NEX6 for indoor sports?

Just Having Fun said:

Just Having Fun wrote:

Some people think IS is not needed at faster shutter speeds or for sports. For very fast shutter speeds that may be true, but for action/sports others disagee.

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I try to remember to turn OS or IS off when shooting action where shutter speed is reasonably high. In this case, 1/1250s, to basically freeze the little one going bonkers with that ball she just grabbed at a dog park. But, of course, this was taken with Minolta 200G on NEX-3 via EA2 so no OS option:



Now, with indoor action, lighting conditions may be too restrictive. And even though we may deal with slower movements, it can be challenging to get even 1/250s (the typical indoor rodeo arena would require about ISO 6400 for it). And if you are shooting with a 135mm lens on APS-C sensor, you're right on the recommended shutter speed for handheld shooting. In that case, stabilization may help, countering the slow down in lag (shutter+AF speed) which can result from use of stabilization.

dpyy said:

dpyy wrote:

dpyy said:

Also, Sigma makes Alpha lenses with IS that work with the PDAF NEX adapter too.

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Like which ones? I can't find any new lens that have IS for alpha mount.

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The shrinking OS lens lineup for A-mount from Sigma currently includes 70-300, 150-500 and 180mm (macro). You could look for older lenses that had OS.

All else equal, I'd take it (IS). I try to get shutter speeds around 1/500s for some sports, but it doesn't always work out. And for dance recitals, if I'm down around 1/250s then VR helps. Occasionally I'll drop down to a slower shutter speed & pan. So I agree that it's better to have it than to not have it.


But when your choices are a native e-mount lens versus an unstabilized fast lens via adapter, I'd give up IS. (Or at one point, I was toying with the idea of going all-ILC except for maybe a used Canon DSLR body and single lens just for sports, and there's $$ to be saved going with a used lens without IS). And the OP in his latest post mentioned a short NEX lens - short enough that 1/100s should be handholdable w/o problem.


As has been pointed out, those aren't the only choices; aside from choosing another camera for sports, there should be a few stabilized 3rd party zooms that can be used with the LA-EA2.

- Dennis

dpyy said:

dpyy wrote:

dpyy said:

Also, Sigma makes Alpha lenses with IS that work with the PDAF NEX adapter too.

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Like which ones? I can't find any new lens that have IS for alpha mount.

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Many Sigmas A mount zooms have IS.

Their newest 120-400 has two mode IS similar to Cannon's.

Led Zeppelin: (Its light, but its heavy...)

It sounds like the NEX6 might not be the ideal tool for the job, but not hopeless either. That is good to know. I prefer trying to learn an existing camera, rather than shopping for a new one.

The 70-200 Sigma 2.8 is an interesting idea, and does include their OS. Of course it is a bit bigger than the NEX, but I guess I kind of figured that going in. At $1,400 it is about the same or less than I would pay for the unstabilized Canon, and about $700 less than the IS Canon.

It might be out of my price range either way, but the Canon 200mm prime with IS is $6K or so. Very good picture quality from what I understand, but out of my price range for what is essentially a hobby. (It can't be easy to put IS on a long lens, so for the cheaper lenses it may not work past 100mm anyway.)

The thing I like about alpha mount lenses on the NEX is that I get to carry around one camera and a few lenses, and still keep my options open for the future.

Thanks Again

Low Budget Dave said:

Low Budget Dave wrote:

It sounds like the NEX6 might not be the ideal tool for the job, but not hopeless either. That is good to know. I prefer trying to learn an existing camera, rather than shopping for a new one.

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And with NEX-6, you don't really need to. It may not be the ideal camera for everything, but no camera is. However, it does provide you with the flexibility to achieve those qualities that are lacking in its native form, in this case via EA2 adapter and A-mount lenses. I could easily live with just NEX-6, and E-mount/legacy lenses that take advantage of the qualities, and have EA2 adapter and fast zoom lenses for sports/action photography.

Low Budget Dave said:

The 70-200 Sigma 2.8 is an interesting idea, and does include their OS. Of course it is a bit bigger than the NEX, but I guess I kind of figured that going in. At $1,400 it is about the same or less than I would pay for the unstabilized Canon, and about $700 less than the IS Canon.

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OS will primarily be handy if you use the lens handheld under less than ideal conditions when shutter speed is limited. And if you don't mind not having OS, you could also look into Minolta 80-200 f/2.8 G HS or Minolta 200mm f/2.8 G HS. I have the latter, and it is a superb lens. Not very big or heavy either. I've also seen images out of the old 80-200 and they have always impressed me.

I had considered replacing the 200G with 70-200G SSM but I realized that the 200G can go to more places with me. Its smaller form allows me to fit two camera bodies and have three lenses in my sling bag. Also, the NEX+EA2+200G combination weighs a total of 3 lb (as much as the 70-200G on its own).

I hate lugging the Canon around on trips, so I got the NEX6. I just updated its firware to 1.01 and should be receiving the 50mm f1.8 next week - hopefully when I update that lens' firmward to support PDAF it will work as well as the 16-50mm. Has anyone tested the 50mm with the new firmware to see if it improves AF on the NEX6?

Back to the main point - I find the NEX6 quite acceptable for indoor sports - it has good high-ISO image quality, and you can take soooooo many pictures you will get some great keepers:




Wish I had my 50mm f1.8!

I may finally have an opportunity to photograph at a (indoor) basketball game in a few weeks. I plan on using my NEX-3 and a big white Minolta lens from 1989, of course via EA2, and will surely post images here. I will also try to take a few images with manual focus via tracking (using Focus Peaking), although the 200G HS is a horrible choice with manual focus. I will miss the 6/10 FPS burst modes of the A55 that I may still carry with me but with the 16-50/2.8 on it.