The Matchup You've Been Waiting For: Sony a6000 vs. Samsung NX500

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So the champ is finally meeting a worthy contender.  The champ has a style that is not terribly exciting but it can't be denied that he's an excellent all-around fighter, with no major weaknesses.  In the other corner is the challenger, a talented fighter with an unorthodox style.  He's got a much smaller but growing group of fans who love how he throws caution to the wind.  Everyone is wondering who is going to emerge the winner in this battle.

We're talking of course about the Sony a6000 and the Samsung NX500 (reviewed here).  I have been using the Sony a6000 for about a year, and the Samsung NX500 for about a month.  A lot of people looking for a mid-level mirrorless camera have asked which one is better.  For me, there is no clear winner between them.  It depends on your priorities.  In this post, we'll examine their similarities and differences.

UPDATE: The NX500's firmware 1.10 improved its performance.  Changes are highlighted in yellow.

Note: the Sony a6000 shots here use a custom color profile.

Look Before You Leap: the Sony a6000 and a5100 lens guide

The Sony a6000 is an awesome camera -- it was awarded Gold by DPReview and recently came out on top of the mid-range mirrorless camera roundup.  On top of that, the a6000 is available at a $100 discount for Black Friday.  The Sony a5100 is likewise a great camera, and is one of DPReview's best cameras for beginners, with the same great sensor and quick autofocus ability as the a6000.

However, when choosing your first interchangeable lens camera, I find it helpful to consider not just the camera specifications but the system as a whole -- especially the lenses and to some extent its accessories (e.g. flash).  So if you're considering the a6000 or a5100, you may want to check out its lens selection to see if it has the lenses that you'll need.  The italicized ones are the lenses I have.

Note: to the extent DXO has tested the lenses below with the a6000, you can expect identical results for the a5100 due to the identical sensor.

UPDATE: Sony has new FE lenses that can also be used with the a6000, a5100 or other E-mount APS-C body.  I added those to this list.

Sony a6000 or Sony a5100? A Sony a6000 user's perspective

This is just a quick post to give my opinion on the recently announced Sony a5100, from the point of view of a Sony a6000 user who takes candid family photos.

EDIT: added a description of the a5100 exposure controls.

Sony a6000 + Sony 35 1.8 OSS

Sony a6000 Autofocus Speed Test: Bounce House

I know the Sony a6000 autofocus is fast.  However, I didn't know exactly how fast it was.  I had already taken test shots of cars moving at up to 40 mph, which the Sony a6000 captured with ease.  But I wasn't sure if it was fast enough to capture fast-moving kids.  I got the chance to test the a6000's autofocus at a bounce house.

Triggering a Camera and a Flash Simultaneously with the Yongnuo RF603

When Mohammad posted his review of the YN-560TX, there was a question from one of our readers about whether you can trigger a camera and a flash at the same time with the Yongnuo RF603.  The question has been asked on DPReview previously  .This capability can be useful for sports (to capture multiple angles of the same shot), or architecture / real estate, for example.  I have tried several combinations of Yongnuo triggers and flashes without success, until finally I got a combination that did work.  It was so simple that I was kicking myself for not having thought of it previously.

with one speedlight

NX500 Puts Samsung on the Map

Some cameras have the power to change the conversation about its manufacturer.  The Olympus E-M5, Fuji X100, Sony RX1 and Sony a6000 are examples of cameras that have each dramatically altered public perception of their manufacturers.  I believe that the Samsung NX500, which was released just last week, will be the camera that puts Samsung on the map.

(Image by Samsung)

Samsung NX500: Unboxing and First Impressions

As I wrote last week, I found the Samsung NX500 to be impressive enough on paper that I ordered one.  Here is the unboxing:



I shot with it briefly today.  I'm still working on a preliminary review but here are my first impressions:

UPDATED 4/8/15  (see italics)

Sony a6300 Announced; Preliminary Comments on a6300 vs. a6000 Differences

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Sony's successor to the immensely popular a6000 is finally here.  Sony announced the Sony a6300.  Its headline features are:

• 425 phase-detection AF points with claimed focusing speed of 0.05 second.
• At shooting speeds up to 8fps, it has minimal viewfinder blackout, allowing the photographer to continue to see the subject.
• New 24.3 megapixel sensor with copper wiring.
• 4k video, SLog3 support, and microphone input.
• Available March 2016 for $999 (body only).

Sony's official page.

I've had the a6000 since launch and here are my thoughts on the a6300 compared to the a6000: I think the a6300 is more evolutionary than revolutionary.  The new features are impressive, but they will make a greater difference for advanced amateurs than casual shooters.

• Autofocus: I expect the a6300 will have class-leading autofocus.  However, I would want to know whether the very high number of phase-detection AF points might cause it to have poorer autofocus performance in low light, or might cause a slight decrease in image quality than otherwise.  The Samsung NX1 and NX500 has 205 phase detection points, of which 153 are cross-type, and they are very good at tracking subjects in decent light but have slow autofocus in low light, which I suspect is due to the shading of the hybrid AF pixels to allow it to differentiate light direction.  See here.  The a6300, with 425 AF points, might have the same issue.  But we won't know for sure until it is released and tested.
• Image quality: The copper wiring should reduce the noise in the image and therefore improve high ISO performance.  However, the current class leaders for mirrorless, the Samsung NX1 and NX500, also used copper wiring.  On top of that, the NX1 and NX500 had backside illuminated sensors, whereas the a6300 does not have backside illumination.  Therefore I think that the a6300 image quality will likely be similar to (as opposed to better than) that of the NX1 and NX500.
• Minimal viewfinder blackout.  This is an innovative feature for mirrorless cameras.  On other mirrorless cameras, using continuous burst will cause the viewfinder to blackout, which means the photographer will be pointing the camera blindly at the subject during continuous shooting.  The a6300 has minimal blackout - seemingly better even than an optical viewfinder of a DSLR based on Sony's press event.  However, I don't think casual shooters care too much about EVF blackout.  Therefore this feature appeals primarily to advanced amateurs and pros. 
• 4k video, SLog3 support, and mic input.  These are very welcome features for more advanced video production.   However, most casual shooters don't have the hardware required for 4k video editing, and most casual shooters don't care to use an external microphone (even though it would greatly improve the video).  Therefore, again this is a feature that will mean more for advanced amateurs and pros, instead of casual shooters.  Another video feature of the a6300 is the option to record in SLog3 color space, which maximizes the dynamic range but requires color grading.  Needless to say, SLog3 support is a feature that benefits advanced videographers.

