Sony A6100

24MP APS-C, 11 FPS, 4K Stereo

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Sony: A9 III A1 A9 II A9 A7R V A7R IV A7R III A7 IV A7 III A7R II A7S III A7c A7 II A6600 A6400 A6100 A6000 ZV-E10 RX10/4 RX100/7 RX100/6 Flash Lenses

Sony A6100

Sony A6100 (14.4 oz./409g with battery and card, $748) with Sony 16-50 PZ. bigger.

I'd get the body-only for $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

It also comes as a kit with the superb and tiny 16-50mm PZ lens for $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses for $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes in even more kit versions at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

You also can get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used A6100 — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new A6100. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new A6100 before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

 

April 2021   Sony   Sony Lenses   Zeiss   Nikon   Canon   Fuji   LEICA   All Reviews

A6400 review

A6600 review

All Sony Cameras Compared

Sony vs. Nikon vs. Canon Full-Frame

Sony A6100

Top, Sony A6100. bigger.

 

Sony A6100

Rear, Sony A6100. bigger.

 

Sample Images       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

These are just snapshots and there are many more throughout the review; my real work is in my Gallery.

Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Sample Image

Porsche Panamera Turbo Hood Badge, 10:31 AM, 15 April 2021. Square crop from Sony A6100, Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G at 55mm at f/6.3 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

This crest is only 2⅔" (68mm) tall. Even in this reduced size image you can count every fleck of pure 0.999 silver in the GT Silver paint.

 

Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Sample Image

Sofie and Zoey sleeping, 2:54 PM, 15 April 2021. Sony A6100, Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G at 33mm at f/2.8 at 1/50 at Auto ISO 400 (LV 6.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.

You can count every hair, even with a slow hand-held shutter speed, absolutely no image stabilization and with the super-shallow depth of field that comes from shooting wide-open at f/2.8. Bravo!

 

Sony E 70-350mm Sample Image File

Sheriff's Helicopter from a mile away, 10:50 AM, 18 April 2021. Cropped from Sony A6100 JPG file, Sony E 70-350mm G OSS at 350mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.3), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

Is it sharp? You can see the perforations in the vents behind the engine in the original file, and this helicopter is over a mile away!

 

Sony E 70-350mm Sample Image File

Red Plant 10:32 AM, 17 April 2021. Sony A6100, Sony E 70-350mm G OSS at 255mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 400 (LV 12.0), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.

See the perfect exposure for this difficult shot? Bravo!

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Introduction       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

Adorama Pays Top Dollar for Used Gear

Amazon

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Crutchfield

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

This A6100 is Sony's most basic current APS-C camera. It takes pictures at least as good as the more expensive A6400 and A6600, but lacks some convenience features to save cost. In fact, as my tests show, the A6100's high ISO performance is at least as good as the high ISO performance of the A6400 or of the A6600, and this A6100 has a built-in flash sorely lacking in the far more expensive A6600! Dollar for dollar, this is Sony's best APS-C camera.

This A6100 has great autofocus performance and is a fantastic choice as a basic camera, especially if you have no idea what the fancier features do. I bought my own mom an A6000 years ago, and she continues to LOVE it today. This Sony A6100 improves on the original A6000 which was introduced back in 2014.

Grab this tiny jewel with the collapsible 16-50mm PZ lens as a kit and it gives pro results while fitting in a pocket, and with the 18-135mm lens still weighs next to nothing, goes everywhere and can shoot anything.

All of the A6000 series offer super-fast autofocus, fast operation and great pictures. Bravo, Sony!

I'd get my A6100 body-only for $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the superb and tiny 16-50mm PZ lens for $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses for $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes in even more kit versions at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

You also can get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

New since A6000       top

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Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com 4K video.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com LCD flips-up 180º for self-portraits (A6000 and A6300 only flipped-up 90º),

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com ISO goes to ISO 51,200 (A6000 only went to ISO 25,600).

 

Good       top

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User's Guide   Recommendations

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Superb autofocus system never misses a shot.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Built-in flash.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Ultra small and light and makes tons of great photos fast and easy!

