Sony A6700 APS-C mirrorless camera arrives to challenge Fujifilm X-S20 for best value video creator camera

The new Sony A6700 looks much the same as its predecessor on the outside, aside from the addition of a handy front dial on the grip, but there are many more substantial changes under the hood. The Sony A6700 is equipped with a new, 26-MP backside-illuminated, APS-C, CMOS sensor behind a Sony E-mount — a BSI sensor should greatly enhance low-light performance. It also features Sony's BIONZ XR processor for some advanced AI processing, some of which we have already seen on the likes of the Sony ZV-E1.

Thanks to the hardware upgrades in the Sony A6700, the camera now boasts all the same Real-Time Recognition autofocus smarts as the premium A7R V, allowing it to identify and track people, cars, trains, insects, birds, pets, and airplanes. The A6700's headline feature, though comes in the form of 4K 120 FPS video, which it can record in all manner of colour spaces, including S-Log3 and S-Cinetone, for over 14 stops of latitude.

Sony hasn't revealed all too much about the A6700's technical image recording proficiency, but we do know that it will top out at the same 11 FPS burst shooting for stills, while video resolution seems to top out at an oversampled 4K, rather than the rumoured 6K output. Sony also says that it has tuned the colour reproduction of the A6700 to accurately represent a wide range of natural hues, specifically making reference to people and plants.

Much like its predecessor, the A6700 is also weather-sealed and features five-axis in-body image stabilisation and an EVF with 100% coverage. The A6700 also has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port for high-speed transfers and USB power delivery, a micro HDMI port, separate headphone and microphone ports, and a card slot that supports up to UHS-II SD card speeds. One notable downgrade from the A6600 is shorter battery life, with the A6600 sporting a CIPA rating of over 800 shots, while the A6700 bears a rating of just 570 shots — albeit from the same NP-FZ100 battery pack.

The release of the A6700 comes just a few short weeks after Fujifilm announced the X-S20, which packs similar resolution, features, and video-centric features in a similarly compact — albeit more retro-inspired — body. The Fujifilm X-S20, however, comes in at US$100 less than the Sony A6700's competitive US$1,399 price tag. Sony hasn't announced an exact availability date for the A6700 just yet, although the company did state it would arrive later in 2023.

Buy a Fujifilm X-S20 mirrorless camera body and 15-45mm kit lens on Amazon.