Both the Sony a6000 and Sony a6400 are mirrorless system cameras with lots of similarities and, of course, unique features to differentiate each other.
Sony a6000 was launched in the market in Feb 2014, whereas a6400 was launched in Jan19. In this article, let us discuss in detail the comparison between the two cameras and see who wins the battle of Sony A6000 vs A6400.
Why Sony A6000 Still Worth it in 2022
It is worth knowing the answer before we get into the comparison of the Sony A6000 and A6400 . The answer is ‘YES.’ It has been five years since the camera was available on the market.
Even today, we can still see many fans of this compact camera featuring a 24.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, and an 11-fps speed which is more reliable and affordable for every camera lover.
Many features like Auto Focus, Face Recognition, lens mounting capability, and a lighter body make it a tough competitor even to the advanced model cameras that are available on the market in 2022.
Overview of Sony A6400 And A6000
While comparing Sony alpha 6400 and alpha six thousand, we could see that the physical appearance of these cameras does not show much difference.
Both are system cameras with interchangeable accessories and parts like flashes, lenses, etc.
The five-year difference gives an advantage to a6400 by utilizing the technological improvements, which makes notable differences between the two well-performing instruments.
Sony A6400 vs A6000 – Important Comparison
Let us compare both the cameras based on their design, optics, battery, videography, audio, and other features.
Design:
Based on the basic design, features, and specifications below are the comparisons between the Sony A6400 and A6000.
| Feature | Sony A6000 | Sony A6400 | Comparison |
| Size | 120 x 67 x 45 mm dimensions and weighs 344g with 361.8㎤ volume. | 120 x 67 x 50 mm dimensions and weighs 403g with 479.27㎤ volume. | Both have the same size but 6400 weighs 59 grams more and the higher volume comparatively occupies more space. |
| Screen | 3 inches LCD 1440k dot built-in electronic viewfinder. | 3 inches LCD with 2359k dot built-in electronic viewfinder. | A6400 has better EVF with 63% higher resolution. |
| 100% EVF coverage with 70% magnification. | 100% EVF coverage with 70% magnification. | Both provide 100% EVF coverage. So, no need to crop the photos to get a perfect finish. | |
| Screen tilting is available up to 90°. | 180° tilting up and 45° down the screen. | Better tilting facilities in a6400 help in selfies and vlog making easy. But if any attachments are made in the hot shoe tilting will not be possible. | |
| No touch screen facility. | Touch screen facility available. | Touch screen facilitates adjusting autofocus points using EVF which is not available in a6000. | |
| Weather protection | No weather shield is available. | With a magnesium alloy body, it has protection against dust and is splash-proof. | A6400 with a weathered shield can be used in severe weather conditions as well. |
Click this video to have further knowledge about Sony A6000 and A6400.
Optics:
Based on the optic features like a sensor, focus points, pixels, light sensitivity, and so on, the below table does a comparison between Sony A6400 and A6000.
| Feature | Sony A6000 | Sony A6400 | Comparison |
| Sensor | CMOS sensor, APS-C size, with 24.3-megapixel resolution, 23.5 x15.6 mm dimension which covers a sensor area of 366.6mmᒾ. | CMOS sensor, APS-C size, with 24.2-megapixel resolution, 23.5 x15.6 mm dimension which covers a sensor area of 366.6mmᒾ. | Both have the same sensor size, pixel density, and almost similar pixel size. |
| Light sensitivity | Sony A6000 has a light sensitivity range from ISO 100 to 25600 which can be extended up to 51200. | Sony A6400 has a light sensitivity range from ISO 100 to 32000 which can be extended up to 102400. | A6400 Cameras with better ISO levels are more effective in low light conditions. |
| Focus points | 179 focus points | 425 focus points | A6400 with more focus points provides options in selecting the section of the scene to be focused on and allows the image sensor a better chance of detecting the proper portion of the scene to focus on. |
| Autofocus | With a customized button, AF-S provides eye AF with 0.06 seconds of AF acquisition time. | With AF-C, no special button needed with 0.02 seconds of AF acquisition time.
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A6400 with AF- C focus on either eye can be selected. The feature is useful even to take pictures of animals. |
| Maximum frames per second and shutter speed | 11 fps, 30 to 1/4000s shutter speed | 11fps, 30 to 1/4000s shutter speed
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Both the cameras can take continuous pictures at high resolution. |
| Sony E mount and A mount lenses | All Sony E mount lenses go with a6000, it can even use FE-mount lenses. Sony A6000 can use A-mount lenses as well, but phase-detection points could not be accessed. With an LA-EA4 it is possible. It can have up to 73 variety of lenses. | All Sony E mount lenses as well as third-party lenses go very well with a6400. LA-EA3 mount adapters suit very well with a6400 as it has a better focus accuracy. Sony A6400 can have up to 102 variety of lenses. | Both are compatible with E mount and A mount lenses. But a 6400 has more advantages due to technological advancement. |
| Electronic Shutters | Sony A6000 does not have an electronic shutter. | Sony A6400 is featured with the electronic shutter. | Electronic shutters provide silent shooting, but a 6000 lacks this feature. |
Battery:
| Feature | Sony A6000 | Sony A6400 | Comparison |
| Battery Life | 360 shots | 410 shots | A6400 has comparatively more battery life. |
| Removable battery and battery level indicator | Yes, available | Yes, available. | Both have similar battery features |
Videography:
| Feature | Sony A6000 | Sony A6400 | Comparison |
| Video format | 1080/60p Full HD | 4K/30p UHD | a6400 has comparatively better video quality |
| Time-lapse images | Time-lapse photos can be taken using the Time-Lapse app that can be bought and downloaded from Sony PlayMemories Store. | An in-built intervalometer makes a6400 possible to take Time-lapse movies using Viewer software. | a6400 has the built-in facility, but a6000 needs to buy the app. |
| Slow-motion video recording | Sony A6000 cannot shoot 120 fps video; it can do only up to 60fps/50Mbps. | Slow-motion video can be shot using a6400. | Slow Motion recording is possible with a high frame rate. |
Input-Output and other features
| Feature | Sony A6000 | Sony A6400 | Comparison |
| Input-output connectivity | HDMI Port, USB port available. Supports Wi-Fi and NFC but does not support Bluetooth. No microphone ports. | HDMI Port, USB port available. Supports Wi-Fi, NFC & Bluetooth. The microphone port and speaker are also available. | Mic input facilitates a6400 to have excellent quality audio recordings. |
| Price | $550 onwards | $900 onwards | A6000 is cheaper and best suited for beginners. |
Is the Sony a6400 More Better for Still Photography?
