Sony A6000 vs A6700

The Sony Alpha A6000 and the Sony Alpha A6700 are two digital cameras that were revealed to the public, respectively, in February 2014 and July 2023. Both the A6000 and the A6700 are mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. The A6000 has a resolution of 24 megapixels, whereas the A6700 provides 25.6 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Sony A6000		Sony A6700
Mirrorless system camera		Mirrorless system camera
Sony E mount lenses		Sony E mount lenses
24 MP – APS-C sensor		25.6 MP – APS-C sensor
1080/60p Video		4K/120p Video
ISO 100-25,600 (100 - 51,200)		ISO 100-32,000 (50 - 102,400)
Electronic viewfinder (1440k dots)		Electronic viewfinder (2360k dots)
3.0" LCD – 922k dots		3.0" LCD – 1037k dots
Tilting screen (no touchscreen)		Swivel touchscreen
11 shutter flaps per second		11 shutter flaps per second
Lens stabilization only		In-body stabilization
not weather sealed		Weathersealed body
360 shots per battery charge		570 shots per battery charge
120 x 67 x 45 mm, 344 g		122 x 69 x 64 mm, 493 g

Check A6000 offers at
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Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Sony Alpha A6000 and the Sony Alpha A6700? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Sony A6000 and the Sony A6700. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The A6000 can be obtained in three different colors (black, silver, white), while the A6700 is only available in black.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Sony A6700 is somewhat larger (5 percent) than the Sony A6000. Moreover, the A6700 is substantially heavier (43 percent) than the A6000. It is noteworthy in this context that the A6700 is splash and dust-proof, while the A6000 does not feature any corresponding weather-sealing.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can compare the optics available in the Sony E-Mount Lens Catalog. Mirrorless cameras, such as the two under consideration, have the additional advantage of having a short flange to focal plane distance, which makes it possible to mount many lenses from other systems onto the camera via adapters.

Concerning battery life, the A6000 gets 360 shots out of its Sony NP-FW50 battery, while the A6700 can take 570 images on a single charge of its Sony NP-FZ100 power pack. The battery packs of both cameras can be charged via USB, which can be very convenient when travelling.

The following table provides a synthesis of the main physical specifications of the two cameras and other similar ones. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, you can navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from a broad list of cameras there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Sony A6000	120 mm	67 mm	45 mm	344 g	360	n	Feb 2014	US$ 599	ebay.com
2.		Sony A6700	122 mm	69 mm	64 mm	493 g	570	Y	Jul 2023	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
3.		Sony A77	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	732 g	470	Y	Aug 2011	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
4.		Sony A77 II	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	647 g	480	Y	May 2014	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
5.		Sony A3000	128 mm	91 mm	85 mm	411 g	470	n	Aug 2013	US$ 329	ebay.com
6.		Sony A5000	110 mm	63 mm	36 mm	269 g	420	n	Jan 2014	US$ 449	ebay.com
7.		Sony A5100	110 mm	63 mm	36 mm	283 g	400	n	Aug 2014	US$ 549	ebay.com
8.		Sony A6300	120 mm	67 mm	49 mm	404 g	400	Y	Feb 2016	US$ 999	ebay.com
9.		Sony A6500	120 mm	67 mm	53 mm	453 g	350	Y	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
10.		Sony A6600	120 mm	67 mm	69 mm	503 g	810	Y	Aug 2019	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
11.		Sony NEX-3	117 mm	62 mm	33 mm	297 g	330	n	May 2010	US$ 599	ebay.com
12.		Sony NEX-3N	110 mm	62 mm	35 mm	269 g	480	n	Feb 2013	US$ 499	ebay.com
13.		Sony NEX-5	111 mm	59 mm	38 mm	287 g	330	n	May 2010	US$ 699	ebay.com
14.		Sony NEX-6	120 mm	67 mm	43 mm	345 g	360	n	Sep 2012	US$ 999	ebay.com
15.		Sony NEX-7	120 mm	67 mm	43 mm	400 g	430	n	Aug 2011	US$ 1 349	ebay.com
16.		Sony NEX-F3	117 mm	67 mm	42 mm	314 g	470	n	May 2012	US$ 599	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

Any camera decision will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The A6000 was launched at a markedly lower price (by 57 percent) than the A6700, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Technology-wise, the A6700 uses a more advanced image processing engine (BIONZ XR) than the A6000 (BIONZ X), with benefits for noise reduction, color accuracy, and processing speed.

