Sony A6000 vs Canon 70D

Introduction

The Sony A6000 and Canon 70D are two fundamentally different cameras which were launched in April 2014 and October 2013, respectively, and besides the differences, they share multiple things in common, and one of them is the fact that they are widely used by hundreds of photographers in the market.

This has to mean something, and my duty is to reveal the secret receipt of their manufacturers, that’s why I’d advise you to get into action right away in order to find out what’s so special about them and how are they going to improve your shooting experience!

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Head To Head Comparison

Sony A6000

The Sony A6000 sports a very compact, all-black finished body that is made of a combination of magnesium-alloy in its front section, while the other half of the body is purely made of a composite material that makes the camera feel solid while you’re holding it in your hands!

Aside from being a sleek yet solid camera, the A6000 is exceptionally durable, and the main reason behind this is its weatherproof-sealing that enhances the rigidity of the camera, while on the other side, it equips you with versatile shooting options, so that you’d be able to shoot in different environments regardless of the weather conditions!

Furthermore, the top plate is a home of a single Mode dial, shutter release button with an On/Off switch and customizable C1 button that is located at the grip, a multi-interface shoe that sits on the top, whereas, on the rear, nearly all of the controls are spread on the top and right-handed side of the body. In total, there are two dials, single wheel and nine buttons present on this camera which is awesome, because even though it sounds like this is too much, in practice, it isn’t really like that. All of them are easily accessible and it won’t take long until you learn how to use each of them.

On the front, you can also find an AF-assist lap with an IR receiver, and let’s not forget the smooth, textured grip on which you can completely rely, because the comfort you will feel in a return is nothing but overwhelming.

Moreover, on the top-left corner if you view from the rear, you will instantly notice the neatly positioned electronic OLED viewfinder that has a resolution of 2,359k-dots which will guarantee you an undistracted and convenient view of everything you’d wish to capture thanks to its sharpness and the 100% field of coverage.

Below, there’s a tilting, 3″, 921k-dot LCD screen that distributes quality visuals and it looks crisp under normal conditions of light, which is super useful especially when it comes to shooting, however, keep in mind that if you’re positioned under a strong, daylight you may not have the “best” experience in the world. Also, I think that Sony could have done a better job here, and could’ve also paid attention to make the screen touch-sensitive.

In terms of the connection options, the Sony A6000 includesmini-USB port, an HDMI port, DC-IN, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHCSDXC or Memory Stick Pro Duo memory cards, and the best part – it is both, Wi-Fi and NFC-enabled which will dramatically ease the transfer of your captured content with compatible devices!

Now, let’s take a look at the internal components and how does it feel to shoot with this camera.

First of all, this unit is armed with a 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor, a BIONZ X image processor, has a continuous shooting rate of 11 fps, impressively powerful Hybrid AF with 179-point focal-plane phase-detection and 25 contrast-detect points, and a native ISO range of 100-25,600 which is expandable up to 51,200!

One of the biggest highlights regarding the camera’s performance is its ability to output nearly perfect low-light results! Namely, shooting JPGs up to ISO 1600 look very crystal, the color accuracy is superb while the details are indeed numerous and the only situation where you can notice the noise is if you shoot in very dark areas.

Once you go above ISO 1600, Sony activates the built-in noise reduction which is a bit too strong in my honest opinion, but still, details hold up pretty well until you reach the upper ISO sensitivity range – the ISO 12,800 – 25,600! But still, if I can choose, I’d go as high as ISO 12,800 because images are somehow usable.

Before we end, I’d also like to mention that the A6000 is performing really well in terms of recording videos, due to the fact that it records 1080p videos at 60 fps in the AVCHD format, whereas, MPEG 4 capture is available at 1080p and 480p at 30 fps. The footage is lifelike in my honest opinion, and I definitely recommend you to record some videos occasionally!

Sony A6000 Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Fujifilm X-A3 vs Sony A6000

Canon 70D 

The Canon EOS 70D features an attractive black-painted, yet exceptionally durable and solid body made of aluminum and polycarbonate resin with glass and conductive fiber that is furtherly protected by a weather-sealing which by default means that you will never feel restricted in terms of shooting, since moisture and dust will never cause you troubles once you have this camera! At this stage, both cameras receive credits from me, and for now, the result remains a tie!

I’d also like to mention that the EOS 70D employs a deep, textured grip that feels secure and comfortable while you’re shooting with this camera regardless of how long you’ve been actually doing that! Even though you are going to use the Canon Eos 70D with a tripod, the grip is important.

Moreover, this model packs a plethora of buttons which is nothing to be surprised of considering the fact that we are talking about a DSLR camera, but what’s cool is that the control layout is well-organized and each button can be easily accessed which definitely comes handy during your shooting sessions!

