Aspect Ratios

[jlabate]

I'm very interested in the NEX-7 but am surprised to find Sony NEX's only offer two aspect rations - 3:2 and 16:9. I'm a m4/3's camera user and love the aspect ratio options those cameras offer - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 6:6 (or 1:1). I know I can crop later and I know in many ways it doesn't make sense to use only a portion of a camera's sensor but I still enjoy having the options. I use the 6:6 ratio often and enjoy that when set to that, the display or EVF shows a square image and when opening the files with Bridge, that's also what I see.

I would think it a simple and inexpensive thing for Sony to make all these aspect ratio options available on their NEX cameras. How about it?

 

[Phoenix]

I usually shoot at 3:2 but I agree with you, it would be nice to have the option of having more aspect ratios to use, with all the improvements Sony is putting in the NEX 7 one expect them to make extra aspect ratios available for the user.

 

[ryandigweed]

Pixels are very Important me, and every other photographer. It's best to catch the full Square Frame, and then Finally Change the aspect ratio during post processing . I Really find it weird when i see someone shooting in widescreen aspect ratio. It's a sacrifice of pixels. You could miss out something while Crapturing in Widescreen.

 

[Melv]

Crapturing ? ..... thats funny!

 

[ryandigweed]

Haha that was an honest mistake. But come to think of it, they are "Crapturing" the scenery by loosing valuable pixels that they wont be able to regain once they hook up their camera to their computer.

Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[jlabate]

In my original post I agreed that in some ways it doesn't make sense not to use the whole sensor and that cropping can be done later to achieve different aspect ratios but personally, for the 6:6 images, I'm willing to give the pixels up. And when I'm photographing, I want to see square images while I'm taking the pictures so I can compose as desired. Post processing doesn't work for me.

I understand not everyone feels the same as I but if Sony can offer 16:9 along with the full-sensor size 3:2, I'm thinking it would be easy enough to add the 4:3 and 6:6 ratios too.

Pixels are very Important me, and every other photographer. It's best to catch the full Square Frame, and then Finally Change the aspect ratio during post processing . I Really find it weird when i see someone shooting in widescreen aspect ratio. It's a sacrifice of pixels. You could miss out something while Crapturing in Widescreen.

 

[ryandigweed]

square aspect ratio on your camera so you may see your composition more clearly?

 

[JJJPhoto]

I used to prefer cameras that could be preset for a specific ratio, particularly 6x6/1:1 because if I'm not cropping for 8x10 I'm usually cropping to the square format of my old medium format film cameras.

However, I now use Adobe Camera Raw in PS CS5 to process all my images and the first thing I do is "select all" and crop to 6x6 (then adjust the position of the crop individually on each image to get the composition the way that I want it).

 

[ryandigweed]

thanks for sharing your technique. It'll be useful to many others out here.

 

[jlabate]

Yes. If I'm making square pictures, I want to see a square picture in the EVF or on the LCD when I'm taking the pictures. I don't want to see a 3:2 picture that I can later crop to square. For me photography is about where you place the four edges so you can include what you want and exclude what you don't.

square aspect ratio on your camera so you may see your composition more clearly?

 

[JJJPhoto]

Yes. If I'm making square pictures, I want to see a square picture in the EVF or on the LCD when I'm taking the pictures. I don't want to see a 3:2 picture that I can later crop to square. For me photography is about where you place the four edges so you can include what you want and exclude what you don't.

Gaffer tape over the sides of the LCD works too.

 

[jlabate]

Thanks for that idea but I typically use the EVF.

But how much investment would it take Sony to give us the extra options in their NEX cameras. That is one of the appeals of mirrorless cameras with electronic finders, all the things that can be done that can't be done on DSLR's. The engineer adding the 16:9 option, let him work what - another 15 minutes, an hour, a day - and add the 4:3 and 6:6 options. Done.

Gaffer tape over the sides of the LCD works too.

 

[JJJPhoto]

I hear you. I'm sure it would be "relatively" easy for Sony engineers to add alternative composition crops to a firmware update ... but only Sony knows if that will ever happen.

Oh, and in case anyone was misinterpreting my previous post as being mean ... I was just goofing around and being a smarty pants about the gaffer tape (although it probably would be a decent "MacGuyverized" fix for people who want to compose in 6x6/1:1 on the LCD).

 

[jlabate]

No offense taken, I saw it in fun. And one could make a little mask for the LCD, 6:6 or 4:3, but I really do use the EVF most of the time.

Oh, and in case anyone was misinterpreting my previous post as being mean ... I was just goofing around and being a smarty pants about the gaffer tape (although it probably would be a decent "MacGuyverized" fix for people who want to compose in 6x6/1:1 on the LCD).