Sony Alpha 6100 review: Top entry-level mirrorless APS-C system camera With both

Sony Alpha 6100 review: Top entry-level mirrorless APS-C system camera

With the two new models, the

Alpha 6100 and Alpha 6600< /p>

,

sony

rounds the

Alpha 6400

up and down. The Alpha

6100

is intended to replace the still very successful

Alpha 6000

and offers faster autofocus, improved video functions and more.

The Alpha 6600 as a successor to the

Alpha 6500

remains the only APS-C model with Sony's Sensor-Shift Image Stabilizer. It is particularly distinguished by its robustness, the improved video function and the double battery.

Sony Alpha 6100 Pros and Cons

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Advantages p>

Compact and well-made plastic case

Fast and reliable autofocus even when tracking subjects

Fast continuous shooting function including AF tracking and a sufficiently large buffer

4K 25p videos without cropping and with high image quality

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Disadvantages p>

Relatively slow memory card interface

Fairly low viewfinder resolution

4K 30p videos only with Crop

the

Sony The Alpha

6100 is the successor to the hugely successful Alpha 6000 [Photo: Sony]

As the Sony Alpha 6100 is a slightly slimmed down version of the Alpha 6400 which we have already tested, this review is based largely on that of the Alpha 6400, and where there are differences we will deal with h l 'Alpha 6100 in particular.

In addition, we have of course redefined all measured values, such as for the continuous shooting function and also the image quality with the test software that we normally use.

the

Sony Alpha

6100 follows very big steps as the successor model to the extremely successful long-time bestseller Alpha 6000.

However, the Alpha 6000 no longer corresponds to the current technological standard, so that Sony was able to improve the A6100 by more than 40 points. These include, for example, the now significantly improved autofocus or the video function, which now masters 4K resolution.

Our test report reveals what the Alpha 6100 can do and what its image quality is.

the

Sony Alpha

6100 has an OLED viewfinder as well as a 16:9 touchscreen that can be flipped up to 74 degrees and for selfies even 180 degrees. [Photo: Sony]

The Alpha 6100, which is practically a slightly thinner model of the Alpha 6400, is the first of these, and has been improved by more than 40 points compared to the always extremely popular Alpha 6000, the best-selling longtime from Sony.

The APS-C sensor (crop factor 1.5), which still has a resolution of 24.2 megapixels, is now supported by a 1.8 times faster image processor, and is even the same as that used in the professional model Alpha 9. 425 phase AF sensors as well as 425 contrast AF sensors cover 85% of the image field and thus work right up to the edge of the image.

The Alpha 6100 should be able to focus in just 0.02 seconds. It also recognizes faces, eyes and animal eyes and can track them all in real time during continuous shooting up to eleven

frames per second

.

Video resolution maxes out at 4K at 30 frames per second, with the entire sensor read out, resulting in better video image quality. Buyers of the A6100 also have to do without HDR video recordings according to the HLG standard.

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Thanks to the microphone input, even better sound can be recorded in videos, and the Touchscreen, which can be folded up 180 degrees, also allows video recording without a cameraman or selfie recording.

Thanks to the clever mechanism, the screen folds above the OLED electronic viewfinder, even if it is attached below. This lets you see the whole screen. Remote control via WLAN and Bluetooth connection is also possible in order to transmit images and videos or to operate the camera remotely with live image transmission.

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As of January 2020, the Sony Alpha 6100 is already available at a price of almost $900. With the 16-50mm motorized zoom lens, the price goes up to $1,000. There's also an additional set with the 55-210mm telephoto lens for $1,150. This set, instead, became available in April 2020.

Differences between Sony a6600 and Sony a6400

Before we get to the camera itself, we would like to briefly discuss the differences from the earlier Tested, somewhat older, bigger brother model Alpha 6400, as the Alpha 6100 and 6400 only differ in a few details.

For example, the Alpha 6100 has only a plastic casing instead of a metal casing, which saves seven grams of weight.

The 6100 also lacks moisture protection, and the shutter doesn't feel as sturdy, because

Sony only indicates a lifespan of 200,000 for the Alpha

6400, while no details are given for the 6100.

Additionally, the Alpha 6100's electronic viewfinder only resolves 1.44 instead of the 6400's 2.36 million pixels at identical magnification, and a toggle switch is missing from the rear.

There are also differences in the maximum ISO sensitivity. While the Alpha 6100 maxes out at ISO 51200, the 6400 tops out at ISO 102400. The endurance of the continuous shooting function is also different, with the Alpha 6400 producing around 50% more frames in JPEG format in one shot.

