Sony NEX-7 Announced and Previewed (And Samples!)
Sony NEX-7 - Announced and Previewed (And Samples!)
March 2012, Carl Garrard (Updated 9-14-2011 Sample Gallery, Updated 9-8-2011 Hands On First Impresssions)
Sony NEX-7 24.3 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera with 18-55mm Lens
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SONY NEX-7 PREVIEW: Sony goes for the gusto and announces the new NEX-7 interchangeable lens digital camera. By the looks alone you can tell this camera is courted to the more advanced shooter looking for a big sensor compact form interchangeable lens camera/system. It shares the same 24.3mp sensor as the other two Alpha DSLT cameras announced today as well- the A77 and A65 models. The NEX-7 is seemingly equipped with all of the modern goodies that make it a competitive enthusiast camera on the marketplace, and aims squarely at the digital rangefinder styled cameras such as the m4/3 group, Samsung NX, and Pentax Q variety. |
Sony's NEX-7 is equipped with a 2.35 million dot OLED EVF w/ extra large viewing area, and it shares this in common with the new Alpha A77 and A65 as well. Obviously Sony wanted to save manufacturing costs by including the same sensor and evf into all of the new advanced models. To date, this is the most detailed and largest of all EVF's ever made by any manufacturer and I can't wait to see what the view looks like.
Sony NEX-7 24.3 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera with 18-55mm Lens
Built with an all magnesium chassis and many more external controls than its little brother the NEX-5N (also announced today), I am personally interested in this camera and its versatile lens mount. Nearly every manual focus lens made can be adapted and be used on the NEX-7, with many manufactures of adapters available.
Sony has also improved its lineup of E-Mount lenses that are designed directly in conjunction with the NEX lineup. The NEX-7 is available in a kit form with a matching matte black 18-55mm optically stabilized lens as well. Sony's NEX-7 is one of the most interesting cameras I've seen from this company in years past. Later on I will be testing the NEX-7 to see how it fairs as a practical photographic tool.
It sure looks nice, but that doesn't always translate into a good flowing photographic tool. There's simply no way to tell until I get my hands on one in order to share my experiences. That said, it's hard to argue against the NEX-7's simple form factor and design.
I'm a rangefinder/rangefinder styled camera fan, and the NEX-7 although unique and modern in looks and design- has some DNA reminiscent of its past brethren and should at least handle like a true rangefinder. The EVF is in the perfect location, there are many external controls (most of them are customizable), and it has a nice simple exterior. Bonuses are the tilt LCD, roomy appearing hand grip, and relatively small form factor.
Compare the NEX-7's size to the NEX-5N below with this image overlay I've created, and you can see the difference in size the NEX-7 has over its smaller and quite frankly cramped cousin. I like my cameras to have plenty of external controls and a comfortable grip. They don't have to be large to achieve this specification I require either, and the NEX-7 appears to have kept a reasonable size here.
Overall though I think this could be a camera that could put some heat on my Leica Digilux 2's that I am so fond of. At least judging by the pictures and specifications here it seems a well thought out design that should translate into a good working photographic tool. But, we'll see. I must hold and use it in order to complete an opinion on it.
First Thoughts, and Food for Thought
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First Thoughts: The addition of a built in stellar EVF in the PROPER location, slick built in flash, customizable controls, excellent looking grip, AF illumination lamp, solid magnesium build, and spirited performance (per the specs) make for an eye popping mouth drooling proposition to enthusiasts (including myself). Add that you get all the promised performance for that price and that you can adapt just about any manual focus lens to this camera- and Sony has me re-thinking a camera kit for reduced bulk/weight needs.
Food for Thought: Tempering my drool and holding my eyeballs in the sockets are a few thoughts. First of all, 24.3mp of resolution makes for very large Raw and Jpeg files, and seems a bit overkill to me. Likely, unless I'm making test images for readers, I'll choose a lower resolution mode when I shoot with the NEX-7 simply because I find that 12mp is plenty of resolution for most of my personal applications.
I've found 24mp files a bear bug to work with on my computers at home during post processing, taking way too much time to make even simple calculations and changes. Unless Sony have worked some fancy compression calculations into these file types, I won't be using the full resolution for most work.
