Sony a6600 review: Amazing autofocus, acceptable ergonomics

To add on, I bought the Nex 6 then the A6000 as a replacement for a small p&s camera that I used for travel. Not as a replacement for my larger pro gear. But I did find that the quality of the A6000 images was more than good enough for some assignments, and I have never found the camera to be awkward or difficult to use. Quite the opposite... easy to carry and to use quickly.

Numbers of 83% being outstanding is confusing. In school I was taught that 83% was a B-. If a MacBook Pro computer got a 83% rating I don't think it would be viewed as outstanding. 83 out of a 100 right...?

Beat it. Both of you.

But which came first?

It’s not nearly as bad as some people will make it sound, its way overblown. People on sites like this need to have something to complain about, especially people who do not own the product and would not buy it no matter how good it was.
The A6x00 is a very popular camera series.

Ergonomics are subjective and you are right Most people here complain about stuff they never even seen. But i had the a6000 för a couper of weeks and i hated it. Not a finaste but compares to Canons cameras for exemple it was not well tought out. But as i said this was just me

To me, this new grip makes the camera worse, to the niche it was designed for. I had the A7 III and A6000 at the same time. Yes, A7 III as more direct controls, etc.. But also a lot bulkier. Even if I compare it to my X-T2 which I like a lot, the A6000 is a lot easier to hold. I don't see the same level of complaints about the Fuji X-T20 /30 models. Did you ever got one in your hands? Don't understand how is it possible to see so many good reviews about a credit card with a lens mount.

The A6000 series were designed to be compact. Same for A7 series. First A7 series were really on the compact size. Then with all the DSLR comparisons they got enlarged, just like modern cars.

I own a Sony A77 which at the time I bought it was the flagship APS-C camera and the ergonomics on that blow the A6xxx series out of the water.

For that matter its got better ergonomics than the A7 series as well.

In both cases I am convinced Sony put form over function. Some group in the marketing dept won out over the engineers.

The trouble is particularly with the A7 series Sony wants to sell it to pros and so slowly it is morphing into something it ought to have been from the off.
The DPR video where they handed an Ax series to a Canon pro was very telling "put it in a dslr body and I will switch" was his conclusion.

Not the same pressure to change on the Axxxx series so they stick with the silly design. I am sure Sony loses sales because of it. I for one would not switch to an Axxxx series.

MILCman - that's quite funny, considering that Sony are slowly but most definitely "evolving" their a7 and a9 cameras to make them *more* like traditional DSLRs....

I recently went into my local camera shop, Mikes in Sacramento, and played with the A 6500. Beautiful camera, but the minute they put on the 55-210, the balance is wack. At the price of this new 6600, I'll take the Nikon Z6 with it's great ergonomics and have access to all my Nikkor and Sigma lenses. Two dislikes on the Sony: menu is not user friendly and the grip and back are too small for me. Ok, another negative..no weatherproofing.

@ Johans81: I have heard about one who told that a fiend of his uncle returned a new camera, a major and popular brand, returned the camera because of performance issues, and went for a Sony camera instead. Trust me, this is a true story!

@Jack:
I try to capture the moment for memories. Bokeh not a major issue. I am red-green color blind. Because of macular edema, I only have vision in my left eye. My left eye has cataract surgery. I like decent sharpness. I like cameras that fit my hand comfortably and have sufficient weight to aid my old age shakes. I have about 120 cameras, 80% film. 4 Leica Ms, 8 screw mounts. Every top Nikon film SLR except the F6. Every Canon F1 Verson in LN condition. Dozens of Kodak Retinas. Failed my drivers license test. More money than sense. I love my toys. Couldn’t afford a 35mm camera until sent to Vietnam in 1966 at age 30. Shoulda stuck with my Konica auto S2, $35 at the BX, IN Nam, smokes 11 cents/pack, 40 oz bottle of Beefeaters, $2.

