A really, really nice camera
A really, really nice camera
3:03

A really, really nice camera

Cameras
I really like the Sony Alpha NEX-6. Possibly the best designed NEX model does far. This interchangeable lens camera delivers excellent photo quality, very good performance and a great feature set as well. It's also cheaper than the NEX-7. All of that makes it a much better deal and such replaces the NEX-7 is editor's choice. For people who are looking for something more compact than the DSLR, but with the same level of control, quality, and performance. Unlike any other NEX models, the 6 has a real mode dial on top, plus enough direct access controls the streamline shooting for those of us who like to operate that way. The electronic view finder's bright and refreshes quickly enough for burst shooting. Because the camera is bigger than the models without a mode dial or AVF, there's even more room on the back or a comfortable grip. The menu system still gets a little annoying. And now the card sub menu has been rolled into setup, which makes it quite tedious to find important options like card formatting and WiFi setup. Like the 5R, the WiFi features are pretty basic. The most competitors offer similar. You can upload to Facebook or Sony's Play Memories service or transfer directly to your phone. There's also a remote shutter app that lets you use your phone or tablet as a larger screen but all you can really do is snap the photo. Also new is the ability to download and install the proprietary apps, but the whole operation seems to offer more benefit to Sony than to the camera owners. For instance, the free Picture Effect Plus app duplicates the effects in the camera but adds water coloring illustration, both of which are already built-in to the NEX-F3. Photo quality really is quite good with clean JPEGs as high as ISO 800, and for the most part, usable image is as high as ISO 6400 depending on the scene. Sony's image processing is so well-done that I really couldn't get noise reduction better at any ISO level by processing the RAWs. That still helps for recovering highlights or shadow detail. Colors look relatively accurate, though Sony doesn't offer a neutral color option, and it renders a nice tonal range. The video has some artifacts, notably aliasing and moire. The low-light tonal quality looks better than average, and there's lots of color noise than usual. The new 16 to 15 millimeter power zoom lens complements it well. Though there's no way to control the zoom from the camera body, it's got a nice, easy to feel and find zoom switch. And unlike Panasonic's power zoom lens, you don't give up a manual focus or any. The lens is good but at 16 millimeters, there's quite a bit of edge to distortion and vignetting. The camera's quite fast as well, pretty much quick enough for any shooting except maybe fast-moving sports. While the WiFi and app implementation is pretty annoying, the rest of the camera feels pitch perfect. I'm Lori Grunin, and this is the Sony Alpha NEX-6.

Up Next

Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras
lumix-s5-mark-ii-and-mark-ii-x-revealed-00-02-06-08-still001

Up Next

Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras

GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials
gopro1

GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials

GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better
gopro-hero-10-creator-edition-2

GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better

GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120
yt-firstlook-gopro-hero-10-b

GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120

Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion
nic-insta360-2021-v2

Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion

GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price
goprohero9-fl

GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price

Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection
20200701-172136

Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection

iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras
se-vs-galaxya51-v2

iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras

The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming
mevo-start-thumb-3

The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming

Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses
spectacles-3-5

Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

New Xbox Leaked
240328-yt-xbox-leaked-image-v01

New Xbox Leaked

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories
screenshot-2024-03-22-at-17-41-16.png

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies
240321-site-nvidia-project-groot-vs-tesla-optimus-v1

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit
240321-site-doj-sues-apple-for-antitrust-on-iphone-v2

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro