I have received numerous requests for additional photos from my Cuba travels. While I am planning to return and add to this body of work, I thought I would upload the “work in progress” and share it with those interested in seeing more.
Thank you again for all the kind words and posts regarding these photos. Cuba is an amazing and magical place, and I plan to get back as soon as possible.
You can view about fifty additional photos via this link to the gallery on my web-site Digital Focus.
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As you know if you’ve been following this Blog, I recently had the opportunity to travel to Cuba. Since returning, I have met many photographers who have had a desire to go. All I can say is, if you can go – GO!
Anyway, one of the most memorable aspects of my journey was meeting and partnering with a local Cuban photographer, Eduardo Garcia. Eduardo was my guide for a day as we visited the dilapidated factory town of Hershey. Not only was he an excellent guide, but as I later found out, an amazing photographer.
Eduardo’s work has been described as “getting inside the skin of his subjects.” This is very true. As a native Cuban he is extremely adept at approaching people and making immediate friends. He does not start off taking photos, but slowly, as he gets to know someone, will he begin to further explore them and their surroundings with his camera.
He has produced some of the most astounding work I have seen in some time. I hope that by showcasing some of his work outside of Cuba, he will begin to get some of the recognition I believe he has earned.
So, without anything further from me, here is some of the work of Eduardo Garcia…
Additionally, Eduardo has put together a brief video of his work. It is available to view HERE on YouTube.
It is my hope to get back to Cuba as soon as I can. It is also my plan to spend additional time with Eduardo and learn more about him and his work as he shows me more of this amazing country.
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Having a bit of Sony’s ear, I thought it might be a good idea to compile a short list (and the list is short) of suggestions for improvements to the firmware in the Sony NEX-7. Don’t get me wrong, I still think the NEX-7 is a great camera, but there is always room for improvement.
Having used the NEX-7 “on the job” so to speak, I have run into a few “glitches” which I would personally like to see addressed in a future FW update. I have also read other’s reports on the camera, and have tried to incorporate their suggestions here as well.
Since it is my hope to get Sony’s attention, I would appreciate any additional suggestions and/or recommendations be made in the comments section of this article. Note: there is no order or priority to these suggestions.
Here we go…
1. Please increase the steps between EV settings for both bracketing and Auto-HDR. Neither .3 or .7 EV increments is enough for serious work. It would also be valuable to choose from either 3, 5, or 7 exposures.
2. The review modes need to be consolidated. There should not be separate modes for stills and video. This leads to confusion as to what is in storage as well as how to switch easily between modes.
3. There needs to be a way to prevent the eye-switch from disabling the cameras “sleep mode”. The simplest way to do this would be to remove it from the list of actions which wake the camera, relying only on a button press to reawaken. Without this, it is possible to very rapidly drain the battery unknowingly.
4. There should be an option to either simply disable the Record button and /or to reassign it to another function. It is far too easily pressed when trying to take a shot, thus causing the photographer to not only miss the shot, but to struggle to put the camera back into still image mode.
5. The “Menu” and “Focus” buttons need to be swapped. The menu button is right under your finger, while the focus button is at the bottom of the camera. This is awkward as you need to access the focus button often, and the menu button infrequently. While the menu button is fixed, the focus button is a “soft button.” This should be an extremely easy fix. I could find no way to reassign these buttons in the menu, though many others could be.
6. The Jpeg processing could use some serious improvement. Allowing for noise reduction to be turned off entirely would go a long way from eliminating the “smearing” seen in the Jpegs from the camera.
7. Image controls are needed for the adjustment of the image in the EVF. At least a “contrast control” is required to allow the user to adjust the display to match the actual scene. Sharpness controls would also worthwhile.
8. Personally I would also like to see the addition of the option to set the ISO range from which auto-ISO chooses. Currently you have no control over this when you set the camera to Auto-ISO.
The last two suggestions are courtesy Michael Reichmann of the Luminous Landscape web-site. Since Michael says it so much better than I could, I quoted him here.
9. “As good as Sony’s new interface on the NEX-7 is, there is one major omission. That is, there is no way to group all of the camera’s settings into what some camera makers call My settings, or have on the Mode dial as C1, C2, etc. This is, in my view, a huge hole in all NEX camera’s user interface, and is particularly glaring in its absence on the NEX-7 because it is a camera aimed at the advanced amateur and Pro.”
