The a6100 is standing on the shoulders of an award-winning giant in the a6000, and a family of superb and varied Sony E-mount lenses. All of the improvements in this model make a meaningful impact to performance, keeping Sony’s entry-level mirrorless offering at the top of the pile.

Class-leading autofocus system; Packed with features; Good battery performance;

No picture profiles for video; No video stabilisation;

The Sony a6100 ($749.99, body only) has been a long time coming. The company introduced the a6000 in 2014 and put so much tech into it that it's still relevant and on sale, for a lower price, years later. The a6100 modernizes the design by adding a touch screen, 4K video, and a best-in-class autofocus system. It's not quite the standout today as its predecessor was when it debuted, though, and enthusiasts might be turned off by its plastic exterior and lack of weather protection. But strong image quality and great autofocus make it a fine camera for vacationers and family photographers. Plastic, but Not Flimsy The a6100 will certainly earn some side-eye from photogs who wouldn't be caught dead using a kit lens, but its plastic exterior isn't flimsy. The body measures in at 2.6 by 4.7 by 2.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 14 ounces without a lens attached. It's a rangefinder-style design, with the electronic viewfinder positioned at the rear left corner, rather than centered behind the l...

The Sony a6100 is a compact, speedy camera with strong image quality and excellent autofocus. Family photographers will love it, but enthusiasts may want to consider the a6400 instead.

Light and compact; Built-in EVF; Tilting touch LCD; Superlative autofocus; Loads of lens choices; Up to 11fps Raw capture; 4K video

Not as well-built as the a6400; Low-resolution EVF; 4K video can show some wobble; Underwhelming battery life; Charging port isn't USB-C

If you're looking for a small, beginner-friendly camera for both stills and video, then the A6100 is one of the best around. Its main strengths are its image quality, battery life and class-leading autofocus. The fact that it inherits many features from Sony's significantly more expensive APS-C cameras means it's can also grow with you. The only real downsides are some handling quirks and a comparatively lackluster buffer when shooting continuously, but it's otherwise a fantastic buy once you've spent some time setting it up for your tastes.

Superb tracking autofocus; Solid battery life; Most controls are easy to use; Sony’s app works well; Lots of features in a compact body;

No IBIS for video; Limited touchscreen functions; Relatively low-spec LCD and EVF

The Sony Alpha A6100 is the long-awaited update to the Sony Alpha A6000 , and as such is Sony's new entry-level mirrorless camera. With a price tag of around £800, Sony has added 4K video recording, and what they're claiming is the fastest AF system available.

High-speed focus system; High-quality 4K video output (limited by no picture profiles; Great noise performance; Excellent image quality possible; Wide range of lenses available; Wi-Fi; NFC and Bluetooth; Compact camera body

No in-camera raw editing; Long menu system (can't use touch-screen with it; Can't use touch-screen for function screen; NTSC / PAL switch to switch between frame rates; requires memory card format or a different memory card; Jello effect in video/panning

Affordable; Good all-round performance; Excellent autofocus;

No in-body stabilisation; No log profiles for colour grading;

As a potential first mirrorless camera, it’s difficult to fault the a6100. Sure, features like S-Log and in-body stabilisation would be nice, and it’s not waterproof or particularly tough – but these are things that you can always move onto once you’ve developed your camera skills and needs (and saved up a bit more cash for mid-range and premium camera bodies). With its lightweight and compact build, superb autofocus system, fast shooting speed and more than acceptable video performance, the a6100 is a highly impressive entry-level model that will serve enthusiastic amateurs faithfully.

Affordable; Good all-round performance; Excellent autofocus;

No in-body stabilisation; No log profiles for colour grading;

As much as we love getting our hands on expensive cameras with the largest sensors and massive amounts of megapixels, entry-level models usually deliver the imaging goods most of us need — without tapping out our credit lines. The $750 (body only) Sony A6100 is a good example of this kind of affordability. Armed with the same 24-megapixel APS-C sensor and advanced Real-Time autofocus capabilities as the $1,400 Sony A6600, it seems like an obvious choice. While the A6100 does make some trade-offs to hit that lower price, most beginner to advanced amateur photographers will be just fine with them. Cutting-edge design isn’t an integral part of Sony’s A6000 series. This is a black brick that looks and feels like every other model in the line-up other than the new A6600, which has a deeper grip and more potent battery. Familiarity doesn’t breed contempt as the A6100 is quite functional other than Sony’s usual idiosyncrasies, but it’s certainly not as pretty as the Fujifilm X-T30. The camera...

Excellent value; Great in-camera JPEG quality; Industry-leading autofocus; Good 4K video; Built-in EVF;

Obtuse menu system; Poor placement of Rec button; Low-res LCD and EVF;

The a6100 is an entry-level mirrorless camera built around one of the best autofocus systems we've encountered (as of late 2019). With a couple of settings changes it can be one of the most powerful point-and-shoot cameras available, capable of taking good photos in a wide range of situations.

Travel and family photography;

Someone that wants to take full creative control over their camera;

Can the A6100 be the same supreme sales success as the Sony A6000 We took it for a spin at IFA 2019 to see...

Lightweight and compact; Real-Time Tracking Autofocus; 4K video recording; 3.5mm microphone jack; 1:1 aspect ratio option

No headphones jack; Autofocus is stills only; No image stabilization; Plastic feel

, Sony also introduced the entry-level A6100 as well, essentially a refresh of the highly popular A6000, which is now a five-year-old camera. The Sony A6100 shares the same 24.2 Megapixel APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor and blazing-fast 0.02 second 425 point Fast Hybrid AF system found in the higher-end...