Lynn Palmer Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 My experiment is at an end. I purchased a Sony NEX 6 about 6 months ago as a second camera to throw in a backpack or purse that would meet QC. I bought a second 55-210mm zoom, an LCD protector, spare battery, small camera bag and 3-yr warranty through Best Buy. It's a great little camera in near-new condition but I find it will never replace my 5DM2, especially for challenging low light conditions. I figure I'm not using the NEX 6 enough nor selling enough to warrant the investment so if anyone is interested PM me. As for QC, I figure I can always pick up a cheap iPhone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Surprised that you find it won't compete with a MkII in low light. The 16 megapixel sensor is widely used - in many forms by various brands - and for me, its main benefit has to be low light performance. It's the optical side which is the real weakness - the 55-210mm zoom is about equal to buying a 70-300mm basic Canon kit lens or the sort of 55-200mm which gets bundled with EOS 1000D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Sharpness has been fine but the noise has been more than an annoyance. With the 5D I can recover images in post but not so with the NEX. I've lost a great many images that might have been very good for stock. I'm sure it's in part user error but every time I ask myself which camera to sell, the answer is the same. Couple that with lackluster sales and I'm questioning my investment. I could use the money elsewhere and with the unrolling of Stockimo the need for a pocket camera is greatly diminished (although I probably won't participate unless and until an Android app is released). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Sorry to hear that you are not entirely happy with the NEX 6 Lynn. I have exactly the same combination of Nex 6 and 5D11, but I prefer the NEX because I can carry it all day, even around my neck when cycling, whereas the Canon and heavy lenses is like an albatross! I would agree with David that it's glass that Sony needs to attend to. For nearly all of my stock shooting I use the NEX with manual focus lenses, giving wall to wall sharpness, but if I want to photograph my grandson running around it has to be the Canon with the 24-105 and auto focus. Sony desperately needs an equivalent lens, in terms of both optical performance and price, and the recently announced Zeiss 16-70 does not appear to cut the mustard. Re high ISO performance, I can produce mega noise on both the 5D11 and the NEX if I try, but, used with a bit of care both cameras produce acceptable results. The Canon is particularly susceptible to shadow noise, and using Highlight Tone Priority is asking for trouble. Similarly I recall taking some shots with the NEX in an aeroplane in very contrasty light, when lifting the shadows produced appalling blobs of colour noise that I could not eliminate. Maybe it's just my level of ineptness, but trying to lighten shadows in LR4 using the brush tool is a recipe for disaster. In truth I've not done directly comparative tests, but my gut feeling is that the NEX does very well with its much smaller sensor and that the difference between the two cameras in this regard is not as great as the physical dimensions of the sensors would suggest. I have a got a number of ISO 1600 shots through QC here, taken with both cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I have no noise-control problems at all with the NEX-6. Before you could count to three I can correct all possible noise in LR5. I tend to shoot a lot at ISO800 and 1,600. Sharpness? I own and use the Sony Zeiss 24 f/1.8 most of the time. I think the problem is Florida; there is just too damn much sun down there and it's distorting your vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Bryan, I agree wholeheartedly with all you say, and I've been on the fence for a couple months regarding which camera to sell. The size and lightness of the Sony makes it a joy to work with. I do have problems with the Canon and shadow noise as well but the larger image file allows for more successful denoising and downsizing if necessary. Also, stock isn't my only photographic interest and I love working with the full frame images. A reasonable case can also be made for keeping the Sony and selling the Canon but I look at what I use the smaller camera for (mostly stock) and recent developments make the Sony somewhat redundant. After all, I can buy a cheap iphone or they will likely come out with an Android app...maybe. That new 16mp camera in the new Samsung Galaxy is even smaller than a Sony NEX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 I did mention low available light shots Ed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I've started shooting mainly in JPEG mode with my NEX-6. I find the in-camera noise control to be