Hey, there.
Much of life feels pretty dull these days - there just isn't any surprises! Too many things are predictable and very little is left to the imagination. Everything is spoiled or leaked months before the reveal and what is left are just gimmicks and marketing points. People create headlines so that other people can make assumptions and deductions solely based on what the narrative needs them to think. Because of this, many who create new technology create it with headlines in mind before thinking of improving their previous iterations, whereas conventionally you would want the improvements to make the headlines. Thankfully, in this age of "hype, fire, and dab", some releases are still made to cater to the problems faced by users and loyal customers; one of them is the Sony a6500.
After quite the less-than-pleasing feedback Sony received for the a6300, a camera that introduced 4K video recording in the Sony APS-C line, Sony immediately set off to work on the next iteration. 10 months later, they emerged with the a6500, leaving users both dumbfounded and impressed. It was a strange move for Sony (in my opinion), sure they made a better camera, but why did they have to release what seemed to be a prototype of the real thing?
Well, these questions are long overdue and the fact of the matter is that we now have the a6500, a camera I was very much surprised by.
I was late to receive the a6500 and by now, all of the hype surrounding the camera has died. However, this gave me the chance to look at it without being influenced by the current meta. All I remember from its release a year ago was that it solved the over-heating problems of the a6300 and incorporated the then-meta in-body stabilization. Even with these seemingly much needed improvements, all that could be taken away from the release was how Sony loved to quickly render their previous products obsolete.
The thing is, despite being a bummer for new owners of the a6300, the a6500 became a confidence booster to those who finally wanted to dive into the Sony ecosystem without breaking the bank. At less than half of the price of the premium a7 series, the a6500 looked to compete in the mid-tier class of cameras and from what I've experienced, I believe it possesses the best value money can currently buy among cameras in its class (interchangeable APS-C cameras).
The first thing that stood out to me about the a6500 was how unassuming it looked. It lacked any enticement as it looked like a generic mid-tier mirrorless camera with its rangefinder-style body, but then adds a bulge in the front for maximum grip and minimum appeal. One thing that I lamented from the a7 series was the fact they made the grip thicker in the MkII cameras that made the whole "small full-frame camera" marketing device invalid only after one year. The grip was carried over to the a6500 when they also made a deeper grip. Now, despite its quite unattractive looks (which can be subjective), the body does gain benefit from the beefier grip in that it makes the handling much more comfortable and natural.
The camera is exceptionally built with weather-sealing and feels like a proper tool rather than a fancy toy. It is still relatively small, particularly when compared with DSLRs of the same class, which added to the satisfying handling. I loved how well all the dials and buttons are spaced, and the custom buttons on the top of the camera come in very handy. Plus, the camera does not put any space to waste by including a splendid electronic viewfinder (refreshes at 100fps), a hot shoe mount, and a built-in flash!
The a6500 may not be a beauty on the outside, but it sure is a beast on the inside. It packs a 24MP APS-C type (23.5 x 15.6 mm), Exmor® CMOS sensor paired with the BIONZ X™ image processing engine that chugs out insane image quality.
Note: All samples are provided in FULL RESOLUTION. Please click to enlarge.
Of course I expected great image quality but the photos coming from the a6500 went beyond my expectations. Finally subscribing to Lightroom CC really paid off when I got to play around with the immense RAW files. Colors were wonderful, sharpness was great even on the kit lens, and I absolutely loved how much of the details in the highlights and shadows were retained!
The a6500 unit that I was provided with only came with the standard 3.5-5.6/16-50 lens so I opted not to try the camera in sporting or fast-paced situations for my autofocus test. Even so, the camera was quick to grab focus on street shoots and would instantly recognize a face within the focus area. This made it easy to capture photos where the main focus is the person in the frame.
On top of that, the video quality is one of the best in its class. Shooting at a maximum 4K resolution with no pixel binning and full pixel readout means that although you have to compensate for the sensor's crop factor, there is no further cropping in video mode, thus eliminating concerns for reframing for a wider angle of view and procuring extra lenses for the right shot. Slow motion is also featured in the a6500, along with slow-and-quick (S&Q) capture ability, which expands the camera's repertoire even further. Moreover, the camera possesses built-in 5-axis stabilization. This, combined with its reliable autofocus, makes the a6500 a dream to have for simple walkabout/documentary/one-camera setups.
