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Sony a6400
Sony · a6400 · Pro lesson

Video settings, in depth

What are the right video settings on the Sony a6400 — 4K, S-Log3, and long takes?

camerasdecoded.com/camera-select/sony/a6400/video-settings
The answer — share this
XAVC S 4K at 30p 100M — this generation’s ceiling — on a U3 SDXC card. Log is a Picture Profile: PP8 for S-Log3, monitored with Gamma Disp. Assist. Long takes are a heat-and-battery plan, not a menu limit: Auto Power OFF Temp. on High.
Format: Camera Settings2 → File Format → XAVC S 4K  ·  Rate: Camera Settings2 → Record Setting → 30p 100M  ·  Log: Camera Settings1 → Picture Profile → PP8  ·  Monitor: Setup → Gamma Disp. Assist → Auto  ·  Heat: Setup → Auto Power OFF Temp. → High
Cameras Decoded — Camera Select
Decision 1

4K, at its real ceiling

MENU→Camera Settings2→Record Setting

File Format to XAVC S 4K, Record Setting to 30p 100M. This generation’s 4K stops at 30p — 60p and the 120p slow-motion rate live in XAVC S HD. The 100M rate needs an SDXC card rated U3 by Sony’s own memory-card table; 60M and the HD rates ask for Class 10 / U1.

Decision 2

Log lives in a profile

MENU→Camera Settings1→Picture Profile

There is no Log Shooting menu, no Cine EI and no Flexible ISO on this body. Log is a Picture Profile: PP8 records S-Log3 with S-Gamut3.Cine, PP7 is S-Log2, PP10 is HLG2 for HDR. Exposure in log is set by hand; Gamma Disp. Assist (Setup) on Auto shows an S-Log3→709(800%) preview while the file stays flat.

Decision 3

Heat and battery, not a cap

MENU→Setup→Auto Power OFF Temp.

No 29:59 limit exists here — Sony puts the continuous ceiling near 13 hours. The real limits: the NP-FW50’s roughly 75 minutes of actual movie shooting per charge, and heat. Auto Power OFF Temp. set to High buys longer 4K sessions; Sony’s guide pairs High with a tripod warning, since a hand-held body run hot for a long time can cause low-temperature burns. A 64 GB card holds about 1 h 15 min at 30p 100M.

Try it now

Shoot one scene three ways — 4K finished color, PP8 with Gamma Disp. Assist, and HD 120p slow motion — and compare what each decision asks of you.