I'm also very curious about the TRINAVI menu system and how well it works in conjunction with the external controls. A menu system can make or break a camera design in my opinion (hello Fuji X100, NEX3/5), so let's hope Sony have this worked out better by learning from past mistakes from the original NEX-3/5 designs. By the name and customization options of the NEX-7 alone, I'm betting it's a big improvement.
Another sore spot on past NEX designs has been the loud motor and shutter/cocking mechanism. The NEX-3 I trialed was literally louder than my A580 DSLR that has an additional mirror box and moving mirror. In other words, the NEX's shouldn't be as loud as they currently are and this has been a deal breaker for me in the past. Hopefully with the NEX-7's larger size/newer design it will help to keep noise levels muffled to a reasonable level.
NEX-7 Wrapping This Big Announcement Up
If I were to sum up all this news from Sony, I'd simply have to say that they are certainly showing a unique defined direction with their NEX and DSLT products. That's nothing to be taken lightly, it isn't an easy feat in a market that is saturated with so many me-too carbon copy products. Sony have grown bold, like them or not, and I for one have respect for that kind of boldness even if the ideas for both NEX and DSLT didn't originate in-house. They may not be original ideas of Sony's, but what is bold to me is a large corporation going directions others haven't with these ideas. It isn't easy to move such a large company like that.
Back when Sony first took over the Alpha division, I never envisioned we'd see products like these brought to the market from them. I guess you could say my expectations were of a more traditional nature, and that wasn't unreasonable either since Sony themselves wanted a more traditional product originally. That didn't quite work for them as they planned it would. And now, stepping back and looking at this division from afar, I do have quite a bit of respect for the body of work they have produced and their determination to produce it. Is it ideal for every shooter? Certainly not, but then again, no single company ever is.
Sony have seemingly carved themselves a niche in the photo industry finally after much trial and error, mistakes and triumphs of the past 5 years. NEX have matured quite a bit with all the lens releases mentioned, and the NEX7 shows a dedication to the E-Mount that I think they needed to show the public. Sony are on the fringe of really taking a lead in the mirrorless market now and there's no reason for them to fumble the ball. I'll go out on a limb and say the NEX7 is the most interesting camera I've seen in the last 5 years from Sony, bar none. Does it mean I'll like shooting it, or own one for myself? I don't know that answer yet, I'm just talking about pure initial fascination of design. Prior to the NEX7, the Fuji X100 had that same role- and turned out to not be a product I'd want. I don't get the impression at least I'll feel the same way about the NEX7 after I use it. Here's to hoping.
Sony's Alpha division is still in the transformation and maturation process. DSLT is a bold endeavor, no matter how you want to slice it. The latest products are evolving not only by requests from users, but from Sony's own vision as well. One could argue that the products seem to be slanted more towards novices than advanced users, but I am beginning to notice a trend going into the other direction with the addition of the 6, and 7 series DSLT cameras. I can only speculate we'll see some 9 series action next year- in both NEX and DSLT.
When I first heard about the NEX-7 from Sony quite a bit ago, I praised the apparent evolution of the E-Mount in order to cater to photographers looking for a camera with more advanced controls. If this camera is as successful as I think it could be, it should give Leica, Fuji, and other mirrorless camera companies some serious headaches. Sony are on the move, any way you look at it here.
Granted, the NEX-7 is a first run design and likely will need polish in the future, however Sony seem to have given considerable thought to photographic controls and on the whole to its completed design. I will have a NEX-7 as soon as possible to photograph with and answer the remaining questions soon enough.
All that said, I summarize by saying that I respect both factions of the Alpha division for their progressive developments. I may not agree with all the decisions made in the final products but then again, I never have for any photography product manufacturer. The question is, are these new products the type of products for you? Sony is sure making a good argument for themselves.
Much more to follow about the NEX-7 on my final review. Much much more.
*Update*: During my visit with Sony I was able to get my hands on a NEX-7. First impression that immediately struck me was how small the NEX-7 is- It looked larger in the pictures to me. While gripping the NEX-7, my pinky finger wrapped under the body but the rest of my hand felt comfy and secure. It's definitely larger than the NEX-5, but not as large as I hoped it would be.
