Some cameras stay recommended long after they should have been superseded. The Sony A6400 is the clearest example in APS-C, and the reason is simple: it does the fundamentals extremely well and has become very affordable.
Autofocus is the reason to buy it
The A6400 introduced autofocus performance that shamed cameras well above its price, and it still holds up. Eye detection finds and holds a subject’s eye, tracking stays locked as people move, and acquisition is quick enough for children and pets — the two subjects that expose slow focusing systems fastest.
Image quality
The 24MP APS-C sensor produces detailed, flexible files with plenty of latitude to recover shadows and pull back skies. Paired with a decent lens it is capable of genuinely professional-looking work, and it handles reasonable ISO increases without falling apart.
The two real limitations
There is no in-body stabilisation, which matters most for handheld video and for slow shutter speeds in dim light. And the screen tilts upward rather than swinging out, so mounting a microphone blocks your view of yourself. Neither is fatal for photography; both are irritations for video.
The menus, as with all Sony cameras of this generation, take patience. Set your custom buttons up once and you can largely ignore them afterwards.
Who should buy it
Enthusiast photographers, travellers who want something small and weather-resistant, and anyone stepping up from a phone who wants a camera that will not be outgrown quickly. For serious video work, the A6700 is worth the extra; for the tightest budget, the A6100 shares much of the same ability.
