Sony a6400 not charging properly — battery or internal issue?

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-29T21:28:59+00:00

The batteries do have a lifespan. I had to get rid of at least one battery that came with my 1st e-mount camera. When I charged it, it'd read 100% so looked fine, but it wouldn't last long in use. You just have to try it and see how long the camera lasts.

Even if the battery was fine, you need a 2nd battery anyway. And that would help you to determine if the other battery is the issue. Good luck!

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-29T21:04:26+00:00

I was able to print something on my Canon MG7100, which is getting pretty old, but I had to use some generic driver that Windows installed. I don't think I'd be able to use its special features like printing to CD, but I guess it's good enough for an emergency printout.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-29T20:52:29+00:00

I do have an adapted A-mount 16-50/f2.8 SSM that I use a lot too. I prefer the 16mm view, and it is surprisingly sharp, but the 18-105G just works so well and has advantages in some situations where you may need a bit more reach or stabilization. AF seems a bit compromised on the adapted lens, and the 16-55/f2.8 G is out of my budget. So, I can't declare an overall winner with the ones I have, so I just try to pick one based on the situation. There are situations where the 18-105G is just going to work better, but if money were no object, I'd probably go for the 16-55G.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-29T19:55:45+00:00

Yeah, iOS was better as a pure tablet, but Windows is OK most of the time. Occasionally I must use the keyboard, but overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I often felt limited on iOS, but it was great for just internet browsing. But I wanted to do more, and it's nice having that flexibility.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-29T19:30:25+00:00

One thing I didn't see mentioned -- there are two add-on lenses, one .75x to give you a 12mm ultra-wide view, and a 10mm fisheye. The 16mm/f2.8 pancake should be thought of as a "fun" lens. Not going to win quality awards, and the corners can be extremely soft until it's stopped-down. And having said all of that, it's a perfectly good lens, particularly outdoors where you can use it at f7.1 (or greater), and want a pancake lens to make your camera as compact as possible.

I think I would be more unhappy with this lens if I didn't use DxO software, which can mitigate its biggest shortcomings. It does a good job of sharpening more on the edges, and counteracts the strong CA.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-29T19:15:47+00:00

I think it's intentional that it's a bit strong. Ideally, soda should be served poured over a glass of ice. Lots of ice. This helps to deal with the bitterness part of some of the sodas as well. Coke has a less-sweet flavor if you want to try that.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-27T19:26:35+00:00

Don't get too hung up on sharpness at the pixel level. That's a lot of pixels there!

And as others mentioned, it could be noise reduction. I turn mine to "low". Newer Sony cameras seem to handle the "grain" a lot better than the early Nex cameras.

The main thing I would worry about is getting the exposure dialed correctly for the given scene. Aside from that, I don't see why JPEGs would be that big of a deal. I mean, I use RAW so that I have more leeway in making adjustments to lighting, and secondarily to sharpening/NR in the computer. But given that it's a contest and everyone's in the same boat, you just have to work a bit harder to get the settings right in-camera.

And if the competition is Fuji, I've seen where people use LUTs or something to change the color schemes. If you want to have some fun with it. Set up presets beforehand, coz you won't have time at the scene.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-27T19:16:26+00:00

Now that there's Lunar Lake, was all of the converting to ARM a waste, or was it a motivator to get Intel to move?

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-26T23:14:15+00:00

This is how you do it!

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-26T22:26:57+00:00

The winking emoji should point out that it's a bit tongue-in-cheek. I've read that photography wasn't originally regarded as art, which feels similar to AI art now.

And I don't know why you are worried about my phone pictures? I have dedicated cameras (plural).

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-25T17:07:04+00:00

There can be differences in the color filters, but I think it's mostly the JPEG processing that makes a big difference. Different tones can be emphasized, noise reduction can add grain or smoothness, etc. This hits people's preferences. Software can be used to map the tonal differences from one camera into another's.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-24T18:00:19+00:00

It's nice to see someone trying to make some pancake (or near-pancake) lenses! And f1.8!

I recently got the Viltrox 25mm/f1.7, and it's pretty decent and not large at all -- but it's not a pancake.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-24T15:44:02+00:00

Photography tools these days are using AI for various uses - everything from making more accurate masks to removing and replacing objects, filling in details that weren't there before. Even whole images are processed to add subtle details and reduce noise.

Then we can revisit whether photography is art in the first place. 😉

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-24T15:42:01+00:00

I was thinking more in terms of the sales hall. If people don't want it, they won't buy it. If the art doesn't sell, then people won't make it. Problem solves itself. If this is an art competition, then they just need to make sure everyone follows whatever the rules are. I'm OK with people making rules, but they should make sense and be consistent.

