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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Photo General
- Photo Image Quality
- Pictures Sample Gallery
- Video General
- 4k Video
- Full HD Video
- Video Image Quality
- Storage And Connectivity
- Comments
Sony α6100 vs Nikon Z 30
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sony α6100
Nikon Z 30
Tested using Methodology v0.13
Updated May 06, 2025 12:19 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.13
Updated Mar 25, 2025 04:55 PM
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Body TypeSLR-Style
MirrorlessYes
Sensor SizeAPS-C
Body TypeSLR-Style
MirrorlessYes
Sensor SizeAPS-C
Variants
- a6100 (Black (Body Only))
- a6100 (Black W/16-50mm Lens)
- Z 30 (Black (Body Only))
- Z 30 (Black W/ 16-50mm lens)
Our Verdict
Sony α6100
Nikon Z 30
The Nikon Z 30 and the Sony α6100 are both good beginner cameras, but they're tailored toward different uses. The Nikon is a vlogging camera, so it has a fully articulated touchscreen and no viewfinder. It offers slightly better video features, including uncropped 4k video at 30 fps and less rolling shutter distortion. The Sony, on the other hand, includes a viewfinder, making it a bit more versatile for photography, and it has a wider selection of compatible lenses.
Check Price
Black (Body Only)
a6100
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Amazon.comBlack (Body Only)
Z 30
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Amazon.comBlack W/16-50mm Lens
a6100
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Amazon.comBlack W/ 16-50mm lens
Z 30
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BestBuy.comMain Differences forTravel Photography
Travel Photography
Threshold
Travel Photography
8.2
8.2
Full Comparison
Design
Portability
8.0
7.7
Portability Picture
Height
2.8" (7.2 cm)
2.9" (7.4 cm)
Width
5.1" (12.9 cm)
5.2" (13.3 cm)
Depth
2.3" (5.8 cm)
2.4" (6.2 cm)
Volume
32.9 in³ (538.7 cm³)
37.1 in³ (608.0 cm³)
Weight
0.86 lbs (0.39 kg)
0.90 lbs (0.41 kg)
Build Quality
7.5
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Body
Body Picture
Body Type
SLR-Style
SLR-Style
Water Resistance
No
No
Mirrorless
Yes
Yes
Rugged
No
No
Hot Shoe
Yes
Yes
Customizable Button
Yes
Yes
Command Dial
2
2
Tripod Mount
Yes
Yes
Lens Mount
E-Mount
Z Mount
Built-In Flash
Yes
No
Fastest Shutter Speed
1/4,000 s
1/4,000 s
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Ergonomics & Comfort
8.0
8.0
Hand Grip Picture
Hand Grip: Small Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Medium Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Large Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
No
Yes
Viewfinder
EVF Menu Picture
Viewfinder Type
Electronic
No Viewfinder
Advertised Coverage
100%
N/A
Advertised Resolution
1.44 million dots
N/A
Advertised Magnification
0.71
N/A
Screen
7.8
9.5
Screen Picture
Screen Articulation Type
Flip-Out
Fully-Articulated
Screen Max Brightness
830 cd/m²
1,070 cd/m²
Advertised Resolution
0.92 million dots
1.04 million dots
Size
3.0" (7.5 cm)
2.9" (7.5 cm)
Touchscreen
Limited
Yes
Menu System
6.5
9.0
Screen Menu Picture
Guide Mode
Yes
Yes
App Name
Imaging Edge Mobile
Nikon SnapBridge
Built-In Lens
0.0
0.0
Aperture Vs Focal Length
Maximum Aperture
No built-in lens
No built-in lens
Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Minimum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Maximum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Optical Image Stabilization
No
No
Light Falloff Picture
Luminance
N/A
N/A
Light Falloff
N/A
N/A
Sensor
Sensor Type
CMOS
CMOS
Advertised Effective Pixels
24.2 MP
20.9 MP
Processor
BIONZ X
EXPEED 6
Sensor Size
APS-C
APS-C
Extended ISO Minimum
N/A
N/A
Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
100
100
Native ISO Maximum
32,000
51,200
Tested Firmware
Version 1.0
1.10
Battery
7.8
6.9
Battery Type
Sony NP-FW50
Nikon EN-EL25
USB Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Delivery While Recording
Yes
Yes
Advertised Battery Life In Photo
420 photos
330 photos
Tested Battery Life In Video
90 min
76 min
Photo General
Photo Shooting Speed
7.2
7.6
Low Speed Continuous
4 fps
1 fps
High Speed Continuous
11 fps
11 fps
Silent Shooting Continuous
9 fps
11 fps
Raw Buffer Size
34 Photos
35 Photos
JPEG Buffer Size
80 Photos
105 Photos
Buffer Empty Time
17 s
10 s
Photo AF-C Tracking
6.8
6.6
Autofocus Tracking Shots
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
56%
50%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
68%
75%
Photo AF-C Center Point
9.9
10
Autofocus Center Point Shots
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
99%
100%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
100%
100%
Photo Image Stabilization
8.0
8.3
Stabilization Slideshow
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/10 s
1/8 s
In-Body Image Stabilization
No
No
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Dynamic Range
7.9
8.7
Dynamic Range Scene
Dynamic Range At Base ISO
10.2 f-stops
