Sony - Alpha 6100 Mirrorless 4K Video Camera with E PZ 16-50mm Lens - Black

I was skeptical about paying the price before buying it but after playing with it a little at the store I went for it! I am so happy with it and am glad I didn't second guess it! it connects to my phone so every picture i take on it goes straight to my phone. I put it on a tripod and was able to take the picture with controlling the camera with my phone without using a timer. i am beyond happy with my new purchase!

I have a pro Nikon lenses and all would count as my carryon! My iPhone just doesn’t give me what I need. My Sony a6100 is a perfect in between!

I absolutely love it! Bought it right before my trip to Abu Dhabi and it’s been fantastic. Love Love love it!

The Sony α6100l is truly impressive and is an overall outstanding camera. The α6100L is not likely going to attract professional photographers, but it is not intended to. The α6100L is for everyone else! With a stellar array of features and functionality, and excellent specifications, this mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera is terrific. The α6100L model falls towards the entry level of the α6100 series of cameras. However, the α6100L is not an entry level camera by any standard. It is a robust and flexible camera with outstanding hardware and excellent lenses. In my youth I was a dedicated hobby photographer. I shot in both 2 ¼ square format with twin-lens reflex cameras and 35mm with SLR cameras. I bulk loaded film, and developed and printed both formats in my home darkroom. I also worked in several camera stores in a major, metropolitan city, and I advised customers and sold every type of photography product including the most sophisticated and expensive cameras and darkroom equipment of the time, including professional equipment. I genuinely loved photography and captured thousands of images on film, many of which I printed. Although the years passed, and the darkroom equipment was sold off long ago, an appreciation of good photography gear and of good photography remains. Digital photography and automation allow the masses to shoot excellent images. In the hands of creative people, these cameras afford great capabilities to capture shots that would likely have been missed with manually operated film cameras, even with motor drives or the first generation of automation (i.e. the Konica Autoreflex-T). The choices for today’s photographers, amateur or professional are almost limitless. Mirrorless, interchangeable lens digital cameras are an excellent choice for many users, and the Sony Alpha cameras have proven themselves to be excellent, well-respected cameras. The Sony α6100L is just such a camera. The list of features, functions and specifications is extensive and far beyond inclusion in a brief review. The list of what the camera does not have is far shorter, and what is not present may, or may not matter at all to you, depending on your purpose and intentions for selecting the Alpha 6100L model. Notable strengths include the Sony lenses. The “normal” lens included with the α6100L is a 16-55mm, f3.5 power zoom lens which is further enhanced by the cameras digital zoom. The two lens α6100Y model also includes a 55-210mm, f4.5 zoom portrait – telephoto lens. The 6100L is compatible with all Sony E-Series lenses. The α6100 sensor is a 24.2 megapixel, APS-C, Exmor CMOS sensor measuring 23.5 x 15.6 mm (not full frame). The α6100L has powerful and outstanding Auto-Focus and Auto-Exposure functionality and offers the photographer complete exposure control with more than a dozen exposure modes, five focus modes and eight flash control modes. The Auto-Focus system is fantastic, and possibly the best available. With a spec of 425 auto-focus points and real-time eye AF (human and animal) and real-time tracking, it truly excels, and exceeds anything that I have experienced with other cameras. The α6100L has Sony’s latest and most advanced image processor, the Bionz X, which undoubtedly is the underpinning of the excellent image rendition, with accurate color rendition, skin tones, etc.. The α6100L image formats range through 14 bit (compressed) RAW. The α6100L shoots video at resolution of up to 4k, and offers a wide range of frame rates (allowing for a variety of slow or fast motion shooting), image sizes and compression schemes. The α6100L has an electronic viewfinder as well as a 2.95” TFT, touchscreen LCD screen, which is mounted on a pivot allowing for upward and downward tilt of the high-quality screen. This is particularly valuable when you want to capture low-angle shots without kneeling, and high-angle shots, such as holding the camera over the heads of the crowd standing in front of you, while still having a view of the screen, and access to the camera controls. The screen actually swings a full 180 degrees, allowing you to take selfies with the α6100. A proximity sensor at the viewfinder disables the touchscreen when the viewfinder is in use. The included rubber eye cup is comfortable and still provides for good eye relief for full viewfinder visibility, even when wearing eyeglasses. The User Interface is complex, owing to