Sony Alpha ILCE 6600M 24.2 MP Mirrorless Digital SLR Camera with 18-135 mm Zoom Lens (APS-C Sensor, Fastest Auto Focus, Real-time Eye AF, Real-time…

getting heat like fire within 10 mins

UPDATE: Since the time I wrote the review, the price of the fuji x-t3 has dropped significantly and the x-t4 has been released as well as has dropped in price. Both of these are better cameras than the a6600. But sony systems do offer a wider lens compatibility and adaptability while Fuji lenses are not only more expensive but also harder to find in India. They’re also better than the Sony’s offerings but you lose some and you get some eh? Anyway, a6600 is still an excellent camera and if fuji isn’t an option for you, continue with the review. Thanks.

I purchased the camera from a sony center nearby as the price was exactly the same and I wouldn’t have to wait for the delivery. Having used it for a few months, I feel confident writing this in depth review. I’ve divided the review into the good, the bad and some other miscellaneous pointers. It’s a bit long but the camera’s price tag is also quite long so bear with me. If you don’t care about any of it, skip to the conclusion at the very bottom.
_______________________________

THE GOOD

1. 4K is crisp af

2. 1080p is also good. Sharp enough, no major moire up to 60fps though it is line skipped (or pixel binned). But it retains the Super35 fov even at 60fps.

3. AF works really well in most situations

4. Battery life is really great, especially when compared to the a6400. It’s as good as a high end DSLR if not better.

5. Offers tools such as peaking, zebras, Log profiles etc. which others simply don’t, ahem, canon!

6. 11fps with continuous AF is really amazing.

7. It’s well weather sealed with a full magnesium alloy body. The kit lens isn’t but I’ve had it soaked in rain without any issues. Though i wouldn’t recommend doing that with the kit lens as water does tend to sneak in through the mount.

8. The custom modes 1 and 2 are extremely useful. There are a total of 4 other custom setting presets for the custom modes 1 and 2, termed M1, M2, M3 and M4, but you will lose them every time you change or format the card as the settings are stored in the card and not in the camera’s internal memory, unlike the modes 1 and 2. HOWEVER, you can’t set a custom white balance while you’re in them and you’ll need to switch to the other normal modes, set a new custom WB, then manually input the same values into the manual white balance option. That’s quite annoying. The modes don’t reset even if you switch the camera off and on again. It’ll only reset if you turn the mode dial and come back, which is a good thing.

9. The tilting display is really nice. I love it, but i do understand how it can be a problem while using a hot shoe mounted microphone.
_______________________________

THE BAD

1. At 120fps moire is pretty bad. The image becomes quite soft. I wouldn’t use it for client work unless there’s no other option left.

2. AF struggles in various backlit situations.

3. Lenses are expensive comparatively.

4. Rolling shutter in 4k is abominable. Everything becomes jello-ey and weird with even the slightest movement. In 1080p it’s much better.

5. No 100mbps for 1080 60p.

6. No 10 bit internal or output.

7. No 4:2:2 internal. Though HDMI does output 4k 4:2:2. I don’t have an external recorder so I can’t say much about it, but as a general rule of thumb, 4:2:2 is better than 4:2:0, especially if you plan on using the camera for keying.

8. Animal eye-AF doesn’t work in video mode.

9. SD card in battery compartment.

10. File naming for videos restarts everytime you format the card or insert a new card. REALLY ANNOYING.
_______________________________

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Eye detect AF works really well but there are some weird quirks of that system. The eye detection only engages within the AF area even though it detects the human eye. So my ideal setting for human eyes is to set the AF area to Flexible Spot Small with tracking, AF in continuous of course. So when I want the camera to track the eye and keep the focus there, all I have to do is engage the AF by half pressing the shutter button while keeping the eye near the center AF box so that the Eye AF engages and keeps tracking. This for me is better than setting the AF area to wide or any other mode as it helps avoid the inevitable inaccuracies of the camera and if the eyes aren’t detected I can just use the center AF area and reframe and the camera would still track the area I want in focus.

2. A behavior I’ve noticed with this setting is that it would choose to focus on the eye even though it’s not near the AF area if the camera can’t focus and/or track the thing that’s inside the set AF area but it does detect eyes in the frame somewhere.
However with Animal Eye detect autofocus, flexible spot AF with tracking does not work, so you’re stuck with wide, as the eyes won’t be tracked outside the AF area. But then again animal eye detection has been hit and miss for me.
In video mode to film people wide AF area is the way to go as with Small Spot AF Area the face outside the box won’t be tracked.

3. The 18-135 kit lens is decently sharp and focuses very fast and it’s dead silent. The best part though is that there’s absolutely no focus breathing which makes it quite good for video as long as you don’t need tack sharp corners or a fast aperture. Obviously it’s not parfocal either. The lens is not the sharpest nor the fastest but it’s the only one of its kind. It’s really good when you can only afford to get one lens when, say, you’re switching ecosystems like I did from canon. I wouldn’t recommend buying this lens on its own, but as a kit lens it’s quite remarkable. Christopher Frost Photography on youtube has a great review of this lens, or most lenses for that matter.
_______________________________

OVERALL CONCLUSION:

I think it’s an excellent camera and at this price point I don’t know if there’s anything better that can handle both stills and video as well as it does. Though it has various limitations, I’m perfectly happy with my purchase and I’m quite sure you will be too.

With best specifications, long battery life, advanced features. Just go for it.