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nish_pinto said:
Congrats on the purchase! Do you mind adding some pictures clicked in low light conditions?
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Thanks. Sure, no problem. Right now I'm a bit busy, I'll update this thread with low light samples in a week or two. But do remember that the kit lens is pretty slow for low light.
rads said:
Congrats mate. Looks awesome
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Thanks buddy :)

@adder @smoky004 Here are my first impressions :

I explored the camera in the past couple of days. The 16-50 kit lens gets bashed all over the internet but I found it good for its size. Its not tack sharp but we can't expect that for a cheap compact kit lens. I'm attaching some (full size the server failed for the big size so uploaded in flickr) test shots - I just went to the terrace and randomly shot in shutter priority/iAuto mode. All are straight out of camera, no PP other than cropping. The sunset shots could be better, I noticed later that I previously set the ISO to 100 :facepalm:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563969873/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8565071280/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563968731/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8565070426/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563969289/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563995053/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563995161/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563995247/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563995429/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563994905/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/8563994783/in/photostream

The focusing speed is actually good, PDAF enabled by default. The control dial and the Fn button are life saver along with the programmable button and the wheel button. The menu structure is fairly simple other than the setup menu which is a bit messy as it doesn't have folder structure. But I never needed to dive into the menu courtesy the programmable buttons and control dial. Only time I had to go deep is to brighten the lcd for using under the sun. The clear zoom is not bad when you don't have a tele, far better than the digital zoom - but it only works when shooting only JPEG. I've tested the ISO level in my bedroom with no natural light - 1600 is perfectly usable, 3200 if you are not cropping. Remember that I was using only the slow kit zoom lens, so fast glasses should fare better. Where the kit lens really shines is video, mainly because of the OSS. Although the lens is a power zoom one, I found myself always reaching for the zoom/focus ring - its very smooth and precise. As you can see from the sample - flare/ghosting is minimum to none even when I pointed the lens directly towards the sun. And the lcd is perfectly usable when used in sunny weather mode.

My estimate for battery life is around 400-450 shots, but I expect it to grow as Li batteries improve after some usage. 66% to 100% charging took around 1 hr - 1hr 15mins.

Let me know if you guys have any question. :)

EDIT: I forgot to mention about the apps. None of them came installed. Even after creating a PSN ID, it showed that apps are not available for India. Later I created another ID with country set as US and I could install the free apps :D
 
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sabby said:
Thanks. Sure, no problem. Right now I'm a bit busy, I'll update this thread with low light samples in a week or two. But do remember that the kit lens is pretty slow for low light.

Thanks buddy :)

@adder @smoky004 Here are my first impressions :

I explored the camera in the past couple of days. The 16-50 kit lens gets bashed all over the internet but I found it good for its size. Its not tack sharp but we can't expect that for a cheap compact kit lens. I'm attaching some (full size the server failed for the big size so uploaded in flickr) test shots - I just went to the terrace and randomly shot in shutter priority/iAuto mode. All are straight out of camera, no PP other than cropping. The sunset shots could be better, I noticed later that I previously set the ISO to 100 :facepalm:

EDIT: I forgot to mention about the apps. None of them came installed. Even after creating a PSN ID, it showed that apps are not available for India. Later I created another ID with country set as US and I could install the free apps :D
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Thx a lot for the images and your first impression.
It's a very capable camera and the dynamic range it offers is simply amazing...better than the D90s and the d5100s.I always shoot in raw+jpeg on my nex-3 and am amazed at what lightroom can do.Am glad you don't find the menus frustrating!Always felt a button short on my nex.I guess that function button is really useful! How's the touch screen for locking focus??? Also check out HHT(handheld twilight) mode and auto HDR mode. you w'll be amazed!! If you do like the HHT mode consider gettin the multi frame noise reduction app(you will need access to a foreign credit card though).Also consider buying either the 35mm sel35f18 or the 50mm sel50f18 lens if you are interested in low light/portrait photography along with the sigma lenses you plan to get.the 50 mm offers really good subject isolation.
Am considering upgrading my nex 3 and the cameras i have shortlisted are fuji xe-1 and this one.The only reason i am considering gettin a fuji XE-1 is the fuji color rendering.with a nex 3 you have to work with raw files all the time and that consumes way too much time.