Is the a6600 much better than the a6500?

no unless u are shooting mainly moving subject
my A6500 AF-C is ok to me, i shoot mostly landscape though

In short, A6600 is better than A6500. Big improvements in battery life and AF. Also improved usability to some degree. Image quality and video are mostly the same. It's up to you, whether the difference costs 500$ + losses in resale value. I deliberately purchased A6500 a week ago because it's "cheap".

I have a child, he's constantly in flight.

Animal Eye AF.

@Zinch:
There are apps that let you control various options even on iPhones, I use the 11 pro max.

You’re missing the point......with my mirrorless camera, as I’m taking it out of a bag I can see/set the aperture setting, shutter and ISO speed before the camera is even switched on or at my eye - that’s proper ergonomics....

Cellphones are slippery, have almost no buttons, are too thin to hold comfortably for either calls or picture taking, lack off-camera flash, lack flip down lcd screens, no 1/4-20 sockets, no neck strap...shall I go on?
But despite all this, we buy them anyway. Who is the idiot in this village?

You're missing the point.
People buy cellphones because they are slim and pocketable, not because they are confortable to shoot photos with them. Also, 99'99% of people taking pictures with them use the auto mode, so ergonomics are not so important there.

I turn on my Nikon DSLR as I'm bringing it to my eye and I see all the settings in the viewfinder and can adjust them nearly instantaneously with the front and rear dials immediately before taking the shot. With this camera, I'd be waiting for it to start up, and alternating my thumb between both dials, potentially missing the shot. It makes no sense at all that they wouldn't put one of the dials on the front grip.

It's all about the look. Give Sonys real ergos, and they won't look like Sonys anymore. That's why it'll take entirely new Sony models/lines before they have good ergos.

Lol, but the menus... that's either Sony sadism, or incompetence. There is no other explanation for the menus.

@ Afgon Targaryen: Could you explain how ergonomics are bad? What is the problem when using this camera daily? And why visit menus with a proper set ut camera?

I remember doing a user research study on a Sony Short Wave radio as an undergrad. Nobody could turn it on because it actually had two power switches. Once we showed people how to turn it on, few could figure out how to use it without a manual.

Sony always has great tech, horrible software, and its products are generally unusable by non-engineers. Don’t expect that to change.

Funny, that the A6000 sells well with more or less the same ergonomics since 2014.
2-0-1-4
5 years.
It can not be so horrible.

@ Nicholalala: So everything Sony is doing should be measured against a radio design "hundred" years ago? Well, if this is what you can come up with, I would say you are on the wrong vawe length ...

@Magnar:
No, I'm not going to explain this to you. Again. For the 50th time...

"Funny, that the A6000 sells well with more or less the same ergonomics since 2014. 5 years. It can not be so horrible."

Sure, and McDonalds sells lots of burgers, so they must be the most awesome food ever invented.

What a nonsensical argument.

"Sure, and McDonalds sells lots of burgers, so they must be the most awesome food ever invented.

What a nonsensical argument."

It was making sense when canon was selling lots of cameras. See the problem.

Why people make the sales = good argument i will never understand... Way more T6i units are sold than 5D4 or 1DXM2 units...

@ Aegon Targaryen: For the 50th time you are not able to argue, just throwing out claims. Well ...

@Magnar:
Uh huh...

Ergonomics being meaningless in a camera only holds true for point-and-shooters.

The A6600 is far the most versatile APS-C camera today: IBIS, gigantic battery, EVF, 4K full sensor down-converting unlimited video recording, real-time GPS tagging via phone, best lens ecosystem, no-competition continuous tracking eye AF both photos and videos, touch shutter on a back tilting screen, touch to track, touch to magnify even when recording video. These are the ergonomics that matter to me.
No problem here with specs and ergonomics, the only problem but a big one is the horrendously high price. Sony managers are fully aware that their cameras are far the best for years now, and they are not willing to let us pay reasonable prices for them. With the $850 EUR price for the A6500, I regard it still expensive. But the A6600's $1500 EUR is insane. The A6500 is still an excellent camera, sure, but it has no unlimited video recording, and no eye AF, no touch shutter. I used an A9 for a year, and after its AF, it is really hard to go back to stone age, so I should pay.

