Sony A6400

All About the Sony A6400

Kamera Express

The new A6400 from Sony

The Sony A6400 is Sony's new mirrorless camera, succeeding its predecessor from 2016. The A6400 features a 24.2-megapixel sensor with 425 focus points and can capture images at up to 8 photos per second. The Sony A6400 incorporates technology from higher-end cameras such as the Sony A7 III and the Sony A9. Also new is artificial intelligence for the autofocus system and object recognition. All of this is designed to minimize the risk of you missing the shot.

Sony A6400 specification overview

  • 24.2 megapixels
  • 425 focus points
  • 11 frames per second
  • 0.02 sec focus speed
  • Real-time eye autofocus and Real-time Tracking
  • 3-inch 180-degree tiltable screen, ideal for selfies and vlogging
  • Filming in S-Log2, S-Log3, Hybrid Log-Gamma
  • ISO up to 102,400 with still images and up to 32,000 in other images
  • 4K 30FPS
  • 1080P 120FPS

Body

The bodies of the A6300 and the A6400 are identical. This is not surprising, given that the A6400 is the successor to the A6300. This makes choosing accessories, cases, and bags convenient. The A6500 does have minor differences. For instance, the grip is slightly different. The power button and the shutter button are also slightly larger. Furthermore, the body of the A6500 is slightly heavier. The A6500 also features a 5-axis image stabilization system, which is excellent for use in low-light situations or when filming. This system is absent from the A6300 and A6400.

Image sensor

The image sensor in the A6400 features the latest generation Bionz X image processor. This sensor ensures very high image quality, excellent color reproduction, and makes filming true to life. The image sensor is incredibly fast at calculations. This is necessary for the on-board artificial intelligence and to process the large amount of data. When you take a photo, the object, animal, or person must be recognized immediately and the correct autofocus applied.

Autofocus

The autofocus of the A6400 has been significantly improved and now offers automatic focusing in 0.02 seconds. Sony claims that this is the fastest autofocus system in the world. The A6300 and A6500 do it in 0.05 seconds, which is already very fast. But thanks to the new image processor, autofocus system, and new algorithms, the A6400 is even faster. New is real-time Eye-AF. This function can continue to focus on the eye of a person or an animal in real time (a software update for animals is coming later in 2019). Eye-EF is one of Sony's latest innovations. To achieve this, the A6400 uses artificial intelligence. The camera automatically recognizes the eyes and can focus when you hold the shutter button halfway down. In AF-C or FA mode, a preference for the eye the camera should focus on can even be set. The A6300 and the A6500 also feature eye detection, but not as fast and refined as on the A6400. Artificial intelligence is also used to recognize objects in order to make optimal use of the object.

Photography

The 24.2-megapixel image sensor and the new generation Bionz X image processor make the A6400 a star in photography. The camera uses the same image processing algorithm as the Sony A9. Very precise color reproduction and noise reduction. The Sony A6500 does, however, have more buffer space, allowing you to keep shooting more images in quick succession.

Film

All three cameras can film in 4K using the full width of the sensor and full pixel readout. Therefore, there is no cropping of the sensor that causes you to lose valuable information. You can also use special adjustment profiles on all cameras to perfect the colors in post-processing, namely S-Log2 and S-Log3. This provides more freedom and scope for color correction. Where the A6400 excels is that it is the first APS-C system camera capable of filming in the HLG picture profile. This enables HDR in video.

Screen

What the A6300, A6400, and A6500 have in common is that they use an LCD panel. All three cameras have a 3-inch LCD screen with 921,000 pixels. However, there are significant differences otherwise. For instance, the A6300's screen can only be tilted from top to bottom and does not have a touchscreen. The A6500 has the same screen but with a touchscreen. This makes it easy to scroll through your photos and also to use Touch to Focus. You simply touch the area on the screen where you want to focus. The A6400 features an updated touchscreen LCD display. And it is the only model where the screen can be flipped 180 degrees. Ideal for vlogs and selfies.

Conclusion

All three cameras are very good. The A6300 scores the lowest of the three. It offers fewer features and is the oldest model (from 2016), but it is also the cheapest camera of the three. It is, in any case, a fairly complete camera. If you want to take a step up from the A6300, there are two choices. One is not necessarily better than the other, as both cameras have their own advantages. For instance, the A6500 has a 5-axis image stabilization system, which makes a real difference when filming and taking photos in dark conditions. The A6500 also has a better buffer. The A6400 is somewhat more favorably priced, has a very advanced autofocus system, can shoot at 8 frames per second, and has a screen that can be flipped 180 degrees.