Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the Sony a6700 for Videographers concentrating on the movie Quality and features if you're Interested in the photo capabilities of This camera check out my separate review Of IT aimed at photographers which also Starts with a detailed look at the Design and controls so it's worth a Watch whatever you're shooting announced In July 23 at a body price of around 1400 the 6700 is Sony's first new hybrid Camera with an aps-c sensor since the 6600 launched four years previously it Couples the 26 megapixel sensor from the Fx30 cinema camera with the AI autofocus System of the a7r5 and packs both into a Compact and lightweight body aimed at Anyone who shoots both Stills and video The price specs and body features Roughly pictured against fujifilms xs20 And Canon zsr7 but I'm also going to be Comparing it against my own a6400 seen Here on the right which represents the Previous generation of hybrid Sony aps-c Cameras also including the 6600 I'm also Going to mention how the fx30 differs Again I've gone into detail about the Controls and design in my separate view Aimed at photographers but just briefly Here's some of the more notable aspects For videographers the a6700 has a side Hinge screen which can flip out to face You without being blocked by the
Viewfinder or hot shoe unlike the fx30 It includes an electronic viewfinder Which can be useful for composition and Playback in bright conditions the Built-in microphones now face forward But do watch out for rattly strap lugs Which can spoil audio on handheld Clips Unless they're stuck down it features a Multi-interface or Mi shoe supporting Accessories including the ECM M1 Microphone launched alongside it the Digital pins also support four Channel Audio on compatible accessories ports Include three and a half millimeter Microphone and headphone Jacks micro HDMI and USBC the latter supporting Power delivery for quick charging and Also so allowing the camera to work as a Standard UVC or UAC webcam meanwhile is A single SD memory card slot a record Button that's in a much more convenient Location than before three control dials And the fz100 battery pack which lasted For just over two hours of 4K 25p in my Tests on a single charge admittedly That's less than the 6600 managed with The same battery but it's still pretty Respectable in contrast while the pro Video focused fx30 May lack the Viewfinder and the mechanical shutter of The 6700 it does Sport twin card slots That can also accommodate CF Express Type A cards a full-sized HDMI port Which can also output raw video a
Built-in cooling fan which reduces Overheating especially at higher frame Rates and a scattering of quarter inch Mounts all around the body at only 400 More than the 6700 it's a serious Alternative that videographers will need To weigh up carefully okay now for the Video quality options with the 6700 Supporting 1080 up to 240 p and 4K up to 120p the latter making it unique amongst Its peer group meanwhile 1080 up to 120 And 4K up to 60 all share the same Virtually uncropped coverage all videos In the 16×9 shape and there's nothing Higher than 4K resolution so no wider Cinema 4K No taller open gate and no 6K Either all benefits that you'll find on Fujifilm's latest cameras in the file Format menu you'll find a choice of Codecs including the older xavcs in 4kl 1080 both using h.264 but now up to 120p And in 10 bit 422 if desired it's Amazing to think back to the 6600 Generation being 8-bit only there's also The newer xavchs which uses the more Efficient h.265 codec an Xavcsi standing for all intra using High Bit rates to encode 1080 or 4K all these Modes support sound continuous autofocus And Playback at normal speed even when Captured 120p giving you great Flexibility when editing meanwhile the Snq mode allows you to capture one frame Rate and play it back at another
Allowing you to see the effect of say Slow motion or quick Motion in playback It's also where you'll find the options To record 1080 up to 240p like color Recent Sony cameras the 6700 supports S-log 3 for grading now spun out from The earlier picture profile menu and Into its own more sensibly labeled one That said the picture profile list now Has a rather conspicuous Gap in the Numbering from once it came set the Auto Temp menu to high and you should be able To keep recording 4K up to 30p for Pretty much as long as you have battery Remaining I personally managed to record Just over two hours of 10-bit 4K 25p Indoors on a single charge with no Overheating warning set the camera to 4K At 50 or 60p though and it'll heat up Pretty quickly it might test overheating And shutting itself down after between 25 and 35 minutes at this point the body Was pretty hot touch and required a few Minutes to sufficiently cool down before Being able to record another half hour Clip to be fair other cameras with small Bodies and no active cooling also Struggle with 4K 50 and 60p so if you Need longer times either film 4K up to 30p or switch down to 1080 or of course Invest in an fx30 with active cooling That's enough torque now let's look at Some footage starting with a still photo Of Brighton Pier with a 16 to 55 lens at
