Book excerpt: With this book, author Alexander S. White provides users of the a6400 with a manual covering all aspects of the camera’s operation. Using a tutorial-like approach, the book shows beginning and intermediate photographers how to accomplish things with the a6400, and explains when and why to use the camera’s many features. The book provides details about the camera’s shooting modes as well as its menu options for shooting, playback, setup, video, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and special effects. The book covers the a6400’s ability to use its touch screen for focusing and enlarging images in some situations, its upgraded autofocus system, which includes automatic focusing on the eyes of humans or animals, and the camera’s wide range of options for assigning its control buttons, dial, and wheel to carry out photographic functions. The book includes more than 450 color photographs that illustrate the camera’s controls, display screens, and menus. The images include photographs taken using the a6400’s Scene mode, with settings optimized for subjects such as landscapes, sunsets, portraits, and action shots; and its Creative Style and Picture Effect menu options, with settings that alter the appearance of images. The book provides concise introductions to topics such as street photography and infrared photography, and explains how to use the camera’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features to transfer images to a smartphone or tablet, to control the camera from such a device, and to add location information to images. The book includes a full discussion of the video features of the a6400, which can shoot HD and 4K (ultra-HD) movies, with manual control of exposure and focus during recording. The book explains the camera’s numerous features for professional-level videography, including Picture Profiles that allow adjustment of settings such as gamma curve, black level, knee, and detail. The book describes steps for recording 4K video to an external video recorder using the “clean” video output from the camera’s HDMI port. In three appendices, the book discusses accessories for the a6400, including cases, power sources, remote controls, microphones and external flash units, and includes a list of websites and other resources for further information. The book includes an appendix with “quick tips” on how to take advantage of the camera’s features in the most efficient ways possible. This guide to the a6400 includes a detailed index, so the reader can quickly locate information about any particular feature or aspect of the camera.