The shutter release is pretty quiet, definitely an improvement over the NEX-3/5 I trialed before- which comes as a relief. The Electronic first curtain really helps, as does the extra density of the body itself. Hearing it do 10 frames per second was quite impressive even if I'll likely never use that feature- this is one quick camera.
The EVF comes with a removable eye-cup (great move there Sony) and although I'm left eye dominant for DSLR's I use my right eye for framing on Rangefinders, I know I'm weird. So suffice it to say I am very pleased not only with the viewfinder location but also with the gigantic view inside of it.
I didn't have long with the NEX-7 (i.e.-NEXIE), but what time I had with the interface intrigued me. I came away thinking Ill need much more time with it in order to have a final say on the interface/menu but my first impression was pretty positive. I figure as soon as I dig into the manual and configure all the custom controls to my liking, the NEXIE is going to really be a nice tool to use.
Some of the menu graphics and navigation are similar to previous NEX's, which sent my heart temporarily into palpitations (I don't like that interface), but the NEXIE has much more malleable control using the external controls and on-screen additions. So that was a relief.
Surprisingly the NEX-7 seems to be a pretty straight forward and simple camera- yet with a lot of customization options and features should you want to dig into them- I say this is how you want an enthusiast camera to behave. It definitely intrigued me enough to want to use it again (which is a good thing), often cameras I use for the first time never get picked up again (sign that I don't like them).
Overall the NEX-7 I used felt finished to me, the autofocus was very very quick, powering it on and off was quick, navigating the menus it looked completed. I imagine that the production facilities at Sony can only build so many kinds of cameras at once, the NEXIE shall be the last of the four cameras announced to make it to the production line.
-Carl Garrard
Update 9-14-2011 Sample Gallery NEX-T Page!
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Nex-7 Thoughts?
I know I don't have much down here compared to Imaging Resource (they have a lot on this camera) but lets discuss it anyways.
Carl
Looks cool...
Well, I haven't really even used my NEX much lately, and I've sold almost every alpha body, lens, and accessory I once owned, but Sony has got me interested again...I'm going to have to start paying attention so I can figure out if I'm going back to the a77 or if I can chill with the little NEX-7. I hope all is well Carl, we haven't spoken in many months now...
Looks like a whole new world for NEX
and it should at this price.
If you are a rangefinder type this seems like an extremely good option with the main complaint being largish lenses. The shooting options and performance that it offers though certainly make putting up with the bigger lenses a good trade-off for many people IMO. Fuji XL100 not even in the game anymore it would seem to me - Sony's technical expertise and size coming into play here at full force.
This camera will demand a response from Canikon - which I am sure they will have. Should be fun to see their take when it arrives.
Will be real interested in seeing your take on this camera since you love this category.
NEX has indeed matured
I expect it to continue too though, they can't stop here. Too much momentum would be wasted. Glad Sony care's about making a camera for enthusiats they certainly didn't have too even though the apparent demand for a camera like this was/is very high.
I'm personally not worried about the lenses. The manual focus lenses out there are many, and many are smaller and better built and cheaper than the new ones.
I have a pentax 50mm f1.4 I'm dying to put on it.
We'll see how things iron out, I'll be waiting a while to try one as production samples wont come for at least another month or so.
C
NEX-X with SSS
The next step in development ? To be honest, I was littlebit waiting NEX-7 with SSS, but ok ...
Lenses for NEX
IMO the most usefull lens needed now for NEX is stabilized pancake zoom
Is this the future?
I'm inclined to think it is. Assuming the user interface is good then why have anything larger? I await some detailed reviews and in due course the full format version to go with my A900.
For the time being there is an old saying amongst nautical folk about ships being right if they look right and the NEX-7 does look right.
The NEX-7
I'm shocked at how little attention the NEX7 is getting.
But now that I put that down in writing I had a thought... The mirrorless and rangefinder market is still pretty much a niche market when you look at the stats globally. I'm sure it's much more popular in Japan than in the US or EU markets right now, but still.....
I'm wondering if the massive explosion of announcements was a good idea or not.
Each of the four cameras announced on this day were big announcements, less the NEX5n (an upgrade of sorts).
