A1vs A6500
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
Sony
A6500 (2016)
Starting from £649 new
Best for Travel, street & versatile everyday photography
View A6500
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
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
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
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 a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the a6500 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | A1 (2021) | A6500 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £649 |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 50.1MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | 425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE | 11fps |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 737g (with battery) | 453g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm | 120.0 × 66.9 × 53.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A1 | A6500 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with A1
Camera family history