the many, many settings and their many variables. Given that many smartphone cameras have UI’s that require a familiarization period, the UI of the α6100L is “on steroids”. The user has an enormous range of options affording superior creative control of the photography, when desired, or allowing the α6100L to soar in full-automation excellence. The complexity of the interface and extensive menus are not the most intuitive, and there is a learning and adaptation curve. Given the numerous icons and graphic display elements, the viewfinder or display screen perimeter can be congested, and due to their small size, may be difficult to easily read. I readily admit to frequently consulting the α6100L documentation (online – not printed), and there is a great deal of documentation and many useful resources available online from Sony’s multiple α6100 series websites. (The primary document, the online User Guide is a whopping 580 pages, and may be downloaded as a printable PDF file, if you can afford the paper and toner/ink). The α6100 is compact in size and light in weight, making it easy and convenient to carry or pack. The trade-off with a compact camera body, is that with the many control buttons and knobs, the buttons are small and some controls are in close proximity, resulting in occasional unintentional button depressions while manipulating the camera body. The α6100L is supplied with one battery pack, which utilizes in-camera charging. An external battery charger, and additional battery packs are sold as accessories, and if you intend to shoot a great many stills, or lots of videos, or if recharge opportunities will be limited by location or time constraints, an additional battery pack, and perhaps the external charger, make good sense. The in-camera recharge time is at least a couple of hours. I intend to purchase at least one additional battery pack and the external charger, very soon. A memory card is required to store images on-board the camera. SDXC UHS-I, V30, U3, C10 appears to be the SD card spec of preference. It appears that UHS-II cards, which may be used in the α6100L, are not of benefit due to hardware limitations. With the α6100L one-lens package there is no body cap or rear lens cap provided, although a rear lens cap is included with the α6100Y, two-lens package. If the camera is stored or carried with the lens off, a body cap should be installed and the rear of the lens should also be capped, as well as the front. The 6100L does not have a self-cleaning sensor or image stabilization (although some available lenses offer image stabilization). The α6100L is equipped with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n but not ac, and the Wi-Fi is 2.4Ghz only, not dual band inclusive of 5.0Ghz. Bluetooth and NFC connectivity are also on-board. There is a built-in microphone and speaker and a mini-jack mike input, but no headphone output jack (why?). The Sony Play Memories Camera App (smartphone and desktop) has had many critics among users. Early in 2019 Sony released the replacement / upgrade to Play Memories with Imaging Edge. The apps facilitate image transfers, including automatic transfers, and offer some advance functions including remote camera controls as well as editing RAW and even creation of time-lapse video. I am genuinely enjoying using the α6100L. The feature set and exposure controls are so extensive and robust, that any creative photography utilization is very well supported. In the alternative, the α6100L can be placed in virtual control of the photography and trusted to produce excellent images of professional quality, with more simplified, point-and-shoot ease of use. Of course, how many point-and-shoot cameras will fire at 11 fps, bracket exposures and shoot with a 1/4000 sec. shutter speed that freezes action? Shooting at 11 fps (aided by a decent image buffer) is simply amazing, and rewards you with the potential to capture the perfect shot; just the frame(s) that you hoped for. Low light shooting is fantastic. The specs show an ISO standard/normal range of 32,000 and an expanded ISO range of an incredible 51,200. The α6100 also has a good built-in flash and hot-shoe. Again, exposure control is just incredible. The camera hardware seems to be high-quality. The lens mount is metal, and lens locking is solid. The body is not the same magnesium alloy, dust and weather sealed body that is provided on the more expensive α-series models. The α6100 body is plastic; probably polycarbonate. It really would be nice if the α6100 shared the same premium body as the rest of the α-Series cameras. Nevertheless, there is nothing “cheap” or “inferior” about the hardware. It is sleek and elegant, and feels good when handled. The Sony α6100L is really an excellent camera. It is extremely capable and is producing excellent photographs. I am enjoying the α6100L immensely, and could hardly be more pleased with the camera. The size, weight and outstanding features and technical capabilities of the α6100 really make it an excellent camera for many, many applications, and render it the perfect travel camera, as well. Of course I recommend this impressive camera very highly!