Perhaps spreading the announcements out over a period of time would have been more beneficial?
Carl
hmm.... it's quiet because
hmm.... it's quiet because nobody has been waiting 2 years for a NEX 7 right???!! The camera just kind of popped up, caused massive drooling, messed-up everybody's self-control and everyone is still speechless at this point ha ha :)
Bye.
Lol
good points, well said.
:)
Carl
Everybody is waiting
full production camera.
Going to be a while longer for the NEX-7
Likely November.
Gotta say though, the one I tried today sure felt near finished. I think it's more than just a finished thing though, more of a production issue at this point. Sony can only churn out so many new cameras at one time.
NEX-7 is a real zing dinger let me tell ya.
C
NEX-7
is on the first position of my wish list, with kit zoom and a-mount adapter, first time to enlarge my "compact" gear bag (a700 - 35f1,8 - CZ16-80 - Minolta 70-210) and share it with my wife (or to replace a700 at all). The feeling through existing information is very promissing and probably very next to my final needs at the moment. Preordered. Waiting more information and first camera to Sony Service in Tallinn for twiddle. If Sascha can accept, Carl's review and the most important issue - ISO comparison and comments are welcome.
NEX-7 is
the most preordered new Sony camera in Amazon (sonyalpharumors). If you vote, you can see opinions, why.
Sony
really shook things up with this launch/announcement. Not just the NEX-7 but the entire one.
It ain't over yet either, we have 2012 to look forward too. My hunch here is that another big wave is coming. Not based on anything I know, just a hunch.
C
Dropping $1100
Look, if something bigger and better is coming down the pike, rolling out $1100 for another system that you are going to have to replace (in short order) can be a hit in the head.
Personally, I'll keep the coin in my pocket and wait, using my old system, until this bigger and better offering it out there, next year.
I simply look back on the a300 rollouts and the guys all bailing to other manufacturers (in order to upgrade to the Canon 7D and the like, because of the enormous amount of practical time that it took to get the a560 launched (we're talking "movie time" for the SONY dslr).
I guess our mothers just need to give us "Launch Money" to get by, and hope the Canon and Nikon bullies don't steal it, eh? How goofy this has all been and continues to be. I mean, in a perfect world...
BTW: Carl, you need to get in there and find this stuff out. Planning my future purchases depends on it.
A big wave from Sony or from
A big wave from Sony or from all the other manufacturers? Everyone from Samsung to Nikon is expected to be making some announcements before the year is over.
To me this is the most
To me this is the most interesting announcement from Sony. To me this is the first real alternative to Some of Panasonic's higher end offerings from anyone.
I do wish Sony make some collapsible zooms for NEX, and just some smaller lenses in general. Sony puts obvious effort into making tiny little NEX bodies and then slaps giant lenses on them. It kind of defeats the whole purpose of building a smaller camera system. If Olympus and Samsung can do it........ cough cough.
Nice to hear
about relatively quiet shutter. One disare I was hoping to be achieved. Possibility to shoot unnotiseabley is coming.
About mirrorless market,
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
Fyi Sony NEX-7
Spent nearly a full day with it yesterday, have some images to share and much more perspective on this camera. Soon as I get organized and get some time slotted I'll be sharing.
C
The NEX-7 is looking more attractive to me.
I just found out that can buy a NEX to Konica Hexanon lens converter for $25.00! Everything will be manual, focus, shutter speed, f-stop, EVERYTHING! I can live with that because I happen to have a wonderful collection of old Hexanon lenses. They range from superwide angle 21mm to 300mm f/4.5, including the best lens I ever held in my hands: a 57mm f/1.2 Hexanon. I bought up these old lenses on eBay years ago for pennies on the dollar, after Konica got out of the SLR business. These lenses became old friends that I could not bare to lose. They have been sitting unused in a drawer and various wooden boxes for years.
Now I want to find out about this "Peaking function" on the NEX-7. Will I be able to use the Peaking function to achieve critical focus on my old manual lenses? If so I'm already sold.
edit----------
Just did a Google search and that IS the way Peaking function works. Wonderful! Heck, I frequently override the auto-focus on my A900 anyway! I missed the old split image on my film camera. This Peaking function looks just as good if not better!