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Super-fast frame rates for shooting action.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Silent Shooting.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Square and 16:9 as-shot crop options — but no 4:3 crop.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Charges via micro-USB.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com AF zones may be selected by sliding your finger around the touch screen while you look through the finder, which is far faster and more precise than a joystick.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Touch LCD also works to scroll around zoomed images as you play them back through the finder.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Can be set to create a new folder every day.

 

Bad       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Like most mirrorless cameras, the camera and displays always take a moment to respond to any sort of dial input, making it clumsy to set shutter speeds, apertures, ISOs or other things as quickly as pros demand. We can't just count clicks as we turn a dial; instead we have to stop what we're doing and instead concentrate on waiting for a display to catch up to what we've already input.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com A junk "splash" screen which may help my mom pops up for a few seconds when changing the mode dial, which can slow operation for the rest of us.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Auto ISO minimum shutter speeds are NOT adjustable; it auto-selects based on focal length.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com It's hard to remove the memory card because its slot is right in the crack of the battery door, and the card label faces away from you. Push the card and it pops out a little, but the grip ridge is pointing away from you making it nearly impossible to get any kind of grip to remove it.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Memory cards are still improperly formatted as "NO NAME," which is confusing when you have many cards and drives plugged into your computer and you're trying to identify which is the memory card from your Sony camera.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Red card access LED is on the bottom of the A6100, right at the card door hinge!

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Charge LED is under the USB connector so it's usually hidden while charging. So? I charge my A6100 upside-down so I can see the LED.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com The viewfinder OLED in my sample was misaligned, slightly rotating the finder image. Couple this with the lack of a level and you try to keep horizons level!

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Not smart enough to rotate playback images based on how you are holding the camera, as every iPhone does.

 

Missing       top

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Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Auto ISO minimum shutter speeds are NOT adjustable; it auto-selects based on focal length.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No electronic level.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No sensor cleaner.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Not smart enough to rotate playback images based on how you are holding the camera, as every iPhone does.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No sensor-shift in-body Image Stabilization; only Sony's A6600 and A6500 have this in an APS-C body. I've never found in-body stabilization to be a big deal.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No in-finder live-view RGB color histogram (no Sony has this while shooting; you have to stop and play back to see a full RGB histogram.)

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No GPS; use the app to get that from your phone.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No M1 and M2 memory recalls on the top dial. There is but one "MR" setting from which you can select among several saved settings.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No 4:3 crop option for stills or video.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Small camera with a small battery rated only 380 shots per charge.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com While you can use the touch screen to select AF areas, paradoxically the touch screen doesn't work for setting menus, text entries or much else. Weird.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Mic input, but ho headphone jack.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No ability to set file name prefixes (most likely left out to simplify usage for the sorts of people like my mom).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No ability to add copyright information to EXIF data (most likely left out to simplify usage for the sorts of people like my mom).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Slightly less viewfinder resolution than more expensive models (has no effect on the pictures).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No ISO 50 pulled ISO.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No spring-loading on the card door latch, so you have to remember to slide it to lock each time you close it.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No ability to save and recall camera settings to and from a card.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No timed manual exposures longer than 30 seconds. You have to use Bulb, a remote release and an external timer instead.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No illuminated buttons.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No second card slot.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Not threaded to use a standard threaded cable release.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com In-finder data displays do not rotate with the camera.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No always-responsive instant manual-focus override; you only have it in some modes or with some lenses.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No shutter speed dial.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No ISO dial.

 

Specifications       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

 

I'd get my A6100 body-only for $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the superb and tiny 16-50mm PZ lens for $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses for $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes in even more kit versions at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

You also can get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Lens Compatibility

Sony A6100

Lens Mount, Sony A6100. bigger.

Sony E Mount.

Uses both full-frame and APS-C lenses.

 

Image Sensor       specifications       top

24 MP.

APS-C 15.6 × 23.5 mm.

1.534×  crop factor.