Since the Alpha 6100 in turn handles ten more shots per battery charge (420 instead of 410 shots with display), we suspect there are small differences, at least in the front-end LSI, i.e. the Alpha 6400 probably has a slightly more powerful additional processor with, above all, a larger buffer, but it costs a little more power.

In addition, the video function of the Alpha 6100 has to do without the HDR function according to the HLG standard, and the S-log gamma curves are also missing.

There's also a small difference in the bracketing feature, as the Alpha 6100 only takes a maximum of five frames instead of the Alpha 6400's nine-frame maximum.

Initially, the street price of the Alpha 6100 was even higher than that of the Alpha 6400, but that is no longer the case now (in 2020). The Alpha 6100 is about $100 cheaper, which also reflects the technical differences quite well.

The Alpha 6000, still available and for years the best seller in the mirrorless camera segment, is still considerably cheaper than Alpha 6100, and according to

Sony, there are even more than 40 innovations compared to the previous Alpha 6000 model

.

These include the improved sensor, the more persistent continuous shooting function, the new image processor, significant improvements in autofocus in terms of number of sensors and algorithms (now with eye recognition and animal eyes) and, of course, significant improvements in the video function, as the Alpha 6100 is capable of recording 4K video as opposed to the 6000.

Ergonomics and manufacturing

For this review we had the Sony Alpha 6100 in a set with the E 16-50mm 3.5- 5.6 PZ OSS at our disposal.

The small motorized zoom lens is particularly compact and zooms electronically, which can be stopped and interesting for video recordings. The lens isn't exactly famous for its high image quality, but more on that later in the Image Quality section. After all, the lens, which is almost a "pancake", perfectly fits the small size of the

Sony Alpha

6100, measuring just 120 x 67 x 60 millimeters (width x height x depth).

The case of the

Sony Alpha

6100 is matt plastic. As a result, the weight slips just below the 400 gram mark. In addition, the housing is provided with a grained rubber coating on the handle.

The grip is relatively wide but doesn't protrude as much as the side view of the camera might suggest. Large hands tend to feel less comfortable with it, especially since the space between the grip and the lens is quite limited. The little finger nevertheless reaches the void and best supports the camera from the lower edge.

With smaller and/or lighter lenses, the camera still fits quite firmly in the hand. Thanks to the lightweight lens, the combination of the Alpha 6100 with this one, for example, weighs just over half a kilogram.

Sony managed to organize the orders in an overall successful way. The camera's on/off switch is located directly on the shutter button and a function button next to the shutter button can be assigned in the menu.

The camera has a total of three rotating wheels. The matching, fully-wrapped mode dial is located on top of the camera, and the second dial, which is even metal, is right next to it. This has different tasks depending on the selected operating mode. The two rotating wheels are offset towards the rear of the camera so that the photographer can easily make adjustments with his thumb. While the fashion dial is beautifully taut, the upper second dial is deliberately smooth.

The third and final rotating wheel surrounds the control pad on the back. In addition, this rotating wheel is positioned near the thumb. This all sounds great and will be ideal for many photographers. But if you want to take pictures with the manual mode sometimes or always, you have to make all exposure adjustments with your thumb and therefore always reposition it.

The second wheel would have been much better located at the front within reach of the index. But if you're mostly using semi-automatic or program mode, it won't be all that dramatic.

The other controls at the rear, on the other hand, are thoughtfully positioned and clearly labelled. The video trigger is somewhat hidden in the upper right corner of the camera. In addition to a large number of pre-assigned keys, the C1 and C2 keys, but also a few others can be assigned individually.

Fortunately, the Alpha 6100 has both an electronic viewfinder and a touch screen. The viewfinder uses energy-saving OLED technology. However, the resolution is only 1.44 million pixels, which is about good enough, as the pixels are easily recognizable.

Unfortunately, sight for eyeglass wearers is limited to the 0.7x magnification equivalent to a small viewfinder image. Fortunately, the viewfinder has diopter compensation (-4 to +3 diopters), but the mechanical adjustment is such a shame that the adjustment is quite delicate. Only longer nails will help here.

The viewfinder image is clear and, thanks to a maximum of 120 frames per second, also quite fast. Switching between screen and viewfinder is automatic thanks to the proximity sensor. The touchscreen remains active for autofocus point adjustment, which can be annoying at least when looking through the viewfinder with the left eye, as the photographer's nose often moves the focus point here.

Fortunately, the corresponding function can be disabled in the menu.