really effective. I just leave NR on "auto" and fire away. Haven't even noticed that much detail smearing (at least nothing to fret about) at higher ISO's. Would recommend giving it a try if you've only been shooting RAW with the NEX-6. I have a feeling that I'm going to be a JPEG junky from here on in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I've started shooting mainly in JPEG mode with my NEX-6. I find the in-camera noise control to be really effective. I just leave NR on "auto" and fire away. Haven't even noticed that much detail smearing (at least nothing to fret about) at higher ISO's. Would recommend giving it a try if you've only been shooting RAW with the NEX-6. I have a feeling that I'm going to be a JPEG junky from here on in. I've shot a few auto HDR photos of static scenes using the NEX, which default to JPG, but, to be honest, although they're not bad, I think that I've got better results messing around with raw files in LR and PS. One JPG in particular was significantly underexposed. Might have been due to my Luddite tendency to use old manual focus glass, but it didn't work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Initially I shot raw but when the results were iffy I switched to jpeg (selected the appropriate mode/scene) and ended up with nothing usable. I find the raw files to offer much better control. Don't get me wrong, the NEX is compact and it takes a nice daylit picture but what I prefer are shots taken indoors, at sunrise, sunset and after dark. I've been carrying both cameras for several months and purposely shoot the same scene with both and consistently prefer the image from the full frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I rarely use the picture effect/scene modes when shooting JPEG with the NEX-6. Rather, I just work the way I used to with my old film cameras, trying to get all the settings right in-camera. I'll also sometimes take several shots at different exposures if possible and experiment with using the DRO, different white balances, etc. Most of my JPEGs are perfectly useable, and actually look better than some RAW files that I spent ages fiddling with. A side benefit of this approach is that I'm getting to know the camera much better than I did when using RAW only. I also feel that I'm fully benefiting from all that fancy Sony technology that I paid for. Some of it is pretty cool, and some of it isn't. Perhaps I'll change my mind down the road. But right now I'm finding the switch to JPEG quite liberating. I do use JPEG+RAW in tricky lighting but usually end up working with the JPEGs nonetheless. P.S. The weather in Vancouver is so gloomy these days that I'm not shooting in either RAW or JPEG. Hopefully, spring is just around the corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 My experiment is at an end. I purchased a Sony NEX 6 about 6 months ago as a second camera to throw in a backpack or purse that would meet QC. I bought a second 55-210mm zoom, an LCD protector, spare battery, small camera bag and 3-yr warranty through Best Buy. It's a great little camera in near-new condition but I find it will never replace my 5DM2, especially for challenging low light conditions. I figure I'm not using the NEX 6 enough nor selling enough to warrant the investment so if anyone is interested PM me. As for QC, I figure I can always pick up a cheap iPhone. I had the same NEX combo that you did and I was not impressed with the Nex 6 in low light either and even for outdoors in less that perfect light. I'm spoiled by the IQ of full frame and a fast prime. I had found my Fuji XE1 and XPRO1,x100s to fare better in low light. I currently have the bigger Sony RX10 as a walk around purse camera but at 1600 is not bad. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 I bought the NEX to have a compact camera capable of meeting QC requirements that I could throw in my purse. It's a nice little camera that would be perfect for most stock photographers. But I want a camera that can handle more and my stock sales just don't support the investment. Now that Alamy is opening the door to cell phone photography there is no reason for me to keep the NEX. I want to upgrade my phone this year but I'm holding off on purchasing an iphone in the hopes they will come out with an Android app. The new Samsung Galaxy has some powerful features including a 16mp camera, in-camera HDR and it's even waterproof. I know the 5DM2 does have some issues with noise in the shadows but it was the best full frame I could afford and I picked up an EF 50mm f1.4 lens recently. I hope to be able to upgrade the body sometime in the next year, perhaps a 5DM3. I'll also consider the new Sony or possibly even one of the two Nikons. I won't waste time shopping until the cash is in my hand though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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