Leica SL3vs A6500
Leica
Leica SL3 (2024)
Starting from £6499 new
Best for Professional & luxury hybrid shooters
View Leica SL3
Sony
A6500 (2016)
Starting from £649 new
Best for Travel, street & versatile everyday photography
View A6500
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional & Luxury Hybrid Shooters — Leica SL3 (2024): Leica's most capable mirrorless — 60MP, 30fps burst, 8K ProRes, and 7.5-stop IBIS with L-mount's growing lens ecosystem.
Travel, Street & Versatile Everyday Photography — A6500 (2016): The first Sony APS-C with IBIS — the A6500 added in-body stabilisation, touch AF, and a far deeper buffer to the A6300's already strong formula.
Who should buy what
Leica SL3 (2024)
- Leica photographers who want autofocus full-frame in the L-mount system
- SL2 owners upgrading to 60MP and improved autofocus performance
- Professionals who want Leica build quality with L-mount lens versatility
- Photographers who want to share lenses across Leica, Sigma, and Lumix bodies
A6500 (2016)
- Travel photographers who want IBIS in a compact weather-sealed E-mount body
- A6300 owners who need the stabilisation or touch AF the A6300 lacked
- Street and documentary photographers who want a capable compact with weather sealing
- Sony E-mount shooters looking for a capable used body at an accessible price
Quick take: The leica sl3 has the highest resolution at 60mp; the a6500 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Leica SL3 (2024) | A6500 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,499 | £649 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/60p, Apple ProRes | 4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Phase-detect AF with subject/face/eye detection | 425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | 7.5-stop IBIS | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic | 11fps |
| Battery Life | 410 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 875g body only | 453g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 146.0 × 104.0 × 42.0mm | 120.0 × 66.9 × 53.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.78" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fixed touchscreen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica L-mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual SD UHS-II | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.1, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Leica SL3 | A6500 |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history