Sony A6400 Camera Review

Sony has been focusing their efforts on crushing the full-frame mirrorless camera market for the past two years and now they have finally found the time to take another look at the smaller APS-C format. The Sony A6400 is Sony’s newest cropped sensor, mirrorless camera. It boasts many of the features from their full-frame line, yet at half the cost.

As the name would suggest, the A6400 falls in line just above the A6300 and just below 2016’s A6500. Although it is lower-end compared to the A6500, Sony’s new A6400 benefits from being a newer camera with some cool new features like the 180-degree flip LCD screen and faster autofocus.

Specifications | Features | Comparison

Lens Recommendation | Underwater Housings | Camera Settings

Final Thoughts

Why We Love Sony's New A6400

Shop all Sony A6400 Camera & Housing options.

Key Specs:

• 24.2 Megapixel APS-C type Exmore CMOS sensor for outstanding light sensitivity.

• 425-Point Phase-detection Fast Autofocus with Real-Time Tracking AF A.I. Technology

• 4 Focus modes with 6 focal area settings

• 4-speed Sequential Shooting.  Hi+ – 11fps; Hi – 8 fps Mid 6 fps; Lo: 3fps.

• 4K Cinema Video at 30/25/24 fps

• 1/160th Shutter Sync for flash

• Lightweight and Weatherproof Body

• Lens mount: Sony E-mount
• 3" 180-degree flip touchscreen / 921,000 dots
• Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth Connectivity
• Weight: 403g

Topsnail photographed with the Sony a6400, Sony 90mm macro lens, dual Ikelite DS-161 strobes, and Ikelite Sony a6400 underwater housing. f/10, 1/160, ISO 200

A6400 Pros & Cons

Pros

• Highly advanced autofocus - animal eye AF tracking
• Decent burst shooting speed
• Expanded ISO range up to 102,600
• 180-degree flip screen
• Bright viewfinder
• Good video features
• Fantastic value for the specs ($899 for body only)

Cons

• No built-in image stabilization
• No headphone jack
• 16:9 aspect ratio screen
• Bad JPEG color rendering (i.e., JPEG white balance)

Similar Style, New Technology 

Design

Back to Top

Sony A6400 vs the Competition

Is the Sony A6400 the right option for you? Take a look at the specifications compared against other similar mirrorless cameras. The A6400 excels in many areas including price, battery life, auto-focus points, weight and dimensions.

Back to Top

Best Lenses with the Sony A6400 Camera

There is a wide range of lens choices for using the Sony A6400 underwater. This provides more flexibility with shooting, allowing different focal lengths for both macro and wide lenses with multiple options for each style of lens. Our Camera Review on Sony A6500 on the Underwater Photography Guide covers all the great lens choices that are available, but here are our top three favorites for the compatible E-M1 Mark II Camera.

Sony FE90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens - This lens offers 1:1 magnification and is the go-to macro lens for Sony shooters. This lens is infinitely better than other existing Sony macro options, way more magnification than the 16-50mm or Zeiss 50mm macro lens.

Sony E 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens - Standard kit lens with the camera, works great for video with smooth power zoom control. Pair it with a flat port and wet wide angle lens for increased flexibility.

Great sculpin photographed with the Sony 16-50mm kit lens. Sony a6400, single Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobe, Fantasea Sony a6400 underwater housing

Sony E 10-18mm F4 Lens - This offers a nice wide angle of view and the ability to zoom when you can't get close enough to your subject as you'd like.

Reef scene photographed with the Sony 10-18mm rectilinear wide angle lens. Sony a6400, dual Ikelite DS-161 strobes, Ikelite a6400 underwater housing. f/8, 1/125, ISO 400

Our Sony Cropped Sensor E-Mount Lenses Buyer's Guide outlines all the great lens choices we recommend for underwater use with the Sony A6400.

Back to Top

Underwater Housing Options

A wide range of housing options for the a6400 will be available from most major underwater housing manufacturers. Currently, there are housings offered from Ikelite and Fantasea, with housings from Nauticam and other manufacturers expected to come out soon.

 Ikelite Sony A6400 Underwater Housing

Fantasea Sony A6400 Underwater Housing

Shop all Sony A6400 Camera & Housing options.

Ikelite Sony A6400 Underwater Housing

Nauticam NA-A6400 Underwater Housing

Fantasea A6400 Underwater Housing

Fantasea A6400 Housing / Port Kit

Recommended Sony Lenses For Underwater Photography

Sony has undoubtedly established itself as a leader in the underwater photography market with their excellent mirrorless cameras. We highly recommend the Japanese brand's cameras because of their compact design, functionality, compatibility with a wide range of underwater housings, and the wide range of high-quality lenses available. Below are a few of our top recommendations for shooting underwater.

