Nex-5 Wishlist for the next firmware update!

[jonasembring]

Hello Sony!!

Im actually addressing this directly to Sony as a wishlist for the next Nex-5 firmware update from v3 to v4. People can join this tread writing your special wishes for the next update. I guess there is no guarantee that Sony will listen. But I will try to get my voice heard.

Im working as a professional film director and still photographer. Im using my Nex-5 camera as a very good complement to my Nikon and professional film cameras Im working with. I am very satisfied with the Nex-5 camera and is actually planning on using it on a short professional documentary Im making. I only missing some small details in the new firmware update v3.

My wish list for firmware update v4:

- The possibillity to program button B or C for choosing AF, DMF or MF

- The possibillity to program button B or C for a PUSH AUTO button for the MF mode, as on several Sony videocameras. This would help A LOT in the workflow with both still photography and filming. In the film mode another solution may be really nice. That you could use the second step on the main trigger as a PUSH AUTO button in MF mode.

- The possibility to change where you set the focus (Center, multi etc) in the film mode.

- The possibility to over or under expose more that 2 steps on the expo compensating button. At least 3 steps or more.

- In the ISO AUTO mode, I would like to see on the display what ISO the camera are using. Or be able to program what ISO range the camera should work with.

My wish list for the camera in general.

- A solution for a long lasting battery. Maybe an external battery that you connect the same way as you connect the power cable.

Hope to get my wishes heard. Best regards / Jonas Embring, Sweden

Message was edited by: StartTheCar

[Joncraw]

Hi,

I have been using the Nex 5 for the past 6 months and think that it is a great camera.

Please, please, please, add a tether option with remote shutter release to the next firmware update. Utilizing the USB port for two way traffic would, at minimum, open the door for pc based adjustments to all operations of the camera. Instant review on a good size screen, remote adjustment and live review of time lapse shoots would turn this great camera into an amazing piece of kit and rival/beat you competitors

Also a greater range of bracketing with increased shot count would be the icing on the cake.

It may be a big ask, but well worth the time and effort.

Many Thanks

Message was edited by: Joncraw

Message was edited by: Joncraw

[JonnySo]

make toy mode "ALOT" BETTER! i compared the toy mode with my friends Olympus Epl1 and the setting on that camera made my Nex feel Noob! but het would be super if Sony could improve this... "please" as a fun factor for the camera...

Oh and by the way the scene mode neds improving... you need very good light to get the best out of the photo but in some shades it gets dotty/ blurry on the slightly shaded areas... so yh improve this and im back on Sony's side

Jonny.

[causerino]

I 2nd this! Remote control software for the NEX range would be amazing!

[neodraig]

Hello,

I bought my NEX-5 when it's been released, and though it's nice little  camera, I found many problems that could be easily fixed via a firmaware  update. I then tried to contact Sony but without any success.

Since then we had a few firmware updates wich addressed some problems  (custom buttons), we even had new features such as the peaking mode  (kudos for that Sony) but the same problems that were present one year  ago are still there, even with the new NEX-5N:

DMF mode
When the camera can't auto-focus, you can't focus manually.

For me, the main interest of the DMF mode would be to focus manually  when the camera can't, but at the moment it's not possible wich is a big  drawback, that's really fustrating.

No automatic zoom with SEL lens in manual focussing mode
When using SEL lenses in manual focussing mode, the camera will zoom as soon as you start focussing.

In  manual focussing mode, I'd like my SEL lenses to behave just like my  legacy lenses: when focussing nothing happens, and when I want to focus  precisely, I press the manual focus assistance button (or tap the screen  with the NEX-5N).

x3 zoom

When using the manual focus assistance button, the picture will  enlarge by x7: that's too large, enlarging by x3 would be enough  (especially with the peaking).

720p

For the NEX-5 and NEX-5N, being able to record in 720p.

The NEX-3s can do that, why not the NEX-5s ???

Histogram

Why the heck the histogram disapears when we're adjusting the exposure, that's at that moment we need it!!!

Panorama mode

It would be much  easier to use the soft button when in panaorama mode to select the  direction you want to shoot when you wish to change it. Alternatively each time you would select the panorama mode, the camera would ask the direction you want to take your panorama.

Instead of that you have to select the panorama mode, then go back in  the menu, select "camera", enter "panorama direction" and finally select  the direction desired, boring.

Bracket mode
The bracket mode is currently limited to ±0.7EV (wich is useless) and 3 shots.
I'd like to have the possibility to go at least up to ±2.0EV and 5 shots.

What really irritates me is that the HDR mode can go up to ±6.0 EV, so  that's clearly a software limitation and not a hardware one!

Auto ISO
The auto ISO setting will just go up to 1600 ISO (3200 on the NEX-5N).

I would like the camera to go up to 3200 or 6400 ISO (or even 12800 on the NEX-N) in auto ISO setting if I wish.

HDR mode
The HDR mode is a pain in the @$$ to use.

