Sony Alpha Nex 6 for Digiscoping (2 Viewers)

[Neil]

It seemed that Sony's numbering system is out of whack as I already have the Nex 5 and 7. I've enjoyed them so I was tempted to get another one on my recent trip to New York where I visited B and H.
Only 16 megs but supposedly an updated sensor with better sensitivity.
Took it out on the mudflats today with the kit zoom that came with it - a 16-50/3.5-5.6 lens. Vignetting disappears at about 40 mm.
I tried both AF and MF and both work well and Focus Peaking helps to get the scope focused very close. At distance though in hazy light I found I had to keep checking the AF and it needed small adjustments.
Here are a few today at 30x,40,50 and 70x.
I also tested the Sigma 30/2.8 which has better color and contrast than the kit zoom and is sharper.
The last kingfisher was taken with the Nikon P330 at 70x for comparison.
Neil

Sony Alpha Nex 6 and Sony 16-50 zoom and Sigma 30/2.8 lens and
Swarovski STX 95 mm scope and DCB 11 adapter

Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,China
October 2013

 

[SjerPlover]

Sigma 30mm 2.8 on nex6

It seemed that Sony's numbering system is out of whack as I already have the Nex 5 and 7. I've enjoyed them so I was tempted to get another one on my recent trip to New York where I visited B and H.
Only 16 megs but supposedly an updated sensor with better sensitivity.
Took it out on the mudflats today with the kit zoom that came with it - a 16-50/3.5-5.6 lens. Vignetting disappears at about 40 mm.
I tried both AF and MF and both work well and Focus Peaking helps to get the scope focused very close. At distance though in hazy light I found I had to keep checking the AF and it needed small adjustments.
Here are a few today at 30x,40,50 and 70x.
I also tested the Sigma 30/2.8 which has better color and contrast than the kit zoom and is sharper.
The last kingfisher was taken with the Nikon P330 at 70x for comparison.
Neil

Sony Alpha Nex 6 and Sony 16-50 zoom and Sigma 30/2.8 lens and
Swarovski STX 95 mm scope and DCB 11 adapter

Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,China
October 2013

Hello Niel
Good to see that you are using a sigma 30mm 2.8 with good results. Is this the newer version? I am still using the first version on a lumx G3.

Best regards

Sjerp

 

[DRodrigues]

Neil,
Thanks for sharing!:t:
Since long time I was expecting the feedback from someone using the new zoom and the Sigma 30 on NEX models...
I was waiting for more posts of you in here but I ask already if you tested to digiscopy with the Sigma 30 and your NEX7, and how you think it compares to the NEX6? I suppose NEX6 focus faster but the 24megas of NEX7 compensates that?...

 

[Neil]

Neil,
Thanks for sharing!:t:
Since long time I was expecting the feedback from someone using the new zoom and the Sigma 30 on NEX models...
I was waiting for more posts of you in here but I ask already if you tested to digiscopy with the Sigma 30 and your NEX7, and how you think it compares to the NEX6? I suppose NEX6 focus faster but the 24megas of NEX7 compensates that?...

David,
I have enjoyed the Nex 7 as a travel camera with the Sony lenses, the Zeiss 24/1.8 E lens, Sigma 30/2.8 E lens and various legacy lenses , including Pentax,Nikon and Leica M.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7892550@N03/sets/72157630726886900/
The lower megs in the Nex 6 means faster processing in Raw which is important so I'm using it now instead of the Nex 7 for digiscoping.
Otherwise the cameras are very similar.
The Zeiss 24 mm E lens is very good but a bit wide and too long to easily fit to an adapter. It can fit on the Swarovski UCA when reversed though and works well with a 30x eyepiece.
Neil.

 

[JohnHC]

David,
I have enjoyed the Nex 7 as a travel camera with the Sony lenses, the Zeiss 24/1.8 E lens, Sigma 30/2.8 E lens and various legacy lenses , including Pentax,Nikon and Leica M.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7892550@N03/sets/72157630726886900/
The lower megs in the Nex 6 means faster processing in Raw which is important so I'm using it now instead of the Nex 7 for digiscoping.
Otherwise the cameras are very similar.
The Zeiss 24 mm E lens is very good but a bit wide and too long to easily fit to an adapter. It can fit on the Swarovski UCA when reversed though and works well with a 30x eyepiece.
Neil.

Hi Neil...please can you say which T2 adapter you use with your Swar95/Nex7 TLSAPO kit...SwarovskiUK advise me to ask you as they only have aT2 adapter for A-mount Sony lenses (and Nex7 is E-mount). Others also have discovered this!...
Also...with your setup, can you confirm if you get vignetting with your Nex7 setup and if so under what conditions?

