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The NEX-6 can, of course, focus manually, using a 'focus-by-wire' system like other mirrorless cameras. The frame is digitally enlarged, and you can move this area around using the four-way controller. Focusing is smooth and precise with the kit lens, and the image on the LCD and EVF is sharp enough to roughly discern what is in-focus. I prefer to shoot panoramas hand-held, one exposure at a time in RAW, then stitch it in Photoshop, as explained in my Panorama Tutorial. High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode is Sony's solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image, with an Auto setting and six different strengths available. The examples below demonstrate the difference between a single exposure and an HDR image created from two photos taken 6EV apart. The Automatic White Balance (AWB) setting behaves well in natural light, although we found performance to be mixed when shooting under artificial sources, with images not always retaining the true character of the lighting source.
As for quality, it's excellent in most respects. At 60p, videos are smooth and detailed. Motion is captured well, and there's very little moiré or artifacting (although footage is not completely free of these issues, as you can see in one of the videos below). In poor light, noise is kept under control, though the camera struggles to focus at times, leading to 'hunting' in low-light footage. Not unexpectedly, the autofocus illuminator does not operate during movie recording, only beforehand, for initial AF acquisition when you're composing the scene. Although the Sony NEX-6 is not weather-sealed and offers no dust protection like some of the advanced DSLR cameras, I used it in very cold temperatures below 10°F and it survived fine (winter has been cold in Colorado). The camera battery did not last very long in cold weather, but that’s expected, since any battery drains faster in cold temperatures. Camera Menu SystemSony's wholesale switch to the use of D-rings for camera straps is unfortunate thanks to their tendency to rattle in video recordings, but someone apparently decided it was necessary. We should also note that we found the gap between the lens and grip a little tight. But the whole point of it is, of course to take the shot using your phone or tablet and again, that’s pretty straightforward, on the iPhone or iPad you simply tap the camera button, and the NEX-6 meters, focuses and takes the shot, exactly as if you’d pressed the shutter release on the camera. In terms of connectivity the NEX-6 comes with USB and HDMI outputs, however a much bigger selling point is the camera’s built-in wireless functionality, which largely renders the need for cables unnecessary – at least should you be trying to connect to a smartphone or tablet. You will, however, need to install the PlayMemories Mobile app on your device first though. This final, handheld video shows quite a lot of artifacting in the water. Although it might not seem obvious in the abstract, ripples on water can form high-frequency patterns in the same way as roof tiles and fabric textures. As such, it's not uncommon to see moiré patterning in these areas in video footage (and occasionally in stills, too).
Picture Effect+ provides enhanced versions of some existing Picture Effects filters with additional controls. For example, the Toy Camera+ effect is similar to the existing Toy Camera effect but provides the choice of three vignette effects. Miniature+ expands on the existing Miniature effect, letting you combine it with either Toy Camera or Retro Photo effect. The Picture Effect+ app also adds the watercolour and illustration effects shown below. The NEX-6 has continuous AF during movie recording and you can also control the focus area during shooting. I detailed my attempts to use this feature in my NEX-7 review and my experience with the NEX-6 was similar, except that having moved the AF area I found it necessary to refocus by half-pressing the shutter release. This is far from ideal and, as with many aspects of the NEX6’s handling you again can’t help but feel life would be so much easier with a touch-screen. Detail comparison. High-contrast details often remain sharper as ISO rises, so they're worth a look as well. The EM5 and NX20 certainly stand out at base ISO here, but that's largely due to the extent of their over-sharpening; the NX-20 is particularly bad in this respect. The NEX-6 and NEX-7 show a remarkable consistency across ISOs, while the K5II, T4i and NX20 lose the most ground as ISO rises. Interestingly, what was too much sharpening from the EM-5 at base ISO stands it in good stead at ISO 6,400, helping hold onto the inner detail in the large letters. Whereas the NEX-6 doesn’t share the all-metal construction of the NEX-7 it nonetheless feels like a solid and well-built camera. The hand grip is deep enough to get a good grip of the camera with, while the rubberised finish also makes it feel secure in the hand. Those with fatter fingers might find the barely one centimetre gap between the hand grip and the lens a bit restricting though. Below are crops comparing the Sony NEX-6, Sony NEX-7, Canon T4i, Olympus E-M5, Pentax K-5 II and Samsung NX20.Having entered the compact system market in 2010 with the (long discontinued) NEX-3 and NEX-5, Sony has spent the past couple of years refining its NEX range with a new model appearing roughly every six months. During the same period Sony has also ceased to manufacture traditional DSLRs in favour of its Single-Lens Translucent (SLT) range of fixed mirror interchangeable-lens cameras. More recently Sony has finally entered the advanced compact market with the launch of the RX100 – it’s certainly been an interesting couple of years for the company, with plenty of innovation on show. Cinematic photo works in any of the PASM modes, as with all apps on the NEX-6, you access it via the Application button on the main menu. You’re then provided with two options, to take a cinematic photo or review ones you’ve already shot. Installed apps save images and video to dedicated subfolders on the card – so you won’t find them in along with all your regular shots. Selecting the shoot option sets the camera to continuous shooting mode and disables the drive mode button on the control wheel, but you can still adjust exposure settings, change the ISO sensitivity, select Picture Effects and so on.
