Any A6500 Users?

[KeithDM]

Have just taken delivery of an A6500 with E16-70mm ZA. For quite a while I've been toying with the idea of buying something lightweight and compact for strolling around doing the touristy things. Whilst I have a distinct preference for film particularly medium format, increasing decrepitness means such activities have become very limited and an hours stroll with my Hasselblad puts me out of action for the next day or so. Coupling the APS-C A6500 with a Sony/Zeiss T* 16-70mm provides a very useful 24-105mm coverage in 35mm terms in a package that is not going to (hopefully) knacker me quite as quickly... Oh and the bonus is that not only were the camera and lens on special offer, there is a £230 cash-back on offer from Sony.

First impressions are of excellent quality products and images - but the myriad layers of menus are a complete contrast to my other digital camera (Leica M240). Will take some time to explore all the options but at least I have assigned raw + b&w jpg to Memory Recall 1 for my favourite setting.

Would welcome reading experiences & tips from more experienced users.

 

[MikeEvangelist]

Have just taken delivery of an A6500 with E16-70mm ZA.

That's a great combo. I used the same for awhile as my 'easy to carry' kit.

The Sony menus are definitely dense and even after five years of using them, I still have to search for some settings. But once you master the basics, they are OK.

Have fun with it!

 

[iiiNelson]

I still have my NEX-5 that introduced me into Sony ownership but I really don’t use it much anymore. I used to use it alongside my M9’s
to give me a bit more telephoto ability primarily with my 90 Summicron or as my “fast 50” with the 35 Nokton. The 16-70 has mixed reviews but I found it to be a really good walk around lens for general shooting when I tried one in store. I never bought one and the only APS-C Sony lenses I own are the 18-55 kit lens and the 16/2.8 pancake. I’m more invested in the FE lenses but Sigma actually makes some competent Sony APS-C primes right now and it seems that Sony is putting a little investment towards them again with the 18-135 and a few rumored primes.

I would like to see Sony release a more serious APS-C body more in the likeness of the A7 with the same amount of physical controls. I do believe there’s a market for that as seen with the premium Fuji X and Micro 4/3 bodies. It’s really the main reason (other than a limited lens lineup) I haven’t purchased anymore Sony APS-C cameras.

 

[pegelli]

Congrats on the new equipment!

I don't have an A6500, only an A6000

But the trick for not having to go menu diving too much is programming the custom buttons for your most used functions and then put a second tier in the custom menu under the Fn button. Setting these up are called (on the A6000) "Custom Key Settings" and "Function Menu Set." on the 6th tab of the cogwheel menu (yes, it's mind boggling how they set up the menu system), hope they're somewhere close on the A6500 because setting this right can save you a lot of trouble and quickly change settings as needed.

 

[iiiNelson]

Congrats on the new equipment!

I don't have an A6500, only an A6000

But the trick for not having to go menu diving too much is programming the custom buttons for your most used functions and then put a second tier in the custom menu under the Fn button. Setting these up are called (on the A6000) "Custom Key Settings" and "Function Menu Set." on the 6th tab of the cogwheel menu (yes, it's mind boggling how they set up the menu system), hope they're somewhere close on the A6500 because setting this right can save you a lot of trouble and quickly change settings as needed.

Yes I agree that the Sony menu system can be confusing if you don't setup the camera for how you work. As it stands now, I really only enter the menu system to format cards. Pretty much everything else has a quick function setting or a custom button assigned. I guess it's apart of the reason I completely disagree with those that say you have to dive into the menus for everything... that's simply not the case for me or most owners from what I can tell. Obviously, many of the older bodies don't have these options/features and when Sony went to the Alpha branding across the board the mirrorless and SLR/SLT cameras became much closer in functionality.

 

[Vivek]

You could have bought the Leica CL (digi) and saved the issues related to the menu.

 

[k-hawinkler]

You could have bought the Leica CL (digi) and saved the issues related to the menu.

What issues? I don’t have any with my a6300. One simply needs to set it up.

 

[iiiNelson]

You could have bought the Leica CL (digi) and saved the issues related to the menu.

Probably not. Apparently those menus shuffle around so that they aren’t always in the same place...

:shocked::facesmack:

...and yeah I’m sure some will make an excuse about why this isn’t a problem that shouldn’t have made it to production.

 

[KeithDM]

You could have bought the Leica CL (digi) and saved the issues related to the menu.

Given that the A6500, E 16-70mm ZA, spare battery, travel charger and Novoflex adaptor have cost me (after the Sony cash back) approximately 50% of what I would have spent for the CL, 18-56mm lens and M adaptor L, I am quite happy to shuffle menus as/if required!

 

[Vivek]

There you go!

Now, perhaps you can consider getting the Tech Pro Adapter (aka TAP) to make use of the PDAF auto focusing of Leica M lenses on your camera WITH sensor stabilisation. Things that can not be dreamt of in a Leica CL.

BTW, the LCD tilts. This allows for camera orientations unthinkable with a Leica.

Given that the A6500, E 16-70mm ZA, spare battery, travel charger and Novoflex adaptor have cost me (after the Sony cash back) approximately 50% of what I would have spent for the CL, 18-56mm lens and M adaptor L, I am quite happy to shuffle menus as/if required!

 

[KeithDM]

There you go!

Now, perhaps you can consider getting the Tech Pro Adapter (aka TAP) to make use of the PDAF auto focusing of Leica M lenses on your camera WITH sensor stabilisation. Things that can not be dreamt of in a Leica CL.

