Sony's 26-megapixel A6700 is its new flagship APS-C mirrorless camera

Sony has produced numerous full-frame cameras of late, but just a single APS-C model over the last four years — the vlogging-oriented ZV-E10. Now, the company has finally rectified that with the launch of the 26-megapixel (MP) A6700, it's new flagship APS-C mirrorless camera. It's particularly strong for vlogging thanks to features like 4K 120p video, active mode stabilization and AI auto-framing — but it's not cheap, either.

The A6700 looks like other Sony A6000-series models at first glance, but there are some considerable improvements. The grip is now bigger for improved handling and stability, and it introduces an assignable front dial that makes manual shooting easier. It has a vari-angle LCD (rather than a popup LCD as before), along with a low-res (2.36 million dot) but fast (120fps) electronic viewfinder. It's fairly compact, being 35 percent smaller and 21 percent lighter than Canon's $1,500 R7.

Sony has also introduced a still/movie/S&Q dial with dedicated settings for each, along with a new and far more intuitive main menu and menu structure. It comes with mic and headphone ports (plus a digital audio interface via the hotshoe), USB-C 3.2 Gen1, a micro HDMI port (not full-size, unfortunately), and a single SD UHS-II card slot on the side, rather than on the bottom in the battery compartment as before. It's dust and moisture resistant if you're shooting in inclement weather and supports 4K30p webcam capture.

The A6700 doesn't improve on the A6600's shooting speeds, grabbing bursts at the same 11 fps (in both mechanical and electronic shutter modes) with autofocus and auto-exposure tracking. However, it can capture far more photos at a time, with the new larger buffer letting you capture 59 compressed RAW and over 1,000 JPEGs before it stops.

The autofocus is improved as well, thanks to a faster backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor and processor that's eight times quicker than past models. Sony promises "reliable real-time tracking" for humans, animals and birds, insects and vehicles (cars, trains and planes). Human eye AF performance is up by 60 percent from previous models, while animal/bird eye AF speeds increased by 40 percent.

It should also take better photos in low light, again thanks to the BSI sensor and improved processor. Finally on the photo side, it now offers selectable RAW options including lossless and compressed, along with JPEG, HEIF and HLG still images.

While Sony already has a vlogging-oriented camera in the ZV-E10, the A6700 is even stronger in this regard. You can shoot 4K video at up to 120fps with 10-bit 4:2:2 quality (FHD at 240p) all with AF/AE, besting all APS-C rivals except Fujifilm's $2,000 X-H2S. Better still, it's super-sampled from 6K "resulting in high-resolution 4K with minimal moiré and jaggies," Sony says.

You can record in Sony's XAVC format at up to 600 Mbps with I-frame codecs that are easier to edit. It supports S-Cinetone and Sony S-Log3 mode to boost dynamic resolution up to 14+ stops (matching its Cinema line cameras), along with user-assignable LUTs so you can get a better idea of what you're shooting.

For those who do a lot of tracking shots or walk-and-talk vlogging, the A6700 has "active mode stabilization" that uses both software and optical tricks to reduce camera shake. Video autofocus mode supports the same range of subjects (people, animals, vehicles) as photo AF, with Sony promising real-time recognition in all cases. Another nice feature borrowed from the ZV-E1 full-frame camera is AI-based auto framing that lets the subject move around while staying centered in the frame — with varying levels of cropping and tracking speeds. And like other recent Sony models, it supports digital focus breathing compensation with select lenses.

We had the camera for a short time, and found that it handled much better than any previous Sony A6000-series cameras. At the same time, it's compact and light enough to take on trips. It's certainly not an impulse buy, though. The A6700 starts at $1,399 (body only), or $1,499 with a 16-50mm kit lens and $1,699 with the 18-135mm lens. Pre-orders are now open, and it's set to start shipping in early August.