Check out the video below for my thoughts on the video capabilities of the camera, where I talk about SLog3 & grading, in-body stabilization, and overall video quality.
The a6500 has thus far shown its many strengths, where most of it are with regards to its impressive performance. In spite of that, I still found some apparent issues that I hope will be addressed in the next iteration.
Godsent
After quite the less-than-pleasing feedback Sony received for the a6300, a camera that introduced 4K video recording in the Sony APS-C line, Sony immediately set off to work on the next iteration. 10 months later, they emerged with the a6500, leaving users both dumbfounded and impressed. It was a strange move for Sony (in my opinion), sure they made a better camera, but why did they have to release what seemed to be a prototype of the real thing?
Well, these questions are long overdue and the fact of the matter is that we now have the a6500, a camera I was very much surprised by.
Small but ferocious
I was late to receive the a6500 and by now, all of the hype surrounding the camera has died. However, this gave me the chance to look at it without being influenced by the current meta. All I remember from its release a year ago was that it solved the over-heating problems of the a6300 and incorporated the then-meta in-body stabilization. Even with these seemingly much needed improvements, all that could be taken away from the release was how Sony loved to quickly render their previous products obsolete.
The thing is, despite being a bummer for new owners of the a6300, the a6500 became a confidence booster to those who finally wanted to dive into the Sony ecosystem without breaking the bank. At less than half of the price of the premium a7 series, the a6500 looked to compete in the mid-tier class of cameras and from what I've experienced, I believe it possesses the best value money can currently buy among cameras in its class (interchangeable APS-C cameras).
The first thing that stood out to me about the a6500 was how unassuming it looked. It lacked any enticement as it looked like a generic mid-tier mirrorless camera with its rangefinder-style body, but then adds a bulge in the front for maximum grip and minimum appeal. One thing that I lamented from the a7 series was the fact they made the grip thicker in the MkII cameras that made the whole "small full-frame camera" marketing device invalid only after one year. The grip was carried over to the a6500 when they also made a deeper grip. Now, despite its quite unattractive looks (which can be subjective), the body does gain benefit from the beefier grip in that it makes the handling much more comfortable and natural.
The thicker grip also allows better handling when combining the body with larger lenses
The camera is exceptionally built with weather-sealing and feels like a proper tool rather than a fancy toy. It is still relatively small, particularly when compared with DSLRs of the same class, which added to the satisfying handling. I loved how well all the dials and buttons are spaced, and the custom buttons on the top of the camera come in very handy. Plus, the camera does not put any space to waste by including a splendid electronic viewfinder (refreshes at 100fps), a hot shoe mount, and a built-in flash!
Great overall build and button layout
The a6500 may not be a beauty on the outside, but it sure is a beast on the inside. It packs a 24MP APS-C type (23.5 x 15.6 mm), Exmor® CMOS sensor paired with the BIONZ X™ image processing engine that chugs out insane image quality.
Note: All samples are provided in FULL RESOLUTION. Please click to enlarge.
Of course I expected great image quality but the photos coming from the a6500 went beyond my expectations. Finally subscribing to Lightroom CC really paid off when I got to play around with the immense RAW files. Colors were wonderful, sharpness was great even on the kit lens, and I absolutely loved how much of the details in the highlights and shadows were retained!
The highlights could be pulled back a few stops to regain the blown-out bits
Simply fantastic color rendition
Night time shots are decent, especially with some noise reduction as seen here
Stellar dynamic range produces a less disparate tone between two contrasting lighting situations (bright sky & dark shade)
The a6500 unit that I was provided with only came with the standard 3.5-5.6/16-50 lens so I opted not to try the camera in sporting or fast-paced situations for my autofocus test. Even so, the camera was quick to grab focus on street shoots and would instantly recognize a face within the focus area. This made it easy to capture photos where the main focus is the person in the frame.
