Shots taken at ISO settings above 4000 were so over-exposed as to be unusable.
The auto white balance setting produced close-to-neutral colours under fluorescent lighting but, as expected, failed to eliminate the orange cast from incandescent lights. Flash shots showed accurate colour rendition. As in the α6000, both the EVF and monitor screens appeared to render incandescent lighting with much less warming than appeared in the recorded image, a feature potential users should take note of.
Auto white balance with flash exposures produced excellent colour neutrality, which meant the flash pre-set had no adjustments to make. In contrast, both the incandescent and most of the fluorescent pre-sets tended to over-correct and it required manual measurement to produce neutral colours under both types of lighting.
Autofocusing was generally very fast in bright outdoor lighting and the camera was able to lock onto static subjects almost instantaneously. However, performance was variable with moving subjects, depending on how fast they were moving.
At walking speed the AF system was usually capable of tracking subjects as they passed across the field of view or approached the camera, provided subject contrast wasn’t too low. With faster-moving subjects, AF performance became erratic and locking-on was often hit-or-miss, depending on lighting conditions.
When recording movie clips, the continuous AF setting often found it difficult to match the speed of subject motion and hunting was common. This difficulty also affected high-speed burst of still shots, particularly in flat, low-contrast lighting.
Aside from the focusing problems, actual 4K video quality was excellent, although recordings made in the Full HD (1920 x 1080) modes weren’t of a similar standard, even in XAVC S format. An SDXC U3 card is required to access the 4K recording modes so anyone using slower cards will be stuck with fairly ordinary-looking movie clips.
We weren’t able to test the camera with an external microphone but the built-in stereo mics provided acceptable audio quality for home movies. As usual, the wind suppression filter suppressed ambient wind noise without totally removing it.
Our timing tests were carried out with a 32GB Panasonic SDHC U3 Class 10 memory card, which claims read/write transfer speeds of 95/90 MB/second which is three times faster than the card we used for testing the α6000. Not unexpectedly, we measured some significant performance improvements.
The review camera powered up for shooting in just over a second, which isn’t particularly fast for a CSC but about half the time taken for the α6000. However, it took roughly double that time whenever a new memory card was used because the camera has to ‘build an image database’ (a practice unique to Sony).
We measured a consistent capture lag of 0.1 seconds, which was eliminated when shots were pre-focused. Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.9 seconds without flash and 4.5 seconds with. In the high-speed continuous shooting mode, we recorded a burst of 43 Large/ Fine JPEG frames in 3.8 seconds, which is close to specifications.
When shooting a burst of ARW.RAW files in the same mode, recording paused after 21 frames, which were captured in 1.9 seconds, which is marginally slower than the JPEG frame rate. The same buffer memory capacity and recording frame rate applied with RAW+JPEG pairs.
Without an indicator lamp on the top or rear panels (it’s on the base plate, next to the battery/card compartment), it was difficult to measure exact processing times for individual shots or bursts taken in the continuous shooting mode. However, for each of the bursts we recorded, the camera remained locked for at least 30 seconds.
Conclusion
The ILCE-α6300’s improved AF system certainly appears to offer faster lock-on and better tracking of moving subjects than the system in the previous camera. But its lack of consistency is concerning, particularly for photographers who favour moving subjects.
The EVF in the new camera also seems to refresh much more quickly, providing a more SLR-like viewing experience. Users of the α6300 can also take advantage of the many features of an electronic display (WYSIWYG viewing plus more shooting data), which can make recording movies much easier than having to rely on a Live View screen.
Shots taken with the supplied Vario Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 lens were very clean and detailed and performance was good at higher ISO settings. The other lens delivered images that were slightly flatter and softer looking.
Video clips recorded in the 4K modes delivered an impressive amount of detail. The quality of the Full HD clips varied, with the main problems being associated with focus tracking and recording of motion. Most people should find them ‘good enough’ for everyday recordings.
With one of Sony’s smaller kit lenses (for example the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS) the α6300 can slip reasonably comfortably into a jacket pocket or purse. This makes it a good choice for travellers and a great little camera for street photography ““ although the addition of a touch screen would make it even better.
