Sony HX400V Review 

You are welcome Louise. They are ideal for wildlife and a lot lighter to carry around all day than a DSLR.

First of all. All these years later thanks so much for the reply. I'm looking at getting this sony next week second hand. They are very expensive in South africa.. Do you think it's still a decent camera to purchase in 2020 for amateur level hobby grade photography.

Thanks Alex. Hope the info helped :-)

Great. Enjoy the camera. The Sony colours are nice and faithful if you get the white balance right.

Robbie and Gary lucky u bro ohh I want one to 😔

Did you have the E:62:10 error on any of your hx's?

@@EE-pe8br Yes, I had it fixed, the zoom needs to be repaired with that message, works fine now.

@@RobbieAndGaryGardeningEasy do you maybe know what caused the problem (maybe have dropped the camera?), how fid you fix it and what did it cost you?

Thanks Dave, appreciated :-) If you do get the HX400V enjoy using it.

Glad you like the camera John. It is good value for money on the whole.

Hi John, did you have the E:62:10 error on your sony hx?

@@EE-pe8br Hi Steve, I don't have the error , everything works perfectly. Here a link from someone who googled the internet about the malfunction sony-e-62-10.atspace.cc/

@@john-moes I am happy to hear that, thanks for replying.

You are welcome.

How Cani detected microphone the camera

Yes it is strange. I tried to do an image of the moon with camera on a tripod and the IBIS tries to compensate and drifts about-impossible to get the shot!

@@koolkutz7 Yes thanks from me too - I was just about to buy one of these, but not being able to get the moon is a deal breaker, cheers.

Yes this camera is quite dated now but has a good optical zoom lens for wildlife. Phone camera are ok for general photos but not suitable for wildlife really as zoom is digital not optical

You're welcome. Enjoy using the camera if you own it.

Yes they are a decent walkabout camera for everyday use. Enjoy.

Dead Cat! Yes I got an angry dog growling at my microphone recently too, a bit embarrassing! The filters are reasonably priced; I use Hoya ones mostly & they are good. Depending on what you like to photograph I would consider a DSLR or even Mirrorless camera system over a 'Bridge' camera. And of course it depends on your budget.

No problem. They are decent walkabout cameras when you don't want to carry lots of heavy DSLR gear.

You are welcome-enjoy using it :-)

Thanks, appreciated :-)

No, because there is not a mic port on this camera.

No, you simply just place it onto the hotshoe on top of the camera, no wires needed. The camera automatically recognizes you have the microphone attached :-)

Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

Yes the 50X optical zoom is impressive.

Yes I think you summed it up well. It is a good all-rounder with decent features and it is a lighter than carrying a huge telephoto lens round all day! (even if the image quality is not as good).

​ Steve Ferneyhough Thank you again for your review. You were very thorough. I see you have a mic for this camera. Would you produce a microphone test video with it using your voice? Just curious how the microphone performs on this camera and how the camera settings adjust for it. Because of the camera's wide angle lens, I wonder if it would be good for close up interviews - or for "run and gun" testimonial videos - assuming you had a decent shotgun mic?

I have actual sold that particular microphone now but maybe I have some footage using it. I found it to be okay but but really amazing performance-seems a bit overpriced to me. It might be okay though for testimonial type work but don't expect it to be super clear. On other cameras I now use the Rode Video Mic Pro (the one with the rycote cradle) & a Rode 'deadcat' furry cover on and that is very good; clear with nice depth to it.

​@@koolkutz7 Thanks for the quick response. I do have a Rode NGT2 and Video Micro - they both sound great. Just curious about a lightweight mic to use on this camera for those run-and-gun testimonials. Take care and have a great day!

Yes the image quality is decent throughout the optical zoom range. The clear-image zoom loses some quality and I never use digital zoom anyway. The image quality should be similar to the P900 as they have the same size sensor.

@@koolkutz7 thanks so much for the reply. I'm hoping to pick up a second hand one next week.. I've been reading alot of people complaining about the e62 10 error so I'm worried about the reliability of the camera. It's a lot of money for me

@@thebigaverage-jordanspeck9045 no problem. I think the error is common with that model where the temperature warning symbol comes on I think, mine was okay but didn't have the camera that long. Maybe also look at the Panasonic FZ330 or FZ82, I am very happy with both of those and no faults so far.

Great. Glad you liked the video. It produces some nice images, particularly in good light.

