The Sony a6600 has been my camera of choice since mid 2020, and I can't imagine needing a better one for both YouTube videos and every kind of Photography there is.
Released November 29th, 2019
User since June 1st, 2020
Sony, Sony, Sony… You are one hell of an expensive brand, but one hell of a good camera manufacturer. I am in awe of how successful you are at bamboozling me and keeping my head turned towards your products instead of Canon, Panasonic or any other DSLR/Mirrorless camera manufacturer playing the game.
I swear, if it wasn’t for your attention to the guys using your cameras for VIDEO RECORDING, I wouldn’t be giving you thousands of dollars a year on your lenses, new camera bodies and even more fun and sometimes useless accessories.
Sony’s selling points
World’s fastest AF at 0.02 sec w/ real-time AF & Object tracking
24 2MP APS-C Exmor sensor w/ front end LSI and ISO up to 102 400
Wide 425-phase/425-contrast detection AF points over 84% of sensor
Up to 11fps continuous shooting at 24 2MP RAW w/ AF/AE tracking
Real-time AF Tracking Real-time Eye AF for human animal movie
5-axis in-body image stabilization 5 step shutter speed advantage
External mic jack and headphone jack for professional audio monitoring
Touch Tracking provides smooth continuous focus tracking of your subject activated with a simple touch of the display screen
Lithium Battery (NP-FZ100) AC Charger (AC-UUD12) USB cable Body cap Strap
That's quite the stat sheet, and I admit it: I've never bowed down to a camera until this bad boy came out like I have to Elon's release of the Cybertruck… He had everyone and their grandmothers consider pre-ordering.
But how? Well, let’s start with the Sony a6000. The budget friendly Mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses and back in 2014, the world's fastest auto-focus and world class 11 frames per second for photos. This camera was a straight boss, and it could shoot video in 1080p at a high clip. Sometimes it would overheat, but luckily this camera was so great back in 2014 that so many people bought it, leading to hackers creating apps for the camera to turn off the over-heating, thus resulting in recording 1-hour+ long videos (great for interviews). I loved it, though it would limit video files to 4GB so a 1-hour session would be about 5-8 clips or so, which leaves room for out of sync audio and corrupted files in editing.
5 LONG YEARS LATER, THIS BABY SHOWS UP AT OUR DIGITAL DOORSTEPS…
The Sony a6600.
Rapid fire, let’s go:
It shoots video in 4k and s-log
It allows you to plug in a 3.5mm microphone into it, along with a headphone jack
It takes pictures ferociously fast
It doubles as a webcam for Zoom with a simple mini-hdmi output to a capture card
It can be plugged into a wall outlet via micro-usb to remain on with battery power
It has a selfie-mode LCD screen to flip towards you while filming or taking photos
It’s equipped with a rugged exterior to keep dirt from getting in
It’s the smallest, most powerful camera I have ever seen with insane battery life
It can transfer photos and videos over its own built-in WiFi
The auto focus speed is world class
What I don’t like about this camera:
The menu navigation (a Sony thing)
The expensive lenses (a Sony thing)
This camera has done so much for me and my freelance videography, photography and business development, I can’t even explain it all. From the hundreds and hundreds of hours using it as a webcam while tutoring, to all the professional-grade digital course material and to all the YouTube videos I’ve created with it, it is hands down the easiest and best camera you could use to date.
Not going to lie to you… It’s pricey. Over $1k for the body with no lens. But the return on investment will be so heavenly. What sets this camera apart from so many at this price point is the tiny size of the camera, the mic and headphone inputs, the 4k recording, the selfie mode with that beautiful screen, the INSANE battery life, and so much more.
I rig mine with a 16mm Sigma lens for YouTube videos at my desk, a 35mm Sony Prime lens for portrait photography and professionally-set videos, and a 18-105mm Sony zoom lens for travel and adventures. I’ve never had to get a card larger than 64GB since I manage my storage pretty well by offloading it on my computer daily. I don’t have extra batteries since this thing can be charged via micro-usb on a portable charger for your phone. I plug in a simple Audio-Technica lapel mic for crisp and amazing dialogue. Oh and I also use a comfy neck strap because the Sony straps that come with the camera are sandpaper.
I’ve listed and linked all the accessories I mentioned down below.
Must-buy accessories for this camera:
JJC Camera Strap (Link) (Review)
A comfy camera strap. Your neck will thank you.
Neewer Extra Batteries or Portable Charger (Link) (Review)
If you want to quickly swap batteries when one runs out or when your camera is in your bag, you can charge it via micro-usb to a portable charger.
Sigma 16mm Lens (Link) (Review)
For selfie-mode videos/photos and recording YouTube videos at a desk.
Sony 35mm Lens (Link) (Review)
For street and portrait photography/videography. For your creative needs.
Sony 18-105mm Zoom Lens (Link) (Review)
For travel and adventure. Hiking, birdwatching, anything involving the outdoors.
SanDisk U3 4k SD Card (Link) (Review)
256GB or 64GB depending on your needs.
Seagate 2TB External Hard Drive (Link) (Review)
For offloading all those photos and videos, here is my favorite hard drive I’ve purchased 10+ times at the right size with the lowest fail-rate.
Audio-Technica Lapel Microphone (Link) (Review)
For recording crisp, podcast quality audio straight into the camera. I’ve purchased 6+ of these over the years for interviewing multiple people and they last forever with inexpensive watch batteries inside.
All in all, the Sony a6600 is a must-buy for the videographer that wants a travel-sized, hassle-free, external mic input havin’, 4k mirrorless camera.
Stay on the cutting edge~
Best,
Sam