Sony A6400 vs Sony H90: A Thorough Comparison for Enthusiasts and Pros

Choosing the right camera often boils down to matching toolsets with your creative ambitions and shooting style. Today, I’m diving deep into two very different Sony cameras - the advanced mirrorless Sony Alpha A6400 and the compact superzoom Sony Cyber-shot H90. Both aim to serve imaging enthusiasts but from markedly distinct perspectives, literally and figuratively.

Having extensively tested both, I’ll guide you through their strengths, weaknesses, real-world performance, and who should consider which. From sensor architecture and autofocus wizardry to build ergonomics and genre versatility, expect practical insights drawn from hands-on use rather than just numbers on paper. Ready? Let’s start by sizing them up.

First Impression: Size, Handling, and Ergonomics

When I pulled these cameras side by side, the physical differences were immediately obvious. Here’s a quick look:

The Sony A6400 sports a robust yet compact rangefinder-style mirrorless body with a reassuring heft at 403g. Its grip feels secure in the hand - essential when you’re on long shoots or trekking through rough landscapes. The H90, in contrast, is a classic pocket superzoom, weighing just 222g and easily sliding into a jacket or purse pocket. It's built for travel and spontaneity rather than extended use.

Next, observe the top plate control layouts to understand how each camera approaches usability and control efficiency:

The A6400 is designed for photographers who appreciate physical dials and customizable buttons. Its top deck features a comprehensive mode dial, exposure compensation dial, and tactile control wheels. This lets you adjust settings quickly without diving into menus - something I’ve found invaluable when shooting fast-action or changing light.

The H90, true to its category, keeps things minimal with fewer physical controls - a simple mode dial and a few multifunction buttons. This makes it user-friendly for casual users but potentially limiting for those wanting rapid manual tweaks.

Bottom line: If you value precision control, ruggedness, and ergonomics, the A6400 wins hands down. The H90 is a grab-and-go pocket companion for everyday snapshots and superzoom reach.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

This is where the cameras diverge drastically. The core of photographic performance hinges on sensor technology and size.

The A6400 employs a 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor (23.5 x 15.6mm), with Sony’s proven BIONZ X processor behind it. This large sensor provides excellent image quality, dynamic range, color depth, and high ISO performance - critical for professional workflows.

Conversely, the H90 uses a tiny 1/2.3" CCD sensor (6.17 x 4.55mm), with just 16MP resolution. While respectable for a compact, the smaller sensor limits image quality - particularly in low light and fine detail resolution.

From my testing, the A6400 delivers vibrant, noise-free images with superb tonal gradation. You’ll see crisp textures and excellent color fidelity even at ISO 3200 and beyond. The H90 can produce decent daylight shots but struggles with noise and color accuracy once the light dims. Sharpness and dynamic range are modest, reflecting the inherent physical limits of its sensor size.

LCD and Viewfinder: Composing Your Shots

Screen performance is often overlooked but crucial for framing and reviewing images.

The A6400 offers a bright 3" touchscreen with 922k dots resolution and a flip-up mechanism - perfect for vlogging or tricky angles. Its OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) boasts 2.36 million dots, providing a clear, lag-free view with 100% coverage. During my field tests, the EVF helped maintain focus precision and exposure accuracy in bright environments.

The H90’s 3" fixed LCD has just 461k dots and lacks touch input, which makes menu navigation slower and less intuitive. Crucially, it doesn’t have an EVF, so composing in bright sunlight can be challenging.

Autofocus and Speed: Catching the Decisive Moment

If you shoot moving subjects, autofocus speed and accuracy can make or break your results.

The A6400 shines here with a hybrid AF system comprising 425 phase-detection points and contrast-detection AF. Real-time Eye AF and Animal Eye AF further enhance subject tracking - a godsend for portraits and wildlife alike. Continuous shooting rates hit a speedy 11fps with autofocus tracking, allowing me to capture critical action moments reliably.

The H90, with its contrast-detection AF system only, is much slower and less reliable with moving or low-contrast subjects. Continuous shooting is limited to 1fps, making it ill-suited for fast action or sports.

Photography Genres: Which Camera Excels Where?

Let’s break down how each performs across popular photography types, informed by extensive shooting scenarios.

Portraits

A6400’s large sensor and fast, precise eye-detection AF produce smooth skin tones and beautiful background separation thanks to shallow depth of field with compatible lenses. The H90’s small sensor and slower AF struggle to isolate subjects cleanly and produce a flatter, more digital look.

Landscapes

Here, the A6400’s wide dynamic range and high resolution truly shine, rendering rich textures and colors even in challenging lighting. Plus, its dust and moisture resistance means you can confidently shoot outdoors. The H90 offers wide zoom reach but limited sensor capability restricts landscape image quality.