 

[Neil]

Hi Neil...please can you say which T2 adapter you use with your Swar95/Nex7 TLSAPO kit...SwarovskiUK advise me to ask you as they only have aT2 adapter for A-mount Sony lenses (and Nex7 is E-mount). Others also have discovered this!...
Also...with your setup, can you confirm if you get vignetting with your Nex7 setup and if so under what conditions?

John,
I have the Nikon/T2 adapter on the TLS APO and a NEX/Nik adapter on the Sony Nex cameras. There is no vignetting with this setup.
There are various types of adapters out there
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/nikon-lens-to-sony-nex-adapter
Neil

 

[DRodrigues]

John,
You can use a T-Nex E-mount adapter. Mine is this http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop...cs-T2-adapter-for-Sony-Alpha-Nex-cameras.html

 

[JohnHC]

John,
I have the Nikon/T2 adapter on the TLS APO and a NEX/Nik adapter on the Sony Nex cameras. There is no vignetting with this setup.
There are various types of adapters out there
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/nikon-lens-to-sony-nex-adapter
Neil

Thanks Neil...Swarovski mentioned the adapter which best avoids vignetting would be a "long" adapter rather than a short one...your NEX/Nik looks like a long one, maybe about 3cmL...I will choose a similar one for my prepurchase trials, thanks.

Do you use both these adapters together to connect TLS APO to the Nex7?

David also shows a long single tube adapter...does the length matter otherwise?...JOHN

 

[DRodrigues]

David also shows a long single tube adapter...does the length matter otherwise?...JOHN

Yes, it does. The T adapters to NEX/E-mount need to be longer than T adapters to normal DSLRs. It's the way of compensating the smaller distance between the E-mount lens and the sensor.

 

[Neil]

I'm down in Sydney for Christmas and have the NEX 6 with me most of the time. It's my preferred camera here on the scope with or without the Sigma 30/2.8 E lens. The good early light in Sydney is really bringing out the detail of the Sony sensor.
I'll post more later but here is a Pacific Baza ( Crested Hawk) digiscoped up in the canopy at a distance of about 30 meters and height of 25 meters.
This was without the Sigma lens.
Neil

Sony NEX 6 and Swarovski TLS APO Adapter on the STX 95 mm scope
Sydney,Australia
December 2013

 

[Neil]

Here are a few more taken with the Nex 6 , both with, and without the Sigma 30/2.8 E lens in Sydney.
More can be seen here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7892550@N03/sets/72157636968238316/
Neil

Sony Nex 6 + Sigma 30/2.8 E lens and Swarovski STX 95 mm Scope and DCB 11 Adapter
and some with TLS APO Adapter
Sydney, Australia
December 2013

 

[Paco Ruiz]

Sigma 19mm 2.8 with nex6

Hi,

First at all thanks for your comments. They really help a lot.
I have purchased a Nex 6 following some of your reccomendations and I hope be able to get some aceptable pictures seeing the excelents results that Neil show us.

I have already purchased a sigma 30 and I have the idea to get a 19mm just to try some flights or mamals. I wonder if It works well without wignetting with a SWAROVSKI 30x or 25-50x.

Finally I d like to know what are the benefits of the tls adaptor comparing an objective like sigma for example.

To adapt the camera I have got a 46 52 ring to mach with the DCA but you need other one to get more distance to the eyecup. Unfortunately I have no time to test it and to show you some pictures.

BR

 

[Neil]

Hi,

First at all thanks for your comments. They really help a lot.
I have purchased a Nex 6 following some of your reccomendations and I hope be able to get some aceptable pictures seeing the excelents results that Neil show us.

I have already purchased a sigma 30 and I have the idea to get a 19mm just to try some flights or mamals. I wonder if It works well without wignetting with a SWAROVSKI 30x or 25-50x.

Finally I d like to know what are the benefits of the tls adaptor comparing an objective like sigma for example.

To adapt the camera I have got a 46 52 ring to mach with the DCA but you need other one to get more distance to the eyecup. Unfortunately I have no time to test it and to show you some pictures.