11.0 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
8.2 f-stops
9.6 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
7.1 f-stops
7.5 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
6.6 f-stops
6.9 f-stops
Photo RAW Sharpness
8.6
8.2
Sharpness Scene Crop
Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
2,007 LW/PH
1,856 LW/PH
Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
2,057 LW/PH
1,913 LW/PH
Photo RAW Noise
7.1
7.5
Noise Scene Crop
Noise Vs Exposure Time
SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
33.8 dB
34.4 dB
SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
30.7 dB
31.7 dB
SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
25.8 dB
27.2 dB
SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
20.1 dB
21.7 dB
Pictures Sample Gallery
Video General
Video Features
Full HD Video
Yes
Yes
4k Video
Yes
Yes
6k Video
No
No
Clean HDMI Output
Yes
Yes
Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
4:2:2
Not Advertised
Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
8 bits
N/A
Log Picture Profile
No
No
Recording Light
No
Yes
Audio
Audio Test Sample
Audio Recording
Stereo
Stereo
Microphone Level Display
Yes
Yes
Video File Format And Compression
MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
Yes
MP4 H.265 / HEVC
No
No
MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
Yes
MOV H.265 / HEVC
No
No
AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
No
All-I Compression
No
No
4k Video
4k Video Frame Rate
7.2
8.5
240 fps In 4k
No
No
120 fps In 4k
No
No
60 fps In 4k
No
No
30 fps In 4k
Yes, with a Crop
Yes
24 fps In 4k
Yes
Yes
4k Crop At Max Available fps
1.22 x
1 x
4k Video Internal Recording
6.7
6.7
Bitrate Maximum In 4k
100 Mbps
126 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In 4k
60 Mbps
122 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In 4k
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In 4k
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit In 4k
N/A
N/A
Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
6
4
4k Video Autofocus Performance
8.9
8.4
4k Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In 4k
9.7
8.0
4k Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In 4k
9.5
8.3
Face Detection In 4k
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In 4k
No
Yes
4k Video Quality
7.5
7.3
4k Sample Low Light Video
Low Light Capability In 4k
7.0
6.5
4k Test Scene Extract
Test Scene Extract In 4k
8.0
8.0
4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect
4.5
6.1
Rolling Shutter Video in 4k
4k Rolling Shutter
9.0°
6.3°
Full HD Video
FHD Video Frame Rate
9.2
9.5
240 fps In FHD
No
No
120 fps In FHD
Yes, with a Crop
Yes
60 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
30 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
24 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
FHD Crop At Max Available fps
1.14 x
1 x
FHD Video Internal Recording
8.3
8.4
Bitrate Maximum In FHD
100 Mbps
128 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In FHD
16 Mbps
11 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In FHD
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In FHD
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit in FHD
N/A
N/A
FHD Video Autofocus Performance
8.7
8.9
Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In FHD
9.3
8.7
FHD Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In FHD
9.5
8.8
Face Detection In FHD
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In FHD
No
Yes
FHD Video Quality
7.3
7.0
FHD Sample Low Light Video
Low Light Capability In FHD
7.0
6.5
FHD Test Scene Extract In FHD
Test Scene Extract In FHD
7.5
7.5
FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect
6.7
8.2
Rolling Shutter Video in FHD
FHD Rolling Shutter
4.7°
2.0°
Video Image Quality
Video Dynamic Range
5.3
6.6
Video Dynamic Range Waveform
Video Dynamic Range Slideshow
Strict SNR Max Dynamic Range
7.04 stops
7.55 stops
Lenient SNR Max Dynamic Range
7.04 stops
9.83 stops
Background Floor Max Dynamic Range
9.33 stops
9.83 stops
Luminosity Patch Detection
5.7
5.9
Luminosity Patch Detection Chart
Above Middle Gray
3.97 stops
3.97 stops
Below Middle Gray
8.00 stops
8.26 stops
Storage And Connectivity
Storage
Card Slot Picture
Card 1 Slot
SD Card UHS-I
SD Card UHS-I
Card 2 Slot
No 2nd Card Slot
No 2nd Card Slot
Inputs / Outputs
7.8
8.5
Input Picture
USB
Micro USB
USB-C
HDMI
Micro (Type D)
Micro (Type D)
Headphones
No
No
Microphone
Stereo
Stereo
Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Check Price
Black (Body Only)
a6100
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack (Body Only)
Z 30
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack W/16-50mm Lens
a6100
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack W/ 16-50mm lens
Z 30
SEE PRICE
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Sony α6100
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Sony α6100 vs Nikon Z 30: Main Discussion
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