For example, the top plate holds a single Mode dial with an On/Off switch located on the left, a hot shoe that sits on the center, and a large Information LCD screen positioned on the right which is followed by 5 dedicated buttons such as the Autofocus Mode, Drive Mode, ISO, the Metering pattern, and a light bulb that activates the backlight of the screen. Slightly below, at the grip, there is a shutter release button, and a small button that lets you adjust the active focus points.

On the top-rear, to the left of the viewfinder, there is a Menu and Info button, whereas on the right, there are a couple of more buttons of which the most notable is the AF-On button and the 8-way multi-controller that will help you smoothly navigate between menus.

Also on the rear, you can find a viewfinder that is set on the top, and an LCD screen located below the viewfinder, in the center, and let’s briefly explain their capabilities.

Well, the viewfinder has a glass pentaprism design, and covers up to 98% of the field, has a 0.95x magnification and it is good enough to help you have a clear view of the surrounding and to lock onto the subjects you want to capture quickly and effectively.

On the other side, the 3″ LCD screen is fully-articulated, it is touch-enabled and has a resolution of 1,040k-dots, and to be honest, I’m sure that you will love the given opportunity to adjust its position upwards and downwards, as well as to shoot with it and make numerous adjustments with a tap of a finger! Clearly, the 70D receives more points here, because the Sony A6000 lacks touch sensitivity and it isn’t as adjustable as the 70D.

Furthermore, the connectivity options provided by this camera is a mini-HDMI port, USB 2.0 port, external 3.5mm microphone jack, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, and in comparison to the A6000 who has a built-in Wi-Fi and NFC support, this camera is only Wi-FI-enabled, and here, Sony has a tiny advantage over the EOS 70D.

Performance-wise, the EOS 70D incorporates a 20.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor, runs on a DIGIC 5+ image processor, has a 19-point cross-type AF system, burst shooting speed of 7 fps, and a native ISO range of 100-12,800 which can be expanded up to 25,600!

For your information, the EOS 70D captures JPG and RAW format imagery, and throughout the ISO range the noise is well-controlled.

Namely, the best results can be achieved up to ISO 6400, because the color accuracy is excellent, details look really defined and the overall image quality is sharp. As expected, the noise becomes more prominent as you’re pushing higher, and once you reach the ISO 12,800, what’s interesting is that details are still kind of crisp and images are usable. At the highest level, this is a different story because noise decreases the image quality.

RAW images look a way better even at the highest levels, but still, choosing to shoot through the highest ISO ranges leads to heavier noise.

In the end, I’d also like to mention that the 70D isn’t the best camera for recording videos, because it has some awkward limitations such as the fact that you can’t record when the Wi-Fi is enabled, and in comparison to the Sony A6000 who records 1080p videos at 60 fps, this camera tops out at 30fps. Hence, even if the footage is strong, it isn’t comparable to the one produced by the A6000!

Canon 70D Sample Images:

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Sony A6000 vs Canon 70D Feature Comparison

	Sony A6000	Canon 70D
Camera Type	Mirrorless	DSLR
Megapixels	24.0	20.2
ISO Range	100-25,600;51,200	100-12,800;25,600
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	179 AF Points	19 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	APS-C	APS-C

Similar Comparison: Sony A6000 vs Nikon D5500

Conclusion

Before we end, let’s quickly go through the key aspects of both cameras, and what are the advantages offered by both of them, so that you would have an even better insight in order to bring the final decision!

If you opt to shoot Portrait photography, keep in mind that both cameras perform nearly the same, although the A6000 has a better sensor, whereas for Street photography, the result is once again almost the same, but the A6000 beats the EOS 70D with a tiny advantage.

For sports photography, the EOS 70D performs a way more better, while for Daily photography, the A6000 beats the EOS 70D.

The areas where Sony A6000 proves itself as better is at the number of focus points ( 179 vs 19), because of its more accurate viewfinder ( 100 vs 98%), the continuous shooting rate ( 11 vs 7fps), and the fact that it is NFC-enabled and supports UHS memory cards.

On the contrary, the EOS 70D has a better screen that packs a 12% higher resolution and it is touch-enabled, has a faster shutter speed ( 1/8000s vs 1/4000s), has a better environmental sealing, distributes 6m longer flash coverage range, and has a stronger battery life (920 vs 360 shots).

If you ask me, if you prefer having a mirrorless camera, then you can opt to get the Sony A6000, whereas, if you prefer DSLR, the Canon would be great for you, because both cameras perform really good! But if you really can’t decide, then the Sony A6000 would be a bit better option for you.

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