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Upgrade advice needed? From Sony NEX7 to a6500 or a6400, or wait?

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fogrover

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I have a Sony NEX7 and want to upgrade, mostly because I find the autofocus on the NEX7 to be too slow for taking pictures of wildlife (including grandchildren). I have a nice E series zoom and a standard lens and don't want to change to another manufacturer. What would people counsel regarding upgrading--a6500 or a6400?
 
SpacemanUA said:
Jeff Style said:
I'm gonna agree with you on this. I have both and even before getting the 6400, I didn't find the 6500's IBIS to be ground breaking, jaw dropping, or pinnacle in any sense. It is kinda helpful for video if I'm hand holding (which was rare), but for photo I can honestly say that if it didn't have IBIS at all I wouldn't have missed it much if at all. We're not talking Olympus level IBIS here lol ;)

My vote is for the A6400
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Exactly my thoughts.
Max Polonski said:
6500 is three years old camera. do you think it is worth to spend money for this ?
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a6400 apart, a6500 is still a very capable camera, there's nothing out there with better IQ in photo. So, if someone likes a6500, it's a very good choice. And if you do handheld video, there are only 2 options on the market: a6500 and x-h1.
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yup. IBIS is totally unecessary for some, and totally essential for others. All depends what you wanna do with your camera.

some shooters swear by it, especially those who shoot low light handheld, and there are plenty of youtube videos demonstrating how IBIS is great for video.

So all depends on what one wants
 
Gary3000 said:
SpacemanUA said:
Jeff Style said:
I'm gonna agree with you on this. I have both and even before getting the 6400, I didn't find the 6500's IBIS to be ground breaking, jaw dropping, or pinnacle in any sense. It is kinda helpful for video if I'm hand holding (which was rare), but for photo I can honestly say that if it didn't have IBIS at all I wouldn't have missed it much if at all. We're not talking Olympus level IBIS here lol ;)

My vote is for the A6400
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Exactly my thoughts.
Max Polonski said:
6500 is three years old camera. do you think it is worth to spend money for this ?
Click to expand...
a6400 apart, a6500 is still a very capable camera, there's nothing out there with better IQ in photo. So, if someone likes a6500, it's a very good choice. And if you do handheld video, there are only 2 options on the market: a6500 and x-h1.
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yup. IBIS is totally unecessary for some, and totally essential for others. All depends what you wanna do with your camera.

some shooters swear by it, especially those who shoot low light handheld, and there are plenty of youtube videos demonstrating how IBIS is great for video.

So all depends on what one wants
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I am definitely someone who prefers stabilization. I do mainly stills. To me it does not become clear in this topic if the stabilization isn't preferred so much or if it isn't working so well.

I have a Canon M50 and i am considering to get a Sony. One of the reasons is IBIS for my sigma 18-35mm and 50-100mm, another reason is the sigma 56mm f/1.4, and i might also get the sigma 30mm f/1.4.

If someone could comment on how effective IBIS on the A6500 really is in the range from 18mm to 100mm, (and especally 30-35mm and 56mm) it would be a great help for me. I am not using 100mm so often, i seldom use longer than 85mm.

If i can use a 30mm lens with 1/10 sec shutterspeed it is very valuable for me, as without stabilization i would need 1/60. My current Canon 35mm lens gives me that possibility, but it is fairly large.

I understand there was a firmware update making IBIS more effective, so It would be great if also would be mentioned if the comments are about before or after the firmware update.

Any help is much appreciated!
 
fogrover said:
I have a Sony NEX7 and want to upgrade, mostly because I find the autofocus on the NEX7 to be too slow for taking pictures of wildlife (including grandchildren). I have a nice E series zoom and a standard lens and don't want to change to another manufacturer. What would people counsel regarding upgrading--a6500 or a6400?
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Wait for what? The a6500 is a well rounded camera. Unless you need the more advanced AF, I'd go with the a6500. (Improved) IBIS comes in handy with the non-stabalized Sigma lenses.
 
thunder storm said:
If i can use a 30mm lens with 1/10 sec shutterspeed it is very valuable for me, as without stabilization i would need 1/60. My current Canon 35mm lens gives me that possibility, but it is fairly large.
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Can't say about the latest update, but with 1.05 it's not really possible to achieve that shutter speeds with 30mm.
 
