Sony Alpha NEX-6 review: A really, really nice camera

On the top of the camera sits a standard mode dial with the usual manual, semimanual, and two automatic modes plus scene program and sweep panorama. The mode dial is stacked above a big, easily operated context-sensitive control dial; in front is a function button that calls up user-programmable quick-access settings. There's also a nice pop-up flash that can be tilted back for bouncing the light, along with Sony's new Multi Interface Shoe. (The manual cautions that you have to remove the large viewfinder eyecup when you use the shoe, though it's perfectly comfortable to shoot without it.)

On the back is the standard control wheel with programmable buttons that default to ISO sensitivity, drive mode, exposure compensation and display settings, plus reprogrammable autoexposure lock, menu and Wi-Fi connect buttons. I did find a few of the buttons a little too flush with the body and harder to press than I like, especially the movie record button.

One other dissonant design note: the battery charges via USB, which I have mixed feelings about. On the surface, it seems very convenient. But you still have to carry a charger-sized adapter (though it uses a Micro-USB cable, it doesn't work with standard phone chargers) and it means you can't use the camera while charging a spare.

The power zoom kit lens is similarly well-designed, with a big zoom switch that's easy to feel and operate in both portrait and landscape orientations. Plus, there's a ring for manual focus or zoom operation, though it's a little too twitchy for zooming.

	Fujifilm X-E1	Olympus OM-D E-M5	Samsung NX20	Sony Alpha NEX-5R	Sony Alpha NEX-6	Sony Alpha NEX-7
Sensor (effective resolution)	16.3MP X-Trans CMOS n/a	16.1MP Live MOS 12 bit	20.3MP CMOS n/a	16.1MP Exmor HD CMOS n/a	16.1MP Exmor HD CMOS n/a	24.3MP Exmor HD CMOS 12 bit
	23.6mm x 15.6mm	17.3mm x 13mm	23.5mm x 15.7mm	23.5mm x 15.6mm	23.5mm x 15.6mm	23.5mm x 15.6mm
Focal-length multiplier	1.5x	2.0x	1.5x	1.5x	1.5x	1.5x
Sensitivity range	ISO 100 (expanded)/ 200 - ISO 6400/25600 (expanded)	ISO 200 - ISO 25600	ISO 100 - ISO 12800	ISO 100 - ISO 25600	ISO 100 - ISO 25600	ISO 100 - ISO 16000
Continuous shooting	6fps n/a	9fps 17 JPEG/11 raw	8fps 11 JPEG/8 raw	3fps 11 raw/15 JPEG (10fps with fixed exposure)	3fps 11 raw/15 JPEG (10fps with fixed exposure)	3fps unlimited JPEG/6 raw (10fps with fixed exposure)
Viewfinder	EVF 0.5-inch 2.36 million dots 100% coverage n/a	EVF n/a 1.44 million dots 100% coverage 1.15x/0.58x	OLED EVF n/a 480,000 dots 100% coverage 1.04x/0.69x	Optional	OLED EVF 0.5-inch 2.4 million dots 100% coverage 1.09x/0.73x	OLED EVF 0.5-inch 2.4 million dots 100% coverage 1.09x/0.73x
Hot shoe	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Autofocus	49-area Contrast AF	35-area contrast AF	15-point contrast AF	99-point phase detection, 25-area contrast AF	99-point phase detection, 25-area contrast AF	25-area contrast AF
AF sensitivity range	n/a	n/a	n/a	0 - 20 EV	0 - 20 EV	0 - 20 EV
Shutter speed	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb to 60 min; 1/180 x-sync	60-1/4,000 sec.; bulb to 8 minutes; 1/250 sec. x-sync (flash-dependent)	30-1/8,000 sec.; bulb to 4 minutes; 1/180 x-sync	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec. x-sync	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec. x-sync	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec. x-sync
Metering	256 zones	324 area	221 segment	1,200 zone	1,200 zones	1,200 zones
Metering range	n/a	0 - 20 EV	0 - 18 EV	0 - 20 EV	0 - 20 EV	0 - 20 EV
Flash	Yes	Included add-on	Yes	Included optional	Yes	Yes
Image stabilization	Optical	Sensor shift	Optical	Optical	Optical	Optical
Video	1080/24p H.264	1080/60i QuickTime MOV @ 20, 17Mbps	1080/30p; 1080 x 810/24p; 720/30p H.264 MPEG-4	AVCHD 1080/60p @ 28, 24Mbps, 1080/ 24p @ 24, 17Mbps, 1080/60i @ 17Mbps; H.264 MPEG-4 1,440 x 1,080/30p @ 12Mbps	AVCHD 1080/60p @ 28, 24Mbps, 1080/ 24p @ 24, 17Mbps, 1080/60i @ 17Mbps; H.264 MPEG-4 1,440 x 1,080/30p @ 12Mbps	AVCHD 1080/60p @ 28, 24Mbps, 1080/24p @ 24, 17Mbps, 1080/60i @ 17Mbps; H.264 MPEG-4 1,440 x 1,080/ 30p @ 12Mbps
Audio	Stereo; mic input	Stereo; mic input	Stereo	Stereo, mic input	Stereo; mic input	Stereo; mic input
LCD size	2.8-inch fixed 460,000 dots	3-inch tilting touch-screen OLED 614,000 dots	3-inch articulated AMOLED 921,000 dots	3-inch tilting touch screen 921,600 dots	3-inch tilting touch screen 921,600 dots	3-inch tilting 921,600 dots
Wireless connection	None	None	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi	None
Battery life (CIPA rating)	350 shots	n/a	330 shots	430 shots	270 shots (with viewfinder)	350 shots
Dimensions (inches, WHD)	5.1 x 2.9 x 1.5	4.8 x 3.5 x 1.7	4.6 x 2.5 x 1.4	4.4 x 2.4 x 1.6	4.8 x 2.8 x 1.1	4.8 x 2.8 x 1.7
Body operating weight (ounces)	12.4 (est.)	15.1	14 (est.)	9.7 (without flash)	12.3	12.4
Mfr. price	$999.95 (body only)	$999.99 (body only)	n/a	$599.99 (body only)	$849.99 (body only)	$1,099.99 (body only)
	$1,399.95 (with 18-55mm lens)	$1,299.99 (with 12-50mm lens)	$1,099.99 (with 18-55mm i-Function lens)	$699.99 (with 18-55mm lens)	$999.99 (with 15-60mm PZ lens)	$1,249.99 (with 18-55mm lens)
	n/a	$1,099.99 (with 14-42mm lens)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Ship date	November 2012	April 2012	May 2012	October 2012	October 2012	November 2011