On top of the

Sony Alpha

6100, there are two rotating wheels, but they are recessed and operated from behind with the thumb. [Photo: Sony]

The 7.5 centimeter screen can be folded 180 degrees up or 90 degrees down via a hinge. If you fold it completely, it becomes a self-display. A simple pressure of the photographer's hand is enough to count down an energetic countdown until the release of the shutter.

The monitor has a maximum luminance of 775 candelas per square meter in sunny ambient light mode. With this value, the screen can still be used in very bright ambient light.

For a camera with a 3:2 aspect ratio image sensor, the 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen is a bit unfavorable, as it results in black edges which can be used for status displays but not for the live image which is therefore only displayed on a diagonal of about 6.6 centimeters.

The touchscreen function allows for exact placement of the AF point. The touchscreen can't be used for much more than that, because

Sony has unfortunately failed to integrate this extremely useful function into the navigation and recording controls of the camera menus.

. The menus are therefore only traversed with the directional pad or the control wheels.

In any case, the menu is not very understandable in some areas. For example, if you want to move the autofocus from the shutter button to another button, the AF function must first be removed from the shutter button.

The corresponding menu item is in the fifth menu on the first tab. The assignment of the new button is then searched in vain in the settings menu, ie where one would expect the camera configuration to be.

Instead, the key assignments for the eighth menu page can be found in the second menu tab. It can also be confusing because the first three menu pages of the second tab are exclusively filled with video functions. So you don't necessarily expect to find configuration options for photo mode here.

After all, the photographer can compose his own menu as he pleases in the Alpha 6100, so that the settings and functions that are important to him end up in one place and tedious searches in the menus are a thing of the past.

The Sony Alpha 6100 makes do with an NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery in terms of power. This should provide enough power to take around 420 shots when the screen is in use. This battery life was determined by the manufacturer under the conditions specified in the CIPA test procedure.

During our test, it turned out that the battery is indeed very durable. The exact display of the remaining capacity in percentage is also very practical. The camera battery is charged via the micro-USB interface. The camera is not fussy and also accepts universal USB power supplies and power banks. The camera can also be used when connected to the USB charger. However, it will refuse to work without the battery inserted, even if there is a connection to a USB power supply. Sony offers a separate power supply including a dummy battery for mains operation.

The three interfaces (Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI and 3.5 mm stereo microphone input) of the

Sony Alpha

6100 are located behind a small plastic flap, which is opened by a spring after unlocking. [Photo: Sony]

A micro HDMI interface is provided for connection to a TV or external recorder. There's also a 3.5mm jack for connecting an external stereo microphone; it even provides the necessary phantom power for active microphones.

The interfaces are protected by a fixed sliding shutter. Those who now miss a remote unlock connector are mistaken, because Sony not only offers a USB cable unlock as an accessory, but even a Bluetooth wireless remote control, which can even be used to control certain functions of the device. photo, such as video instead of photo shooting. or, in the case of the 16-50mm PZ lens, even motorized zoom.

Recordings are stored on SDHC or SDXC memory cards. UHS-1 technology is also supported. The Alpha 6100 would not be a Sony camera

without memory key. Proprietary memory sticks (Pro-HG Duo and Pro Duo) can therefore also be used.

p>

Since the camera can only store a little over 40 megabytes per second, it doesn't have to be the fastest memory card to utilize its full performance. As on the previous model, the battery and the memory card share a cover at the bottom of the camera.

The distance between this flap and the thread of the tripod located in the optical axis is important. This makes it easy to change batteries or memory cards, even when a quick release plate is attached to the camera. However, the memory card sits very close to the open flap, so removal is a little tricky.

Equipment and features

The Sony Alpha 6100 costs around $1,000 (RRP) in a set with the E 16-50mm lens and is aimed at beginners and ambitious amateur photographers.

As a result, the camera has various automatic modes that allow for quick and easy shooting. The camera can even analyze the subject before shooting and make the appropriate settings for shooting and image processing.

If that's too much of a 'black box' for you, you can fall back on the traditional scene mode programs, which have to be manually adjusted depending on the subject. However, the camera only has nine scene modes in total for the most common scene situations.

the

Sony Alpha

6100 has a well made plastic case. [Photo: Sony]

However, the photographer does not have to fear a total loss of control, since he can, among other things, focus himself. It is actively supported by the focus magnifier and focus function, which highlights the contrasting edges of the image.