10. Regarding the EVF display… “There is a gottcha with the Settings Effect “OFF” mode though. It’s intended to show you a bright visible image, regardless of the cameras settings, and that includes exposure. When OFF, if you’re over or underexposing, deliberately or otherwise, the screen will always show you a decent image for framing and composition (except in manual exposure mode). But, if you have the histogram feature turned on the histogram does not show you a graph of the exposure that is set, but instead shows you a perfect histogram of the image that is being displayed.”
That’s it then. Hopefully when Sony releases a FW v1.1 we will see many, if not all of these implemented. If you have other suggestions, or recommendations which can be implemented in the FIRMWARE, please sound off in our comments section.
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The new book went off to the presses today. Copies are available for sale directly from Blurb, and still available just in time for the Holidays.
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Sony was gracious enough to send me the NEX-7 camera for my photo trip to Cuba. Now that I am back in the states and have internet access once more, I wanted to take a moment and share with you my impressions of Sony’s new “wunderkind.” I brought both my Canon 5D Mk II as well as the Sony NEX-7. While I have a bevy of lenses for the Canon, I was only able to obtain the kit 18-55 and the 55-210 lenses for the Sony.
So, how did the NEX-7 fare? In a word, “Amazing!”
Viva la Habana
1/1000 sec., f/10, ISO, 400, 55-210mm @ 80mm
I have been a professional photographer for some time. These days, I work almost exclusively with Canon gear, and I am quite comfortable with it. I know its “ins and outs” and have everything configured just the way I like it. I only had a few days prior to the trip to become familiar with the Sony, so, I am not professing to be an expert in the system. That being said, the system is quite easy to get around, and it took almost nothing to become comfortable with it.
Now, this is not going to be a review in any sense. This camera has been so poked and prodded that if you want to know any detail you can easily find it out online. I am also not going to provide images for the “pixel-peeper”set. There are also tons of these images available, and they are of no interest to me. I shoot photographs, not pixels.
I had the opportunity to shoot with the camera in a unique setting, for real work, for a week. This write-up is going to be strictly about my experience with the camera and my feelings about it.
Butterfly
1/100 sec., f/5.6, ISO 250, 18-55mm @ 55mm
Day One –
We arrived the day before. This was my first day roaming the streets of Havana. I packed both the Canon and the Sony and headed out. Given the size of the Sony, I packed both the kit lens and the 55-210. Given its size, I bolted the 24-105 on the 5D MkII and packed the 50mm. Wandering the streets you quickly are confronted with almost too much too shoot. The decay is everywhere and the people are so friendly and unique. Almost everyone wants you to take their picture. This was the problem.
I did not want to take “posed” shots. Every time I picked up the Canon, someone turned on their smile, gave me “thumbs-up” and posed for the camera. Not the shots I wanted. However, I found with the Sony I could simply flip up the screen, hold the camera at waist level, grumble as if I was secretly having problems with the camera, and get the shot. This was perfect.
We spent the entire day wandering through the vast network of streets photographing everything that we came in contact with. We were feeling our way through an entirely different culture – one very much suffering from arrested development.
When I got back to my hotel I was anxious to see how the images came out; to see how the Sony compared to its Canon brethren. To my surprise, there was very little difference. Ok, so the Sony lenses are not quite as sharp as the Canon’s. Ok, so I made a few more errors getting to know the Sony (hit a few buttons I shouldn’t have). However, the images on the Sony looked great.
One hitch though, I was shooting RAW+Jpeg. The Jpeg engine in the Sony is not very good. There is no way to turn off the noise suppression; you can only set it to LOW. The Jpegs come out quite “smeary” and overly compressed. However, once you load the images into Lightroom (ver. 3.6 is in testing), you really begin to get what this camera is capable of.
Aged Cuban
1/60 sec., f/1.4, ISO 1600, 50mm (soft focus)
Day Two –
More wandering the neighborhoods. Havana is a LARGE city; housing over two million people. There is a lot to see. This time I bolted the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II on the Canon and headed out. Without a question, the Canon lens is sharper than the 55-210 on the Sony. That is to be expected. One costs over $2,000 and the other, just over $300. However, if you stay away from the extremes on either end of the 55-210, it is an excellent performer, and quite sharp.
Today I got a little frustrated with the Sony. You see, I kept hitting the RECORD button and the camera went into Movie Mode. Once you are in Movie Mode, you are kind of stuck. I couldn’t find an easy way to get back out. When reviewing images, you are either looking at stills or movies. Once I deleted my accidental movie, my display showed that there was nothing else to review – when I knew I had more than 300 still images on the card. I panicked! I eventually got back to still image mode and found all my images, but I can’t remember how I did it. I need to check the manual, but this should be easier.
Also, I found that the Menu and Focus buttons are reversed in where they should be, and I found no way to change them in the Menu. You see the Menu button is naturally under your thumb when shooting, while the Focus button is at the bottom of the camera’s back, a little awkward. I hope this one is easily fixed in FW as they are not labeled on the camera and are just soft-buttons.
Got some great shots today, but due to the nature of using the camera, I found that I used the Sony about 75% of the time and the Canon only about 25% of the time.
Sneaky Pete
1/250 sec., f/6.3, ISO 500, 55-210mm @ 161mm
Day Three –
Went to a Tai Kwon Do tournament and a Boxing tournament today; fast action in low light. Put the 50mm on the Canon, and put a Canon FD 50mm on the Sony with an adapter from Fotodiox. Both lenses are f/1.4.
Got great shots with both cameras. Using the Focus Peaking feature on the Sony I was easily able to focus, even in really low light. Used the Auto ISO on the Sony. I really wish they let you set the possible ISO range (another future FW update I hope). ISO 800 is great, with 1600 just beginning to get a bit too noisy (though I found Noise Ninja cleans it up nicely). Auto ISO will only go up to ISO 1600, though I would have restricted it to 800.
At the end of the day, I retired to the hotel’s rooftop bar. Took out the Sony and took some great sunset panoramas. Then I discovered the vertical panorama function. This is very difficult to do with a standard camera/tripod setup and a breeze with the Sony. Loved it.
Today, about 50%-50% with images from the camera.
Blood Red on the Tracks
1/160 sec., F/5.0, ISO 400, 55-210mm @ 86mm
Day Four –
Took a ferry across the bay to some of the small towns across from Havana taking as little gear as possible. Once again I am carrying the entire Sony kit, as well as the Canon with the 24-105. Trying to shoot with the Canon as much as the Sony, but the Sony is just so much better suited to street photography. Decided to try out some of the “Creative Functions” on the Sony. Turns out I dislike them just as much as I do any camera. Great for the novice, and not really worthwhile for anything but vacation pics.
Also, the bracketing on the camera is basically useless as the range is not enough, only .3 EV. This definitely needs to be addressed in FW. Others have mentioned this, and I really want to be sure I add my voice to theirs.
Once again, most all of my images are from the Sony.
Tai Kwon Do
1/60 sec., f/1.4, ISO 1600, 50mm
Day Five –
Hired a guide and driver and headed out to Hershey, Cuba. Yes, you read that right, the Communist version of Hershey, PA. Also founded by the Hershey Company in the 1920’s to process sugar for the purpose of creating chocolate.
The place is falling apart these days, but there are still the remains of the factory, some parts of which are still in operation, though not making sugar for Hershey or anyone else. There are also the remains of the planned town (think Levittown) and the electric train which Hershey built to move people to and from the major city centers.
I have decided that, since we will be walking quite a lot today to leave my Canon at home. This is going to be a 100% Sony day. I know I am taking a risk here, but so far, the camera has proven to be a real winner.
Since I was using the camera exclusively today, I ran out of battery and had to swap with the spare. When I did that, I noticed that the camera lost some of its settings (most noticeably the settings for the EVF – in which I had a histogram display). No problem to reset, but I am hoping that this is corrected in the final FW. I shot over 1,000 images today and went through two batteries.
Also, found that the electronic switch for the eye-control on the EVF prevents the camera from going to sleep. You see when the camera is hanging on your neck, the switch is constantly activated, thus the camera never goes to sleep. Another simple FW change to only use a button push to wake the camera, would solve this problem.
However, all in all, a good day.
