Sony Unveils Alpha 6700 APS-C Mirrorless Camera with Innovative Features
Sony has recently introduced its highly anticipated Alpha 6700 APS-C mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. Marketed under the model name ILCE-6700, commonly known as the a6700, this camera showcases Sony’s commitment to incorporating cutting-edge technology from their popular Alpha series of full-frame mirrorless cameras and the Cinema Line. What sets this camera apart is its compact and lightweight design, unique to the a6000 series.
The a6700 boasts an array of features that cater to both photography and videography enthusiasts. Advanced AI-powered subject recognition and exceptional scalability empower creators to express their creativity across a wide range of subjects and scenes, including nature, animals, sports, people, and everyday moments.
Equipped with a back-illuminated CMOS image sensor called Exmor R, which boasts around 26 million effective pixels, and the latest BIONZ XR image processing engine, the a6700 offers outstanding descriptive performance and an extended sensitivity range of ISO 50-102400. This allows for high-sensitivity shooting with minimal noise, even in challenging lighting conditions.
The camera’s Fast Hybrid AF system combines on-the-fly phase detection AF and contrast AF functions. With a remarkable 759-point AF system, leveraging the AI processing unit found in the a7R full-frame mirrorless camera V (A7R5), the a6700 introduces “Real Time Recognition AF.” This feature enables precise and seamless object tracking, employing advanced pose estimation technology to accurately capture subjects, even when they are in complex poses or partially obstructed.
What truly distinguishes the a6700 is its expanded range of subjects that can be recognized. Building on the existing support for people and animals, Sony has included new recognition capabilities for birds, insects, cars, trains, and planes.
The camera facilitates high-quality 4K video recording through 6K oversampling, with the option to record 4K videos at 120 frames per second. The a6700 comes equipped with S-Log3, providing a dynamic range equivalent to 14+ stops for rich gradation performance. Additionally, it features S-Cinetone, a feature utilized in Sony’s Cinema Line, which optimizes skin tones to enhance the visual appeal of individuals captured on screen.
To combat camera and video shake, Sony has integrated a 5-axis optical body image stabilization function and an active mode specifically designed for video recording. Moreover, the a6700 records various data during shooting, including LUTs, image stabilization, breathing correction, camera rotation information metadata, and film marks. These features facilitate seamless post-production processes, including the use of Catalyst browser.
Furthermore, the camera’s multi-interface shoe (Mi Shoe) now includes support for the digital audio interface. This enables the transmission of sound as digital signals to the camera, ensuring high-quality audio recording without degradation caused by analog lines.
The a6700 is equipped with a 3.0-type side open-angle LCD monitor with touch operation, a 2.36-million-dot XGA OLED panel, an electronic viewfinder (EVF), an SDXC UHS-II memory card slot, and an FZ100 battery.
It is worth noting that the memory slot has been relocated to the left side for compactness, deviating from the current camera placement. Additionally, the a6700 features a USB-C port, equivalent to USB-PD, while still utilizing the micro HDMI standard for HDMI output.
While the a6700 shares the same image sensor and comparable video recording capabilities as the existing FX30 APS-C cinema line, it offers several key enhancements. Notably, it incorporates dual memory slots with CFexpress Type A support, full-size HDMI, active cooling fan, and optimized design for video production. This positions the a6700 as a noteworthy counterpart to the a7S3, similar to the relationship between the a7S3 and FX3.
The main unit of the a6700 is available at a launch price of $1,399.99.
In conjunction with the a6700, Sony has also introduced the world’s first shotgun microphone, the ECM-M1. Featuring eight dial-selectable audio recording modes, this microphone utilizes advanced beamforming and digital processing technology, making it incredibly versatile. Its various modes include stereo and super-directional, which captures targeted sound within a 30-degree range while effectively suppressing ambient noise. The ECM-M1 is ideally suited for interview scenarios and self-recording.
With a newly added mode dial that includes a lock function, users can easily and securely switch between pickup modes. Additionally, the microphone offers noise reduction features such as a noise cut filter and a low cut filter, which reduce background noise and low-frequency noise, respectively. These filters are implemented through digital signal processing to maximize sound quality during the recording stage.
