NEX-5N recommended settings (I’m having problems)

[allitca]

I have recently upgraded my NEX-5 to the NEX-5N (18-55mm).
By looking at the stats and reviews the upgrade to the NEX 5N should deliver
better picture quality, flexibility and ability. I’m no professional photographer
therefore shoot in the best quality JPEG usually in the auto mode (green
camera) with standard settings, only occasionally doing tweaking the settings
for some scenes.

I have had the upgrade for a about a month now, but only
took it out for a good testing recently. Shooting in standard mode turned out
to be extremely poor, there is a fuzz in every 8 out of 10 pictures, and I am
sure I was getting the focus correct, fuzz mainly came out on peoples faces.
The colouring was looks poor too, the pictures don’t look real in comparison to
my previous shots with the NEX 5 which has been joy. I am really regretting the
upgrade at the moment, but I still don’t understand the reason to why the
camera has received outstanding reviews. I must have a faulty unit / use the
wrong settings. Surely a newer version of a camera must be better than the
previous.

Any advice on the settings? Kind of hoping there’s a new
firmware update on the way which will cure my problems, though saying that, it
is very doubtful due to the release of NEX 5R

1. P.S some pictures can be uploaded to demonstrate what I
   mean. Just let me know if that will help, Thanks

Message was edited by: allitca

[Watashiwateshdes]

Hi

Ideally the best way forward is if you could post some photos since it will give a better idea of what could be going on here. You may wish to try another mode to see if the same happens.

In theory, you are right, moving from a 5 to 5n or higher should in theory yeild the same results but you need to keep in mind that the in camera processing may have changed slightly so the images may not be as vibrant etc but as for sharpness, that should not change.

Either way, im sure some photos would be a good place to start.     

[allitca]

First five images from recent shooting at MOTOR MUSEUM NEX 5N (unhappy) in the initial question

The rest are from recent HOLIDAY to spain NEX 5 (happy)

Message was edited by: allitca

[Mick2011]

Hi allitca

I've had a look though both sets of photos and I'm quite sure there's no problem with your camera.

Certainly, you could benefit from more manual control in difficult lighting conditions. Most of the problems I can see with the motor show images are due to low light levels. The 5N will normally make a very good job of recording a good exposure in artificial light, and your images show good exposure and exactly the sort of image integrity that you would expect in those conditions.

However what happens in low light is that the camera will open the aperture to its widest setting, making focussing much more critical. In low light you will have no depth of focus at all, so the point of focus must be exactly on the subject or it will look blurred – this is the main problem with the faces in those shots.

You will also need to hold the camera very steadiy in poor light, as the exposure time is longer. You seem to have done quite well with this at the show, but the image with the 'Ford Model T Van' text shows both the drawbacks of a wide-open kit lens and a slow shutter speed.

Finally, the autofocus system will 'lock on' to hard, straight lines much more readily, especially in these conditions, so it will want to focus on the car, and not the softer, less contrasty lines of the human face. You can override this, but it has to be very carefully done under artificial lighting.

When you examine the shots you are happy with, the big difference isn't the camera, it's the strong, contrasty sunlight they were taken under, making focussing and generally great-looking shots almost effortless. However with a little more care you should be able to get great results in almost any situation.

Hope that's of some help.

Cheers

Mick

[allitca]

Thanks for the much helphul & detailed answer Mick, would you advice any specific settings in the program auto mode of how to overcome some of those problems. I'm planning to go Moscow during the Christmas period, and would like to make the most out of my photos, what mode should i stick to in snow conditions? this may sound stupid, but what ratio would you recommend for typical shooting, and lastly, i havent experimented much with raw photos, but from my understanding they all have to be processed through photoshop programs to make the most of them? or could they just be kept as they are without the need to enhance desired detail?

Thanks Again

Alex

[Mick2011]

In most cases the camera will perform at (or close to) its best using the automatic settings. What it can not do is improve lighting, which is often the most important part of a photograph. Good lighting is especially important indoors and at night, as the sensor has to work much harder to give you good colour and detail, and you need to work harder too... holding the camera very steady, and being very selective about focussing. Don't forget, if available light is poor, you can use fill-flash to light your subject while keeping the 'feel' of the room lighting. 

One setting I would advise exploring is Auto HDR, especially in low-light situations but really anywhere that you find there is a large difference between the brightest and darkest parts of your shot. If you find the shadows are too dark of the brighter areas have burned out to white, Auto HDR will capture two exposures and combine them in-camera, often giving very pleasant results.

Shooting raw is the best way of making the most of what the camera can record. You can process raw files without photoshop, but you will get best results using something better than the software that comes with the camera. Remember raw shots have only the minimum in-camera processing, leaving you you make corrections afterwards. Well worth experimenting with. Try setting the camera to shoot raw + fine jpeg, so you can compare the results.

Not sure what you mean by 'ratio':smileyconfused:

Cheers

Mick

[robegarza]

Hi I am no expert and i will probably get things wrong...

still i have been researching this exact issue but with a NEX 5R.... what i finally ended up using as my settings (and please please please discuss, im also interested on getting this right);

***im only talking about photography no video settings here***

Image size

Quality FINE (i read this is the heaviest format in MB, i dont use RAW as i dont edit my pics, also i love the simple use of the intelligent Auto that lets you set the aperture and the brightness with the scroll wheel... in the RAW setting this option is disabled)

Image size 16M

Aspect ratio 3:2

in the camera settings

Drive mode im using Spd priority, but i believe the single shooting gives better performance overall.

Flash auto

Focus Auto

face detection ON

i understand that by using the function of Scene selection -- anti motion blur option, helps a lot when taking indoor pictures... i havent used this option...

under this setting i use the intelligent auto or the superior auto options and when you click down the scroll weel you get a couple of options bkground defocus (aperture) brightness color vividness and picture effect... i have found this option very usefull when taking pictures of my children at events or rehearsals...

please discuss as i am interested in this topic

Rg...