I saw your face in a crowded place
On top of that, the video quality is one of the best in its class. Shooting at a maximum 4K resolution with no pixel binning and full pixel readout means that although you have to compensate for the sensor's crop factor, there is no further cropping in video mode, thus eliminating concerns for reframing for a wider angle of view and procuring extra lenses for the right shot. Slow motion is also featured in the a6500, along with slow-and-quick (S&Q) capture ability, which expands the camera's repertoire even further. Moreover, the camera possesses built-in 5-axis stabilization. This, combined with its reliable autofocus, makes the a6500 a dream to have for simple walkabout/documentary/one-camera setups.
Check out the video below for my thoughts on the video capabilities of the camera, where I talk about SLog3 & grading, in-body stabilization, and overall video quality.
Everything seems good so far
The a6500 has thus far shown its many strengths, where most of it are with regards to its impressive performance. In spite of that, I still found some apparent issues that I hope will be addressed in the next iteration.
Firstly, I am not a fan of the tilting screen. I wish the camera had a fully-articulating screen, which would make more sense in a camera that is targeted to people who need close to professional level performance but at a fraction of the cost. The major appeal of the a6500 is its excellent video quality and its autofocus. Both these features combine hand-in-hand to make a formidable force that today's content creators can really benefit from, but a tilting screen restricts the fluidity of a solo work-flow. Not only that, one of the reasons the RX100V was so popular was because it had a screen that tilted upwards that enabled the shooter to see themselves, which encouraged more vloggers to opt for it over its competitors. It would have been a lot more practical and fun to have a fully-articulating screen on the a6500.
Speaking of the RX100V, where its downfall was its low-light performance, the a6500 does tend to keep as much as detail as possible in the dark at the expense of introducing a lot of noise and grain.
This issue is even more obvious in the JPEGs that come out of the camera, starting at ISO-3200.
Lots of samples of graininess in the photos from the album, most shot at ISO-6400
Speaking of the RX100V, where its downfall was its low-light performance, the a6500 does tend to keep as much as detail as possible in the dark at the expense of introducing a lot of noise and grain.
Zoom in on the faces and the grain is too obvious
Other than that, the operations and organization were still irritatingly fiddly. It is a damn shame that many users have synonymized Sony with bad menu arrangement, but it is true. I had to spend a good 20 minutes going through everything in the menu to make sure all the settings were to my preference yet I still had some troubles.
The problem with the menu is that there's so little settings in one page due to the extra large font size that results in too many pages to swipe to. Not only that, the menu requires too many side-scrolling instead of a drop-down type like Nikon or Olympus menus, which are easier and more intuitive. To go to the next page, I have to
To end it all, I can confirm that the battery life of the a6500 is still a typically Sony low-point. I keep comparing this aspect (battery life) of a mirrorless camera to DSLRs because it is currently the only thing standing in the way of a conceivable future without DSLRs. Most people who want to look for a new camera will also undoubtedly weigh their options against a DSLR, too. I once shot a 12-hour straight music festival with my DSLR and I did it on only one charge. With the a6500, I drained the battery completely after only shooting 3 hours of the event and this was without shooting burst or using continuous autofocus. Sony did address the overheating issue seen in the previous a6300 but they had done so by un-restricting the recording time of the camera even when it reaches high temperatures. The camera still becomes hot to the touch and will definitely cause discomfort when hand-held.
The problem with the menu is that there's so little settings in one page due to the extra large font size that results in too many pages to swipe to. Not only that, the menu requires too many side-scrolling instead of a drop-down type like Nikon or Olympus menus, which are easier and more intuitive. To go to the next page, I have to
- go up into the tab,
- scroll right or left to look for the page,
- go back down to look for the setting I want,
- repeat step 1, 2 and 3 until I find the setting I want, then
- scroll right again to change it.
Additionally, the a6500 could do with more customizability. Sure, it does provide the user to set two separate custom buttons to their heart's content and it also has a quick function menu for even more shortcuts, but the functions that can be set to these buttons and shortcuts are limited! The most important function that I sorely missed was the ability to change recording format on the fly (4K/HD/S&Q). There also needs to be a way to turn off the D-pad shortcuts so that I can immediately change my autofocus points (this can be done in Fujifilm cameras). An addition of a joystick (as found on the brand new a9 and the brand, brand new a7RIII just announced today) would be a great way to overcome this. Lastly, there has to be a way for the camera to remember our settings for photo mode and video mode separately; I cannot always remember to set back my shutter speed for when I switch between modes.
