Sony A6300 vs Canon 80D

Introduction

Тhe Sony A6300 and Canon EOS 80D are respectable enthusiast-level cameras that were officially announced in February, 2016, and since their launch date, as expected, photographers started making comparisons mainly because of their unique capabilities.

Namely, the A6300 is a mirrorless camera, whereas, the Canon EOS 80D is a DSLR camera and despite their fundamental differences, they are still close to each other in various ways, which makes the overall comparison be interesting and hard to choose the right product at the same time.

I’d suggest getting straight into the action and provide an in-depth analysis of their main features, because at a glance, you may not be able to provide the right decision!

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Head To Head Comparison

Sony A6300

The Sony A6300 features a magnesium-alloy, weather-sealed body that measures 2.6 x 4.7 x 1.9″ (HWD), weighs approximately 14.3 ounces without a lens, and if we make a close inspection to these specs and the material used throughout the crafting process, we can easily conclude that Sony did an excellent job here because they succeeded to manufacture a camera that is lightweight yet strong enough to withstand years of use.

In addition, the A6300 has a deep handgrip as well, which is yet another great thing about this camera due to the fact that the photographer will always have long shooting sessions filled with a higher level of comfort!

On the top, you can find a multi-functional hot shoe that is compatible with an XLR microphone adapter, an external flash or other shoe-mount accessories, two dials such as the standard Mode control and the Control dial as well as an On/Off switch along with a programmable C1 button that surround the shutter release as well as a pop-up flash that sits on the top-right part of the body.

On the rear, the left side is free of buttons, since Sony has decided to set all the buttons on the top and on the right side of the body, giving you a fairly better approach in capturing photos or record videos through the LCD screen and the viewfinder.

Since I’ve mentioned the viewfinder and the screen, I’d like you to know that the OLED 1024 x 768 pixel viewfinder has a magnification of 0.72x and is set on the top-left corner of the body, but, what’s interesting about it is that it employs an eye sensor that is positioned on the right which makes the camera capable enough to automatically switch between the rear screen and the finder! Otherwise, the viewfinder will provide you an excellent sight of every object you intend to capture and I think that you’ll like it.

Slightly below, there’s a 3″ 640x 480 LCD screen that can tilt up to 90-degrees, down for 45-degrees, and besides the benefits you will have in a return, I have one remark and that’s the lack of touch-sensitivity. Clearly, Sony could have done a better job here.

Speaking of the connections, the A6300 houses a 3.5mm microphone jack, micro USB port, micro HDMI port, and the most important part – it is Wi-Fi and NFC-enabled, which by default means that the process of transferring your photos and videos is going to be butter-smooth!

When it comes to the performance, this model incorporates a 24.2MP Exmore CMOS sensor, burst shooting rate of 11 fps, native ISO range of 100-25,600 that expands up to 51,200, and impressive 425 phase-detection AF-points with the intention to skyrocket your shooting experience!

For your information, when shooting JPGs, the image quality is fantastic at ISO 6400 – ISO 3200, however, once you reach ISO 12,800, you can notice that the imagery lose the overall quality since the details are decreased, and this pattern continues to ISO 51,200 where the noise reaches its peak, and I’d advise you avoid this sensitivity range.

On the other hand, RAW format images are sharp as you’re shooting through ISO 5400, and even though the noise is more pronounced at ISO 12,800 and ISO 25,600, the images are still usable although you shouldn’t rely much on these settings.

Before we move to the next section, I’d like to mention that you can achieve delightful results with this camera especially if you’re shooting wedding, portrait and sports photography, whereas, for landscape photography, the results are nothing but average.

Finally, the A6300 is not only excellent for photographers, but for videographers as well, thanks to its ability to record 4K videos at 24/30 fps, 1080p videos at 24/30/60 fps, and trust me, the results are fascinating. Videos look so sharp and lifelike in both situations, whether you’re shooting during the day or the night, which I think that for the price you pay, you can’t simply ask for more!

Sony A6300 Sample Images:

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Canon 80D

From a design perspective, the Canon EOS 80D boasts a magnesium-aluminum alloy body with a polycarbonate exterior that measures 4.1 x 5.5 x 3.1″ (HWD) and weighs around 1.6 pounds without a lens, which is considerably larger and heavier than the Sony A6300, however, what both cameras have in common is the weatherproof-sealing, hence, at this point, both cameras receives credits, so, the result is a tie!

