Photo Corners headlinesarchivemikepasini.com
A S C R A P B O O K O F S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E P H O T O G R A P H E R
Enhancing the enjoyment of taking pictures with news that matters, features that entertain and images that delight. Published frequently.
Sony Announces a6400 With Fast AF, Real-Time Eye AF/Tracking
15 January 2019
Sony Europe has announce the a6400 E-mount mirrorless camera featuring real-time eye autofocus, real-time tracking and what the company claims is the world's fastest autofocus at 0.02 seconds.
The APS-C a6400 inherits many of Sony's most advanced technologies from its full-frame line-up. In addition to fast autofocus, real-time eye af and real-time tracking, the a6400 features high speed shooting up to 11 fps with AF/AE tracking, a new-generation Bionz X image processing engine , 4Kvi video recording and a 180-degree fully tiltable LCD touch screen.
HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of the new camera include:
- 24.2-MP APS-C Exmor CMOS image sensor
- Latest-generation Bionz X image processor
- Fast 0.02 second autofocus
- 425 phase-detection and contrast-detection AF points over 84 percent of image area
- Advanced real-time eye autofocus
- New real-time tracking for object tracking
- 180-degree fully tiltable LCD touch screen
- High-speed continuous shooting at up to 11 fps
- High-resolution 4K movie recording
- Interval recording for time-lapse videos
SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications for the a6400 include:
SONY A6400 SPECIFICATIONS Sensor 24-megapixel APS-C SMOS sensor
Bionz X image processorLens Mount Sony E Storage SD/SDHC/SDXC
Memory Stick DUO (UHS-I compliant)Viewfinder Electronics with 100 pct. coverage
2,359,296 dotsMonitor 3.0-inch tilting TFT LCD
921,600 dots
100 pct. coverage
0.7x magnificationShutter 1/4,000 to 30 seconds Frame Rate 11 fps ISO Auto, 100 to 32,000 (expands to 102,800) Autofocus Yes Live View Yes Image Stabilization No Flash Built-in
19.69 ft. at ISO 100 range
Hot shoe
1/160 sync speedMovie 4K MPEG-4, H.264
Hybrid Log-Gamma picture profile
stereo micConnectivity USB 2.0, micro-HDMI, mic
802.11b/g/n, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1Power NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery pack
410 CIPA exposuresDimensions 4.72 x 2.64 x 2.36 inches Weight 14.11 oz. PRICE, AVAILABILITY
The a6400 will ship in Europe in February priced at approximately €1,050. It will also be offered as a kit with the SELP1650 lens priced at approximately €1,150 or in a kit with the SEL18135 lens priced at approximately €1,450.
No details for U.S. availability were provided by the company. But Adorama is now taking pre-orders for the body only [$898], 16-50mm kit lens [$998] and 18-135mm kit lens [$1,298] options. And B&H is also now accepting pre-orders for the all three options at the same prices. For more information see the news release below.
Sony Announces its Next Generation a6400 Mirrorless Camera with Real-Time Eye Autofocus, Real-time Tracking and World's Fastest Autofocus
Sony today introduced an exciting new addition to its E-mount mirrorless camera line-up, the a6400 (model ILCE-6400).
The a6400 brings many of Sony's most advanced technologies from their acclaimed full-frame line-up to a compact, lightweight APS-C camera. The speedy new camera boasts the world's fastest AF acquisition of 0.02 seconds, while also introducing the new advanced 'Real-time Eye AF' and 'Real-time Tracking' capabilities. Also included is high speed shooting at up to 11 fps with AF/AE tracking, a new-generation Bionz X image processing engine that produces excellent image quality, 4Kvi video recording, a 180-degree fully tiltable LCD touch screen and much more, making it the ultimate tool for all types of creators ranging from professionals to everyday vloggers.
Speedy Performance that Captures Decisive Moments
The impressive autofocus system on the new a6400 inherits many technologies from Sony's newest line-up of full-frame cameras including the a9, a7R III and a7 III models. The new camera features 425 phase-detection AF points and 425 contrast-detection AF points that are placed densely over the entire image area, covering approximately 84 percent of the image area. This high-speed, high-performance-tracking AF system is paired with a new-generation Bionz X image processing engine that together allows the camera to acquire focus in as little as 0.02 secondsii and maintain subject lock extremely effectively, ensuring even the fastest moving subjects can be tracked and captured with ease.
The a6400 introduces an advanced 'Real-time Eye AF', the latest version of Sony's acclaimed Eye AF technology. This exciting new capability employs artificial intelligence-based object recognition to detect and process eye data in real time, resulting in improved accuracy, speed and tracking performance of Eye AF. In all autofocus modes, the camera now automatically detects the eyes of the subject and activates Eye AF with a half press of the shutter button and when in AF-C or AF-A mode, the preferred eye (left or right) of your subject can be selected as the focus point. Choices include Auto / Right Eye / Left Eye and a Switch Right / Left Eye function can be assigned to a custom function as well. This exciting new technology completely frees the photographer to focus solely on composition with full trust that focus will be tack sharp on the subject's eye. Eye AF support for animals will be added in Summer via a system software update, ideal for wildlife photographers.
