Sony α NEX-3/NEX-5 mirror less interchangeable lens cameras

While Micro Four Third has been steadily building its market and trying to become a standard for mirror less interchangeable lens camera system, Sony has responded with an announcement of  its own mirror less interchangeable lens camera system – α NEX in May 2010. Two NEX models are available – NEX-3 (Right) and NEX-5 (Left). source: dpreview and mobile01

Here are the specs:

Image Sensor: 14.2 million effective pixels.
Metering: 49-segment Multi pattern, centre-weighted and spot.
Sensor Size: APS-C-sized CMOS (23.4×15.6mm).
Lens: Sony E Series mount.
Shutter Speed: 30 to 1/4000 second. Flash sync: 1/160 sec.
Continuous Shooting: seven fps.
Memory: Memory Stick PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, SD, SDHC, SDXC cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): 4592×3056, 4592×2576, 3344×2224, 3344×1872, 2288×1520, 2288×1280.
Movies: 1280×720, 848×480, 640×480 at 30 fps. (NEX5 has 1920x1080i at 60fps)
Colour Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB.
LCD Screen: 3" LCD (921,600 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW, MPEG4.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 200 to 12,800.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMNI, AV.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 117.2×62.6×33.4mm WHDmm.
Weight: 297 g (inc battery and card)/239 g (body only).

Sony’s α NEX incorporates a APS-C sensor into a compact frame, producing an interchangeable lens digital still camera that makes it possible to capture professional-grade pictures without the extra size and weight of standard DSLR cameras. Full HD 1080/60i video is also available on αNEX-5 (720/30p HD on NEX-3). 

 α NEX is equipped with APS-C sensor - an image sensor that is 13 times the size of the typical compact camera’s sensor (1/2.5”-1/1.6”) or an equivalent sensor size of non full frame DSLR such as Nikon D90, Canon 550D. Compared to Micro Four Thirds, APS-C sensor size is approximately 30-40% bigger. The bigger sensor means images with softer backgrounds (DoF) that make your subject stand out and better ISO noise performance. Here is a comparison of the different sensor sizes.

What might take you by a surprise is the size of the camera body, in particular the α NEX-5. It is rather tiny that even the lens mount is taller than the camera body. The α NEX-5 gets a slightly smaller magnesium alloy body.

Here is a size comparison between Samsun NX10, Sony NEX-5 and Panasonic GF1. The NEX-5 is noticeably smaller than the already compact GF1.

Another important aspect of the  α NEX is the ability to interchange lenses. Three E-mount lenses are being announced alongside the cameras - an 16mm F2.8 pancake, a standard 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 stabilized kit zoom and a stabilized 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 superzoom.

16mm F2.8

18-55mm F3.5-5.6

18-200mm F3.5-6.3

It is also possible to use A-mount lenses via a LA-EA1 Alpha-mount to E-mount adapter

α NEX-5 with a 24-70mm f/2.8 via a LA-EA1 Alpha-mount to E-mount adapter

What about Image Quality? Can we expect the α NEXs produce better image quality than Micro Four Thirds? Here are some image samples.

Click the image for full resolution. source: 山田久美夫

Day image - α NEX-5 E 16mm f/2.8 | f/11 | 1/250s| ISO 200

Night image - α NEX-5 E 16mm f/2.8 | f/2.8 | 1/2s| ISO 200

DOF image  - α NEX-5 E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS | f/5.6 | 1/40s | ISO 1600

Here we compare some high ISO images between  Sony α NEX-5, Olympus E-PL1, Canon EOS 550D and Panasonic DMC-GF1.

Click the image for full resolution. source: 山田久美夫

NEX-5 / E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

NEX-5 ISO800

NEX-5 ISO1600

NEX-5 ISO3200

E-PL1 / M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED-14-42mm F3.5-5.6 L

E-PL1 ISO800

E-PL1 ISO1600

E-PL1 ISO3200

EOS 550D / EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 USM

EOS Kiss X4 ISO800

EOS Kiss X4 ISO1600

EOS Kiss X4 ISO3200

DMC-GF1 / LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S.

DMC-GF1 ISO800

DMC-GF1 ISO1600

DMC-GF1 ISO3200

What about extra high ISO from α NEX-5? Is it useable? Let’s have a look……….