BR

The Sony 20/2.8 E lens should work well with the Sw 30x with little/no vignetting. I haven't used it on the DCA but on the UCA Adapter there is a little vignetting in the corners but it is easily cropped out. On the 25-50x there would be a bit more vignetting at 25x but should be less at 50x.
Good luck.
Neil

 

[Paco Ruiz]

Nex 6 - Comments, Photos and Doubts

Hi Guys,

Here We are with some photos of the Nex 6 and Swaro 80 HD - Eyecup 30X - DCA and Sigma 30mm f2.8

Positive Features (With good light):

Easy and accurate focus (Focus Peaking, Viewfinder amplified)
Good Colors and Raw
Its complicate to overexpose the photos, even with hard light, due to the good dinamic range.
I think, even at long distance, the results are ok.
You can get a good field deep too

When the light decrease its complicate to get good results. (fourth photo)

I have to confess, I'm a bit dissapointed because I thought I could get some action photos with this camera due to its speed (10 fps) but It's complicate to get light enough to do this.

In view of that, I'm wondering If I could get more speed purchasing the TLS APO or The Eyecup that Neil recommends to me (Sony 20mm). Some people speak really well about the benefits of TLS APO but I'm not convinced.

Other posibilities I'm thinking are to get a Panasonic GX7 and sell the Nex 6 or to purchase a RX100 II for low light conditions and Nex 6 for good light conditions.

What would You recommend me?

 

[sunlight]

Neil,
Care to compare the Sony to the Nikon 1 V1 in terms of IQ and dynamic range. Thanks,
Frank

 

[Neil]

Neil,
Care to compare the Sony to the Nikon 1 V1 in terms of IQ and dynamic range. Thanks,
Frank

Frank,
The Nex 6 quality is up to 40& better at the sensor level according to DxoMark and iso noise handling is much better . The Sony lenses are better too. It processes Raw much faster too.
You have the Sweep Panorama Mode and the APPs you can load to the camera too for Timelapse and Remote Control.
All this being said the V1 has some advantages -
Silent Mode
Fast AF
Long Battery life ( can overheat in Video Mode for long periods)
Fast frames per second at up to 60fps in Raw
In actual practice the difference at the photo level are not that obvious and the V1 can produce excellent results and I often choose it where I have very fast action that I want to capture or where I need to run silent.
Of course it's 2.7x sensor crop really fills the frame with small birds.
Hope this helps,
Neil.

 

[sunlight]

Actually, outstanding comparison. I recently got a V1 but haven't had the opportunity to use it as my scope is in my cabin in Wyoming and I am stuck here in North Carolina until spring. Hope to use the V1 with both my scope as well as my Nikon lenses. What are your thoughts about the Sony Alpha Nex 7 as a digiscope camera? You seem to have the most experience at different cameras and lenses on this forum and your work is consistently outstanding. Although birds are just one of the items I like to photograph I also use the scope for larger wildlife and can't wait to see how the V1 with its 2.7 X factor might help me pull in mountain goats and grizzlies.

 

[Neil]

Actually, outstanding comparison. I recently got a V1 but haven't had the opportunity to use it as my scope is in my cabin in Wyoming and I am stuck here in North Carolina until spring. Hope to use the V1 with both my scope as well as my Nikon lenses. What are your thoughts about the Sony Alpha Nex 7 as a digiscope camera? You seem to have the most experience at different cameras and lenses on this forum and your work is consistently outstanding. Although birds are just one of the items I like to photograph I also use the scope for larger wildlife and can't wait to see how the V1 with its 2.7 X factor might help me pull in mountain goats and grizzlies.

I've never made it to Wyoming but it looks stunning. One day.
The Nex 7 is about 1 year older than the Nex 6 and has a 24 meg sensor. Image quality is very good, especially when paired with a quality lens , like the Zeiss 24/1.8 E lens.
It has an older processor so is very slow at handling raw so I don't use it much for digiscoping stills. The Nex 6 is much faster.
The Nex 6 also has Wifi and you can download APPs from the Sony site to add more functionality to the camera,e.g. Time-lapse and Remote Control.
I still take both cameras out often and while the Nex 6 is shooting time-lapse ( up to an hour) I will videoscope with the Nex 7, but my main digiscoping camera is the Sony RX 100 M2 when I need AF as it's a very sharp Zeiss lens and quality is very good for a 1 inch sensor. I use the Nex 6 on the Swarovski TLS APO (Manual focus of course) when action is slow or I'm shooting video.
Neil.

 

[DRodrigues]

It has an older processor so is very slow at handling raw so I don't use it much for digiscoping stills. The Nex 6 is much faster.

The new a6000 solves that http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-alpha-a6000 - my "old" NEX5 will be replaced...

 

[Neil]

The new a6000 solves that http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-alpha-a6000 - my "old" NEX5 will be replaced...

Yes, it should improve on what's gone before. I'll have to wait a bit though.
Neil.