T3 India – August 2019

Travel cameras

WWW.T3INDIA.COM AUGUST 2019 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 63

ony’sprofessionalfull-framemirrorless

camerasoftenstealthelimelight,butthe

company’ssmaller-sensorAPS-Cmirrorless

optionsstilldeserveattention.Thea6400

offersmanyofthefeaturesofthetop-of-the-rangea6500,

butitlacksin-bodyimagestablisation.It’sasurprising

omissiongiventhecheaperOlympusE-M10IIIdoeshave

thisfeature,anditmeansyou’llneedtorelyonlens-based

stabilisationtohelpensuresharpshots.

Wherethea6400beatsboththeOlympusandFujifilm

camerasisergonomics.It’scomfortableinthehand,

andthe3-inchrearscreencanhingethrough 180 degrees

tofaceforwardforeasyselfieframing.It’snotperfect,

however:thescreenresolutionisrelativelylow,and

Sony’sdatedmenuinterfacehasn’tbeendesignedto

makethemostoftouchscreencontrol.

Comparedtotheothers,theSony’smoreutilitarian

bodydesignisalsostartingtolookdated.Thatsaid,

thea6400doesfeelchunkyandwellmadethankstoits

pro-specmagnesiumalloyconstructionandweather

sealing.Itsmorestreamlinedarrayofphysicalcontrols

aren’tascomprehensiveasthoseontheFujifilmand

Olympuscameras,butyougetbuttonsanddialsforthe

mostessentialsettings,withplentyofcustombuttons

toassigntoyourmost-usedfunctions.

SONY ALPHA A6400

Sony’s accurateReal Time

EyeAF feature can even

track animalmovements

Inside,Sony’s 24.2-megapixel image sensor provides

decentimage quality, but dynamic range is no match

fortheX-T30, and the a6400 generates noticeably

moregrain. The latter isn’t really noticeable at low ISO

sensitivities, but dim the lights and the a6400’s shots are

grainierthan equivalent images from both the Fujifilm

andOlympus cameras.

There’s4K video recording, which, though capped at

30fpslikein the X-T30, can be captured at high bitrates

withadvanced colour grading profiles and expanded

dynamicrange to help you produce pro-looking footage in

awidevariety of lighting conditions.

Autofocus performance is equally impressive. The

a6400uses an advanced AF system with 425 phase-

detectionpoints for increased speed, and while this and

the84%frame coverage still trails the X-T30, autofocus

speedandaccuracy are every bit as accomplished in

everydayshooting. We’re also fans of Sony’s clever Real

TimeEyeAF feature. It’s uncannily accurate at facial

detectionand can even track animal movements.

SONY ALPHA

A6400

PRODUCT 03:

Sony’s portable powerhouse mixes great

image quality with pro-level video

S

Sony’s latest-generation Bionz X processor can crank out a rapid 11 shots per
second with minimal display lag