Boxing Feet
1/500 sec., f/10, ISO 400, 55-210mm @ 55mm
Day Six –
Today was spent in Casablanca, Cuba. Just to be fair, I took the Canon and its complement of lenses with me this morning. What can I say, heavy and cumbersome. I got some great shots, but I also think there are shots I didn’t get because of the size of the system. No “sneaky shooting” here. I screamed “PHOTOGRAPHER” wherever I went. I tried to get into the shipyards, but was waived off.
I couldn’t help but wonder what I would have gotten had I had my little Sony with me.
In the afternoon, I put the Canon aside and once again set out into the city with the Sony. It is the last day in Havana and I want to get the most out of it. I need something light and fast in order to get what I am after. I head into Chinatown (yes, Havana has a Chinatown) and start shooting. I wetn into stealth mode and no one knew what I was up to.
In the end, I am very pleased with what I am able to capture, and I am already planning my return trip.
Mark’s Car
1/160 sec., f/9.0, ISO 640, 55-210mm @ 82mm
Conclusion –
First, let me mention some items which I overlooked in my overview.
Once you use the EVF in the Sony you will miss it on every camera you own. While it is not quite as clear as a true optical viewfinder, it is extremely close. The ability to immediately see the changes to your images as you make them is invaluable, as is the ability to view the histogram in the bottom right of the display. Shooting dark complexions against bright, colorful backgrounds was only possible with this feature.
The shutter responsiveness is truly lightning-quick. This is not to say the autofocus is fast; it isn’t. It is serviceable, though like most contrast detection autofocus systems, it hunts in low light. However, when you press the shutter, the response is instant. There are a few photos I could not have gotten without this feature.
The fact that the viewfinder is on the far-left edge of the camera is also a major plus and a definite advantage over those who add an EVF to the hot-shoe. This way you can place the camera up to your right eye and leave you left eye open to see the scene and what is about to come into frame. Photographing the old cars of Cuba was much easier when I left both eyes open.
The big Achilles heel of the NEX-7 is the availability of quality lenses at reasonable prices. While the kit lens and the 55-210 are competent, they are nothing to write home about. Given the capabilities of the system, it cries out for new and better lenses to go with it. While the APS-C sensor in the NEX is clearly superior to the Micro 4/3rds sensors we have seen to date, Micro 4/3rds has the distinct advantage when it comes to lens quality and selection. Hopefully, that will change with time.
I have briefly covered my experiences with the camera over a week in Cuba. I should note that the FW version of the camera I had available to me was version .06, so I am certain a lot of the FW issues I mentioned will be fixed prior to, or just after the camera’s release.
In the end, I am now totally convinced that the future of digital photography will incorporate high-quality EVF in almost all cameras. This is just the beginning of this technology. Also, the need for the large SLR may also be starting to end. Given the capabilities of the new mirror less cameras, I see no reason for overly large bodies (except that they can currently support much larger batteries).
I am already planning my return trip to Cuba. The country is a photographer’s dream.
My Canon gear will be staying at home.
UPDATE – December 9, 2011
I have just heard from Sony that the NEX-7 (body only) will begin shipping the week of the 12th (next week). These will be limited availability direct from Sony, with the Kit version and sales through third-parties following shortly thereafter. This is great news for all who have been waiting.
At the same time, I should be able to post the PDF version of the manual so that anyone interested can begin to prepare for the arrival of their pre-orders.
Lastly, for those looking for a great, in-depth review of the NEX-7, how it works with third-party lenses, and just about anything else you would like to know, check out Luminous Landscape’s Rolling Review of the NEX-7.
Posted in Photography, Review
The plane to Miami-Cuba leaves in a few hours, so no posts for about 10 days.
I’ve taken the last week or so to really acquaint myself with the NEX-7, as I am going to be relying on it for a good quantity of the photos on this trip. I needed to not only assure myself it was up to the job, but that I was fully comfortable with it as well. Both it and I are ready.
Since I will not have much if any Internet access in Havana, I will be keeping a daily log on my iPad for each day I am out shooting with the NEX-7. I will upload it all here once I am back.
Until then…
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I’ve had the camera in my hands for a few days now. Here are some initial thoughts.
At first, I was a bit disappointed actually. This is the camera everyone is going nuts for, I thought?!? What’s so special? It actually feels kind of odd in my hand, very solid, but very different too. The lens is large, the body tiny. Can this work?