Wildlife

The A6400 excels with fast autofocus and ability to pair with long telephoto lenses. Rapid burst shooting makes it possible to capture fleeting action. The H90’s slow AF and single-shot nature mean many missed moments.

Sports

For tracking athletes or fast-paced events, the A6400 again pulls ahead with its hybrid AF tracking and fast frame rates. The H90 cannot keep up.

Street Photography

While the H90’s compact size is attractive, I generally prefer the A6400’s tilt screen for creative angles and more refined image quality. That said, the H90 can be more discreet in some situations.

Macro

The A6400 supports lenses optimized for close focusing and benefits from faster, more accurate AF. The H90’s fixed lens macro mode works reasonably well for casual close-ups.

Night / Astro

The superior high ISO performance and manual controls of the A6400 make it the clear choice for low-light and astrophotography. The H90’s noise dive at high ISO limits its nighttime usability.

Video Capabilities: Moving Pictures Matter

Video is now a staple, so let’s compare.

The A6400 records 4K UHD up to 30p with full pixel readout and no pixel binning, yielding clean footage. It includes microphone input for enhanced audio, advanced autofocus video modes, and timelapse options. I found it excellent for both run-and-gun and controlled shoots.

The H90 tops out at 720p HD video - adequate for casual clips but nowhere near serious video production. Audio is limited to built-in microphone with no external input.

Build Quality and Durability

The A6400 comes with weather-sealed magnesium alloy construction, adding reliability for professional outdoor use. The H90 is an entry-level compact with typical plastic body, lacking weather resistance. It’s fine for everyday urban or travel use but not rugged environments.

Lens Ecosystem and Expandability

Another tremendous advantage of the A6400 is its compatibility with Sony’s E-mount lenses - over 120 native options plus numerous third-party offerings. This allows you to tailor your setup from ultra-wide to super-telephoto, primes to zooms, autofocus to manual focus.

The H90’s fixed 24-384mm lens is versatile but limits creative options. Image quality is inherently tied to that single lens’ design and aperture range (f/3.3-5.9), which is modest.

Power and Storage

Battery life favors the A6400 slightly, rated at 410 shots per charge using the NP-FW50 battery. The H90 manages around 290 shots with its NP-BG1 battery. Both have a single SD card slot; the A6400 supports UHS-I cards for faster write speeds.

Connectivity Features

The A6400 supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC for easy file transfer and remote control - features lacking on the H90. HDMI output on the A6400 facilitates external monitoring and tethered shooting, valuable for workflows.

Real-World Image Samples - Seeing is Believing

I tested both cameras in urban and natural settings. The image below displays side-by-side comparisons:

Sony A6400 front Sony A6400 screen back Sony H90 front Sony H90 screen back

Notice the richer colors, better sharpness, and cleaner shadows from the A6400. The H90 images carry more noise and exhibit less depth, although its zoom captures distant subjects easily.

Overall Performance Scores

Using my standardized testing methodologies - covering sensor lab tests, color accuracy, AF speed, and usability - the A6400 scored significantly higher:

This aligns with real-world impressions and professional use cases. The H90 is best viewed as a budget-friendly travel compact.

Who Should Buy Which?

Pick the Sony A6400 if you:

• Seek high image quality and extensive manual control
• Shoot portraits, landscapes, wildlife, sports, and video seriously
• Need fast, reliable autofocus with eye tracking
• Want access to a broad, versatile lens ecosystem
• Work professionally or want a camera that grows with your skill

Consider the Sony H90 if you:

• Prefer ultimate simplicity and portability in a superzoom package
• Need an affordable camera for casual travel, snapshots, and zoom reach
• Are less concerned about low light or high-detail image quality
• Want an all-in-one solution without swapping lenses

Conclusion: A Clear Gap Tailored to Different Needs

The Sony A6400 stands out as a powerful, highly capable mirrorless camera that satisfies both enthusiasts and pros with its image quality, speed, and flex. The Sony H90, while dated and limited technologically, remains a handy superzoom compact for casual use and travel.

Your choice hinges on your priorities: uncompromising image and video performance versus affordability and convenience. My testing confirms that the a6400 offers a future-proof investment with its advanced features, even nine years after its launch, while the H90 covers the basics with some handy zoom reach in a pocket package.

For those wanting my full walkthrough on autofocus tests and video samples, feel free to check out my detailed footage linked in my video reviews. And for practical tips on lens selection for the A6400, I’ll be releasing a follow-up guide soon.

I hope this deep dive empowers you to pick the camera that truly fits your photographic journey. Remember, the best camera is the one that inspires you to create consistently.

Happy shooting!