My Vet's staff

[rpcrowe]

I can't get over how much I have been impressed with the relatively tiny Sony A6500, crop sensor. mirrorless camera. Paired with the 50mm f/1.8 OSS (75mm equivalent focal length) lens, it makes a great portrait camera. The camera and lens weigh right about one and a half pounds (655 grams) and the Eye-AF is spot-on!

I shot these two portraits of these lovely ladies (using Eye-AF) at my Vet this morning as I dropped off a dog for spay.





The f/1.8 aperture produces a narrow DOF which isolates the subject from the background. I shot these wide open using ISO 400 which allowed shutter speeds of between 1/400 and 1/500 second. I could easily have reduced the ISO to 100 which would have given me a shutter speed around 1/100 or 1/125 second but, I am still experimenting with the A6500 and wanted to see how it performed at ISO 400 (it did very well)...

The 50mm is quite decent but, I wish I could get a lens of about 60-70mm with an aperture of f/1.8 or wider. This would give me an equivalent focal length of 90 or 105mm, well within my favored focal range for portraits. My Canon 85mm f/1.8 is a bit long for a crop sensor camera when shooting indoors. The only lens that I know of which would give me that focal range at an f/1.8 f/stop is the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 ART but, that big piece of glass would negate the small form factor of the A6500...

This camera/lens is definitely a keeper. Once. I mastered the controls (such as designating a button for Eye-AF) it is probably the easiest and most pleasant camera I have ever used. And... that is from a guy who has been using Canon DSLR cameras for the last fifteen or so years and, Canon SLR cameras for many years prior to my entry into digital...

[Shadowman]

Nice portraits, I like what that lens combo does to the backgrounds as it really characterizes their work environment from the documentation side of the medical field. Would like to see some more captures with perhaps the kennels in the background or perhaps the adoptees picking up their pets.

[wilgk]

Really nice portraits.

[Cogito]

The 50mm is quite decent but, I wish I could get a lens of about 60-70mm with an aperture of f/1.8 or wider. This would give me an equivalent focal length of 90 or 105mm, well within my favored focal range for portraits.

Try here..... http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/results....mited=1&page=4

[TonyW]

These are very nice portraits of lovely looking ladies. If they were mine, I would experiment with warming the tones of the first.

[rpcrowe]

I just tried my Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens with the MC-11 adapter on my A6500. Canon lenses do not have Eye-AF on the A6500 with the MC-11 adapter so I shot this in manual focus wide open which is very easy because of the focus peaking capability of the A6500...


I then tried face detect focus and it seemed to nail the eyes pretty well. Nice thing about the 85mm f/1.8 lens is that even with the addition of the MC-11 adapter, it is still a fairly light weight package hat is not exceptionally front heavy on the A6500. This image is not framed well because I was moving all over the manikin's face to see how well it held focus (it did a pretty good job)...


I will obviously do some more testing with real life subjects but, it seems like the A6500 capability with the adapter 85mm f/1.8 lens is all that I will need for portraits... I don't think that I need the Sony 85mm f/1.8 lens...

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Richard - It sounds like you've been assimilated. The guys on talkemount would be happy to hear this.

[rpcrowe]

My Vet has a very large and very efficient staff...





I just love the A6500 eye-AF but, I have switched the Eye-AF actuation from the center back button to the AEL button, near the shutter release. It is easier for me to use this button while shooting. The A6500 is immensely customizable...