Sony A6700 vs Sony A99: A Thorough Comparison of Two Generations in Advanced Photography

Photography enthusiasts and professionals often face a fork in the road when choosing between classic full-frame DSLRs and modern APS-C mirrorless cameras. Today, I’m pitting two notable Sony cameras head-to-head: the advanced mirrorless Sony A6700 (2023) and the older mid-size DSLR Sony A99 (2012). With more than a decade between their releases and very different technological philosophies, this comparison will dive into each system’s DNA, from sensor tech to real-world shooting, to help you decide which tool matches your workflow, style, and budget.

The Perfect Pairing? Size, Ergonomics, and Design Philosophy

If handling comfort and portability factor heavily in your shooting experience, let’s begin by sizing them up. The Sony A99 is a classic DSLR with a pronounced grip, larger body, and heavier weight (812g), while the A6700 embraces the mirrorless trend: compact, lighter (493g), and streamlined.

Side-by-side size and weight comparison elucidate how Sony’s mirrorless design has trimmed bulk.

Handling each camera reveals their design intentions. The A99’s heft provides stability, especially when using big telephoto lenses - a boon for wildlife or sports, where steady framing counts. The DSLR body with a mid-sized SLR shape offers controls laid out with dedicated buttons and a more traditional top plate layout (more on that later).

Conversely, the A6700 champions agility and modern control ergonomics. Its rangefinder-style form makes it pocketable in a large jacket or a daypack, ideal for travel or street photographers shuffled through crowded environments where size matters. This smaller footprint doesn’t come at the cost of grip security; Sony’s refined weather-resistant magnesium alloy frame and tactility inspire confidence for extended handheld shoots.

Ergonomically, the A6700 benefits from years of user-feedback evolution, featuring a fully articulated touchscreen and intuitive button placement, tailored for quick adjustments in the field or during video recording. The A99’s DSLR design, while robust, conforms to the expectations of a bygone era - fixed LCD with no touchscreen, requiring navigating menus via buttons and dials.

Button and Dial Breakdown: Quick Changes or Old School?

Moving from size to control workflow, the top-panel design and button layout heavily impact user experience, especially in fast-paced scenarios.

The A6700’s modern button arrangement contrasts with the more traditional layout of the A99, influencing operational speed.

The A6700 sports a clean, streamlined top with a customizable mode dial and precisely positioned control dials offering silent, tactile feedback - crucial during quiet event shoots or wildlife sessions.

In contrast, the A99’s layout features a dedicated top LCD screen that relays exposure and shooting info at a glance (the A6700 lacks this digital visor), which some professionals still appreciate for immediate confirmation without eyeing the EVF or rear screen. However, for newcomers or video shooters, the absence of touchscreen controls on the A99 can slow down setting changes.

In my hands, the A6700’s touchscreen and customizable buttons win points for intuitive, fast operation, especially when paired with its higher refresh rate EVF, allowing almost lag-free framing and setting review. The A99, while still precise, can feel a little dated in menu navigation and quick shooting adjustment.

Sensor Technologies: The Heart of the Image

Image quality is king, and here the two cameras diverge fundamentally.

Sony’s A99 boasts a full-frame sensor roughly double the surface area of the A6700’s APS-C sensor.

The A99 sports a 24.3MP full-frame CMOS sensor, heralded in its time for excellent dynamic range and color depth. Its 35.8 x 23.8 mm sensor offers superior light-gathering capabilities, especially notable (and still relevant) for low-light, portraits with creamy bokeh, and landscapes demanding a wide tonal range.

Meanwhile, the A6700 updates the venerable APS-C 26MP BSI-CMOS sensor, dramatically enhanced by recent Sony image processing tech including stacked sensor architecture. Though smaller (23.5 x 15.6 mm), the newer sensor leverages backside illumination to capture more light per pixel and reduce noise. It pushes boosted ISO to 102,400 (versus the A99’s 25,600 max native ISO), allowing the A6700 to perform impressively well in dim conditions.

Resolution-wise, the A6700 offers 6192×4128 pixels versus the A99’s 6000×4000 pixels. The difference is subtle in real-world prints but the smaller sensor’s pixel pitch is tighter - this sometimes sacrifices absolute pixel-level noise but improves sharpness and detail when paired with Sony’s advanced lens designs.

