Eye-AF in A6500

[mnhoj]

I'd like to add a crop body with good eye-AF.
From what I've read the A6100 and A6400 have excellent eye-AF.
What about the A6500? I'd like IBIS. Is it in between the GENii and GENiii A7 series?

Thanks.

 

[WNG]

I'd like to add a crop body with good eye-AF.
From what I've read the A6100 and A6400 have excellent eye-AF.
What about the A6500? I'd like IBIS. Is it in between the GENii and GENiii A7 series?

Thanks.

Yes, to your question.
To get the latest and greatest in eye-AF, you'd need either an a6400 or a6600. IMHO, the a6600 improvements warrant it over the superceded a6500. The Z battery alone!
You sacrifice the pop-up flash though.

 

[Richard Crowe]

I agree that although the A6500 has Eye-AF capability, the Eye-AF in the A6100, A6400, and A6600 is better in that it is full time Eye-AF and you don't need to activate Eye-AF by pressing a separate button. Although you can easily program any button on the A6500 or even a focus-hold button on the lens to initiate Eye-AF...

I have the 6500 (which I will be placing on eBay shortly) and the A6400 and A6600 which I use in tandem. Usually, I shoot in tandem with two different focal length lenses but sometimes, I like to shoot with a modern lens plus a legacy lens so that I am sure of excellent IQ with the modern lens but, also can take advantage of the creative renderings of the legacy lens.

I don't shoot video so the IBIS isn't all that important but, it certainly can't hurt. Here is a selection of images done with the non-IBIS A6400 and the non-OSS Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens.
https://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Dia-de-los-Muertos-Hollywood-Forever-3019/i-tFw2487

 

[mnhoj]

Thanks guys.

On the A7ii I use back button AF with the shutter AF disabled. The center button is assigned eye-AF but I never use it.
On the A6500 would it be the same way?
Or can I have eye-AF with back button and shutter AF disabled?

Edit: I YouTube'd a few videos and answered my questions. Thanks.

 

[mnhoj]

I decided on a gently used A6400 instead.
Thanks guys!

 

[Tipton]

You sacrifice the pop-up flash though.

I have never used the pop up flash on my 6500, just so you guys know.

 

[Richard Crowe]

I used my pop up flash one time... Just to ensure that it worked in case I would need to sell the camera. It worked and I am selling the camera...

 

[davect01]

Sony's naming convention is confusing as hell.

After the mess that was the A6300, (Overheating was a real issue for some), the A6500 came out with IBIS which a lot of folks were/are excited about.

Then the A6400 came out with some huge improvements that had included Eye Auto Focus but no IBIS.

And now the A6100 and A6600 are available and the A6000 is still listed as available. The A6100 and A6600 both have Eye AF with the A6600 having IBIS.

Seriously, you need a decoder ring to understand all the APS-C models.

I'm currently shopping the A6400 as a replacement for my A6000

 

[mnhoj]

I really like the little flash because it bends back.
Not the most useful thing but nice for a birthday cake ceiling bounce snap shot.

 

[bdbits]

davect01 - I have long thought Sony needlessly complicates this as well. I think I do understand the logic a little, though - A6000 is entry, A6300 the next step up, A6400 newer tech but no IBIS, A6500 with IBIS, A6600 as flagship APS-C. And while I understand it is nice to have the lower prices of the older models, keeping them all available makes it confusing for the consumer. I mean just look at all of these cameras! There are just too many models. I suppose that is partly the pace at which Sony upgrades, but it would have been better to slow things down a bit and maybe skip a model here or there.

 

[Richard Crowe]

The A6400 is an excellent camera and IMO is one of the best values (considering features) of the Sony A6xxx line.

Sony bashing is a lot of fun for some folks...

Strange that everyone complains about the confusion of the Sony multiple A6xxx cameras... After all, no one complains that there are too many varieties of Campbell soups

And no one seems to have complained about the multiple names of the same Canon camera such as:

Canon EOS 350D (Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT in North America and the Canon EOS Kiss Digital N in Japan)

 

[bdbits]

I am not bashing Sony, just think they could simplify the line-up a bit and retire models a little more often. Simplifying it for the consumer might help sell cameras.

I thought Canon was confusing too when I was using Rebels.

 

[Ad Dieleman]

The A6400 is an excellent camera and IMO is one of the best values (considering features) of the Sony A6xxx line.

Sony bashing is a lot of fun for some folks...

Strange that everyone complains about the confusion of the Sony multiple A6xxx cameras... After all, no one complains that there are too many varieties of Campbell soups

And no one seems to have complained about the multiple names of the same Canon camera such as:

Canon EOS 350D (Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT in North America and the Canon EOS Kiss Digital N in Japan)

I agree with others that the Sony APS-C line-up is confusing: the A6500 is older technology, but has IBIS compared to the A6400. From a marketing point of view it would have made sense to have newer and better specced cameras with higher numbers. Compare that to the A7 FF cameras where a much more logical naming is used: A7/A7R/A7S/A9 are four lines of distinctly different cameras and the newer ones have higher Mark x numbering.

As for Canon, phew, I'm glad I don't have to weed out their catalog.

 

[mnhoj]

I'm curious about Sony's marketing and having all the old bodies still available new. I guess it prevents having to blow out old stock. Might actually be working for them.
Maybe they're even producing new RX100v1. ( :

Speaking of which they probably should've adopted that naming convention.
A6100 > A6000ii
A6400 > A6300ii
A6600 > A6500ii

 

[Richard Crowe]

Using a Mark-2 designator would have been handy to understand but, I really don't have any more trouble with Sony naming conventions than I do with college nicknames like USC, UCLA, UCSD, etc...

 

[mnhoj]

Me either.
But they're running out of space.
When they do, maybe the A6000 will still be available new.

 

[Zenith]

Me either.
But they're running out of space.
When they do, maybe the A6000 will still be available new.

A6700, A6800, A6900. Like gfx cards for PCs.

 

[davect01]

I'm curious about Sony's marketing and having all the old bodies still available new. I guess it prevents having to blow out old stock. Might actually be working for them.
Maybe they're even producing new RX100v1. ( :

Speaking of which they probably should've adopted that naming convention.
A6100 > A6000ii
A6400 > A6300ii
A6600 > A6500ii

It's great that they still have the A6000 and A5100 listed. Still a viable camera for many folks.

 

[davect01]

Well, I pulled the trigger and got an A6400 as a replacement for my A6000.

I waited patiently for a good sale and found one new for $720. I will be selling off my trusty A6000 (one camera family).

Looking forward to the Eye AF, no blackouts and silent shooting mode

 

[Tipton]

It's great that they still have the A6000 and A5100 listed. Still a viable camera for many folks.

The a6000 is Sony's best selling camera with good reason. A lot of people just want a nice camera to take pictures of family vacations and pets and birds at the feeder, and the 6000 is inexpensive and does all that well, with the option of upgrading to better lenses as you go.

And some savvy people start buying FE lenses and upgrade into the A7 series later.