Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS Lens

Last week, thanks to Wellington Photo Warehouse; I had the pleasure of testing the Sony A6000 15-50/55-210 Twin kit for the weekend. The delightful Sony A6000 mirrorless compact which I like a lot, also came with a rather long but light tele zoom.

The all black, all plastic Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS Lens might look intimating on the compact A6000, but weighing at a mere 12.2oz  (345g); it balance quite well on the camera.

The twin lens set cost NZ$1,675.00, in a way, this long zoom  is a bargain.

Considering the camera with the 15-50 lens, alone; cost $1,348.00, you are actually getting this very long, telephoto zoom (82-315mm eqv) for only $327.00!

I was please that the mounting bayonet is metal instead of plastic :)

As far as I know, this lens is not sold separately in New Zealand.

According to Sony, this 13 element zoom consists of 2 aspherical and 2 ED elements; the lens provides image stabilization, super quiet focusing, and a useful zoom range of 82-315mm eqv.

DXO Mark gave this lens a peak sharpness of 7-Mpix and 12 points overall which is about average for a lens with this range.

Numbers to me are just a guide, I prefer some real world shooting, comparing the Sony to what I have; which is an LUMIX G VARIO PZ 45-175/F4.0-5.6.

SONY A6000 素敵なカメラ!

In case you are wondering, 素敵なカメラ! translates to "Nice Camera!"

The first time I read about the Sony A6000 in Imaging Resource, I wanted to hold one in my hand! There is something about this
Alpha ILCE-A6000 (full model name) that make you want to do that ;)

So I got in touch with Sony customer support in Australia, expressing my interest in testing their good looking camera. Their efficient support guy told me I have to apply for "sponsorship" from Sony, even gave me a link, which; however I try, I cannot get my request through.. so after a few days of trying, I gave up :(

SONY RX100 III - Mother Of All Compact!

Just when Canon, with their G1X Mk II; thought they had Sony beaten...

Today Sony up the ante and announced their Mother Of All Compact, the Mark III version of the ever popular RX100 series!

I can see Canon crying ;)

G1 X Mark II - Did Canon Nail It?

The Power Shot G1X Mk2! There has not been so much excitement over a new compact point n shoot for a while, wait! It is NOT even NEW, it is Canon REPLACEMENT for the lacklustre G1 X, Mk none ;)

In my last posting, I concluded with "May be, finally; Canon have got their compact act together?"

"Well, DID THEY?"

G1X Mark II, Canon finally got it right?

Two years ago, Canon launched their point n shoot with a large 14MP 1.5" CMOS sensor and called it the G1X.

Canon thought they had the enthusiast photographer section sussed, after all; this is a ‘take anywhere’ camera that has DSLR-like handling and image quality! The sensor is SIX times larger than their very popular G12, for goodness sake!

Well, Canon was wrong!

As far as I am concern, the G1X is just a larger version of the G12! Apart from the large sensor, the auto focus is just as slow...

I believe sales of this glorified point n shoot, like Canon's EOS-M was lackluster!

But that was two years ago!

Canon came back with a vengeance!

LCD Shade For Lumix GM1

By now, you would have notice I like to take the little Lumix GM1 wherever I go, it is my perfect pocketable point n shoot with great IQ (image quality)!

My friend asked me what are the features that I do not like about this small wonder, well there are TWO that actually irritate me; the rest, I can live with ;)

Actually, both of the irritations have to do with the LCD screen!

Mind you, that 3" screen is sharp and accurate; except it CANNOT tilt and on numerous occasion, while shooting out on a sunny day; the screen has so much reflection that I cannot even frame my shots!

My second irate on the screen is the focussing "square" always move to a different location, this happen because your fingers accidentally touch the screen when the camera is turn on!

Unlike my OM-D, I can actually turn off the touch-ability of the screen!

Get A Grip For Your Lumix GM1 !

You know I love my Lumix GM1, but in the situation where I really need to shoot holding the little camera with one hand... Grrrr!! It is nearly impossible! There are no support whatsoever for you to hold on to the camera, it is highly likely that you will DROP it!

The smooth front with nothing to hold on to!

 I know, I know... good old Panasonic make a "grip" for this small wonder, take a look...