A6500vs A7CR
Sony
A6500 (2016)
Starting from £649 new
Best for Travel, street & versatile everyday photography
View A6500
Sony
A7CR (2023)
Starting from £3099 new
Best for Travel, landscape & portrait photography with minimal kit
View A7CR
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Travel, Landscape & Portrait Photography With Minimal Kit — A7CR (2023): The world's smallest 61MP full-frame camera — A7R V quality in a pocketable A7C body.
Who should buy what
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
A7CR (2023)
- Landscape photographers who want 61MP resolution without carrying a large body
- Travel photographers who need professional image quality in the smallest possible package
- Portrait shooters who want A7R V sensor quality with the ease of the A7C form factor
- A7C owners ready for a major resolution upgrade without changing bodies
Quick take: The a7cr has the highest resolution at 61mp; the a6500 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | A6500 (2016) | A7CR (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £649 | £3,099 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS | 61.0MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 61.0MP |
| Video | 4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p | 4K/60p 10-bit, 1080p/120p — S-Log3, S-Cinetone |
| Autofocus | 425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection | AI subject recognition — phase-detect with human, animal, bird detection |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS) | 7-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 11fps | 8fps mechanical, 15fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~310 shots (CIPA) | ~530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 453g (with battery and card) | 514g body only |
| Dimensions | 120.0 × 66.9 × 53.3mm | 124.0 × 71.1 × 63.4mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification | EVF 0.70× 2.36M-dot |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.03M dots |
| Mount | Sony E-mount | Sony E-mount (full-frame) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Single CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II slot |
| Connectivity | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A6500 | A7CR |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | ||
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports | — |
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