So I got to test the Sony A6500 for the first time today. One of the newest and most talked about feature on the A6500 is the touch screen. It's the first time a touch screen has been put on one of the semi-pro (A6000, A6300) or pro level (A7 series) camera lines.
Many people have been asking for this feature to be added to the Sony mirrorless line for a very long time. While some cameras in the Sony NEX series had some touch screen capabilities on them, none of the recent Sony mirrorless cameras over the last 2.5 years have included the feature. I for one did not see a huge NEED for touch screen and was perfectly happy with my cameras not having the feature. But clearly many people wanted it, and Sony listened.
So when I got my hands on the camera this was one of the very first things I tested. I went down to La Jolla Cove near San Diego with my crew and a beautiful model named Kelsey Barker. I set the camera up on my Feisol tripod and tested it both in stills and movie mode.
It was pretty impressive. The stills mode was very nice and I could see using it for portraits work where instantaneous focus isn't required. In my opinion this will be for making sure you get the focus EXACTLY where you want it, and I'll also note this is a faster option than going through the menu to select a Flexible spot point.
Where the touch screen truly shined was in video (movie) mode. As someone who uses my A7 and A6000 series camera for filming my Youtube Channel this is going to be a big deal for us. The focus was very smooth as it transitioned between areas of focus that were pointed out on the screen. All of this is illustrated in the video included in this blog post, so please make sure to watch it.
When the A6500 was announced many people asked if it was worth the upgrade over the A6300 which is only 9 months old. I'm on record as saying this camera excited me more than anything for what it would do on the video end of things....and so far with the touch screen, my excitement is real for this camera and it's possibilities. I now truly hope the future iterations of Sony mirrorless cameras will have the touch screen option on them.
While professional videographers may argue over whether or not they would use auto focus in their work, for a lot of folks like me who are more hybrid photographers/videographers, having that touch screen and being able to get a beautifully transitioned rack focus is pretty special.
I can't wait to play with it more...:)
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