While the two cameras under review share the same sensor size, the A6700 offers a slightly higher resolution of 25.6 megapixels, compared with 24 MP of the A6000. This megapixels advantage translates into a 3 percent gain in linear resolution. On the other hand, these sensor specs imply that the A6700 has a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 3.79μm versus 3.91μm for the A6000). However, it should be noted that the A6700 is much more recent (by 9 years and 4 months) than the A6000, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that compensate for the smaller pixel size.

The Sony Alpha A6000 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 25600, which can be extended to ISO 100-51200. The corresponding ISO settings for the Sony Alpha A6700 are ISO 100 to ISO 32000, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 50-102400.

In terms of underlying technology, the A6000 is build around a CMOS sensor, while the A6700 uses a BSI-CMOS imager. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony A6000	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.1	13.1	1347	82
2.		Sony A6700	APS-C	25.6	6192	4128	4K/120p	24.3	14.0	2329	86
3.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
4.		Sony A77 II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.4	13.4	1013	82
5.		Sony A3000	APS-C	19.8	5456	3632	1080/60i	23.7	12.8	1068	78
6.		Sony A5000	APS-C	19.8	5456	3632	1080/60i	23.8	13.0	1089	79
7.		Sony A5100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.8	12.7	1347	80
8.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437	85
9.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
10.		Sony A6600	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	23.8	13.4	1497	82
11.		Sony NEX-3	APS-C	14.0	4592	3056	720/30p	22.1	12.0	830	68
12.		Sony NEX-3N	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60i	22.8	12.5	1067	74
13.		Sony NEX-5	APS-C	14.0	4592	3056	1080/60i	22.2	12.2	796	69
14.		Sony NEX-6	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60i	23.7	13.1	1018	78
15.		Sony NEX-7	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.1	13.4	1016	81
16.		Sony NEX-F3	APS-C	16.0	4912	3264	1080/60i	22.7	12.3	1114	73
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, but the A6700 provides a better video resolution than the A6000. It can shoot movie footage at 4K/120p, while the A6000 is limited to 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The two cameras under review are similar with respect to both having an electronic viewfinder. However, the one in the A6700 offers a substantially higher resolution than the one in the A6000 (2360k vs 1440k dots). The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Sony A6000 and Sony A6700 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Sony A6000	1440	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
2.		Sony A6700	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
3.		Sony A77	2359	Y	3.0 / 921	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
4.		Sony A77 II	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
5.		Sony A3000	202	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.5/s	Y	n
6.		Sony A5000	none	n	3.0 / 461	tilting	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	Y	n
7.		Sony A5100	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
8.		Sony A6300	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
9.		Sony A6500	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Sony A6600	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony NEX-3	optional	n	3.0 / 920	tilting	n	1/4000s	7.0/s	n	n
12.		Sony NEX-3N	optional	n	3.0 / 460	tilting	n	1/4000s	4.0/s	Y	n
13.		Sony NEX-5	optional	n	3.0 / 920	tilting	n	1/4000s	7.0/s	n	n
14.		Sony NEX-6	2359	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	n
15.		Sony NEX-7	2359	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	n
16.		Sony NEX-F3	optional	n	3.0 / 920	tilting	n	1/4000s	5.5/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One difference between the cameras concerns the presence of an on-board flash. The A6000 has one, while the A6700 does not. While the built-in flash of the A6000 is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light.

The reported shutter speed information refers to the use of the mechanical shutter. Yet, some cameras only have an electronic shutter, while others have an electronic shutter in addition to a mechanical one. In fact, the A6700 is one of those camera that have an additional electronic shutter, which makes completely silent shooting possible. However, this mode is less suitable for photographing moving objects (risk of rolling shutter) or shooting under artificial light sources (risk of flickering).

The Sony A6700 has an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the A6000 and the A6700 write their files to SDXC or Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. The A6700 supports UHS-II cards (Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 312 MB/s), while the A6000 can use UHS-I cards (up to 104 MB/s).