Conclusion: This is by no means a complete review of this camera and all its features. This is a feature rich camera that no single review will be able to fully appreciate. I love this camera! It is versatile, compact, and takes excellent photos in all lighting conditions. There are hundreds of features and options built into this camera that will keep an amateur photographer like me engaged for the foreseeable future. There is a plethora of accessories that I can add to this camera to meet any needs that the stock camera does not currently fulfill. The Alpha 6100 is a flexible, feature rich platform that I am going to enjoy exploring for years. What originally convinced me to own this camera? A friend of mine is a professional photographer. He photographs and videos professional trade shows and conferences. I noticed one day that he changed out his typical SLR and video camera for the Sony Alpha 6000. I asked him why. He told me that for half the money he could get almost the same quality as his more expensive cameras. Plus, he only needed one camera to do both video and stills. I did not need a new camera at the time. Today, my digital SLR is non-operational. I decided to jump on the Alpha 6100. I’m glad I did. I got a heck of an upgrade for the same money my old camera cost. What do I like: The camera is small, compact, and what I would call a dense .78lbs with the stock lens attached. The bump out on the right of the camera body is small compared to a traditional digital SLR camera. For me, this makes the camera awkward to hold. This may change with the addition of a larger lens. Stock, the camera is compact enough that my hands crowd close together. The Power Zoom on the included lens adds to my awkward handling. I have medium sized hands. Think medium sized adult winter gloves. I can see someone with large hands having a very difficult time handling this camera with the included E PZ 16-50 lens. This all being said, I find the compromise between weight and size acceptable for my needs. I can move easily between stills and videos with the touch of a single button. If I want to get fancy, then I can get GP-VPT1 shooting grip. This will allow me to point and shoot without worrying about any awkward handling positions. Sony’s site has a plethora of lenses, adapters, flashes, remote control, power options, and accessories listed for this camera. Many of these items are available on Best Buy. Sony’s site will tell you exactly what is compatible with this camera and the items part number. Better yet, I can put the camera on a tripod and remote view and shoot using Sony’s mobile app or desktop app. One feature I liked is the Auto White Balance. Yeah, I know, auto white balance tends to be terrible for all cameras. The Alpha 6100, in my opinion, does a better job, at this price point, than most. Indoor shots are still yellowish. Outdoor shots, however, are a different story. I took the camera on a hike along a snow-covered trail. I Left everything at full auto. The camera auto adjusted its settings for macro shots, portraits, and for different lighting conditions. The white balance was pretty good. Now, this could have been the position of the sun, the time of day, or having snow as the backdrop. Regardless, I am pleased with the results. I also took a few videos of a waterfall. The videos were clean, well balanced, and detailed. The sound was good for not having an external mic. Moving from still to video was super easy. There is a record button near where your right thumb will naturally rest while holding the camera. Press once to start recording. Press a second time to stop. It does not get any easier than that. Auto mode has two modes: Intelligent Auto and Superior Auto. From Sony, “Intelligent Auto automatically identifies a scene’s characteristics and shoots a photo. Superior Auto beautifully shoots automatically while reducing blurring and noise.” As a test, I took two photos of my shed using each setting under natural lighting conditions. White balance threw a little grey into the shot but not much. You will want to consult with the online user’s guide for more details. I included the two shots with my review. Another auto mode, SCN, gives you more control. This is an auto mode for all the camera’s major shooting modes such as Portrait, Sports Action, Macro, Landscape, and more. There are two ways to set the SCN’s shoot mode. First, you can take the long way around through the camera’s menu system. I found this method slow and clunky. The second way is via the Function button located above the D-pad. Press the button and then use the D-pad and built in scroll wheel to quickly chose your shoot mode. The options here, as mentioned before, are enormous and much more than a simple Best Buy review can get into. I will say that the flexibility here is rich and appreciated for those of us who did not go to photography