The Phoblographer

Photography: Think Simpler

Archive for the ‘Cameras’ Category

Review: Sony NEX 5n

with 26 comments

After reviewing the Sony NEX C3, I have been dying to get my hands on the 5N (5n). Though initial reviews have shown the earlier versions to have clicking problems when recording video, my version did not seem to have that fault. I have already done a hands on review of the Rokinon 8mm f2.8 fisheye lens using the 5N, and I’ve also compared it to the Canon 5D Mk II in a real life situation.

So as Sony’s middle child (with the C3 being the low end and 7 being the high end) can the 5N really prove to excel above some of the competition?

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Chris Gampat

February 12th, 2012 at 12:01 am

Posted in Cameras

Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Part II: Sony NEX 5N vs Canon 5D Mk II Image Comparison

with 15 comments

Recently, we pit the Sony NEX 5n against the Canon 5D Mk II and asked you guys and gal to figure out which photo came from which camera: and many of you got the answer right. According to DXOMark, the Canon 5D Mk II outdoes the little NEX 5n by just a hair.

Let’s see how they perform in ideal lighting conditions.

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Chris Gampat

February 10th, 2012 at 12:18 am

Olympus Announces EM5 (OMD): We Fondle

with 38 comments

Yes, the rumors have been true for the most part. Olympus has finally decided to let the cat out of the bag with the new OMD (or OM-D) modernly coined the EM5 (or EM-5). Pitched to me as their new professional Micro Four Thirds camera, the reps stated that the system is now complete with both consumer products and professional products. Additionally, new lenses and accessories were also announced.

We got some fondling time with the camera; and our thoughts aren’t everything you might think they would be.

Update: B&H Photo and Amazon has it available for Pre-Order

Black (body only)

Power Battery Holder

FL-600R flash

EM-5 with kit lens (Amazon is body only in silver and Black with kit lens)

EM-5 in silver with 12-50mm

Weatherproof Four Thirds lens adapter

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Chris Gampat

February 7th, 2012 at 9:00 pm

Posted in Cameras

Tagged with , , , , ,

Canon Announces New D20 Underwater Point And Shoot; Looks Like A Large Mouthed Fish

without comments

Canon sure took their sweet time updating their D10. However, they’ve finally announced the D20 and changed the looks up to resemble something between a fish with a large mouth and a futuristic wallet. But that’s not all, there are more point and shoot cameras that were also added to the line. They outed their ELPH 530 HS, ELPH 320 HS, and  SX260 HS. The ELPH 530 and 320 feature wifi connectivity and if you wait a couple of months, Canon’s new Image Gateway server cloud will be accessible via an iOS app.

Eric over at Photography Bay has lots more on the new cameras if you’re interested. None of them shoot RAW, which means that you may be a sad panda that may get eaten by the futuristic large mouthed fish that the D20 looks like.

Written by Chris Gampat

February 7th, 2012 at 7:42 pm

(UPDATED) Which One is Which? Sony NEX 5N vs Canon 5D Mk II

with 54 comments

Recently at a concert in Brooklyn, I took the Sony NEX 5n and 50mm f1.8 along for a ride. Since I needed my 5D Mk II and 85mm f1.8 that day as well, they just happened to be on me at the time. During the concert, I got curious about their performance against one another and shot the following two photos. Can you discern which is which?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Photo 1 is from the Sony NEX 5n and Photo 2 is from the Canon 5D Mk II. The hints: Canon renders warmer images out of the box plus it did indeed misfocus in such low lighting conditions. The center focusing point is its strongest one. The NEX 5n nailed it in low light. Part of it also has to do with the focal lengths.

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Chris Gampat

February 2nd, 2012 at 12:00 am

Which One is Which? Sony NEX 5n vs Nikon D5100

with 10 comments

DXOMark rates camera sensors, and they’re considered the standard in the industry though many will argue their findings at times. When Sony sent me the NEX 5n, I looked around the internet to try to find information about it. Everyone had compared it to Canon’s 5D Mk II due to the video capabilities. However, I didn’t see much when it came to Nikon comparisons.

Let’s get one thing straight: Nikon’s D5100 and D7000 have essentially the same video modes and therefore also would almost never be usable for most pros. Though Chase Jarvis uses the D7000 to create some great video, I have to agree more with Andrew Reed’s findings in that the auto-exposure adjustment override absolutely kills me. I really highlighted this in my D5100 review. Indeed, the T3i is a much better camcorder as we concluded.

But this test is about the still image quality between the Sony NEX 5n vs the D5100. Sure one is a DSLR and one is a mirrorless camera, but they’re both APS-C sized sensors. So can you tell which photo came from which camera? Take a look at our informal test to see.

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Chris Gampat

January 31st, 2012 at 12:47 am