6,000 × 4,000 pixels native.

1.5:1 aspect ratio.

Short 18mm flange focal distance allows better lens designs than DSLRs do — the same advantage rangefinder cameras have.

14-bit quantization.

 

Image Sizes       specifications       top

24MP: 6,000 × 4,000 native

12 MP: 4,240 × 2,832

6 MP: 3,008 × 2,000

 

16:9 crop

20 MP: 6,000 × 3,376

10 MP: 4,240 × 2,400

5 MP: 3,008 × 1,688

 

1:1 square crop

16 MP: 4,000 × 4,000

8 MP: 2,832 × 2,832

4 MP: 2,000 × 2,000

 

Swept Panoramas

Wide: horizontal 12,416 x 1,856 (23MP), vertical 5,536 x 2,160 (12MP).

Standard: horizontal 8,192 x 1,856 (15MP), vertical 3,872 x 2,160 (8.4MP).

 

ISO       specifications       top

Stills

ISO 100 ~ ISO 51,200.

Auto ISO 100 ~ ISO 51,200.

Sony marks up to ISO 32,000 as "regular," and ISO 40,000 and 51,200 as "extended."

 

Video

ISO 100 ~ ISO 32,000.

Auto ISO 100       specifications       top ~ ISO 32,000.

 

Auto ISO

Adjustable for high and low limits from ISO 100 to ISO 51,200 in full stops (to 32,000 for video).

Auto ISO minimum shutter speeds NOT adjustable.

 

Color Spaces       specifications       top

sRGB and Adobe RGB.

 

Still Image Formats       specifications       top

JPG, raw and JPG + raw.

 

Auto Focus       specifications       top

425 zones of both contrast and phase detection.

Eye detect with Auto, Right or Left selections.

Detects up to 8 faces.

Tracking & continuous AF.

Eye, face and smile detection.

LED illuminator.

LV -2 to +20 with f/2 lens.

 

Finder       specifications       top

1 cm (0.39") OLED.

1,440,000 dots.

Auto brightness control.

1.07× magnification with 50mm telephoto lens.

0.60× magnification with standard 28mm lens.

-4 to +3 diopters.

21.4mm eyepoint.

60 or 120 FPS frame rate (50 or 100 FPS in PAL settings)

 

Light Meter       specifications       top

1,200 zone evaluative, center-weighted or spot.

LV -2 to LV 20 with f/2 lens.

 

Frame Rates       specifications       top

11 FPS maximum.

Four rate settings: Hi+ (11 FPS), High (8 FPS), Medium (5 FPS) and Low (3 FPS).

 

Buffer       specifications       top

76 frames JPG.

33 frames raw.

31 frames raw + JPG.

 

Shutter       specifications       top

Metal focal plane or silent electronic.

1/4,000 ~ 30 seconds

When set, the electronic shutter of the Silent mode bypasses the focal plane shutter and is completely silent.

Intervelometer.

Remote control via a phone app.

 

Flash       specifications       top

1/160 sync speed.

Built-in flash rated GN 6 (meters at ISO 100) flash with rated 4-second recycling time.

Rated to cover lenses as wide as 16mm.

Hot shoe.

 

Video       specifications       top

Resolution and Frame Rates

4K

3,840 x 2,160: 29.97p, 25p and 23.976p.

 

HD

1,920 x 1,080: 119.88p, 59.94p, 59.94i, 29.97p and 23.976p

1280 x 720: 23.976p.

 

NTSC & PAL

No NTSC and no PAL video.

 

Data Formats

HLG

S-Log2/3

MPEG-4 (MP4), AVCHD 2.0, XAVC S and H.264

X-AVC S up to 100 Mbps

ACHD to 28 Mbps

 

Audio (recorded only with video)

AC3, 2-channel Dolby Digital or linear PCM.

Stereo Mic.

Mic input connector.

One mono speaker.

 

Finder       specifications       top

1,440,000 dot 0.39" (10mm) OLED.

0.7x magnification.

