Sony has announced all of the features that make the NEW a6500 their top performing APS-C body. It performs with the same powerful 24MP sensor as the a6300, but with a faster processor to speed up image buffering. Physically, the interface and dimensions have not been altered much from Sony’s previous model. Internally, however, components have been reconfigured to improve speed, and deliver a stronger, more user-friendly experience.
The a6500 is the first APS-C body to adopt Sony’s famous 5-axis body stabilization. Vertical, horizontal, pitch, yaw and roll movement are compensated for within the camera body. If an E-mount image stabilized lens is mounted to the a6500, the camera steadies movement in the horizontal, vertical and roll axes, while the lens adjusts for pitch and yaw.
It is also the first to feature a very comprehensive touch screen, which is enabled to adjust focus points while you use the electronic viewfinder. The body has been constructed with a more robust, metal lens mount, as seen in the A7 II series; a 90-degree tilting display; and an additional custom function button on the top deck of the camera.
The advanced autofocus system that was so successful in the a6300 now includes eye-tracking AF, lock-on tracking, and focus magnifying in the a6500. Its dense selection range of 425 phase detection points and 169 contrast detect AF points offers extreme accuracy.
Other notable new features include:
- 5x Slow & 60x Quick Motion Modes
- Sealing around buttons and dials ensures a secure resistance to moisture and dust
- Full pixel readout capabilities without binning for true 4K footage
- Same battery compatibility to previous Sony APS-C models
- Memory stick duo and SD Recording
- 8 megapixel stills from 4K video
- Rated by Sony to capture up to 107 frames within RAW buffer at 11fps