I know it's too early to ask u this but what do u think abt the camera's metering and white balance ???
 
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smoky004 said:
Thx a lot for the images and your first impression.
It's a very capable camera and the dynamic range it offers is simply amazing...better than the D90s and the d5100s.I always shoot in raw+jpeg on my nex-3 and am amazed at what lightroom can do.Am glad you don't find the menus frustrating!Always felt a button short on my nex.I guess that function button is really useful! How's the touch screen for locking focus??? Also check out HHT(handheld twilight) mode and auto HDR mode. you w'll be amazed!! If you do like the HHT mode consider gettin the multi frame noise reduction app(you will need access to a foreign credit card though).Also consider buying either the 35mm sel35f18 or the 50mm sel50f18 lens if you are interested in low light/portrait photography along with the sigma lenses you plan to get.the 50 mm offers really good subject isolation.
Am considering upgrading my nex 3 and the cameras i have shortlisted are fuji xe-1 and this one.The only reason i am considering gettin a fuji XE-1 is the fuji color rendering.with a nex 3 you have to work with raw files all the time and that consumes way too much time.

I know it's too early to ask u this but what do u think abt the camera's metering and white balance ???
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Yep, you can store 6 important settings for quick access from the Fn button. I've kept Af/MF/DMF select, DRO, WB, Creative Style, AF mode and Metering mode in mine. Upon clicking the button, you get direct access to the settings instead of just being short cuts. Don't forget the control dial - it controls shutter speed / aperture in respective modes and in manual mode you can use the dial and the wheel for those in tandem :)

The touch screen works as advertised for focus. I'm rather glad they used resistive screen for better accuracy.
I've used the auto HDR method, it works well but I still prefer manual bracketing - personal choice. Haven't used the HHT mode yet, will check.

I will get the Sigma 30mm so won't get the expensive SEL35. I do not shoot much portraits so holding on the SEL50 so far - may get the rumored 85mm potrait/macro instead when released or the newly announced Sigma 60mm. I don't see much use of OSS in portrait fl, it just increases the cost and size. The kit lens is enough for video.

I'll closely observe the DR in detail in the following weeks, so far the samples I've seen are the best among the APS-C sensors. I wouldn't advise you to get the fuji XE-1, jpeg rendering is the best but when you are spending almost twice of an NEX 6, you are gonna expect it to be an all rounder which it isn't as I've heard. The NEX-5R jpegs looks pretty good to me. Besides, there aren't much lenses available for XE-1 here and even if they become available, they will cost twice of the e-mount lenses.

The white balance looks spot on so far. You might have noticed in the sunset shots that it didn't try to compensate the warm colors like other DSLRs. I haven't used the camera enough to comment about the metering but I tend to leave the EV settings at +1/3 in harsh daylight - I'll update later after extensive usage.

The store manager told me that day that Sony India are planning to launch 8 new e-mount lenses (including the 55-210mm).
 
true @ 89k it's not exactly value for money.Nor does it have a whole lot of features.Does have HHT mode, shitty video quality and auto focus isn't that good or reliable.But it would mean i don't have to spend a lot of time on raw.But have heard that sony have improved their color rendering on the latest nex.Most of the photos on sites like flickr are raw processed. eagerly waiting to see some more jpegs from u.
fuji lenses are available in india.they do come at a premium though...since all i need are 3 lenses...a fast zoom lens(16-50 f2.8?), a fast prime lens(35 f1.4 or 1.8 ) and a wide angle lens(10-18 or 10-24) can live with the high costs. Eagerly waiting to see at what price point sony releases the new lenses in india.
 
