Sony's new camera is designed for vloggers

The Sony 6400 compact mirrorless camera has a snazzy display that flips upward so you can see exactly what you're recording for the vlog. — AFP Relaxnews

A compact mirrorless camera complete with a touchscreen display that flips around into a selfie screen? Content creators, the Sony a6400 was designed with you in mind.

This week Sony unveiled the a6400 compact mirrorless camera with improved autofocus and a snazzy new display that flips upward so you can see exactly what you're recording for the vlog.

Sure, the latter is not a novel idea considering that Canon and Panasonic both have DSLR cameras with flip-up screens in their portfolios – even Sony already has some models in the category like the a5100 – however, this one has a couple enhancements that make the device more content creator-friendly, though it will cost you.

The a6400's autofocus system is significantly faster than some of the top-tier models currently on the market; in fact, it only takes the device 0.02 seconds to detect a subject that is still or in motion thanks to AI-based subject recognition tech. Plus, the camera's enhanced Real-Time EYE autofocus can identify human faces and focus specifically on a person's eyes, or just the right or left one if you prefer, even as they move.

While both the a5100 and a6400 are supported by a 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS image sensor, the a6400's is much more advanced and has been paired with a Bionz X image processor allowing the camera to be far more sensitive and responsive to various lighting conditions.

As for the video- and movie-making specs, the a6400's features resemble more closely that of the a6300 and a6500 than the a5100, which means you'll be getting the company's latest technology in this device including 4K recording, continuous AF tracking, and of course, the 180-degree tiltable LCD monitor.

Additionally, the OLED electronic viewfinder is likely to be a welcome edition especially for outdoor content creators.

While the a5100 will put you back US$450 (RM1,853), the new a6400 will cost you US$900 (RM3,706) but this generation boasts some serious upgrades. Shipping will begin in February, and you'll be able to choose from purchasing just the camera or between two starter kits with various additional lenses.

– AFP Relaxnews