Nikon D5500 vs Sony Alpha a6300

A flat color profile captures footage in low contrast and higher dynamic range allowing for easier color grading in post-production.

D5500 can record to an external recorder at a higher quality than when recording to camera.

According to tests performed by DxOmark D5500 has 14.01 stops of dynamic range in print and 13.21 stops on screen for images taken at 100 ISO. Among the best scores for cameras in this price range.

Dynamic range is the range of brightness that a camera can capture. Detail in parts of the scene that are outside of the camera's dynamic range will be lost.

D5500 has a 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor. It's accurate and fast.

The camera is CIPA rated for 820 shots per charge.

D5500 shoots 1080p60 video that's low in noise and low in artifacts.

Nikon D5500 has a 24MP APS-C sensor and has no AA filter. The lack of an AA filter increases sharpness at the expense of increased moire chance. Little noise up to 3200 ISO. You can see in-depth lab tests on DPReview.

D5500 has a 3.2" 1.04M-dot tilt and swivel touchscreen.

The camera captures detailed 24MP images with neutral colors. Detailed, interactive studio tests can be seen here.

High-ISO retains a good amount of detail and has a well balanced, context-sensitive noise reduction. Saturation is accurate up to ISO 12800.

The autofocus is fast. It uses a hybrid phase-detection and contrast detection autofocusing system.

The camera allows manually setting and adjusting during shooting shutter speed, aperture and ISO, supports Auto ISO in movie mode, allows turning subject tracking on and off during filming, supports live autofocus with control over focus drive speed and subject tracking persistence.

Unlike most other viewfinders in this camera class, a6300's can be set to run at 120fps instead of 60fps.

The camera supports a flat color profiles (S-Log2 & S-Log3) for improved dynamic range that can then be used when color grading in post, it can record time code in order to help you sync audio and video when you record them separately, it allows for an external mic allowing you to record higher quality audio in-camera, and includes focus peaking and zebras that help make sure the subject is in focus and no areas are over or under exposed.

a6300 supports a flat color profiles (S-Log2 & S-Log3) for improved dynamic range that can then be used when color grading in post. It can also preview how a graded footage would look.

The camera can capture video at up to 4K30 and 1080p120 resolutions and is capable of saving footage in XAVC S at up to 100 Mbps. Captured footage provides impressive levels of detail. It's important to note that 4K30 capture is from a smaller crop of the sensor while 4K24/25 is from the full width of the sensor.

a6300 is among the most capable cameras in its class in identifying and tracking subjects.

The cameras is CIPA rated for 400 shots per charge using the rear screen, and 350 using the EVF.

The camera has 425 phase detection AF points spread across the frame.

Auto ISO changes ISO based on user-defined rules. a6300 allows setting ISO ceiling and floor, minimum shutter speed and additionally has 5 automatic rules (from Slower to Faster) for controlling shutter speed based on focal length.