-3 ~ +4 diopters.

Can run at 120 fps for fluidity.

 

LCD Monitor       specifications       top

Sony A6100 flipping LCD

Sony A6100 and ZEISS 24mm f/1.8. bigger.

2.95" LCD.

921,600 dots.

Short 16:9 "chopped" screen means there are black bars on the sides of the LCD when playing full images leave only 2.55" (64mm) effective image diagonal for 3:2 images on the 16:9 LCD. (Images fill the LCD when zoomed or shooting video.)

Swivels up 180º and down 90º, but not left or right.

Manual (only) brightness control.

 

Connections & Communication       specifications       top

Sony A6100

Left Side, Sony A6100. bigger.

USB 2.0

Micro-D HDMI.

3.5mm Mic input.

WiFi.

NFC.

Bluetooth v4.1

 

Storage       specifications       top

One SD slot for an SD, SDHC or SDXC card (UHS-1), or Memory Stick Pro Duo, PRO HG-Duo or Micro (M2).

 

Quality       specifications       top

Sony A6100

Bottom, Sony A6100. bigger.

Made in Thailand.

 

Power & Battery       specifications       top

Rated 380 shots (420 with rear LCD) OR 70 minutes of video.

Rated power consumption: 2.3 W stills, 3.5 W video shooting with viewfinder. 2.1 W stills, 3.5 W video, with read LCD.

Charges via USB in-camera.

Sony NP-FW50 Battery

Sony NP-FW50 battery. enlarge.

 

Sony A6300

Included Sony AC-UUD12 universal USB power adapter. bigger.

 

Size       specifications       top

4.72 x 2.64 x 2.35 inches.

120.0 x 66.9 x 59.7 millimeters.

 

Weight       specifications       top

14.435 oz. (409.25g) actual measured weight with battery and card.

Rated 14.0 oz. (396g) with battery and card.

 

Environmental       specifications       top

0 ~ 40º C (32 ~ 104º F), operating.

 

Included       specifications       top

A6100 body, eyecup and body cap.

Accessory shoe cap.

Shoulder strap.

NP-FW50 battery.

AC-UUD12 USB wall adapter.

Micro USB cable.

Optionally a 16-50mm PZ and possibly 55-210mm lenses if you get one of the kits.

 

Announced       specifications       top

28 August 2019, 11AM NYC time.

 

Promised for       specifications       top

October 2019.

 

Price, U. S. A.       specifications       top

April 2021

A6100 body-only: $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

Kit with 16-50mm PZ lens: $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

Kit with 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses: $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $625 used (body only) if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Performance       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

 

Overall   Autofocus   Ergonomics   Exposure

Finder   Frame Rates   High ISOs   Auto ISO

Auto White Balance   Mechanics   Stabilization

Rear LCD   Playback   Data

 

I'd get my A6100 body-only for $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the superb and tiny 16-50mm PZ lens for $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses for $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes in even more kit versions at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

You also can get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Overall       performance       top

The A6100 is a tiny little camera that produces big-camera professional results. It weighs less than a pound and has more resolution than a professional DSLR (the Nikon D6 and the Canon 1DX Mark III only have 21 MP or less, not 24 MP like the A6100)!

The diminutive A6100 has all the controls we need, weighs next to nothing and works and focuses super-fast. All my A6100 photos are sharp, in focus, well-exposed and have great auto-white balance. In the real world, the A6100 works fast and sure.

 

Autofocus       performance       top

Autofocus is fast! There's nothing it can't track. Actually, all the A6000 series have remarkable autofocus, and Sony tells us that the A6100 can track individual eyes with its new advanced real-time eye AF system with even better tracking.

I can't find any flaws with the A6100's autofocus; it's an amazing system and certainly superior to Nikon's Z50.

 

Ergonomics       performance       top

Typical for Sony, the body is hard and has many sharp corners making it less comfortable than other brands.

It feels as if it was designed by the same guys who design Sony's VCRs and stereo receivers: it's all flat surfaces and 90º edges, compared to Canon who makes curvy cameras that feel soft and comfortable in-hand.

