Upgrade Guide

Sony A6500→Sony A7C

Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.

You own

Sony

A6500

£649

2016

→

Upgrade to

Sony

A7C

£1299 (+£650)

2020

✅

Worthwhile

Clear improvements over the A6500. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.

What's new in the A7C

↑

Battery life

~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless vs ~310 shots (CIPA)
↑

Generation

4 years newer (2020 vs 2016)

Unchanged or similar

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A6500	A7C
Price	£649	£1,299
Released	2016	2020	↑
Sensor	24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS	24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS
Resolution	24MP	24MP
Video	4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p	4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion, S-Log2/S-Log3
Autofocus	425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection	Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF
Stabilisation	IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS)	5-axis IBIS, 5 stops
Burst Rate	11fps	10fps with AF/AE tracking	↓
Battery Life	~310 shots (CIPA)	~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless	↑
Weight	453g (with battery and card)	509g (body, battery, card)	↓
Weather Sealed	Yes	No	↓
Viewfinder	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification	None built-in — use rear screen or accessory EVF
Screen	3.0" fully articulating touchscreen	3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 921k dots
Mount	Sony E-mount	Sony E-mount
Memory Cards	Single SD UHS-I slot	Single SD UHS-II

Compare side-by-side

See A6500 and A7C next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.

Get a personalised upgrade score

Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A7C against your specific genres — not just specs.

Other upgrades from the A6500

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Camera family history