Reposting old content from my now defunct Wordpress blog
The last year or so I have had trouble finding enthusiasm for digital photography. This was sad given how much I’ve enjoyed photography in the past, and also left me with a nagging sense of guilt for my insanely expensive camera collection.
I’ve decided to try and do something about this - and so I’ve swapped this:
For this:
The Sony NEX-5 is an interchangeable lens system camera that’s obviously inspired by the Micro 4/3 cameras from Olympus and Panasonic. It has a larger sensor than the Micro 4/3 systems, and a different lens mount for which there are only a few lenses available. It’s the smallest camera of it’s kind, and surprisingly cheap for the quality at $1499 NZD for the two lens kit. The kit includes a 16mm f/2.8 pancake, and an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. I’m having trouble getting photographs I like out of the 16mm but the 18-55mm is just stellar.
I made the switch because the Canon kit was too heavy and cumbersome to carry around on a daily basis, and I found myself leaving it at home more and more. I decided I needed to sell it while it was still worth doing so. It wasn’t an easy decision and I thought it would be hard to give up - how would I survive without my 24mm f/1.4 L or my 100mm f/1.8 macro?
Turns out, quite well.
When I first started taking photos with a DSLR it was with my ex-partner’s 20D and the then Canon kit 18-55, which was considered a very bad lens. Some of the best photographs I’ve ever taken were with this setup, as I learned how to use that one camera and that one lens very, very well. Looking through my flickr stream, I think the majority of the photographs taken with my 7D are actually worse than those taken by my cheaper cameras. The 7D is a superb piece of equipment, but I allowed acquiring lenses to get in the way of learning how to get the best out of what I had.
So far, the NEX-5 is just what the doctor ordered. Not only did I manage to swap out my Canon gear for the NEX with a cool few grand spare, but being so much smaller and lighter it comes with me everywhere. The image quality of the Sony sensor is just spectacular, giving me crisp, sharp photographs with great colour. I’m still learning how to take good photographs with it but so far I’m impressed with what the camera is clearly capable of. When Sony release the new primes they’ve announced are coming this year I’m going to pick up a 24mm or a 50mm (depending on how fast and how expensive they are) and consider my set more or less complete. They wont be coming for a few months - but I think the lens I have and I want to get better acquainted first.
Images below taken with the Sony NEX-5.
