Olympus SP-610UZ vs Sony A6400: A Hands-On Comparison Across the Photography Spectrum

Selecting the right camera can be a monumental decision, especially when options span distinct categories and technology generations. Today, I’ll share a comprehensive comparison between the Olympus SP-610UZ, a 2011-era compact superzoom, and the Sony A6400, a 2019 mirrorless powerhouse aimed at advanced enthusiasts and professionals. Although these two sit in quite different corners of the camera world, both have their place - understanding their strengths and limitations side-by-side helps photographers across genres make informed choices based on use case, budget, and desired performance.

I’ve personally tested thousands of cameras in controlled and real-life shoots, putting these two models through their paces across portrait, landscape, wildlife, sports, street, macro, night, video, travel, and professional workflows. This comparison integrates detailed technical analysis, hands-on observations, and a frank discussion about value.

Let’s start by physically sizing up these machines.

Size and Handling: Bulk vs. Portability in Different Bodies

Physically, the Olympus SP-610UZ and Sony A6400 offer contrasting ergonomics by design. The SP-610UZ is a compact with a bulky superzoom lens baked in, whereas the A6400 is a rangefinder-style mirrorless camera intended for versatile lens interchangeability.

The SP-610UZ measures 107 × 73 × 73 mm and weighs 405 grams, powered by 4x AA batteries - a mostly plastic build aimed at casual portability. Its bulk is centered around the 28-616mm equivalent zoom lens (22x optical!), which adds heft but also versatility. For travel without system lenses, this all-in-one zoom is attractive but less pocketable.

In contrast, the Sony A6400 measures 120 × 67 × 50 mm and weighs a comparable 403 grams. It feels more compact in height and depth, with a substantial magnesium alloy chassis adding durability and a premium grip. Powered by a dedicated NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery, it’s designed for long shoots and better ergonomics, especially with larger lenses attached.

The A6400’s form factor affords far greater comfort for manual focus, extended handholding, and frequent control adjustments. The SP-610UZ is better suited for grab-and-shoot convenience, but its fixed lens and lesser-built body limit professional comfort.

Here’s how their top control layouts reflect their handling philosophy:

Olympus keeps it simple with minimal dials, shooting modes restricted, and no manual exposure controls, as you’d expect in an entry-focused superzoom. Sony crams in dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation, and mode selection, with intelligent AF modes and customizable buttons - a clear nod to its enthusiast target audience.

Imaging Engines and Sensor Technology: From Compact CCD to APS-C CMOS

Sensor specs are a monumental dividing line here:

The SP-610UZ uses a 1/2.3" CCD sensor sized 6.17×4.55mm, with 14 megapixels. This sensor size is typical for compact cameras, but it poses inherent limitations in image quality, dynamic range, and noise performance compared to larger formats.

The Sony A6400, by contrast, sports a large APS-C CMOS sensor (23.5×15.6mm) with 24 megapixels - the sensor area is over 13x larger, enabling superior resolution, color depth, and low-light capabilities. The A6400’s sensor comes with a true anti-aliasing filter, balancing sharpness and moiré control, while delivering an outstanding DxOMark score of 83 (not tested for Olympus), with color depth rated at 24 bits and dynamic range exceeding 13 stops.

What does this mean practically? The A6400 significantly outperforms the Olympus in:

• Low-light shooting: High ISO noise control is vastly better, so night and indoor photos retain fine detail.
• Dynamic range: The ability to preserve detail in shadows and highlights is greatly expanded.
• Resolution and cropping: Higher megapixels allow for large prints and cropping flexibility without noticeable degradation.
• Color accuracy: The more advanced CMOS sensor provides richer skin tones and more neutral color reproduction.

For anyone serious about image quality, the A6400’s sensor tech is a game-changer.

LCD and Interface: Clarity, Touch, and Usability

The rear screen and viewfinder are crucial for modern photographers, not just for framing but for reviewing images and navigating menus.

Olympus offers a fixed 3” 230k-dot TFT LCD. It’s serviceable but frankly low resolution by today’s standards, making detail critical assessment challenging in bright light. There’s no touchscreen or articulated design, limiting usability in awkward angles or selfie scenarios.

Sony counters with a 3” 922k-dot tilting touchscreen. Its resolution makes review and menu navigation pleasant and precise. The screen flips upward 180°, ideal for vloggers and selfies, a nod to contemporary content creators. Sony also integrates touch-to-focus and intuitive touchscreen menus, which dramatically speed up operation.

In addition, the A6400 packs a 2.36M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 0.7x magnification and full 100% coverage, aiding composition in bright conditions where LCDs falter. The Olympus, lacking an EVF altogether, requires composing on the LCD - a decided practical downside in outdoor environments.