So you want the best camera, as you say, no competition, but you don't want to pay best-camera pricing? Weird, your expectations may need to adjust to reality.

Being a professional photographer, for me the most important aspect is getting the photo. Ergonomics is nowhere near the top of my needs. And Sony nails the shot.

For someone doing photos just for fun, maybe the pleasure is more important.

And yet buyers agree with Sony.

I don’t like cameras that make you hang on to a slippery smooth metal. I like a leathery, rubbery feel. It also protects the body from nicks and dents.

@PAntunes: I agree with your points in the given context.

You are right that all the possible resolution may be necessary for landscapes. If FF doesn't do it then there are 150 MP MF cameras for those who can afford them. Similarly sports shooting may require the AF power of A9 II, 1DX III or the D6.

How many of the millions of camera buyers have those needs? I don't have a number but guess that it's a small %.

For the rest of us (the vast majority) most cameras today can already nail the shot and provide sufficient resolution. How much more do I want to pay for capabilities beyond that? How much do I want to live with sub-optimal ergonomics and menus of a camera that can provide the little bit extra that I don't need?

I am not denying your need and I am happy that Sony came out with something that meets your need. I am sure that Canon, Nikon, Pany, etc., will match that soon but I find the 36 MP of D810 too much for my use. So, I am not even considering the Z7/D850. May be Z6+

It's high, because its competitors are just as good in some things, even though they are older units and thus at a lower price point.

Not all in life is autofocus. At 1400$/1600€ is overpriced (specialy in euros).

As an example, the combination of it with the 16-55 costs 2800$. The Nikon Z6 + 24-70 f4 costs 2300$ (Amazon prizes)

@Zinch: and? I can not mount my Sony lenses on the Z6. :) And for me AF is as important as the IQ, so prio #1. But I can tolerate some ergonomic deficiencies. :)

And there is no camera at that price point with a better AF.

No, but there are cameras half the price with the same AF. :)

"No, but there are cameras half the price with the same AF. :)"

Why stop there if you are making things up. Other brands are giving them free and they have same AF.

The a6600 is a fine camera, but there is really a lot more to the a7R IV in comparison than just one extra dial.

I agree on the touchscreen implementation that is underused. but menus are highly customizable and you can set up all the things like you want quickly. So it’s an overused argument. and ergonomics? yes a dial at the front might be nice, but the grip is nicer as some of the retro competition...

Correct, many of us have years of experience with Fuji and wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, xtrans is horrible to work with and Fuji 1.4 motors and many of the other lenses especially 1.2 are from a decade ago, at least!

@eno2 & @Advent1sam - rubbish! The problem with artifacts when processing raw files is an Adobe issue, not a fuji issue. This can be easily avoided by using other software such as Capture One. Fuji has the best APS-C system by far for enthusiasts & even pros!

The main problem with X-Trans isn't that it is produces problematic artifacts with several popular software suites (which is does), it's that it simply doesn't offer any real world advantage over high-density AA-less Bayer sensors.

Back in the days of 12-16MP Bayer sensors, it arguably made some sense. But not any more. It's a solution to an old technical challenge that no longer exists, like the uncompetitive 4/3 DSLRs that Olympus and Panasonic wisely moved on from...

@ear stick
The X-Trans artifacts and waxiness is present in both Adobe converted RAW files and out of the camera Fuji JPG's (at a different degree), but it's never gone with any demosaicing algorithms. X-trans pattern is simply worst than Bayer!

Out of camera JPG's: https://g1.img-dpreview.com/6FB04A6E45CC46629AEC188316E54AF2.jpg

Adobe converted: https://g1.img-dpreview.com/7EE9FF37943A45C6AFDE5BEDCBEA37FC.jpg
and
http://halkboyleistiyor.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/1-bolu-950-3-keskin.jpg

These days with 24MP+ sensors perhaps the x-trans sensor does not give an advantage compared to bayer but it is certainly is no worse. Out of camera jpegs do not have the wormy artifacts that can affect raw files processed via Adobe. The waxiness "issue" affects jpegs only and is easily remedied by lowering noise reduction to -2 in camera. I love my Fuji cameras and would never go back to Nikon! X-trans is fine!