SpacemanUA said:
thunder storm said:
If i can use a 30mm lens with 1/10 sec shutterspeed it is very valuable for me, as without stabilization i would need 1/60. My current Canon 35mm lens gives me that possibility, but it is fairly large.
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Can't say about the latest update, but with 1.05 it's not really possible to achieve that shutter speeds with 30mm.
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I dunno, tho think someone posted in another thread they were shooting better at 1/6, (unsure of what lens),

But I have the Sigma 30 and plan to test things out a bit this weekend, so will report back perhaps!
 
Gary3000 said:
I dunno, tho think someone posted in another thread they were shooting better at 1/6, (unsure of what lens),

But I have the Sigma 30 and plan to test things out a bit this weekend, so will report back perhaps!
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There are always some rare talents that can shoot handheld at 15 seconds :) And I'm just an "average Joe" with not super steady hands, and after 6 months of use, I set my Auto ISO shutter speed to 1/125 cause I was getting too many blurred shots at 1/60. That's the real feedback on a6500's IBIS. But it does a decent job in video, though.
 
Hey, I didn't know a FW had been released! Ok, I took some photos before and after at 1 sec., as I know I'd have some shake then, and I don't see any difference. This is with the Sigma 30/2.8. And 1/10 is not perfect -- I still have shake in some photos, but a couple look shake-free.

I think the trick is, the IBIS can only compensate for so much movement. If you can steady it enough where there's very little range of movement, it can make up for a slight shake. I think the OSS can compensate for more swinging around, maybe.

I don't think this FW update improved the IBIS for still photos, just movies. However, the IBIS is not bad, it just has to be used within its limits.
 
I have shaky hands and I was able to take a few shots using my 50mm f/1.8 at 1/15s. For me I usually can get a decent shot at 1/30s. I’ll be taking more pictures tonight to try it out but so far I do see improvement in the IBIS.

Also, in the firmware update description it states that it improves stability in stills and in video.
 
SpacemanUA;
Gary3000;
GaryW;

Thanks for now!!!

1/60 @30mm isn't all that good. @1/125 i don't need any stabilization at all unless the focal length gets beyond 50mm or so.

Stabilization is a difficult thing to test. How steady your hands are is a factor. It is also about statistics. To be fair, with my Canon 35mm IS lens i need 1/15 or 1/20 (and i have to concentrate a bit) to be 100% sure there isn't blur caused by camera shake. However, this is still (almost) 2 stops better than 1/60.

I read someone reported the A6400 works well with some large aperture Canon EF(-s) lenses in combination with the MC-11. For me this is great news! Maybe i will keep those Canon lenses with stabilization, skip IBIS, and just go with the A6400 in stead of the A6500 or it's predecessor.

OTOH: the IBIS of the A6500 could be more effective at longer focal lengths, and i would love to benefit 2 stops with my sigma 50-100mm f/1.8.

@Gary3000: I would love to hear some results. ;)
 
REDunnLev said:
I have shaky hands and I was able to take a few shots using my 50mm f/1.8 at 1/15s.
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I am most interested at what shutterspeed you can be (kind of) 100% sure you will have a good result.
REDunnLev said:
For me I usually can get a decent shot at 1/30s. I’ll be taking more pictures tonight to try it out but so far I do see improvement in the IBIS.
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So that's 2 stops at 50mm. Not as good as lens stabilization, but still very nice! It would be especially nice if i could achieve 2 stops with my sigma 50-100mm @ 85mm.
REDunnLev said:
Also, in the firmware update description it states that it improves stability in stills and in video.
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I took many shots at 1/10s, 1/15s, and 1/6s. I was consistently successful at 1/15s and I took a couple of good, sharp, shots at 1/10s. I could not get a sharp image at 1/6s.
 
REDunnLev said:
I took many shots at 1/10s, 1/15s, and 1/6s. I was consistently successful at 1/15s and I took a couple of good, sharp, shots at 1/10s. I could not get a sharp image at 1/6s.
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Thank you so much!

To be sure: this was at 30mm?
 