For cameras that support 4-channel audio recording, channels 1/2 can be used for directional focusing on a selected target, while channels 3/4 can be utilized for recording omnidirectional sound. The ECM-M1 shotgun microphone is available for $349.99.
Sony’s Alpha 6700 APS-C mirrorless camera and the world’s first shotgun microphone, the ECM-M1, offer professionals and enthusiasts alike the tools they need to capture stunning images and exceptional audio quality. With their innovative features and technological advancements, Sony continues to raise the bar in the world of photography and videography.
Sony has announced the Alpha 6700 APS-C mirrorless interchangeable lens camera.
The Alpha 6700 (model name ILCE-6700, hereafter referred to as the a6700) integrates the latest photo and video features from Sony’s Alpha series of full-frame mirrorless cameras and the Cinema Line, a family of video production cameras, into a compact and lightweight body unique to the a6000 series. It is characterized by
High-precision subject recognition by artificial intelligence (AI) and rich scaling performance support creators’ colorful image expression in a wide range of subjects and scenes, such as nature, animals, sports, people, and daily snapshots.
The a6700 achieves high descriptive performance from Exmor R, an ASP-C back-illuminated CMOS image sensor with approximately 26 million effective pixels, and the latest BIONZ XR image processing engine An extended sensitivity of ISO 50-102400 is realized , enabling high sensitivity shooting with suppressed noise.
Fast Hybrid AF, which combines on-the-fly phase detection AF and contrast AF functions, has been increased to a maximum of 759 points, equipped with the same AI processing unit as the a7R full-frame mirrorless camera V (A7R5) for ‘Real Time Recognition AF’ with high precision By recognizing an object on the road, the object can be captured and tracked very precisely using pose estimation technology even when a person takes a complex pose or if is the surface covered.
In addition, in terms of the types of subjects that can be recognized, in addition to people and animals supported in the current a6000 series, birds, insects, cars, trains and planes can also be recognized.
High-quality 4K video recording is possible through 6K oversampling, and a 1.58x crop ratio is applied, but 4K 120p video recording is also supported. It has S-Log3, which realizes a dynamic range equivalent to 14+ stops, to provide rich gradation performance, and S-Cinetone, installed in the Sony Cinema line, is also included to illustrate a person’s skin is beautiful. .
Like the high-end models of the a6000 series, the 5-axis optical body image stabilization function and the active mode during video recording respond to photo and video shake, built-in LUT recorded during shooting, image stabilization, breathing correction, camera rotation information metadata, film mark, etc. can be used in the post-production process, including the Catalyst browser.
The multi-interface shoe (Mi Shoe) which corresponds to the digital audio interface is mounted on the camera body and transmits sound as it is to the camera as digital signals, enabling high quality recording without degradation caused by analogue lines.
It supports a 3.0 type side open-angle LCD monitor with touch operation, a 2.36-million-dot XGA OLED panel, an electronic viewfinder (EVF), an SDXC UHS-II memory card slot, and an FZ100 battery.
However, the location of the memory slot has been moved to the left side, which is different from current cameras, for compactness, and it has a USB-C port which is equivalent to USB-PD, but the HDMI output still uses the micro HDMI standard.
Compared to the existing FX30 APS-C cinema line, it provides the same image sensor and similar video recording function, but has dual memory slots with CFexpress Type A support, full-size HDMI, active cooling fan, optimized design video, etc. , and the picture function is much better In this regard, it can be said that the relationship between the a7S3 and the FX3 is similar.
The launch price of the a6700 is $1,399.99 for the main unit.
Meanwhile, with the release of the a6700, Sony also announced the world’s first shotgun microphone, the ECM-M1, with eight dial-selectable audio recording models.
With four microphone capsules and unique beamforming and advanced digital processing technology, it provides various modes including stereo. The super-directional mode captures the targeted sound within 30 degrees in front while suppressing ambient noise is effective. Ideal for interview methods and selfie shooting.
A newly added mode dial with lock provides easy and safe switching between pickup modes, and noise reduction features such as a noise cut filter to reduce background noise and a low cut filter to reduce low frequency noise are also provided. Specifically, these filters can be implemented through digital signal processing to maximize sound quality at the recording stage.
In cameras that support 4-channel audio recording, channels 1/2 can be used for directional focusing to a selected target while safely recording in omni-directional mode on channels 3/4. It costs $349.99.
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