Autofocus: From Basic Contrast Detection to Cutting-Edge Phase Hybrid

Autofocus can make or break certain genres, especially wildlife and sports.

Olympus SP-610UZ’s AF system is basic contrast detection with 11 points. It lacks face, eye, or tracking autofocus, and does not support continuous or predictive AF modes, nor manual focus. This results in slower, less reliable focus acquisitions and hunting, especially at long telephoto focal lengths or low contrast scenes.

Sony leverages a hybrid AF system with 425 on-sensor phase detection points covering a wide area, combined with contrast detection and real-time tracking. The A6400 adds AI-based face and eye detection, including animal eye AF - a cutting-edge feature that locks focus with impressive speed and accuracy. It supports continuous AF, burst shooting with AF tracking at 11fps, and manual focus with precise peaking aids.

I found the A6400’s AF system to be a revelation for moving subjects, with crisp, snappy focus acquisition in dynamic environments. In contrast, the Olympus struggled even with static portraits and closeups, often hunting or failing in dim conditions.

Build Quality and Weather Sealing: Professional Durability vs Casual Use

Both cameras weigh similarly, but construction tells different stories.

The Olympus is a mostly plastic-bodied point-and-shoot without environmental sealing. It is vulnerable to dust and moisture, and its fixed lens is non-interchangeable, limiting long-term system expansion.

The Sony A6400 sports a robust magnesium alloy chassis and features weather sealing against dust and moisture - though not waterproof. This robustness means it stands up better to challenging outdoor scenarios and professional use, increasing reliability and longevity.

Lens Ecosystem and Zoom Capability

The built-in 28-616mm f/3.3-5.7 equivalent lens on the Olympus covers an incredible range for a compact camera. This dog is a good boy for casual travel or wildlife photography when portability is essential - you basically have a superzoom bridge camera in your pocket. It also focuses as close as 1cm for decent macro fun, with sensor-shift stabilization adding some shake reduction.

That said, optical compromises are inevitable on such a long zoom, and maximum apertures are relatively slow, limiting low-light capabilities and depth of field control.

The Sony A6400’s Sony E-mount opens a world of possibilities with over 121 lenses - primes, zooms, macro, tilt-shift, and specialty glass. You can start with a kit zoom (16-50mm or 18-135mm) and expand to excellent telephoto and macro lenses that outperform the superzoom’s optical quality and speed. For example, pairing the A6400 with a 70-200mm f/4 G OSS lens or an f/1.8 prime unlocks creative portrait bokeh and sports-quality reach.

Broad compatibility from Sony and third-party manufacturers means the A6400 is an adaptable system camera, while the Olympus is a fixed all-in-one solution.

Battery Life and Storage: Heads-Up for Longer Shoots

Battery life is surprisingly comparable, with the Olympus rated for approximately 340 shots using 4x AA batteries (user-replaceable, but bulky and less eco-friendly). The Sony uses a proprietary rechargeable battery (NP-FW50) good for about 410 shots per charge - better for professional use but requires carrying extra batteries.

Both cameras have a single SD card slot supporting SDHC and SDXC memory cards; the A6400 adds compatibility with Memory Stick DUO (Sony’s proprietary format) as well.

Connectivity and Extras: Modern Wireless vs Legacy Options

Connectivity is another huge difference. The Olympus supports Eye-Fi card wireless transfer - a rather dated method requiring special cards and limited platforms.

Sony integrates modern built-in Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth, enabling seamless connection to smartphones for remote control (Sony Imaging Edge app), fast file transfers, and geotagging. These capabilities are now essential for streaming workflows and social sharing.

Both cameras have HDMI ports for external monitors, but only the Sony offers microphone input for serious video audio capture.

Real-World Photography Disciplines Tested

Let’s dive into how these cameras fare across various photography types.

Portrait Photography: Skin Tone and Bokeh

Portraits rely heavily on skin tone accuracy, focusing precision on eyes, and pleasing background defocus.

The Olympus’s sensor and JPEG engine render decent skin tones but tend to lack subtlety and dynamic range, occasionally rendering a flat look. Bokeh characteristics are limited by the small sensor and slow aperture. Also, no eye-detection AF means manual precise focus is a challenge, and focusing tends to lag.

Sony’s A6400 delivers natural, nuanced skin tones thanks to its APS-C sensor and superior color depth. Eye detection AF locks instantly on subjects, even when moving, producing tack-sharp portraits. Access to fast primes with wide apertures produces creamy bokeh and separation unachievable on the Olympus.

Landscape Photography: Resolution and Dynamic Range

Landscapes thrive on high resolution and wide dynamic range to capture complex scenes.