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Alpha A6000 and Sony Alpha A6700 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Sony A6000	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
2.		Sony A6700	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	YES	3.2	Y	Y	Y
3.		Sony A77	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Sony A77 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Sony A3000	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Sony A5000	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
7.		Sony A5100	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Sony A6300	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony A6500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Sony A6600	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	YES	2.0	Y	Y	Y
11.		Sony NEX-3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
12.		Sony NEX-3N	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
13.		Sony NEX-5	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
14.		Sony NEX-6	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
15.		Sony NEX-7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
16.		Sony NEX-F3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the A6700 has a headphone jack, which makes it possible to attach external headphones and monitor the quality of sound during the recording process. The A6000 lacks such a headphone port.

The A6700 is a recent model that features in the current product line-up of Sony. In contrast, the A6000 has been discontinued (but can be found pre-owned on ebay). As a replacement in the same line of cameras, the A6000 was succeeded by the Sony A6300. Further information on the features and operation of the A6000 and A6700 can be found, respectively, in the Sony A6000 Manual (free pdf) or the online Sony A6700 Manual.

Review summary

So what is the bottom line? Is the Sony A6000 better than the Sony A6700 or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Arguments in favor of the Sony Alpha A6000:

• Less heavy: Is lighter (by 149g or 30 percent) and hence easier to carry around.
• Easier fill-in: Is equipped with a small onboard flash to brighten deep shadow areas.
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (57 percent cheaper at launch).
• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in February 2014).

Advantages of the Sony Alpha A6700:

• Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (BIONZ XR vs BIONZ X).
• Better video: Provides higher definition movie capture (4K/120p vs 1080/60p).
• Better sound: Can connect to an external microphone for higher quality sound recording.
• Better sound control: Has a headphone port that enables audio monitoring while recording.
• More detailed viewfinder: Has higher resolution electronic viewfinder (2360k vs 1440k dots).
• Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.71x vs 0.70x).
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1037k vs 922k dots).
• More flexible LCD: Has a swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
• Fewer buttons to press: Has a touchscreen to facilitate handling and shooting adjustments.
• More selfie-friendly: Has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing.
• Less disturbing: Has an electronic shutter option for completely silent shooting.
• Easier time-lapse photography: Has an intervalometer built-in for low frequency shooting.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (570 versus 360) out of a single battery charge.
• Better sealing: Is splash and dust sealed for shooting in inclement weather conditions.
• Sharper images: Has stabilization technology built-in to reduce the impact of hand-shake.
• Faster data transfer: Supports a more advanced USB protocol (3.2 vs 2.0).
• Easier wireless transfer: Supports Bluetooth for image sharing without cables.
• Faster buffer clearing: Supports a more advanced SD data transfer standard (UHS-II vs UHS-I).
• More modern: Reflects 9 years and 4 months of technical progress since the A6000 launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the A6700 is the clear winner of the contest (19 : 4 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera. A professional wildlife photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a family photog, and a person interested in architecture has distinct needs from a sports shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Sony A6000 and the Sony A6700 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the A6000 or the A6700 perform in practice. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable.

Expert reviews

This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent summary-table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Expert Camera Reviews

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Sony A6000	5/5	+	4.5/5	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	US$ 599	ebay.com
2.		Sony A6700	4.5/5	+	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2023	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
3.		Sony A77	5/5	91/100	..	81/100	..	5/5	Aug 2011	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
4.		Sony A77 II	4/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
5.		Sony A3000	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Aug 2013	US$ 329	ebay.com
6.		Sony A5000	3/5	+	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2014	US$ 449	ebay.com
7.		Sony A5100	4.5/5	+	..	..	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2014	US$ 549	ebay.com
8.		Sony A6300	4.5/5	+	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2016	US$ 999	ebay.com
9.		Sony A6500	5/5	+ +	3.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
10.		Sony A6600	4/5	+	4/5	83/100	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2019	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
11.		Sony NEX-3	..	..	..	70/100	4.5/5	4/5	May 2010	US$ 599	ebay.com
12.		Sony NEX-3N	3/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	US$ 499	ebay.com
13.		Sony NEX-5	3/5	+ +	..	71/100	4.5/5	4/5	May 2010	US$ 699	ebay.com
14.		Sony NEX-6	5/5	+ +	..	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 999	ebay.com
15.		Sony NEX-7	5/5	+ +	..	81/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2011	US$ 1 349	ebay.com
16.		Sony NEX-F3	4/5	..	..	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	May 2012	US$ 599	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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