Then there is the interface. No, there is nothing wrong with it (in fact, compared to some it is quite excellent). My problem is that it is almost identical to the one on the cheap Sony camcorder (which I just returned to Costco). Not really “pro” friendly – just friendly. Could this really be powerful enough for serious work?
As soon as I got it, I read the documentation I received from Sony over several times. I made sure I knew where everything was and how everything worked. The menus are quite extensive and you can only get so far on your own. A quick read-through of the documentation is a must with this camera.
Then I started taking some pictures. Very nice, very responsive. Now the auto-focus is not the best in low-light, but it much better than most. You will want large aperture lenses for this baby if you are going to need to shoot dark. Alright I thought, time for a field trip.
I took the camera to Helix in Chicago, one of the better-known, large camera stores in the city. They were running a special photo fair that weekend with reps from many camera companies (unfortunately not Sony). Let’s see how the NEX-7 stands up.
At the event I played primarily with the Fuji X100 and the Leica M9. Now, I have to tell you, while I love the images I’ve seen out of the Fuji, the NEX-7 was much, much better (for me at least). The Sony seems much more solid in the hand, better balanced, faster in almost everything. The Fuji was, well “twiddly” at best.
Then I moved on to the Leica. Now I had experience with the M8.2, but not the 9, just never got on my radar. It is one hell of a machine. From the fit, finish, controls, everything says quality. However, speed of the electronics (writing to the card), lack of high-ISO and other issues would prevent it from being anything more than a specialty camera. Again, I would choose the NEX-7 over the Leica M9 for most tasks.
It is now one week away from my outing to Cuba. I have played, poked and prodded the camera as much as I can. My brief learning period is over and it is now time to take some serious shots. Later today I will be getting the SEL55210 to try out as well as a Fotodiox lens adapter to try the camera with some third-party lenses (hopefully some extreme wides) as well.
If I am lucky I will have time before I leave to take some more serious shots and post them here, though the Chicago weather is currently conspiring against me on this one.
Stay tuned…
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This morning we received a new arrival. Sony, quite graciously, sent a pre-production NEX-7 for evaluation and review during my upcoming trip to Cuba.
So far I have only had enough time to take it from its box, charge up its batteries and have it pose for a quick photo. I have just over a week to learn as much as I can about this camera before it is pressed into some serious service in Cuba.
You see, prior to the disaster in Thailand I had ordered my own NEX-7 for this trip. I needed a camera capable of taking 
professional photos alongside my Canon gear – but one with which I could “travel lite” and not be as obviously a “photographer” when needed. Once Sony learned that I would not be able to obtain one in time, they were extremely helpful in getting me this evaluation unit to put through its paces.
For my part of the bargain, I agreed to share my experiences with you and my photos once I return from the trip.
So, that’s it. What do you want to know? (no, I don’t know when yours will be coming) So, far I only have the kit lens, but I may invest in one or two others if I can before I leave. Let me know what you would like to know, and perhaps I can answer your questions.
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As promised, I am uploading 3 sample images to the Blog from my upcomming book. These are just a few random images.
The book will be broken up into four categories: Santa Fe, Taos Pueblo, Pure New Mexico, History of Man. (not so sure about the last two names – still working on it.)
These represent a variety of images taken around New Mexico from 2002-2011. New Mexico is a very special place, one with a tremendous variety and attraction for photographers in general.
I hope to have the book done and sent to the printer by the end of the year. Heading off to Cuba in December, preparing for the next book, so a busy, busy end-of-year.
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Wow! It has been forever since I started this Blog, since I’ve entered anything into it. I started this Blog when I revamped my web-site (previous site did not have a Blog). My web-designer thought it would be good to incorporate one into my site.
“Everyone is doing it!” I remember him saying.
Problem for me is that I am often too busy to write about what I am too busy doing. Generally, travelling, shooting, processing, publishing, etc. So, let me say I am sorry for letting this go so long.
My new book is coming together. I will be posting some images and thoughts about it in the next few days. Then, at the end of the month a trip I have been hoping to take for many years. There has been a lot of planning on this one, and there should be a new book as well.
End of 2011 is shaping up to be an exciting time!
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