So… I’ve been bad with photography lately. Really, really bad. Part of this can be due to the amount of extra work I’ve taken on, but a good chunk of the blame can also be placed on the gear I’ve been using. Since 2004, my primary camera has been a Canon EOS 20D DSLR – which is an excellent camera… but is quite bulky and HEAVY! Take into account that I’m often lugging around a laptop and other equipment, and it’s understandable why the camera (and my photography) gets neglected.
With the purchase of a new Sony Alpha NEX-5N – that is all about to change!
The Sony Alpha NEX-5N is part of a new class of camera system known as a Mirrorless Interchangable Lens Camera system (MILC). It basically allows the same flexibility, quality, and power normally found in DSLR systems encapsulated in a much smaller, lighter package. It is incredible what can be packed into one of these camera bodies and the lenses are smaller as well. I chose this particular model due to some guidance from Huyen Tue Dao and because of the APS-C size HD image sensor, on-camera HDR, and AVCHD 1080/60p or 24p HD video recording capabilities of the NEX-5N. Not to mention that just about every review for the thing has been overwhelmingly positive.
Some background: I’ve used a few really nice camera systems since studying 35mm photography back in my undergraduate days. Some of the cameras that I’ve found particularly excellent have included the legendary Pentax K1000 and a Canon EOS Elan II. These cameras have been great to work with and normally produce photographs like this:
Pentax K1000 Photograph
As mentioned, the camera I’ve been using for nearly 7 years now has been a Canon 20D – excellent camera which produces some real quality shots… but remains the most heavy camera I’ve ever owned. One of the nice things about purchasing a MILC is that it is not a replacement for this DSLR, but rather serves as a companion camera. I can use either and still feel that they are not redundant.
As a test, I was curious to a side by side output comparison between these two cameras using the same ISO, with similar f-stop, focal length, et cetera. The results of this test are below. Click on each image to view them at 2500px across as exported from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom using the same exact settings.
Canon 20D - ISO 3200 - 1/100 sec at f5.6 - 55mm
Sony Alpha NEX-5N - ISO 3200 - 1/100 sec at f5.0 - 53mm
Both are excellent images but I have to say that in this case I do prefer the image produced by the NEX-5N! Since video is such an important aspect of this camera, I’m also including a video captured by the NEX-5N and tweaked via Adobe Premiere Pro:
The 1080p 24fps video capture is also excellent. In conclusion – I am psyched about this new gear and plan on utilizing it heavily in the years to come! So pleased with this purchase.
