Sony A6300 Camera Discussion

[R_Lefebvre]

Rick, check out the Rokinon lenses. The 16mm is a fantastic lens. But it's huge and manual focus... But really awesome glass.

The Sony 16mm is total dog ****, but the 20mm is better. Not great, but better.

Here's a photo I took last night with the 16mm. It's looking down on a field for mapping use. Just look at the blur on the sides... awful.

 

[Clermond]

I must say the 16mm is not so bad as most people think. Helge aka KopterKraft shot the video from post #3 in this thread with the 16mm pancake. In case you missed it:

The 10-18 is a great lens but it weighs 100g more than the 16-50. (a6300 10-18 634g / a6300 16-50 538g) With the 16-50 you can zoom via remote while with the 10-18 you have to land if you want to change focal length.

I am still testing and playing with the 16-50. I don't mind if corners are a little soft for video and for photo you get a pretty good result with lens correction.
10-18 @12mm sample (f=10 / 1/250)

16-50mm @16mm sample (open aperture f3,5 / 1/250)

 

[Clermond]

..
Here's a photo I took last night with the 16mm. It's looking down on a field for mapping use. Just look at the blur on the sides... awful.
..

I don't think it's a general problem of the 16mm pancake. I own it too and I never saw these blurs. There might be happened sth else either when shooting (vibrations, dirt, fog, dust) or the lens is damaged. I would recommend taking a test series on the ground with various aperture / time settings

 

[GGoodrum]

Hi Gary, First it's really good to see you! Yes, I feel the same about the a6300, my favorite camera to date and I have Canon 5D with L Series glass. The 6300 was intended as an aerial camera purchase but now I've decided to dump Canon altogether.

OK Lenses: I've spent my way into some knowledge here lol (Bought some duds and re-sold) So I can save you some money. Do NOT buy the Sony 16mm Pancake... Highly disappointing pc of crap. Do NOT buy the Sigma 19mm ART Highly disappointing pile of crap!

What I landed on for aerial and wide gimbal in general is the Sony 10-18mm zoom. Fantastic lens. : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...l1018_10_18mm_F_4_0mm_Optical_SteadyShot.html
With the crop factor it gives you 15-27mm equivalent so it replaces your old standby 16-24 from the Canon world.
Sharp as a tack and just beautiful color rendition blah blah.. Search YouTube for footage of it on the 6300. It has the added benefit of being lightweight as all heck, which is fantastic for aerial.

For a general zoom I settled on the Sony G 18-105 mm as it is the sharpest zoom they have in that range. It rivals my L Series 24-70 at half the cost. (And a much longer reach when factoring the 1.5 crop it gives you about 24-150 which is a really nice reach.) LOVE this lens! So sharp :
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1001011-REG/sony_selp18105g_18_105mm_f_4_g_lens.html

THEN because both those lenses are f4's (that's the only downside to Sony right now.. shy on the fast glass). But these are for outdoor use anyway for me. SO the next one I bought is the Sony 50mm F1.8 which is there "Plastic Fantastic" equivalent. Cheap, sharp and light. Gives you about 75 mm which is great for portraits and fast at 1.8 for blurred backgrounds which is essential for portraits.. And it's great for indoor shoots at concerts etc.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1001008-REG/sony_sel50f18_b_50mm_f_1_8_lens_black.html

The other thing to know about Sony Lenses is the naming convention. Crop sensor vs Full Frame. The "E" mount is standard body mount on the a6300 and A7s etc. HOWEVER the lenses are denoted as either "E" mount or "FE" mount. "E" mount is for crop sensors, and "FE" is for Full Frame.

Here are some lens tests on YouToob. Make sure to watch full screen in 4K if available:

18-105 Lens on a6300:

10-18 mm Lens on a6300:

Hi Rick --

Thanks for the great info. Up until I just got the a6300, I've had a Sony a99 with a couple of good Sony/Zeiss lenses, the 24-70mm f/2.8 (SAL2470Z), and the 70-200mm f/2.8 (SAL70200G). This camera setup was great for stills, but I never used it for video because it was just too heavy. I bought a 24mm f/2 (SAL24F20Z) to try and use for video, but with the large gimbal setup, it was still way too heavy.

I then bought an a7, when it first came out, along with the only full-frame e-Mount lens available then, the 35mm f/2.8 prime (SEL35F28Z). I used this setup for awhile, for video, but the 35mm was not wide enough for aerial work. I thought about getting a GH4, or an a7S, for doing 4K, but I didn't end up getting either. I had a GH3, with the 12-35mm zoom, but I decided if I was going to buy any more lenses, they were going to be e-mounts. I ended up selling the GH 3 body (I still have the 12-35mm zoom...). I didn't get the a7S because it didn't do internal 4K recording. Anyway, I waited and thought seriously about the a7S II, when it came out, but it was priced as high as the a99 when I first got it, so I held off. Around that time, the "a6000" follow-on rumors started circulating and as the 6300 specs became known, I decided to just wait until it came out. An atypical wise decision on my part, I think. lol.