Sony also puts all the buttons almost flush to the same flat surfaces, making it harder to find buttons purely by feel. Canon puts every button at a different angle or elevation so they all feel different.

Sony's menu system is the worst in the business. It's disorganized so we always have to look through every menu page looking for things, and since they are all highlighted in the same color, we don't remember from what section any particular menu item comes. Canon is best here; all their lines of menus are color-coded so we can remember where to find them next time, and Canon organizes them well. Canon puts all the autofocus settings in an Autofocus menu, while Sony has no Autofocus menu and instead throws the autofocus controls in many random places around the menu system.

While Sony has the best technical autofocus performance, the highest frame rates and best high-ISO performance of all mirrorless cameras, their ergonomics are the worst —  and Sony's cameras take too long to respond to dial inputs when setting apertures and shutter speeds. You actually have to stop what you're doing and wait a moment for the display to respond to dial inputs. You can't just count clicks and expect the camera to respond as it should without supervision.

 

Exposure       performance       top

Exposure is always dead-on. I almost never have to use any exposure compensation for perfect out-of-the-camera JPGs.

 

Electronic Viewfinder       performance       top

The finder is as we expect from Sony: superb, although my sample was slightly out of alignment (crooked) and the A6100 finder has less resolution than the A6400 and A6600.

Sony stands out from every other camera maker because their electronic finders have automatic brightness control that always works to keep the finder at the perfect brightness.

The A6100 finder is always perfectly legible from direct sunlight to darkness. My Nikons, Canons and Fujis always are too light or too dark, while my Sonys are always perfect.

 

Frame Rates       performance       top

The A6100 screams along at 11 FPS with full tracking autofocus and exposure. I get loads of sharp sequences, no worries!

 

High ISO Performance & Sample Image Files       performance       top

Complete Images      details   dark detail   performance   top

The A6100 has superb high ISO performance, possibly the best I've ever seen in APS-C. For all normal uses at reasonable sizes as you can see below, the A6100 gives perfectly wonderful images all the way up to ISO 51,200, with just a little bit of color mottling at the highest settings.

Click any for its camera-original 24 MP © JPG file:

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Click any for the camera-original © 24 MP FINE JPG files (about 11 MB each).

 

600 × 450 Pixel Crops (10× magnification)       High ISOs   details   dark detail   performance   top

What we see at the high magnifications below is that fine details go away as the ISO increases. This happens with all cameras — and our own eyes — and is an artifact of the noise reduction working harder as the ISO increases.

These are 600 × 450 pixel crops that vary in size to fit your browser window.

If these are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 20 × 30" (50 × 75 cm) at this same high magnification.

If these are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same extreme magnification.

If these are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 80 × 120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same insanely high magnification.

In the A6100, the most detail is at ISO 100, and becomes softer at every higher ISO. This is normal and how noise reduction works in every camera.

By ISO 12,800 most of the detailed scrollwork between the clock numbers is gone.

Superb is even at ISO 51,200 the minute marks are still somewhat visible. They're usually gone in other cameras at ISO 51,000.

Click any for the camera-original © JPG files:

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Click any for the camera-original © 24 MP FINE JPG files (about 11 MB each).

 

Dark-Area 600 × 450 Pixel Crops (10× magnification)       High ISOs   details   dark detail   performance   top

Here are crops showing the dark grillwork of the fireplace. These are 600 × 450 pixel crops that vary in size to fit your browser window.

If these are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 20 × 30" (50 × 75 cm) at this same high magnification.

If these are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same extreme magnification.

If these are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 80 × 120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same insanely high magnification.

Note how the most detail in the fine screen is at ISO 100.

The bricks behind the grill are gone by ISO 3,200.

At ISO 51,200 even see the big iron bars are mostly gone!

Again, this is normal for all digital cameras; the difference is how much gets lost at each ISO.

Click any for the camera-original © JPG files:

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Sony A6100 High ISO Sample Image File

Click any for the camera-original © 24 MP FINE JPG files (about 11 MB each).

