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Tested using Methodology v0.13.1
Updated Aug 06, 2026 04:51 PM
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Tested using Methodology v0.13.1
Updated Aug 06, 2026 04:51 PM
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Body Type
SLR-Style
Mirrorless
Yes
Sensor Size
APS-C
Body Type
SLR-Style
Mirrorless
Yes
Sensor Size
APS-C
Our Verdict
Sony α6400
Nikon Z 50
The Nikon Z 50 and the Sony α6400 are both great entry-level models with different advantages. The Nikon has better ergonomics and a more intuitive user interface, while the Sony has a more effective autofocus system and a more established lens ecosystem.
Variants
- a6400 (Black W/16-50mm Lens)
- a6400 (Black (Body Only))
- Z 50 (Black (Body Only))
- Z 50 (Black W/ 16-50mm Lens)
Check Price
Black (Body Only)
a6400
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black (Body Only)
Z 50
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black W/16-50mm Lens
a6400
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black W/ 16-50mm Lens
Z 50
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Main Differences for
Travel Photography
Travel Photography
Threshold
Travel Photography
8.2
7.5
Portability
7.9
5.4
Battery
7.8
6.3
Full Comparison
Design
Portability
7.9
5.4
Portability Picture
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Height
2.9" (7.3 cm)
3.7" (9.4 cm)
Width
5.0" (12.8 cm)
5.2" (13.3 cm)
Depth
2.3" (5.9 cm)
3.0" (7.6 cm)
Volume
33.6 in³ (551.3 cm³)
58.0 in³ (950.7 cm³)
Weight
0.89 lbs (0.40 kg)
1.01 lbs (0.46 kg)
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
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Body
Body Picture
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Body Type
SLR-Style
SLR-Style
Water Resistance
Weather-Sealed
Weather-Sealed
Mirrorless
Yes
Yes
Rugged
No
No
Hot Shoe
Yes
Yes
Customizable Button
Yes
Yes
Command Dial
2
2
Tripod Mount
Yes
Yes
Lens Mount
E-Mount
Z Mount
Built-In Flash
Yes
Yes
Fastest Shutter Speed
1/4,000 s
1/4,000 s
In The Box
In The Box Picture
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Ergonomics & Comfort
8.0
8.5
Hand Grip Picture
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Hand Grip: Small Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Medium Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Large Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
No
Yes
Viewfinder
EVF Menu Picture
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Compare High-Res
Viewfinder Type
Electronic
Electronic
Advertised Coverage
100%
100%
Advertised Resolution
2.36 million dots
2.36 million dots
Advertised Magnification
0.7
1
Screen
7.8
8.0
Screen Picture
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Screen Articulation Type
Flip-Out
Tilt And Flip
Screen Max Brightness
798 cd/m²
540 cd/m²
Advertised Resolution
0.92 million dots
1.04 million dots
Size
3.0" (7.5 cm)
3.2" (8.1 cm)
Touchscreen
Limited
Yes
Menu System
6.5
9.0
Screen Menu Picture
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Guide Mode
Yes
Yes
App Name
Imaging Edge Mobile
Nikon SnapBridge
Built-In Lens
0.0
0.0
Aperture Vs Focal Length
Maximum Aperture
No built-in lens
No built-in lens
Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Minimum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Maximum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Optical Image Stabilization
No
No
Light Falloff Picture
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Luminance
N/A
N/A
Light Falloff
N/A
N/A
Sensor
Sensor Type
CMOS
CMOS
Advertised Effective Pixels
24.2 MP
20.9 MP
Processor
BIONZ X
EXPEED 6
Sensor Size
APS-C
APS-C
Extended ISO Minimum
N/A
N/A
Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
100
100
Native ISO Maximum
32,000
51,200
Tested Firmware
Version 2.0
2.20
Battery
7.8
6.3
Battery Type
Sony NP-FW50
Nikon EN-EL25
USB Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Delivery While Recording
Yes
No
Advertised Battery Life In Photo
410 photos
300 photos
Tested Battery Life In Video
92 min
95 min
Photo General
Photo Shooting Speed
6.1
7.6
Low Speed Continuous
4 fps
1 fps
High Speed Continuous
11 fps
11 fps
Silent Shooting Continuous
8 fps
11 fps
Raw Buffer Size
48 Photos
35 Photos
JPEG Buffer Size
108 Photos
100 Photos
Buffer Empty Time
25 s
10 s
Photo AF-C Tracking
7.9
6.2
Autofocus Tracking Shots
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
66%
47%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
85%
66%
Photo AF-C Center Point
9.9
10
Autofocus Center Point Shots
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
98%
100%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
100%
100%
Photo Image Stabilization
7.8
7.8
Stabilization Slideshow
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/13 s
1/13 s
In-Body Image Stabilization
No
No
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Dynamic Range
8.4
8.5
Dynamic Range Scene
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Dynamic Range At Base ISO