Macro

• Sony 90mm Macro F2.8 FE OSS - Undoubtably the best macro lens Sony make for underwater photography, it's able to focus with pin-sharp accuracy and produces beautifully smooth bokeh.

Wide-Angle

• Sony 16-35mm F4 FE ZA OSS - An excellent wide-angle zoom lens with a constant aperture for Sony E-mount full-frame cameras.
• Sony 28mm F2 FE (with Nauticam WACP and Nauticam WWL-1) - An affordable, fast prime lens with a versatile focal length for underwater photography.
• Sony 10-18mm F4 Wide-Angle - Designed for APS-C cameras, this ultra-wide-angle zoom is a great addition to any underwater photographer's kit bag.
• Sony 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 Power Zoom - Pair this with a quality wet lens to capture stunning images time and again.

Recommended Topside Sony Lenses

While we love to dive with Sony lenses, they perform to the same high standard on dry land too. If you're considering adding to your topside kit bag, look through the options below.

Telephoto

• Sony 600mm F4 FE GM OSS - Ideal for capturing fast-moving subjects from a distance. This top-of-the-line telephoto lens is everything you'd expect from a flagship product.
• Sony 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 FE GM OSS - The 200-600mm focal range is very versatile and can be used in a variety of situations.

Wide-Angle

• Sony 12-24mm F4 FE Wide-Angle - A high-quality wide-angle zoom that's perfect for landscapes, interiors and other times when the goal is to get as much in the frame as possible.

Back to Top

Underwater Settings for the Sony A6400:

Check that these key functions are set on your camera before diving with your Sony A6400.

• Live View Display - Setting Effect OFF
  • On default, the camera doesn't recognize the use of your strobes, so as you set your exposure (with the consideration of your strobes) the screen will be completely black and you won't be able to see what you are doing. *Very Important!*
  • When using the LCD screen, turn the screen brightness down at least for underwater shooting. The LCD has a tendency to show the images brighter than it actually is.
• EVF Auto Switch - OFF
  • This function switches between the LCD and the Electronic Viewfinder when the camera is raised to your eye. If left on, only the EVF will display. Turn off to allow for manual selection of either viewing screen. This is in the FINDER/MONITOR tab in the menu that lets you pick between manual viewfinder, manual LCD, auto viewfinder/lcd
• Flash - When shooting with strobes do not forget to attach your flash or flash trigger.
• Set up back-button focus for more flexibility with shooting
  • Reassign autofocus to the button on the AF/MF switch. Decouple autofocus from the shutter.

Shooting Macro:

Remember that aperture controls your depth of field, choosing a larger number aperture will mean more of the image will be in focus.

When shooting Macro with a strobe:

• Manual Mode
• Aperture between F16-22
• Shutter Speed 1/160th (highest flash sync speed)
• Auto White Balance
• Strobe on TTL, Camera on Fill in Flash
  • Position the strobe(s) slightly above your camera and facing down and slightly towards (but not directly at) the subject for good even lighting and shadows.
• If using a zoom lens and a diopter remember to zoom all the way in.

When shooting Macro with a video light:

• Manual Mode
• Aperture between F11-F22
• Shutter Speed - start at 1/100th
  • Change shutter speed to get the best exposure without blurring.
• Auto White Balance
• Video Light on High Power
  • Position it above and pointing down at your subject for best coverage.
• Get Close! Remember the Video light will not travel far through the water.

Shooting Wide Angle

Remember that shutter speed controls the amount of ambient light in the photograph. The faster the shutter speed, the less light in the background.

When shooting Wide Angle with a strobe:

• Manual Mode
• Aperture at F8
• Shutter Speed at 1/125th (adjust shutter speed to get a well exposed background)
• Auto White Balance
• Camera on Fill-in Flash, Strobe on TTL (or manual if preferred)
  • Position dual strobes the same distance apart as you are from the subject (ie: 2ft from your subject, strobes are 2ft apart). Face them straight forward or slightly turned out to help eliminate backscatter.

When shooting Wide Angle with ambient light:

• Adjust your aperture and shutter speed from the settings above properly expose the foreground (ie: let in more light).
• Shoot with the sun behind you for better colors and fewer shadows.

Back to Top

Final Thoughts:

The Sony A6400 offers great image quality without the high price tag of competing cameras. The capability of fast auto tracking combined with 4K video, and it's low light/ high ISO strengths all combine into this being a great camera option. Image resolution & quality, high-speed bursts, performance and controls set it above similar mirrorless cameras. Unless you desire the increased detail of a full frame sensor, it's a great contender within the micro 4/3 class.  Custom white balance control and the video features make it a great option for casual and serious videographers.

Back to Top

Additional Sony a6400 sample underwater images: 

Hermit crab photographed with the Sony 50mm macro lens. f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 200

This bull kelp scene is the perfect showcase of the dynamic range ability of the Sony a6400