BTW, the LCD tilts. This allows for camera orientations unthinkable with a Leica.

Are you saying that the A6500's IBIS does not work when a 'dumb' Novoflex adaptor and manual-focus lens is fitted???
This is only my second day with the camera so am far from familiar with all the menu settings!

As to manual focussing, I have been doing that for years and am quite happy to continue doing so when using my M lenses on the A6500.

 

[Vivek]

Oh, the sensor stabilization works with anything. The TAP adds AF.

You should be intrigued by the possibility of auto focusing a Leica M lens, no?

 

[pegelli]

Are you saying that the A6500's IBIS does not work when a 'dumb' Novoflex adaptor and manual-focus lens is fitted???
This is only my second day with the camera so am far from familiar with all the menu settings!

It works with all lenses, but somewhere in the menu you'll have to set the focal length for it to operate correctly. Since I don't have a stabilized E-mount camera I don't know where it sits in the menu system but it's a clear candidate to put under a dedicated button or in the Fn menu, since you'll be using it a lot when you are using several manual lenses that don't report their focal length to the body.

 

[KeithDM]

Found the IBIS focal length menu after perusing the on-line Help Guide. So if anyone else needs to know how:-

Menu item details
Auto:
Performs the SteadyShot function automatically according to the information obtained from the attached lens.
Manual:
Performs the SteadyShot function according to the focal-length set using [SteadyS. Focal Len.]. (8mm-1000mm)
Check the focal-length index (A) and set the focal-length.


Note

The SteadyShot function may not work optimally when the power has just been turned on, right after you point the camera towards a subject, or when the shutter button has been pressed all the way down without stopping halfway.
When using a tripod, make sure to turn off the SteadyShot function because this can cause any malfunction when shooting.
[SteadyShot Settings] will be unavailable when MENU→(Camera Settings2)→[SteadyShot] is set to [Off].
When the camera cannot obtain focal length information from the lens, the SteadyShot function does not work correctly. Set [SteadyShot Adjust.] to [Manual] and set [SteadyS. Focal Len.] to match the lens you are using. The current set value of the SteadyShot focal length will display to the side of .
When using an SEL16F28 lens (sold separately) with a teleconverter, etc., set [SteadyShot Adjust.] to [Manual] and set the focal length.
When you set [SteadyShot] to [On]/[Off], the SteadyShot settings of the camera and lens switch at the same time.
If a lens equipped with a SteadyShot switch is attached, the settings can only be changed using that switch on the lens. You cannot switch the settings using the camera.

Now need to read-up on how to assign the settings to the C1,C2,C3 etc buttons. Something for tomorrow...

 

[iiiNelson]

It works with all lenses, but somewhere in the menu you'll have to set the focal length for it to operate correctly. Since I don't have a stabilized E-mount camera I don't know where it sits in the menu system but it's a clear candidate to put under a dedicated button or in the Fn menu, since you'll be using it a lot when you are using several manual lenses that don't report their focal length to the body.

That menu item is underneath the SteadyShot Settings on the A7RII (Camera Settings Icon - Submenu 8). You'll have to change it from Auto to Manual and this will allow you to set a common focal length between 8mm and 1000mm. This can also be assigned to a Function Menu item.

 

[iiiNelson]

Now need to read-up on how to assign the settings to the C1,C2,C3 etc buttons. Something for tomorrow...

That's all underneath the Custom Key Settings (Gear Icon - Submenu 7 on A7RII). Once in there you can set actions for the control wheel, C1-Cx buttons, Center, left, right, up, down. AEL, AF/MF, and the Focus Hold Button (on lenses that have them). I'm not sure if the A6500 has all of those buttons or switches but the function in general should be just about the same.

My Custom Settings are as such (feel free to alter them however it makes the most sense for you).

CW | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | Center:
Not Set | Focus Magnifier | Aspect Ratio | Eye AF | Application List (WiFi) | ISO

Left | Right | Down | AEL | AF/MF | Focus Hold:
Drive Mode | White Balance | Focus Settings | AF On (Back button Focus) | AF On (Back button Focus) | Eye AF

The Function Menu Settings work just about the same exact way to set but you will have two rows of menu settings with 6 items on each row for a total of 12 Quick Functions.

My cameras are set up as such:

F1-F6:
Drive Mode | Flash Mode | Flash Comp | Focus Mode | Focus Area | Live View Display

F7-F12:
Peaking Level | Metering Mode | Zebra | Creative Style | Silent Shooting | SteadyShot

I only use the Creative style to shift the EVF/LCD to B&W mode so that Focus Peaking Low is easier to see at times. I still shoot RAW and get a Color Image but if I shot RAW + JPEG then I'd have a B&W version SOOC as well.

 

[ggibson]

If you are a long exposure or landscape fan, I recommend looking into the Smooth Reflection and Digital Filter apps.

Smooth Reflection is basically an image averaging application, which you can do in photoshop, but this app will do in-camera and spit out a single RAW file. In effect the app is an adjustable ND filter. It works well if you can pair it with a moderate ND filter so that you don't have to wear out your shutter taking 256 shots to mimic an 8-stop ND. As a side bonus, the image averaging also improves the noise levels in your files, and the results can be very clean with greater detail.

Digital Filter kind of like having an in-camera way to do ND grad filters (but way more customizable). You can take up to 3 separate exposures with different settings and the camera merges them into a single RAW using the graduated transition lines that you can customize. You can do this type of thing in photoshop or other HDR tool (more flexibly too of course), but this makes it much easier in a lot of cases.