Ultimate Guide: Sony Alpha A6100 Mirrorless Camera with 16–50mm Zoom Lens
Sony has dominated the market for entry-level mirrorless cameras ever since the company introduced the a6000 mirrorless camera at the start of 2014. The a6000’s older generation is still capable of providing excellent results. But the a6100, which was just released, is the best reason to upgrade. Its autofocus technology is so good at locking on to the subject of photos and movies that it seems like magic.
Aside from that, this camera improves on the a6000's already great features by boosting the a6000's HD video performance to 4K and improving the 24-megapixel pictures' colors and level of detail. (The latter has a 30 fps frame rate cap.) Even though its design has a few kinks here and there, the Sony a6100 is the best mirrorless camera for clients who desire professional-level performance.
Who should use this camera?
Let's say you've been taking pictures with a smartphone or an older interchangeable-lens camera and want to improve. The Sony a6100 is the best camera to utilize in this situation. Since the A6100 is small enough to put in a coat pocket or handbag, it is easy to carry everywhere (with its 3X zoom kit lens).
Even in fully automatic mode, it produces high-quality photographs, but there is also a lot of room for modifying different settings and factors. The a6100 is a great way for amateur photographers and videographers of all skill levels, from beginners to experts, to improve their skills.
Presentation: Images and Videos
In comparison to other mirrorless cameras in this price range, the Sony a6100’s autofocus is a speedy (0.02 seconds), trustworthy, dynamic, and silent system; it performs significantly better than average. The AF system has a number of modes, such as spot with a wide area, single, center point, continuous, automated, and spot.
The "Tracking: Wide Flexible Spot" function is one of the most interesting and useful parts of the AF system. It is effective for all kinds of conditions and circumstances and is especially beneficial for beginners. Thanks to its Real-Time Eye AF feature, which is also capable of working effectively, the Sony a6100’s autofocus system can still capture the most dynamic features of a picture even when the light levels are low. Instead, the 11 frames per second surge brought on by a sluggish buffer is less enjoyable.
As you are aware, the quality of the images taken is greatly influenced by the lens used, and the 16–50mm lens that is included with the Sony A6100 package is by no means remarkable. Better lenses, on the other hand, provide photographs that are sharp and detailed up to an ISO of 3200. The only time the colors can pose a problem is if the skin tones are strange, but you can easily lessen the contrast after the shot has been taken to give the image a flatter range.
The Sony 6100 can record 4K video at 30 frames per second with a slight crop, which may be avoided by switching to 25 frames per second. Last but not least, there are the video recordings. Full HD movies can be captured using the Slow and Rapid modes.
Building and Handling Standards
Given that it is lightweight and has compact dimensions (W120 x D59.4 x H66.9 mm), the a6100 takes up relatively little space in a bag (396g for the body alone). Even coat pockets fit within without much difficulty. One benefit is how easy it is to take a camera this size almost anywhere. Even if it doesn’t have a grade for weather or dust resistance, you should still handle it carefully. The actual body is made of sturdy polycarbonate plastic, so despite its small size, it does not in any way resemble a delicate object.
The A6100’s design has not experienced many substantial changes from its predecessor. If you compare the two models side by side, it could be difficult to tell them apart. However, there is a definite distinction between the two in terms of how they are treated. Because Sony made the a6100's grip better, it was much easier to use heavier or longer telephoto zoom lenses with it.
The rear of the A6100 appears a little less cluttered, despite the fact that the button placement has not changed. Your thumb will usually rest on the camera’s right side. The mode dial and control dial, among other functions, have been crammed into that space as a result.
The 3-inch touchscreen on the a6100 can be rotated, which makes changing the settings a little bit easier. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, the menu navigation cannot be done using the touch feature. If you choose to buy this camera, I strongly advise you to take some time to adjust the settings to suit your tastes once you get it. It includes many customization options, which is a great bonus. All it takes to get it to work logically is a little bit of fiddling.
Takeaway
The Sony a6100 will soon replace other cameras in your collection once you become accustomed to its controls for capturing images of your loved ones or when traveling. There is no other camera that, when used with a touchscreen, makes it so simple to get a large percentage of your photos in focus, no matter the situation.
The camera will take care of the rest, allowing you to concentrate on your topic. In contrast, the camera and its menus may appear frightening at first, but with just a few minor setting changes, much of this information can be ignored.
It is impossible to understand how simple the a6100 makes it to take consistently in-focus pictures, especially of people, unless you have actually tried shooting with the camera. This is particularly true when taking pictures of individuals.
PROS & CONS
- Opportunities for extensive customization
- A lack of in-camera Raw conversion for image editing
- Excellent battery life for the class
- The absence of an external charger
- Excellent JPEG and Raw picture quality
- No threshold adjustments for Auto ISO
- Shutter speed that is quick, good for motion photographs
- In-body stability is absent
