NEX6 vs 5n + EV

[WT21]

Hi all,

I had a 5n, but sold it. Maybe a mistake, as I really liked this camera's output joined with my CV40/1.4.

I bought a 6, but I simply do not like it. The EVF is not very good at all, IMO, which is why I bought it. Also, I'm finding the left corner EVF is sub-ideal for me. Also, I am really struggling with it with my glasses on in a way that I don't with my Olypmus EVF.

Now, I'm thinking of going back to a 5n, and get the detachable EVF (I never tried the detachable EVF before).

Can anyone comment on the quality of the EVF image -- NEX 6 built in EVF vs. the 5n detachable one? I find the NEX6 image "swims" -- it's like I'm looking at the image through a plastic toy lens. It's not even across the frame, which is throwing off my MF.

Are the 5n and 6 EVF options comparable? Is one better than the other?

 

[Kookie B]

WT21,

I can't comment on the EVF viewfinder of the 6, but I had visual difficulties when I originally looked at the 7, and the two might be very similar. Some of the problem I attribute to wearing progressive glasses. As an alternative, I went with a 5n with the EVF and I find it is an excellent piece of equipment without the issues I had with the 7. If you can get past the add-on look with the extra bulk I can recommend the combination.

My $0.02. YMMV.

You raise an interesting question in terms of the comparison. Let us know where you land.

Good luck.

Ed B.

 

[Hans vdC]

Did you try diopter adjustment on the NEX6? As far as I know the EVF in the NEX6 and the addon EVF are exactly the same. Only difference can be the rubber eyecap.

 

[MKSTEWARTESQ]

I have to say I went in the opposite direction. I bought a 5R, then quickly decided I needed an EVF, so I got one. But I also wanted a flash. After a while, the hassle of removing the EVF to use the flash and vice-versa made me realize that I really needed a camera where both options were available to me at the same time, so I just sold my 5R and got a Nex-6.

I know that doesn't answer your question - but to get to your question, i can't say I've noted any marked difference in quality between my Nex-6 EVF and the one I had for my 5R. And one consideration you may not have thought of that has become apparent to me since owning my Nex-6: on the 5R, adding the EVF to the Smart Accessory port puts the EVF in the middle of the top of the camera body, meaning that (in my case) , my nose was often getting semi-squashed against the LCD screen on the left side of the camera body because more of the camera body had to rest on my face to get my eye to the EVF. I found this uncomfortable, and it actually caused a little eye irritation because I had to push my face farther forward to seat my eye in the eye-cup for the EVF.

On the plus side, however, the stand-alone EVF does have a tliting feature that allows you to shoot with the EVF perpendicular to the camera body, meaning you can get "low" shots without squatting or lying on the ground. Very cool, and I already miss that on my Nex-6.

Mike

 

[nrcole]

I think they are the same one. It's rendering what the sensor sees so any difference might be attributed to the 6 havings some pixels devoted to PDAF and thus supposedly a very marginal decrease in high-ISO performance. The difference is going to be insignificant, and if you don't like it on one I imagine you won't like it on the other.

I have the EVF add-on and I love it, but it's definitely oversaturated. Pictures look much more vivid through the finder than they do in output. It's fine as I process them myself but it's not a perfect representation.

 

[PeteC21]

I can's say anything about the 6 but I have the 5N and the EVF and I like it. I have the a77 and the EVF's are very similar. One thing I really like about the 5N EVF is the angle adjustment. I plan to do some abstract and architectural shooting and this should be a great feature.

There is the issue with only 1 attachment at a time and I have the EVF, Ext Mic, and the flash. I don't do much video or flash so it's not a problem for me.

I too wear glasses but mostly for astigmatism and the diopter adjustment works fine for me so that I do not need to wear glasses when using the EVF on either the 5N or a77.

 

[WT21]

Hans von der Crone wrote:

Did you try diopter adjustment on the NEX6? As far as I know the EVF in the NEX6 and the addon EVF are exactly the same. Only difference can be the rubber eyecap.