16 mil showing the full width from the Sensor albeit here cropped vertically Into the 16×9 shape now for a 1080 25p Clip filmed at the same focal length From the same position which as you can See makes a very minor crop to the full Sensor roughly working out at about a 1.06 times field reduction the camera Uses this framing as the basis for all But its toughest modes so here's 1080 at 50 or 60p sharing the same coverage and The same resolving power and now for 1080 at 100 to 120 peep again with no Changing coverage or quality And already owners of the previous 6600 Generation will be eyeing this 1080 Footage enviously as those models were Not graded 1080 up to 60p and even worse At 120 when there was also a crop to Deal with but now onto 4K at 25p which Shares the same coverage as the previous 1080 Clips unless we forget the highest Frame rate of the 6600 generation to be Uncropped 4k30p was available in those Models but it incurred a crop so a warm Welcome to 4K at 50 to 60p here sharing The same virtually uncropped coverage as Before and a key benefit over the Previous generation and now for 4K at 100 to 120p another major upgrade not to Mention pretty unique among its peer Group albeit here employing a one-to-one Pixel grab in turn resulting in a Substantial crop you're looking at about
A 1.5 times field reduction beyond the Other video modes here or about 1.6 Times when compared to a still frame I Measured a similar crop for 1080 at 200 To 240p and coincidence gently the Active part of the sensor in these modes Is now actually smaller than micro four Thirds so it's worth keeping an eye on Om systems and Panasonic if you're into Slow motion to see what they've got Planned just briefly back to 4K at 25p Before switching to a version filmed With s-log 3 and its base sensitivity of 800 ISO I found the dynamic range to be Similar to the fx30 as expected and I'll Provide this sample via my review at Cameralabs.com for you to download and Grade for yourself if you're interested Let's now have a quick look at the slow Motion capabilities with a splash test First filmed in 4k 50p but playing back At a normal speed on my 25p timeline now For the same clip but slowed by two Times and next for 4K 100p playing back Four times slower than normal where I've Also adjusted the zoom to match the Field of view and finally for 1080 at 200p for an 8 Time slow down captured Here using S and Q mode without audio And automatically slowed down using the Settings that I chose 4K 120 is the Highlight here and I've got a Compilation of Clips towards the end of This review if you're interested in this
Mode but first let's measure and compare The actual resolving power of each mode By filming my standard resolution chart With the a6700 and the 6400 the latter Also representing the 6600 to better see The differences I'll zoom in for a Closer look starting with 1080 at 25p With the 6700 on the left and the 6400 On the right now the 6400 generation was Notoriously bad at 1080 video and you Can already see how much better the 6700 Is on the left now for both cameras at 1080 50 to 60p where there's no change In quality for either of them so again The newer 6700 on the left remains quite Superior a 1080 100 to 120p the 6700 on The left still delivers the same quality As before but the 6400 on the right has Fallen further still and I should know Also involves a crop at this point on That generation the newest 6700 on the Left allows you to shoot even 5 faster In its snq mode here at 1080 200 to 240p Although this in turn does now incur a Crop and the loss of quality I'd say It's become a tad worse than the 6400 in 1080 100 to 120p on the right but it is Working at Double the frame rate now Let's move to a finer portion of the Chart for a 4K comparison here at 25p Where there may be slight differences in Their rendering but a similar degree of Actual detail I always felt 4k on the 6400 generation was its Saving Grace
Although it did suffer from significant Rolling shutters you'll see in just a Moment next for 4K at 50 to 60p on the 6700 on the left leaving the 6400 on the Right stuck at 25p again there is a 30p Option on the 6400 generation but that's As fast as it goes in 4k and it's Cropped as you can see there's no loss Of quality on the new 6700 here and Finally with the 6700 on the left at 4K From 100 to 120p where I've had to Reframe due to the crop the lack of the Sampling here not to mention slightly Higher sensitivity has reduced the Ultimate resolving power a little but it Remains close to the slower modes in Terms of pure detail before moving on I Wanted to make a quick comparison Between footage filmed with and without Active steady shot enabled as while this Does deliver enhanced stabilization it Does so with a crop so the question for Me is whether there's much loss in Quality as a result so first here's the 6700 filming 1080 without steady shot on The left and with active steady shot on The right where there's a minor drop in Ultimate resolution but nothing that I'd Be that concerned about and now in 4k 25p where the version on the right with Active steady shot looks pretty similar To the clip without on the left which Should alleviate any fears that the best Stabilization mode will Hammer your