The autofocus function works with 425 metering points spread over (almost) the entire image field. Only a small area on the left and right edges of the image is not covered. Autofocus is a hybrid AF system that uses fast phase comparison sensors and image contrast to determine the correct focus distance.

Although the Alpha 6100 does not achieve the focus speeds specified by Sony

, the camera is still very fast, at least when using factory settings. Settings like pre-autofocus and a feature that offers a mix of focus and shutter priority are active here.

With focus priority and no pre-autofocus, the lab's camera was able to set focus from infinity to two meters in about 0.25 seconds, regardless of focal length.

Additionally, there is a 0.05 second release delay, which also occurs when the shutter is released without autofocus.

It even recognizes and tracks faces, including eye recognition, and alternatively, animal eyes can be recognized instead of humans. The camera cannot do both at the same time, the photographer must decide beforehand which type of eyes to follow.

In continuous shooting function, according to our measurement at eleven frames per second, the camera takes a maximum of 73 consecutive shots at the highest JPEG quality. If raw data is used instead of JPEG, the number of frames is reduced to 33 before the buffer is full. The recording rate then drops to around 1.7 frames per second, regardless of the file format.

To empty the buffer, the camera then writes data to the memory card at around 40.6 megabytes per second and takes around 18 seconds for raw and even 40 seconds for JPEG to empty the entire buffer.

During this time, however, the camera remains largely ready for use. Thus, the Alpha 6100 remains true to the Sony tradition of being equipped with a large buffer memory but retrieving data from the SD card at a rather slow storage speed.

By the way, with up to eight continuous shots per second, the live image is displayed continuously and only for a short time, when the shutter closes strongly enough, a black image is visible.

In addition to the automatic functions, the photographer can also choose to use the Alpha 6100 manually or semi-automatically. It also offers bracketing functions for white balance and automatic contrast enhancement (DRO).

Additionally, there are bracketing functions for single and continuous shooting. The maximum exposure interval between two exposures is three EV for the two to three exposures. With an exposure distance of up to 0.7 EV, five shots are also possible. There is also an HDR function with automatic image composition. Three differently exposed photos are combined, which can have up to six EV exposure distances. An extensively equipped interval function is also included. With this, a start delay of up to approximately 100 minutes, intervals of up to 60 seconds, autofocus sensitivities and much more can be programmed.

In the

Sony Alpha

6100, the tripod thread is in the optical axis and even far enough from the battery and memory card compartment that a tripod quick release plate can remain mounted when opening. [Photo: Sony]

For the shutter, the Alpha 6100 uses a traditional mechanical focal plane shutter with a minimum exposure time of 1/4000 second. Although the camera has the ability to electronically simulate the first curtain shutter and also take a 'silent' photo with an electronic shutter only, this does not change the shortest possible shutter speed. There is no electronic shutter with a shutter speed of 1/16000 or 1/32000 second like other manufacturers.

Also, the flash sync speed is not very fast with 1/160 second. The built-in pop-up flash has a measured guide number of 5.6 and is therefore slightly below the specifications given by Sony in the datasheet.

Unfortunately, the built-in flash cannot be used to control external system flashes. Fortunately, the camera

features a Sony Multi-Interface connector that can be used to connect system-compatible flashes

.

The mechanical switch to unfold the flash unit is positioned somewhat unfavorably. This is because the switch is covered by the monitor when folded up more than 90 degrees.

With a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels and a frame rate of up to 30 frames per second, the Alpha 6100 4K records video at a rate of up to 100 Mbps. It's pretty neat, and especially not the end of the video function.

The Alpha 6100 reads the full sensor for video recording, which corresponds to a 6K signal source with 2.4x oversampling - at least when the frame rate is 25 frames per second. At 30p there is 'only' a 1.6x oversampling of the sensor, which is read with a 1.2x crop instead of fully.

Switching from 25p to 30p is very complicated anyway because you have to switch from PAL to NTSC in the settings menu, which is no longer really up to date.

The built-in stereo microphone can be controlled automatically or manually. Those who prefer to connect an external microphone can do so via a 3.5mm stereo jack. The HDMI connector can be used to transfer sensor data to an external recorder and have it recorded.

Slow-motion shots with up to 120 frames per second are possible at maximum Full HD resolution and there is also a proxy function with 720p video.

From this point of view, the handle of the

Sony Alpha

6100 looks bigger than it actually is. But it's enough to hold the camera securely with smaller lenses, like the 16-50mm pictured here. [Photo: Sony]

The autofocus also works very well during video recording, but "only" recognizes faces and not eyes. Various settings allow the videographer to adjust the sensitivity and responsiveness of the autofocus system. In this way, the autofocus behavior can always be precisely adapted to the existing subject situation. The autofocus proved to be very precise and fast in various shooting situations.