 

Auto ISO       performance       top

Auto ISO is flawed. It llacks the ability to change the slowest shutter speeds. I'll assume that Sony pulled this feature as the sorts of people who buy A6100s usually have no idea what this is, and extra menu options just get in the way.

The slowest shutter speeds vary by the focal length of the lens, and cannot be otherwise modified in Auto ISO.

Poo.

 

Auto White Balance       performance       top

Auto White Balance is excellent.

 

Mechanical Quality       performance       top

The A6100 is well made in Thailand with a mostly plastic exterior. While it's mostly plastic, it's good plastic.

Plastic: top cover, pop-up flash housing, mode dial, side and bottom doors, bottom cover, LCD covers and all buttons.

Metal: Top right dial, lens mount, LCD hinges, tripod socket and strap lugs.

 

Image Stabilization       performance       top

The A6100 uses a standard ¼″ × 20 TPI mechanical image stabilizer ("tripod") socket.

Barring this, the A6100 has no other internal Image Stabilization (IS or Vibration Reduction (VR) or Steady Shot), but works great with all of Sony's OSS (Optical Steady Shot) lenses.

 

Rear LCD Monitor       performance       top

The rear LCD is tiny. It's a short 16:9 shape, so images don't fill the screen unless cropped or zoomed (or if you're shooting video).

It's not that bright outdoors because it has no auto brightness control (you have to turn it up manually to see it well in sunlight).

The touch function works great for selecting AF points, but it doesn't work at all for working in the menus or entering text.

 

Playback          performance       top

Playback is nicer than usual for Sony because you can use the rear touch screen to navigate around a zoomed image as you view it through the electronic finder.

Playback images can be set to autorotate properly just like an iPhone, but a design flaw in all current Sonys persists which is that if you're holding the camera vertically, the zoomed image won't autorotate as will the regular image. Therefore you have to hold the camera horizontally if you want to zoom-in on playback.

 

Data       performance       top

A persistent design flaw in Sony cameras is that they do not format cards properly.

Cards are not titled properly, and instead are idiotically titled as "NO NAME," which is what you see when mounted in your computer, rather than something that makes sense like "SONY A6100."

This makes it difficult to figure out what drive or card reader is what as I work with multiple drives connected.

 

Compared       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

 

I'd get my A6100 body-only for $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the superb and tiny 16-50mm PZ lens for $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses for $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes in even more kit versions at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

You also can get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

See also:

All Sony Cameras Compared

Sony vs. Nikon vs. Canon Full-Frame

 

A6100 versus A6400

You can pay more for the A6400, but the only things the A6400 does that the A6100 can't is in-body sensor-shift stabilization, an electronic level, the ability to set the slowest shutter speed in Auto ISO and the ability to set file name prefixes.

The A6100 has a lower resolution finder OLED, but that doesn't affect the pictures.

Sure, you can pay a lot more for a full-frame system, but here's a secret: the pictures look the same! The only real difference with full-frame is less depth-of-field; otherwise these glorious little APS-C cameras do the same things and take the same pictures but cost only half as much, and these APS-C cameras and lenses weigh half of what full-frame cameras and lenses do.

 

User's Guide       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

I'd get my A6100 body-only for $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the superb and tiny 16-50mm PZ lens for $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses for $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes in even more kit versions at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

You also can get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.

Sony A6100

Rear, Sony A6100. bigger.

 

Fn Button & Frame Rates       user's guide       top

We set many things with their own buttons and with the MENU button, however many new users take a while to discover that many other important settings are hidden behind the Fn button. The Fn button is on the back and to the upper left of the rear multicontroller.

Press Fn, and 12 settings appear across the bottom of your screen.

You set the advance mode, frame rate, white balance and many other things here.

To change the frame rate, press the Fn button, select the advance mode icon which is usually at the left, select the continuous mode (usually a bearded rectangle icon) and that's where you can select among LO, MID, HI and HI+.

