...the Nex-6

...I had not done a shoot with the Nex-6...it differs from the A3000 in that it has the 16mp sensor rather than the 20mp of the A3000...and of course it has the traditional, boxy Nex shape...clearly the A3k handles better for an extended shoot, but which to shoot would be more of a choice of 'what-to-wear' for the day...all pix straight jpeg, 50mm Sony EMount lens (75mmFOV) and the f4, 1/160sec, Elinchrom studio / strobe combination...enjoy !

...I do get lucky from time to time !!!

... I switched back to the A-3000 for this shoot...it has the PERFECT size and shape hand grip...that does not seem like much but when you shoot several hundred pix over 2 hours in the studio...well, it's HUGE ! ...this sweetie dropped by and she had POP !...that makes for an easy shoot... the A3000 also being very light made this one effortless...all pix f4.0, 1/160 sec, Sony EMount 50mm f1.8 (75mmFOV) and two trusty Elinchrome Studio strobes with off-set strength settings...damn, she was good !!!

...I do get lazy, so Nex-5r again...

...I try to never shoot the same camera in succession... but I have a 'safety thing' of using the last functional 'thing' twice in a row...sort of like 'the airplane was fine when I landed so it MUST be OK to fly again' ... that was the thought process at the time of the crash... ...but the 5r was in fine form and it was time for a family shoot...the family pix came out fine but the kids really sparkled and highlighted the sharpness of the 5r... same lens as before, the 50mm Sony and 30mm Sigma E-mounts and the usual f-

stop nomenclature for the studio...cute !

...the Sony Nex-5r in the Studio

...I admit I have become captivated with the Sony NEX system...and now it was time to shoot in the studio with the Nex-5r...to review, an APS-C 16mp rock-crusher and about the same identical size as the Nex-c3 ...so, this wonderful lady became my next "volunteer" and away we went...bottom line, you view-you decide, but all are straight jpegs from the camera with either the Sony 50mm (75mmFOV) or the 30mm Sigma (45mmFOV) E-Mount lens shot at f4.5, 1/160sec, iso400 and the Elinchrome Studio lights... FUN STUFF !!!

... I'm becoming a Nexxie fanboy !

... Beth and I needed to make a quick run up the mountains... so, I grabbed the Sony Nex-C3 with the 16-50mm zoom ( 24-75mm FOV )... as dusk was approaching, we pulled into Silver Plume, but alas it was a grey day...so let's SHOOT anyhow ! ...the Nex-C3 body can be had for about $200 on Ebay, and coupled with the 16-50mm pancake zoom becomes a very pocketable APS-c 16mp camera...this is the good life and again, the sensor in this puppy is the 16mp Sony that every manufacturer has in some of there offerings...sweet !!! I ran a touch of unsharp mask on the Chevy pix as it was really a drab day...but for roadside quickies they look good to me... Enjoy, and remember you can click an image and have it go FULL SCREEN !

...yeah, she's ugly, but she sure can cook !

......this is the Sony Nex-F3 with the Sigma 30mm f2.8 Prime... I had tried to avoid the Nex rage but became somewhat trapped when I acquired the Sony A3000 ( previously reviewed ) ...and alas, I had several E-Mount Nex lens for the 3000, so why waste a great lens... ...and ya' know, I personally find all the nex series pretty ugly and the F3 model is tops on the list ! ...and to make matters worse the cute sculpted hand grip will only hold three fingers... not a big problem unless your shooting in the studio for hours on end... so, this camera is going away, replaced by the Nex-5r ( I'll review that later )...why I did'nt start with the 5r I'll never know ! ... ... but the nex series has other beauties... first off 16mp Sony APS-C sensor...gonzo... a 921,000 dot LCD display, 10FPS, and a body only 10% larger than a Pentax Q...I mean the 5r is very small and it has a four finger handgrip... ...the attached pix for your review were shot with the Nex-F3, and either the 50mm Sony Prime (75mm FOV) or the 30mm Sigma Prime (45mm FOV), 160th sec, f5~f5.6 and manual mode with Elinchrome Studio lights/strobes... ...ENJOY

...the Fodders's Delight !