In any case, I've now sold off the a99, with the three lenses, and the a7 body. I kept the 35mm f/2.8, which I can still use for stills. I also still have my CZ 24mm f1.8 e-mount lens that I've been using since the NEX-5 days. This lens is very sharp, but not light. The 16-50mm pic that was just posted looks pretty sharp, so I think Imwill try and give this a shot for aerial work and see how it does for video, and for stills.

I have been looking hard at getting the 10-18 zoom (SEL1018), but I've also been looking at the 16-70mm (SEL1670Z). I was worried that 16mm might not be wide enough for my handheld video needs, which is why I was looking at the 10-18, but after trying the 16-50 kit zoom, I think 16mm might be fine. Now, however, you've given me another option, which is the 18-105. I think I will make this my next lens purchase, and then look at the 10-18.

-- Gary

 

[Clermond]

.. Now, however, you've given me another option, which is the 18-105. I think I will make this my next lens purchase, and then look at the 10-18..
-- Gary

as it's a drone forum: do you want to use it on a drone/gimbal? The 18-105 has 427g and a minimum lenght of 11omm. It's quite heavy and hard to balance on a gimbal. my2ct

 

[poco_bw]

I will update my post above regarding getting Composite Video (AV) out of the MultiPort for video down-link. A very exhaustive search of the web last night turned up nothing. I did find one reference that said composite video is not supported on the A6300 so I am fairly confident that is correct. No native AV out on the MultiPort on this model. HDMI converters will be the only option (which is fine as it will be higher quality image anyway.) I have some ideas and have found a unit that has HDMI inputs. I will post more about that one after some more research today.

her you go uncle, this will fit your purpose, however I do not have time to wait, I think I will butcher the door; http://www.himodel.com/FPV_Telemetr...d_Micro_HDMI_Conversion_Cable_Black_30CM.html

 

[GGoodrum]

as it's a drone forum: do you want to use it on a drone/gimbal? The 18-105 has 427g and a minimum lenght of 11omm. It's quite heavy and hard to balance on a gimbal. my2ct

Actually, the 18-105 will mainly be used with a handheld setup. For aerial, I'm hoping the 16-50mm kit lens will work well enough, initially at least. If not, I will probably look at the Sony 20mm. I do seem to recall that this worked pretty well. I had borrowed a friend's 20mm for some tests a couple of years ago.

I'm still looking at platforms to carry the a6300+gimbal. I have a 680PRO that is about 3/4 built, an Align M480 and an Inspire 1. The latter isn't really a valid option, but it would be very cool if it could be, due to the high level of integration. If money wasn't a problem, I might consider doing an M600 setup, or maybe a Yuneec 920 hex. Money is an issue, however, so I'm probably going to figure out which of the two other platforms would be easier/less expensive to get setup.

-- Gary

 

[poco_bw]

Actually, the 18-105 will mainly be used with a handheld setup. For aerial, I'm hoping the 16-50mm kit lens will work well enough, initially at least. If not, I will probably look at the Sony 20mm. I do seem to recall that this worked pretty well. I had borrowed a friend's 20mm for some tests a couple of years ago.

I'm still looking at platforms to carry the a6300+gimbal. I have a 680PRO that is about 3/4 built, an Align M480 and an Inspire 1. The latter isn't really a valid option, but it would be very cool if it could be, due to the high level of integration. If money wasn't a problem, I might consider doing an M600 setup, or maybe a Yuneec 920 hex. Money is an issue, however, so I'm probably going to figure out which of the two other platforms would be easier/less expensive to get setup.

-- Gary

The 680 Pro wont carry an a6300, I already tried, with motors E600 from dji is a bit to heavy and shakes as mad, with E800 theoreticaly should work, need the arms extended, and landing gear, but the 16mm tube is way to weak, lots of vibrations, I just upgrade the build to x6 with E1200 motors, not finished yet, lets see how it goes.

 

[poco_bw]

Who knows how to take the door out from the HDMI of the A6300? Obviously without opening the camera, or break the door with a pliers

 

[violetwolf]

Guys, the biggest mistake people make in photography is buying lenses with less resolution than the camera. In this case we have perhaps the highest resolution sensor on the consumer market.. Even higher than the a7rii. If we were to scale up the a6300 sensor to full frame it would be 58 (ish) megapixels. Even the a7rii is only 42.

The 10-18 lens is sharp as it gets in this category.