You can customize what options appear at the bottom of the screen. I like to add Auto ISO Minimum Shutter Speed and Silent Mode to these options instead of some of the defaults. You assign these at MENU > CAMERA 2 > page 8/Custom Operation1 > Function Menu Set.

 

General A6100 Settings       user's guide       top

First I set the time zone, date and time at MENU > SUITCASE > page 4/Setup4 > Date/Time Setup.

Then I set these away from their defaults:

What Set to Set in Why
Advance (Drive) Mode Continuous LO

MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 3 (Shoot Mode/Drive1) > Drive Mode, or press rear Fn button

One press takes one picture, and holding the shutter takes a few. I may set higher Continuous speeds for people if there's action involved, but that runs the risk of always firing a few frames when I only need one.
Silent Shooting Your choice

MENU > CAMERA 2 > page 4 (Shutter/SteadyShot) > Silent Shooting

I prefer to shoot unnoticed, but you have to turn this OFF to use flash or Bulb.
AF Illuminator Off

MENU > CAMERA 1, page 5 (AF1) > AF Illuminator

The A6100 is so sensitive that it doesn't need an AF illuminator.
Face Detect On

MENU > CAMERA 1, page 5 (AF1) > Face/Eye AF Set. > Face Priority in AF

I love Face Detect, but it's off by default.
Release w/o card Disable MENU > CAMERA 2 > page 4 (Shutter/SteadyShot) > Release w/o Card I don't want the camera taking pictures when it has no card, which it will do by default.
Release w/o lens Enable MENU > CAMERA 2 > page 4 (Shutter/SteadyShot) > Release w/o Lens Turn this to ON if you want to use weird or manual-focus lenses on adapters. Otherwise the A6100 won't take a picture unless it detects a real Sony lens attached.
Display Rotation Off MENU > PLAYBACK > page 3 (Playback3) > Display Rotation The default of Manual rotates vertical images on playback, but they don't fill the screen. I prefer to rotate the camera for vertical images so they fill the screen. The files themselves don't care how you set this; it just sets if the images rotate when played in-camera (manual) or don't (off).
Beeps Off MENU > CAMERA 2 > page 9 (Custom Operation2) > Audio Signals Turns off the idiotic beeps.
Folder Name Date Form MENU > SUITCASE > page 5/Setup5 > Folder Name This option makes the A6100 create a new folder each day to make my sorting and downloading much easier.

 

Bulb Mode

Bulb mode holds the shutter open for as long as you press the shutter button. It's used for very long exposures.

Be sure to set the advance mode to Single (the rectangle), then set the top dial to M and rotate the rear dial all the way counterclockwise until the display says "Bulb."

You have to turn off all of Silent mode, HDR, Smile Shutter, Multi-Frame NR, the self timer, continuous bracketing and continuous shooting. If any of these are set there is no warning message or a grayed-out "BULB" indicator; BULB simply doesn't appear among the manual shutter speeds. You have to know to turn off all these modes for the BULB option to appear!

 

Flash Mode

The flash won't fire in Silent mode.

There is no warning message; you have to know to turn off the Silent mode (MENU > CAMERA 2 > page 4 (Shutter/SteadyShot) > Silent Shooting > Off) to get the flash to fire.

 

Specific A6100 Settings       user's guide       top

Now I set my A6100 for my styles of shooting, and set each into the Memory positions for easy recall.

I set M1 for photos of places and things, which I set to high resolution and slower shutter speeds and ultra high color saturation.

I set M2 for photos of people: moderate resolution and saturation. I use a lower resolution setting to speed up my process and save on drive space; most people would shoot at the full resolution.

I set M3 for photos of sports and action. I use a lower resolution setting to speed up my process and save on drive space; most people would shoot at the full resolution.

To set and save each, I set the A6100 as I like above, and then I save that by going to MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 4 (Shoot Mode/Drive2) > MR Cam1/Cam2 Memory, selecting the memory location into which I want to save my settings, and pressing the big rear central ● button to save them.