As the Alpha 6100 does not have a stabilizer in the body, it has to rely on stabilization systems housed in the lens. When we tested the camera with the Sony E 16-50mm 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS, we were able to assess the lens stabilizer. This has been shown to compensate for around three f-stops without any issues.

Camera connectivity is extensive. Thus, an energy-saving Bluetooth connection and the less economical but more powerful WLAN connection are available. To use them, a free app must be installed on the smart device to be connected. The “Imaging Edge Mobile” app for iOS and Android is available for free download from the respective store. The app is the direct successor to the PlayMemories Mobile app.

The Sony Alpha 6100's 24-megapixel APS-C sensor takes photos with very accurate colors and high dynamic range but weakens the signal-to-noise ratio and tonal range. [Photo: Sony]

Pairing the device and app is quite simple and the camera guides the photographer through this process if desired.

In addition to a simple remote shutter, a complete remote control with Live View can also be activated. Of course, image data from the camera can also be transferred to the app. A permanent connection to the smart device for the transmission of position data is also possible without any problems via Bluetooth.

Likewise, the camera can be integrated into a wireless network, over which it can be controlled, transfer images and convert raw data using the “Imaging Edge” desktop application.

The app's remote control feature works well, but could be more extensive in the configuration options. The camera itself is fairly sparsely equipped with image processing functions. Even raw images cannot be converted to JPEG in playback mode.

Sony Alpha 6100 image quality

To get an idea of ​​the

Sony Alpha< /p>

We tested the image quality of the 6100 as usual, with the photo test software and in everyday practice. I tested with the E 16-50 mm 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS lens set provided by Sony. I could not choose the lens: in general, it is the distributor or the manufacturer who provides me with the lens.

With the E 16-50mm 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS lens set, we haven't had the best experience so far in terms of image quality. The lens is primarily optimized for small size and low price, but not for image quality. Using sophisticated algorithms and powerful image processors, Sony digitally compensates for certain lens image errors, which is not objectionable as it is the result that ultimately matters.

Thus, darkening edges and color fringing and even distortion are low. An exception is the wide angle (16 mm) because here a slight barrel-shaped distortion of less than one percent is still measurable and there are slight color fringing towards the edge of the image.

But more serious are the edge drop in resolution and low open-aperture resolution. So you have to stop the lens anyway not fast at F8 to F11 to get high resolution. But it should not be attenuated beyond F11, because otherwise the diffraction reduces the resolution considerably.

The Alpha 6100's lens peaks at just under 63 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) in 35mm equivalent at 50 percent contrast. good value for money for a 24 megapixel sensor. But this resolution is only available at 16 mm, F8 and in the center of the image.

At the edge of the frame, however, the 16mm lens only maxes out at 35 lp/mm at F11. The blurring of the edges is very clearly visible at enlargements beyond 20 by 30 centimeters; even with a 100% view of the screen, the corners of the image are visibly blurred.

The battery and memory card share a common compartment under the

Sony Alpha< /p>

6100, and the proximity of the flap allows the memory card to be removed a little delicately, while the battery remains in the device thanks to USB charging. [Photo: Sony]

À distance focale moyenne et longue, le centre de l'image, également atténué, se résout facilement au-dessus de 50 lp/mm, ce qui est une bonne valeur. Au bord de l'image, l'objectif obtient les meilleurs résultats à distance focale moyenne et ne manque que de peu les 50 lp/mm.

En téléobjectif, au moins 40 lp/mm sont également atteints au bord de l'image. Mais si vous connaissez les faiblesses de l'objectif et évitez qu'elles ne dérangent lors de la prise de vue, vous pourrez certainement prendre de belles photos avec. Dans tous les cas, de meilleurs objectifs coûtent rapidement beaucoup d'argent.

Cependant, de nombreux paramètres importants de qualité d'image sont tout à fait indépendants de l'objectif et permettent une bonne configuration de l'appareil photo ou du capteur, tels que la plage dynamique, le comportement du bruit , et la reproduction des couleurs.

La mesure du rapport signal sur bruit est quelque peu décevante, car l'appareil photo s'éloigne rapidement du bon 40 dB à 100 ISO lorsque la sensibilité est augmentée et tombe en dessous du seuil critique. Marque de 35 dB entre 400 et 800 ISO. En effet, un léger bruit de luminosité est visible à 800 ISO, mais celui-ci n'augmente que lentement jusqu'à 12 800 ISO. À des sensibilités plus élevées, cependant, un bruit de sel et de poivre très dérangeant devient visible.