SPECS
Image sensor: 23.5 x 15.6 mm Exmor CMOS sensor with 25 million photosites (24.2 megapixels effective)
Image processor: BIONZ X
A/D processing: 14-bit
Lens mount: Sony E-mount
Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
Digital zoom: Up to 8x with reduced magnification
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), ARW.RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies: XAVC S, AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant, MP4
Image Sizes: Stills ““ 3:2 aspect: 6000 x 4000, 4240 x 2832, 3008 x 2000; 16:9 aspect: 6000 x 3376, 4240 x 2832, 3008 x 1688; Sweep Panorama – Wide: horizontal 12,416 x 1856, vertical 5536 x 2160, Standard: horizontal 8192 x 1856, vertical 3872 x 2160; Movies: [4K] 3840 x 2160 (30p/100Mbps, 30p/60Mbps, 24p/100Mbps, 24p/60Mbps), [Full HD] XAVC S HD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/50Mbps, 30p/50Mbps, 24p/50Mbps, 120p/100Mbps, 120p/60Mbps), AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps/PS, 60i/24Mbps/FX, 60i/17Mbps/FH, 24p/24Mbps/FX, 24p/17Mbps/FH), MP4: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps, 30p/16Mbps), 1280 x 720 (30p/6Mbps); High Frame Rate Recording – PAL: 1920 x 1080 (25p/16Mbps)
Image Stabilisation: Lens based
Dust removal: Charge protection coating on Optical Filter and ultrasonic vibration mechanism
Shutter (speed range): Electronically controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type (30-1/4000 second); Flash Sync. at 1/160 sec., Silent Shooting mode
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3EV or 1/2EV steps (+/-EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: 3/5/9 frames selectable. With 3 or 5 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1.0, 2.0 or 3.0 EV increments, with 9 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1.0 EV increments.
Other bracketing options: WB (3 frames, H/L selectable), Flash Compensation
Self-timer: 10 sec. delay/5 sec. delay/2 sec. delay; Continuous self-timer (3 frames after 10 sec. delay/5 frames after 10 sec. delay/3 frames after 5 sec. delay/5 frames after 5 sec. delay/3 frames after 2 sec. delay/5 frames after 2 sec. delay); Bracketing self-timer (Off/2 sec. delay/5 sec. delay/10 sec. delay)
Focus system: Fast Hybrid AF with 425 points (phase-detection AF) and 169 points (Contrast-detection AF)
Focus modes: Automatic AF (AF-A), Single-shot AF (AF-S), Continuous AF (AF-C), Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Manual Focus; Lock-on AF, Eye AF, Predictive control, Focus lock; Eye-Start AF and AF micro adjustment (both only available with optional LA-EA2 or LA-EA4 attached), AF illuminator (built-in, LED type)
Exposure metering: 1200-zone evaluative metering with Exmor CMOS sensor; Multi-segment, Centre-weighted and Spot metering patterns
Shooting modes: Auto (iAuto, Superior Auto), P, A, S, M, Scene Selection (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night Portrait, Night Scene, Hand-held Twilight, Anti Motion Blur), Sweep Panorama, Movie/High Frame Rate (P, A, S, M)
Picture Effect modes: Posterisation (Colour, B/W), Pop Colour, Retro Photo, Partial Colour (R, G, B, Y), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature, Watercolour, Illustration
Creative Style modes: Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn Leaves, Black & White, Sepia (Contrast -3 to +3 steps, Saturation -3 to +3 steps, Sharpness -3 to +3 steps) (Style Box 1-6 also provided)
Colour space options: sRGB standard (with sYCC gamut) and Adobe RGB standard compatible with TRILUMINOS Colour
ISO range: ISO 100-25600 (expandable to 51200), AUTO (ISO 100-6400)
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Fluorescent (Warm White / Cool White / Day White / Daylight), Flash, Colour temperature setting (2500 to 9900K), Colour Filter (G7 to M7: 57 steps, A7 to B7: 29 steps), Custom, Underwater
Flash: Built-in flash; GN 6 (metres/ISO 100); coverage to 16mm lens, recycling time approx. 4 seconds
Flash modes: Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync , Wireless
Flash exposure adjustment: +/-3.0 EV (switchable between 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)
Sequence shooting: Max. 11 shots/sec.