school. For those who did go to photography school then you will be happy to know that you can adjust any of the other modes on the camera to your heart’s content. For example, Program Auto, P on the dial, has eleven pages of options under the image setting and another 9 pages under the movie settings. Press the Function key and all the options directly related to your shot are available via a simple to navigate graphical interface. These include Drive Mode, Focus Mode, Focus Area, Exposure Comp., ISO, Metering Mode, Flash Mode, Flash Comp., White Balance, Creative Style, and Silent shooting. The Alpha 6100 can also take panoramic photos, slow motion videos, and quick motion videos. I have no need, yet, to shoot slow motion or quick motion videos. Panorama, however, is pretty darn impressive. I took a panorama of my workspace, the camera must have taken 50 photos, and then stitched them together like it only took a single photo. The image was in focus and detailed. I did not like the default length of the panoramic shot. I wanted to stop early but the camera continued shooting until I had completed the pre-defined panoramic field. One issue I did run into with Panoramic is with anything moving in shot. For example, I took a Panoramic of a track and field facility. The people walking across the grounds during the shot had a double exposure affect. This may entirely be due to my lack of experience with panoramic photos, the camera’s software, or some setting I failed to turn on. Just be aware to take some sample shots of what you want to capture before you pull the trigger on the real shot. The LCD screen is not a touch screen. This may seem strange in a world where cell phones have become the dominate photography tool. Sony delivers an excellent button layout to help navigate the screen. The buttons are all properly marked. The D-pad doubles as a scroll wheel. And the Scroll wheel has a selection button in the middle. There are also functions located to each compass point on the scroll wheel for easy access and navigation. The scroll wheel is used to zoom through features, menu items, and options. You can quickly scroll through your images by rolling your thumb left or right along the scroll wheel’s track. You can also quickly zoom in, zoom out, and navigate an image that you want to take a closer look at after shooting. I thought it was a bit awkward when I first used it. After using it for a bit, I cannot image owning another camera without it. Home run for Sony! Finally, the screen itself has multiple functions available. Pressing up on the D-pad switches between four screen layouts with differing levels of details including a preview of your image, shot features, information about your photo, and histograms. Pretty much whatever you want to know about your shot before pressing the shutter button is accessible. The screen is attached to a mechanical arm that allows you to move the screen away from the camera body. This allows you multiple viewing angles while you shoot. The screen can also be flipped 180 degrees allowing for selfies. The Alpha 6100 automatically flips the LCD image when in selfie mode. Sony also added interactive features between the viewfinder and the view screen. There is a sensor in the eye piece that detects your eye, or something close to it, that, when triggered, automatically turns off the view screen and activates the view finder screen. All the same information is present. My old camera used to keep both on regardless of which one I was using. I always found this distracting. Thank you, Sony! Sony made connecting your camera with your cell phone super easy. The camera will display a QR Code that your phone uses to establish a connection. Another QR Code is used to acquire the mobile app, Imaging Edge. You can control the camera from your phone, view photos, setup location information, check current news related to the app, review help files, and remote control the camera. Unfortunately, the app needs a major usability pass. For example, if I remotely capture photos then I cannot view any photos until I first shut down the app and restart the app. Some screens do not have a back button. Another thing I cannot do from the app is set the camera’s photo function. I must spin the function wheel manually to get what I want. Then the options for that mode will be made available to me from the app. I would have preferred the ability to control all camera features and functions remotely. One word of caution. Turn the remote features off when you travel. Bluetooth is easily compromised. The good news is that there is an Airplane Mode under the Network settings in your camera’s menu. Turn this on when not using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to protect yourself and your photos. What I did not like: The built-in flash is harsh. Period. I would avoid using it unless absolutely needed.

