Sony E-Mount Lens Guide Here >>

Vacation Photos with the Nex-6 – Pool Play and Other Fun

We had an absolute blast playing in the pool at our awesome hotel. Layla is still learning to swim, so teaching her the basics and watching her learn is a lot of fun I must tell you. She is our first child so the experience of watching her grow so fast, and learn so quick is just incredible. You know, the whole parent thing 😉

Anyway, the Nex-6 performed awesome and I used the electronic viewfinder a lot by the pool. The super bright sun and reflections on the water made the glare on the screen pretty bad. Under the umbrella I was able to see it to review pics and stuff though. My eyes were also killing me from the glare on the water it was so bright out.

Pool Play

I shot only in raw quality for all these photos and did some enhancements in Adobe Lightroom 4.  If you want to see how I enhance the Sony Nex-6  raw files using Lightroom 4, be sure to check out the Lightroom Tutorials Categories Here >> I also used Aperture Priority mode, Auto ISO, Auto WB, Area Focus, and average metering 95% of the time. I did use exposure comp a few times and shutter priority mode for the high speed water photo.

Layla ready to go!

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 800

Layla having more fun than can be explained in words 🙂

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 210mm, f/6.3, 1/500sec, ISO 160
Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 210mm, f/6.3, 1/500sec, ISO 160
Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 210mm, f/6.3, 1/500sec, ISO 500

My Mom and Layla having a blast in the pool.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 62mm, f/6.3, 1/400sec, ISO 100


Michele took these next two images 😉

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 194mm, f/6.3, 1/400sec, ISO 100
Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 59mm, f/6.3, 1/800sec, ISO 100

I used Shutter Priority mode on the Nex-6 for this next photo and speed priority shooting mode. The enabled rapid fire shooting which gave me the best chance at capturing the www.sex4.tv spinning water logged frisbee. My Dad was whirling the disc in a circle as fast as he could, which also helped make this pretty easy to capture.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 162mm, f/6.3, 1/640sec, ISO 160


Snapshot portrait with Grandma and Grandpa.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 82mm, f/5, 1/160sec, ISO 500
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 82mm, f/5, 1/160sec, ISO 500

My Mom.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 210mm, f/6.3, 1/400sec, ISO 1600
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 210mm, f/6.3, 1/400sec, ISO 1600

A cool shuffle board sign.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 210mm, f/6.3, 1/400sec, ISO 1250
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 210mm, f/6.3, 1/400sec, ISO 1250

Playing in the sand.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 250
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 250
Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 250
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 250

Layla and I playing.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 320
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 320
Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 320
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/100sec, ISO 320

The sun was going down as you can see from the shots above, but the tops of the Palm trees still had the little left to soak up.

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/250sec, ISO 100
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 55mm, f/4.5, 1/250sec, ISO 100

Even the fly’s were having a good time 🙂

Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 165mm, f/6.3, 1/320sec, ISO 125
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 165mm, f/6.3, 1/320sec, ISO 125
Disney Vacation - Sony Nex-6 @ 183mm, f/6.3, 1/320sec, ISO 1250
Disney Vacation – Sony Nex-6 @ 183mm, f/6.3, 1/320sec, ISO 1250

Closing Remarks

Well, that is it for the Florida/ Disney vacation photos using my Nex-6 and kit lenses. I hope you all liked the real world vacation photos and I want you to know that I’m totally happy with the quality of these images for my purposes.

Please feel free to comment and or ask questions if you have any. Also see the other vacation photo articles below in the related topics area 😉

Jay

  1. Thanks for sharing.
    My favorite picture is the first one, Layla ready to go, the bucket still has the tags on it.
    Hahaha, great shot.

  2. Thanks for sharing. Maybe not the reason You posted the pics, but… My favorite pic is the last one. The expression is very good and the rest of all just happens to be supportive yet not distracting. As captured, Her face and eyes drew Me to them. In the past You have implied that Layla is understanding the ‘art’. This picture definitely points that out.

    1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and kind words Gerard!
      Layla seems to be getting more camera shy theses days believe it or not. When she is playing though, the ham in her comes out and eye contact is easier to capture 😉 The best pics are always captured as candid’s with kids I find. Getting them in good lighting and with good backgrounds is often the trick.
      Thanks again,
      Jay

  3. Great set of photos overall, Jay. It seems you and your family had an enjoyable time. We also have our own Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea as well. Wonder if they will ever make a DisneyAir? 🙂
    Having also the same Sony NEX-6, I have a general question on usage. Do you usually use A-priority? I understand one might want to use S-priority when, say a minimally confirmed speed (i.e., 1/60 in a pub or dim light environment is desired). But when, why would one want to use P (Program mode?) or Manual mode? A friend of mine here in Tokyo usually keeps his camera always set to Aperture priority and ISO-800. Thanks.

    1. Thanks Jerry 😉
      I used Aperture priority mode 95 percent of the time and Auto everything else pretty much. Works great for my style of shooting consider I was using Raw quality anyway. If I did use the Auto Modes, Superior Auto would have been my choice along with a few scene modes perhaps. I did use Shutter priority for the roller coaster photos and the spinning water Frisbee, but that is it. P mode I really don’t see any reason to use, but it’s basically an advanced full auto. Good for those looking for a little more control, but still mostly auto.
      Manual Mode is great for getting specific exposure’s that the camera would not otherwise take. It’s also great for getting a consistent exposure in a given scene when the lighting is constantly changing or moving. Water comes to mind specifically. I also like to use manual mode with external flash units. This allows for total control of the exposure which is needed as the camera does not know what the external flash units are doing if they are remotely fired like mine are. Manual mode is also good for serious HDR photography when more than 3 exposure are needed. Not very often, but occasionally I will use manual mode for that 😉
      I would not recommend keeping the ISO at 800. That will introduce unwanted noise in situations that are not necessary. If you simple watch the shutter speed, you can change the ISO to what you need, or use shutter priority to speed up the shutter for you. Raising the ISO should be a last resort in my opinion.
      I hope that helps Jerry,
      Jay

  4. Excellent response! Appreciate that input. Thanks for taking the time to explain your reasons on various selections. I shall also review my habit on fixing ISO.

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