Sony A6400 has one of the best technologies for autofocus. It has 425 Auto Focus points which would cover almost 84% of the entire frame.
Moreover, these Auto Focus points cover both phase and contrast. With all these coming to help, this camera has one of the world’s fastest Autofocus mechanisms which takes just 0.02 seconds.
The previous best was in the Sony A6500 which took 0.05 seconds for Auto Focus. And one more thing to note is that the Sony Eye Auto Focus is always on.
So, if the user takes an image of a person, while focusing, the person’s eyes would always be locked as the focus by the camera automatically.
Once the firmware is updated (firmware 2.0), the Animal Eye Autofocus also becomes available in this camera enabling fast and automatic animal eye detection and tracking with great accuracy and precision.
RAW files which are of size 16 bits can also be shot using this camera. The grip in this camera is not that big compared to that of the Sony A6500 and A6300 but it is still not so bad.
This comes as an advantage when we consider the lightweight of this machine. This is a perfect camera to carry along with snapping pictures.
It shoots using a 24.2-megapixel APS – C sensor, the same which is present in A6300 as well. Quality of the pictures is good, proving it to be worthy as a travel camera or a casual family camera.
One aspect where this camera might lag is low light photography. ISO range is A6400 from 100 to 32000, which can also be expanded to up to 102400.
But the catch is when the ISO goes beyond 2000 pictures might start looking a bit rough. You can count with the incredible Auto Focus, weather-sealed body, and good image quality.
Is A6100 Better Than A6400?
There are many features in A6100 and A6400 which are very much identical. And the A6400 is slightly costlier than A6100.
Common features in terms of performance:
- 2 Megapixel along with the Exmor CMOS chip. There are also anti-aliasing filters and an LSI component common in both cameras.
- Excellent Autofocus system with 425 AF points and a quick focus acquisition of 0.02 seconds is also common.
- Being able to record videos in 4K with up to 30 frames per second and 100 Megabits per second by using the entirety of the sensor’s width.
- Both the cameras can record slow-motion videos in full HD quality with up to 120 frames per second.
Other common features include:
- LCD screen capable of 180-degree tilting enabled with touch tracking.
- Sony E-mount
- A slot for a single SD card
- In-built intervalometer. (For time-lapse shooting)
- GN6 _ISO_100 flash which is built in.
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NP FW50)
- Same Sony’s menu system
- With 8 function buttons.
Neither of these cameras has in-body stabilization. One can get the Sony A6600 if in-body stabilization is needed. Another thing missing in both these cameras is the optical viewfinder. They depend only on the electronic viewfinder.
What are the Key Differences of Sony A6000 & Sony A6400 :
Fundamental difference is that a6100 is more like an entry-level model but A6400 is absolutely a model which comes in the mid-range strata.
Camera Body:
Both cameras have the same dimensions and identical layout but are made of different materials which makes the actual difference.
Sony A6100 is mostly made of polycarbonate. It has no weather sealing, and it weighs 396 grams.
Sony A6400 has a magnesium alloy body which makes it more durable. There is a basic level of weather sealing, and it weighs 403 grams.
Shutter Life:
Shutter life determines how many shots a camera can take before the shutter dies. Sony A6100 rates a shutter life of around 100,000 clicks.
Whereas, the Sony A6400 has twice the shutter life as that of the A6100 with around 200,000 clicks.
Electronic Viewfinder Resolution:
Viewfinder is physically the same in both the cameras with a 0.39-inch LED panel and magnification of 0.70x along with an eye-point of 23mm.
However, a significant difference is seen between the resolution of the EVF. Sony A6100 has just 1,440,000 dots.
Sony A6400 has 2,359,296 dots which is the industry standard. Since both the cameras don’t have an optical viewfinder, A6400’s high resolution is significant.
Processor:
Sony A6400 has a processor which is slightly fast compared to the processor present in the Sony A6100. This makes the buffer deeper and extends the capacity of ISO along with phase detection autofocus during the video shoot.
But this also results in the A6400’s battery life being slightly shorter.
These are the key differences between A6100 and A6400. User can select either of these cameras based on his/her requirements, budget, and other specifications.
FAQs: Sony A6000 vs A6400
Q1: Is Sony A6400 discontinued?
Ans: Yes, due to all over the world shortage of semiconductors, Sony has stopped manufacturing some camera systems. a6400 is one among them.
Q2: Is the Sony A6000 for beginners?
Ans: Yes, with less cost, a user-friendly mirrorless, lightweight camera that gives professional pictures is best suited for beginners.
Q3: Is the Sony A6100 waterproof?
Ans: Yes, Sony A6100 is suitable for underwater photography with an additional protection layer.
verdict
The article has provided a better understanding of Sony A6000 vs A6400 as well as A6100. Both are good with their specific features.