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Head-to-head · Best Mirrorless Cameras For Travel

Sony α6400 vs Sony α7 IV

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Sony α7 IV comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.1 vs 4.4). The gap is mostly about Hybrid photo and video shooters — read the strengths below before deciding.

Sony α6400
Ranked #7 in Best Mirrorless Cameras For Travel
Sony α6400
4 sources2 derived$1,098as of Aug 1

The Sony a6400's autofocus is the reason to buy it. DPReview calls the implementation one of the best out there and effectively game-changing at this price, and the tracking holds up on moving subjects with the silent electronic shutter engaged. Image quality from the 24.2MP APS-C sensor is strong, and 11 fps bursts with full raw capture put it in reach of action shooting. The handling is the weak half: DPReview has never warmed to the ergonomics of this body line, Shotkit's reviewer kept hitting the wrong buttons on the crowded rear panel, and there is no in-body stabilisation.

Strengths
  • — Industry-leading autofocus implementation with 425 phase- and contrast-detect AF points
  • — 11fps continuous RAW shooting capability
  • — Detailed 4K video with 100mbps recording and slow motion
Watch-outs
  • — Ergonomics are hit-and-miss with no substantive changes from predecessor
  • — Lacks in-body stabilization limiting video and low-light performance
$1,098 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →
Sony α7 IV
Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Mirrorless Cameras For Travel
Sony α7 IV
4 sources$2,198as of Aug 1

The Sony α7 IV is a full-frame mirrorless camera built around a 33MP back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor and Sony's BIONZ XR processor, with Fast Hybrid AF across 759 phase-detection points, 5-axis in-body stabilization and 4K 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 video. Only one review cited on this page tested this generation of the camera: wedding and portrait photographer Myles Katherine, who scored it 87 out of 100, found it "intuitive" and "user-friendly", praised the dual card slots and low-light handling, and shot a six-hour wedding on a single charge. Her reservations are specific rather than general: the electronic viewfinder image "just isn't the best", there is no built-in multiple exposure function, which she calls a dealbreaker for her own work, and the battery "died really quickly" once it dropped below about 11 percent. At roughly 658 g it is a hybrid stills-and-video body rather than the lightest thing in this guide.

Strengths
  • — 33MP full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor resolves noticeably more detail than the 24MP generation it replaced
  • — BIONZ XR image processing engine, which Sony rates at up to 8x the processing performance of the engine it replaces
  • — 0.5-type Quad-VGA OLED viewfinder with 100% coverage and 3,686,400 dots
Watch-outs
  • — Electronic viewfinder image quality underwhelms: Myles Katherine, who shoots through the finder, found "the quality of the image in the electronic viewfinder just isn't the best"
  • — Multiple exposures must be assembled later in software; Myles Katherine calls the absent in-camera function "a dealbreaker" for her own work
  • — Battery falls off a cliff at the end of its charge: Myles Katherine found that "once it got to about 11% battery, it died really quickly after that"
$2,198 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Sony α6400

The Sony α6400 excels in autofocus performance compared to the Canon EOS R50, but lacks the 4K/60p recording and 10-bit color depth of the Sony α6700. Unlike the Fujifilm X-T5, it has a more compact design and better low-light performance, though the X-T5 provides higher frame rates and better in-body stabilization.

Sony α7 IV

The Sony α7 IV is the only full-frame camera in this guide: against the APS-C Canon EOS R50 it brings a 33MP full-frame sensor and 5-axis in-body stabilization the R50 does not have at all. It matches the Fujifilm X-S20's 4K/60 10-bit 4:2:2 video rather than lacking it, but the X-S20 weighs 413 g against the α7 IV's 658 g, and for a travel buyer that is the trade actually being made. Against the Nikon Z5II it is the lighter body (658 g against 700 g) with the higher-resolution sensor (33MP against 24MP), while the Z5II shoots faster bursts (11 fps against 10 fps); both cameras have two card slots.

Specs side-by-side

SpecSony α6400Sony α7 IV
Sensor24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS33MP full-frame Exmor R CMOS (35.9 x 23.9 mm)
StabilizationNo in-body stabilization5-axis in-body image stabilization
Video4K/30p, 1080 up to 60p/120p4K 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 (Super 35 crop), full width to 4K 30p
Autofocus425 Phase- & Contrast-Detect AF PointsFast Hybrid AF, 759 phase-detection points (full frame)
Burst RateUp to 11 fps10 fps
Display3.0" 921.6k-Dot Tilting3.0-type vari-angle touchscreen TFT, 1,036,800 dots
EVFXGA Tru-Finder 2.36m-Dot OLED0.5-type Quad-VGA OLED, 3,686,400 dots, 100% coverage
WeightLess than 1 lb (body only)658 g
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