Sony NEX-6 review – Noise, resolution and sensitivity
These images show 72ppi (100% on a computer screen) sections of images of a resolution chart, captured using the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 power-zoom lens set to f/8. We show the section of the resolution chart where the camera starts to fail to reproduce the lines separately. The higher the number visible in these images, the better the camera’s detail resolution at the specified sensitivity setting.
We know that the variants of Sony’s widely used 16-million-pixel APS-C-sized sensor provide impressive image quality, and the NEX-6’s sensor is no different. Combined with the new Bionz processor and extensive ISO 100-25,600 range, sharp images can be achieved in both good-contrast and low-contrast light.
As we would expect, the camera reaches the 26 marker on our resolution charts at ISO 100, like so many other cameras with a similar resolution. However, the low-light performance has been slightly improved from the last-generation 16-million-pixel NEX cameras, with the NEX-6 reaching the 22 marker at ISO 12,800.
Unsurprisingly, this performance does not match that of the NEX-7. In low light, it is well worth shooting in raw format with the NEX-6, because the aggressive noise reduction applied to JPEG files at high ISO settings notably reduces tonal information and crispness of detail.
Image: Aggressive compression on JPEG images taken at high ISO ratings in low light reduces the crispness of detail and tonal information
