Sony A6700 Review & Initial Thoughts

During the great supply chain crunch for the post pandemic world, Sony made the smart decision to focus their available chips towards full-frame camera production. Unfortunately they stopped producing many of their popular APS-C mirrorless cameras like the Sony A6400, Sony A6100, and Sony A6600. While some of these cameras have since returned and others have been discontinued - in a world where non-smartphone photography has become a niche hobby, APS-C cameras seemed to be on their way out. 

Introducing the Sony A6700! Announced in 2023, after a 4 year lull, this higher resolution, 26 megapixel APS-C camera is a major upgrade to the Sony crop sensor line. At only $1399 for the body, it features many of the same incredible new AI features announced in the Sony A7R V and Sony ZV-E1 - including an AI autofocus processor. This means we can expect autofocus tracking that is much more accurate and sticky than previous Sony APS-C models. The A6700 can also record 6K oversampled 4K/60, 10-bit 4:2:2 - making it an ideal camera for underwater video shooters. While we are still waiting the completion of Sony A6700 underwater housings, the Underwater Photography Guide will definitely be the first to take this incredible camera underwater. So stay tuned for the full review, and in the meantime, read on to find out why with think the Sony A6700 is definitely worth the upgrade. 

Support our content and purchase your Sony A6700 camera and housing at Bluewater Photo:

Order a Sony A6700 Camera Body & Kit Lens

Order a Nauticam A6700 Housing

Order an Ikelite A6700 Housing

Sony A6700 Specifications

• 26 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• Bionz XR processor with a dedicated AI processor
• No built-in flash
• 1/160 flash sync speed
• 5 axis in-body image stabilization
• Low light autofocus sensitivity: -3 EV
• Animal eye autofocus tracking as well as human, bird, insect, car, train, airplane subject detection
• 6K oversampled 4K/60p video recording
• 4K 120p recording with 1.58x crop
• 10-bit 4:2:2 with SLog-3, S-Cinetone, HLG3 recording options available
• 570 shot battery life, NP-FZ100 battery
• Small EVF
• 11fps burst shooting
• Weight: 1 lb 1.4 oz
• Dimensions: 122 x 69 x 75.1mm

Sony A6700 Key Features

More Resolution

It can often feel like new camera releases in the past few years do not feature upgrades in image quality. Fortunately, the Sony A6700 does! The 24.2 megapixel sensor commonly used with the Sony A6000 camera line is now a 26 megapixel sensor. While macro photographers still might want to consider the 33 megapixel Canon R7 for the extra cropping ability, the A6700 is certainly more than enough resolution for most shooting situations. 

Most photographers will not notice the difference between a 24 megapixel and 26 megapixel sensor. But we do hope that a new sensor also bodes well for low light performance and can't wait to test the A6700 in the cold dark waters of the Eastern Pacific. 

Updated Autofocus

The most exciting upgrade found in the Sony A6700 is the new and improved autofocus system. With a dedicated AI autofocus processor, the Sony A6700 has the same incredible AI-based AF system as the Sony A7R V. Although the autofocus in Sony's A6000 has always been great, the A6700 takes autofocus a noticeable step further. In our underwater tests of the Sony A7R V, we noticed that the camera did an unprecedented job of sticking the autofocus point on our subject and tracking it throughout the whole interaction. While animal eye AF in the camera is not updated for fish, it can still work well underwater. We also saw some metabones and MC-11 adapted Canon lenses improve in autofocus performance drastically with the A7R V - making them useable for underwater photography.

Our favorite quality of Sony cameras is the fact that Sony does not hold back cutting edge technology from their more affordable models. Although we still need to take the A6700 diving, it's safe to say that the camera will have one of the top autofocus systems on the market.

Incredible Video Features

As we always say, video is the future of underwater photography. That is the case with the A6700. Sony has upgraded their A6000 line from 4K/30p to 4K/120p in the A6700! This is complete with 10-bit 4:2:2 recording as well as the ability to record in S-LOG3, S-Cinetone and other picture profiles designed for maximizing dynamic range and editing capability. While the 4K/120p slow motion mode has a 1.58x crop, the 4K/60p mode uses the full with of the sensor and is oversampled from 6K. This means you'll get more detail in your footage than you normally would with a 4K video. 