Yes, thanks! I did try the diopter. It's not an OOF issue generally, but an issue where one portion of the VF is sharp, but another portion isn't. It's like looking through a toy lens. Was just wondering if the 5n + EVF was the same way (or maybe I have a bad NEX 6!)

 

[Buc522]

Just purchased the 6 yesterday primarily for the EVF. I have to say I really like it. Have not had a chance to use it outside yet as the weather is too crappy. I wear glasses but have a mild prescription. I adjusted the diopter to use without the glasses and no probs at all. Just updated the firmware on my 5n, 6 and all lenses. Everything went smoothly and works as it should. The 6 imo seems more responsive than the 5n and it does seem to handle auto WB a bit better. Thought I would miss the touch screen, but so far I see no real disadvantage. The added functionality of the control dials makes functionality seem even better than the 5n. No touch screen focus, but you can adjust the focus to selective spot via the menu process. I am not one who had any problem with the 5n menu to begin with. This really is no different other than the process of manipulating it. Having the ability to adjust things like iso with the simple push of a button and turn of the wheel while never leaving the viewfinder is an added and appreciated convenience. I was a bit shocked at the difference in size. It is no problem for me but their certainly is a noticeable difference.




Got an open box buy at Best Buy ended up paying $820 for the kit. Seems like a keeper to me. It is going to be a pleasure not having to struggle with the viewfinder when outside in the sun.

 

[kaku]

MKSTEWARTESQ wrote:
On the plus side, however, the stand-alone EVF does have a tliting feature that allows you to shoot with the EVF perpendicular to the camera body, meaning you can get "low" shots without squatting or lying on the ground. Very cool, and I already miss that on my Nex-6.

Mike makes an excellent point about the add-on EVF having tilt capability so you can adjust it for comfort. The other good thing to note is that if you like to carry your camera on a neck strap, the EVF (and its eye sensor) can be articulated up so your body is not accidentally triggering the EVF to turn on. With the NEX 6, the eye sensor seems to be extremely sensitive where you if you any object come within 6 inches of the sensor, it activates the EVF. So you literally must learn to hold a camera a different way.

 

[blue_skies]

kaku wrote:

MKSTEWARTESQ wrote:
On the plus side, however, the stand-alone EVF does have a tliting feature that allows you to shoot with the EVF perpendicular to the camera body, meaning you can get "low" shots without squatting or lying on the ground. Very cool, and I already miss that on my Nex-6.

Mike makes an excellent point about the add-on EVF having tilt capability so you can adjust it for comfort. The other good thing to note is that if you like to carry your camera on a neck strap, the EVF (and its eye sensor) can be articulated up so your body is not accidentally triggering the EVF to turn on. With the NEX 6, the eye sensor seems to be extremely sensitive where you if you any object come within 6 inches of the sensor, it activates the EVF. So you literally must learn to hold a camera a different way.

afaik, all of the EVFs are identical. If there are differences, then I haven't noticed them.

It is important to set the diopter right, especially on the 5N where it is more exposed and can shift when putting the camera in your bag.

The 5N with tilting is the best way to use the EVF, you can angle the viewfinder, and get comfortable in any stance. Even straight on, the EVF is centered, and the camera feels more balanced. In the centered mode, the EVF protrudes further away from the body than in the 6 or 7, so people with glasses should get more comfortable.

As to carrying the camera, correct, the 6 or 7 will not turn off, switching to EVF mode. I always make sure that I turn the camera off first. The 5N does not have that problem, with the EVF turned upwards.

Depending on the strength of you eyesight correction, you may be able to adjust the diopter to see without glasses. This way, you can press your eye against it, and have your glasses pop up over the EVF. It should overcome any blurryness, as your angle for viewing increases slightly.

Because the magnification factor is high, the angle of proper viewing is quite narrow. Any movement, and you will see blurred edges. With glasses this is worse than without glasses. But you have to get used to the proper way of looking.

