Sony unveils new α6700, billed as ‘most advanced APS-C camera ever’

The Sony α6700 sees subject recognition by AI and the latest still image and video performance condensed into a compact APS-C body for the first time. 

Sony reckons that its new £1450 α6700 APS-C mirrorless camera combines the cutting-edge still image and video capabilities from the latest full-frame Alpha and Cinema Line cameras with the compact and lightweight design of the α6000 series, which is certainly an enticing prospect.

The camera combines an APS-C back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor boasting 26.0 effective megapixels with the speed and power of Sony’s advanced BIONZ XR processing engine The result is a unit that supports high-resolution 4K video recording at up to 120fps, a wide latitude of 14+ stops for capturing details in harsh or under-lit conditions and features the S-Cinetone picture profile found in Sony’s professional Cinema Line models for refined movie imagery that doesn’t require colour grading — as well as delivering excellent representation of human skin tones. 

Standard ISO sensitivity spans 100 to 32000 for both stills and movies, allowing high-sensitivity, low-noise shooting. The AI processing unit is inherited from the α7R V, enabling high accuracy Real-Time Recognition AF (autofocus). Beyond the α6000series' human and animal recognition, it now accurately identifies multiple subjects such as humans, animals, birds, insects, cars/trains, and airplanes, which is all very useful. 

When paired with the equally newly launched FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II, it offers 105mm to 300mm focal lengths in 35mm full-frame equivalent, leveraging the power of telephoto zoom for high-quality shooting. Additionally, it's compatible with the broad array of E-mount lenses.

Sony reckons that the camera delivers the data equivalent to 6K, outputting superior 4K video, including support for high-frame-rate recording at 4K 120fps. It features S-Log3, offering 14+ stops, and is also equipped with S-Cinetone, delivering impressive skin tone depiction and subject highlighting, technologies honed through the Cinema Line development.  AI-driven Auto-Framing smoothly tracks subjects, eliminating the need for manual camera movement. The body houses a Multi-Interface (MI) Shoe compatible with digital audio interfaces. Used in conjunction with the new ECM-M1 shotgun microphone, it allows for direct digital audio transmission, capturing high-quality, undegraded sound.

As expected, it has a compact design (approx. 12cm × 7cm× 8cm. and weighing about 493g). It claims a user-friendly, touch-operable vari-angle LCD monitor, coupled with a modern touch menu, while a customisable front dial and a switching dial for still images, movies, and S&Q modes are also included. It is equipped with an optical 5-axis in-body image stabilisation system with 5.0 stops of shutter speed advantage for stills, while Active Mode ensures stable footage.

In terms of connectivity, the camera now supports the Creators' App for hopefully seamless uploads of videos and still images to cloud services. Sony also plans to roll out a new version of the "Camera Remote SDK" in July 2023, allowing remote operation and setting adjustments.

The new α6700 will be available at the end of July for approximately £1450 (body only).

Shotgun microphone ECM-M1

Sony's also releasing a new shotgun mic that's a good match with the camera. The ECM-M1 is the world's first shotgun microphone with eight dial-selectable audio recording modes. With 4 microphone capsules and unique beamforming and advanced digital processing technology, it offers varied modes including stereo. Its ultra-directional mode captures targeted sound from the front (within a 30-degree width) and at the same time it effectively suppresses other sounds, dynamically adapting to ambient sound in the surroundings. This mode is ideal for interviews and selfie shooting where the subject is always in front of the microphone.

The new ECM-M1 will be available at the end of July for approximately £349. And here's a video of