Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Which Is Better For You?

Welcome everyone! In today’s comparison article we’ll be looking at the Sony a6500 Vs the Fujifilm XT-20.

Get the Sony a6500 at Amazon	Get the Fujifilm XT-20 at Amazon

These two are another pair of highly anticipated mirrorless cameras. Both have received well deserved praises by many users.

However, in this article, we’ll be giving you all the specs and details of both cameras, to help you decide which would best meet your requirements.

Not everyone has the time to go through an entire article, and we understand that. The following 3 sections are for those who want to get a basic understanding of these two cameras.

However, we would recommend reading the whole article to get a much deeper understanding.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Comparison overview

Overall rating of products and pricing

When you look at the features of these cameras, both unique and common, you have to admit that both Sony and Fujifilm did a great job.

These cameras might not be the best of the best, as they are semi-pro cameras. If the kind of photography you do is nothing major, (vlogs and events for example) you can use any of these cameras.

Looking at the ratio of the value to the price, we’ve got to admit that that Fujifilm did a better job with the XT-20.

The Fujifilm XT-20 is a lot more affordable than the Sony a6500. There are only a few features which the a6500 has that it lacks.

Comparative brand strengths

No one likes to admit this, but most times there are some things we buy as a result of our trust in the brand. For that reason, this section isn’t about the Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20, but Fujifilm Vs Sony.

Let’s forget features and all that. At first glance, Sony would be first pick. “Why?” you may ask. Well the answer is simple.

Sony is a bigger brand. Nonetheless, Fujifilm has better a better relationship with their customers than Sony does.

Many times, they send some of their products out to popular influences, so that the product can be tested and criticized.

With each new release, Fujifilm ‘s mirrorless cameras get better and better, and the XT-20 is no different.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Comparison table

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – What situation is each best for?

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Common features

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Enabled with an electronic viewfinder

An electronic viewfinder (EVF for short) comes in handy when you are shooting in areas which are brightly lit. In such cases, using the LCD is very difficult, because you can’t see what’s on the screen.

High continuous shooting rate

The Sony a6500 has a continuous shooting rate of 11fps, while the Fujifilm XT-20 has a continuous shooting rate of 14 fps.

With such a high number of frame rates you can shoot photos of any type of subject easily even if they move around a lot.

In fact, if your subjects are sportsmen or kids, you can capture beautiful points in their movement. And it’s all because of their high frame rates.

Sensor resolution of 24megapixels

The XT-20 features Fujifilm’s X-Trans CMOS III. It’s a 24.3-megapixel APS-C sized sensor which is popular for outstanding image quality when it’s used with high performance XF lenses.

The sensor also gives amazing readout speed, improving the camera’s response in the high-accuracy AF tracking, burst mode, high-quality video performance and high-speed live view.

The a6500 on the other hand, has a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor which features enhanced circuit processing and copper wiring which reduces the depth of the wiring layer to optimize the efficiency of light collection.

With sensor resolutions of this size, you’ll get amazing detail in your photos. Furthermore, both the a6500 and the XT-20 are wonderful for portrait photography.

Microphone port

For a good recording, your camera needs to have good audio. To get quality audio for your audio, you must have a microphone attached to your camera.

However, connecting a microphone to a camera is impossible unless the camera has a microphone port. Fortunately, both the Sony A6500 and the Fujifilm XT-20 have microphone ports, which you can use to attach external microphone.\

Fast hybrid AF

The Sony a6500 features an advanced autofocus system known as 4D Focus. Like the previous A6300, this AF system has the highest number of autofocus points in the world; an astounding 425.

In addition, you can focus on a subject at an amazing speed of 0.05 seconds. This feature lets your camera stay focused on the subject at all times, and predict your subject’s movement over time.

The Fujifilm XT-20 on the other hand, has 325 autofocus points. This is still a large number when you compare it to some other cameras.

It may not be the largest, but it has one of the highest AF points. With its faster and more accurate phase detection pixels, it covers 75% (top to bottom), and 50% (side to side) of the frame. to bottom), and 50% (side to side) of the frame.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Unique features

Sony a6500

Weather sealing

Because of the features which this camera has, the a6500 is good for shooting different types of photography, (sports and landscapes for example).

However, some of these kinds of photography would be impossible if the a6500 didn’t have weather sealing. Thankfully, it does.

With weather sealing, you can shoot in various conditions without being worried about dust and moisture ruining your camera.

World’s fastest AF system

As we mentioned previously, the Sony a6500 has 425 compactly placed phase detection autofocus points, and also has a hybrid AF system which gives your camera the ability to always stay focused on your subject, and predict your subject’s next movement.

Fujifilm XT-20

Built-in time-lase recording

Unlike the a6500, the Fujifilm XT-20 has the time-lapse recording feature built-in. With this, you can record videos in time-lapse right away, without searching for a time-lapse recording app.

Weighs less (than the a6500)

The Fujifilm XT-20 weighs less than the a6500 by about 70g. It’s not really what you call a major difference, but if you are looking for the lightest camera of the two in today’s comparison, go for the XT-20.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Unique pros

Sony a6500

Get the Sony a6500 at Amazon

i. Has image stabilization

With image stabilization, the effects which little shakes have on your images are minimized.

ii. Has NFC

You can use this to connect wirelessly to other NFC enabled devices.

iii. Has Bluetooth

In addition to the a6500’s NFC, connectivity via Bluetooth is also provided. This widens the number of devices you can connect to.

iv. Has environmental sealing

This gives you the ability to use your camera in harsh weather conditions.

v.  More autofocus points

With 425 AF points, you have a wider range of focusing area.

