In this review, we will be considering two digital cameras, the Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D. Because of the extensive nature of this review, it’s going to be quite a long read.
If you don’t have the time to read all of it, then read through the comparison overview section. There you should find all the information you need to make the right purchasing decision.
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D – Comparison Overview
Overall Review Of Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D
The Sony a6000 is a mid-range camera with an APS-C sized sensor. It was announced on February 2014 and is positioned between the NEX-5T and the Sony Alpha A7. It succeeds the NEX-6 directly. The Sony a6000 can be used by both beginners and professionals.
The Canon 200D or Rebel SL2, as it is called in North America, is a compact style DSLR aimed at photographers buying their first interchangeable lens camera. It was announced in June 2017 and it replaced the Canon EOS 100D/ Rebel SL1. It is available in three colors which are black, silver and white, it is also the smallest DSLR from Canon.
The Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D are both great photography cameras with a high resolution of 24 megapixels and APS-C sensors with just a slight difference in size. Both cameras will be great for photography, depending on the type of photography you would want to use it for. For videography, both cameras do not have the 4k video mode but have the 1080/60 fps which is still acceptable for beginners.
Coming to their battery life, the Sony a6000 has 360 shots while the Canon 200D has 650 shots, per full charge. The Sony a6000’s battery life may come as a disadvantage but the Sony a6000 has a USB port that supports charging with a power bank making it a superb companion when you are traveling.
There is or no difference between their resolutions and ISO range, both of them coming with 24.3 megapixels and 100 – 25600, respectively.
The Sony a6000 and Canon 200D shoot good images in low light due to their highly effective ISO, they also have good noise reduction abilities. However, for the Canon 200D, it gets a little bit funny when you drop its ISO settings to ISO 400 and below. So, if you are aiming at capturing an extra dynamic range in low light conditions know that the Canon 200D isn’t the best APS-C.
Price Value Ratio – Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D
Which is more expensive: Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D?
The Sony a6000 is more expensive than the Canon 200D though both cameras are affordable, with their features justifying their price tags. The Sony a6000 is a very reliable APS-C mirrorles camera that comes with a good electronic viewfinder to give the photographer a good experience.
About The Brands
Sony
Sony is a major Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronics products. It is also involved in films, music, and financial services, among other ventures.
Sony offers a plethora of interchangeable-lens cameras in its range of Alpha line. The alpha line has a number of featured cameras and employs three imaging technologies with two mounts. The imaging technologies and mounts include DSLR, SLT, Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras, Sony ILCE camera (E-mount) and Sony ILCA camera (A-mount).
Canon
Canon is a multinational Japanese company. Unlike Sony, it focuses mainly on imaging and optical materials like cameras, camcorders, etc. Their headquarters is based in Ota, Tokyo, Japan.
Canon’s wide range of DSLR cameras offer a dynamic range to give detail in shadows and highlights, less noise images from the camera and a shallow depth for portraits. They are configured to deliver highly professional results each time you take a shot.
In terms of cameras and accessories, both of these companies are big players. Cannon is the bigger player in the DSLR market, and Sony is the bigger player in the mirrorless market.
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D – Specs Comparison
Sony a6000 | Canon 200D | |
| Announcement Date | February 2014 | June 2017 |
| Sensor Resolution | 24.3mega pixels | 24.2 mega pixels |
| ISO | 100-25,600 | 100-25,600 |
| Continuous Shooting | 11 fps | 5fps |
| Video Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 | 1,920 x 1,080 |
| Shutter-life expectancy | 100000 | 100000 |
| Focus Points | 179 | 9 |
| LCD-Screen Resolution | 1,440k dots | 1,040k dots |
| Max Shutter Speed | 1/4000 | 1/4000 |
| Colour Depth | 24.1 | 23.6 |
| Dynamic Range | 13.1 | 13.4 |
| Low Light ISO | 1347 | 1041 |
| Battery Life | 360 | 650 |
| Weight | 344g.120 x 67 x 45 mm | 453g. 122 x 93 x 70 mm |
| Time-Lapse Recording | No | Yes |
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D – Circumstances They Are Best Suited For
Sony a6000 |
Canon 200D |
| The Sony a6000 is very suitable for street photography, its live view lets you take photos without using the viewfinder which makes you less obtrusive. This works very well when shooting street photography where you don’t want to get people’s attention. | The Canon 200D’s large APS-C sensor makes it easy to shoot with shallow depth of field, ideal for portrait photography. Keeping faces pin-sharp against a beautifully blurry background. The high-resolution 24.2-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor is more than enough to reproduce the intricate details of landscape photos, and aside from that, users can also enjoy using the swiveling LCD monitor to shoot with a tripod. |
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D – Common Features
The following features are common to both the Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D:
1. Eye-Level Viewfinder
2. Built-in Wifi
3. Hot Shoe
5. Internal Flash
6. ISO Range
7. Articulating Screen
8. Faster Shutter
Eye-Level Viewfinder
Which Uses a Viewfinder: Sony a6000 or Canon 200D?
The Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D both make use of viewfinders. The Sony a6000 has an electronic viewfinder with view coverage of 100%, while the Canon 200D makes use of an optical viewfinder.
The electronic viewfinder shoots in bright, sunny environments where viewing the frame on an LCD screen can be really difficult because of the glare.
It’s easier to compose photos when you look through an electronic viewfinder because it’s shaded enough to help you view your subject better.
Another advantage of an electronic viewfinder is you get to see exactly what the camera’s sensor sees. Also, your view of a scene is never obstructed when taking a photo, which is the case in DSLR cameras.
Photographers most of the time, support their Electronic viewfinders in various ways like focus peaking, autofocus, and by simulating motion blur. This makes your camera to adapt automatically to boost brightness in a dark scene or night situations.
An optical viewfinder, on the other hand, relies on actual light passing through a camera rather than the digital presentation. Optical viewfinders provide much better clarity, better dynamic range, and an instantaneous view of the action lacking the delay found in some EVF systems.
Today, virtually all cameras with physical viewfinders have some type of dioptre adjustment so that you can compensate for your own unique vision. This adjustment is usually made through a small wheel located somewhere around your camera’s viewfinder.
Built-in WIFI
Which is WIFI enabled: Sony a6000 or Canon 200D?
The Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D are WIFi enabled and they permit a connection from the camera to any device with the WIFI feature.
If you’re an Instagram fanatic and enjoy uploading and editing while on the move, then a Wifi camera is definitely a tool to have in your knapsack. It is a great tool for personal live blogging.
Having a Wifi capable camera helps in the process of storing your images properly if you do not intend to save them on your laptop.
It’s now easy for you to take those images and save to either the cloud or your phone and share with all your friends in probably less than 15 minutes and if you like, you can then delete them off your camera.
Sounds crazy right? But that’s the benefit of having a camera with built-in wifi, creating a medium for easy sharing and storing.
The Wifi is not perfect, though. It drains the cameras’ battery very fast and may not be found everywhere.
Hot Shoe
Which has the Hot Shoe feature: Sony a6000 or Canon 200D?
The Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D both have the hot shoe feature. A hot shoe is a metal bracket on top of your camera with electrical contacts where an external device can be connected such as- off-camera flashes, Geo-tagger, etc.
Compared with just raising your camera’s ISO, or using your camera’s built-in flash, getting your flash from off of the camera allows you to add more light to the scene in a controlled way.
As a result, the camera sensor can lower its sensitivity and you can dial in a lower ISO. This is valuable in outdoor and nature photography, especially when printing enlargements of natural scenes.
The external flashes also provide a good strategy to reduce red-eye and produce cleaner images because the light does not need to be close to the camera’s center.
Photographers who use external flash units have maximum freedom in positioning the light source where they want it, including above and from the side.
The hot shoe enables a geo-tagger connection which means you can successfully tag your location on your photos or your videos when going live on social media. It helps your friends to know where you are!
GPS is a great feature that helps you keep track of your camera, if misplaced. Neither the Sony a6000 nor the Canon 200D has the GPS feature but in. However, the hot shoe helps you to attach a GPS to your camera.
Internal Flash
What type of internal flash do Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D use?
The Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D use a built-in pop-up flash. The advantages of a pop-up flash are many. It adds virtually no weight to the camera and it is always available for use. Additionally, it doesn’t cost anything extra and it is extremely convenient.
The built-in flash, when managed properly can be used for efficient flash photography, though not as great as the external flash. You can also use a diffuser to reduce the harsh nature of the light coming from the flash.
ISO Range
What is the ISO range of Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D?
The ISO range of Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D is 100 – 25,600. In Digital Photography, ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the number, the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain.
Higher numbers mean your sensor becomes more sensitive to light which allows you to use your camera in darker situations.
The cost of doing so is more grain (although cameras are improving all the time and today many are able to use high ISO settings and still get very useable images).
An example of a situation you might want to choose a higher ISO would be photographing an indoor sporting event where the light is low and your subject is moving fast. By choosing a higher ISO you can use faster shutter speed to freeze the movement.
Articulating Screen
Which has an articulating screen: Sony a6000 or Canon 200D?
The Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D both have articulating screens. The Sony A6000 has a tilt screen that makes it able to shoot images or videos at diverse angles and positions. For the Canon 200D, it rotates at 360 degrees and is fully articulating.
The number one benefit offered by a tilt and swivel screen is that of convenience. Gone are the days when one was required to get low in the dust or take an overhead shot praying for it to turn out good.
Tilt and swivel LCD screens are so useful when it comes to discreet shooting. Candid moments can be captured as one is unaware that he is being photographed. Hip and waist-level shooting are suddenly no more of guesswork.
There are some disadvantages to the articulating screen, though, like its fragile nature. Professional cameras like Canon DSLRs have come with a fixed screen which is more opposing to wear and tear than most articulated screens
Shutter Speed
What is the shutter speed of the Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D?
The shutter speed of the Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D is (1/4000). Maneuvering the shutter can have a great impact on your photography; the speed of a shutter is simply the length of time it takes for an image to be capture after the light hits the film or sensor.
If you are a keen sports or wildlife photographer and daily and street photography, you will inevitably want to use a fast shutter speed camera.
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D — Some Things To Look Out For In The Features?
The following are certain things to look out for in the features of Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D:
1. Focus peaking
2. In-camera panoramas
3. Dynamic range
Focus Peaking
Focus peaking is the camera technology that enables you to focus in manual focusing. It uses an edge detection filter to focus white or colored light on the edges of the image.
The focus peaking feature is mostly used by a vlogger and moviemakers, although, photographers are starting to take advantage of it. There is an increased interest that manual focusing has over autofocusing.
When the focus peaking is activated, the part in focus is highlighted and you can clearly identify those parts on the display.
For videographers or moviemakers, the focus peaking feature makes your movie making tasks easier. It proves useful when you are facing difficulty in recording perfectly focused scenes of a fast-moving event.
The Sony a6000 has the advantage over Canon 200D in focus peaking (the Canon 200D doesn’t support this feature). With the Sony a6000, you can certify your focused part with the assistance of the focus peaking feature even when you are taking shots under bright daylight conditions it also gives you better control over the sharpness of your images. It makes it easier to take photographs where the main parts and subjects are highlighted.
In-camera Panoramas
Panoramic photography has been synonymous with landscape and architectural images, and sometimes with other genres like street and wildlife photography
By stitching several frames into a panorama, you can take wide-angle photos than your lenses typically allow. For landscape and architectural photographers especially, an ultra-ultra-wide perspective is always useful.
It also allows larger, more detailed prints, along with more cropping ability in post-processing. Sony a6000 has this feature while the Canon 200D does not possess it.
Dynamic Range
Dynamic Range Optimization is Sony’s name for their dynamic range enhancement technology. DRO divides the image into small areas, analyzes the range of brightness of each area, and adjusts the camera’s tone curve and other processing parameters accordingly to make the best use of the available dynamic range.
Auto DRO is enabled by default on the Sony a6000. You can also set the level manually, from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong), or turn it off. The DRO is only limited to JPEG files. The DRO works perfectly in boosting shadows and mid-tones without blowing additional highlights, yielding more balanced exposures.
The Canon 200D produces images with moderately high contrast with some washed-out highlights and deep shadows under the deliberately harsh lighting. Its shadow detail is however pretty good, though very deep shadows are a bit noisy and discolored. The bottom line is, while the dynamic range in JPEGs isn’t bad, the Canon 200D doesn’t do as well, compared to some recent state-of-the-art peers.
The Canon 200D includes a couple of High Dynamic Range modes, which take a burst of three shots at different exposures and merges them together to create an image with a wider tonal range than would be possible with a single exposure. The Sony a6000 wins the Canon 200D in this feature.
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D– A Video Review
Check out these other detailed articles
Sony a6000 — What Are The Unique Pros?
The following are the unique pros of Sony a6000:
1. Amazing amount of quality for the price.
2. Tilting high-resolution LCD.
3. It has a built-in Wi-Fi with NFC.
4. It captures full HD video at 1080p.
5. It has an excellent high ISO performance (from RAW) for a 24MP APS-C sensor.
6. It has blazing fast Hybrid AF.
7. It has 179 phase-detect points covering ~84% of the frame (91% height and 92% width).
8. Very low shutter lag.
9. It has 11fps full-resolution burst mode with continuous AF.
10. It has a generous buffer depth.
11. Sony’s DRO helps with high-contrast scenes.
12. It has a good focus peaking and Zebra pattern system.
13. Sharp, built-in electronic viewfinder.
Canon 200D — What Are The Unique Pros?
The following are the unique pros of Canon 200D.