Lastly, cleaning the EVF glass is something I do frequently. It is easy to fog it up, grease or smudge it.

 

[Photozopia]

Both use same EVF to best of knowledge.

 

[ResearchKen]

I actually have a 5n and I've been really thinking about upgrading to the 6 just for the EVF and the built in flash. The 6 wasn't released when I bought my 5n back in October before I left for my honeymoon, so I didn't have the luxury of waiting because of that.

I now know that I would much rather have everything included opposed to detaching and attaching things on and off of my 5n.

 

[kaku]

ResearchKen wrote:

I actually have a 5n and I've been really thinking about upgrading to the 6 just for the EVF and the built in flash. The 6 wasn't released when I bought my 5n back in October before I left for my honeymoon, so I didn't have the luxury of waiting because of that.

I now know that I would much rather have everything included opposed to detaching and attaching things on and off of my 5n.

 

[dpmaxwell]

I have a 7 and a 5R. I prefer the size of the 5R for most things, compared to the 7. I do not have the add-on viewfinder for the 5R.

I rarely use the viewfinder on my 7. It's useful to have when you need it, although I like the thought of being able to remove the viewfinder for times when you don't, which for me is 90% of the time.

Coming from an optical viewfinder world, I don't like the lag when the camera switches between the lcd and the viewfinder; I assume this is the same for both.

I am left eye dominant and find the left positioning of the viewfinder on the 7 awkward. This may be part of the reason I rarely use it.

And of course you can't use both the flash and the viewfinder at the same time with the 5R, but for me I can't remember the last time I actually needed to do that. Would obviously depend on the kind of photography you do.

 

[ResearchKen]

kaku wrote:

ResearchKen wrote:

I actually have a 5n and I've been really thinking about upgrading to the 6 just for the EVF and the built in flash. The 6 wasn't released when I bought my 5n back in October before I left for my honeymoon, so I didn't have the luxury of waiting because of that.

I now know that I would much rather have everything included opposed to detaching and attaching things on and off of my 5n.

 

[kaku]

ResearchKen wrote:

kaku wrote:

ResearchKen wrote:

I actually have a 5n and I've been really thinking about upgrading to the 6 just for the EVF and the built in flash. The 6 wasn't released when I bought my 5n back in October before I left for my honeymoon, so I didn't have the luxury of waiting because of that.

I now know that I would much rather have everything included opposed to detaching and attaching things on and off of my 5n.

 

[Tommygun45]

WT21 wrote:

Hans von der Crone wrote:

Did you try diopter adjustment on the NEX6? As far as I know the EVF in the NEX6 and the addon EVF are exactly the same. Only difference can be the rubber eyecap.

Yes, thanks! I did try the diopter. It's not an OOF issue generally, but an issue where one portion of the VF is sharp, but another portion isn't. It's like looking through a toy lens. Was just wondering if the 5n + EVF was the same way (or maybe I have a bad NEX 6!)

I hear what you are saying with the slight blur of the 6. I had a 5n and went to the 6 because of the EVF. ( I had never actually used a modern one before ) I do like it a bit but it certainly has some quirks. I very much dislike the sensitivity of how it turns off. A common shooting stance I use it to tilt the LCD to 90 degrees and hold the camera at my stomach or close to the ground. I now have to hold it far further away from my body than is comfortable because the VF constantly activates. That is annoying. The sensitivity should be in millimeters, not half a foot.

Also the blurriness I have experienced. However I find that by modifying my eyes position in the cup I can usually quickly rectify it. If I am slightly off to a side, or too close or too far from the actually OLED with my eyeball portions of the image can be out of focus. But if I get a good, secure suction if you will the image is crystal clear across the board.

I went to the eye doctor last week and had a similar experience. I had to push my head against a machine that was trying to take a picture of the back of my eye. It took a few attempts but eventually I got my eye in the position to actually 'see' the laser that was shooting me in the eye ball. It feels like a similar experience on the Nex. A little too finicky to get it perfect. I would expect the experience of the external VF for the 5's to be the same as they must use the same tech.