10.7 f-stops
10.8 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
8.6 f-stops
8.9 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
7.3 f-stops
7.4 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
6.7 f-stops
6.8 f-stops
Photo RAW Sharpness
8.3
7.8
Sharpness Scene Crop
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MTF Graph
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,910 LW/PH
1,748 LW/PH
Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,919 LW/PH
1,761 LW/PH
Photo RAW Noise
7.1
7.4
Noise Scene Crop
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Compare High-Res
Noise Vs Exposure Time
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
34.0 dB
34.9 dB
SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
30.8 dB
31.3 dB
SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
25.8 dB
26.8 dB
SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
20.2 dB
21.4 dB
Pictures Sample Gallery
Video General
Video Features
Full HD Video
Yes
Yes
4k Video
Yes
Yes
6k Video
No
No
Clean HDMI Output
Yes
Yes
Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
4:2:2
Not Advertised
Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
8 bits
N/A
Log Picture Profile
Yes
No
Recording Light
No
No
Audio
Audio Test Sample
Audio Recording
Stereo
Stereo
Microphone Level Display
Yes
Yes
Video File Format And Compression
MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
Yes
MP4 H.265 / HEVC
No
No
MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
Yes
MOV H.265 / HEVC
No
No
AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
No
All-I Compression
No
No
4k Video
4k Video Frame Rate
7.2
6.1
240 fps In 4k
No
No
120 fps In 4k
No
No
60 fps In 4k
No
No
30 fps In 4k
Yes, with a Crop
Yes, with a Crop
24 fps In 4k
Yes
Yes, with a Crop
4k Crop At Max Available fps
1.22 x
1.1 x
4k Video Internal Recording
7.1
7.9
Bitrate Maximum In 4k
100 Mbps
142 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In 4k
60 Mbps
135 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In 4k
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In 4k
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit In 4k
N/A
30 min
Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
2
0
4k Video Autofocus Performance
8.7
8.1
4k Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In 4k
9.3
8.3
4k Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In 4k
9.5
9.1
Face Detection In 4k
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In 4k
No
No
4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect
4.5
5.9
Rolling Shutter Video in 4k
4k Rolling Shutter
9.0°
6.7°
Full HD Video
FHD Video Frame Rate
9.2
9.5
240 fps In FHD
No
No
120 fps In FHD
Yes, with a Crop
Yes
60 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
30 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
24 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
FHD Crop At Max Available fps
1.14 x
1 x
FHD Video Internal Recording
8.3
7.8
Bitrate Maximum In FHD
100 Mbps
145 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In FHD
16 Mbps
12 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In FHD
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In FHD
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit in FHD
N/A
30 min
FHD Video Autofocus Performance
8.9
8.1
Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In FHD
9.7
8.3
FHD Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In FHD
9.5
9.1
Face Detection In FHD
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In FHD
No
No
FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect
6.5
8.2
Rolling Shutter Video in FHD
FHD Rolling Shutter
5.3°
2.0°
Video Image Quality
Video Dynamic Range
7.9
6.4
Base ISO Video Dynamic Range Waveform
Strict SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
7.04 stops
9.33 stops
Lenient SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
9.33 stops
9.33 stops
Background Floor Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
13.86 stops
9.33 stops
Storage And Connectivity
Storage
Card Slot Picture
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Card 1 Slot
SD Card UHS-I
SD Card UHS-I
Card 2 Slot
No 2nd Card Slot
No 2nd Card Slot
Inputs / Outputs
7.8
7.8
Input Picture
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Compare High-Res
USB
Micro USB
Micro USB
HDMI
Micro (Type D)
Micro (Type D)
Headphones
No
No
Microphone
Stereo
Stereo
Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Check Price
Black (Body Only)
a6400
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black (Body Only)
Z 50
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black W/16-50mm Lens
a6400
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black W/ 16-50mm Lens
Z 50
SEE PRICE
Amazon
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Sony α6400
Nikon Z 50
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Sony α6400 vs Nikon Z 50: Main Discussion
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