Sorry I can only speak English if you have a question. Thanks

It comes with 16gb card

Yes it has lots of good features.

You might be better buying a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera for RU-vid videos. Such as canon M50 or Panasonic g7 or an Olympus Pen with a kit lens. I bet used ones would be reasonably priced too.

Yes the Sony certainly gives you a lot more telephoto zoom range. Maybe also have a look at the Panasonic FZ80/82; I own it and it's pretty decent for stills and can shoot 4K video-it has a 20-1200mm zoom range.

@@koolkutz7 thanks a lot for your reply, I will check the FZ80/82 as well

It wasn't a real dead cat...honest :-)

Nice authentic roadkill hues on that one 👍🏼

To take pictures of the moon put camera on full optical zoom, Manual Mode, ISO 200, F6.3, 1/250th sec shutter speed, White balance-either Daylight or Custom 4000K, make sure steady shot is ON, then take the picture, review & adjust ISO up/down to lighten darken.

Far play steve great review and very helpfull

If you are shooting on the full AUTO mode indoors then the camera might automatically try to raise the ISO so you will get 'grainy' (blotchy) looking images. Yes, try using the pop-up flash indoors or some decent LED lights etc. Hope that helps.

Yes the strange floating drives you nuts, espesially when you want to work on a tripod, the images drifts around; as you say, surely it would be easy to put an 'off' option in the camera. I have a Panasonic FZ330 & that has the option to turn it completely off!

@@koolkutz7 Hm, I just bought one 2nd hand, because of all the .. investment in reading and Sony fan. But this weird thing of not being able to turn off the stabilisation is ... not o.k. Tad Tamura speaks about a firmware undate: a. is this possible, b. if yes: have you experience and if so, which are the results, stabilisation ordered? Thanks for reading my question.

It does improve the audio somewhat but being Sony brand I feel it is a bit overpriced for what it is. The advantage is that it's easy to use; simply place on hotshoe and it works-no wires dangling down by camera.

Hello! I'm thinking of buying him one now sh2, it's still worth a 2023 or the phones take pictures so well that there's no point anymore, I'd like to use it to photograph birds but also people and vacations

Even modern cell phones can't replace having a 50x or 60x or 60x lens that you get with a bridge camera. Sony HX400V HX300 Canon SX60 SX540 SX50 SX70 All good units

I would probably buy the Nikon D5300 as it has a bigger sensor and will produce clearer images, especially at higher ISO settings. It is easy to use as you can try auto and scene modes to begin with, then try other advanced settings as you get more experience/confidence.

Thanks for your interest and question. It is difficult for me to answer that as I have never used an iPhone or Pixel camera. I believe that camera phones are getting better due to doing computational photography. The one advantage of using a Bridge camera from Sony (or any camera like this) is the ability to use a powerful optical zoom rather than a digital zoom typically found on a camera phone. The image quality on this Sony is pretty good up to about 400 ISO but then does get grainy, especially in low light situations. The only other option is to buy a camera with a larger sensor for better image quality overall-it all depends what you like to photograph the most.

@@koolkutz7 Thank you very much Steve. Quite happy that you managed to reply!!;) To be honest, I'm not a professional photographer. Use my mobile phone camera to capture pictures of food and trips. Was getting married next year and would be going to Bali for honeymoon. So thought of getting a nice camera. I just wanted to be sure if the camera will do a better job than my phone.

i click photos with this camera and my phone, looo them and you'll get your answer Instagram @indiahv

I only noticed a bit of an improvement when shooting with this mic outdoors. I find that just sticking a bit of foam over the internal mic can work ok to combat wind noise too.

It's the official Sony gz1-m www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras-microphones/ecm-gz1m

@@koolkutz7 Thank you very much!

@@koolkutz7 Hi. I'm from Brazil and my english is not good yet. I found your video and I really want to find this microphone. can you tell me if i can find it here in Brazil? I want to buy this camera to make videos for RU-vid. Do you recommend ?

@@liliamcordara5070 Hello Liliam. Have a look on the official Sony website for the microphone-not sure if you can buy it in Brazil or not-it costs about £70 in UK. If you want to make videos for RU-vid of yourself there are better cameras out there as you can't turn the screen round to see yourself. Maybe the Panasonic FZ330 (called the FZ300 in some regions) would be better value as you can turn the screen all the way round and it is touchscreen (the Sony is NOT), and you can plug any 3.5mm mic into it too. I own the Panasonic too & it has nice 4K video quality, the Sony is only 1080p. Hope that helps.