 

[zackiedawg]

Almost certainly your problem stems from not being able to have your eye close enough to the viewfinder glass due to your glasses - that's causing you to be viewing the viewfinder from slightly farther back which means your eye isn't getting the proper magnification of the screen and could be seeing some of the slight curvature, or your eye isn't sitting aligned straight with the finder causing it to blur on one side. Both of these issues likely would not be experienced without the glasses - you could test that by removing your glasses and trying the viewfinder with just your eye, adjusting the diopter to suit your eye vision (if it adjusts enough)...that would at least eliminate any thoughts of a broken or faulty EVF.




It is possible that the add-on EVF could alleviate this problem, since it does sit farther back in relief from the camera body, is centered atop the camera rather than off to one side, and can be tilted as needed to allow your eye to get as flush as possible and at the correct straight-on angle with it, even with your glasses.




It's not been a problem for me on the 5N with EVF - I've tried some other EVFs as well including the NEX7, and didn't have a problem there either. I have a relatively small nose, and though I wear glasses all the time for nearsightedness, I have quite small, round lenses and my eye is not deeply recessed, so the distance of my eye to the finder even with glasses on is very little...that lets me get the viewfinder up close to my glasses, which are close to my eye, and see the whole screen clearly.




Different faces and different eyewear choices, as well as different eye correction issues, can all have very different results...I could see how the body-mounted fixed EVF on the 7 & 6 might present a problem for certain people depending on dominant eye and face shape, and in those rare cases, the add-on EVF might provide a little more space and relief to make it more comfortable and easy to use.

 

[WT21]

zackiedawg wrote:

Almost certainly your problem stems from not being able to have your eye close enough to the viewfinder glass due to your glasses - that's causing you to be viewing the viewfinder from slightly farther back which means your eye isn't getting the proper magnification of the screen and could be seeing some of the slight curvature, or your eye isn't sitting aligned straight with the finder causing it to blur on one side. Both of these issues likely would not be experienced without the glasses - you could test that by removing your glasses and trying the viewfinder with just your eye, adjusting the diopter to suit your eye vision (if it adjusts enough)...that would at least eliminate any thoughts of a broken or faulty EVF.

It is possible that the add-on EVF could alleviate this problem, since it does sit farther back in relief from the camera body, is centered atop the camera rather than off to one side, and can be tilted as needed to allow your eye to get as flush as possible and at the correct straight-on angle with it, even with your glasses.

It's not been a problem for me on the 5N with EVF - I've tried some other EVFs as well including the NEX7, and didn't have a problem there either. I have a relatively small nose, and though I wear glasses all the time for nearsightedness, I have quite small, round lenses and my eye is not deeply recessed, so the distance of my eye to the finder even with glasses on is very little...that lets me get the viewfinder up close to my glasses, which are close to my eye, and see the whole screen clearly.

Different faces and different eyewear choices, as well as different eye correction issues, can all have very different results...I could see how the body-mounted fixed EVF on the 7 & 6 might present a problem for certain people depending on dominant eye and face shape, and in those rare cases, the add-on EVF might provide a little more space and relief to make it more comfortable and easy to use.

 

[zackiedawg]

I don't think it's related to a magnifier as to why an OVF works - I think it's more to do with having an optical view versus an electronic one. No matter what type of EVF, it's still viewing a tiny TV screen behind a pane of glass - and the electronic screens are more sensitive to angle-of-view, especially when being viewed in a bit of a tunnel. An optical view won't change brightness or color properties much if at all when viewed at various angles, or closer or farther away - so the worst effect a glasses-wearer typically gets from an optical viewfinder that they cannot get their eye flush with is that part of the view is cut off - usually the readings at the bottom of the finder, sometimes a little bit of the image. With EVFs, the additional problem can arise when the viewing angle isn't optimal to the electronic screen in the viewfinder binnacle, it can cause various effects from color tearing, blur, curvature, change of color or saturation, change of contrast or brightness, etc.