I am looking at the Sony RX100 and the Sony A6600 this from my perspective as a YouTuber and as someone who has worked in photography semi-professionally. I do not consider myself a filmmaker or any other pretentious thing. I am just a person who makes videos. And for that, I want a good camera.

This is a really honest review of both cameras, but with one addition: I just got the A6600 (after ditching the A6400, because I wanted stabilization). So it might not include everything that there is to hate or love. But I promise to make it as comprehensive as possible.

Warning: I do not recommend to anyone to get the Sony Alpha 6400. Stabilization is that important, and it has none. It’s only good for photography, and the price difference is not worth it by any means. If you want to film YouTube videos, especially vlogs, do not—I reapeat—do not buy this camera! It should be taken off the market and be forgotten. Get the A6600 instead!

What I hate(d) about the RX100

• Limit on video recording time (wtf? why, ever, in time, and why no update to remove it? Seriously, f_ck you, Sony!)
• The popup-viewfinder (never use it, too much of a chore)
• Auto-focus not for macros (it just never focuses, if you have it in “vlogging” mode, so you can’t switch to shooting some quick b-roll in between
• Not suitable for any kind of slow-mo, don’t fool yourself here…
• The loops to fiddle through a camera strap, what a joke… useless, also: The strap is crap as well (wohoo, that rhymes!)
• No mic jack

What I love(d) about the RX100

• light
• cheap
• automatic display brightness (yet never bright enough in real-life)
• built-in stabilization
• built-in ND filter, which works very well

What I don’t love about the Sony α6600

• the kit lens is a big disappointment and way below the RX100 integrated lense of course
  (You have to get an expensive FE lens instead, and some primes (and get over yourself, because expensive gear does make everything better, easier and more fun, those who tell you otherwise are lyyyyying! You want f/2.8 and below, f/3.5 up is for losers))
• The C buttons are crazy. Positioning… IDK, I can never remember those f_ckers.
• The menu button is in the wrong spot, just so wrong, wtf… It is behind the monitor if you have it up.
• No automatic display brightness(?) – Haven’t tested it yet… it only gives the option “manual” or “sunny weather”, but I think it is not truly “manual”… Anyway, not a dealbreaker…
• The battery could last longer, it is at the same level as the RX100, I’d say
• In low light the amount of RGB noise in the display is not true to tue actual noise in the footage (WTF?) it’s better in reality lol… omg… this should be fixed!

What I really love about the Sony α6600

• light for its size, so f_cking light!
• amazing viewfinder and viewfinder automatic!
• amazing display, so sharp and great colors
• The flip-screen is not at all horrible, even though you have to do two movements instead of one, like with the RX100, but I got used to that in less than a day, truly!
• You can remove the SD card and battery without screwing of the mount plate
• mic jack and hot-shoe
• so many options, I can’t even use them
• On/off switch like every decent DSLR has it… (saves a lot of battery!)
• amazing AF (autofocus, but also as f_ck)

Things people find annoying about the A6600 that really aren’t

The flip-screen

No it’s not. It’s amazing. Who ever is telling you that a flip-screen to the side is of advantage has not been hiking. Of course, when I look at the Sony RX100 vs the Sony A6600, the RX100’s screen is a lot better. It’s only one flip, but with the A6600 you clearly have to be a little more careful. However, it is by no means that big of a deal as some YouTube »experts« (aka all self-taught creator dudes with no education in any kind of engineering) make it seem. If you don’t kick the camrea with your feet, you’ll be fine.

Mounting a microphone on the Sony A6600

No, it is not difficult. You can get some 3D-manufactured mount and attach it to the cold-shoe and that way you will have the flip-screen and the microphone. But a flip-screen to the side is not worth it. Trust me, the moment you want to take a picture of anything overhead or on the ground you will thank me that you don’t have to deal with an annoying and whimsy side-screen. It is easier to break and I actually thinks that it looks like a dumba__ camcorder from the 90s.

Sony RX100 vs Sony A6600 – final thoughts

Overall, both are great cameras, but I would not buy any camera from the RX100 line again. Not even as a beginner. The Sony Alpha 6600 is a true semi-pro camera. I have used pro and semi-pro Nikon DSLRs for many years. I held 10k cameras (and even pricier ones) in my hands. I say: Don’t do it.

If you want to be a vlogger: It is 100% not worth it to learn on a »training horse« like the Sony RX100, which has so many disadvantages and a much weaker software. Let alone the old-school phone integration, missing patches and outdated interface. The phone communication works flawless with Sony’s APSC cameras and is a big step-up. But the software is overall so much better, that I would buy it for that reason alone over an RX100, doesn’t matter which series.

So yeah, here I am, I did not only switch to Sony, I switched to mirrorless. I am done with Nikon. The RX 100, I’ll probably use it for when I need to record myself holding the A6600 lol. That’s it!