Canon EOS Rebel T6 / 1300D vs Sony SLT Alpha 37 — Which Is Better?

The Canon EOS Rebel T6 / 1300D and the Sony SLT Alpha 37 are both APS-C DSLRs, released four years apart in 2016 and 2012. The Canon is the lighter body at 485 g against 506 g, while the Sony is narrower and less tall.

The Alpha 37 is the stronger choice for handheld shooting in dim light and for capturing action, with in-body stabilisation and a 5.5 fps burst rate against the Canon's 3 fps. A running child gives you more frames to pick from on the Sony, and 15 autofocus points against Canon's 9 keep an off-centre subject sharp.

The Canon's advantage is resolution: its 18 megapixel sensor gives more pixels for cropping a distant subject than the Sony's 16. The Canon's optical pentamirror viewfinder shows the scene directly, while the Sony's 1,440,000-dot electronic viewfinder previews exposure before the shot. The Sony's native ISO range reaches 16000 against Canon's 6400, and expanded settings reach 25600 versus 12800.

For casual clips, either camera serves: both top out at Full HD resolution and offer frame rates up to 30 fps. Neither has a built-in timelapse mode, so interval work means triggering frames yourself or controlling the camera externally.

The practical split for editors is file format. The Canon records MOV, which imports cleanly into most modern editing software. The Sony records AVCHD Ver. 2.0 or MP4, and MP4 avoids AVCHD's folder structure when you want simple files.

The Rebel T6 is the easier camera for reviewing and sharing on the spot. Its 3-inch, 920,000-dot LCD is sharper and larger than the Sony's 2.6-inch, 230,400-dot screen, so checking focus on a just-taken portrait is easier. Wi-Fi lets you send photos straight to a phone without removing the card, something the Sony cannot do.

Both cameras offer a flip screen for waist-level and overhead shots, live view, a built-in flash and a hot shoe for an external flash. Neither has GPS for geotagging travel photos, weather sealing or a touchscreen, so changing settings means using the physical controls.

Both batteries carry a 500-shot rating under their standard test conditions, so the rated endurance matches. Each camera uses a single card slot with no USB charging. The Canon takes the LP-E10 battery and the Sony the NP-FW50, so spares are model-specific.

For cards, both accept SD, SDHC and SDXC media, and the Sony additionally takes Memory Stick Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo, useful if you already own Sony cards from that era.