Also debuting on the a6400 is Sony's newly developed 'Real-time Tracking'. This mode utilises Sony's latest algorithm including Artificial Intelligence based object recognition and processes colour, subject distance (depth), pattern (brightness) as spatial information to ensure that all subjects can be captured with excellent accuracy. Plus, when photographing or videoing humans or animals, face and eye position information is recognised by AI and the subjects eyevii is monitored in real time with extremely high tracking precision. This can be activated by a simple half press of the shutter button or can be assigned to a custom function as well.
In terms of overall shooting speeds, the new camera can shoot at up to 11 fpsiv with full AF/AE tracking while utilising the mechanical shutter and up to 8 fpsv with full AF/AE tracking while silent shooting. It can shoot at each of these speeds for up to 116 frames JPEG Standard / 46 frames Raw compressed, greatly increasing the chances of capturing the perfect moment.
All-around Advancements in Image Quality
Sony's new a6400 is equipped with a 24.2 MPiii APS-C sized image sensor that is paired with an upgraded Bionz X processor to deliver incredible advancements in image quality and colour reproduction in all types of shooting conditions. Standard ISO ranges up to ISO 32000 for both still and movie and is expandable up to ISO 102400 for still images, with excellent noise reduction at medium and high sensitivities.
The camera also inherits many of the image processing algorithms from Sony's newest full-frame cameras, greatly suppressing noise while preserving resolution and improving texture depiction.
Advanced High-Resolution 4Kvi Movie Recording with Fast Hybrid Autofocus
The versatile a6400 is an exceptional video camera, offering internal 4K (QFHD: 3840x2160) movie recording with full pixel readout and no pixel binning to collect about 2.4x the amount of data required for 4K movies and then oversamples it to produce high quality 4K footage with exceptional detail and depth. Focusing during movie shooting is fast and stable thanks to upgraded Fast Hybrid AF technology, which keeps the subject in constant smooth focus no matter the scene and even if an object crosses in front. This advanced AF plus touch focus functionality make it an ideal camera choice for many vloggers and video creators that are regularly creating and uploading content online.
For time-lapse movie creation, the new camera features built-in interval recording that can be set anywhere between 1 and 60 seconds, with a total number of shots from 1 to 9999. AE tracking sensitivity can be adjusted to "High," "Mid" or "Low" during interval shooting, allowing for reduced changes in exposure over the shooting interval.
Additionally, for the first time in a Sony APS-C mirrorless camera, the new model includes an HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) picture profile, which supports an Instant HDR workflow, allowing HDR compatible TV's to playback beautiful, true-to-life 4K HDR imagery. Furthermore, both S-Log2 and S-Log3 are available for increased colour grading flexibility, as well as Zebra functionality, Gamma Display assist and proxy recording. The camera can also record Full HD at 120 fps at up to 100 Mbps, allowing footage to be reviewed and eventually edited into 4x or 5x slow-motion video files in Full HD resolution with AF tracking.
Upgraded Build to Maximise Versatility
The new camera is designed to offer a high level of functionality and customisation to maximise shooting freedom. New on the a6400 is a 180-degree, fully tiltable, 3.0-type LCD flip screen with 921k-dots of resolution that allows for simple and effective framing of selfie-style shooting for both still and video capture. Utilising this capability, vloggers will be able to check and monitor composition throughout their entire creative process. The LCD screen is also equipped with touch functionality, with options for Touch Pad, Touch Focus, Touch Shutter and new Touch Tracking which quickly activates 'Real-time Tracking' through the touch screen.
The camera features a high quality XGA OLED Tru-finder viewfinder, extensive customisation with 89 functions that are assignable to 8 custom keys, the new My Dial and My Menu functionality, enhanced overall menu usability, a help screen for menus, star rating for images and many other features that allow for a seamless shooting experience. It is also built with a tough magnesium alloy design, is dust and moisture resistant and has an extremely durable shutter that is rated for approximately 200,000 cycles. It is also capable of seamlessly transferring files to a smartphone or tablet when connected to the brand-new 'Imaging Edge Mobile' application.
Pricing and Availability
The a6400 will ship in Europe in February priced at approximately €1,050. It will also be offered as a kit with the SELP1650 lens priced at approximately €1,150 or in a kit with the SEL18135 lens priced at approximately €1,450.
For full product details, visit https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-6400
A variety of exclusive stories, videos and exciting new content shot with the newest cameras and other Sony products can be found at https://www.sony.co.uk/alphauniverse. Sony's European photography hub is available in 22 languages and details product news, competitions and an up-to-date list of Sony events in each country.