Is it a good time to buy the A6400?

[Rea]

I'm very new here and -0- experience in digital photography. I own a Nikon F90 and shoot films. I was wondering if it's a good time to buy an A6400?

Is there going to be a new update soon? and how better this camera can be compared to next generation cellphones e.g. iPhone 13 Pro?

[Rea]

No ideas guys? I'm just wondering if it's a good time to buy a6400 after 2 years of its release. I'd be happy to know your advice!

[thebeardedgroundsman]

Hi,

It looks a good buy to me. Gadgety bits on cameras are being added very regularly nowadays, but some of the key points with digital cameras are:

The size of the sensor. Full Frame gives the best quality for the same number of pixels (but are most expensive and tend to use  up memory - so many people only buy if they plan to print  big prints) APS-C sensors (as in the  alpha 6400 give good rendition on A3 paper and currently seem to be most popular with enthusiast photographers.

Micro 4 thirds are smaller and are popular with photographers who like to travel light or be discreet (like street photographers) The sensor in smart phones have very small sensors, so (for the same number of pixels) have the least quality of image (This is not noticeable if you only keep your photos on a computer).

The number of pixels on a sensor has an effect on quality - the higher the number, the better the quality but this requires more storage. I think most enthusiasts are happy with around 20MP. (But often dream of affording more!)

Fast autofocus is nice.

A 6400 doesn't have image stabilisation in the body but the kit lens options both have stabilisation in the lens.

Hope this is of some use. Have fun exploring the realms of digital. There is a free on-line course which I found useful at https://chrisbrayphotography.com/courses/online/

 

[Rea]

Thanks for the information thebeardedgroundsman. I appreciate it. (I made a typo actually I own a Nikon F80) and there is a lot for me to learn about the digital world.

My concern is what if I buy a6400 and in few months Sony introduces the next gen of a6400? Given that Canon recently introduces the M6 MKII, with a larger sensor, is it better to just wait or it's fine to proceed and buy the 6400

[LiveShots]

There are always new cameras being released so if you wait for the next best thing, then you may be waiting for a long time. As new cameras are released then there are sometimes a flood of great used cameras at good prices.

 

[Rea]

13 hours ago, LiveShots said:

There are always new cameras being released so if you wait for the next best thing, then you may be waiting for a long time. As new cameras are released then there are sometimes a flood of great used cameras at good prices.

 

Thanks so much @LiveShots. I totally agree with you. I never had any issues with the used film market but in the digital, I was almost sold a bad sensor digital camera. I believe it's a rare thing, but since I don't have anyone to assist me, and I'm very new to the digital world, I prefer to buy a new digital camera, given that I can buy this in 5 payments with -0- interest.

 

I know Sony has been updating the a6XXX series very 3-4 years. Does anyone know approximately that when the next release can potentially happen? I'f it's a year, I'm fine with it! If it's under a year, I'd think twice before buying it.

[Pieter]

Honestly, noone can tell. Many people were pretty annoyed when Sony released the A6500 just half a year after the A6300. Don't be: the release of a new camera doesn't make the older generation any less good than it was, plus the newer generation will likely be much more expensive. I still advise many beginning photographers to buy an A6000, which is now 7 years old: it's still a great camera and incredible value for money.

[Rea]

Thanks Pieter. Amazon is offering the A6400 in 5 payments with -0- interest to me. I like a6000 but I'm planning to take the camera to hiking trips in snowy/wet conditions so I'm afraid it won't last/survive.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Rea

[Rea]

Just wanted to thanks everyone here. I got the A6400, and after operating it for a while, it is very likely that I return the camera.

[Pieter]

Wasn't saying that the a6000 is a good choice in your specific case, just saying that last gen gear still has a place amongst current/next gen offerings. They usually offer much better value for money unless you really need the newest tech.

Thanks for the update. Care to explain what you don't like about it, so the next guy might learn from your experience?

Edited March 8, 2021 by Pieter

[Rea]

Budget and and not being practical for me. I also didn’t like the software overall.

The kit lens isn’t what I was hoping for and I needed to buy an extra lens (the 35mm 1.8 with oss). This will cost me a lot overall and I can’t carry 2 lenses with me. $2000+ CDN for an APSC camera with two mediocre lenses is too much for me. Also I wasn’t blown away by the overall raw image quality and the used lens market isn’t that encouraging at the moment.