Buffer capacity: Max. 44 Large/Fine JPEGs, 21 RAW files or 21 RAW+JPEG pairs
Storage Media: Multi slot for Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (compatible with UHS-I standard)
Viewfinder: 1.0 cm (0.39 type) XGA OLED EVF with 2,359,296 dots, 100% frame coverage, approx. 1.07x magnification, dioptre adjustment of -4.0 to +3.0 dpt, approx. 23mm eyepoint
LCD monitor: Tilting 7.5cm (3.0-type) wide type TFT with 921,600 dots, brightness control (5 steps between -2 and +2, Sunny Weather mode)
Playback functions: Single (with or without shooting information, Y RGB histogram & highlight/shadow warning), 12/30-frame index view, Enlarged display mode (Maximum magnification L: 16.7x, M: 11.8x, S: 8.3x), Auto Review (10/5/2 sec, off), Image orientation (Auto/Manual/Off selectable), Slideshow, Panorama scrolling, Folder selection (Still / Date / MP4 / AVCHD / XAVC S HD / XAVC S 4K), Forward/Rewind (Movie), Delete, Protect
Interface terminals: Multi / Micro USB Terminal, HDMI micro connector (Type-D), BRAVIA Sync (link menu), PhotoTV HD, 4K movie output, 4K still image playback; 3.5mm Stereo minijack (microphone)
Wi-Fi function: IEEE 802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz band
Power supply: NP-FW50 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Pack; CIPA rated for approx. 350 shots/charge (viewfinder) or approx. 400 shots/charge (LCD screen)
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 120 x 66.9 x 48.8 mm (body only)
Weight: Approx. 361 grams (body only); 404 grams with battery and card
TESTS
Based on JPEG files taken with the Vario Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 lens.
Based on ARW.RAW files processed with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLES
The shots below were taken with the E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens.
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with flash lighting.
30-second exposure at ISO 100; 27mm focal length, f/5.
12-second exposure at ISO 800; 27mm focal length, f/5.6.
5-second exposure at ISO 3200; 27mm focal length, f/8.
3.2-second exposure at ISO 6400; 27mm focal length, f/9.
2.5-second exposure at ISO 12800; 27mm focal length, f/11.
1-second exposure at ISO 51200; 27mm focal length, f/16.
Flash exposure at ISO 100; 55mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 800; 55mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 3200; 55mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 6400; 55mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 12800; 55mm focal length, 1/80 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 51200; 55mm focal length, 1/160 second at f/5.6.
Close-up; 55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/60 second at f/6.3.
50mm focal length, ISO 125, 1/80 second at f/5
The shots below were taken with the Vario Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 lens.
Strong backlighting; 16mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/500 second at f/8.
23mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/8.
35mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/100 second at f/9.
32mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/60 second at f/4.5.
35mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/60 second at f/4.5.
23mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/8.
21mm focal length, ISO 6400, 1/50 second at f/5.
17mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/80 second at f/6.3.
32mm focal length, ISO 1000, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Still frame from XAVC S 4K video clip; 25p 100Mbps.
Still frame from XAVC S 4K video clip; 25p 60Mbps.
Still frame from XAVC S HD 1080p video clip; 50p 50Mbps.
Still frame from XAVC S HD 1080p video clip; 25p 50Mbps.
Still frame from XAVC S HD 1080p video clip; 100p 50Mbps.
Still frame from XAVC S HD 1080p video clip; 120p 100Mbps.
Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 50i at 24Mbps.
Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 50p at 28Mbps.
Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 25p at 24Mbps.
Still frame from AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 25p at 17Mbps.
Still frame from MP4 Full HD (1920 x 1080) video clip; 50p 28Mbps.
Still frame from MP4 HD (1280 x 720) video clip; 25p at 6Mbps.
Rating
RRP: AU$1699; US$1000 (body only); AU$1800, as reviewed with 16-50mm lens
- Build: 9.0
- Ease of use: 8.6
- Autofocusing: 8.8
- Still image quality JPEG: 8.8
- Still image quality RAW: 9.0
- 4K video quality: 9.0
