Presenting a versatile feature-set in an especially compact design, the Sony a6100 is an APS-C-format mirrorless camera well-suited for stills and video applications. Featuring a 24.2MP CMOS sensor and a BIONZ X processor, capturing high-resolution stills with a broad sensitivity range and low noise is possible. The sensor and processor combination also affords UHD 4K video recording along with quick continuous shooting up to 11 fps for working with moving subjects. Also benefitting fast-paced shooting, Real-time Eye AF and subject tracking capabilities help to ensure sharp focus on a variety of subject types.
Complementing the imaging capabilities, the a6100 features a 1.44m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder for clear eye-level viewing. A rear 3.0" 921.6k-dot touchscreen LCD is also available and has a 180° tilting design to suit working from high, low, and front-facing angles. Additionally, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enable wireless sharing of imagery as well as remote camera control from a linked mobile device.
A revised APS-C-format 24.2MP Exmor CMOS sensor realizes smooth, nuanced image quality with minimal noise and high sensitivity from ISO 100-32000, which can further be expanded to ISO 51200 for working in low-light conditions. The sensor features a unique design that utilizes thin copper wiring, enhanced circuit processing, and an enhanced front-end LSI to boost light-gathering abilities, reduce noise, and increase readout speeds to benefit video recording. The sensor and BIONZ X processor combination also avails a top continuous-shooting rate of 11 fps with AF and AE and permits 14-bit raw file output for a wide tonal and color scale.
Internal recording of UHD 4K movies is possible in multiple frame rates up to 30 fps and, based on the Super35mm recording area and effective 6K resolution, oversampling renders greater detail and full pixel readout is possible, that is void of pixel binning, for higher quality imagery with reduced moiré and aliasing. Full HD 1080p recording is also supported in frame rates up to 120 fps, and both resolutions utilize the 100 Mbps XAVC S format contained within an MP4 wrapper with 4:2:0 sampling. The high-speed, 120 fps recording also enables 4x and 5x slow-motion movie recording with the frame rate set to either 30p or 24p. In addition to high-resolution internal recording, uncompressed HDMI output also enables the use of an optional external recorder for clean 4K recording with 4:2:2 sampling.
4K video recording also avails the ability to produce 8MP stills during playback by taking a frame grab from a movie and storing it as a separate file.
Covering nearly the entire sensor area, a powerful 4D FOCUS system incorporates 425 on-chip phase-detection points along with 425 contrast-detection areas for precise focusing in as little as 0.02 seconds. The density of focusing points from this hybrid AF system also enables High-density Tracking AF Technology, which is adept at tracking moving subjects in a variety of lighting conditions. Real-time Eye AF can be used to base focus on recognized subjects' eyes for portraits (either humans or animals) and is available for both AF-S and AF-C modes. The use of phase-detection points also enables the use of A-mount lenses via the optional LA-EA3 or LA-EA1 lens mount adapters with full AF compatibility.
The apt 4D FOCUS system also lends itself to a variety of focusing functions for refined accuracy, including Lock-on AF, which maintains focus on moving subjects throughout the use of a configurable frame that is set over the desired moving subject, and Expand Flexible Spot, which employs neighboring focus points to retain focus on moving subjects even if the originally selected point loses focus. Autofocus can also be used in conjunction with the Focus Magnifier function for critical focus when homing in on minute subject details.
In addition to autofocus, the a6100 also features a Peaking MF function to benefit manual focus control by highlighted sharp edges of contrast for a more objective means of acquiring sharp focus.