NorCal Jim
Senior Member
Sony APS-C was my initial choice for a mirrorless camera and I purchased an a6000 in the first year of its release. I was also an early purchaser of the a5100. The a6000 is long gone but I still have two a5100 cameras that I have used over the years for short HD video clips (3-5 minutes) to avoid the thermal issues. I love the small and light form factor, the tilting screen that rotates upward 180 degrees and the side compartment location of the SD card slot. I didn't like the lack of an EVF and hot shoe. I would be very interested in an a5100 successor with modern internals, a hot shoe and a pop-up EVF like on the RX100 series cameras. While that would be ideal from my point of view, I would be shocked if Sony released an a5100 upgrade with those modifications. When you mentioned the a5100 in your post, it was a nice reminder that there are others who admire its compact form factor and its tilting/flip up screen.
Regarding the initial thoughts and reactions to the a6700, I have been watching review videos and reading everything that I can find. On the one hand, I am very impressed and attracted to some of the new features. Sony has taken the AF to a new level and finally added touch control to the menus. The ergonomics has improved and there is finally a front command dial. Sony also added in-camera 10 bit video to bolster the hybrid capabilities. On the other hand, Sony continues the pattern of model differentiation, leaving out key features that have become standard in competing cameras such as dual card slots and faster maximum shutter speeds (i.e., 8,000 instead of 4,000). Although the a6700 does have IBIS that will help with photos, adding what Sony calls Dynamic Image Stabilization could have been a huge difference maker for video creators (another example of model differentiation). Speaking of video creators, leaving out the "Product Showcase" feature found on lower end cameras like the ZV-E10 and ZV-1 seems petty.
After my initial attraction to the compelling features of the a6700, in which my single reservation was the swing out screen, the various omissions gradually cooled my purchase impulse. I can appreciate why Sony would rather have FF rather than APS-C customers. However, leaving out features won't make me a FF customer but adding those features could have made me an a6700 customer.
Jim