Après tout, il n'y a pas de formation de gros blocs dans le bruit, c'est-à-dire qu'il reste à grain fin et peut être facilement masqué en réduisant la résolution (pour l'affichage sur Internet ou pour les impressions de cartes postales).

La netteté quelque peu faible de la texture est perceptible même à faible sensibilité. Sony a étonnamment peu redessiné les images, il n'y a donc pratiquement pas d'artefacts de netteté.

Néanmoins, les photos conservent un bon détail visuel grâce à un bon équilibre tonal avec des contrastes centraux nets. En principe, jusqu'à ISO 6.400, certains détails fins peuvent encore être reconnus, comme le révèle un coup d'œil sur les images de test. La valeur mesurée est «seulement» dans la plage «verte» jusqu'à 800ISO.

La plage dynamique est très bonne avec près de douze diaphragmes à 100ISO et une valeur qui ne diminue que lentement au-dessus de la sensibilité courbe. À 800 ISO, il est à un peu moins de onze diaphragmes ; jusqu'à 12 800 ISO, la plage dynamique reste bonne avec plus de dix diaphragmes.

La plage tonale de sortie, cependant, chute assez rapidement de manière linéaire, passant de plus de 224 sur 256 niveaux possibles à seulement un peu plus de 128 niveaux à ISO 800, cette dernière est déjà simplement acceptable. À 400 ISO, il y a encore 160 pas, à partir de 12.800 ISO, il n'y a que 96 pas ou moins.

the

Sony Alpha

6100 peut clairement faire jusqu'à la terre dans la reproduction des couleurs. L'écart de couleur moyen est faible, mais même le maximum est toujours dans la plage tolérable. De toute façon, la plupart des écarts de couleur se produisent «uniquement» à la saturation, tout au plus les verts ont une touche trop jaune.

La profondeur de couleur réelle est également impressionnante, avec plus de huit millions de nuances à 100ISO, et reste plus de quatre millions jusqu'à 400 ISO et plus de deux millions jusqu'à 6 400 ISO, ce qui est un bon chiffre. Above ISO 12.800, the color depth then collapses significantly.

Conclusion: Is The Sony Alpha 6100 Worth It?

Time will tell whether the

Sony Alpha

6100 can actually replace the successful Alpha 6000 in terms of sales success.

From a purely technical point of view, it certainly has the potential to do so. The buyer receives a powerful, fast camera with high image quality in a compact housing that can also record very good videos.

For example, the fact that the viewfinder has a somewhat low resolution, the memory card interface is somewhat slow, or the 4K video function does not allow HDR recording and recognizes eyes are limitations that you have to accept with an entry-level device.

In any case, there is hardly anything to complain about with the powerful autofocus, the fast continuous shooting function, and the high image quality.

The Alpha 6100 thus delivers high-resolution, artifact-free images with surprisingly high color fidelity. Above ISO 800, the image quality slowly decreases, but even at ISO 3,200, the results are still sufficient and even at ISO 6,400, they are still quite useful.

Profile

Profile

Manufacturer

sony

Model

Sony Alpha 6100

sensor

CMOS APS-C 23.6 x 15.8 mm (crop factor 1.5) 25.0 megapixels (physical) 24.2 megapixels (effective)

Pixelpitch

3.9 μm

Resolution (max.)

6.000 x 4.000 (3:2)

Video (max.)

3.840 x 2,160 30p

lens

Sony E 16-50 mm F3.5-5.6 OSS PZ (SELP1650) (zoom lens)

Video finder

EVF, 100% field coverage, 1,440,000 pixels resolution, 1.07x magnification (sensor-related), 0.70x magnification (KB equivalent), diopter compensation (-4.0 to 3.0 DPT)

display

3.0′′ (7.5 cm)

Resolution

921.600 pixels

tiltable

yes

rotatable

–

swiveling

–

Touch screen

yes

AV connector

HDMI output Micro (Type D)

