Sony announces A6500 system camera and RX100 V compact model
Sony announced two cameras on Thursday: the A6500 and the Cyber-shot RX100 V. The A6500 builds on the A6300 system camera, but adds five-axis image stabilization, among other things. RX100 V has a faster hybrid af-system than its predecessor.
The A6500 replaces the A6300 as Sony’s premier aps-c camera. Added are, among other things, five-axis image stabilization that provides 5 stops and a touchscreen for operation. The screen can serve as a touchpad when using the evf, to switch focus points. The 24-megapixel sensor and the AF system with 425 focus points based on phase detection have remained. A new chip in addition to the Bionz X image processor enables a larger buffer, so that 307 images can now be captured in continuous shooting at 11 fps. Sony also used such a specially designed chip with the A99 Mark II, which Sony refers to under the name lsi and which sits between the sensor and the Bionz X processor. The chip should speed up signal processing.
The body is made of magnesium alloy and Sony has, among other things, adopted the design of the grip of the A7 II. There are also ten assignable buttons. On the software level, the interface has undergone a metamorphosis so that menu items are easier to find. In addition, Highlight, which measures the exposure on the brightest part of the frame, and Entire Screen Avg, which averages the entire image, have also been added
The A6500 will be available in December for 1,700 euros. In combination with the SEL1670Z lens, Sony asks 2800 euros for the device.
The fifth compact camera in the RX100 series, with the DSC-RX100M5 model, should distinguish itself with the speed of its hybrid AF system, which uses contrast and phase detection and can focus within 0.05 seconds. The system uses 315 focus points and can shoot up to 150 images at 24fps at the full 20.1 megapixel resolution with AF/Ae tracking.
Sony is once again using the stacked cmos chip with dram memory, the cmos chip it first used with the RX100 IV. The lens is again the Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 24-70mm f/1.8-f/2.8. New from the previous model that the RX100 V can record video in slow motion mode for twice as long. Users can choose whether to shoot at 1000fps, 500fps or 250fps. Sony will make the new Cyber-shot available in November for 1200 euros. The company will also release an underwater housing, the MPK-URX100A, for 360 euros.