joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I’ve been using the camera for five weeks and wanted to express my opinions based on my shooting preferences and experience so far. I shoot for my own enjoyment, mostly birds and occasional family events or weddings.

All my lenses are full frame. Expensive…mostly yes and great quality. Every Nikon equivalent lens was equally expensive or more and heavier.

I have no interest in Vlogging or selfies and related video features.

Overall I like this camera although it is far from perfect. I owned the A6300 last year which lead me to switch from Nikon to Sony after purchasing the A7R3. It was an expensive proposition and in hind sight I think it was worth it, for me. There were a few things that annoyed me about Nikon, mostly size and weight and the loud shutter (D850).

The 6400 is a replacement for the 6300 and is identical in size and shape and most other respects. The menu is complex. There is an overlay index for the menu which is a slight improvement but no big deal. Look elswhere for complete feature set or comparisons as there are so many complete reviews available on YouTube.

Like its predecessor it is small, just a bit too small especially if accustomed to DSLRs. The battery life is poor and the SD card is located next to the battery in the same compartment making it awkward to add or remove.

I added a battery grip which solves the life issue but denies access to the card unless it is removed. My solution is to upload through the camera which is just as fast as using a card reader and more convenient.

The camera controls are poorly laid out if you are experienced with good layouts, such as Nikon; although you will get used to them in time.

There are no issues with image quality and noise. It won’t match FF, but is at least as good as other high end APS-C cameras, especially if you use Capture One Pro for Sony. Until just recently the program was not set up for 6400 raw files so I had to use jpg which were surprisingly good, but didn’t allow for full featured control. Goodbye jpgs.

Focus is phenomenal, the best I have ever used and is the reason for the purchase. I consider this the most important feature of a camera for my type of shooting. It is better than the A7R3, which is expected to have firmware 3.0 released in a few days although it may not be exactly equivalent.

And last but not least is the price. At $899 nothing comes close. For me it’s a great second camera and I think a great starter camera for people that want to get into mirror-less from DSLR.

Zario Loc: sacramento, CA

Thank you joer for the personal review. I looked at the A6400, albeit briefly, and I liked the camera. Not entirely sure why I decided on another brand. Should have looked longer.
Thank again.

gtilford Loc: Woodstock, Ontario, Canada

Thank you very much for the review, although I am not in the market for a new camera I enjoy reading first hand reviews of the different camera brands out there. It is one thing to see or read a review done by certain companies but I just never trust them. Your review was fantastic telling us exactly what you like and do not like on the aforementioned camera.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Thank you both. I enjoy providing my opinion, for what its worth.

le boecere

This is the kind of post I like to see on UHH, and for my rookie mind, very well done. Very helpful, thank you!

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I own the A6300, and it has proven to be a very capable camera. I was interested when the A6400 was introduced, but decided that the only things that really improved on the A6300 were the improved focusing ability and the touch screen, and it wasn't enough to make me want to jump ship. Now, if I had had an A6000, I'd have gone over to the A6400 in a minute, for the reasons Joer laid out. And while it's a bargain at $899.00, if I decided to move up, I'd go for the A6500. However, I, also, shoot for my own enjoyment, and once in awhile I manage to land a pretty good photo, so for what I do, the A6300 works for me. For now.

Anyway, thanks for a very good review based on your personal experience with the A6400. I like these kinds of "real world" reviews because they come from folks who use their camera on a day to day basis, rather than a quick grab at the manufacturer's introduction, with a detailed review to follow. I get all the tech stuff on a camera, but the real reviews come from actual owners and users.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I use the LOUD Nikon D850 (best Nikon ever) and D500 interchangeably. So, they back each other up I suppose.

MarcH Loc: Doylestown Pa

Not sure about why all these complaints about the Sony menu
I have been using the menu of the a7ii and in the past on the 6300
I find it quite easy to use and using the various buttons on the camera for various functions makes it even easier to use

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Thanks for the review. I have recently switched over to Sony from Canon and so far feel I made the right decision. I noticed you are using Capture One for, at least in part, your editing. I'm curious: why that program. I use Bridge and Photoshop exclusively, but are there some benefits you see using Capture One with the Sony files?

Appreciate your thoughts.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Its just a whole lot easier and handles the raw files better in my opinion. There is a Capture One Lite for Sony which has many of the features and is free. Try it and soon you will be hooked.

And don't forget the firmware update 3.0 for the A7R3 which is now available.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

I own the A6500 and am wondering if the A6400, with it's superior AF, would be better for capturing birds in flight.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

In my normal bird shooting its too close, the birds are too small and fast for BIF so I haven't got any experience doing that. I haven't really be out and about much. Of course that will change as weather warms and I get out more.

Also shooting from a small window in a blind restricts the vision so I can't always see them approaching.

Although I see no reason why it wouldn't be a big improvement with the correct settings. It has been for my shooting.

Low Budget Dave

When the A6000 came out, I could tell right away that it was a good fit for me. (It was better than anything cheaper, and cheaper than anything better.)

The A6400 seems to continue in that tradition. Hopefully Sony will keep it up with their next wave of APSC, but I fear they will not. I have already heard rumors that Sony will ditch the little pop-up flash, and design their next APSC to look more like the A7 series.

If so, I think that is a shame, but we will see what the next year brings.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I find the pop up flash to be very handy. What is the point of having a small camera if you need to add a flash that is often larger than it.

Sure it doesn't do all the things the big boys do but it is great for adding that little pop to your images and it takes up no space.

Please Sony don't do it!