Quality quite the contrary you can enjoy It with pretty much no loss let's move On to noise with Clips filmed in 4k 25p On both cameras between 30 to 100 ISO And the maximum video sensitivity of Twenty five thousand six hundred I've Cropped their width in order to fit both Side by side but they are presented at Normal height with no additional Magnification so this is how footage Would look when viewed normally in your Projects from these clips I'd say both The old and new generations are actually Looking quite similar to each other here Maybe even with slightly less obtrusive Noise from the older 6400 on the ride What do you think but now for Rolling Shutter which has always been a problem For the 6400 in 4k to compare them Directly I mounted both cameras on top Of each other set the same focal length And video mode then vigorously pan them Back and forth so hold on to your Breakfast and let's go starting with 1080 at 50p I'd say the new 6700 on the Left roughly matches the old 6400 on the Right for Rolling shutter it's visible But not too bad especially when you Consider the oversampled 1080 footage From the 6700 is way more detailed but Now for both cameras in 4k at 25p where The 6700 on the left is showing a little More skewing than they did in 1080 but The 6400 on the right has taken a much
Greater turn for the worst as I change Direction it almost looks like a Scooby-Doo flashback scene and has a 6400 owner I'd say rolling shutter is One of its biggest drawbacks to fill me In 4k you even notice it on a static Shot when walking in and out of frame And for good measure here's the 6700 Filming 4K 50p where the rolling shutter Looks similar to the 25p version and Again in 4k 100p where the crop view has Become tighter but again the skewing Effect looks similar to before so while The new 6700 can't help but remain Behind the best stack models out there In terms of rolling shutter it is still Delivering nicely detailed footage with Minimal skewing now on to autofocus Starting with a simple Focus pulling Clip filmed in 4k 25p a 55 mil 2.8 where You can see the camera effortlessly Racking back and forth that's way too Easy so how about face tracking using The full AF area this time at 35mm two Point AIDS and again no problem at all This sort of thing has been bread and Butter for Sony cameras for many years But new to the 6700 over its Predecessors is better recognition of Humans in different poses improved Accuracy for animals and birds not to Mention tracking for a wider variety of Subjects now including insects vehicles And planes I'll show you some examples
In just a moment but first for Stabilization starting with a clip Filmed at 55 mil without any Compensation where the footage is wobbly Next for clip filmed with standard Steady shot enabled which employs Sensorship Ibis stabilization this lens Has no Optical stabilization by the way So you're looking at Ibis alone here and I'd say It's already looking a bit Steadier than my earlier tests with the 6600 and now for active steady shot Which takes a crop and uses that border To provide additional digital Stabilization which here has further Reduced the wobbles alright now for a Quick vlogging test with the Sony a6700 Here filming in 4k at 50p with human Face and eye detection enabled but I'm Filming this without any stabilization At all so let's correct that and see how It Compares so now I've enabled standard Steady shot now I'm filming this with The Sony G 15 millimeter F 1.4 at F 1.4 Of course for that nice blurry Background but this is a lens which does Not have Optical stabilization of its Own so steady shot in this instance Means that you are looking at Ibis Sensorship stabilization within the Camera alone there is no other Stabilization working here however if You're willing to trade a bit of Coverage for potentially better
