Sony NEX 6 Review At Cameralabs

Sony NEX 6 sample movie: continuous AF from Gordon Laing on Vimeo.

Cameralabs posted their [shoplink 14167]Sony NEX 6 (price & specs)[/shoplink] review. In the verdict they write:

For the first time the NEX series has a lens which perfectly complements its diminutive proportions. The E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS power zoom is small, lightweight and provides two zoom controls, the second of which also serves as a manual focus ring. With a 24mm super wide-angle extending to 75mm equivalent portrait length, it’s an excellent stabilised ‘standard’ zoom that doesn’t prevent you dropping the NEX-6 into your coat pocket.

But probably the biggest development is the addition of Wi-Fi connectivity coupled with downloadable apps that allow you to add to and extend the camera’s features. This is a very exctiing development indeed, and one which means that the camera is no longer limited to the set of features it left the factory with. Currently there are eight apps available for the NEX-6, but I’d expect to see app availablity expand over the coming months and years as new NEX models also incorporate this feature. Those apps will hopefully extend the ability of the NEX range to communicate with a wider range of social networks and photo sharing sites as well as adding new creative photography features.

The review comes with lots of samples and videos. Check it out!

Sony NEX 6 price and availability check: [shopcountry 14167] [via cameralabs]

Back To The Past: Minolta Lens Test With A77 by Michael Merto

Minolta Glass – Beercan from Michael Merto on Vimeo.

Michael Merto realized the video to showcase the performance of this old (but still amazing) Minolta glass, aptly named “The Beercan”:

The “Beercan” is probably the most well known of Minolta’s first generation AF glass. It is heavy. 70-210mm and a constant f4 is a pretty nice feature set considering ebay prices go around $150 US dollars. The autofocus is driven by the camera’s in-body motor and the glass is propelled by a screw. The zooming is in body so the barrel doesn’t extend as you zip across the range. It’s pretty long though and looks obscene mounted on the a77 without a grip. It’s sharp from around 5.6. The focus ring is narrow and not the best for full-time manual adjusting.

He used a [shoplink 8461]Sony A77 (price & specs)[/shoplink] with the Minolta.

The Beercan – Image credit: Michael Merto

Be sure to check the pics Michael shot with the Minolta 70-210mm f/4, and use slidoo.com to look for the lens on eBay.

Review: Minolta MD 50mm f/2 And Sony NEX-6 (thru RainbowImaging Adapter)

Jay at Sonyalphalab posted a nice review about using the Minolta MD 50mm f/2 lens with a [shoplink 14167]Sony NEX-6 (price & specs)[/shoplink]. Try out slidoo.com to easily find the lens at a bargain price. To use the Minolta with the NEX-6 a RainbowImaging adapter was used (click here to see it on Amazon).

The Minolta is a good old school lens. Jay writes:

Minolta MD Old School lenses are in another league of build quality compared to what we see today. They are heavier, beefier, simpler, and engineering excellence in my opinion. The fact that this lens is so old and it still works flawlessly is a sure sign of a well made product. It also means it was well maintained and not left in a garage somewhere for years.

The really cool thing is the focus peaking feature of the NEX-6. As Jay puts it:

As I said above in the into, the fully manual Minolta MD 50mm f/2 Lens is an absolute blast to use on the Sony Nex-6 thanks to the Focus Peaking feature!! It makes manual focusing cake, and I could not stop taking pictures of stuff in total newbie amazement

Be sure to check the pic he shot with the NEX-6 & Minolta 50mm combo (there are a lot of them to see).

Sony NEX-6 price check: [shopcountry 14167]

Shot with the NEX-6 and the Minolta 50mm. Image credits: sonyalphalab
[via sonyalphalab]

Yet Another Sony RX1 Review

Good morning Ladies and Gentleman. Sony’s little full frame gem gets review after reviews. The [shoplink 15824]Sony RX1 (price & specs)[/shoplink], the world’s smallest digital full-frame camera, and its high quality 35mm f/2.0 Carl Zeiss T* coated lens are getting all the rage by photographers looking out for superior image quality in a compact body.  This time I feature a (short) video by digitalcameraworld. If you prefer to read, they have a transcript of the video.

Have also a look at the cute Gariz leather half cases for the Sony RX1!

Sony RX1 price check: [shopcountry 15824] [via DCW]

Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS First Impressions

Image courtesy: Matthew Durr Photography

After having used Nikkor AI lenses for a long time with his [shoplink 8454]Sony Nex7 (price & specs)[/shoplink], photographer Matthew Durr decided to get an E-mount lens and bought a [shoplink 6422]Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS[/shoplink]. He writes:

So far, I’m liking what I’m seeing. Wide-open, there’s a bit of softness, but it doesn’t detract from images at normal viewing sizes in any way. Focus seems to be mostly consistent: using flexible spot at the center, focus is usually spot-on. […] For focus speed, I’d say it’s about twice as fast as the time it takes for me to find focus manually with my Nikkors (on static objects). […]

What I am loving without a doubt on the 35mm f/1.8 is the OSS. Not only does it help give another few stops of shutter speed advantage in low light and make handheld video smooth as silk (which I already knew it would do), but it makes composing photographs surprisingly easier! Framing can be much tighter when using the 35mm f/1.8; small movements which would translate to a jerk in the liveview with a non-OSS lens move the picture around very slowly with this lens. It’s a subtle, but nice touch to keep from needing to crop and rotate a bit in post-processing.

There are sample images and more in Matthew Durr’s first impressions review.

Sony Nex7 price check: [shopcountry 8454]

Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS price check: [shopcountry 6422]