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Sony A6400 vs YI M1

Portability
83
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76
Sony Alpha a6400 front
 
YI M1 front
Portability
87
Imaging
59
Features
66
Overall
61

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 Key Specs

Sony A6400
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 102400)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 403g - 120 x 67 x 50mm
  • Launched January 2019
YI M1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 350g - 114 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released September 2016
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Sony A6400 vs YI M1 Overview

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Sony A6400 and YI M1, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Sony and YI. The sensor resolution of the A6400 (24MP) and the M1 (20MP) is fairly close but the A6400 (APS-C) and M1 (Four Thirds) feature different sensor size.

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The A6400 was released 2 years after the M1 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a concise overview of how the A6400 matches up vs the M1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A6400 over the YI M1

 A6400 M1 
ReleasedJanuary 2019September 2016Newer by 29 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick YI M1 over the Sony A6400

 M1 A6400 
Display resolution1040k922kCrisper display (+118k dot)

Common features in the Sony A6400 and YI M1

 A6400 M1 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Touch display Easily navigate

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A6400 has physical measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") with a weight of 403 grams (0.89 lbs) whilst the YI M1 has proportions of 114mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 350 grams (0.77 lbs).

Check out the Sony A6400 and YI M1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the A6400 and the M1.

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the A6400 and M1 is 83 and 87 respectively.

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 top view buttons comparison

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions simply by looking through technical specs. The image here should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the A6400 and M1.

As you can tell, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A6400 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony A6400 will render more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern A6400 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 sensor size comparison

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A6400 vs YI M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A6400 Portrait photography info
YI M1 Portrait photography info
81
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
75
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A6400 as a Street photography camera
YI M1 as a Street photography camera
81
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
has focus by touch
weather proofing
good ISO range (32,000)
no image stabilization
73
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports focus via touch
good high ISO (25,600)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A6400 Sports photography details
YI M1 Sports photography details
76
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect autofocus
no image stabilization
54
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
better than average battery (450 per charge)
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A6400
Travel photography with YI M1
87
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
has focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
78
better than average battery (450 per charge)
connects via bluetooth
supports focus via touch
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A6400
Landscape photography with YI M1
80
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
good ISO range (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
no image stabilization
76
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (450 shots)
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A6400 Vlogging features
YI M1 Vlogging features
80
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone jack
no image stabilization
33
touchscreen capability
offers face detection focus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
does not have external microphone jack
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Sony A6400 vs YI M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A6400 and YI M1
 Sony Alpha a6400YI M1
General Information
Company Sony YI
Model type Sony Alpha a6400 YI M1
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2019-01-15 2016-09-19
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz X -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6000 x 4000 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 32000 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 102400 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 425 81
Lens
Lens support Sony E Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 121 107
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 922 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 11.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Off, auto, on, slow sync, rear sync, redeye reduction, wireless, hi-speed sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, Red-Eye Slow
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 4096 x 2160 @ 30p / 75 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 4096x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, XAVC-S MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 403g (0.89 pounds) 350g (0.77 pounds)
Dimensions 120 x 67 x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") 114 x 64 x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 83 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 24.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1431 not tested
Other
Battery life 410 shots 450 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FW50 -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick DUO (UHS-I compliant) SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $898 $320