Stabilization you can switch this camera To active mode let's try that out and Finally you're looking at active study Chart here which as you can see has Applied a mild cropped field of view but In return should be giving slightly more Enhanced stabilization of course your Mileage will vary depending on what You're doing and how you're doing it I'd Say a 15 mil here with active Civilization these are going to be a bit Too tight for handheld vlogging at arm's Length but you does give you an idea of The kind of stabilization you can enjoy And just before I go I wanted to mention That all of the audio that you've heard In these clips has been recorded with The equally new Sony ECM M1 microphone In its most directional mode and if You're interested in that microphone I've got a separate review all about it Right now on with the rest of the review It's important to use an external mic With a 6702 as while the built-in mics Have been improved on my sample they Were rendered pretty much useless for Handheld vlogging thanks to the constant Rattling of the loose strap lugs you'll Really want to tape them down as this Clip from my ECM M1 microphone review Demonstrates so I'm now outside on a Fairly sheltered Woodland path and for This first test I'm using the built-in Microphones on the Sony a6700 have
Something for you to compare that Microphone to and before I do switch Over to it I just wanted to Rattle the Camera again Sure if you can hear that but the strap Lugs on this camera are a little bit Rattly and that is a bit of a problem if You are using the built-in microphones But put something better on top and it Should solve that problem straight away But don't let that distract you from the Fact that active steady shot only 6700 Really does look more stable than its Predecessors in turn making it more Preferable for walking and talking Videos but again just secure those lugs Down or use an external mic single Person Crews may also enjoy the auto Framing mode inherited from the zve E1 Which crops The View and uses subject Detection to move the frame around Giving the impression that someone's Actually behind the camera panning it Left and right and adjusting the zoom Sometimes it looks a bit artificial but Get your motion right and it can Actually look surprisingly convincing as If someone really is moving the camera On a fluid tripod head remember in this Clip the camera was static throughout so All the zooms and pans there you can see Are performed by a digital process Automatically in camera like the zve1 You can also record the cropped and
Panned version to your card while Outputting an untouched version over HDMI for security or vice versa but like That camera there's no option to change The aspect ratio I'd personally love to Use Auto framing to generate a tall Portrait shape clip for Mobile use where The subject would remain tracked and Centered in the image even if they moved From the middle this could be even Better if the camera had an open gate Mode with the full width and the full Height of the sensor at its disposal for Maximum reframing potential imagine Having the camera automatically create a Horizontal and vertical versions of the Same clip without ever cropping you off The frame even if you're moving from Side to side this to me is the ultimate Promise of Auto framing yet to be Realized as promised before wrapping up Here's a collection of slow motion Videos that are filmed in 4k 100p with The a6700 and 70 to 350 Zoom a great Combination for action video and Photography I'll see you in a minute for My final verdict Foreign Foreign A Sony's first hybrid aps-c camera in Four years the a6700 sports upgrades for Both photographers and videographers but In my test it's the latter who benefit The most the 6700 captures great looking
1080 and 4K footage up to 120p without Losing detail and with minimal skewing Too in particular 1080 detail 4K rolling Shutter and stabilization all enjoy Improvements over Sony's previous Generation while the autofocus system Now recognizes and tracks more subjects Than ever 4K 120 is unsurprisingly the Highlight here despite incurring a Pretty hefty crop of around 1.5 times on Top of aps-c to start with making the Active sensor area actually a bit Smaller than micro four thirds in Addition without active cooling the 6700 Overheated in my own tests after around Half an hour of 4K 50 or 60p and there's Also no 6K open gate nor raw video Output all features available on Fujifilms similarly priced xs20 but the Xs20 doesn't have uncropped 4K 60p nor Any 4K at 120p at all and it's video Autofocus and stabilization are both Been by the a6700 plus set the Sony to 4K at 24 to 30p and you'll easily grab a Couple of hours of footage from a single Battery charge without overheating at Least in my tests as always there's pros And cons to weigh up on all cameras but The 6700 gives you the core quality of The fx30 in a more affordable body aimed At those who want to shoot photos as Well as video I'd recommend comparing Closely with fujifilms xs20 canons R7 Panasonic's gh6 and Sony's own fx30 but
If you end up choosing the 6700 you'll Have a confident and compact hybrid Camera that excels at what most people Demand from it and that's the end of my A6700 review aimed at videographers make Sure you also check out my other video All about the photo features of the Camera as well as its design and Controls and in the absence of a Sponsoring down this particular review Video please do consider being kind Enough to give it a like and my channel Of follow thanks for watching and I'll See you next time bye bye