Soon after the A6400 initial sales bubble is over Sony will almost certainly introduce a new top-end APSC camera body.
 
Euell said:
Soon after the A6400 initial sales bubble is over Sony will almost certainly introduce a new top-end APSC camera body.
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I want to have it before this summer, and i am afraid it will be announced after this summer.

Of course this is a very smart way of Sony for milking out the AF advantage. Right now you have to choose between IBIS (A6500) or best AF (A6400) and as soon as the new flagship is available there will be upgraders from A6400 for IBIS and upgraders from A6500 for better AF.

Those who can't wait might pay twice. Anyway, i think this summer will be my last summer without a Sony camera as i don't think it will take more than one year before the successor of the A6500 arrives.
 
thunder storm said:
Euell said:
Soon after the A6400 initial sales bubble is over Sony will almost certainly introduce a new top-end APSC camera body.
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I want to have it before this summer, and i am afraid it will be announced after this summer.
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You are likely correct about that. I just recall the disappointment of some, perhaps many, A6300 purchasers who bemoaned the introduction of the A6500 so soon after the A6300. Notwithstanding the great reviews of the A6400, my hunch is that the next APSC top-of-the-line body must be even better, albeit more expensive. When the A6300 came out, I decided to keep on with the A6000 for awhile and was glad I did, when the A6500 came out shortly thereafter.
 
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SpacemanUA said:
Pplaha said:
Thanks for your response. I sold my A6500 and was debating getting the A6400 with the sigma lenses. Now am holding off only because these lenses are not having OSS and there is no IBIS on A6400. Do you think the A6400 is that much better than the A6500?
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People overrate a6500's IBIS. It's not that good to make a difference. I switched from a6500 to a6400 and find a6400 to be much more fun and easier to use. And I use Auto ISO with 1/125s min.ss. anyway, so don't feel the need for IBIS.
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Is not overrated... I have the 6500 and rented the 6400 and for my needs I couldn't make the switch. Some of the best lenses for APSC are from sigma which have no stabilization and the IBIS makes a clear difference for video and photos.

Also I surely missed that extra button plus the larger buffer can be handy.

If you are happy with your 6400 that is good for you but do not misinform people claiming the IBIS does not make a difference just to validate your purchase. It does not help anyone.
 
Luis Gabriel Photography said:
Is not overrated... I have the 6500 and rented the 6400 and for my needs I couldn't make the switch. Some of the best lenses for APSC are from sigma which have no stabilization and the IBIS makes a clear difference for video and photos.

Also I surely missed that extra button plus the larger buffer can be handy.

If you are happy with your 6400 that is good for you but do not misinform people claiming the IBIS does not make a difference just to validate your purchase. It does not help anyone.
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I switched to a6400 from a6500 and kinda know what I'm saying :) I couldn't trust that IBIS to shoot even at 1/60s with 30mm. With Olympus camera and same lens and s.s. it was 100% sharp photo. With a6500 - not so much. Yes, it compensate a bit, but, as I said before, I used 1/125s with Auto ISO anyway.
 
SpacemanUA said:
Luis Gabriel Photography said:
Is not overrated... I have the 6500 and rented the 6400 and for my needs I couldn't make the switch. Some of the best lenses for APSC are from sigma which have no stabilization and the IBIS makes a clear difference for video and photos.

Also I surely missed that extra button plus the larger buffer can be handy.

If you are happy with your 6400 that is good for you but do not misinform people claiming the IBIS does not make a difference just to validate your purchase. It does not help anyone.
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I switched to a6400 from a6500 and kinda know what I'm saying :) I couldn't trust that IBIS to shoot even at 1/60s with 30mm. With Olympus camera and same lens and s.s. it was 100% sharp photo. With a6500 - not so much. Yes, it compensate a bit, but, as I said before, I used 1/125s with Auto ISO anyway.
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I have no idea how you cannot shoot at 1/60th with a 30mm . I had a g85 before so I am familiar with their stabilization too.

I know what I am saying, I still have it..but hey whatever makes you happy just hope others do not take your rather odd experience as a fact.

IBIS works simple as that. Got nothing else to say here

Regards ;)
 
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