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Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500

Portability
62
Imaging
75
Features
93
Overall
82
Sony Alpha A9 Mark II front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Sony A9 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 678g - 129 x 96 x 76mm
  • Announced October 2019
  • Older Model is Sony A9
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Released October 2016
  • Older Model is Sony A6300
Photography Glossary

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 Overview

Here is a comprehensive review of the Sony A9 II versus Sony A6500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are produced by Sony. The image resolution of the A9 II (24MP) and the A6500 (24MP) is fairly comparable but the A9 II (Full frame) and A6500 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The A9 II was brought out 3 years later than the A6500 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony A9 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief view of how the A9 II scores against the A6500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A9 II over the Sony A6500

 A9 II A6500 
ReleasedOctober 2019October 2016Fresher by 37 months
Display resolution1440k922kCrisper display (+518k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Sony A9 II

 A6500 A9 II 

Common features in the Sony A9 II and Sony A6500

 A9 II A6500 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A9 II has outside dimensions of 129mm x 96mm x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

See the Sony A9 II versus Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the A9 II and the A6500.

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A9 II and A6500 is 62 and 81 respectively.

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing merely by checking out a spec sheet. The visual underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the A9 II and A6500.

Clearly, the two cameras posses the exact same megapixels but different sensor sizing. The A9 II features the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The fresher A9 II provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A9 II Portrait photography advice
Sony A6500 Portrait photography advice
85
manual focus
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW files
80
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A9 II
Street photography with Sony A6500
78
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
boasts focus via touch
weather sealing
good ISO range (51,200)
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
boasts touch focus
environment proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A9 II as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Sports photography camera
87
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (20.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
good battery life (690 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
77
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A9 II Travel photography factors
Sony A6500 Travel photography factors
73
good battery life (690 CIPA)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
boasts focus via touch
good MP (24 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
74
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
boasts touch focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A9 II Landscape photography details
Sony A6500 Landscape photography details
86
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
good ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
good battery life (690 per charge)
has dual storage slots
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A9 II
Vlogging with Sony A6500
36
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes external microphone jack
display isn't selfie friendly
39
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes microphone port
does not have selfie friendly display
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Sony A9 II vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 II and Sony A6500
 Sony Alpha A9 Mark IISony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A9 Mark II Sony Alpha a6500
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2019-10-03 2016-10-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ X Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 6000 x 4000 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 51200 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 204800 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 693 425
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony E
Available lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,440 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,686 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed 1/32000 secs 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 678 grams (1.49 lbs) 453 grams (1.00 lbs)
Dimensions 129 x 96 x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 85
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 690 photographs 350 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous, 3 or 5 frames) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Dual 1
Cost at release $4,498 $1,298