NEX or X? ( Sony NEX vs Fuji X part II )

Part II deals with AF, overall performance and handling.

Let’s start with:

1. AF ( autofocus )

Both are no real AF heroes but they are completely different. The NEX feels snappier, has more AF points active at the same time and has face detection. AF is best with the 16mm or with the 18-55 kit lens on the wide end. Zoom in and AF get’s slower and in low contrast situations there is focus hunting. But AF is good enough for everything but action and reliable most of the time. Sometimes it misses for no reason and you got an out of focus shot.

NEX-5 (55mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO200)

This is not an example as focus is spot on ( on the remains of a dead insect on the windscreen ) but an out of focus shot looks similar to that. But the NEX is fast enough to shot images while driving. I guess that the NEX 6 AF is vastly improved because of the on sensor phase detection. If the Alaska video is real it is able to track a low flying plane. We will see.

The Fuji is different. When I got my X100 about a year ago AF was really slow by modern standards. Especially in low light it was a real pain and there was no way to compensate as manual focusing was even a bigger pain. What is strange that it was not a shop stopper for me. The X100 is a different cameras and you shoot images in a different style where being fast is not an issue.

But I have to admit that I was very happy how various firmware updates improved the camera. Now AF is almost snappy and even in poor light it’s good. I was surprised when I was shooting in the NHM Vienna again a couple of days ago. When I shot there the first time about a year ago AF was a real pain. This time AF was not an issue at all. What’s still a problem is that you need to go in macro mode even for a modest distance shot, i.e. if you take a portrait. This is still annoying and there can be focus hunting. The good thing about Fuji’s AF is that it is very precise. It takes some time but focus is spot on and that’s important when shooting wide open.

Regarding AF the NEX has the edge and I think that the gap will increase with the on sensor phase detection of the new NEX cameras. This is without taking things like multiple AF points, face detection and focus peeking into account. Where Sony clearly has the better solution.

2. Overall performance

The Sony feels and is faster. I’m talking about the NEX 5. The NEX 5N is faster and the new NEX 5R and NEX 6 will be faster than the 5N. The Fuji needs a very fast SD card and even than there is a certain kind of tardiness which is hard to ignore. If you delete an image in camera you got the same “C64 look a like animation” that I had in my Fuji F31fd. There is a certain feeling that under the hood there is not much progress at all. The camera does feel like it has been released in 2004. Fuji cameras are all about images quality and image processing. Where they all lack is in performance. If you are an impatient person I recommend you to try it out, if possible for a couple of hours, before you buy.

The Fuji feels like a slow camera and this can also be a good thing. It slows you down. It let you take more care and time for composition. But sometimes slow simply is slow and the fact that you need to change to macro mode if taking a portrait does not help to get a better image. And that blinking light that shows you that the camera is writing a RAW file on the memory card feels a little bit like 1999.

A clear win for Sony even considered that the Fuji is a different kind of camera but some things are just annoying.

3. Handling:

Now it get’s really complicated. Both had mixed reviews regarding handling and it is easy to see why. On big issues with both is their menu system. Some of the others you can find below.

Fuji first: The hybrid viewfinder is a master piece and key attraction of the X100. The quiet leaf shutter is just the same. Strangely both key elements are missing in the upcoming X-1E. I understand that the hybrid viewfinder must cost a fortune to make and that it becomes more difficult when you change lenses but I think it was a mistake to drop it. Now Fuji has also just an EVF like the NEX6, NEX7 or OMD.

Then you got the aperture ring on the lens, the shutter dial and exposure compensation dial on the top which makes the Fuji’s an absolute dream to use. You really get into a flow taking pictures with it. If you shoot in AUTO-ISO ( which is what I do 99% of the time ) you do not even have to touch the menu. It is simply wonderful. Fuji knew what they were doing because if you need to go into the menu the fun and magic stops. Sometimes I wonder who is designing these menus. Why can’t they find a programmer who also happens to be a photographer or at least has some common sense. One example: The ISO setting and the AUTO ISO setting are in completely different menus! If they would just make the damn RAW button an ISO button or AUTO-ISO on/off toggle via firmware update the problem would not exist at all.

But two things are really annoying: no face detection and no manual focus with focus peeking. Fuji was the first to put face detection into it’s cameras and they left it out for their X-Line. This is just strange. They could make it an option in their funky menu without harming the feelings of traditionalists. I would love to have it. As well as a working manual focus.

NEX: At first glance it is obvious that the Sony is completely different. It has less external controls but a rear wheel and some soft buttons. The NEX 6 additionally offers an exposure mode wheel. Usually I’m not a big fan of this wheels. On my Canon 5D it sits in A-Mode about 95% of the time so a dedicated knob is just a waste of space. On the NEX-6 it’s different because it let’s you switch to panorama mode without using the rear screen.

The menu is also not as clear as it could be but good news is that if you shoot in Auto-ISO and P- or A-Mode you do not need the menu at all. Problem is that changing primary settings like aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation needs one step more and it is not intuitive. I found myself shooting in P-Mode and auto everything most of the time to avoid changing settings ( or in A-Mode with aperture set on f8 ). And it’s possible because the NEX has one of the most reliable exposure meters I have ever seen. It is spot on most of the time.

Here is a list of the NEX advantages over the Fuji X:

  • tilt screen: one of the greatest inventions in camera history
  • face detection: there is no reason to live without it in 2012
  • focus peeking: one of the greatest inventions in AF camera history, makes focusing manually with old lenses a breeze, by far the best manual focus solution today
  • Panorama mode: the best thing is that is actually works just perfect ( just klick on panorama categories )
  • a video mode that works
  • a battery meter that displays the remaining charge in % ( the Fuji solution is as advanced as the one in my Canon Ixus V2 from 2002. When the battery indicator goes down you might get one or two additional exposures before it stops. )
  • and last but not least better AF

Conclusion: The Fuji X100  or X1-Pro demands a user who is willing to live with it’s limitations. In return you get a wonderful tool that encourages you to shoot in a different way. The prime lenses are a perfect fit for this shooting style. The OVF is magical and the leaf shutter of the X100 makes it the most discrete camera today. Without the OVF and without the leave shutter the X-1E loses two key elements. I’m not convinced that shooting the X-1E is as magical as shooting the X100 while some of the quirks will be still there. It is a camera that is not easy to recommend but if somebody decides for this camera he/she does not need any advice. It’s just not the perfect camera for everybody.

The NEX 6 get’s the EVF of the NEX 7 which is great. It still has a tilt screen which is extremely useful. It will most likely offer a much faster AF plus face detection plus focus peeking if used with manual lenses. It has the better panorama mode and video mode if that is important to you. Overall I think it is the better, more complete package. The new power zoom starts at 16mm ( 24mm ) and is almost as small as the 16mm pancake. The new 4/10-18mm has image stabilization and will allow handheld shots at very low shutter speeds. More than this it is a camera that you can hand over to somebody who isn’t into photography at all and he/she will have no problems getting good pictures with it. I think that’s a good thing. A NEX 6 is almost as versatile as a DSLR and could be the only camera someone ever needs.

For me it is an easy decision. I will get the NEX 6 and of course keep the X100. If you have already a X100 the logical step would be to get a X-1E but I don’t think so. The X-1E is just  too different. Of course the NEX 6 is even more different but it adds versatility and is far more flexible. You can have a wide angle zoom and standard zoom or even a 18-200 for traveling and you can shoot old legacy prime lenses with it.

Now this article got much longer than I had planed but I wanted to give you an impression about this two completely different camera lines. Hope it worked.