Fully auto matic

yes

Scene automatic

yes

Scene mode programs

9 scene mode programs are available

Automatic programming

yes

Program shift

yes

Automatic aperture control

yes

Automatic timer

yes

Manually

yes

Bulb Long Term Exposure

yes

HDR function

yes

Panorama function

yes, panoramic view

Exposure metering

Matrix/multi-field measurement (1,200 fields), center-weighted integral measurement, spot measurement

fastest shutter speed

1/4.000 s

Flash

built-in flash

Synchronous time

1/160 s

Flash connection

Hot shoe: Sony Multi-Interface, standard center contact

WiFi

yes

NFC

yes

GPS

external, permanent smartphone connection

Remote release

yes, cable release, Bluetooth release, remote control via smartphone/tablet

Interval recording

yes

Storage medium

Me mory Stick (Duo Pro)

SD (SDHC, SDXC, UHS I)

Sensitivity

automatically

ISO 100-6.400

manually

ISO 100-51.200

White balance

automatically

yes

manual measuring

yes

Kelvin input

yes

Fine correction

yes

auto-focus

yes

Number of measuring fields

425425Contrast sensors

Speed

0,30 s

AF auxiliary light

LEDs

Dimensions

120 x 67 x 60 mm

Weight (ready for operation)

396 g (body only) 509 g (with lens)

Tripod thread

on optical axis

Zoom

Zoom adjustment

Lens ring (motorized), zoom rocker (motorized)

Battery life

420 recordings (according to CIPA standard)

– = “not applicable” or “not available

This test of the

Sony Alpha

6100 with Sony E 16-50 mm F3.5-5.6 OSS PZ (SELP1650) was made with DXOMARK Analyzer.

Brief assessment

Pros

Compact, well manufactured plastic housing

Fast, reliable autofocus even when tracking subjects

Rapid continuous shooting function including AF tracking and sufficiently large buffer memory

Very good image quality with high resolution, dynamics and exact color reproduction

4K 25p videos without crop and with high image quality

Cons

Relatively slow memory card interface

Quite low viewfinder resolution

4K 30p videos only with Crop

Sony Alpha 6100 Datasheet

Electronics

sensor

CMOS sensor APS-C 23.6 x 15.8 mm (crop factor 1.5 )25.0 megapixels (physical) and 24.2 megapixels (effective)

Pixelpitch

3.9 μm

Photo resolution

6.000 x

4.000 pixels

(3:2)

6.000 x

3.376 pixels

(16:9)

4.240 x

2.832 pixels

(3:2)

4.240 x

2.400 pixels

(16:9)

4.000 x

4.000 pixels

(1:1)

3.008 x

2.000 pixels

(3:2)

3.008 x

1.688 pixels

(16:9)

2.832 x

2.832 pixels

(1:1)

2.000 x

2.000 pixels

(1:1)

Panorama

Sweeping panorama

12.416 x

1.856 pixels

5.536 x

2.160 pixels

8.192 x

1.856 pixels

3.872 x

2.160 pixels

Image formats

JPG, RAW

Color depth

24 bits (8 bits per color channel), 42 bits (14 bits per color channel)

Metadata

Exif (version 2.31), DCF standard (version 2)

Video resolution

3.840 x

2.160

(16:9)

30

p

3.840 x

2.160

(16:9)

25

p

3.840 x

2.160

(16:9)

24

p

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

120

p

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

100

p

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

60

p

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

60

I

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

50

p

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

50

I

1.920 x< /p>

1.080

(16:9)

30

p

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

25

p

1.920 x

1.080

(16:9)

24

p

Video format

XAVC S

(Codec H.264)

AVCHD

(Codec H.264)

MPG4

(Codec H.264)

lens

Lens mount

Sony E

Focus

Autofocus mode

Phase comparison autofocus with 425 sensors, autofocus operating range from -2 EV to 20 EV, contrast autofocus with 425 spot sizes

Autofocus functions

Single AF, Continuous AF, Area AF, Tracking AF, Manual, AFL function, AF Assist Light (LED), Focus Peaking, Focus Magnifier (12x)

Sharpness control

Depth-of-field control, depth-of-field button, Live View

Viewfinder and monitor

Monitor

3.0′′ (7.5 cm) TFT LCD monitor with 921,600 pixels, non-reflective, brightness adjustable, color adjustable, tilts 180° up and 74° down, with touchscreen

Video finder

Video viewfinder (100 % field coverage) wit h 1,440,000 pixels, 1.07x magnification factor, dioptre compensation (-4.0 to 3.0 DPT)

Exposure

Exposure metering

Center-weighted integral measurement, matrix/multi-field measurement over 1,200 fields, spot measurement

Exposure times

1/4,000 to 30 s (automatic) 1/4,000 to 30 s (manual)1/4,000 to 30 s (electronic shutter)Bulb function

Exposure control

Fully automatic, Program automatic (with program shift), Shutter automatic, Aperture automatic, Manual

Exposure bracketing function

Exposure bracketing function with a maximum of 5 shots, 1/3 to 3 EV increments, HDR function

Exposure Compensation

-5.0 to +5.0 EV with step size from 1/3 to 1/2 EV

Photosensitivity

ISO 100 to ISO 6,400 (automatic) ISO 100 to ISO 51,200 (manual)

remote access

Remote release, cable release, Bluetooth release, remote control via smartphone/tablet, remote control from computer: certain functions

Scene modes

Lands cape, macro, night scene, night portrait, portrait, sunset, sports, and 2 additional scene modes

Picture effects

HDR effect, High Key, High contrast monochrome, Retro, Selective color, Toy camera, 7 additional image effects

White balance

Auto, Cloudy, Sunny, White balance bracket, Fine-tuning, Shadow, Flash, Underwater, Fluorescent lamp with 4 presets, Tungsten light, from 2,500 to 9,900 K, Manual 3 memories

Color space

Adobe RGB, sRGB

Continuous shooting

Continuous shooting function max. 11.0 fps at the highest resolution and max. 76 stored images, 46 consecutive images at Raw8frames per second with a silent (electronic) shutter. Continuous shooting function including AF and AE tracking

Self-timer

Self-timer with an interval of 10 s, special features: or 5 or 2 seconds, continuous shooting 3 pictures after 10 seconds, 5 pictures after 10 seconds and 3 pictures after 5 seconds.

Timer

Timer/interval recording with max. 9,999 recordings, start time adjustable

Recording functions

AEL function, AFL function, live histogram

Flashgun Of The Sony Alpha 6100

Flash

built-in flash (flip-up) Flash shoe: Sony Multi-Interface, standard center contact

Flash range

Flash sync speed 1/160 s

Flash code

Guide number 6 (ISO 100)

Flash functions

Auto, fill-flash, flash on, flash off, high-speed sync, slow sync, flash on second shutter curtain, red-eye reduction by pre-flash, master function, flash exposure correction from -3.0 EV to +3.0 EV

Equipment And Features

Image stabilizer

no optical image stabilizer

Memory

Memory Stick (Duo Pro)

SD (SDHC, SDXC, UHS I)

GPS function

GPS external (permanent smartphone connection)

Microphone

Stereo

Power supply unit

Power supply connection – USB continuous power supply – USB charging function

Power-supply

1 x Sony NP-FW50 (lithium-ion (Li-Ion), 7.2 V, 1,240 mAh) 420 images according to CIPA standard

Playback functions

Image rotation, image protect, highlight / shadow warning, playback histogram, playback magnifier with 16.7x magnification, image index, slide show function

facerecognition

Face recognition, face recognition (8 faces)

Image parameters

Sharpness, contrast, color saturation, noise reduction

Special functions

Electronic spirit level, Grid fade-in, Zebra function, Orientation sensor, Live View, User profiles with 2 user profiles

Connections

Data interfaces: Bluetooth, USB – USB type:USB 2.0 High SpeedWLAN: available (Type: B, G, N) NFC: available

AV Connections

AV output: HDMI output Micro (Type D) Audio input: yes (3.5 mm jack (stereo, 3-pin)) Audio output: no

Supported direct printing methods

DPOF, Exif Print, PIM

Tripod thread

1/4′′ in optical axis

Special features and miscellaneous

Bionz X image processor Ultrasonicsensor cleaning Creative design presets(13)Dynamic range optimization (5 levels)Audio level meterAudio recording functionAutoSlow ShutterVideoISO 100-64.000Hybrid AF system(contrast and phase comparison autofocus)Micro AF adjustmentReal-timeeye AF (not for video)Touch shutter releaseTouch focusFocus peakingwith three selectable colors (white, red, yellow)Lens compensation: edge shadow, aberration, distortionSilentshooting Flash bracketing3, 5 or 9 frames (1/3-3 EV)S&Q mode with up to 120 frames per second

Size and weight

Dimensions W x H x D

120 x 67 x 60 mm

Weight

396 g (ready for operation)

Miscellaneous

standard accessory

Sony AC-UUE12 AC adapterSonyNP-FW50 Special battery packUSB connection cableEyepiece capStrapstrapImaging Edgeimaging software

additional accessories

Sony AC-PW20 Power SupplySonyHVL-F20M Plug-on Flash with Swivel ReflectorSonyRMT-P1BT (Bluetooth Remote Control)Sony XLR-K2M (Microp hone Adapter)