Image output characteristics:

• Portraits: The full-frame sensor on the A99 naturally renders shallower depth of field, affording more subject-background separation and pleasing skin tone gradations.
• Landscapes: The A99’s dynamic range and sensor size yield superior details in shadows and highlights.
• Low light/Noise: The A6700’s newer sensor tech generally produces cleaner images at high ISOs thanks to better noise algorithms and newer processing engines.

Photographic Versatility Across Genres

Portraits: Eye AF and Bokeh Sweetness

Sony’s A6700 continues the company’s lineage of industry-leading autofocus, incorporating 759 phase-detection AF points with real-time eye & animal eye AF tracking technology. This makes it highly dependable for portrait shooters looking to lock focus on eyes - even with moving subjects or shallow depth of field.

The A99, while featuring a respectable 19 AF points (11 cross-type) phase-detection system, lacks animal eye AF and real-time tracking wizardry. It performs well with static portraits or posed shoots but may struggle to keep up tracking fast-moving or natural light scenarios. With the A99’s optical SLT (translucent mirror) technology ensuring continuous phase detection even during video/live view, autofocus speed is solid but less refined than modern algorithms.

Bokeh characteristics favor the full-frame A99 due to larger sensor size and compatibility with faster, wider aperture lenses designed for Alpha/Minolta mounts. The A6700, due to crop factor 1.5x, effectively crops telephoto lenses, which can help with tighter framing but requires faster lenses to achieve the same shallow depth of field effect.

Landscape: Resolution and Build Durability

Landscape photographers prize detail and dynamic range, and here the A99's larger sensor area shines but with caveats.

The A6700's sensor area is less than half the size (approx. 366mm² vs. 852mm² for A99), which does affect potential tonal gradations and shadow recovery. However, the A6700 incorporates aggressive noise reduction and HDR modes, which somewhat mitigate its smaller sensor disadvantage.

Both bodies have environmental sealing, but the newer A6700’s weather sealing is likely more robust based on Sony’s contemporary standards. The smaller size and lighter weight additionally help portability during extended fieldwork on rugged terrain.

Wildlife: Autofocus and Burst Speed Matters

Wildlife photography demands razor-sharp continuous AF tracking and high burst shooting to catch unpredictable animal motion.

• Sony A6700 boasts 11 fps continuous shooting, paired with an expansive 759-point AF system and real-time animal eye AF, a game changer for candid wildlife captures.
• Sony A99 offers 10 fps burst with 19 AF points but lacks dedicated eye detection for animals.

The A6700’s mirrorless design allows for quieter shooting and no mirror slap vibration, advantageous when stealth is necessary. Its smaller sensor with a 1.5x crop factor can stretch telephoto reach practically, albeit with some image quality trade-offs compared to pure full-frame glass.

Sports: Tracking Accuracy and Low Light Speed

Sports shooters typically prioritize fast focusing and high FPS frame rates.

Despite the A99's respectable 10fps shutter speed for its era, it lacks the sophisticated autofocus tracking present in the A6700. The newer camera’s stacked sensor and real-time AF tracking algorithms vastly outperform the older phase detection system, helping maintain focus on erratic movement.

Low-light capabilities are similarly in the A6700's favor thanks to improved high ISO noise performance and silent electronic shutter options (up to 1/8000s max shutter), which the A99 misses.

Street Photography: Stealth and Portability

Street photography benefits strongly from discreet, lightweight camera systems.

The A6700, with its compact body, silent electronic shutter, and rapid AF, excels in candid street shooting scenarios, while the A99’s bulk and louder mirror slap make it less suited for discreet shooting.

Moreover, the A6700’s full articulating touchscreen and customizable controls streamline quick exposure tweaks and composition changes on the fly.

Macro Photography: Precision and Stabilization

Macro work demands precise focusing and ideally image stabilization to counter hand shake.

Both cameras feature sensor-based image stabilization, but the A6700 offers a 5-axis system which is more modern and effective. Its autofocus system with touch-to-focus aids precision focusing on close subjects; the older A99’s AF system is competent but less refined at macro distances.

Night and Astro: High ISO and Exposure Control

Astrophotography demands clean high-ISO performance and manual exposure flexibility.

The A6700's max boosted ISO of 102,400 is impressive, paired with advanced noise reduction software, producing cleaner long exposures.

The A99’s older sensor maxes out at 25,600 native ISO, which, paired with 14 stops of dynamic range, is respectable but falls behind modern noise ratios.

Additionally, timelapse recording on the A6700 is native and user-friendly, whereas the A99 requires external intervalometers; a subtle but helpful feature for nightscape shooters.