...I mentioned in my original review of the Sony A3000 "Wolf" that it would be the reviewers fodder for 2013...well it has started,  http://www.photoclubalpha.com/2013/10/09/sony-alpha-3000-review-by-david-kilpatrick/ ... except this review seems to be a half and half ( and its a great review !)... with the first half unsettling over the EVF and LCD displays and the second half discussing merits that allow for a more professional use...including disposability based on price ($400)

...the verdict, about the same as mine... a great 20mp APS-C sensor, super fast and accurate AF, brilliant colors, at a bargain basement price of $400 with a great kit lens ...that's about the same price that many manufacturers charge for their clip on viewfinders... hmmmmmm !

... a light day at the zoo !

...I have shot the FTW Zoo on many occasions...it's one of my favorite 'fun' places to shoot ...but, this Sunday was an exception... ...the day started great, my b-i-law picked me up from the Dallas Westin and we were on our way, with a promise of a drop off at DFW for my return flight...WOW ! ...and bright blue skies, perfect temperatures...oh goodie ! ...but alas, I had forgotten the day was Sunday, and the Zoo was a 'Zoo' ...oh well, perserverance will shine through... except for one thing...the animals were DOA...sometimes the cats will do back flips and sometime they won't... this was the won't ...shot with a Pano G6/300mm (600mm FOV) Tokina Mirror/ISO 800/ Handheld/ and 'crisped slightly' in PSE for levels and unsharp/ ...enjoy !!!

...a3000 on the road !

...well, it was a quick trip to the mountains to view the Aspen's... that can always be a hit or miss as Aspen viewing is like picking fruit ripe...you can be a bit early or late...and its all based on your perspective and when you can get there ...so the camera of choice this day was the Sony ICLE-3000 (a3000)...and for the most part equipped with the SONY 16mm f2.8 prime lens...as you can see the day was blazingly bright !, and you can also assume I like the a3000 ...I find the a3000 easy to use, its very light,has a great grip/hold and has a shutter sound that is just a simple click, sort of like a Jack-In-Box clacker... ...that probably does not make sense unless you grew up in the fifties and sixties...even then it may not makes sense...but, a simple, comfortable 'click'...me like ! ...in fact I like a3000 and it will remain a 'weapon of choice' in the future ...the only performance area that was a concern is the EFV and LCD Live View display...as I mentioned in a previous post the resolution of both devices are 'adequate' but certainly not stellar...this is exasperated in bright sunlight and at 8000 feet the sunlight can be incredibly bright...trust me on this one! ...so bottom line, love the camera, but the displays (consider them 'framing devices') are merely adequate... keep in mind the a3000 with kit lens is a $395 proposition and that is for a full 20mp APS-c Sony sensor...so one must accept trade off's and or wait for the a5000/a7000 which will be right around the corner...it's only money ! Enjoy the pix

...so what's with the gorilla in the room ???

...have you ever gone to shoot, and ripped off a few 'warm up shots' and those turn out the best of the day...well Bingo with the gorilla... ...just walked in from the parking lot, nearly tripped over the cage fence and there we were ! ...the gorilla in the room !!!

this was shot with a Pano G6 (ISO 800) and the Tokina 300mm (600mm FOV) reflex (mirror) lens with a constant aperture of f6.3 ...think small and light and hand-holdable...bravo ! ...you might notice that this pix is not as sharp as my usual tripe...reason being, its a mirror lens, and they have to double bounce the image, thus it becomes the second translation, it loses sharpness. It also loses contrast, so this image has been run through 'levels' and 'un-sharp' mask in Elements. I am NOT a top-ranked post-processor !

...bottom line here, an m4/3 camera with a small mirror 300mm (600mmFOV) is light, breezy and easy to focus with 'focus assist'. But in reality for those shots that are 'keepers' you will want a slight editing session in Photoshop or whatever...Still a GREAT gorilla  

...corporatesville !

...shooting headshots can be nerve wracking...I mean almost everyone has been 'distrubed', has a 'crisis' brewing at their desk, and, oh by the way, these pix had better be pretty 'damn' good ! ...to top this off, some of the environments can be only slightly brighter than a 'bat cave' and of course room and elbow space is at a premium... so, off I went to downtown Denver this morning to slay the beast... the setup was the Olympus EM-5, attached to a 'frame' holding the Oly FL-50R flash in TTL Flash mode. The lens was the marvelous Pano 12-35mm set @ f2.8  ...well, YOU be the judge ???