Sony A6000

[shootr]

So I'm getting things dialed in for our week in Kauai, and really want to get the best out of the camera and the 18-105 f4 lens, since that will be the daily carry lens on hikes and sightseeing.

 

Took it out today and just shot the same thing over and over with different settings: full and partial zooms, DRO on/off and manual levels, same with HDR, polarizer on/off, etc.

 

Besides keeping the ISO as low as possible (400 or less in daylight) and minimum f5.6, leaving the rest on automatic and letting the camera/software do the work still gives the best results in my opinion.

 

After all this time I'm just amazed how well this sucker works.

 

Couple questions (I know are here in this thread somewhere, but struggling to find the answer):

 

It's better to under expose slightly and bring up the shadows in post rather than over expose and try to bring down the highlights, yes?

 

(RAW isn't an option at this point, too little time to risk the learning curve right now)

 

I'm not a fan of the 3 shot HDR, they just seem to always be a tad soft. Is that just a function of being handheld, with the associated slight movement between frames, or am I just too critical? I'm bringing a mid-weight tripod on my hikes to vistas and waterfalls, then I may try it again. What say you?

 

Any other comments are appreciated. Thanks for reading the ramblings of an old man enjoying a cigar on the patio!:D

[zackiedawg]

The 3 shot HDR mode should have the same potential to be as sharp as a single frame - the possible reasons for softness could be movement between frames causing it to not align well, a wide open aperture by default if you didn't set it depending on lens, any movement in the frame itself (such as minor breeze blowing leaves on trees, etc), or possibly if too strong a setting has been used causing too much contrast to be remove from the details (I tend to avoid strengths 5 and 6 - 2-4 tends to be great, and I'm not really keen on using Auto HDR)...but if all else is eliminated there's no reason for the HDR to be any softer than the standard shot. This is a 3-frame HDR - taken on a tripod, aperture at F8, with the 10-18mm lens:

 

The HDR was set at 3 stops, to get a little more detail out of the darker blue cones of the castle, without blowing out the spotlighted sides. This is a reduced size obviously, but in the full shot you can clearly see grains in each brick.

 

As to your other question - I've personally always found Sony JPGs to be much more tolerant of raising the shadows if needed, as opposed to pulling back highlights - so underexposure generally should be safer than overexposure. With RAW, there's more latitude in both directions, but I've pulled JPG shadows up as much as 4 stops and still had reasonably low noise and detail retained.

[tommui987]

So I'm getting things dialed in for our week in Kauai, and really want to get the best out of the camera and the 18-105 f4 lens!:D

 

Looking forward to seeing the results - haven't had the chance to work with my 18-105 lens.

 

Safe voyage,

Tom

[wmjivey]

Going to Cancun in September, doing ruins, turtles, some jungle. Thinking about renting the FE 70-200 f4, will this be overkill for what I am doing or will the kit lens suffice? I took the kit to Belize last fall the pics were good but my bird shots were hit and miss. The last time I went to Alaska I rented the 70-400 G for my A57 and I was WOW, I was wondering if the 70-200 would give me the same reaction.

 

 

John

[shootr]

Going to Cancun in September, doing ruins, turtles, some jungle. Thinking about renting the FE 70-200 f4, will this be overkill for what I am doing or will the kit lens suffice? I took the kit to Belize last fall the pics were good but my bird shots were hit and miss. The last time I went to Alaska I rented the 70-400 G for my A57 and I was WOW, I was wondering if the 70-200 would give me the same reaction.

 

 

John

 

I would think jungle especially - not only birds but monkeys in the trees? I missed out on some once because I didn't have a suitable long reach lens that opened wide enough for the shadowy areas. (This was the old Canon too, not the Sony)

[shootr]

The 3 shot HDR mode should have the same potential to be as sharp as a single frame...

 

Thank you for the reply - I just think it comes down to not being as steady hand-holding as years ago in my younger days. (Starting to notice in my long distance rifle practice too - hence my acceptance of this reality :()

 

Anywho, it's easy enough to switch modes on this thing so I'll be shooting with all 3 settings (nothing, HDR, and DRO) when parked on a tripod going for a keeper.

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHH, I CAN'T WAIT!!!

