Sony Announces First APS-C Mirrorless in 3 Years

2019.01.16

Yesterday in San Diego, Sony unveiled their first APS-C mirrorless camera in 3 years! Unlike recent rumors that speculated for a high-end APS-C mirrorless, the new Sony Alpha A6400 that was announced today slots itself in the mid-range with an unusual mix of features.

This small and compact mirrorless camera sports a 24 megapixels APS-C CMOS sensor with a 425-Point Phase-Detect AF system built right on-chip. This new sensor supports a standard ISO 100-32000 range, expandable to ISO 102400, and 11 FPS continuous drive even using a mechanical shutter. The 6K width of the sensor is used to oversample 4K Ultra-HD video for ultra-smooth videos at 30 FPS. In 1080p mode, the A6400 is even capable of 120 FPS. Although this is an entry-level mirrorless, its buffer is very deep. It can shoot 99 JPEG or 46 RAW files continuously.

Unlike the higher end A6500 launched towards the end of 2016, the A6300 does not offer any form of image-stabilization which is rather surprising for a modern mirrorless camera, although numerous Fujifilm models and Canon ones also lack this feature. This camera however offers dual control-dials in a weatherproof body. The body itself sports a 0.39" EVF with 2.4 megapixels, 100% coverage and large 0.7X magnification. There is also a rather common 3" LCD with 920K pixels on the back. The display tilts up and down, plus acts as a touchscreen.

Sony gave the A6400 plenty of advanced features, including 9-frame bracketing for exposure and flash, plus an Interval Timer. The camera cannot assemble images into a time-lapse though, so a computer is required to do the merging. There are plenty of self-timer options and controls for an external flash, including wireless control.

The new Sony Alpha A6400 is scheduled to ship next month for $900 USD or $1250 CAD. Both Adorama and B&H Photo are already accepting pre-orders. As always, your credit card will not be charged until the item ships while ensuring to be among the first to receive this new mirrorless.

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