1. It has an accurate and pleasing color.
2. It supports Fine Detail Picture Style for better JPEG sharpening than default settings.
3. Its “White Priority” Auto White Balance options help avoid overly warm colors in incandescent lighting.
4. It has a quick power-up.
5. It has a fast Autofocus speed.
6. It’s Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus provides excellent live view/movie autofocus.
7. It has a compact body with good ergonomics for the size.
8. It has a slightly larger grip for better comfort & security.
9. It has a tilt-swivel touchscreen LCD.
10. It has a decent optical performance from a new kit lens.
11. It possesses In-camera HDR modes.
12. It has an external Mic input.
13. It has a wired remote jack.
14. It possesses a built-in Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth.
Sony a6000 — What Are The Unique Cons?
The following are the unique cons of Sony a6000:
1. It has a sluggish start-up.
2. It has soft corners from the kit lens at wide-angle.
3. Its kit lens produces strong barrel distortion and C.A at wide-angle in uncorrected images.
4. Larger than an average minimum macro area.
5. Its revised area-specific noise reduction can make high ISO JPEGs look “over-processed.”
6. Its fairly weak internal flash with narrow coverage.
7. Slow X-Sync speed (1/160s).
8. Its LCD is not a touchscreen.
Canon 200D — What Are The Unique Cons?
The following are the unique cons of Canon 200D:
1. Dynamic range and high ISO performance still not quite as good as leading competitors.
2. Shallow buffer depth when shooting RAW images (5 frames).
3. Its optical viewfinder only offers 9 AF points.
4. It has no 4K video.
5. Its video quality is okay overall, but soft at higher ISOs.
6. It has no clean HDMI out.
7. It has no headphone jack.
8. No IR receiver (but supports BR-E1 Bluetooth remote control).
Common Pros of Sony a6000 And The Canon 200D
The following are the common pros of Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D:
Sony Alpha a6000 |
Canon 200D | |
| Bulb Shutter mode | Bulb mode simply allows the photographer to take a picture for as long as the shutter is depressed (that means pushed down). Bulb mode is mostly used for long exposures at night. The main advantage is that it allows the photographer to achieve shutter speeds longer than the 30 seconds (displayed 30″ on the camera) that is allowed on most DSLRs. | Same as the Sony a6000 |
| HDMI Output | The HDMI Output is an amazing feature of the Sony a6000 that helps videographers to see their videos comfortably from a bigger screen connected to their cameras via an HDMI cord. It also proves dependable when shooting live and in large gatherings. | |
| Hot shoe | This feature is a delicate member of a camera; it allows you to connect your external flash for better images. It also helps attach other accessories such as- a geotagger/GPS receiver, a shotgun stereo microphone or a radio transmitter to fire a remote flash. There are even reflectors or diffusers that can connect to the hot shoe. |
Common Cons of Sony a6000 And The Canon 200D
The following are the common cons of the Sony A6000 and the Canon 200D:
Sony Alpha a6000 |
Canon 200D | |
| In-camera image stabilization | In-camera stabilization does a better job of correcting the translational movements that affect close-up and wide-angle photography, while in-lens designs cope better with the large pitch and yaw corrections needed with long focal lengths. Unlike with most lenses with Image stabilization built-in, In-camera stabilization operates in silence. If you’ve activated image stabilization on a lens, you’ve likely heard clicking and other noises from the lens while focusing. That is the image stabilization system making adjustments. Unfortunately, the Sony a6000 does not have this feature and to get image stabilization, you’ll have to purchase a lens with in-lens stabilization, found in most lenses. | Same as the Sony a6000 |
| Built-in GPS | If you are a photographer who enjoys documenting their visits to different location of the world, this cameras may not give you all you want. With the GPS you will be able to pinpoint where you where alongside the date and the time the picture were taken. This helps to recollect memories of that day and tell stories of how the day went. Social media platforms now have this feature where you have the option of tagging your location, for example instagram, giving rough estimates of where you are so your friends can come and experience it for themselves. Unfortunately they both don’t possess it. | Same as the Sony a6000 |
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D — What Do People Think About Both?