Furthermore, the grip is adequate for users who have large and smaller hands, although those with larger hands may have a bit more comfortable hold, since the area where your index finger should be set, next to the shutter release has enough room to accommodate you pretty well.

Moving on, the EOS 80D has numerous buttons, and most of them are located on the right side of the camera, regardless if we are viewing from the front or rear.

Namely, on the top-left side, you can notice the presence of the mode dial, while on the right, there is a monochrome, Information LCD screen that is followed by 5 more buttons of which you can take advantage and have an easy access through the Drive, ISO, Metering or AF mode. Also on the top, the central part is occupied by a hot shoe, while ion the rear, controls sit next to the view finder and the screen, and the left side is completely free. Why is that? Well, keep reading you will understand!

On the top-rear side, positioned in the middle, there is a fairly large viewfinder that provides up to 100% of coverage and a bright view for the photographer, so that you will be able to get the most of the objects you intend to capture, regardless if they are moving or not.

Slightly below, there is a 3″ 1,040,000-dot, vari-angle touchscreen that will boost your shooting experience as much as possible, because its flexibility and its crisp output will surely help you a lot. Hence, you got the answer to the lack of controls on the left side.

In terms of the connection options, the Canon EOS 80D employs mini USB port, mini HDMI port, microphone input, headphone output, wired remote control, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, and as was the case with the A6300, this camera is also Wi-Fi and NFC-enabled. Here, the result remains a tie.

Performance-wise, the Canon 80D packs 45-point autofocus system, a 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 6 processing engine, continuous shooting rate of 7 fps, has an ISO range that stretches from 100-16,000 which is expandable up to 100-25,600.

I have to mention that once you start shooting and experiment throughout the ISO range, you will find out that this camera controls the noise in a very adequate manner. To be more precise, JPGs are extremely well-defined at ISO 1600 and the color accuracy is excellent if you ask me, however, keep in mind that once you reach the ISO 25,600, the 80D underperforms here because the noise is heavily pronounced which is normal though since this is the highest levels, and I’d suggest you avoid it.

Raw images are great as well, starting from ISO 1600, ISO 3200 and all th way up to 12,800, pictures look wonderful with minimal or without noise at all, and as expected, at ISO 25,600 noise appears more and starts to overtake the image.

In comparison to the A6300, this camera offers nearly the similar result for portrait photography, however, A6300 outputs better results at landscape photography.

On the other side, the EOS 80D outputs stronger performance for sports photography than the A6300, but loses the battle at street photography. To be honest, at this point, everything will depend on your shooting style, so choose the camera that would satisfy your needs. I personally am a safari photographer, and i found that the 80D Is a great safari camera for videos and photos.

In the end, the EOS 80D lacks 4K, and the most you will get out of the video performance would be the 1080p/60fps footage. The footage looks sharp and it is filled with vibrant colors. If you want to take it to the next level, buy a Canon 80D Tripod and get the best outcome. However, Sony A6300 outperforms the 80D in terms of video, no doubt.

Canon 80D Sample Images:

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Sony A6300 vs Canon 80D Feature Comparison

	Sony A6300	Canon 80D
Camera Type	Mirrorless	DSLR
Megapixels	24.0	24.0
ISO Range	100-25600;100-51,200	100-16000; 100-25600
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	425 AF points	45 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	APS-C	(APS-C) CMOS

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Conclusion

By now, you already have a clue that these cameras are excellent, and regardless of your final decision, both of them are worthy enough to be an essential part of the shooting arsenal of a variety of different photographers out there.

If I simplify their capabilities even more, by making a head to head comparison, I think that your decision will be even more right, so let’s do it.

The Canon EOS 80D has a faster shutter rate in comparison to the A6300 ( 1/8000s vs 1/4000s), has a stronger battery life ( 960 vs 400) on a single charge, has a more flexible and more detailed screen ( 1040k vs 922k), and outputs a brighter framing.

On the contrary, the Sony Alpha A6300 offers a better image quality, it is excellent for video recording and has 4K capability something that the 80D lacks, performs better under low-light sensitivity, it is a way more compacter which may be essential if you’re traveling a lot, has a larger viewfinder, packs more focus points and it is more affordable.

If you ask me, I’d go for the Sony A6300 because it is cost-effective and its performance is tremendously good if we take its price tag into consideration.

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