Another question: Do all the microphone functions work both GUN and ZOOM? I don't have the ZOOM function working on this microphone. The system says that this device is not supported. Can there be any nuance?

I think you would have to use a rig or bracket that attaches underneath via the tripod thread since the Sony mi relies on the hotshoe on top.

I get my filters from various online shops such as Amazon, SRB Photographic, Premier Ink, WEX etc (UK). The autofocus will struggle in low light (as do most cameras). The problem is you have to push the ISO setting up high which reduces the image quality. And of course you probably want a fast shutter speed for martial arts/action shots so even less light! You will need at least 1/500th or faster to 'freeze' the action or maybe try flash, even though shutter speed will reduce the flash will freeze the action.

You can create blurry water effects on this camera but you need 2 things to achieve it; 1. a sturdy tripod. 2. an ND (neutral density) filter-it helps block out sunlight and slow the shutter speed down to make the water look blurry. First, put camera on tripod; set the Mode dial on top of camera to M (manual). Get your screw-in ND Filter (maybe an ND8) which should be 55mm diameter and put it onto front on lens. Now look at the screen on camera and set aperture about F5.6, shutter speed to about 4 seconds. Set the ISO to about 100. Try this on a brook, stream or waterfall. Now set the self-timer to 2 seconds, press shutter and review the image. If it looks too dark try longer shutter speed, if it's too light try shorter shutter speed, maybe 2 seconds, or a darker ND filter ND16-or you can buy a variable ND filter which dials in the darkness easy. Hope this helps a bit-there are lots of YT video on this subject too.

this may be silly but i have always used this as a point and shoot and have enjoyed the results but i have a sturdy tripod and an ND filter although i gave all these i don't know how to set shutter speed to 4 seconds and i can't set aperture or even how to set up the ISO. i'm trying with this camera to do more manual photography and thought this to be the best camera to start me off.

@@emilystarring5504 Okay. So there is a circular MODE dial on top of camera with different letters on it, P A S M etc. Turn the dial to S to set the shutter speed. To change shutter speed turn dial on back of camera until it reads 4sec or 4". To set ISO press MENU button, scroll down camera menu by using the up/down pad then set ISO to either 80 or 100.. Then do all the other steps as described in my last reply.

The filter thread size on this camera is 55mm. I have bought various filters from Amazon, Premier Ink & SRB Photographic (I am based in the UK). Get a multicoated (HMC) UV filter for protection first and leave it on most of the time.

Steve Ferneyhough thanks

55mm and the Polaroid / Neewer are under £20 on amazon and brilliant

Not sure I can help with that one, never happened to me on that camera. Have you tried using a different memory card in case the one that is inserted is full or become corrupted?

It did not happen on mine but I know someone who has suffered the same thing, must be very frustrating!

Yes it is very frustrating. One minute you have a great camera and the next you have this dreaded Sony error message that I now find is common to Sony cameras and your camera is now difficult to use and hard to focus and stabilise. What is worse is the high cost if repair. I would never buy another Sony camera.

@@philmont606 do you know why you got e:62:10 error? Have you dropped your camera or something similar?

Hi Gary. I bought it off Amazon UK. It was only about £5 and is very comfortable, if a little long!

I'm not sure because it uses the special Sony hotshoe on top of the camera not a cable that you plug in so it's doubtful.

The fluffy deadcat cover was homemade from a dog toy I purchased from my local discount store called B&M Bargains here in the UK. To change the microphone levels on this camera you have to enter the menu (about page 5 I think-not sure I have not got the camera anymore), then scroll down to option that says 'Micref Level' and choose low, medium or high etc.

No Jim it does not have a microphone port. That's why you have to use the official Sony one that connects directly onto the hotshoe (no wires required) as shown in my video; it costs about £70 (UK).

I don't know sorry, I have only ever used the official Sony mic that goes on the hotshoe.

@@koolkutz7 Ok, thank u Steve.

It is not great in low light and/or when you use higher ISO settings. You might find the Sony RX100 is better.

The rx100 would be better but the problem is the rx100 overheating problems however the hx 400 does not overheat it's pretty good I've used it up to 29 minutes no problems

To blur the background the camera need to be quite close to your subject and the background far away and use the lens at the telephoto setting, maybe 300mm plus.