We love shooting in 4K/60p underwater because you can slow down your footage to half speed and export your final video in 4K/30p without affecting the quality. Slowing down footage allows you to stabilize movement and camera shake in underwater environments that are three dimensional and notoriously difficult to keep steady. The camera also has 5 axis in-body image stabilization which mimics putting the sensor on a gyroscope. This additional stabilization makes the A6700 perfect for handheld shooting underwater.

Who Should Buy the Sony A6700 and Is It Worth the Upgrade?

The Sony A6700 is an excellent option for photographers who need a small, affordable pro-grade camera system. As a crop sensored camera, it is particularly attractive to macro shooters that want to use the Sony 90mm macro for more reach. The Sony A6700 can also be combined with the 16-50mm kit lens and underwater wet wide angle and macro lens options so that you can shoot both wide angle and macro on the same dive. Be sure to contact Bluewater Photo for recommendations for these options.

While the image quality will likely only see a small upgrade from other A600 line cameras, the autofocus and video improvements make the A6700 definitely worth the upgrade. When we tested the Sony A7R V full frame camera underwater, we saw enough of an autofocus improvement over the Sony A7R IV (which we had on location), that we determined it was worth considering for an upgrade. The difference in autofocus performance will be more so from other Sony a6000 line cameras and the Sony A6700.  

Now if you are deciding between Canon's extensive APS-C camera line like the Canon R7 and Canon R10 - we typically recommend the Sony A6700 if you want to use underwater wet lenses and the Canon R7 and R10 if you want to use Canon's incredible underwater glass.

Sony A6700 Underwater Housings

Currently there is an aluminum housing option for the A6700 from Nauticam as well as a Marelux A6700 housing on the way. We expect a polycarbonate housing option to be released for the Sony A6700 from Ikelite. Nauticam was able to design the A6700 housing with an N85 port system - the smallest port size. It is very likely the A6700 will be likewise housed in a drylock micro housing from Ikelite. 

If you would like help setting up an Sony A6700 housing, please support our content by contacting the friendly and knowledgeable staff at Bluewater Photo. Be sure to check out their Sony A6700 underwater housing guide as well! 

Support our content and purchase your Sony A6700 camera and housing at Bluewater Photo:

Order a Sony A6700 Camera Body & Kit Lens

Order a Nauticam A6700 Housing

Order an Ikelite A6700 Housing

Recommended Underwater Lenses

Macro

• Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens (SEL90M28G):  This lens offers 1:1 magnification and is the go-to macro lens for Sony shooters.

• Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro Lens (SEL50M28):  A great choice for all Sony APS-C sensors, offering a wider field of view for larger macro subjects and fish portraits.

• Sigma 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens: This lens is an affordable long telephoto macro lens option with excellent image quality. This lens has more focus breathing than the Sony 90mm macro so it is not as useful for video shooters. 

Standard / Mid-Range

• Sony E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens (SELP1650):  A compact, light kit lens with a versatile focal range for u/w photo and video on the a6700. Minimum focus distance of 25cm. We recommend pairing this lens with a wet macro or wet wide angle lens like the Bluewater +7 macro lens and the Kraken KRL-01 wide angle lens. 

• Sony Vario Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens (SEL2470Z):  Higher quality, although larger mid-range zoom lens. Minimum focus distance of 40cm - best used for pool, fish portrait or behavior shots.

Wide-Angle

• Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS Lens (SEL1018):  This is the first-choice wide-angle lens for underwater shooters with an APS-C sensor.

Fisheye

• Sony E 16mm f/2.8 plus Sony Fisheye Conversion Lens vII:  This is a nice, wide fisheye setup for APS-C sensors like the a6700. The fisheye converter also works with the Sony E 20mm F2.8 lens.

Conclusions

The Sony A6700 is the camera that many APS-C Sony shooters have been waiting for. It features Sony's newest AI tech and processor as well as an upgraded sensor with a little more resolution. Before now, there had been rumors floating around that Sony would discontinue its APS-C line altogether. So it's very encouraging to see that not only are the rumors not true, but Sony is still fully invested in catering to cropped sensor cameras. 

For photo and video shooters that are looking for the smallest package possible for a very affordable price, you can't go wrong with the A6700 and we can't wait to take it underwater!