I shoot RAW, so first I have to go in the image size menu, then quality  and select JPEG. Then go back in the menu, then brightness/color, then  DRO/Auto HDR and finally select HDR, ouch.

First, why the hell the camera doesn't automatically switch to JPEG when  you select the HDR mode, it already does it for anti-motion blur and  hand-held twilight. Secondly, the feature could be more accessible, it  could be in the scene selection.

Switching the soft key buttons

I mostly shoot with manual lenses and often use the manual focus assist  button, and it would be much more convenient if it could be assigned at  the top soft key. The menu would be assigned at the bottom soft key.

Set the minimum shutter speed

When I'm in A mode, I'd like to set the minimum shutter speed (1/30 is not enough for most of the lenses).

Menu button
With the custom buttons, we don't have direct access to the mode dial anymore.

What would be nice is when using the menu button, a short press would  bring the mode dial and a long press would bring the menu. Most of the  time when I go into the menu it's just to access the mode dial to select  a different mode.

I do hope Sony will read that, the NEX is a great camera but could be way much better with a few tweaks.

[saffersteve]

Hope Sony are still taking suggestions for NEX-5 and newer.

I have loads of manual focus lens in addition to my SEL lenses.

I take a few out at a time and sometimes have 2 or 3 with overlapping or similar focal lenths.

I often forget which lens I have used for which shots and with the overlapping FL it is hard to Identify just looking at the picture.

A great feature would be the ability to add and select from a list of Lens so that this data could be recorded in the exif.

Carl Z 50mm f:2.8

Helios M44

Vivitar 70-210mm Series 1

etc.

PS THANK YOU! for the peaking function.

PPS Another exif suggestion if I'm not being too gready ,leave the appiture selector on the screen in M (Manual) when a Manual focus lens is attached (none electronic SONY Lens) Gray it out so that it indicates that it has no function over the lens but allow it to move and record to the Exif

[neodraig]

A new one:

Remote control in any mode

One can't use the remote when using the bracket mode nor the HDR mode, why? The remote activation shouldn't be in the drve mode but somewhere else.

[sugiarto.hartanto]

What I really-really wish:

Auto ISO Shooting Mode where you choose aperture and shutter speed and the camera choose the most appropiate ISO possible.

Adjustable Auto White Balance where you can tweak a little on the camera chosen white balance (I always use Auto White Balance and generally like a warm tone so I like to give a warmer tone to what the camera's Auto White Balance thinks as the right white balance)

Adjustable Auto ISO where you can adjust how high the ISO will go, the minimum shutter speed before ISO goes up (in A mode) or the maximum aperture before the ISO goes up (in S mode)

720p mode

Bitrate Option in video recording

Show the ISO the camera is using when using Auto ISO

Show an indicator indicating when you press the soft key (what your current shortcut, what menu is to the left of the shortcut, what menu is to the right shortcut, just like the NEX-C3)

More soft key c shortcut (NEX-C3 has 5)

Better feature implementation so we can use handheld twilight, toy camera, high contrast black and white, partial colour, etc in PASM Mode

Soft Skin Mode

Adjustable right button shortcut or at the very least make it that when we press the soft key b in the flash menu, it will give the option of flash compensation.

Improve DMF mode so when the camera can't find focus, we can change the focus. as of firmware 4, when the camera can't get focus in DMF mode, rotating the focus ring won't change the focus.

Improve Auto Focus speed if it can be improved with firmware

Wider Exposure Compensation where you can set to +- 4 EV (not really important for me)

Message was edited by: sugiarto.hartanto

Message was edited by: sugiarto.hartanto

[neodraig]

Here's another one:

Disable auto-enlarging in Manual mode with E-mount lenses

Peaking mode is working great with manual lenses but with E-mount lenses it's not so good.

As soon as you turn the focussing ring the display enlarges and make the  peaking function useless: the main interest of the peaking mode is to  focus quickly without to enlarge the view.
There's no way to disable that behaviour, that sucks!

[Doc_Alex]

That Sony opens the platform is good news!

My wishes are:

• When i use a man. Focus lens i would like to have a circular fild in the middle of the display that magnifies the original live view by 7x or 14x.

It would be helpful that this feature could be switched on by either pressing one of the softkeys or by half pressing the release button. This would speed up the focus of the target while the composing of the image is unaffected.

• the possibility to store digital negative .dng files

• have the switch of the dispay (sunlight) on one of the softkeys

• have the possibility to set the display to an effect mode such as black an white or color key while the camera still records a raw image unchanged together with a .jpg file with the effect. Ths would allow a display preview of the effect and the possibility to do all the best later at home with the raw. An exif entry as a remark such as "b&w" image would be helpful to later remember the idea.

• i would like to have th possibility for a easy and quick audio recording together with time stamp and last image number (e.g. In filename) this would allow to record remarks to an image spoken by the photographer

I hope sombody is intereted in that.

Best wishes

Doc Alex

[Doc_Alex]

Hello lee

Are you still listening or is that a dead thread?