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Archive 2014 · NEX-6 vs A6000 AF performance

  
 
curious80
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · NEX-6 vs A6000 AF performance


I have been thinking of getting back into the NEX system for a while with the A6000. The NEX lens lineup doesn't work very well for me but I am considering starting with the Sony 35mm 1.8 or the Zeiss 32mm 1.8 Tuit and take it from there. However at the same time the used prices on NEX-6's have gone down to $300-350 mark making me think if for now I should opt for a NEX-6 instead of a6000. Setting aside the sensor and EVF differences etc my major consideration is AF speed in single shot mode and video AF. Specially in low light conditions. I know that A6000 is supposed to be very good but NEX-6 also has on-chip PDAF, even if with lower coverage. Also it seems that in lower light levels they revert to CDAF anyway, and I don't know if the A6000 CDAF is an improvement over the earlier models or not. So I am wondering if someone can provide feedback on how NEX-6 and a6000 compare in these aspects.


Aug 22, 2014 at 07:55 PM
arduluth
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · NEX-6 vs A6000 AF performance


I've only used the a6000 in the store, but in decent fluorescent lighting I was actually quite surprised how fast the AF was compared to the NEX 6/5R. It was quite noticeable.

Not sure how it does in low light, but even my 5R (same sensor and AF system as the 6) does fine most of the time when using a fast lens. The only time I've really seen it choke is at a series of poorly lit concerts in a brewpub, shooting at 1/30-1/60, f/1.8, and ISO 6400-12800, in the range of EV 0-4 IIRC. At the brighter end of that scale it consistently worked but was slow, but at the dim end it would just hunt.



Aug 22, 2014 at 08:15 PM
BlueBomberTurbo
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · NEX-6 vs A6000 AF performance


I've had both, and for video AF, the A6000 is amazing! In daylight, it snaps into focus and holds it, like a DSLR does with AF tracking through the viewfinder. Basically acting like a camcorder. In low light, it's a bit slower, similar to the NEX-6 in decent light, and doesn't hunt. Both PDAF and CDAF are significantly improved over the NEX-6.

Beyond that, if you're interested in video, I'd HIGHLY recommend the A6000. The video quality is vastly improved. Much sharper, more detailed, more dynamic range, almost no moire (big issue with NEX-6), and minimal chroma noise at high ISO. The colors are less of a departure from reality than the NEX-6, too, which shifted and oversaturated a lot. The same improvements can be seen in photo mode. There's even a Liveview Grading app that lets you increase dynamic range even more than the default color settings, though you can only use it in movie mode.

I chose the A6000 to replace my Panasonic GH2 (previous mirrorless sharpness king) for video, and haven't been disappointed, even with the lower bitrate (hacks let me use 80mbps on GH2). I love using the AF on the A6000 since it's almost foolproof, and you can assign one of the custom buttons as an AF Lock, letting you switch AF on and off as you see fit. Really, the only disappointment is that the A6000 doesn't have a mic-in port, but syncing audio tracks in post isn't much of an issue these days.



Aug 23, 2014 at 07:23 AM
curious80
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · NEX-6 vs A6000 AF performance


Thanks arduluth and BlueBomberTurbo for the responses! That was very useful feedback!

@BlueBomberTurbo - my videos are mainly family snapshot videos, so having the ultimate high quality video is not a requirements. However what does matter is avoiding the AF hunting etc which are very visible and annoying in a video. From what you are decribing it looks like this is not going to be a problem with a6000 which is great. Btw which lenses are these observations based on?




Aug 24, 2014 at 05:39 PM
BlueBomberTurbo
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · NEX-6 vs A6000 AF performance


I've got a Sigma 30mm f/2.8, which is technically only a CDAF lens, though the center 5 points do activate PDAF. Continuous focusing is pretty much instantaneous, no matter the distance between subjects. You just have to turn both AF drive speed and AF Track Duration to max to make it happen. Lock-on AF doesn't work well with CDAF (doesn't hunt, but is as slow as DSLR LV focusing), but it should be fine with PDAF.


Aug 24, 2014 at 07:41 PM





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