bokeh
Written whilst enjoying a single malt, "With a Whisky" brings you the latest ramblings from my side of the world. I can't promise prominent prose, or impressive imagery, but I'll do my best to keep you entertained.
Part 1 of ....
Read More
Rainy Season | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/60s f/2.2 ISO1250 24mm
Rainy season is truly upon us. It's been raining solid since the weekend, with barely a break. The relentless humidity renders everything moist. Condensation pours down almost everything, made all the more noticeable with a nice cold beer.
I had the pleasure of meeting up with a friend after work this evening, who happens to own a Sony DSC-RX1 full-frame camera. Just before heading home, I remembered that I wanted to take a quick shot of similar subjects with my NEX-7 & Zeiss and compare it to the RX1. I know from online tests that the RX1 has fantastic low-light capability and immense depth of field, but I'm very pleased with my NEX-7's performance, which is made better when coupled with the Zeiss SEL24F18Z.
Please excuse the changing perspective; I'd had a couple of beers by this point. For a more in-depth review, please visit dpreview.com or something. There's not really much in it, to be honest. The NEX-7 holds up at 1600 in my experience, but not for pixel peeping. I tend not to bother pixel peeping unless I'm very bored, anyway. The RX1 is arguably just as good at ISO 3200, possibly higher. There's also noticeably more bokeh with the RX1, which is to be expected "wide open" due to its full frame sensor. The bokeh on both is extremely pleasing, and though I still want an RX1, I wholeheartedly recommend the SEL24F18Z to anyone sitting on the fence. Get it. It's great. The new Touits are sure to impress too... photos by the end of the week, I promise!
I'll finish by saying that after quickly analysing the RX1 files, that the shadow-recovery is excellent, and perhaps more noticeable still, is the high level of detail. ISO 100 picked out flecks and dirt beyond what I could see in the bar. Look around the "SPA" lettering and you'll see what I mean. Very high levels of detail indeed - wide open. Stopped down, I think this camera is unrivalled [for its size], and has a very particular niche which it fills well. There is no one camera which can satisfy all of our demands, but the RX1 meets quite a few of mine.
