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We review the Sony a6400 camera: Could this be the travel companion you are looking for?

Discussing the merits of Sony’s a6400 camera is best done over a cup of coffee in a relaxed setting. Photo: Derek Ting
Discussing the merits of Sony’s a6400 camera is best done over a cup of coffee in a relaxed setting. Photo: Derek Ting
Smartphones

Sony’s built-in eye autofocus is great for those on safari in a jungle, concrete or otherwise

Overall: 7.5 

Turn-ons:

  • Video (4K) and picture- (24.2 MP) taking performance is impressive for the price
  • Eye autofocus helps you take better portraits and sports photographs
  • Flip-up screen for vloggers who want to take video and picture selfies
  • Size and form factor lighter and smaller while still delivering decent photo video results

Turn-offs:

  • No in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) to help with camera shake
  • No audio output jack for checking sound
  • Screen easily blocked if you put anything in the hot shoe
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Sony’s a6000 line of cameras has long been attractive to own, especially for Sony fans, because the camera’s sensor is the same as the higher a7 line, and a price less than half.

The back of the a6400 camera. Photo: Derek Ting
The back of the a6400 camera. Photo: Derek Ting

What do full-frame and cropped mean, and how do they apply to the a6400 and other versions of this camera?

Digital cameras use an electronic, rectangular sensor that captures the light entering a lens and translates that information into a picture or video. A full-frame camera uses the entire sensor (using only full-frame lenses), while a camera that is “APS-C” does not use the entire sensor. This means, you are getting a high-quality professional sensor, but the images and videos will not capture as much information, and the low light performance won’t be as good. It will also change the listed focal length of a lens by 1.6x if it is a full-frame lens.

You will get decent results if you pair the 24.2 megapixel camera with a great lens. Photo: Joyce Yung
You will get decent results if you pair the 24.2 megapixel camera with a great lens. Photo: Joyce Yung

What about the picture-taking performance?

The 24.2 megapixel camera is already pretty decent. You will get decent results for the price you pay, especially when paired with a great lens. Photographer Joyce Yung and I used the G-Master 24-70mm F2.8, one of the best zoom lenses made by Sony, so results will differ using different lenses. It’s also a pretty fast camera with 11 frames per second.

What about video?

Derek Ting
A film director, producer, and writer originally from New York, now based in Hong Kong, Derek strives to challenge himself in everything he does. He's written and produced several feature films: $upercapitalist shot in Hong Kong, New York, released internationally in 2012 with millions of views; Always, a romance drama shot in Hong Kong and Shanghai released globally this 2016, and has a 8.5 rating in China on qq with 500K+ views, and “Agent”, a science fiction action thriller, released this 2017, entirely in California that explores the origins of the Pyramids, Stone Henge, and the Great Wall as well as Alien conspiracies. Recently, he wrote and directed a science fiction short film, "Lucid", about the possible future use of "virtual reality" as a way to reconstruct memories. He's the creative director for Random Art Workshop Media with Joyce Yung a prominent photographer and producer, and he directs lifestyle branding videos, corporate and music videos, and has had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest stars and brands in entertainment, both in Asia, and North America. He loves to travel, play sports, and exercise. He's a former CNN Producer, ex-Doubleclicker(now Google), Mercer consultant, and Cornell University graduate.