[zackiedawg]

Thank you for the reply - I just think it comes down to not being as steady hand-holding as years ago in my younger days. (Starting to notice in my long distance rifle practice too - hence my acceptance of this reality :()

 

It could be a factor - more noticeable on the super-dense 24MP sensor I've noticed. While I tend to have a very stable stance and hold - I do find the A6000 a little less tolerant of too-quick shooting in HDR mode where my NEX-5N would still do fine - even with stabilization, I occasionally may not really try hard enough and fire off a fast HDR of something - on the NEX-5N it would have assembled and merged nicely but occasionally the A6000 will kick back the '!' next to the HDR merged shot on screen to let me know it didn't align well, and then I realized I rushed it and need to slow down and try again. The 24MP sensor just seems to pick up even the smallest movements or vibrations more. So HDR is plenty usable handheld for sharp results, but might take just a little more concentration on your part to make sure you're holding it fairly steady. It doesn't need a tripod necessarily, but does still take a little more attention to hold reasonably still. Here's a daytime, handheld in-camera HDR example, just to show you can still get pretty sharp results handheld - this is even with just the kit 18-55mm lens:

 

And don't forget MFNR mode when doing handheld at night - it's a wonderful substitute for a tripod, allowing much higher ISOs while still getting nice clean results; it's about as close as you can get to a long-exposure tripod lok at night while still shooting handheld!

[shootr]

This used to carry just my Canon kit:

 

 

Now I have the a6000 and 3 lenses, the missus' Pentax, a Lumix for backup/dangerous times when I don't want to risk the Sony, and the gopro. Plus all the chargers, accessories, etc.

 

What used to take at least 3 different cases is now on my back and I'm a happy camper for it!

[c230k]

What are your thoughts on using UV filters on your lens. Was thinking my 70-200mm F4 lens cost a lot and maybe I should protect the lens, just in case. Also your photography, do you use filters for other reasons.

 

Thanks ALL WAYS LEARNING !!!!!

 

Tom :cool:

[shootr]

I decided I'm going to use the hood to protect my lenses from knocks and just be as careful as I can.

 

I do have a CP to use for landscapes, but that's it for now.

 

I can't afford the good quality ones that would be invisible to the image (in the past I'd get extra flares and ghosts and anymore is too much of a bother over just being careful as I can be).

[c230k]

Thanks

Did find a good video on youtube about using UV filters

 

 

Kind of says it all.

 

Tom :cool:

[flatlander321]

Thanks

Did find a good video on youtube about using UV filters

 

 

Kind of says it all.

 

Tom :cool:

Interesting video. Even though they were old $5 lenses, it still hurt a bit to watch. I saved the youtube channel for later viewing.

 

A used A6000 is on the way. If it works out, the included 16-50 kit lens and other accessories are almost free. If the camera kit is not as described, it goes back to amazon and I'll pick up an a6000 body on ebay. Either way, an A6000 will soon join the collection.

[flatlander321]

The A6000 is here. It looks like new, but I'll be checking for any issues with it this weekend. The weather will be nice and the local wildlife and plants are acting like it is spring. I have the 3 kit lenses (16-50PZ, 18-55, 55-210) for now.

 

Thanks for the guidance.

[Jameseric]

Getting up to speed, more or less. I've had my a6000 for some months now and have been happy with the results of groping my way along with controls and the like. But there are these menus to deal with when you push the (Pandora's?) button so labeled. And I thought it may be helpful to share my discovery of resources. First looked at Gary Fong's website and found his hyped title for this camera. I bit and downloaded/streamed it. Interesting in a pleasantly chatty way though, when it was over I wasn't sure how much the wiser I was for the minutes spent. That seemed to be all there was, except for some odd little opinion pieces on YouTube. And a longer, somewhat helpful presentation by Tony Northrup and thoroughly dishy Chelsea. Better. Then looked long and hard at the CreativeLive Fast Start videos by John Rofrano. Two especially, the NEX6 and the A7ii offerings. The former is a precursor of the a6000 while the other is another stream but with many of the same features. Even though physically my camera is closer to the NEX model, I chose the other. More explanation, more examples. More time. Clearly presented, conceptual stuff with many diagrams which weren't hard to sort through. Gave a good sense of what the settings are trying to accomplish. Which is way more important to me, than "over here is rhetoric FN button" kinds of doh moments you usually have to wade through. So I seem to have struck instructional gold, in other words.

[The Viking]

Did you watch his introductory video or did your purchase his video?

