Sony a6400
Announced January 15, 2019
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Sony α6400 is a compact, versatile mirrorless camera that excels with a highly advanced, intelligent autofocus system and strong 4K video capabilities. While it lacks in-body image stabilization and features a somewhat clunky menu system, it remains a compelling, high-value choice for creators.
Weighted from 36 reviewer scores
Pros
- Class-leading, intelligent autofocus with rapid tracking and eye detection
- Strong image and 4K video quality with no internal recording time limits
- Compact, weather-sealed magnesium alloy body
- Useful hardware additions including a 180-degree flip screen and USB power support
- Excellent value for the price point
Cons
- Absence of in-body image stabilization
- Pronounced rolling shutter artifacts in video
- Illogical and cluttered menu system
- Poor ergonomics when using an external microphone on the hot shoe
- Limited touchscreen functionality and lack of a headphone jack
- Launch price $899.99 (USD)
- Sensor 24.2MP APS-C CMOS
- Video 4K 29.97p
- Burst 11 fps mechanical
What the Reviewers Say
All 36 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- DPReview 85/100
The Sony a6400 is a near-universally capable midrange camera that offers some of the best autofocus performance we've ever seen, backed up by solid image and video quality in most situations.
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[...] I really like the a6400 and I think it offers a really compelling value and definitely the best bang for the buck in the Sony crop sensor world.
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The Sony Alpha 6400 is without doubt the most Jekyll-and-Hyde of all the cameras I’ve reviewed recently. On the one hand, it’s impossible to praise its new autofocus technology highly enough – this really was a glimpse of the future.
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The Sony a6400 marks what I believe to be a splitting of their a6 series lineup into two separate product lines: one with IBIS and a sports-orientated deep buffer and one designed and priced more for mass-market appeal.
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It's really compelling, and it's hard not to compare it to some more pro-level cameras. I had to keep reminding myself what how many features are packed into this camera.
- The Verge 7/10
The Sony a6400 is a well-equipped camera with solid image quality and a great price considering its specs. I was impressed with the real-time tracking AF abilities and focus times, but it’s absolutely far from perfect.
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The Sony Alpha A6400 offers excellent image quality, with a 24mp APS-C CMOS sensor that delivers great noise performance. The camera is fast in use, and focus is rapid.
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The new Sony Alpha A6400 is a camera with something of a split personality.
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For bloggers, vloggers and independent content creators, the Sony A6400 is a dream. Its still image quality is very good, its 4K video is even better, and its 180-degree screen and eye-detect AF are perfect for single-handed video capture.
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You could be forgiven for thinking that the Alpha A6400 is a minor upgrade over the A6300, and in many ways it is. But it's the upgraded and highly advanced autofocus that really shines here, even more so given that it's on a camera costing under [...]
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Get the Sony A6400 mirrorless camera if you want speedy performance and good image quality in a relatively small package but don't mind a few shortcomings like limited touch-screen capabilities.
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In the end, the a6400 sure does check off a lot of boxes.
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The A6400 is not much of an upgrade over the A6300, other than the flip-up screen. It retains many of the pluses of its predecessor, like fast shooting speeds and 4K video, along with the disadvantages, including a lack of in-body stabilization and excessive rolling shutter.
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[T]his camera is a great camera if you're starting out or you are a vlogger; it is a pretty good camera for that.
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The α6400 is amazing value. It would be wrong to just dismiss this as a vlogging camera gone wrong because not only is it a mostly good camera for video, but especially for stills.
- Digital Trends 8/10
[W]e were very impressed with the new Real-Time autofocus technologies, which help this camera outshine the competition and make it easier than ever to take great pictures.
- Photo Review 8.7/10
The relatively small size, light weight and weather resistance of the α6400 make it ideal for travellers.
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This is hands down one of the best compact mirrorless camera you can buy for the dollar with quality results that matches up to the Pro Alpha 7 line.
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While the a6400 lacks the in-body image stabilization and a few features of the ‘higher-end’ a6500, it carves out its own niche very nicely with a brand new autofocus system and a ton of great features at a reasonable $899 price point.
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My experience with the A6400 was much better than I thought it would be. When they announced it, and even before that when I saw the rumor sites I was a bit disappointed.
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Faster and brighter than its predecessors, the A6400 is a great little mirrorless camera for the creative photographer and videographer.
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Bottom line: the Sony a6400 remains a strong video tool for the solo creator. It won’t do 4K/60 or high-frame-rate 4K like newer bodies, yet it delivers reliable autofocus, pleasing detail, and uncomplicated operation.
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So I have to say, the Sony A6400 is my favorite camera that I don’t own, and one of my favorite cameras period. Shooting with it is just fun, plain and simple, and it’s great at all the things that matter.
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The updates from the a6300 are generally incremental, but they’re all squarely steps in the right direction. The image quality is very good (or even better than that, if you consider the price point).
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The A6400 is an incredibly advanced camera at a bargain price.
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Sorry, Sony α6400, even though it looks very much like a6500, is a very fine tuned a6500 that I wish it was on sale when I was buying a6500. I'd much rather buy a Sony α6400.
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You could splurge and get the a6500, but the a6400 remains a great choice if you want a fun and fast camera that lets you take selfies or capture special moments with ease.
- ExpertPhotography 87/100
The A6400 is a very versatile and high-quality camera with little drawbacks. Its issues can be annoying, but they don’t impact everyday shooting much.
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When I look at the A6400, I see a camera that can be nearly anything to anyone who wants to capture photos and videos. It can shoot up to 4K video with high-end options like S-Log and slow motion in Full HD.
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What we have here then is an incredibly capable camera in an incredibly compact body. In some ways, it’s even more practical than some of its full-frame siblings, but I have to say that in many ways, it also comes with a lot of what I didn’t like about Sony’s cameras.
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This is gonna be so great for vloggers, because this is honestly all you need this right here. This is a perfect setup.
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At the end of the day though, as I've been saying throughout this entire vlog, I do think this is the best APS-C 4K vlogging entry-level setup that someone can get if they want to get into YouTube.
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It's a great system in the camera and it makes it a fantastic camera to shoot with.
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I think it lives up to the hype and I would definitely recommend it.
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The reason being, I still think this is a very viable camera to buy and a very worthwhile camera to get.
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If I was just getting started on YouTube this is probably the camera that I would use and also recommend for others.
