Sony announced two new additions to its α™ (Alpha™) APS-C series of mirror less cameras with the launch of the Alpha 6600 (model ILCE-6600) and Alpha 6100 (model ILCE-6100). These new additions to the range integrate Sony’s advanced technologies into compact and lightweight bodies including leading-edge autofocus performance, superb image quality and the very latest video technologies.
The new Alpha 6600 has been designed to address the needs of the most demanding photographers and videographers with its versatility making it suitable for multiple types of shooting scenarios and users. The Alpha 6100 is targeted at users who are looking to make the step-up to shooting with interchangeable lens cameras and wish to shoot high-quality photos and videos in a variety of different situations.
The Sony APS-C range has been further strengthened by the launch of two new lenses, the E 16-55mm F2.8 G standard zoom lens and the E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS super-telephoto zoom lens. With this announcement, Sony’s versatile E-mount system now features a total of 54 lenses.
Sony’s ‘One Mount’ strategy to continually expand the E-mount system, cameras and lenses with complete inter-compatibility between full-frame and APS-C, means that they want to offer the widest range of exciting products that customers can select from when choosing the right tool for their needs.
At the heart of both the new Alpha 6600 and Alpha 6100 sit a24.2MP Exmor™ CMOS image sensor, the latest BIONZ X™ image processor and a front-end LSI implemented in Sony’s full-frame cameras. This powerful trio combine to deliver all-round enhancements in image quality and performance across all areas of photo and video capture.
The Alpha 6600 and Alpha 6100 offer a lightning fast autofocus acquisition time of 0.02 seconds. With 425 focal-plane phase-detection AF points covering approximately 84% of the image area and 425 contrast-detection AF points, the high density and wide coverage of the AF system ensure reliable AF, even in the most challenging light conditions. Both new models benefit from Sony’s ‘Real-time Tracking’ which utilizes Sony’s latest algorithm including AI[iii]-based object recognition to ensure that subjects can be captured with excellent accuracy, even via the touch panel on the rear screen.
In addition, the new models offer ‘Real-time Eye AF’, the latest version of Sony’s acclaimed Eye AF technology, which employs AI-based object recognition to detect and process eye data in real time, resulting in improved accuracy, speed and tracking performance of Eye AF for both humans and animals, and allows the photographer to concentrate exclusively on composition.
Based upon feedback from users of existing Sony APS-C camera users, further features have been added to the Alpha 6600 and Alpha 6100 to fine tune the user experience. These include improved color reproduction; algorithms inherited from full-frame models deliver natural color reproduction, particularly in skin tones; Hi-resolution internal 4Kmovie recording with full-pixel readout without pixel binning in Super 35mm format with easy smartphone transfers via the Imaging Edge™ Mobile application among others.
The new Alpha 6600 offers superb low-noise performance and delivers extremely high-quality images, even in low-light conditions. By applying noise reduction and sharpness processing optimally in each area, Area-specific Noise Reduction and Detail Reproduction Technology greatly reduce noise while preserving high resolution contributing to fine reproduction of subject textures and shadow details. The Alpha 6600 boasts internal 4K movie recording in Super 35mm format with full pixel readout without pixel binning, to capture approximately 2.4x the amount of information required for 4K movies (Also available in Alpha 6100). This oversampling results in stunning footage, delivered in the XAVC S™ format with unparalleled resolution.
The Alpha 6600 equips an HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma)[xvi]picture profile that supports an instant HDR workflow. Recorded movies played back on an HDR (HLG) compatible TV will appear true-to-life, with no blocked shadows or blown highlights, without the need for color grading. For users who want to color grade their footage in post-production, S-Log3 and S-Log2 Gamma profiles are provided.