Thank u Steve. Will try the way u said. Love to see some more of yr Sony hx400v close up pics.

Thanks Shea. The Sony is okay for shooting amateur stuff like family and holidays etc but evn though I have never used the Canon C100 it would be much better video quality than the Sony because it has a much larger super 35mm sensor and a host of professional features. Obviously you would have to buy the appropriate Canon EF mount lenses to which will be more expensive and add bulk/weight. What sort of short films do you want to make?

@@koolkutz7 Hi Steve, at the moment its final year college shorts but i intend to keep filming after college is finished. I wanted a camera that would do me for a few years to make half hour shorts and documentaries. If possible not too bulky. It was suggested to me buy a second hand higher quality camera such as the Canon c100 or similar, but i'm a little hesitant about a used one regarding how much use did it get etc. Any suggestions you have would be much appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

It was a homemade one from a dog chew toy!

@@koolkutz7 Ok

Hi Bill. I'm not sure about that sorry. I have just looked in my Sony brochure but it just lists 3 microphones that fit directly onto the hotshoe like the one I show in the video. Best to check the Sony website for compatibility.

Thanks for the reply steve, How old is your camera? you posted the review in 2017, but some review's that I've seen have been fron as far back as 2014. Regards, Bill.

Hi Bill. I purchased mine early 2017, but yes I think it came out a few years ago and as far as I am aware Sony has not replaced/upgraded this model.

Yes that is the one. It simply goes straight onto the hotshoe on top of camera, no wires needed 🙂

Yes the trouble with this camera is that it only has a tiltable screen. Maybe you could do what Camera Conspiricies does by placing a mirror behind the camera facing back at you so you can see a reflection of the screen.

@@koolkutz7 thanks!!!

No I haven't sorry. I have only used a Manfrotto micro tripod but a gimbal would be better for stability for sure 🙂

I think this is a common error with this camera model that has been reported by some users. Not sure how to fix it though.

The video quality is quite good, clear with decent colours. It shoots up to 1080 Full HD. It did not have any overheating issues, but I tend to only take small video clips, maybe 1-2 mins at a time. And yes, unfortunately, the screen only tilts, so no selfie option!

@@koolkutz7 thank you. What memory card should I get for it?

I would probably buy a Sandisk 32GB Extreme Pro 95Mb Class 10 UHS 3, that way it will cope with high speed burst photos and Full HD video no problem.

@@koolkutz7 thank you

@@koolkutz7 im getting this camera tomorrow snd im veeery excited and hsppy about it... can u plz do a part two of this camera when ever u can plz also i paid 10 pound more then u did how was yours cheaper

You need the Sony Gun zoom microphone ECM-GZ1M (same as mine) & it slots onto the hotshoe on top of camera, no other wires needed.

@@koolkutz7 thanku for ur valuable suggestions sir Actually I have to record message from 20 meters so I have recieve wire from amplifier to plug in mic to camera so what type of gadgets I required

@@Prudhvirajparicherla I don't think you will be able to then with that camera as it has no mic port.

@@koolkutz7 sir, that sony gun zoom microphone is somuch expencive ...there is any other alternate option in economic

You don't need to plug in the microphone. You simply place it on the flash hotshoe on top of camera & it connects automatically.

So what If I will use boya mic.?

No converters needed. Simply place the Sony microphone on the hotshoe on top of camera & it works automatically.

There is no mic port but you can use the Sony microphone as featured in my video. Just place it straight onto the hotshoe and it works fine.

If you connect the external mic it automatically syncs with camera and you get the audio from that mic, not the internal mic when editing (in other words-just one audio track, not 2).

great so no syning is needed? and thanks for responding Steve

It is a Sony one. Sorry, not sure exactly which model but I think they are listed on Sony's official website. It costs approx £20-£25.

I think it sounds like the way you are viewing the images in playback mode on the screen. You can usually toggle through various viewing options; so when you have taken a photo and then press PLAY, the image is displayed, right? If you press something like the 'INFO' button (can't quite remember) it will display the image with/without text or whatever. Sometimes you need to press it several times to cycle through the options. Hope that helps.

Gee thanks! @@koolkutz7 That did it! :-) I knew it had to be simple but it baffled me for two days!

@@jackgj3771 Glad you worked it out. Enjoy!

It is the LCS-U11 Soft Carrying Case -about £20 approx.

