Last week I sent for a Sony NEX 6 camera with 16 – 50mm kit lens and an e-mount to m39 adaptor. I’ve only had a few days to try the camera out in pretty poor weather but here are my first impressions. All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb. The NEX-6's focus peaking function allows you to manually focus with a good degree of accuracy. Here, the red outline indicates that the plane of focus is around the middle of the striped cat. Cinematic Photo is an effects mode that creates a video in which the majority of the frame is a still image, with a single animated element. You can find examples on the web, frequently referred to as cinemagraphs. The NEX-6 and 5R are not the only cameras with this feature which was introduced on the Nokia Lumia 920 SmartPhone in September 2012. 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.

That is it for now and sorry I have been so busy the past week or so. Work and day to day chores this time of year are taking up more time than normal 😉 Please feel free to ask questions and share your thoughts below in the comments area 😉

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x 1080(50p, 28M, PS), 1920 x 1080(50i, 24M FX), 1920 x 1080(50i, 17M FH), 1920 x 1080(24p, 24M, FX), 1920 x 1080(24p, 17M, FH), 1440 x 1080 (25fps), 640 x 480 (25fps)

Odd artifacts and false color interpretations become entirely too obtrusive here in the NX20, while the NEX-6 remains fairly consistent in comparison. 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.With 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 Whereas the NEX-7 employs a 24.3MP sensor, the NEX 6 houses the same 16.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor that is found in other current NEX models, including the NEX-5R/5N and NEX-F3. Still images can be captured in either JPEG or lossless Raw (.ARW) format with a maximum resolution of 4912 x 3264 pixels when used at full resolution in the default 3:2 aspect. You can, of course, lower the resolution if required (say, for example, when shooting non-critical photos destined solely for web use) and the NEX-6 also offers an alternative 16:9 aspect should you want to shoot widescreen images. 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. So, basically you have the next generation mirrorless camera technology from Sony in several areas.The video is much better due to the way it sampled and the BionzX processor power. The High ISO testing reveled very similar results in both color and dynamic range when taking raw photos, but low light video is much better on the A6000 regardless.

To test the NEX-6 I fitted it with a freshly formatted 16GB Sandisk Extreme Pro UHS-1 SD card. In continuous shooting mode with the quality set to fine JPEGs, the NEX-6 continued to shoot for over 100 frames and probably would have continued until the card filled, had I not stopped shooting. The first ten frames were shot at a rate of just under 3.5fps and the average for the hundred frames was just over 3fps. Most decent cameras produce very good results at base ISO, but the NEX-6 is interesting enough we wanted to show how it did at ISO 100 compared to similar cameras at their base ISO. We also like to see what they can do at ISO 1,600 and 3,200. And finally we'll compare high-contrast detail at base ISO, 3,200, and 6,400. And because it's a Sony, it has a huge selection of extra features that users have come to expect. Things like Sweep Panorama, Auto Portrait Framing (a crazy idea that actually seems to work), Auto HDR, and Focus Peaking function, just to name a few.Switching to Speed Priority continuous, with the AF set to single the NEX-6 managed a burst of 12 frames at exactly 10fps, thereafter the frame rate dropped to around 3.5fps. That’s the same speed as the NEX-7, but a shorter burst – the NEX-7 can fire a burst of 17 large Fine JPEGs. The Sony NEX-6 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for even longer exposure times, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. There is an optional long-exposure noise reduction function that can be activated to filter out any hot pixels that may appear when extremely slow shutter speeds are used, though I found no need for this when taking the photograph below at a shutter speed of 30 seconds, aperture of f/11 at ISO 100. We’ve included a 100% crop for you to see what the quality is like. Finally, I switched to continuous AF mode and, with a moving subject the NEX-6 fired of 12 frames at exactly 12fps before slowing to just under 3.5fps. I did a few more tests with moving subjects and while the NEX-6 didn’t always complete the full 12-frame burst before slowing, in good light, with reasonably predictable movement it managed it nearly every time. Switch to RAW mode and the NEX-6 maintains 10fps for 10 frames and in RAW+JPEG it will manage a very respectable 9 frames. The nine frame sequence below was shot in RAW-JPEG mode with Continuous AF. Though the light wasn’t great – I had to shoot at 800 ISO to get a 1/500th shutter speed – the NEX-6 has done a good job keeping the subject in focus throughout the sequence.