[singlepic id=591 w=320 h=240 float=left]I\u2019d better warn you up front: If you\u2019re not interested in or into photo gear, you will not enjoy this post \u2026<\/p>\n
Julie and I used a pair of Sony NEX-5 cameras for all the photos we took and all the video we recorded on our trip to Thailand. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n
One reason the NEX-5 is so small is that it doesn\u2019t have a viewfinder. Focusing and framing is done with the tilting screen on the back of the camera. I thought that would be a big problem. I was wrong. I loved using the screen. Many people were unaware I was taking their photo.<\/p>\n
With good low-light performance, and a Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens, I was able to take photos of people at night under minimal indoor lighting. The photos looked brighter than it looked to the naked eye. A tripod helped in many of those shots.<\/p>\n
At first, I had problems focusing with my 85mm f1.8 lens. Shooting at f2, the depth of field (the range of distances at which the photo appears in focus) is very small, and when I magnified the image so I could nail the focus, it was difficult to hold the camera still enough.<\/p>\n
But as I got used to shooting with my 50mm lens, it was easier to work with the 85mm lens. And that\u2019s a good thing. The 85mm lens has much better bokeh (the way out-of-focus areas are rendered) than the 50mm lens, and the extra \u201creach\u201d allowed me to frame people closer without being uncomfortably close for them.<\/p>\n
I also took a Nikon 24mm f2.8 lens, and the Sony kit 16mm f2.8 lens, each of which I used a little bit. Because of the 1.55 crop factor of the APS-C sensor, that gave me lenses that were about 24mm, 35mm, 75mm and 135mm.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Julie exclusively used the Sony 18-55mm autofocus zoom lens that came with the camera.<\/p>\n
What would I have done differently?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure I would have taken the Nikon 24mm. I didn\u2019t use it much, and not only because it wasn\u2019t particularly fast. It was much wider than I wanted for most people photos, and not wide enough for most landscapes.<\/p>\n
I considered taking my 135mm f2.8 lens, but I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t. I need more practice with the 85mm lens before I\u2019ll be able to use the 135mm lens well, and f2.8 is not great for available light photography.<\/p>\n
If I had the money, I would have bought a 35mm f1.4 lens. Cosina makes a Voightlander lens for the Leica M-mount that is small and light, and not terribly expensive. I think putting that on an NEX-5 with a Leica adapter is ideal.<\/p>\n
And an anti-twist quick-release system would have been a lot more convenient than screwing the cameras onto the tripod or the video-steadying device and then unscrewing them. That wasted valuable time.<\/p>\n