sabby said:
The touch screen works as advertised for focus. I'm rather glad they used resistive screen for better accuracy.
I've used the auto HDR method, it works well but I still prefer manual bracketing - personal choice. Haven't used the HHT mode yet, will check.
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Well now that you had a bit more hands on time with the 5R what are ur views abt the camera ?? pros, cons, etc,etc ??? Also did u get the sigma yet ??
 
smoky004 said:
Well now that you had a bit more hands on time with the 5R what are ur views abt the camera ?? pros, cons, etc,etc ??? Also did u get the sigma yet ??
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Yes, I spent some more time with the camera in the last two weekends. Didn't have much time to go the city centre to get the Sigmas. Anyway, The 16-50 PZ kit is pretty capable. Its not the right lens if you want tack sharp photos on cloudy days. But for the convenience and price, nothing can beat that. And in good light, you can get pretty sharp pics stopped down. The thing that amazed me is the Dynamic Range and high ISO capability (even with the kit lens) of the sensor. I'm still waiting for a bright sunny day and/or the time to get the Sigmas. The cons are not much, as expected Sony can't fit separate buttons for functions for lack of space. The big pros over the previous models are Control dial and the Fn button - I can't stress enough how much useful they are. I'm attaching an image I took last week in Nafplio - converted from RAW. Its highly compressed since the forum is not able to handle large files. The default jpegs are very nice too, but considering the DR prowess of the sensor, I think its a crime not use the RAWs. It took me only a minute or two for editing and I'm very new to lightroom. The touch-screen is useful for focusing but its a smudge magnet. I'm not in India so I don't know whether Sony delivered the screen guard or not. Fire away any specific question you have. :)

P.S. - The forum seems to have a problem handing large files. I'll upload the pics later today in flickr and share the links here.
Ankush said:
Congrats mate... :)
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Thanks buddy :)
 
sabby said:
The thing that amazed me is the Dynamic Range and high ISO capability (even with the kit lens) of the sensor.
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Too bad! i was hoping you w'll dislike the camera and sell it to me for Rs.5000:( Anyway will check out ur flickr account for the updated pics.
 
sabby said:
Hehe. I've updated my photostream with some pics I took this weekend from naxos trip. Most of them are jpegs from cam with a little bit sharpening in LR. The one with the church is untouched and you can see the camera's capability there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237084@N03/
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images are sharp(sharp enough for me anyways) for a pancake kit lens.Also this is one of the few kit lenses that covers 16mm.seems like a very useful lens to have. Some images are slightly overexposed.But easy to correct them in pp.But white balance is way off ! Love the dynamic range . Seems better than my nex 3. raw files will have even more dynamic range. that's one thing i love abt nex cams---the amt of data contained in raw files. Even when i totally mess up the exposure i can still get great images frm raw using lightroom(even though am not that good at pp).
 
smoky004 said:
images are sharp(sharp enough for me anyways) for a pancake kit lens.Also this is one of the few kit lenses that covers 16mm.seems like a very useful lens to have. Some images are slightly overexposed.But easy to correct them in pp.But white balance is way off ! Love the dynamic range . Seems better than my nex 3. raw files will have even more dynamic range. that's one thing i love abt nex cams---the amt of data contained in raw files. Even when i totally mess up the exposure i can still get great images frm raw using lightroom(even though am not that good at pp).
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Yeah, the pics from Nafplio are off-balance..those were my first try at LR PP :P Will correct those when I'll have time . The HDR one is actually not in-camera, I used the auto bracketing drive mode and merged in Photomtrix. I'm hoping to get the Sigma 19&30 this weekend if I visit the city centre , let's see.
 
There's a auto white balance and auto exposure in LR.Try that first.Most of the time it just works. sometime it doesn't.If you shoot raw you have more white balance options. Anyway lookin forward to ur comparisions between kit lens and the sigma 30mm. And i really hope they release the 35mm f1.8 lens in india ASAP.
 
smoky004 said:
Anyway lookin forward to ur comparisions between kit lens and the sigma 30mm. And i really hope they release the 35mm f1.8 lens in india ASAP.
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Unfortunately the shops here are out of the old Sigmas. I've ordered them from Amazon.de, let's see when I get them :)
 
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