Fujifilm XT-20

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i. frame rate of 14 fps

Good for fast moving subjects.

ii. 70g lighter than the a6500

This isn’t really a big difference, but it’s there all the same.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Unique cons

Sony a6500

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i. Doesn’t have time-lapse feature built-in

If you want to record in time-lapse, you have to search for, and download the right app.

ii. Start-up lag

This seems to be a common issue among many Sony mirrorless cameras.

Fujifilm XT-20

Get the Fujifilm XT-20 at Amazon

i. No NFC/Bluetooth

Unfortunately, you can’t use this camera to connect to any NFC or Bluetooth enabled devices.

ii. No image stabilization

The lack of image stabilization increases your chances of getting blurry images.

iii. No environmental sealing

You’ll need to be careful of the conditions you shoot in.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 — Common Pros

Get the Sony a6500 at Amazon	Get the Fujifilm XT-20 at Amazon

i. Microphone port

With a microphone port, you can connect an external microphone to your camera to get better audio when recording.

ii. Support for RAW format

Both cameras support the RAW format, giving you uncompressed images in their highest quality.

iii. Face detection focus

This gives your camera the ability to find and lock focus on any faces in your image. This comes in very handy for portraits.

iv. Touchscreen

Both cameras might have touchscreens, but in terms of convenience, only that of the XT-20 actually makes usage a lot easier. The a6500’s touchscreen is mostly for focusing on a subject by tapping.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – Common cons

Get the Sony a6500 at Amazon	Get the Fujifilm XT-20 at Amazon

i. Poor battery

This is common in quite a number of cameras.

ii. No headphone jack

This means you can’t use a headphone monitor any audio which your camera picks up when recording.

Sony a6500 Vs Fujifilm XT-20 – How users feel about both

Sony a6500

Get the Sony a6500 at Amazon

Lightness and compactness

Everyone was amazed that such a small camera could have so many features. With its small size and weight, many people loved the fact that the a6500 can be packed easily, and taken for shooting virtually everywhere.

Continuous shooting

The continuous shooting rate of the Sony a6500 might not be as high as that of the XT-20, but it doesn’t mean that users think any less of this camera. If fact, many users were quite happy with the frame rate of 11fps.

Sensor resolution

With a sensor resolution of 24 megapixels, the a6500 was praised by quite a number of users (especially portrait photographers). They loved the great detail and stunning quality which the a6500’s sensor gave their images.

Autofocus tracking

Similar to the previous a6300, users were impressed with the a6500’s AF tracking. Its hybrid autofocus system, and large number of AF points, made it popular among many photographers.

Battery life

This wasn’t really a surprise, but everyone hoped it would be better. The a6300 also had this issue, so it was expected that the a6500 would resolve the problem. Many users think the a6500 is still worth it, so they simply go with extra batteries.

Headphone jack

This wasn’t a major issue for a lot of people, but many users said they would have been better if the a6500 had a headphone jack.

In conclusion…

Users feel that the positive things about the Sony a6500 definitely outweigh the negative. From their view, the value which the a6500 gives is definitely worth it.

Fujifilm XT-20

Get the Fujifilm XT-20 at Amazon

Lightness and compactness

Customers were very pleased with the XT-20’s light and compact body. I mean, come on; who doesn’t love a camera which they can take anywhere they go easily?

Touchscreen

Many people also loved the XT-20’s touchscreen, as it made the usage of this camera a bit easier.

Continuous shooting rate

14fps is no joke, so it’s no wonder that many Fujifilm users find this camera so amazing. They were impressed with the fact that it gives your camera the ability to shoot fast moving subjects, and capture many beautiful points in their motion.

Sensor resolution       

Similar to its opponent, the Fujifilm XT-20 was also praised by users, for its 24MP resolution. They loved the amazing image quality, and fine detail which they got on their photos.

Battery life

This was somewhat understandable in the a6500’s case, but this came as a great disappointment to fans of the Fujifilm XT-20.

In conclusion…

Despite whatever faults the XT-20 has, users feel that the XT-20 is an amazing camera which is great for a large variation of shooting conditions.

Final Note

And that brings us to the end of this article. We’ll just do a quick recap to wrap it up. Both the a6500 and XT-20 are mirrorless cameras.

Both have 24MP sensors, which give your photos great detail, and amazing image quality.

 Furthermore, both cameras have a high continuous shooting rate, which lets you capture many moments in your subject’s movement.

The a6500 has built-in image stabilization, which removes those blurry effects which you get in your images when you move. It also has a higher number of autofocus points.

The Fujifilm XT-20 on the other hand, has a higher frame rate than the a6500. It also weighs less than the Sony a6500. Overall, both cameras are wonderful.

To choose the right one, you need to know exactly what you want from the camera. It’s all up to you. Happy buying!

Get the Sony a6500 at Amazon	Get the Fujifilm XT-20 at Amazon