@D7000ShooterUK

The X-trans artifacts and waxiness are very present even in Fuji's own JPG engine but they try to mask it with lower sharpness and stronger noise reduction, but they far from gone!

A similar resolution Bayer sensor camera from Fuji (entry LV), vastly outperforms the X-Trans sensor higher end one. Because Bayer is better!

Out of camera JPG's: https://g1.img-dpreview.com/6FB04A6E45CC46629AEC188316E54AF2.jpg

@eno2 No! Your link to those images proves nothing.

@D7000ShooterUK

"Your link to those images proves nothing."

Image comparisons prove more than empty words! :)

@D7000ShooterUK
Just ignore the Trolls, this guy comes into every Fujifilm thread, and now Sony here, with X-Trans worms, etc...it's just Internet Background Noise FUD...people like him would never understood, that this is correlating with the Adobe ACR Engine, how it does handle X-Trans RAW files, into a years old Engine Version, not the current one...but you know, the Web doesn't forget, and so are Guys like him still spreading this X-Trans Worms, etc. FUD all the way...again, and again...and again! Just ignore it.

He doesn't understand rational arguments, i don't argue with ppl like this further way, because i've often said, there are besides Adobe perfect RAW Converters & Tools, which do a great job on X-Trans: Capture One, PhotoNinja, Iridient X-Transformer, -Developer, RAW Therapee, DarkTable - those guys don't understand, being stuck into 2012.

Haters gonna hate anyway, especially vs Fujifilm. Sony can't built something cute like a X-T3. AF Speed isn't all.

Good Light.

Possibly the dumbest comment on DP. EVERY company wants to make a big and disgusting profit, as do all the companies in YOUR 401K. These "small pieces of crap" outsell all of their competitors, and produce world class photos and video.

Clearly your bias is obscene, so maybe type less and you'll find happiness.

The word “ best”should always be suffixed with “for me”. Personally my preference is the Canon M6 mkii. This would be best for me. That would not mean there is anything wrong with the Sony. I’m glad there is are other choices that can be made.
I like that DPreviews sets out reviews to help prospective buyers for what is for most, a substantial financial investment.
On the other hand League tables with notional bests tends to generate unpleasant behaviours on forums.

it's extended to all other brands, as DP survives on advertising dollars from all of these companies. The mockery used towards the author of illness though, that's weak, and may expose a deficiency of character.

It doesn’t have the horizontal bar on the a6600 the numbers move instantly, not sure what lag they are referring to but it’s non existent on the a6600!

Of course it has the unnecessary bar. It's a menu option whether to display the silly thing or not.

It doesn't seem to in the a6400 or newer cameras. They don't dim either.

Not any more and video is unlimited with the a6600 battery you can video for hours continuously

@ekaton - for a trip around the world, a smartphone camera is enough. Oh wait... better a RX100, no wait, I need FF... what I want to say is what one "needs" for a world trip depends on personal preference. So this is a very isolated view. There are e.g. people that hate switching lenses when on tour or taking four lenses with them all the time :)

First you say you know the best APS-C combo, but then if Fuji change a few things you'll convert, but why?

"All of the additions that would have turned this into a better camera would have essentially made it an A7III with an aps-c sensor in it. You must be able to see why they wouldn't do that?"

Sorry, but can't see it. APS-C and FF already share the same mount (unlike say Canon mirrerloss) so why should they not offer a more pro orientated body. I think there is a market for this kind of camera just as there is / was a market for pro oriented DSLRs like the Canon EOS 7D line for example.

@RubberDials, All those things in that couple of paragraphs have nothing to do with converting APS-C into FF or something as you claimed. Think usability & flagship. I would count addressing those bits part of innovation.