Sony a6100

The Sony a6100 is a mirrorless camera introduced in 2019 with an APS-C sensor at its heart. At 396 g and 120 x 67 x 59 mm, it is a light, compact body for holidays and everyday walks.

It suits anyone moving up from a phone or compact camera, and photographers who want one body for stills and video. The 24 megapixel sensor, 11 fps top burst rate and 4K recording cover a wide range of subjects, from family pictures to fast action and short films.

Owning it means working within the Sony E lens system and framing through an electronic viewfinder, with a flip-out touchscreen for unusual angles.

The 24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor produces files with enough resolution for large prints and some room to crop. The ISO range runs from 100 to 32000, so settings remain available as the light falls indoors or after sunset, with the Bionz X processor handling the camera's core processing.

Autofocus draws on 425 points, giving the system many positions for placing focus. The burst mode reaches 11 fps at its maximum, and that top speed is not a promise for every situation. Neither figure by itself establishes tracking performance.

The Sony E mount ties the camera to its lens system, which shapes your future lens choices. There is no in-body stabilisation, so at slower shutter speeds sharp handheld results depend on a steady hold or a stabilised lens rather than the camera itself.

The electronic viewfinder resolves 1.44 million dots, giving a detailed framing view. The maximum shutter speed of 1/4000s handles most daylight work, though in strong sun at wide apertures you may need an ND filter to keep the exposure in range.

The a6100 records video up to 4K, which gives footage enough detail for editing and for viewing on modern screens. Files are written in MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S or H.264, so you can choose a format that matches your editing software and storage habits.

The top frame rate is 120 fps, which lets you record fast movement and play it back as slow motion. Treat 4K and 120 fps as separate maximums unless you confirm a combined mode, so plan slow-motion work around the settings you have verified.

A built-in timelapse mode saves you from triggering frames by hand and assembling them later. Because the screen flips out, you can set the camera low or high for a timelapse or an unusual clip and still check your framing comfortably.

The 3-inch LCD resolves 921,600 dots for reviewing framing and detail while you shoot. It responds to touch and flips out, so you can use touch controls and frame from varied angles rather than holding the camera at eye level all day.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both built in. These cover the common short-range wireless standards, though the specification alone does not confirm which transfer or remote-control workflows they support, so check those details before relying on them.

A built-in flash covers the moments when you just need a little light, and the ability to fit an external flash gives you a path to stronger lighting as your work grows.

There is no weather sealing and no GPS. Keep the camera sheltered in rain or damp conditions, and if you want location data in your files you will need to record it separately.

Files land on a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card, or on a Memory Stick Pro Duo. With a single slot the camera cannot record to two cards at once, so size your card to the session and offload important work promptly.

The NP-FW50 battery carries a rating of 420 shots, though no test standard or measurement conditions are stated for that figure. Screen, Wi-Fi and video use can draw more power, so a second battery is a sensible addition for long days out.

USB charging lets you refill the battery between sessions, which is convenient when travelling light. A charged spare remains useful for long days away from a socket.