While the camera is physically impressive, as with the NEX-5R (from which much of the subsequent discussion is lifted) the less time you have to spend in the NEX menus the better. On the surface, they seem so straightforward. But in order to make the top-level icons accessible and friendly, everything's jammed unevenly into the level below. The image size menu has 7 options under it, the camera menu has 16, and the setup menu has 67. Plus, with all the usual combinations of limitations -- things that are unavailable when raw's enabled, in some AF modes, and so on -- it's impossible to figure out why something's grayed out. What did I change that suddenly made it impossible to show the AF points?

This model also incorporates Wi-Fi along with connective Android and iOS apps: Direct Upload for connecting to hot spots and mobile devices and Smart Remote Control for using your mobile device as a secondary screen. Connecting directly to the camera is straighforward -- it acts as an access point, generating a unique ID and password. But I had problems consistently connecting to a hot spot, a problem I didn't have with the 5R. The connectivity comes in conjunction with support for proprietary in-camera apps.

Rather than using a third-party API like Android, Sony currently plans to be the only source of these apps, which are distributed through the Sony Entertainment Network (SEN). Echoing my complaints about this system from the 5R review: neither of the basic wireless apps come on the camera, and in order to download them you have to create a useless-to-all-but-PlayStation-owners SEN account for its redundant and unoriginal PlayMemories service. Plus, the SEN EULA includes a mandatory binding arbitration (MBA) clause that makes the SEN account requirement doubly irritating. The EULA also gives Sony the right to remotely delete any apps you buy license. The direct upload options are pretty lame: Facebook or PlayMemories. Even Canon's mediocre Canon Image Gateway allows you to set up pipes to other services, if you're willing to grant it a piece of your privacy pie. PlayMemories doesn't act as a sharing hub, just a syncing hub among all your Sony devices. So, as with Canon's options, the best solution is to copy the photos you want to share to your phone or tablet and upload them that way. And despite what looks like a built-in browser, there's no way to connect to access points that require passing through terms-of-service screens.

In addition to the connectivity apps Sony currently offers two apps and some multilingual keyboards for free. The first app, Picture Effect+, has two extra filters (watercolor and illustration) that are excluded from the built-in effects choices. So in addition to mostly duplicating an in-camera feature, and operating more slowly through the apps interface, Sony removed the filters that it had included on the Alpha NEX-F3. If you're still interested, it also offers a free Photo Retouch app. There are also a handful of paid apps, Bracket Pro ($4.99), Multi Frame NR ($4.99; noise reduction), Cinematic Photo ($4.99; for cinemagraphs, stills with animated portions), and Time-lapse ($9.99). The last of these sounds useful, if expensive. The apps tend to function a bit sluggishly as well.

It's tempting to ding Sony for making a bunch of the capabilities extra-cost app options, but there's really only one key feature irritatingly absent: saved custom settings. Grrr! In addition to all the physical options, such as the EVF, hot shoe, tilting LCD, and Wi-Fi, it provides all the essentials, including focus peaking. For a complete accounting of the NEX-6's features and operation, download the PDF manual.

Conclusion
It's a relatively expensive kit, but the NEX-6 is considerably smaller than a comparable dSLR, with competitive performance and photo quality, plus better video autofocus. The sacrifices you make opting for a mirrorless ILC are loss of an optical viewfinder and reduced battery life, which will make some people pause and others just shrug. But for now, at least, it's my favorite ILC option for less than $1,000.