Best Sony a6400 Settings for Beginners: Photo, Buttons, Fn Menu

The best Sony a6400 settings for a beginner are aperture priority, Wide autofocus with real-time Eye AF on a half-press of the shutter, and a Function menu plus custom keys built around the few settings you change every shot. Set those up once and the a6400's compact, button-light body becomes much faster to use.

This guide covers the photo settings to start with, how to fill the Fn menu, which buttons to reassign, and how to save complete setups so you can switch between them in a second.

What you are working with

The a6400 was announced in January 2019 as the successor to the A6300. Reviewers describe it as highly customizable but light on physical controls. Digital Camera World points out that you get a mode dial, an unmarked command dial and a combined four-way pad and spinning dial on the back. That is why the Fn menu and custom keys matter so much on this camera: they replace the dials it does not have.

Spec	Sony a6400
Sensor	24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS
ISO range	100 to 32000, expandable to 102400
Shutter speeds	1/4000 to 30 s, plus bulb
Autofocus	425-point phase-detect
Low-light AF	Down to -2EV
Viewfinder	0.39" EVF, 2.4MP, 0.70x, 100% coverage
Raw files	14-bit
In-body stabilization	None
Weight	403 g
Custom keys	89 functions across 8 keys

Core photo settings to start with

Shooting mode

The mode dial carries auto, semi-auto and manual modes, plus Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, Movie, S&Q and an MR memory position. For most beginners, aperture priority is the right home base. You pick the aperture and the camera picks the shutter speed. Use a low f-number for portraits with a soft background, and a higher one for landscapes where you want front-to-back sharpness.

When you are ready for full control, turn the dial to M, where you set shutter speed, aperture and ISO yourself with the control dials and buttons.

Autofocus mode and area

The default focus area is usually Wide, which picks the focus area automatically based on the subject. If you want to choose the point yourself, switch to Flexible Spot. The a6400 has a dedicated button for swapping AF modes, and the AF area can be changed through the Fn button.

A simple starting pair: use AF-C for anything that moves, such as kids, pets and street scenes, and Wide area so the camera finds the subject. Drop to Flexible Spot when Wide keeps grabbing the wrong thing, such as a branch in front of a face.

Real-time Eye AF

On the a6400, real-time Eye AF and real-time tracking start with a half-press of the shutter button rather than a custom button, as on earlier models. In AF-C or AF-A you can choose which eye the camera prefers: Auto, Right Eye or Left Eye. A Switch Right/Left Eye function can also be assigned to a custom key. Leave it on Auto until you have a reason to change it.

For animals, keep expectations measured. Hillary K. Grigonis of Digital Camera World wrote that when she shot wildlife with the A6400 she found herself wishing for the A6700 because of its animal detection autofocus.

ISO and shutter speed without stabilization

The a6400 lacks in-body stabilization. That means camera shake is handled only by your technique and, if it has it, your lens. In practice, keep your shutter speed fast when you hand-hold, and faster still as you zoom in. If photos look soft but focus looks right, shake is the usual suspect, so raise the shutter speed and let ISO climb.

Auto ISO is a sensible beginner default in aperture priority. The native range runs from ISO 100 to 32000. Check your shots at the higher end and decide where noise stops being acceptable to you.

File format

The a6400 records 14-bit raw files. Shooting raw plus JPEG gives you a ready-to-share file and a raw file with more room to fix exposure and white balance later. One thing to know about raw: Digital Camera World found that the 18-135mm kit lens shows heavy barrel distortion in raw files viewed in software that does not apply Sony's correction data, while in-camera JPEGs are corrected. If your raw files look oddly bent at the wide end, turn on lens corrections in your editor.

Set up the Function menu

The Function menu is a menu of 12 functions shown at the bottom of the screen when you press the Fn button in shooting mode. You choose which items appear. To change a setting, select it, press the center of the control wheel, and the setting screen for that function appears. Note that you cannot use the touchscreen to navigate this quick menu.

Sony's Help Guide links to a list of functions that can be registered, so check that list before you plan your layout. A practical way to fill 12 slots is to group them by row:

• Exposure: ISO, exposure compensation, metering mode, white balance.
• Focus: focus mode, focus area, face and eye settings.
• Capture: drive mode, image quality, picture style or creative look, and anything you toggle by situation.

Keep the order the same in your head every time. The goal is muscle memory: Fn, two presses of the wheel, done.

