Background:I had pre-ordered the NEX 6 but looking through comments of some NEX users has got me wondering if I should instead spring for the OM-D. Lens options don't bother me--both systems have what I want, or at least their pros and cons cancel each other out in that department for me. I thought I wanted an OM-D until I held it and found it a little unnatural, then I held a NEX and it felt light but confident--reminded me of my film Elan 7e.
Lenses not being an issue and image quality being seemingly negligible, I felt it made sense to go for the body that I felt would make for a much more comfortable shooter. However, now I'm realizing maybe I should consider rendering of the image (the "feel", not the pixel-level "quality").
I noticed several comments about unnatural NEX color rendition and gorgeous Olympus colors. Some users complain some NEX images are even unsalvagable. That sounds a bit drastic to me but I wanted to know what NEX users though of the color rendition. It sure does sound nice if Olympus shots require minimal post-processing but NEX images are a bear, that may be enough to swing me back into the Olympus camp. Particularly since correcting way off image coloring is not my forte. Is the color "issue" way overblown?
P.S. I always, always shoot RAW, and I use LR, but I'm not super skilled at correcting specific colors that are out of wack, such as skin tones or greens.
No, that's ridiculous. I have an OM-D and a NEX-7, C3, and owned a 5N. The Olympus colors are slightly more accurate and it may have a ever so slightly weaker AA filter. The slightly more accurate is partly a product of slightly better RAW color calibration profiles from Adobe.
Other than that, the NEX files are about 20-30% more pliable in terms of headroom and dynamic range. There are color calibrated LR profiles available for NEX if it concerns you but by no means is there that much of a difference.
Adam211 wrote:
I noticed several comments about unnatural NEX color rendition and gorgeous Olympus colors. Some users complain some NEX images are even unsalvagable.
That just sounds like pure bs spouted by inept users to me.
If you shoot RAW then you are at the mercy of the raw developer - I don't like the default "Adobe Standard" profile for any camera I've had, but love the camera profiles provided by Adobe for the Nikon D700. For my NEX's I made my own (actually I use the Adobe Standard but with my own color balance to imitate Capture One) and I love the output.
Wow--fast responses. Thanks for the input. I've heard particularly skin tones can be worse on the NEX, and the notion of excellent output straight from the camera has undeniable appeal, but I imagine the differences are probably not as big as a few users may make it seem.
I'm coming from a Canon 300D (that I got here on FM!) so I'm pretty confident that either camera will be a big step up for me. I'm really looking forward to the upgrade.
Both NEX-5N and 7 have pretty decent color accuracy (84 and 85% under daylight), actually more than today Canikons.
If it doesnt look like it should, its user error. It depends on RAW developer. I kinda like Capture One Pro for Sony. Tho best colors are supposedly from SilkyPix (but not details or anything else ).
Otherwise you can create your own ICC with Adobe profiler and basic Gretag Macbeth table. Its good if you shoot models for living, even with sucky cams you will have decent colors.
Adam211 wrote:
Wow--fast responses. Thanks for the input. I've heard particularly skin tones can be worse on the NEX, and the notion of excellent output straight from the camera has undeniable appeal, but I imagine the differences are probably not as big as a few users may make it seem.
I'm coming from a Canon 300D (that I got here on FM!) so I'm pretty confident that either camera will be a big step up for me. I'm really looking forward to the upgrade.
if shooting raw there isn't a much to separate them. shooting jpeg is where oly colors are much better than the NEX.
The colors(and focus accuracy of manuals) in the pictures posted in the NEX image thread pushed me off the fence into getting a NEX, no regrets IQ wise.
I think the important thing is to have multiple color profiles. Just like no one lens is right for every shot, no one profile is right for every lens in every lighting condition.
35 lux/NEX-7 Adobe Standard with a +15 bump on Aqua in LR, no other alterations
35 lux/NEX-7 Neutral with -15 on Red, no other alterations
75 Summarit/NEX-7 Leica with +10 global contrast, CA correction applied
uhoh7 wrote:
I suppose when you ask "How bad is...." as opposed to simply asking "how is?" in the nex discussion thread, you are bound to get attention.
Great tactic, I use it in the supermarket when in line...."How long is this line?", I scream. People just love it.
Ha-you're right--I should have actually asked "How is..." instead of "How bad is...". The latter could cause a bit of defense, when I'm really just wondering how it is. If I added to the title "versus the OM-D", I might expect some responses from OM-D owners about how they sold their NEX because they couldn't stand the colors (and seeing such responses elsewhere is what encouraged me to ask the question here, hoping for thoughtful responses).
Also, there seem to be a vast number of OM-D fans on forums out there. I'm sure the NEX must not be perfect--but it seems to everyone who responded that they are content with the colors and they don't find themselves going through much extra pain in post-processing. That's what I was hoping to hear.
I've got a NEX 5N and I just ordered the OM-D, mainly because I want to see how the two compare with daily use, but one thing that has always bothered me with the NEX is color rendition - sometimes its fine, but other times the colors just don't seem right to my eyes (I shoot most of my NEX images RAW and PP in LR).
I've definitely noticed that the NEX has a tendency towards a green tint and a cooler WB and I often have find myself needing to fix this in LR. When I owned an E-PL2 previously the colors usually seemed better to my eyes, so I'm curious to see how the OM-D will compare with the 5N.
I know this has been said before, but the point seems to be ignored. It makes no sense to talk about a camera's color rendition separately from the raw converter unless one is a jpeg only shooter.
I do not like the color rendition of my Nex 5N or Nex 7 in ACR, but I think it's great at default rendering in Capture One Six. Many posters here have made or obtained custom camera profiles for use in ACR with good results.
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