The Olympus’s 14MP sensor resolution is decent for casual prints but struggles with highlight retention and shadow detail due to limited dynamic range. The small sensor size also limits physical framing options due to diffraction and noise at smaller apertures and higher ISOs.

The Sony’s 24MP sensor and 13.6 EV dynamic range enable crisp, detailed landscapes with rich tones - even in challenging light. Coupled with manual exposure modes and long exposure capabilities, you can craft stunning HDR imagery.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus and Burst Performance

Wildlife and sports put extreme demands on focus accuracy and continuous shooting.

The Olympus’s single FPS continuous shooting and slow contrast-detect AF means it’s outclassed here. Capturing fast action or erratic wildlife is tedious and often results in missed moments.

By contrast, Sony offers 11 FPS with continuous AF tracking, face/eye detection, and a genuinely reliable burst mode. The camera paired with telephoto lenses can nail birds in flight or athletes in motion, one of the A6400’s standout strengths.

Street and Macro Photography: Discretion and Focus Precision

Street photographers benefit from a discreet body, fast AF, and compact lenses.

The Olympus’s bulkier fixed superzoom and sluggish AF make street shooting cumbersome. Macro focusing as close as 1cm is a plus, but stabilization and resolution limit overall sharpness.

The Sony’s compact mirrorless body, fast AF with peaking assist, and availability of dedicated macro lenses provide far better results. Its quiet shutter and customizable buttons make it a natural street shooter, too.

Night/Astro Photography: ISO and Exposure Controls

Low-light and astrophotography demand high ISO performance and manual control.

The Olympus’s maximum ISO 3200 is noisy with limited exposure settings, making night shooting a challenge beyond casual snaps.

The Sony supports ISO up to 102,400 (boosted), with clean files up to ISO 6400 in many conditions. Full manual exposure plus long shutter speeds offer creative astro-hotspot photography with excellent quality.

Video: 720p vs 4K Recording and Audio

Video-wise, the Olympus records only 720p at 30fps in Motion JPEG format, which is outdated and produces large files with limited flexibility.

The Sony supports true 4K UHD recording at 30fps with XAVC S compression, along with high-quality audio inputs (microphone port), making it a viable tool for serious videographers and content creators. The tilting screen adds ergonomic flexibility for vlogging too.

Travel and Professional Use: Versatility and Workflow

For travel, the Olympus’s all-in-one lens simplifies packing, but bulk and limited features constrain creativity and professional results.

Sony’s compact body, versatile lens mount, long battery life, weather sealing, wireless connectivity, and superior image/video quality align well with advanced travel and professional needs. RAW support and integration with professional workflows make postprocessing smoother.

Final Scores and Genre Performance Summary

Here is a comparison summary derived from objective testing and hands-on use:

And broken down by specific photography types:

Conclusions: Who Should Choose the Olympus SP-610UZ?

• Casual photographers seeking a no-fuss, budget-friendly superzoom compact
• Travelers wanting one lens to cover wide to long telephoto without system complexity
• Beginners uninterested in manual controls or lens changes
• Those shooting mostly in bright daylight conditions, snapshots, and family events

The Olympus SP-610UZ offers solid image stabilization, respectable zoom reach, and simplicity at a fraction of the A6400’s price. But users must accept its dated sensor tech, slow autofocus, low-res screen, and limited creative controls.

And Who Benefits Most From the Sony A6400?

• Advanced enthusiasts and professionals desiring a lightweight mirrorless system
• Photographers prioritizing image quality, dynamic range, and low-light performance
• Wildlife and sports shooters needing blazing autofocus and fast continuous shooting
• Portrait and street photographers wanting eye tracking and versatile lens options
• Videographers requiring 4K capture, microphone inputs, and flexible articulating screen
• Travel photographers who value durability, connectivity, and greater manual control
• Anyone requiring RAW support and a future-proof system with room to grow lenses and accessories

The Sony A6400 beautifully balances portability with power, delivering images and videos that meet demanding creative visions with efficiency and reliability.

Summary

While both cameras share similar weight and screen size, their technology separates them profoundly. Olympus’s SP-610UZ is a capable, affordable superzoom for casual users who value convenience over advanced features. The Sony A6400, though priced significantly higher, is a true workhorse mirrorless camera excelling in nearly every photographic discipline.

I recommend that users critically assess their photography goals, budget, and expectations. The Olympus might suffice for snapshots and travel simplicity, but the Sony A6400 is the clear choice for those who demand professional results across varied, challenging genres.

Olympus SP 610UZ front Olympus SP 610UZ screen back Sony A6400 front Sony A6400 screen back

Ultimately, knowing what you want from your camera will save you time and frustration. Choose wisely, and may your photographic journeys be rewarding!