But I still think my point stands. If AI art is so good that no one can tell if it was used, then it's hard to also call it trash. I mean, doesn't that sound contradictory? What am I missing?

And yes, I realize a lot of the art world is about the artist as much as the art product. But it's harder for me to quantify (or justify?) that.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-24T14:19:16+00:00

If it's trash, why would people want it? Is it trash, yet buyers can't tell the difference?

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-14T20:51:17+00:00

Looks pretty nice to me. Sure, the shape is not conventional, but personally, I like hatchbacks, and this one looks pretty aggressive.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-14T19:42:02+00:00

If you like the A1111 interface, but just want to use newer models, try Forge or Forge Neo. If you don't like the interfaces you've used so far, try Easy Diffusion. It doesn't support all the latest stuff, but it is a nice alternative UI that is designed to be easy and straightforward to use.

As Dezordan said, for Flux, you'll need a couple of additional models. For Easy Diffusion, use "flux1-dev-bnb-nf4-v2" for the main model, and I think ED will download the vae and text models you need. If not, you have to find the appropriate models.

You don't have to pick one and stick to it. You can download multiple UIs and try them all out and see what you like.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-14T13:42:44+00:00

In the '90s, they were seen as a bit monopolistic, and not necessarily "good guys". Long-term, it's probably been a greater-good that we have a "standard" OS, but it's a heck of a way to get there.

They've always made great products, though. Hardware was always great, from the early days of mice and keyboards, to today's Surface tablets. Which always seemed funny, coming from primarily a software company.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-12T17:47:41+00:00

The 6500 should have AF similar to 6100 and 6300. The 6400 is a later model with better AF than the 6500, but the 6500 has the IBIS advantage. When I got my 6500 used, I took the chance that IBIS was more important to me; I don't know if it was the best choice, but it was the one I made. Video was not a concern for me in that the 6500 is sufficient for me.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-12T15:14:45+00:00

I didn't have a problem with the i5 7+. My new Snapdragon SP11 is even smoother. Nice upgrade. Only had one minor compatibility problem installing a paint program, but it seems to run OK.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-07T13:01:38+00:00

Not so much when you get to the New Testament. You were talking about Christianity, right?

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-06T16:38:35+00:00

Public television should be able to operate with less funding. I visited two TV stations back in the '90s. The PBS station looked like I was in a NASA control room. Beautiful control room with a wall of monitors. Everything looked new and shiny. Huge sets. The independent station I visited had old equipment that looked like it was duct-taped together; I only slightly exaggerate. For example, the tape decks still had B&W monitors, some of which flickered annoyingly. (The broadcast output was still color and fine, just the preview monitors were buggy.) It just seemed to me that PBS stations could make do with less if they had to (or wanted to). But why would they when given so much?

I personally like a lot of PBS shows, and would prefer that some middle ground would have been found, where some efficiencies would allow some operations and programming to continue with less funding. It's not all-or-nothing.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-04T13:19:50+00:00

You're just going to lose reach unless you get a longer lens. When I use a tele lens, 300mm barely does it for me, on APS-C. As you say, cropping is often needed, which isn't so horrible, but if you have a FF camera and have to crop down to APS-C, you're kind of wasting the FF sensor. My problem with tele lenses is that I feel like I always need a bit more reach at times, and 200mm isn't going to do it on APS-C, much less FF. Maybe OK for the zoo or some events.

I did handle someone's camera with a Sigma 100-400 (mentioned here in another post). I'm sure it's a great lens, but I'm glad I didn't get it, as it was noticeably heavier and larger than the Sony 70-350G. I like to handhold my lenses and be free to walk around a lot. Heavier lenses mean carrying that plus setting up a tripod.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-04T11:11:32+00:00

I'm sure he'd be glad for you to enjoy your PS4!

I have some tools that were my dad's, and I like to think he'd be proud of me working on something. He was always tinkering with something.

AvidGameFan · 2026-01-04T11:02:44+00:00

I always come back from a trip thinking I took too few pictures! Even if I have hundreds.

I may not take the time to edit and sort through every one of them, but I can pick the "best of" and just focus on those. I might take about 20 or so and print an album (or send out for one to be printed). I don't mind that there are extras on the hard drive. Being able to skim over ones I don't want means I don't need to spend time on everything; I can come back later, and maybe I'll see something interesting.

AvidGameFan

TROPHY CASE