To end it all, I can confirm that the battery life of the a6500 is still a typically Sony low-point. I keep comparing this aspect (battery life) of a mirrorless camera to DSLRs because it is currently the only thing standing in the way of a conceivable future without DSLRs. Most people who want to look for a new camera will also undoubtedly weigh their options against a DSLR, too. I once shot a 12-hour straight music festival with my DSLR and I did it on only one charge. With the a6500, I drained the battery completely after only shooting 3 hours of the event and this was without shooting burst or using continuous autofocus. Sony did address the overheating issue seen in the previous a6300 but they had done so by un-restricting the recording time of the camera even when it reaches high temperatures. The camera still becomes hot to the touch and will definitely cause discomfort when hand-held.
So, would I be seen with a Sony anytime soon?
The a6500 really blew me away the more I spent time with it and I felt quite reluctant to return it once my loan period was over. It was the first camera from Sony that convinced me that the DSLR market will soon come to its inevitable demise. This camera pushes the boundaries of performance that some other cameras of equal and higher price-points struggle to do. It shines with its imaging power and subtle looks, and I applaud its ability to make me take a step back and admire its sky-high potential.
I am genuinely convinced that the a6500 should be on top of the list for those looking to upgrade their current DSLR camera setup, especially if they are looking to venture into the semi-professional scene. I mean, let's take a quick look at the competition right now:
The choice is still yours to make. I would have loved to pair this camera with the premium G Master lenses that I know would further elevate the photos to the level they can achieve, but it was a blessing in disguise to only receive the standard lens so I could objectively judge the camera based on its own merits. The a6500 is definitely not a perfect camera overall, but I'd be damned if it isn't the perfect camera for me. I just wish it had a flip-screen!
Massive thanks to Sony Malaysia for loaning me the a6500 and 3.5-5.6/16-50 lens. Head over to their Facebook page for updates on new products and also the Alpha Universe Malaysia Facebook page for workshops and events.
Lastly, thank you for checking out this review! Until next time, take care.
DISCLAIMER: I do not represent Sony, or any other brand that might be showcased in this review. This review is written for THE FEAR and is delivered with utmost honesty and sincerity.
I am genuinely convinced that the a6500 should be on top of the list for those looking to upgrade their current DSLR camera setup, especially if they are looking to venture into the semi-professional scene. I mean, let's take a quick look at the competition right now:
- Sony a6500 : RM5,100
- Up to 4K 30fps / 1080p 120fps
- 24MP (APS-C)
- 11fps burst
- 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IS)
- Nikon D7500 : RM5,700
- Up to 4K 30fps / 1080p 60fps
- 21MP (APS-C)
- 8fps burst
- No in-body IS
- Canon 80D : RM4,500
- No 4K / up to 1080p 60fps
- 24MP (APS-C)
- 7fps burst
- No in-body IS
- Fujifilm X-T2 : RM6,500
- Up to 4K 30fps / 1080p 60fps
- 24MP (APS-C)
- 14fps burst
- No in-body IS
- Olympus E-M1 Mark II : RM7,800
- Up to 4K 30fps / 1080p 60fps
- 21MP (Micro Four-Thirds)
- 15fps burst
- 5-axis in-body IS
The choice is still yours to make. I would have loved to pair this camera with the premium G Master lenses that I know would further elevate the photos to the level they can achieve, but it was a blessing in disguise to only receive the standard lens so I could objectively judge the camera based on its own merits. The a6500 is definitely not a perfect camera overall, but I'd be damned if it isn't the perfect camera for me. I just wish it had a flip-screen!
Check out more photos I shot using the Sony a6500 at my Flickr gallery here.
Massive thanks to Sony Malaysia for loaning me the a6500 and 3.5-5.6/16-50 lens. Head over to their Facebook page for updates on new products and also the Alpha Universe Malaysia Facebook page for workshops and events.
Lastly, thank you for checking out this review! Until next time, take care.
DISCLAIMER: I do not represent Sony, or any other brand that might be showcased in this review. This review is written for THE FEAR and is delivered with utmost honesty and sincerity.
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