First Week with Sony NEX-6 Camera

It's been one week since I received my new camera, and I've been having so much fun with it already. I had previously stated that I'd like to briefly describe how I chose the Sony NEX-6, so I'll discuss that as well as give my first impressions of the camera.

Sunset in Aomori City, Japan

I've wanted to invest in a professionally-oriented camera for many years. Since I was a university student in the mid-2000's, I yearned for a such a camera but I never felt like I could afford to invest in one. I was a poor college student, trying to keep my students loans as small as possible. So I made a compromise and bought a Canon S95, which was considered to be an advanced enthusiast compact camera but at a price point which I could accept at that time. The S95 is a fantastic little camera with full manual controls and great image quality for it's size. Using the right combination of shooting techniques and post-processing, I've taken some wonderful pictures with it. But it's really limited by it's fixed lens, small sensor, and low light performance, which increasingly became more of an issue for me over time. Still, I worked with what I had and enjoyed using it for the past years.

Recently, the time was finally right for me to invest in the camera I've always wanted. I had the money for any professional camera, but I still had to decide which camera to buy. This, I learned, is not an easy task for someone like me. It took lots of research, camera comparisons, and reviews, but eventually I had a few cameras I was considering. The most significant factors I considered were: photographic capabilities (would it be versatile enough for me to experiment and provide enough artistic freedom to improve my photography skills?); size/weight (would it be small and light enough my lifestyle--walking and biking--and for traveling?); handling (would it be comfortable to use?); image quality (would it satisfy my desire for clear, noise-free photos?). 

Bay Bridge, in Aomori City, Japan

Ultimately, no single camera is absolutely pefect, but the Sony NEX-6 came the closest. It's part of a relatively new class of cameras called MILCs (mirrorless interchangable lens cameras), which forgo the moving mirror in a traditional dSLR (single-lens reflex) camera but still retain a large sensor and interchangable lenses. The primary purpose of this is provide a professional camera in a smaller form factor than true dSLRs--excellent for my lifestyle.

From all the mirrorless cameras on the market, it wasn't particularly easy to choose a specific model. Needless to say, each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some other cameras had much better (native) lenses available, or better image quality, or better low light performance. But they just didn't feel right in my hands. So I realized that handling would be really important; if it was cumbersome to use then it wouldn't be much fun and in that case, what's the point!? Also the NEX-6 was one of the smallest form factors with one of the biggest sensors, had a built-in and useable flash, and with adapters could accept legacy glass (lenses) from virtually all other makers. So in the end, I bought the Sony NEX-6.

Experimenting with self-portraits and DOF

In the past week I have a few days and nights to play with the camera and I've really enjoying it so far. It's really nice to have the freedom to take so many shots I always wanted to take, but simply couldn't because of the limitations of my old camera. Having multiple lenses allows me to use the right tool for the job. The focal range and aperture range available to me is now immensely larger; I can use all varieties of lens filters; I have total freedom of length of exposures and depth of field; and more benefits I am still learning about.  And to be sure, I still have a great deal of practice and experimenting ahead of me. I've barely scratched the surface of the features and menus of the camera. I need to practice taking good portraits and low light photos of people indoors and wish to find a fast lens for such shots. I want to learn to do amateur astrophotography so I can take pictures of the stars. I wish to take pictures that have strong impact and can tell stories or affect one's emotions. Basically, I want to grow as a photography and photograph my experiences and the world around me. 

A camera is only a tool. The best photos are taken by the best photographers, not the best cameras. I believe this is an essential characteristic of photography that is often misunderstood. So for me, I know that this new camera is only a more effective tool for my toolbox but I will still need to put in the effort and time to improve my skills and become a better photographer.

My New Camera (finally)!

NEX-6 (camera) and two additional lenses

After months of anguish, I have finally received my new camera. It all started several months back, when I decided it was time to invest in a new camera. At the time, I had been using a Canon S95 for a couple years. The little camera served me really well, but over time the limitations became increasingly apparent in relation with my growing interest in photography. 

From that point until now, I researched like a madman, narrowed down my options, and decided on the right camera for my needs. I found a great price from an Japanese online camera shop, and made the purchase. I then waited anxiously for a week and then one weekend, the camera arrived. I opened the box and turned the camera on. As I expected, the first screen was in Japanese and it prompted me to choose a region. I thought I better choose the US since I wanted to use the camera in the English language. But after completing the setup process, everything was still in Japanese (mostly kanji). So my next thought was that I simply had to change the language setting. I could navigate the basic menu in Japanese so I went to camera settings and scrolled through the options, but there was nothing for language. I thought this was strange so I took a quick look on the web for some insight; I figured that I the language setting was just tucked away in a few submenus that I missed previously. Much to my surprise, I discovered (and confirmed) that the language cannot be changed in any way on the Japanese-sold version of the camera (officially, unofficially, via hacking the device, etc.). 

If you want my personal opinion, I think this restriction is completely ridiculous. But there was nothing I could do about it. For a lot of devices here, I have no issue with using Japanese. However, the menus, settings, and options of this camera are substantial and I didn't want to miss great shots because I was trying to decipher what various kanji meant when using the camera. For me, this was a deal breaker.

Luckily, one of my friends was visiting the States at the time and would return a couple weeks later (which was indeed today). So I contacted the original seller and went through the return process. Then I searched on US camera websites and the cheapest I could find was surprisingly almost $200 more than the Japanese price I originally paid (a very rare scenario). But I had no choice so I bought the camera again and had it shipped to my friend in the US, who then brought it back with him to Japan upon his return. And now, I finally have my new camera! I'm obviously very happy, but admittedly the whole process has really worn me out and with the crappy weather today I couldn't play with it very much.

Nonetheless, I have a lot of practice to do before my big trip (S. Korea, Taiwan, Philippines), coming very soon. In addition to the two lenses shown in the picture above, I also have a variety of accessories to go along with the camera. Once I get a decent camera bag, my camera system will be complete--I think. But for now, I'm happy I finally have the camera (with the English language) in my hands. Once I practice and get a few worthy shots, perhaps I'll write another post describing why I chose this particular camera over the others I was looking at. Now, it's time for bed.