In summary, the Sony a6300 is an impressive camera.  If you're an advanced amateur or pro, you already know whether you need its features.  For casual shooters, the a6300 is indeed better than the a6000, but not by as much as one might expect.  If you care about having the absolute best don't mind spending the extra $500, then go for it.  Otherwise, I think you can save a lot of money with the a6000 and perhaps use the savings for another lens.

One week in Italy (Part 1: Rome)

We just got back from a weeklong vacation Italy, my first visit to this beautiful country. In this three-part post, I will discuss the places we visited, beginning with Rome, then Florence, and finally Venice. I will also discuss the cameras and lenses I used, and how well they each performed.

Allora...

Streets of Rome
Olympus Stylus 1

Sony 18-105 f4 G OSS review

This is a user review of the Sony 18-105 f/4 (E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS Power Zoom Lens).  I will first discuss the rationale for getting this lens, then I will describe its physical characteristics.  I will then discuss its usage for photography, going over its optical characteristics and performance. Finally, I will briefly discuss its usage for video.

Unless otherwise stated, the photos here are from the Sony a6000 in raw, converted in Lightroom with the Huelight a6000 color profile, with no sharpening.

Portraits: Biggest Blur for the Buck

Nikon D600 + Nikon 85 1.8G.  f/1.8, 1/800, ISO 100

This question was posted on DPReview and I thought it is a useful question: "What is the greatest amount of blur you can get in the most compact package for portraits?"

Update: thanks to readers' suggestions, I added Fuji 56 1.2, Samsung 85 1.4, and Nikon 135 f/2.

Second Opinion on Micro Four Thirds; Next Camera

E-M5 + Olympus 25 1.8

My friend MShafik just doubled down on Micro Four Thirds with his recent purchase of the OM-D E-M1.  Meanwhile, I just started using Micro Four Thirds a little more than two months ago.  This post is an update on my experience with it.

Improving Color Consistency with the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

INTRODUCTION
Different cameras see color differently - even within the same brand.  Color accuracy is not just a matter of getting the correct white balance.  Different sensors simply render color differently.  You don't have to take my word for it.  Check out the test below.

Traditional Christmas Family Portrait with Natural Light

This weekend, I took a photo of our family for our Christmas card.  In this post, I'll describe the thought process behind the photo.

Move to Mirrorless? Mirrorless vs. DSLR; mirrorless systems comparison

Sony recently launched an ad campaign called Move to Mirrorless.  Should you?  Mirrorless cameras are becoming increasingly popular, so much so that DigitalRev recently parodied the enthusiasm about mirrorless.  In this post, I'll post my reasons for shooting with mirrorless, and also discuss situations when I would prefer a normal DSLR.

Sony a6000 - Recommended Settings; Autofocus Settings

Here are the current settings I'm using for the a6000, and my rationale.  (For options I've omitted it means I don't have a particular preference, or it's situational.)  Also discussed are:
- 3 ways to implement AF-On in the a6000
- Autofocus settings for different scenarios

Sony a6000 First Impressions

I just received the Sony a6000 and the 35 f/1.8 OSS lens, and I had the chance to do a little bit of experimentation.  Here are my first impressions, with likes (+), dislkes (-) and neutral points (o).

5/9/14 correction: popup flash CANNOT be used as wireless commander

Sample Shots from Sony A6000 with 35 f/1.8 OSS

Here are sample shots from the Sony A6000 that I took over the weekend.  No action shots unfortunately.  These shots were taken in raw and imported into Lightroom 5.  I applied the Huelight A6000 Standard camera profile, corrected white balance, and made minor changes to exposure.  I did not apply any sharpening or noise reduction other than defaults.

f/4.5, 1/640, ISO 100

Sony A6000 and Sony 18-105 on Sale (More than 10% discount!)

Dell Canada is selling the Sony A6000 for $70 off ($579.99 - body only)!  Dell Canada had previously offered the A6000 at $100 off but now has revised the discount to $70 (still a fantastic price) so don't expect this deal to last. 

 

Also available is the Sony 18-105 f/4 OSS at $100 off (just $550).  Actually, I ordered an 18-105 last week but it will be a while before I receive it so don't expect a review anytime soon.  Just FYI the 18-105 has a crazy amount of pincushion distortion at long focal lengths, but it is corrected by software.  There is also a Lightroom 5 profile for that lens.

 

Note: The offer may be limited to Canadian customers.  US customers can try to use Paypal to check out.  BTW, I'm not affiliated with Sony, Dell, or Paypal.

 

What's Up?

 

Hi everyone.  I hope you had a great weekend!  Here are some of the upcoming posts I'm working on.  If there are any you'd like me to prioritize, pls. let me know in the comments!