E-mount lenses have tended to be on the large side compared with Micro Four Thirds equivalents, but Sony has redressed the balance with the launch of a new collapsing 16-50mm f3.6-5.6 powered zoom which is substantially smaller and lighter than the 18-55mm kit zoom of the earlier NEX models and similar in size and weight to Panasonic’s 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 power zoom. With the new lens attached the NEX-6 has a much more compact profile and the power zoom is better suited to video shooting.Like earlier NEX models the NEX-6 takes the Sony NP-FW50 Info-Lithium battery which provides enough power on a full charge for 360 shots if using the LCD screen, dropping to 270 if you exclusively use the EVF. That’s down considerably from the 430/350 shots quoted for the NEX-7, doubtless mainly due to the power zoom. As it’s an Info Lithium battery as well as the four-segment graphic power remaining indicator you also get a percentage readout. The battery is charged in the camera, an approach which has its pros and cons. The pros are that you can charge the battery in the camera either by connecting it the supplied USB mains charger, or simply by connecting it to the USB port of your computer, so if you’re travelling with a laptop you don’t need a separate charger. The downside is you can’t use the camera and charge a spare battery a the same time. You can however buy an optional mains recharger for the battery if preferred. Controls. Overall, I was fairly happy with the enthusiast-oriented control interface of the Sony NEX-6 as I shot with it, but I have some quibbles. I feel like Sony climbed three-quarters of the way to the top of the mountain, then just stopped. The EVF was something I really wondered if I was going to get one with because I’ve always thought that it would be poor compared to an optical viewfinder. Well having now used one for a few days I can say that I’m sold. I worried that the image would be dark and grainy in low light and although that is true to a certain extend, it’s nothing like as bad as I imagined it would be. Also the additional information which is overlaid on the image is extremely useful. For example, a lot of the images above are taken with a Jupiter 8 50mm f/2.0 lens which is fitted to an old Zorki 4 camera which my Dad gave me. In the EVF it’s possible to turn on focus peaking which makes this manual focus lens really easy to use. Also the addition of the level indicator is great for keeping the camera level for landscapes etc. One other advantage of an Electronic viewfinder over an optical one is that it gives an indication of how your shot will look with the currently selected settings, so you can see if your exposure or white balance is off and preview effects. If you prefer a ‘straight’ view’ you can turn this off. The camera is powered by a proprietary lithium-ion battery that can be charged in-camera via USB. A short mains cable is also provided along with a small adapter/transformer, but if you plan on buying a spare battery it's advisable to also invest in an external charger, otherwise you won't be able to use one battery in the camera while the other is charging.
There are 9 ISO settings available on the Sony NEX-6. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting: JPEG I also liked the camera's focus peaking feature, which shows you the in-focus area with a bright glimmery highlighting (you can choose from several different colors for this highlight). It worked well for me, and I'm delighted to see Sony investing R&D effort on the ancient and seemingly unsexy art of manual focusing. I wish, however, that I could toggle directly, with one button push, between auto and manual focus; it's a two-step process on the NEX-6 no matter how you set it up. Several fun creative modes and filters, including in-camera HDR, Handheld Twilight, Sweep Panorama and a host of special effectsWith the announcement of the NEX-6, Sony appears to be refining the high-end concept by merging much of the technology from the NEX-7 with the connectivity options of the NEX-5R. In essence, the NEX-6 combines the hallmarks of an enthusiast-oriented camera - control dials and a high-quality viewfinder - with Wi-Fi functionality and apps. Oddly though, considering it has created a camera that is obviously designed to appeal to smartphone owners, Sony has removed the touchscreen operation found in the NEX-5N and 5R. Sony NEX-6 specification highlights Movies. I also shot some video test clips with the Sony NEX-6. I liked that the camera's separate record button for video let me instantly switch to shooting movie footage, and it works with most of the camera's still image shooting modes and settings. This gave me control over aperture, shutter speeds, focus mode and more -- much more control over those parameters than many cameras allow when shooting video clips. Using the power zoom function of the SEL 16-50mm lens, I could zoom smoothly, but I couldn't feather the zoom speed effectively, a minor quibble for this type of camera. In manual focus mode, focus peaking worked beautifully for pulling focus while recording a clip. The file quality settings available on the Sony NEX-6 include Fine and Standard for JPEGs, and you can also opt for ARW, Sony's proprietary raw image file format. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options.
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