Assign custom keys

Custom keys let you put your most-used functions on buttons so you skip the main menu. Photography Blog counts two Custom buttons, and also lists the AF/MF/AEL button, the left, right, down and centre navigation buttons, and the Fn button's playback role as customizable. Digital Camera World reports 89 functions that can go on 8 custom keys.

A starting layout

This is a suggestion, not a rule. Adjust it once you know what you reach for.

Button	Suggested function	Why
C1	Focus area	Switch between Wide and Flexible Spot without the menu
C2	Switch Right/Left Eye	Useful for portraits in AF-C
AF/MF/AEL	AF/MF toggle or AE lock	Lock exposure on bright or dark scenes
Wheel left / right	ISO and drive mode	Fast changes while you hold the grip
Wheel down	Exposure compensation	Brighten or darken without leaving the shot
Wheel centre	Tracking or focus standard	Grab a subject and follow it

Digital Camera World notes the rear pad is easy to press when you meant to spin it. If you keep triggering a wheel button by accident, put a less disruptive function on it.

Separate layouts for photos, video and playback

The a6400 keeps separate custom key layouts for still shooting, movie shooting and playback. That means your video button setup does not have to compromise your photo setup. By default, the Fn button in playback sends images to a smartphone through Sony's PlayMemories Mobile app. If you assign Follow Custom to a playback key, pressing it switches the camera back to shooting mode and recalls the assigned function.

Save a whole setup to one button

The a6400 manual includes a function called Reg. Custom Shoot Set, which registers shooting settings to a custom key. Use it for a setup you switch to often, such as a fast-action preset with a high shutter speed and continuous drive. Press the key and the camera jumps to that setup.

Memory modes on the mode dial

Sony replaced the A6300's two memory positions with a single MR position, which gives you 7 memory modes in total. Think of these as complete camera profiles. A good beginner set is three:

• Everyday: aperture priority, Auto ISO, Wide AF, AF-C.
• Portrait: aperture priority at a low f-number, Eye AF, single shot drive.
• Low light: manual mode on a tripod with a low ISO.

Leave the other slots empty until you notice a situation you set up by hand more than once.

Build a custom menu page

The a6400 uses the menu design from the Alpha A7 III, which Photography Blog calls more logical but still complicated. It adds a tab where you build your own page of favorite settings. Fill it with the settings you adjust once a week rather than once a shot: formatting the card, file format, and silent shooting are good candidates. The Fn menu and custom keys handle everything faster than that.

For a broader walkthrough of Sony menus, see the Sony Camera Menu Setup Guide.

Use the touchscreen for focus

The a6400 has no rear AF joystick, so the touchscreen is the quickest way to move your focus point. It also works while you look through the electronic viewfinder. Turn this on, and use your thumb on the screen to drag the point while your eye stays at the finder. If your nose keeps moving the point, limit the active touch area to one side of the screen if the menu allows it.

Daylight and night starting points

Daylight

In bright light, keep ISO at its lowest setting and let aperture priority choose a fast shutter speed. If skies blow out, dial in negative exposure compensation from the button you assigned. The fastest mechanical shutter speed is 1/4000, so a very wide aperture in harsh sun can still overexpose; stop down a little if that happens.

Night

The mechanical shutter reaches 30 seconds, and bulb exposures are possible for longer. Autofocus works down to -2EV. For night scenes, put the camera on a tripod, use manual mode, and keep ISO as low as your exposure time allows. Since there is no in-body stabilization, hand-held night shots depend on a stabilized lens or a high ISO.

Coming from a ZV-E10 or a6700?

Digital Camera World describes the ZV-E10 as using the same technology as the A6400 with a different external design. Much of this setup approach carries over, so see the ZV-E10 photo settings guide for that body. The a6700 adds in-body stabilization and an AI chip for subject recognition autofocus, which changes some choices. The a6700 settings guide covers those differences.

Which a6400 package to get

The a6400 is sold body only, with the compact 16-50mm power zoom, or with the 18-135mm zoom. Digital Camera World found the 18-135mm optically much better than the 16-50mm, though bulkier. If you already own E-mount lenses, the body alone makes sense.

If this is your first interchangeable-lens camera, the 16-50mm kit gets you shooting right away and keeps the package small.

Still deciding whether the a6400 is right for you? Read Sony A6400: Still the Best APS-C Camera for Learning Photography?