Sony just announced two new APS-C mirrorless cameras, the α6100 and α6600, along with two new APS-C zoom lenses, the 16-55mm f/2.8 and 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G. These additions to Sony’s lineup of gear provide creators with even more options for photos and 4K video. After the introduction, the press had a chance to try the camera for themselves. Here are some of the first impressions from reviewers across the web as they share their thoughts on the performance of the new cameras and lenses.

DPReview TV: Sony α6100, α6600, 16-55mm f/2.8 and 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 First Thoughts

On the α6600:

“One of the most exciting things about this camera – headphone jack, of course as well as mic input. So now for vlogging when you couple this with fantastic autofocus this actually has a very compelling vlog capability.” – Chris Niccolls

“It [real-time tracking] makes a huge difference. You can just point the camera at something, it’ll track it. If it recognizes a person, it’ll track that person. If it then recognizes a face or an eye, it will track that.” – Richard Butler

On the α6100:

“We’re now giving people an entry-level camera but with top-quality autofocus performance. I would personally say the best I’ve ever used so far to date. And it doesn’t end there. We’re also getting things like a mic jack now, 4K video.” – Chris Niccolls

“As well as the tracking the other great improvement is color science. We’re going to see the much improved JPEG color that we’ve seen in recent Sonys.” – Richard Butler

On the 16-55mm f/2.8:

“It’s really quite compact. It’s compact, it’s lightweight. It’s a usable f/2.8.” – Richard Butler

“Remarkably lightweight. Still weather-sealed. 67mm filter thread. I mean not bad.” – Chris Niccolls

On the 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G:

“The first thing I noticed, again lightweight, compact. It is weather-sealed. It feels really nice and tight.” – Chris Niccolls

“Combined with the AF we’ve seen in the new cameras, it’s going to be a really strong lens for birding, and sports and wildlife shooting of all kinds really.” – Richard Butler

Gordon Laing’s α6600 & 16-55mm f/2.8 Hands On Vlog Test

“The α6600 becomes Sony’s first APS-C mirrorless camera to use its Z battery and it absolutely transforms the battery life as it did with the full frame bodies that it’s included on. In fact, Sony’s quoting over 800 shots under super conditions with this battery, which actually outlasts the specs that it quotes for the full frame bodies. So that’s really nice and of course it also means you can get longer recording time when you’re filming video. Like the α6400, it also inherits unlimited movie recording times so you’re not limited to half hour clips.” – Gordon Laing

Kai W’s α6600 Hands-On First Look

“I had the α6500 – it was good for video and stills. It's just the battery life was bad. Fixed now. AF was good, but now it's better. I needed a flippy screen for video, now we have it...with IBIS! With the current gen of Sony color silence! For those that want a camera that’s complete, this is as close as you’ll get for an APS-C cam.” – Kai W

Engadget.com – “Sony's α6600 APS-C Flagship Is A Shooting Speed Demon”

“The new model is all about speed and video performance, powered by Sony's latest sensor and AI-powered Z-Bionz image processing tech. It can grab focus in just .02 seconds, allowing shooting speeds of 11 fps with continuous autofocus turned on, beating any other APS-C mirrorless camera.”

“You'll also be able to shoot all day, as the α6600 has a larger Z-battery, letting you grab 720 shots on a charge (810 when not using the EVF), which is nearly in DSLR territory. Naturally, Sony has thought of video shooters, as the α6600 can handle 4K video and has a 180-degree tiltable rear touch display and both headphone and microphone jacks for video pros and vloggers.” – Steve Dent

Jason Vong – Sony α6600 10 Things You Need To Know

“More energy! The Sony α6600 is now rocking the Z battery, which lasts us 2.2 times longer than the old FW50 batteries. The bigger battery does offer a bigger grip on the camera, therefore better ergonomics when you’re holding the camera.”

“This camera does not have a 30-minute recording limit. In fact, I was able to get this camera to record for about two hours and I’m pretty sure I can get it to record even longer than that.” – Jason Vong

Manny Ortiz’s α6600/α6100 First Look

“At the end of the day, I think I’m more excited about the 16-55mm f/2.8 lens. Why? Because when people ask me, ‘Manny, what Sony camera should I buy?’ I usually tell them the α7 III because of the lens selection and you want a camera that you can shoot an event with or a wedding with. There were no 2.8 lenses for Sony - no one made one. They finally came out with one. It’s light, it’s beautiful. It looks really nice.”

“This lens now makes the APS-C cameras more usable for all kinds of things.” – Manny Ortiz

Georges CamerasTV’s Sony α6600 Review

“Now with the addition of Continuous Eye Auto Focus, it makes it a lot easier to nail your video focusing. Furthermore still keeping the same five access image stabilization and the revamped autofocus system gives you a lot more opportunity to use the camera in full time autofocus for video reliably.”