Fly by Wire – Experiencing the Sony NEX-6
I took the Sony NEX-6 with on a trip out the country for the first time. It was a work trip, so I did not have time for any landscape photography. However, it was a useful test of the camera as a means to document visually what I was experiencing. So how did it go? Well, on the positive side, it was great to have the camera with me all the time and not ever feel the burden of carrying it. I could travel light, my Timbukt2 messenger bag and the small carry on suitcase. That was fantastic. On the negative side, the camera felt a little “remote”. I titled the blog post, Fly by Wire because it felt like I was never fully in control. Its a bit like the difference between driving a BMW versus a Toyota. The BMW gives you lots of feedback from the road. You feel connected to the car and the environment. The Toyota is a competent vehicle, but the driving experience is “mushy”. I know that with more practice I will get used to it but it will take some time.
The other aspect that has become apparent since I downloaded the photos is that I am not convinced the quality is up to scratch. I realize I am using the kit lens. I only bought the kit lens because I did not want to bury too much money into the camera for the trial. But to my mind, the pictures are not as sharp and lack some of the depth that I am used to. I realize this is not a scientific result or test. I need to do a lot more work because I can come to a final conclusion. These are just first impressions. Below are 2 photos, taken at the same place, about 4 years apart. It is an after school center in Brazil. The first is taken with the Sony last week. The second, with my D700 a few years back. Obviously you cannot make a 1:1 comparison because the focal lengths are different, lighting is different etc. But both are photos taken in a similar way. Neither photo has been modified except to convert from RAW to JPG and reduce the size.