And, the NEX will be a lighter weight camera on a hike and be capable of taking photo that are nearly as sharp as my A900 and use the center of all my old Hexanon lenses.
Ya Carl, tell me about this camera I'll be hanging on every word!
Not only can you use Peaking
you can use the focus magnifier option too (they both work together at the exact same time)- not only is manual focusing hyper accurate using the NEX-7, its FAST.
It's a very powerful tool, in a very compact but pliable form factor.
No tool is perfect for every job but the N.E.X.- 7 is quite convincing as a serious and versatile tool and system camera.
The 55-210mm NEX lens is quite nice too actually, as is the NEX Zeiss 24mm f/1.8- a tad larger for a prime but past f2.2 its AMAZING.
The short flange distance of the NEX-7 means that nearly any manual focus lens can be adapted to it- that is a powerful choice for consumers (same with other NEX's too obviously).
The NEX-5n is quite nice with the option of a larger EVF now. The grip is quite comfortable even when using heavier lenses. Not a full bore fan or anything but I was definitely impressed using it in person. The menu still leaves something to be desired for me, but its improving.
C
It is littlebit unclear to me,
but can I ask so - is the focus magnifier option something like on Lumix LC1 for MF, when screwing the MF ring? If so, one more desire is achieved, the last one was quiet shutter for unnoticeable shooting.
The Focus Magnifier is better
than the implementation of the LC1- any area of the scene can be chosen to be magnified. A little highlighted box is positioned by the user anyhwere you'd like, then when you either A. Focus the lens or B. Manually magnify the area- the entire view quickly becomes the magnified portion of the scene.
The shutter is very quiet in comparison to not only past NEX designs but to all current focal plane shutter cameras. Not as quiet as a digicam but the shutter unit used in the NEX7 is very quiet.
It has a very very satisfying snap sound (like two pieces of carbon fiber being moved against one at high speed), you can tell the exposure is final. I really like the sound of the shutter- one of my pet peeves in a camera design nowadays especially.
C
6400 shot
That looks pretty good to me. MFNR too or just single shot?
Is that the spread for you preferred Sony testers? Or, were those just the mixers? :)
SKB
Single Shot
Didn't think about doing MFNR on the NEX-7 at all actually. Maybe I should have :) I'll have one soon enough and of course I'll test that out too. I love MFNR, one of the coolest ways to get a great Jpeg out of camera.
lol on the mixers, none of that going on during the day - unfortunately.
MFNR question and another queston for Carl
Does the MFNR mode work with manual lenses? I'm lucky to own what many (including myself) think is the best lens every made, a Hexanon 57mm f/1.2 lens. I have found photos on the Internet where others have used this lens mounted on a NEX-5. These pictures blow my socks off!! It seems like the camera changes the ISO to make MFNR images and may not need any linkage to the lens to accomplish that?
Second question:
Does the NEX-7 have anything like Intelligent Preview to aid in finding the proper exposure when using manual lenses?
Hi Dave
MFNR- Absolutely, it's just an ISO setting so it works with any lens. Its denoted in the ISO menu with a couple of superimposed boxes over one another with the ISO setting on the top.
The NEX-7 always shows a live view represntation of the scene so in effect it's always in that mode. Just make your adjustments to the scene to your taste then take your shot.
One of the few top draws of the NEX-7 to me is the ability to use just about any MF lens/w/aperture ring on the market today- because of its short flange distance to the sensor. The Samsung NX10 couldn't use Leica M mount lenses (or 3rd party M mount lenses), and I don't think that the newer Samsungs can either. To me that is a shortsighted design error of that system, too bad too because they make some really good cameras.
The NEX-7 isn't perfect- to me what would make it almost perfect would be the use of the Alpha DSLR/DSLT style menu system. But its got a lot more control than the 5n/5/3 so it passes in my opinion.
C
LL preview announced
Very nice to hear about favour again: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/sony_nex_7_first_impressions.shtml
The ISO issue (24MP NEX-7 v. 16MP NEX-5n) is sad. NEX-7n with 16MP sensor is winner and for sure can generate flying from my priority list first position under my Cristmas Tree. But not much to wait now up to full production software.