@@koolkutz7 thanks

It is harder to blur out the background on this type of camera due to the smaller sensor. What may help is taking the photo on a long zoom, 20x or 30x and place your subject near to the camera and the background further away from your subject-this helps to get some background blur a bit anyway.

Not sure sorry, it was a while ago!

The max film quality is 1080p (Full HD) at 50p. I think you can do lower too at 720p etc

@@koolkutz7 brilliant thanks bud. It's a good camera I think so I'll be after one next couple of weeks.

@@wildsolitude101 Enjoy using it :-)

@@koolkutz7 hope your channel continues to grow. Good work mate

@@wildsolitude101 Thanks, appreciated :-)

Yes, use the zoom lens at about 5x at least then choose the max aperture available, then have your model near to you but far away from the background if possible.

Hi Bill. Sorry but I have sold mine now so I can't go and look for you. Also I don't know if the ECM-W1M mic will work on it sorry. Maybe someone out there has the answer. You could go on Sony's website and there should be a camera-accessory compatibility chart.

It can be tricky to lock focus on these cameras at full zoom, especially when there is low contrast or bland scenes. Try pressing the shutter halfway locked onto a strong contrasting subject with edges, then holding the shutter re-compose and take the image. Failing that, you can switch to manual focus (on side of lens barrel), then use the focus peaking (bright colours shimmer on screen) & that tells you where the camera is focusing.

Steve Ferneyhough cheers mate 👍

You are welcome-sorry I didn't reply earlier, must have missed you original comment. Have fun with your camera. Feel free to ask if you get any other issues.

Not sure if there is a zoom option available. For filters I use camera shops online that I use and trust. I find Hoya are a good brand.

@@koolkutz7Thanks. See for remote-zoom: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mTPBfOmzmzg.html. Your remote in film: shutter.

The zoom lens range is 20mm-1200mm (in 35mm terms) which is a 50X optical zoom. I don't know if they have fixed that error-best to check the official Sony website.

No, the problem is unfortunately not fixed yet

I think it is 50p in PAL. Check on Sony website for confirmation.

To be honest I have no idea. I am not even aware you could plug it in to an external battery. Sorry I can't help more with that.

You can place a microphone on the 'multi-interface' hotshoe but it probably has to be the official Sony one-I don't know if there are any thirds party compatible mic's. be aware also that the camera does not have a mic port.

Not sure what you mean by rotating ring, but the dial on the back usually controls the aperture or shutter speed depending on what mode you are in; there is a toggle switch on top of camera near shutter button that controls zoom; a side-lever controls zoom (but can be changed) and a rotating ring on the lens that usually contols the focus manually.

I am not sure as I don't tend to do longer than 1-2 minute clips. Maybe the file size reached the maximum then it starts a new file.

www.sony.co.uk/electronics/handycam-camcorders-microphones-speakers/ecm-gz1m

Yes here is the link: www.proav.co.uk/sony-ecm-gz1m-zoom-microphone-for-cameras-with-multi-interface-shoe

@@koolkutz7 thankyou

The microphone you need is here in the link (shown in my video): www.ebuyer.com/801399-sony-ecm-gz1m-gun-zoom-microphone-for-handycam-camera-accessories-at-ebuyer-ecmgz1m-syh?msclkid=8b55fa08089118e53f499b571c05125f&PLAs%7C%7CBing%7C%7CPhoto%7C%7CAccessories%20%26%20Lenses%7C%7CMedium&PLAs%7C%7CPhoto%7C%7CCamera%20and%20Camcorder%20Accessories

@@koolkutz7 thank full

You see the microphone in the video-simply slide it onto the hotshoe and the camera automatically recognises it, very easy no problems.

I don't think you can I'm afraid. You could set the micref (microphone) level to LOW in the menu or maybe place a bit of foam over the mic to muffle it a bit. I had the same problem and it drives you nuts!

I can't quite remember as I don't own the camera anymore. Maybe check out the official Sony website for further info.

@@koolkutz7 can i ask why you dont own it anymore?

@@EE-pe8br I wanted to opgrade the video quality to 4K so I purchased a Panasonic FZ82. The Sony only shoots Full HD video.

Hi Avash. If you mean blurring the background then it is a bit harder with this type of camera. You have to use the telephoto end of the zoom, have your subject quite close to you and the background further away if possible. For better focus separation you need a camera with a bigger sensor like a DSLR.

I mean pixels

The viewfinder is not that great to be honest, but clear enough to compose when needed.

Thanks