Video Capabilities: From 1080p to 4K 120fps

Video shooters will appreciate modern frame rates and codecs.

• The Sony A6700 shoots 4K UHD at 120fps in 10-bit 4:2:2 internally, utilizing modern codecs like XAVC HS and H.265. Audio inputs/outputs and touchscreen monitoring complete a robust video package that rivals many dedicated cameras.
• The A99 maxes out at 1080p (60fps) video, using older MPEG-4 and AVCHD codecs, making it less compelling for video-centric creators.

The A6700 is clearly the modern video choice, offering advanced slow-motion, improved stabilization, and professional audio support, attuned to hybrid shooters’ demands.

Travel Photography: Versatility and Battery Endurance

For photographers on the go, battery life, versatility, and size matter.

• The A6700 offers a claimed 570 shots per charge on the NP-FZ1000 battery, a solid figure given its compact size.
• The A99, heavier and larger, clocks about 500 shots on its NP-FM500H battery.

The single SD card slot in the A6700 may raise eyebrows for professionals concerned about redundancy, whereas the A99 offers dual slots with legacy Memory Stick PRO Duo support.

The mirrorless A6700’s smaller footprint and superior wireless connectivity (built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) streamline image transfer and remote control, whereas the A99 lacks wireless features - a serious drawback in today’s workflow.

Professional Reliability and Workflow Integration

For pro photographers, reliability, integration with editing pipelines, and file versatility are critical.

Both cameras shoot RAW, but the A6700 supports newer formats with improved compression and dynamic range retention.

The A99’s rugged build remains stubbornly solid, but the mechanical complexity of DSLRs might require more maintenance than the mirrorless design of the A6700.

The wireless features of the A6700 enable on-the-fly image backup and tethering, invaluable in professional environments.

Image Quality in the Field: Sample Gallery Review

Sony A6700 front Sony A6700 screen back Sony A99 front Sony A99 screen back

Examining side-by-side samples:

• A6700’s images show crisp microcontrast and natural skin tones, particularly in controlled lighting.
• A99 images exhibit richer tonal gradations and a slightly creamier bokeh, thanks to its full-frame sensor.
• In low light, the A6700 holds up impressively with less noise and artifacting.
• Landscape scenes reveal the A99's advantage in dynamic range and shadow detail.

Overall Performance Ratings

Scoring on standard professional criteria:

• Sony A6700: Modern high-speed AF, excellent image stabilization, video capabilities, superior connectivity, excellent value for money.
• Sony A99: Exceptional full-frame image quality, robust build, but dated AF and video, less convenient handling and slower operation.

Genre-Specific Strengths Roundup

The Verdict: Who Should Choose Which Camera?

Pick the Sony A6700 if…

• You need a lightweight, versatile camera for a mix of stills and video.
• You prioritize fast, reliable autofocus, especially for wildlife, sports, or street photography.
• You shoot in low light often and want excellent high-ISO performance.
• You want modern connectivity and smoother video workflows.
• Portability and battery life for travel are essential.
• Your lens collection is primarily Sony E-mount, and you value future-forward mirrorless tech.

Consider the Sony A99 if…

• You prize classic full-frame image quality with slightly richer tonal rendering.
• You shoot mostly portraits and landscapes with established full-frame Minolta/Sony Alpha lenses.
• You prefer the tactile DSLR experience with a larger grip and traditional controls.
• You require dual card slots for extra security.
• You primarily shoot still photography and don’t need 4K video or cutting-edge autofocus.

Parting Thoughts from Someone Who’s Held Both Cameras

With the Sony A6700, Sony has distilled a decade of evolution into a compact powerhouse that anticipates modern photography workflows. It offers a compelling blend of speed, image quality, and video prowess in a manageable package - perfect for today's hybrid shooter.

The Sony A99 remains a champion of its time: a robust full-frame machine with a sensor capable of producing sumptuous images. However, its age shows in AF sophistication, video features, and handling ergonomics.

The choice boils down to your priorities: are you after state-of-the-art hybrid shooting with excellent portability, or do you lean towards traditional DSLR craftsmanship with stellar full-frame output? Either way, both cameras embody Sony’s commitment to innovation and quality for different photographic eras.

Appendix: Technical Specifications at a Glance

In sum, I’ve walked through the analogically rich, tech-packed lives of these two Sony marvels. Whichever you choose, both cameras are capable companions - be it sprawling landscapes, high-speed action, intimate portraits, or cinematic storytelling.

Happy shooting!