Canon 70D vs Sony A6500

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Canon 70D vs Sony A6500

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APS-C 337.5mm²
20.2 megapixels
ISO 100 - 12,800

Go in depth with our full Canon 70D Review.
How does it shoot? Canon 70D in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the 70D.
Compare Canon 70D image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Canon 70D conclusion.

APS-C 366.6mm²
24.2 megapixels
ISO 100 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Sony A6500 Review.
How does it shoot? Sony A6500 in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the A6500.
Compare Sony A6500 image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Sony A6500 conclusion.

Succeeded by the Canon 80D
Compare 70D vs 80D

Succeeded by the Sony A6600
Compare A6500 vs A6600

Compare CANON 80D vs SONY A6600

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Differences

Canon 70D advantages over Sony A6500

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Less expensive
$999 vs $1598
Save money for lenses or accessories
Tilt-swivel screen
Tilt-swivel vs tilt-only
Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
Fast startup
~0.70 vs 1.3 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Longer stills battery life
More info

Longer stills battery life

Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

920 vs 350 shots
Capture more photos
Top deck display
Yes vs No
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
Higher max flash sync
1/250 vs 1/160 sec
Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
Faster shutter
1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
Shoot wide open in bright light

Sony A6500 advantages over Canon 70D

Focus peaking
Peaker vs Non-peaker
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
Shoot 4K video
4K (UHD) vs 1080p
Make sure you have a fast computer
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
NFC
Yes vs No
Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
Built-in Bluetooth
Yes vs No
Always-on wireless connectivity
Higher effective ISO

Higher effective ISO

Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

You can learn more at our glossary entry.

Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A6500 test data on DxO Mark 70D test data on DxO Mark

1,405 vs 926 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
More dynamic range

More dynamic range

Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A6500 test data on DxO Mark 70D test data on DxO Mark

13.7 vs 11.6 evs
Retain detail in highlight and shadows
Thinner
53 mm vs 78 mm
Thinner
More viewfinder magnification
0.70x vs 0.59x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
More pixels
24.2 vs 20.2 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
Faster JPEG shooting
11.1 fps vs 6.7 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Bigger JPEG buffer
231 vs 65 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
11.1 fps vs 6.7 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
Bigger RAW buffer
110 vs 14 shots
Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
Slow-motion videos
Yes vs No
Shoot slow-motion videos
Higher extended ISO
51200 vs 25600 ISO
Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
Touchscreen
Both provide
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Built-in Wi-Fi
Both provide
Share your photos wirelessly
On-sensor phase detect
Both provide
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Internal flash
Both provide
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
External Mic Jack
Both provide
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
Dual card slots
Neither provide
Gives you more storage flexibility
Headphone jack
Neither provide
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video

User reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read 70D User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A6500 User Reviews

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Buy the Canon 70D

Body Only

Body Only
Kit with 18-135mm Lens
Kit with 18-55mm Lens

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Buy the Sony A6500

Body Only

Body Only
Kit with 18-135mm lens

All A6500 Deals

Review Excerpt

Dual Pixel CMOS AF delivers full-time continuous autofocus (with phase detect at every pixel in framing area) for video and Live View still shooting; Full HD (1080p) video recording with pro-level features and quality; Improved resolution and good high ISO performance; Excellent Wi-Fi remote shooting with full exposure controls; 3-inch articulating LCD touchscreen.
Image quality only improved slightly over 60D; Dynamic range still lags behind competing models; May not feature enough upgrades to convince people to step up from 60D.
Read our Canon 70D Review

Comfortable, premium body with good controls; Touch-screen for subject selection; Hybrid image stabilization system; Excellent image quality; Better high ISO JPEGs than the A6300; Extremely fast 11.1 fps burst capture; Very deep buffers for raw and JPEG alike; 4K video capture with no pixel binning
Pricey for an APS-C camera; JPEG colors aren't the most accurate; Very slow buffer clearing; Laggy touch-pad AF function; Poorly-placed movie button; No headphone jack; Mediocre battery life
Read our Sony A6500 Review

The Competition

Compared to Nikon D7100

Canon 70D

Nikon D7100

$1149
APS-C

Tilt-swivel screen
Touchscreen

$745
APS-C

Less expensive
Fast startup

Compare Canon 70D vs Nikon D7100

Sony A6500

Nikon D7100

$1198
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$745
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A6500 vs Nikon D7100

Compared to Sony A77 II

Canon 70D

Sony A77 II

$1149
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

$1198
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Canon 70D vs Sony A77 II

Sony A6500

Sony A77 II

$1198
APS-C

Shoot 4K video
Touchscreen

$1198
APS-C

Tilt-swivel screen
Fast startup

Compare Sony A6500 vs Sony A77 II

Compared to Nikon D7200

Canon 70D

Nikon D7200

$1149
APS-C

Less expensive
Tilt-swivel screen

$1016
APS-C

Fast startup
NFC

Compare Canon 70D vs Nikon D7200

Sony A6500

Nikon D7200

$1198
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$1016
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

Compare Sony A6500 vs Nikon D7200

Compared to Fujifilm X-Pro2

Canon 70D

Fujifilm X-Pro2

$1149
APS-C

Less expensive
Tilt-swivel screen

$1300
APS-C

Focus peaking
Shoot 4K video

Compare Canon 70D vs Fujifilm X-Pro2

Sony A6500

Fujifilm X-Pro2

$1198
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Touchscreen

$1300
APS-C

Higher max flash sync
More dots on screen

Compare Sony A6500 vs Fujifilm X-Pro2

Compared to Sony A6300

Canon 70D

Sony A6300

$1149
APS-C

Lens selection
Tilt-swivel screen

$748
APS-C

Focus peaking
Less expensive

Compare Canon 70D vs Sony A6300

Sony A6500

Sony A6300

$1198
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Touchscreen

$748
APS-C

Less expensive

Compare Sony A6500 vs Sony A6300

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