This camera could not have come at a better time! I’ve been a long time Canon SLR user, starting with a Rebel XT, the most recent one I had was the 6D, a full frame camera. After seeing how small (relative to Canon SLR’s) the Sony mirrorless cameras are and the beautiful photos my co-worker was getting from his Sony (6500), I decided to make the switch. It wasn’t easy as I had several nice lenses, flash and camera to get rid of. There were several factors that convinced me to move from Canon to Sony. They are as follows: - Video autofocus: The Canon 6D I had lacked autofocus in video mode, for me, video mode without autofocus makes the video feature pretty much useless, if my subject moved closer or further, I’d have to refocus manually. What I love about the Sony is the video 4k quality (with autofocus) and the 1 button to start and stop recording! I didn’t have to switch to video mode, then press record. - Intuitive menus: Menus on the Canon’s are not as intuitive as I would’ve liked. I found the menus to connecting to an iPhone or an iPad to be very confusing and frustrating. Perhaps I just didn’t understand the logic of their menus although I’m fairly tech savvy, so I’m not sure. The menu on Sony 6100 is logical and laid out in an intuitive manner. There are some settings for the camera where there are several pages of menus, but the dots on the bottom of the menu and the “1/3” in the upper right hand corner lets you know where you are, nice subtle touches. I was even able to setup “Favorites” easily. - What you see IS what you get with the Sony – With my old camera, the exposure might look fine through the viewfinder, the line is where it should be to get a good exposure, but the picture often comes out darker or lighter than expected. With the Sony, the image you see on the screen or electronic viewfinder is the image you get. Much less chances of missing the shot you were hoping to get. - Size: as mentioned above, the size of the Sony is very compact! With the 16-50 lens, I was still able to fit it in my ski jacket pocket. I can’t get over the features and technology Sony was able to fit in such a small, compact package and it weighs about half as much as my previous camera! Usability: The Sony feels very nice and solid but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it very comfortable to hold. Its compact, there isn’t a lot of surfaces that is molded to fit your hand. The screen can tilt and flip, perfect for vloggers! You’ll notice when the screen is flipped over, the bottom right corner is partially blocked by the eye piece. Not a big deal to me as I’ll probably never use that feature, maybe annoying to some. Speaking of screen, while it is technically a touch screen, its can only be used to tap on focal points and zooming during playback mode. You can’t use the screen to change settings, it would be a bit small (3”) to change settings on it anyway, buttons are probably easier. All the buttons are nicely laid out and easy to understand. To find different scenes (macro, sports, night etc), you have to go to SCN first, then select the scene from the sub menu on the screen. Features and performance: The Sony has all the features one would come to expect from a SLR. The features I was pleasantly surprised by are “HDR” and “Panorama”. With the HDR, the camera will take multiple exposures of the same image and combine the images. With panorama mode, the photo takes multiple images as you slowly rotate the camera, when it’s done taking the photos, it’ll stich them together creating 1 wide image. Yes, these features are available on phones these days, but it’s a nice feature to have on your camera. Transferring images from the camera to your phone is very easy with the “Imaging Edge Mobile” app. On the camera, press menu, scroll over to “Network – Send to Smartphone Func”, select the camera’s WiFi and use the app or the camera to select the photos you want to transfer, that’s it! The included kit lens, f3.5-5.6/16-50mm, is decent for beginners. If you’re somewhat serious about photography, you’ll want to upgrade to a nice prime or zoom lens that offers lower constant aperture. Battery life could be better, you’d definitely want to pick up an extra one to have in your bag (NP-FW50, retails for $60) and maybe even an external charger. Conclusion: Overall, I really like this camera alot, it’s the perfect balance between price, functionality, features, image/video quality and size. For a vacation, I’d take this over a point and shoot any day to have the flexibility of interchangeable lenses. I’d say this camera is good for someone looking to get into a SLR camera through intermediate photographer or someone more advanced but doesn’t want to lug around heavy a camera bag!

