2016 prosumer camera shootout: Canon EOS 80D vs. Nikon D500 vs. Sony A6300

Introduction

Note: This article was first published on 27th September 2016.

APS-C camera showdown!

Before we begin our shootout, let us answer the question on what is the mark of a prosumer camera?

Broadly speaking, this class of cameras is able to deliver on most commercial jobs, yet generally priced within the reach of a serious enthusiast or professional who's just starting out. The prosumer series is the line-up both these groups of photographers look forward to, as it offers the best balance of features, performance, and price. You may recall that we put the Canon EOS 80D and the Sony A6300 against each other here, and that we’ve done a hands-on with the Nikon D500 here, so this article really pits all three against one another to see which one really stands out as the best prosumer camera for 2016. Before we dive into each camera individually, let's take a quick look at how they stack up against each other, specs wise:

APS-C camera Comparison

	Canon EOS 80D	Nikon D500	Sony Alpha 6300
Effective pixels	24.2 Megapixels	20.9 Megapixels	24.2 megapixels
Sensor	APS-C CMOS	CMOS sensor (Nikon DX format)	APS-C Exmor CMOS Sensor
Focal Length Multiplier	1.6x	Approx. 1.5x	1.5x
ISO rating	100-16,000 (expandable to 25,600)	100 to 51,200 (expandable to ISO 50 to ISO 1,640,000)	ISO 100-25600 (expandable to 51200)
Shutter speed	1/8000sec. to 30sec. (total shutter speed range; available range varies by shooting mode), Bulb, X-sync at 1/250sec.	1/8000 to 30s in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250	1/4000 to 30 sec, bulb
Auto Focus	45 (Cross-type AF point Max. 45 points) Dual cross-type focusing at f/2.8 with center AF point. (Excluding some lenses with f/2.8 or larger maximum aperture)	Nikon Advanced Multi-CAM 20K autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning, 153 focus points (99 cross-type with 15 that support f/8)	Fast Hybrid AF(phase-detection AF/contrast-detection AF) using 425 phase-detection AF points/ 169 Contrast-detection AF points
Exposure Control	Program AE (Scene Intelligent Auto, Program), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Manual exposure, Bulb exposure	Programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)	Auto (iAuto, Superior Auto), Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M), Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, Movie/High Frame Rate (Programmed AE (P) / Aperture priority (A) / Shutter-speed priority (S) / Manual (M))
Exposure Compensation	±5 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments	-5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV	+/- 5EV (in 1/3 EV steps or 1/2 EV steps)
Metering	63-zone TTL open-aperture metering using 7560-pixel RGB plus IR metering sensor Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points) Partial metering (approx. 6.0% of viewfinder at center) Spot metering (approx. 3.8% of viewfinder at center) Center-weighted average metering	TTL exposure metering using RGB sensor with approximately 180K (180,000) pixels Matrix, center-weighted, or highlight-weighted	Metering System Type: 1200-zone evaluative metering Sensitivity Range: EV-2- to EV20 (ISO100 equivalent, with F2.0 lens attached) Metering Modes: Multi / Center / Spot selectable
Recording Formats	MOV Full HD (1920x1080): 29.97p / 25.00p / 23.98p MP4 Full HD (1920x1080): 59.94p / 50.00p / 29.97p / 25.00p / 23.98p HD (1280x720): 59.94p / 50.00p / 29.97p / 25.00p	MOV (using H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding) 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD): 30p, 25p, 24p; 1920 x 1080: 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p; 1280 x 720: 60p, 50p	Movie: XAVC S / AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant / MP4 XAVC S 4K: 3840 x 2160 (30p/100Mbps, 30p/60Mbps, 24p/100Mbps, 24p/60Mbps), XAVC S HD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/50Mbps, 30p/50Mbps, 24p/50Mbps, 120p/100Mbps, 120p/60Mbps), AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps/PS, 60i/24Mbps/FX, 60i/17Mbps/FH, 24p/24Mbps/FX, 24p/17Mbps/FH), MP4: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps, 30p/16Mbps), 1280 x 720 (30p/6Mbps)
Display	3" TFT color, liquid-crystal touch-sensitive monitor with approx. 1.04 million dots	3.2-inch, 2359k-dots, tilting TFT LCD with touch, 170° viewing angle, 100% frame coverage, and manual monitor brightness control	3.0-inch, 921,600 dots, wide type TFT with tilt XGA OLED, 1.0 cm electronic viewfinder, 2,359,296 dots
Storage type	SD / SDHC* / SDXC* memory cards * UHS-I cards compatible.	XQD, SD, SDHC (UHS-II compliant), SDXC (UHS-II compliant)	SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card
Connectivity	Computer communication (Hi-Speed USB equivalent), GPS Receiver GP-E2, Connect Station CS100 connection, HDMI mini OUT (Type C - Auto switching of resolution) compatible.IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.	Wireless 802.11b/g Wi-Fi supported USB 3.0 Micro-B connector Type-C HDMI connector Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm diameter) Ten-pin remote terminal	MULTI / MICRO USB HDMI mini (Type D) Microphone terminal IEEE802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Battery	Battery Pack LP-E6N / LP-E6 Approx. 960 shots with viewfinder shooting, Approx. 300 shots with live view shooting.	Li-ion EN-EL15 battery (allows for 1,240 shots or approx. 50 min. of video)	NP-FW50 Rechargeable Battery Pack (Approx. 400 images, LCD screen, CIPA standard)
Dimensions	139.0 x 105.2 x 78.5mm	147 x 115 x 81mm	120 x 66.9 x 48.8 mm
Weight	650g (body only)	760g (body only)	Approx. 361 g (Body Only) /Approx. 404 g (With battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo)