scott_holt2

<p>I use a number of older Minolta lenses on both by NEX 5N and a6000. I use a Novoflex adapter and it is pretty solid. I have read good things about Metabones... and mixed opinions on others. <br /><br />With the adapter you do not have exposure coupling, so everything is manual exposure. I am not familiar with the a3000, but on the 5N and a6000, working in manual exposure mode is not difficult at all. Your next choice is whether to use focus peaking or MF assist. I find MF assist is a bit better for find focusing. If you stop down or are not as concerned about critical focus, then peaking is good.<br> One thing I do that makes peaking a little easier is to shoot in B&W style. This, of course, makes your resulting JPEGs black and white, but if you shoot raw+j and process the raw off camera may not be a huge issue. When you choose the B&W style, the EVF displays the image in monochrome. This makes the color lines of the peaking function that much more obvious.<br> <br />One downside I have noticed about the older MD lenses is that they don't render contrast as well as newer lenses. It's not too bad, and easily correctable in post... and it's not consistent across all lenses. There are also reports of some issues with magenta casts and aberrations, but that's mostly when using wide angle range finder lenses. Some lenses which are classics on film are absolute dogs on digital. I have not noticed this with any of my MDs, but the widest I have is a 35mm.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the good advice. I purchased an a6000 yesterday. <br /><br />It came down to a Fuji X-E2 or the Sony a6000... fortunately I was able to take off work early yesterday and made it to a local store that actually stocks both - though seeing and holding them did little to sway me (they both feel comfortable, though the Fuji is heavier). In the end, was three things:<br> Resolution<br />5 steps of bracketing<br />Flip out screen<br /><br />The fact that I already have one e-mount lens and an e-mount to MD adapter really didn't sway me too much, but it helped since they did not have the lenses was looking at for either camera in stock. <br /><br /></p>

<p>Thanks! This is all very good advice. <br /><br />Sadly, some of it can't easily be taken. It seems and more difficult to actually put your hands on these things before buying. I am in Atlanta and I am only aware of one remaining photographic equipment retailer. It's been a while since I shopped there, but last time I did they were not even representing some of the brands. At the time, i don't think they had caught up with the fact that brands other than Nikon and Cannon were reemerging as players in the higher end markets that they tend to serve. On the flip side, while the "big box" retailers represent these brands, they only keep the mid to lower range models inventory. <br /><br />Rental is another difficulty as the one business that seems to handle rentals here does not rent out mirrorless systems. Of course, renting via the internet is more of an option in that case. <br /><br />On the subject of lenses, i definitely do plan to utilize some older MF lenses. I have a few good samples (if they have not suffered the same fate as my 16-80 Zeiss) of older MD mount lenses. Ultimately, I plan to augment my outfit with selected MF lenses - looking at finding samples from legacy MF systems (KEH is local to me, woo hoo! - no showroom, but they allow local pickup) or investing in new Voightlander or Zeiss range finder lenses.<br /><br /><br> I understand, though, that they sometimes do not perform per expectations when coupled with digital sensors, particularly the older lenses designed for film systems. To some degree this can be corrected in post processing, but not always. That is one aspect of this I know I will always have to be careful of and do my research carefully. <br /><br />That said, though, other than crop factor, are there other general considerations with manual focus lenses that might make one format preferable to another? Are there factors that make one model generally less favorable when using adapted manual focus lenses?</p>

<p>I'm looking for opinions of folks who use other mirrorless cameras that are in a similar class as the Sony a6000.<br> For a couple of years I have been using a Sony NEX 5N - I really the portability and compactness of a mirrorless system, but it has always had some weakness<br> 1) It has no built-in view finder. There is an accessory viewfinder, but it is expensive and consumes the and only accessory port; which itself is a poor design. <br> 2) I hate the accessory flash - not only is the connector poorly designed, the flash is weak and does not have enough of the tilts and rotations I need when shooting with flash. <br> 3) The choice of lenses has been kind of weak. <br> Of course, I knew all that when I bought the 5N and none of it mattered because was meant to simply augment my A700 DSLR. In situations where having a viewfinder really helps, I pull out the DSLR. When I shoot with flash, I use the DSLR. When I want to use a more versatile or capable lens, I pull out the DLSR. In this context, the NEX 5N has worked out very well for me... in fact, it is my primary shooter because most of my shooting is casual and does not require the capabilities that my A700 system has. <br> Problem is, the A700 is toast - which would not be a problem since here are good upgrade paths except the Zeiss 16-80 lens I use on it 90% of the time is also toast... well, more like yeast; that's right, fungus. Just plain sucks. I blame the NEX for this, actually... it's primarily because it does such a good job for 80-90% of what I do that I had not pulled the camera out more than 2-3 times last year; and that is probably why its front element is now being colonized. Bleh.<br> After carefully considering the costs of replacement/repair and how little I use my DSLR, it is just not worth keeping it. What lenses I have that are not infected will likely be sold and I am going to try to consolidate all my needs into a single mirrorless system. <br> The little 5N that was such a good complement to my outfit, however, is not well suited to become its center piece. Time to upgrade. Honestly, i think this was inevitable. Like I said, I hardly pull out the DSLR - except when I really need it. I think it's death is just the thing that will push me to do what I probably should have been thinking about anyway.<br> Thing is, unlike my DLSR, I am not locked into Sony for my mirrorless outfit. I don't have a lot invested in them. They make a great camera, but so do Olympus, Fuji, Panasonic and a number of others. So, why not consider just breaking out of the Sony box entirely?<br /><br /><br> Thing is, I am not really that familiar with the other options. I mean, I have read all the reviews and comments people leaving on sites like B&H. I've read people's comments here too... still, it's really tough to look at all the various options and not get really paralyzed trying to make a decision.<br /><br /><br> Before I wrote this, I was looking at a Sony a6000 body and 18-105 F4 G lens. This provides me with number of things that were missing with the 5N<br> 1) An integrated view finder. I like the rear display in many cases, but there are times when it is unusable. Also, composing in the viewfinder is just more natural to me. <br />2) An accessory show that can accept a "real" flash. I realize that some larger flashes dwarf the camera, but at least the options are broader than the POS flashes that the NEX system originally provided.<br />3) A better and more versatile lens than the standard kit lens. This is key - I don't need a 7-8x zoom range, but I do need 4-5x and in a good quality package. <br> There a dizzying number of options from other manufactures that will get me the same thing. I would really like to hear from some of you who have practical hands on experience with them what you think. I am particularly attracted to the Olympus system - in part because of their controls and styling. I like that "small SLR" style, it's what I grew up with... and I am more comfortable with the dial based controls than menus and buttons. I realize that both Sony and Fuji have offerings here, but both the A7 II and the X-T1 are out of my price range by nearly $1000. I would really like to get the camera and a decent 4-5x zoom lens and stay under about $1200-$1500. <br /><br /><br> If it helps, most of my subjects are static - city and landscapes. I have a 7 year old daughter so there is a fair amount of portraiture of daddy's beautiful princess. Point is, there is very little I do that demands high burst rates and focus tracking. Those are nice to have, but they won't be the thing that pushes one model ahead of another.<br> I also do most of my shooting in raw mode and process in Aperture or Photoshop. This is partly because I have always been disappointed by in camera JPEG, but also because I actually like the process. I like pulling an image up and trying creative ways to re-interpret it. That is part of the fun of this... honestly, very few image capture systems (film, or digital) ever capture what you see with your vision, they only capture what you see with your eye. So, an exceptional suite of features for in camera processing is really not a requirement. Again, nice to have - doesn't need to be best in class.<br> I appreciate manual focus and plan to grow my collection of manual focus lenses. Support for manual focus is a key requirement. The ability to visualize I have achieved sharp focus manually is critical. Features like focus peaking and viewfinder zoom are important. <br> One feature I am disappointed not to see in many cameras is a wide range of auto bracketing options. Most are limited to 3 shots. I would really like to have 5 shots with a choice of increments whole, half or 1/3 stops. I think that is something the a6000 does not have. If another model does have it, that would be a plus. <br> Right now, the one camera that seems to be up there in a similar price point is the Olympus OM-D E-M5. I am particularly interested in hearing feedback from folks who use that camera - what do you like and dislike about it? What is it missing that you want? <br> thanks!</p> <p> </p>