If you have all that resolution and shoot 4k with a lesser lens you're flushing money

 

[GGoodrum]

Guys, the biggest mistake people make in photography is buying lenses with less resolution than the camera. In this case we have perhaps the highest resolution sensor on the consumer market.. Even higher than the a7rii. If we were to scale up the a6300 sensor to full frame it would be 58 (ish) megapixels. Even the a7rii is only 42.

The 10-18 lens is sharp as it gets in this category.

If you have all that resolution and shoot 4k with a lesser lens you're flushing money

I saw a video that compared the 6300 4k to the A7s II and the 6300 was clearly sharper, with the same lens. Very impressive.

So, how does the 18-105 compare to the 10-18, in terms of sharpness? I'm eventually going to get both, but for now, I can only get one. For my immediate needs, I think the 18-105 would be more suitable.

-- Gary

 

[violetwolf]

It's a tough call Gary, They are both quite sharp with the 18-105 MAYBE having a slight edge. If you're going for gimbal use, even hand-held, I might lean towards the 10-18 as it would be a rare occurrence that you would want narrow FOV / zoomed in / on a gimbal.

 

[GGoodrum]

My immediate need is for stills, so the longer zoom would be a big plus. I have a shoot from a boat coming up where I will be doing some video as well, but It might be using a CAME Steadicam instead of a gimbal, unless I can get a gimbal together with Roee's new CP software. For that setup, I'll probably use the 24mm or even the 35mm, if the 18-105 is too hard to balance, etc. Can't get anything airborne for another month, or so. For the boat shots, I'll probably just use my Inspire 1 with the X3. Later in the summer, I'm going to be doing a bigger boat/yacht, so my hope is to have an airborne 6300 setup ready-to-go by then.

 

[violetwolf]

Yes, ultimately you'll want both. You'll love the 18-105 for now though, it's a wonderful "all-round" lens. Lets us know how you like it after a few days of getting used to it.

 

[Area21]

Does the A6300 allow video to be captured and also still images taken at the same time ? My reason for asking is I have my trusted canon 5D Mk2 on one rig that can do both simultaneously which I find very handy although it does produce a frame missing in the video as it takes the photo so there is some post production necessary. My other rig has a GH4 that I have to land and switch to the other mode which can be a bit of a pain at times.

 

[violetwolf]

Does the A6300 allow video to be captured and also still images taken at the same time ? My reason for asking is I have my trusted canon 5D Mk2 on one rig that can do both simultaneously which I find very handy although it does produce a frame missing in the video as it takes the photo so there is some post production necessary. My other rig has a GH4 that I have to land and switch to the other mode which can be a bit of a pain at times.

I'm almost always in 4k mode (cuz why not) and I know it won't do it in that mode. Pretty sure it won't in 1080 either. But honestly the 4k video is so sharp you can just grab frames out of it anyway. Good enough for anything used in magazine or web size prints etc.

 

[GGoodrum]

I agree, stills pulled from the 4k video are pretty amazing.

Rick, are you shooting 4K/24p or 4K/30p? I know the 24p25p modes are supposed to be without pixel binning, but have you noticed a big difference?

-- Gary
.

 

[violetwolf]

Hi Gary, I had pull the camera out and check lol. I'm shooting XAVCs 4k 24p . I haven't tried the higher rates at all in 4k as this looks stunning.
I have been getting deep into the modifying Picture Profiles for flatter gama etc. I'm really liking something I came up with by modifying Picture Profile 2 (PP2) to:
Gama = Cine2
Color Mode = S-Gamut3.cine

Which I like a lot better than the S-Log stuff

Here's a test that I did with this tweak: It really pulls the shadows out.. the shade under the reeds along the side of the bank was almost black to the naked eye, but the camera didn't care.. amazing shadow detail.

PS: Watch in 4K full screen to see the full rez of the 10-18mm

 

[Area21]

Do DJI do a Z15 gimbal for the Sony A6300 ?

 

[GGoodrum]

Hi Gary, I had pull the camera out and check lol. I'm shooting XAVCs 4k 24p . I haven't tried the higher rates at all in 4k as this looks stunning.
I have been getting deep into the modifying Picture Profiles for flatter gama etc. I'm really liking something I came up with by modifying Picture Profile 2 (PP2) to:
Gama = Cine2
Color Mode = S-Gamut3.cine

Which I like a lot better than the S-Log stuff

Here's a test that I did with this tweak: It really pulls the shadows out.. the shade under the reeds along the side of the bank was almost black to the naked eye, but the camera didn't care.. amazing shadow detail.

Thanks, Rick. The dynamic range is very impressive, as is the clarity of the 10-18mm lens. Anyway, I'm going to give these settings a shot.

BTW, what are you using to edit and color your videos?

-- Gary