NEX-5 ISO6400

NEX-5 ISO12800

My thoughts…

Now that Sony has done it – Fitting an APS-C sensor in an extremely tiny body, even smaller than the Micro Four thirds, it will become a new standard and I am pretty sure that’s where Canon and Nikon are heading. The choice of lenses may not be much compare to DSLR lenses, but perhaps there needn’t be for its purpose. As expected, the high ISO performance from α NEXs  is more superior than the Micro Four Thirds and close to the Canon 550D. The α NEX has truly combined DSLR image quality with half of the DSLR body size.

Full articles from dpreview and 山田久美夫

Where can I find the equipment seen on this site?

If you find this site useful and planning to purchase any of the equipment seen on this site, please show your support by purchasing your photo equipment at B&H Photo Video or through any of the affiliate links seen on this site.

• Sony Alpha NEX-3
• Sony Alpha NEX-5

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended Content Aware Fill Test

It has been a month since the launch of Adobe Photoshop CS5, I have finally got my hands on a copy of Photoshop CS5 Extended today. Prior to the launch there were sneak previews on many of the new features in Photoshop CS5. There have been lots of talks on these new features and whether CS5 is worth the upgrade.  So what are some of the new features?

• Content-Aware Fill
• Superior HDR imaging
• Automatic lens correction
• Refine Mask
• Puppet Warp
• Camera RAW 6
• Paint tools and UI improvements
• Better workflow, media management and integration

Amongst the new features, the two most controversial are Content-Aware Fill and Automatic Lens Correction.  Automatic Lens Correction was once  the main selling point for DxO, but now also included in CS5. It works by automatically corrects lens distortions, chromatic aberration, and vignetting. It uses an image file's EXIF data to make precise adjustments based on the type of camera and lens you used.

In this post, I will concentrate on the new Content-Aware Fill feature and see if it is as impressive as it shows in the sneak preview. Content Aware Fill is sort of like a combination of the Patch Tool and the Spot Healing Brush.  It examines the area around a selection and replaces it based on what it decides is a good match, all this done automatically which can save a lot of time.

Enough introduction, here are some working examples.

 

In this image, I applied Content Aware Fill to fill the back ground with trees to give a less distracted background. Basically, I just selected the blue area and then Content Aware Fill. All done in a few seconds. Worked pretty well I think.

 

Here, I applied Content Aware Fill to remove some of the distracting background. This is a bit more tricky but also worked pretty well.

To really test out Content Aware Fill, in the below image I try to remove the model in the foreground. I had to apply Content Aware Fill several times to give a reasonable patch up.

You can also see the new CS5 interface from the below image, the obvious difference is the new mini bridge feature above the history windows. In the “after” image, you can see that Content Aware Fill did a pretty good job removing the model but it didn't know what's behind her, so the pillar is still missing. Up to this point all the hard work has been taken care of by Content Aware Fill and it was effortless . In CS4, you would have to use the Clone Tool, the Patch Tool, or the Spot Healing Brush to manually do it.

 

To finish off, I then used the Clone tool to add the pillar back to the image. Here is the before and after image. To get the same results in Photoshop CS4, it would take much longer.

Remark
It is true that Content Aware Fill can speed up the process of removing or patching up parts of the image, but you can’t expect it to work for all images.

Where can I find the equipment seen on this site?

If you find this site useful and planning to purchase any of the equipment seen on this site, please show your support by purchasing your photo equipment at B&H Photo Video or through any of the affiliate links seen on this site.

Shooting under low light condition

How do I shoot better under low light? What are the techniques involved?

Three simple steps really:

• 
  
  Choose your metering mode wisely,
• 
  
  Watch your shutter speed and ISO, and
• 
  
  Correct focus under low light.

When it comes to shooting indoor,  typically you need to shoot above ISO 800+ to give you a reasonable shutter speed (see below).

Consider the below Exposure Value (EV) Chart, notice that typical indoor lighting has an EV of 6 – 7. Outdoor lighting conditions start from EV 9, where EV 10 is the lighting condition during sunset and EV 15 being on a bright daylight.

