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Sony A9 vs Sony A6400

Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A9 front
 
Sony Alpha a6400 front
Portability
83
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 Key Specs

Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Bump to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Announced April 2017
  • Replacement is Sony A9 II
Sony A6400
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 102400)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 403g - 120 x 67 x 50mm
  • Revealed January 2019
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Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Sony A9 versus Sony A6400, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are sold by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A9 (24MP) and the A6400 (24MP) is pretty close but the A9 (Full frame) and A6400 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The A9 was manufactured 21 months earlier than the A6400 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both cameras offer different body type with the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6400 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the A9 grades versus the A6400 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Sony A6400

 A9 A6400 
Screen resolution1440k922kSharper screen (+518k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A6400 over the Sony A9

 A6400 A9 
RevealedJanuary 2019April 2017More recent by 21 months
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony A9 and Sony A6400

 A9 A6400 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A9 provides outside dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs) whilst the Sony A6400 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") with a weight of 403 grams (0.89 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A9 versus Sony A6400 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the A9 vs the A6400.

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the A9 and A6400 is 65 and 83 respectively.

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 top view buttons comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to see the gap in sensor measurements purely by researching specifications. The graphic below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A9 and A6400.

To sum up, both the cameras offer the same exact MP albeit not the same sensor measurements. The A9 includes the bigger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow depth of field simpler. The older A9 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 sensor size comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A9 Portrait photography info
Sony A6400 Portrait photography info
83
you can focus manually
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
features face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
81
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A9 Street photography features
Sony A6400 Street photography features
79
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW files
supports touch to focus
environment proofing
good high ISO (51,200)
81
screen tilts
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
features focus via touch
environment proof
above average high ISO (32,000)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A9
Sports photography with Sony A6400
86
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (20.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
great battery (650 CIPA)
supports phase detect autofocus
76
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A9 Travel photography information
Sony A6400 Travel photography information
73
great battery (650 per charge)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
good resolution (24MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
87
environment proof
supports bluetooth
features focus via touch
megapixel count decent (24MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A9 Landscape photography information
Sony A6400 Landscape photography information
85
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
great battery (650 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
80
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
above average high ISO (32,000)
exports RAW files
environment proof
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6400 as a Vlogging camera
36
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone jack
display isn't selfie friendly
80
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
provides face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external mic socket
lack of image stabilization
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Sony A9 vs Sony A6400 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 and Sony A6400
 Sony Alpha A9Sony Alpha a6400
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A9 Sony Alpha a6400
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2017-04-19 2019-01-15
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by BIONZ X Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 847.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6000 x 4000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 51200 32000
Max boosted ISO 204800 102400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 693 425
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E Sony E
Number of lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,440 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,686 thousand dots 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting rate 20.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Off, auto, on, slow sync, rear sync, redeye reduction, wireless, hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264, XAVC-S
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 673 grams (1.48 lb) 403 grams (0.89 lb)
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") 120 x 67 x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 92 83
DXO Color Depth score 24.9 24.0
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 13.6
DXO Low light score 3517 1431
Other
Battery life 650 photographs 410 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick DUO (UHS-I compliant)
Card slots 2 Single
Launch price $4,498 $898