To recall, set the top dial to MR, then either press MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 4 (Shoot Mode/Drive2) > MR Cam1/Cam2 Recall > move the cursor left or right to select, then press the big rear central ● button to recall that setting, or more simply, just set the top dial away from and then return it to the MR setting, move the selection left or right, and then press the big rear central ● button to recall them.

Here's how I set mine:

 
1
2
3
Set in MENU
Used for
Places and Things
People
Sports
Save in MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 4 (Shoot Mode/Drive2) > MR Cam1/Cam2 Memory; recall in MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 4 (Shoot Mode/Drive2) > MR Cam1/Cam2 Recall.
Exposure Mode
Program
Program
Program
Top mode dial
Image Size
24 MP
12 MP
12 MP
MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 1 > JPEG Image Size
Quality
JPG Standard
JPG Standard
JPG Standard
MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 1 > JPEG Quality
Creative Style
Vivid
Standard
Standard
MENU > CAMERA 1 > page 9 > Creative Style, or (Fn)
Saturation
+3
+1 or 0
+1 or 0
(inside the Creative Style settings above)
ISO
Auto
Auto
Auto
MENU > CAMERA 1, page 7 (Exposure) > ISO > AUTO, or (Fn)

If you're shooting in any of the recalled memory modes, any changes you make are saved with the power off. It doesn't reset to your saved settings until you reselect another Memory mode with the power on.

This is good; it means you can change things for conditions, and when you return to a Memory setting that everything is then recalled to your originally saved values.

 

Tips & Hints       user's guide       top

Autofocus

You should set the camera to allow you to use the touch screen to move around a selected AF zone, but watch out if your nose hits the LCD, especially when you turn the camera to vertical.

If it does, it will select some odd AF zone and force the camera to focus on the wrong thing - but you might not realize that and instead think your AF system is kaput.

If this happens, just tap the rear center button which reverts back to auto AF area select.

If this happens too often then restrict the area of the LCD over which you can select AF areas, or turn it off completely.

 

Playback

The LCD is dim in daylight. You could try to find the Daylight option in the menus, but I just use the superb finder in daylight instead.

Use the top dial to swap among images while zoomed, and if viewing through the finder, touch the rear LCD to scroll around a zoomed image.

 

ISO Settings

If you're on a tripod and the subject holds still, always use ISO 100 for everything for the best results.

Setting ISO manually for hand-holding went away fifteen years ago. Today we program our cameras to do it for us automatically based on our preferences and subjects.

For each kind of shooting, pick the highest ISO to which you'd like your camera to go, and the camera does the rest.

You set this in MENU > CAMERA 1, page 7 (Exposure) > ISO > AUTO, or with the (Fn) button.

I let the camera go to ISO 51,200. You might want to set a lower maximum, like 25,600 or 12,800, for landscape shots. It's your choice, but remember it's better to have a sharp, grainy shot than a clean but blurry one. Use the highest ISO you need to get a fast enough shutter speed to stop your action.

 

Recommendations       top

Sample Images  Intro   New   Good   Bad   Missing

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

The tiny A6100 takes big pictures, and it uses tiny lenses which are also excellent. I LOVE the tiny 16-50mm PZ lens which makes a great, tiny combination. By all means get it as part of a kit.

Consider also the even nicer A6400 if you're not on a budget, as it's not that much more expensive and does offer some nice extra features. They both take exactly the same pictures. See also Is It Worth It. I prefer having a built-in flash over built-in stabilization, but if you prefer built-in stabilization, you'll want the A6600. Personally, the A6100 is what I'd get my mom all over again. It's a great little camera.

I'd get my A6100 body-only for $748 at Adorama, at B&H or at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the superb and tiny 16-50mm PZ lens for $848 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes as a kit with the 16-50mm PZ and 55-210mm lenses for $1,098 at Adorama, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

It comes in even more kit versions at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

You also can get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.

This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used A6100 — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new A6100. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new A6100 before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken.

 

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09-13, 15, 20 April 2021