When I walked into my local camera store a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure what I was going to buy. I’m fortunate enough to be going abroad twice this year, and my Canon R6 isn’t going to cut it. I love that camera and I use it for work daily, but it’s just too big and bulky, and I know myself–if it’s a pain to take out of my bag, I won’t use it on a trip. I prefer to pack as light as possible.
My goal was either a small 35mm lens for my R6, or a small camera. The saleswoman recommended the Sony a6400, and I was hooked.
Please note that I purchased the Sony a6400 with my own money, and am giving an honest review on the product. I am not sponsored in any way.
First Impressions:
The Sony a6400 is small, light, and feels like you’re not even wearing it, especially when compared to my Canon R6, which is a smaller camera body to begin with.
I’ll admit I was intimidated by a new user interface–I’ve been a Canon user exclusively for about 15 years–but I found it very easy to use. There have been a few settings I had to look up (like how to turn off the focus beep or have a Live Viewfinder), but outside of that I have found it relatively intuitive.
The First Shoot:
The images below were taken on a few walks around my hometown, with the 16-50mm kit lens that came in the box. My final thoughts and review are at the bottom of the page.
Pros:
During shooting, I found the a6400 easy to handle, and the colors come through really nicely. The images below only have slight edits applied in Lightroom.
Having such a small camera really gave me a nostalgic feeling, and being able to whip it out at any time to take photos made it a joy to use. I am quite pleased with the images I have taken so far, and I’m excited to use it in different photo settings (more on that at the end).
Cons:
At this point, the limited focus range on the kit lens has something to be desired. I really find myself missing the wider apertures. The autofocus does its job, but when the photos were uploaded to my computer, I noticed they lacked a certain…crispness that I’ve come to expect from my other lenses. Honestly, this isn’t hard to believe as kit lenses aren’t known for their high quality. That being said, I’m not a pixel pincher, and this camera is more about making memories than billboard-sized prints, so this is not a dealbreaker for me. This issue is also solved with a new lens, which I was planning on purchasing anyway.
Final Thoughts and Future Plans:
So far, the Sony a6400 is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something easy to carry, a delight to use, and a simple way to capture memories that doesn’t involve my phone.
I have only had this camera for 2 weeks, and I’m excited to put it through its paces. I am planning a portrait shoot soon so I can see how it performs in a detail-heavy environment.
I have also ordered the Sony 20mm f2.8 pancake lens for a true street photography experience, as well as the Retropia film aesthetic lens. Ideally, I would also like a 50mm prime lens for it, but that will be further down the line.
I will do an updated review post in the future once I’m able to try out different lenses and environments, but I hope for now, this is helpful.
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