Sony A6500 Comparison Review

The Sony Alpha A6500 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in October 2016 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Sony A6500 a good camera? The A6500 has a Camera Elo of 2452. This rating puts the A6500 among the top 50 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the A6500 ranks among the top 30 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Sony A6500 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony A6500 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony A6500	120 mm	67 mm	53 mm	453 g	350	Y	Oct 2016	1,399	ebay.com
2.		Fujifilm X-Pro2	141 mm	83 mm	46 mm	495 g	350	Y	Jan 2016	1,699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus PEN-F	125 mm	72 mm	37 mm	427 g	330	n	Jan 2016	1,199	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic GX8	133 mm	78 mm	63 mm	487 g	330	Y	Jul 2015	1,199	ebay.com
5.		Sony A6700	122 mm	69 mm	64 mm	493 g	570	Y	Jul 2023	1,399	amazon.com
6.		Sony A6400	120 mm	67 mm	50 mm	403 g	410	Y	Jan 2019	899	amazon.com
7.		Sony A6600	120 mm	67 mm	69 mm	503 g	810	Y	Aug 2019	1,399	amazon.com
8.		Sony A6300	120 mm	67 mm	49 mm	404 g	400	Y	Feb 2016	999	ebay.com
9.		Sony A77 II	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	647 g	480	Y	May 2014	1,199	ebay.com
10.		Sony A77	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	732 g	470	Y	Aug 2011	1,399	ebay.com
11.		Sony NEX-7	120 mm	67 mm	43 mm	400 g	430	n	Aug 2011	1,349	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

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony A6500 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,399. 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. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

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 tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units 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 tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Sony A6500 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony A6500 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. 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 following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
2.		Fujifilm X-Pro2	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.7	13.0	1608	80
3.		Olympus PEN-F	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	23.1	12.4	894	74
4.		Panasonic GX8	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.5	12.6	806	75
5.		Sony A6700	APS-C	25.6	6192	4128	4K/120p	24.3	14.0	2329	86
6.		Sony A6400	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.0	13.6	1431	83
7.		Sony A6600	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	23.8	13.4	1497	82
8.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437	85
9.		Sony A77 II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.4	13.4	1013	82
10.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
11.		Sony NEX-7	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.1	13.4	1016	81
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. The A6500 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the A6500 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the A6500 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2359k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Sony A6500 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 A6500	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Fujifilm X-Pro2	2360	n	3.0 / 1620	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.0/s	n	n
3.		Olympus PEN-F	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
4.		Panasonic GX8	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
5.		Sony A6700	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
6.		Sony A6400	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
7.		Sony A6600	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
8.		Sony A6300	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
9.		Sony A77 II	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Sony A77	2359	Y	3.0 / 921	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony NEX-7	2359	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	n
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Sony Alpha A6500 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

One convenient feature of the A6500 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection 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 A6500 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 A6500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
2.		Fujifilm X-Pro2	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Olympus PEN-F	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Panasonic GX8	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Sony A6700	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	YES	3.2	Y	Y	Y
6.		Sony A6400	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
7.		Sony A6600	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	YES	2.0	Y	Y	Y
8.		Sony A6300	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony A77 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Sony A77	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony NEX-7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the A6500 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the A6500 can be found in the free online Sony A6500 Manual or on the Sony support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the A6500. 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. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent 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]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony A6500	5/5	+ +	3.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	1,399	ebay.com
2.		Fujifilm X-Pro2	..	+	..	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2016	1,699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus PEN-F	..	..	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2016	1,199	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic GX8	5/5	+	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2015	1,199	ebay.com
5.		Sony A6700	..	..	..	88/100	..	..	Jul 2023	1,399	amazon.com
6.		Sony A6400	4/5	+	4/5	85/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jan 2019	899	amazon.com
7.		Sony A6600	4/5	+	4/5	83/100	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2019	1,399	amazon.com
8.		Sony A6300	4.5/5	+	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2016	999	ebay.com
9.		Sony A77 II	4/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	1,199	ebay.com
10.		Sony A77	5/5	91/100	..	81/100	..	5/5	Aug 2011	1,399	ebay.com
11.		Sony NEX-7	5/5	+ +	..	81/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2011	1,349	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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