Exposure Value Chart
EV	TYPE OF LIGHTING SITUATION
-6	Night, away from city lights, subject under starlight only.
-5	Night, away from city lights, subject under crescent moon.
-4	Night, away from city lights, subject under half moon. Meteors (during showers, with time exposure).
-3	Night, away from city lights, subject under full moon.
-2	Night, away from city lights, snowscape under full moon.
-1	Subjects lit by dim ambient artificial light.
0	Subjects lit by dim ambient artificial light.
1	Distant view of lighted skyline.
2	Lightning (with time exposure). Total eclipse of moon.
3	Fireworks (with time exposure).
4	Candle lit close-ups. Christmas lights, floodlit buildings, fountains, and monuments. Subjects under bright street lamps.
5	Night home interiors, average light. School or church auditoriums. Subjects lit by campfires or bonfires.
6	Brightly lit home interiors at night. Fairs, amusement parks.
7	Bottom of rainforest canopy. Brightly lighted nighttime streets. Indoor sports. Stage shows, circuses.
8	Las Vegas or Times Square at night. Store windows. Campfires, bonfires, burning buildings. Ice shows, football, baseball etc. at night. Interiors with bright florescent lights.
9	Landscapes, city skylines 10 minutes after sunset. Neon lights, spotlighted subjects.
10	Landscapes and skylines immediately after sunset. Crescent moon (long lens).
11	Sunsets. Subjects in open shade.
12	Half moon (long lens). Subject in heavy overcast.
13	Gibbous moon (long lens). Subjects in cloudy-bright light (no shadows).
14	Full moon (long lens). Subjects in weak, hazy sun.
15	Subjects in bright or hazy sun (Sunny f/16 rule).
16	Subjects in bright daylight on sand or snow.
17	Rarely encountered in nature. Some man made lighting.
18	Rarely encountered in nature. Some man made lighting.
19	Rarely encountered in nature. Some man made lighting.
20	Rarely encountered in nature. Some man made lighting.
21	Rarely encountered in nature. Some man made lighting.
22	Extremely bright. Rarely encountered in nature.
23	Extremely bright. Rarely encountered in nature.

Once you have a bit of understanding on the different EV lighting condition, you can use the second chart below to find out  how your camera behalves based on the EV of the scene. For example: an EV of 6 (typical indoor lighting), the suggested camera setting is 1/8s @ f/2.8, 1/4s @ f/4 or equivalent.

The suggested shutter speed is of cause too slow, in which case you need to raise your ISO until you get a reasonable shutter speed (say 1/60s). To get to a reasonable shutter speed say 1/60s, there is a 3 stops difference (count 3 squares down to get from 1/8s to 1/60s), so the ISO needs to increase by 3 stops to ISO 800 (100->200->400->800).

However, when you use a slower lens like f/4, then you will need to use an even higher ISO (1600) or slower shutter speed (1/30s). Typically, ISO 800 is the lowest ISO required to shoot indoor hand held.

In an even lower lighting condition, like in a dimly lit restaurant, you will need to use a very high ISO and/or a very slow shutter speed. This is where your fast lenses and Full Frame camera (FX) pay off :D. Ultimately, the setting for shooting under low light condition is a compromise between

• 
  
  the highest ISO you are willing to accept,
• 
  
  your slowest hand held shutter speed w/o camera shake, and
• 
  
  the largest aperture you want to use

Different metering modes (spot, center-weighted and matrix) can also affect the camera settings since it changes the way the camera determines the exposure (EV). I won’t go over them here, but they are well explained in Metering Mode – Wiki.

Here are some images taken recently at a candle lit restaurant

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8

Spot metering

Matrix metering, ISO 3200, f/2.8

Center-weighted  metering, ISO 1600, f.2,8

Matrix metering, ISO 3200, f/2.8

Shooting with Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII

If you are shooting in an open space, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII is the most suited portrait lenses, amongst the 85mm f/1.5, 105mm f/2 DC and 135mm f/2 DC. The zoom range from 70-200mm covers from headshot to full body shoot and you can completely isolate your subject when you open up your aperture. The VRII version has an improved VR system and edge to edge sharpness over its successor VRI.

Here are some images taken with the amazing Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII.

The was actually taken with the 24-70mm f/2.8. Equally impressive.

Leading your eyes to the details through shallow DOF

The machine behind these images – Nikon D700 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII

and this is how they were done.

Where can I find the equipment seen on this site?

If you find this site useful and planning to purchase any of the equipment seen on this site, please show your support by purchasing your photo equipment at B&H Photo Video or through any of the affiliate links seen on this site.

• Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII
• Nikon 85mm f/1.5
• Nikon 105mm f/2 DC
• Nikon 135mm f/2 DC.