Sony - Alpha 6100 Mirrorless Camera with E PZ 16-50mm Lens - Black What’s in the box: • AC Adaptor:AC-UUD12 • Eyepiece cup • Lens cap • Micro USB cable • Rechargeable Battery NP-FW50 • SELP1650 • Shoulder strap The a6100 is an all size fits all mirrorless camera, and it is the successor to the a6000 that has been around for years. A notable upgrade I might add. It can be used to point and shoot to produce beautiful pictures, or you can dive a little in the so easy to use menu to customize settings and get the most out of it. The a6100 is also a wonderful and great option for bloggers, with its almost limitless accessories and the great 4K shooting abilities, it can be an affordable option for bloggers who want a gear that can be used in a multitude of scenarios. Feel & Build quality: The a6100 is a very well built, rugged camera. Although its made of plastic, it feels very good in hand, and its very well balanced. The right hand camera grip is made of soft rubber feel plastic for optimum grip and to avoid the camera slipping from sweaty hands. All buttons are very well placed and easy to get your muscle memory going and after some time using the camera, I can say that it feels very natural and not awkward at all. Features and ease of use: Although this camera can be very sophisticated and advanced, it can also be set to auto mode to point and shoot images or videos. The menu is very easy to use & self-explanatory. every time you turn the dial to one of the option, you do get a screen that tells you what can be done within this menu. Kudos to Sony for dumbing it down for beginners like me Pre-set options include: - Auto mode: which includes 2 modes of Intelligent auto or superior auto and the difference is choosing between automatically identifying the scene characteristics to shoot a photo or to shoot images automatically while reducing blurring and noise. - Scene selection mode: which enables you to select a mode for the subject and the environment we want to capture like night scene, hand held twilight (to shoot night mode without the stability of a tripod), night portraits (fires the flash to illuminate the subject and slows the shutter down to capture the background scene as well), anti motion blur to enhance the image quality in poor lighting conditions, portrait mode, sports action (shoots fast movement in higher shutter speeds), macro mode to shoot close ups, landscape which is great for nature and sceneries, sunset mode that vividly captures the reds. - Panorama mode: which enables you to get a panoramic image in vertical or horizontal modes. - S&Q modes: for slow and quick motion capturing for movies. - Movie modes: you have auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual exposure. - MR: which shoots with preset settings. This option enables you to setup a function button and assign it to a specific setting to use if you have repeated conditions and you don’t want to change the settings every time. - Manual exposure mode: allows you to adjust aperture and shutter speeds to your liking. - Shutter priority: adjust the shutter speeds manually. - Aperture priority: to be able to change the range in focus and amount of background blur. Other features include the ability to change glass (lenses) and there is a huge array of lenses that is compatible with the a6100 that can serve multiple needs, the ability to add a microphone for better sound capturing which I highly recommend, and the ability to add an external flash as well. Image & video quality: Shooting images and videos is very easy it makes you question how does this camera produces so beautiful and outstanding images and videos in so little effort on your side. With red eye reduction and absolutely the best face tracking I have seen on a camera in my life ( it tracks human, animal, and even faces on tv with amazing speed and accuracy using its real time tracking feature. The auto mode is perfect, the video quality with 4K with resolution of 3840 x 2160 and a dedicated video recording button makes it very easy and fool proof to make sure you get what you want, and what you only want. Other great features include the 3 inch TFT- LCD touch screen that can swivel and flip to enable you to shoot videos and photos while holding the camera and actually see the frame you are in. although its not the best screen quality in the world but it does what it needs to do. Images can be produced either in Jpeg, or Raw formats. The final product quality is the same but Raw is the better option if you are planning on doing heavy editing on your photos. Other notable features include WIFI connectivity to download images to your smart device, Bluetooth connectivity with compatible accessories like the Sony shooting grip or the remote commander. A great feature is also how customizable the functions are with a dedicated Fn (function) button to make the camera your own and to your liking. Lens: the a6100 comes with a 16-50 mm Power Zoom Lens which is also made by sony. Its versatile and suitable for 100% of a beginners needs. Upgradeability is endless with glass that is offered from both Sony, and third party vendors. Battery: the camera comes with one rechargeable battery pack NP-FW50. This specific battery has been used for a long time by Sony and you can get spares from Sony and third party vendors as well. I highly recommend getting an extra battery or two because mirrorless cameras tend to drain battery very fast. Cons: the only 2 things that bother me about this camera are: 1- The shoulder snap rings connected to the camera are made of metal and are very noisy when shooting videos (I have removed them since the camera will be used for videos and photos mainly utilizing a tripod. 2- The camera has no IPS rating and is not water or dust proof. An option is to get a protective waterproof case. Conclusion: like many other Sony products this camera is going to be usable for years and years, and it is upgradeable with lenses and accessories to keep it relatable in the span of the next 5 years at least. I highly recommend the a6100 with this kit and price.

I bought this camera only a few days ago but ive used it a good amount already and it takes incredible pictures and great videos! My plan for this camera is for me and my friends to make YouTube videos, and from what ive seen so far i cant wait to get some videos from this camera up on the platform!