 

I find the purchased (downloaded) video to be very informative and has help me a lot. For me Fong's presentation is much better than Friedman's book about the A6000.

 

My problem today is to remember it all.

[Jameseric]

Did you watch his introductory video or did your purchase his video?

 

I find the purchased (downloaded) video to be very informative and has help me a lot. For me Fong's presentation is much better than Friedman's book about the A6000.

 

My problem today is to remember it all.

 

Bought. And enjoyed though for me, as I say, it was not as memorable as I would have liked. Resisted the temptation to buy any sort of "a6000 Bible" sort of thing, since I have a collection already for similar gadgets, none of which ever really get read. I did manage to get the Rofrano one for $36 on sale which for nearly six hours (of which maybe five were directly relevant) ain't too bad.

[c230k]

The A6000 is here. It looks like new, but I'll be checking for any issues with it this weekend. The weather will be nice and the local wildlife and plants are acting like it is spring. I have the 3 kit lenses (16-50PZ, 18-55, 55-210) for now.

 

Update with your pictures or thoughts.

 

Thanks

 

Tom :cool:

[havoc315]

Got Amazon notification that the A6300 will ship on 3/10 with delivery on 3/11. I'll try to test it out this weekend and post a review.

I also broke down and bought used the 70-200/4.... So My A6300 set-up will be the 10-18, the 24/1.8, the 50/1.8 and the 70-200/4. That should keep me well covered for all my uses with native lenses.

[wmjivey]

Got Amazon notification that the A6300 will ship on 3/10 with delivery on 3/11. I'll try to test it out this weekend and post a review.

I also broke down and bought used the 70-200/4.... So My A6300 set-up will be the 10-18, the 24/1.8, the 50/1.8 and the 70-200/4. That should keep me well covered for all my uses with native lenses.

 

 

If you want a good test let me give it a whirl when I go to Cancun in September :)

 

John

[flatlander321]

The A6000 is here. It looks like new, but I'll be checking for any issues with it this weekend. The weather will be nice and the local wildlife and plants are acting like it is spring. I have the 3 kit lenses (16-50PZ, 18-55, 55-210) for now.

 

Update with your pictures or thoughts.

 

Thanks

 

Tom :cool:

 

I'm still learning how to get good shots with it, but here are a few pictures that are untouched and full size. I don't think the exif data is stripped. All are with the 18-55 or 55-210 kit lens.

 

Fish in a pond

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/yohoho3/DSC00104_zpsf267lzky.jpg

 

A young robin

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/yohoho3/DSC00116_zpskkekfdk5.jpg

 

Water effects

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/yohoho3/DSC00183_zpswzzr61dl.jpg

 

A test shot at the reservoir

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/yohoho3/DSC00199_zpsjrj8g1ca.jpg

 

A cloudy day test shot of a bridge

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/yohoho3/DSC00317_zps18w1yfsg.jpg

 

Another cloudy day test shot of a dogwood tree in full bloom

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/yohoho3/DSC00314_zpstzegmrz7.jpg

Edited March 8, 2016 by flatlander321

[flatlander321]

HDR mode could be handy. This was taken 2 hours ago.

A6000, 18-55 kit lens at 18mm, F/9, 1/400 sec, -1ev, auto HDR

 

[pierces]

Auto-HDR is one of the hidden nuggets in the A6000 gold mine. This is a 5-stop shot taken with the camera pressed up against the window of a darkened hotel room.

 

Pretty much straight out of camera.

 

 

One of my personal favorites.

 

Dave

[Jameseric]

Auto-HDR ...a 5-stop shot ... pressed up against the window of a darkened hotel room.

 

Really, really nice. What was the exposure-value spread between these?

[flatlander321]

Pierces, I can see why you keep the 16-50PZ for travel. That little lens compacts down very thin and looks good with the lens correction applied.

 

Since I purchased used, I spent some effort to verify it works OK soon after delivery. I'm having enough "hand vignetting" issues with the larger 18-55 lens that it would be embarrassing to use the smaller lens for now. It seems entirely too comfortable to hold the camera lens with my left hand. That works fine until the camera lens is at less than 25mm.

[pierces]

Really, really nice. What was the exposure-value spread between these?

 

Sorry...personal shorthand! :)

 

"A 5-stop shot" in my head = -5, 0, +5 EV in the real world.

 

Dave