The following are what people think about the Sony a6000 and the Canon 200D:
Sony a6000 |
Canon 200D |
| A lot of people love this camera because of the high-quality professional picture it gives to beginner level photographer. Though the basic lens of the camera limits the scope of photography, people still love its basic landscape and street photography features. The Sony a6000 is loved for its WIFI performance, Wifi is a GREAT feature! You can now take professional quality photos and send them to your smartphone instantly. People have complained that the lenses are a little pricier than it should, and there are a lower number of lenses specifically designed for the APS C sensor. People also complained about its battery life. The Sony a6000’s battery life isn’t as robust as those of a DSLR. Not to worry, there are wall chargers and extra batteries available for extra purchase and you can charge the camera with a battery bank because it charges via USB. A number of people think its audio quality is not good. The equalization is very thin and tinny. And the slightest wind negatively affects the sound. | People love the Canon 200D fully articulating screen which is great for getting your shots from different angles, whether it’s from up high or down low or even flipped to the front which is brilliant for filming yourself. People love the burst rate of the Canon 200D which is 5 frames per second. This is an upgrade from 3 frames per second which has been the standard for beginner cameras from Canon over the years. Some people do not like this new camera so much. The interface is overly complex. And, it’s really disappointing that you can’t use the standard IR remote that is compatible with other Canon cameras. People feel that the Canon 200D is a great camera for basic family/ personal photography and vlogging. They also see it as the cheapest DSLR you can get at its price tag and the perfect camera for beginners who would love to shoot pictures beyond basic photography. |
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D – Conclusion
The Sony a6000 is one mirrorless camera that has got people talking about it. Its high-level performance in image and video coverage puts it above and beyond its peers. It can work perfectly for an entry-level photographer.
It is most loved for its NFC and WIFI capabilities, its dynamic range and its focus peaking, it’s faster raw shooting, and other features are just icing on a cake, a cake well prepared for your consumption.
The Canon 200D is an entry-level camera that still gives you great features that can’t be seen in a regular entry-level camera. Its fully-articulated touch-screen, longer battery life, optical viewfinder, and other features make it an extraordinary beginner camera that everyone should have.
However, if you are a fan of cameras that will give you a good experience at a well-deserved price tag, then the Sny A6000 will be a good buy for you. This is because it shoots at 1080/60 fps.
If you are a lover of lightweight, and you are just getting into photography and you would love to pay less for your first camera, then we’d advise you to get the Canon 200D.
If we were to choose, the Sony a6000 would be our choice.
Sony a6000 vs Canon 200D — Related FAQs
Is the Sony a6000 good in low light?
The performance rate of the Sony a6000 camera is very good in low light and it shoots to a high light sensitivity of 1600. When you are shooting with ISO 1250 in dark areas at night, the graininess is usually very minute.
Above 1600, the in-built noise reduction feature outlined for JPEGs exhibits highly sophisticated softening details. ISO noise is measured with the use of imatest test pattern and analysis software and in this test, Sony a6000 outscored three other competitors – The Samsung NX30, Olympus OM-D E-M1, and M10 which have similar features too.
Is Canon 200D touch screen?
Canon 200D is made with a Vari-angle touch screen LCD and completely articulated screen which helps users to work on images from different angles. The Canon 200D screen is a combination of dual pixel CMOS AF and Vari-angle LCD monitor and this makes it produce films in full HD quality at 60P.
It also has a good pictorial interface which allows beginners to evaluate their snapshots effectively. With the Canon 200d Vari-angle touch screen LCD monitor, the composition of images from various angles will be flexible for photographers.
Can Sony a6000 shoot 120FPS?
The Sony a6000 camera cannot shoot at 120FPS frame rate. However, it shoots at 60FPS/50mbps in full HD resolution. It is the latest a6400 that makes use of XAVC codec at 100mbps in full HD to shoot at a maximum frame of 120FPS.
This feature makes it possible for the Sony a6000 to produce movies in slow-motion. This latest a6400 camera is the 3rd Sony camera in the range of APS-C after A6500 and a6300 and all the cameras in this category are capable of recording and shooting inner 4k video with XAVC S of 100mbps.
Is the Sony a6000 a good camera for beginners?
The Sony a6000 camera is a good camera for beginners. It is renowned as the finest mirrorless camera because of its portability and power. It comes with a good autofocus feature which is very good like a DSLRS camera.
The Downside of most mirrorless cameras is usually the electronic viewfinders, but this is not the case with the Sony a6000’s OLED because the eyepiece of this camera is crystal-clear and bright. There is nothing like stuttering with this camera like you would normally experience in other EVFs. Even when the light is not bright, a6000 shines very well which makes it to record clean images at ISO 1600 sensitivity.
Is the Sony a6000 water-resistant?
The Sony a6000 is water-resistant. However, it is not waterproof even though there are claims in some quarters that the Sony a6000 is waterproof. The camera only has weather sealing materials that help to shield its vulnerable parts like the processor and the sensor; leaving many parts of the camera susceptible to water damage.
When you are using the camera in the open and it rains heavily, the camera will develop issues due to exposure to rainfall. Additionally, when you are shooting with Sony a6000 in a setting where the weather might be a problem, you have to buy a weather closet case to protect your camera and ensure that you have a successful photography session.
