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Believe me, you don’t see that very often at Dpreview (Click here). the NEX-7 just won the Gold Award! The full NEX-7 review is online and they have big word of praise for Sony: “The NEX-7 is, without doubt, something of a technological triumph for Sony.”
The only minor limit is the “cobbled-together” firmware. But I am sure the next firmware will fix the minor issues. And the rest of the review contains positive statements only: “In the flesh, it lives up to almost all of that initial promise. The EVF is excellent, stills image and video quality both superb, and the handling is remarkably good for such a small camera“.
Yeah guys, that’s really my next camera 😉 And as you know it’s coming soon now, in one month!
Here is the full preorder list:
[shoplist 8454]
59 Responses
first yeeaah .. congrats for nex 7
“… for it’s size…”
aka compacts 🙂
No wired remote for instant stills shooting.
No way to control video remotely.
No tethering.
________________
Nice camera and I can’t wait for mine to arrive. But why should I have to touch it to fire it? How can I mount it on the birdhouse or bumper of my car and shoot it from 20′ away?
Come on Sony… Give pros what they want. Keep the smile detection and gimme a proper remote. Stop making us hack our NEX-5’s and 7’s with Canon remotes.
Nearly every other mirrorless and DSLR has a wired remote or standard cable release. The IR units don’t fire instantly… they always delay by 1/2 second at least.
My IR remote doesn’t seem to have that delay.. Maybe you use AF or what? btw 20′ seem too risky for a wired remote. The biggest purpose for wired remote is to trigger from behind the camera, and the recent wireless ones can do it as well.
What risk is a long remote? Can you control your camera mounted on a car bumper or from the ground with camera up in the bird house?
This is typical delay for IR remotes. He says it’s instant… but it is far from instant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eydPCTdnJz0
Yes, this is an iPhone app… but it has the same delay with every IR remote that I’ve sampled (3 different ones – 4 total including the stock remote). See how he hits the button… try hitting your button the same way and tell me your remote doesn’t have a delay.
The Sony IR remote works fine. Try it first, then complain. You have a 20 foot wire laying around your house? Wow.
lol +1
Set your camera up for IR… While in that menu, look at all the other functions that you cannot use because IR is not separate from other shooting modes.
Fine for you. But impossible for anyone who wants exposure or WB bracketing with remote. Can you chose between single and continuous with your IR remote?
I’ve sampled four different IR remotes. They all work the same and all have delay. May I complain now?
Yes, I have a long remote. 30′ actually… by stringing together three 10′ remotes.
BTW… no battery required.
BTW… DPReview has a laundry list of “CONS” at the end of every review. Tell them not to complain. I only have one complaint… and it’s something that every freaking camera since early 1900’s has been equipped with… Wired remote.
My friend, listen to yourself: you want a hundred year old mechanical wire put back into the camera. Let’s put the mirror back too. And the film. If IR isn’t the solution then maybe RF is. A patched wire marks a way backwards, no? I also feel yours is a bit of a specialty case here (I have sure never heard of a 20-30′ wire release setup but I appreciate what you are trying to do shooting some wildlife… I’m just not sure your expectations are fair: the camera ist a pro camera and it’s certainly was nt designed for your specific ends.
I don’t want mirrors because of micro vibration.
I don’t want IR remote because of delay and battery.
IR remote prohibits use of Auto Bracketing for exposure and WB.
IR remote prohibits Continuous Shooting mode.
IR remote prohibits separation from AF and Trigger.
IR remote prohibits private channels for multiple camera setup.
RF remote needs the same plug as Wired Remote. RF remote cannot be used with NEX unless extensively hacked with a Canon Wired Remote port.
The author of this post needs to make note that DPReview made special mention that the noise levels were actually on par with that of the 5n. And based on their results, the difference is slight at 100% crop. The difference in real-world use? Negligible.
Great news, well done Sony. Maybe now we get a decent range of lenses??
So, the Zeiss 24 1.8 looks great. I am still getting a feel for it. Here is the painful unboxing video if you are interested. I know it sucks, but I haven’t seen one online yet
http://youtu.be/wxkMxIytVqE
A miracle has also happened. DPReview have finally come to the conclusion that for any given output size and similar sensor technology, that the noise performance of sensors with different resolutions is similar.
That truly is a miracle.
Don’t hold your breath though – there will be a ‘high ISO noise is crap’ comment on here before too long…..
the high iso noise on this thing is crap. There you go, 1 hour 🙂
worth of waiting …
What’s shocking:
The Nex-7 RAW resolution performance at ISO100
is no less than A900…..
According to DPR’s studio comparison…….
typos all over the place…
three typos corrected. Sorry!
Hey Andrea, great to see that without the SLT mirror that 24MP sensor is really capabale of amazing things indeed! Makes me wonder just how amazing the new full frame sensors are going to be, in theory they could scale this 24mp up to nearer 50MP which should put it into Medium format territory in quality terms, even the 36MP sensor should be killer! Have you any news on the new FF cameras/sensors yet? I’m itching to find out!! Thanks again for all your great work.
Scaling up a 24MP 1.5 crop factor APS-C would actually yield 54MP as it would have 2.25 x the surface area. However, it shouldn’t be assumed that if such a sensor was created it would have quite the same noise characteristics as, unless frame rate was to suffer, data rates would have to increase. The longer circuit elements might create more interference, noise and heating.
I suspect a scaling up of the 16MP sensor is more likely, which would yield 36MP.
Thanks Steve, I’m well aware of that 🙂 As for noise characteristics, the sensors should have improved noise performance, I’m not sure where this myth about pixel pitch comes from but it simply does not apply in the real world. The A900 is a scale up of the A700 sensor technology yet has a dramatically improved noise performance despite the fact it is obviously double the resolution. There is no reason why we shouldn’t see similiar gains when the 16MP sensor is scaled up to 36MP.
@SLTPro
You claim to be aware that the 24MP sensor would scale up to 54MP yet your post said “up to nearer 50MP” which means less than 50MP. You then go onto say the A900 is a scaled up A700 sensor when it most certainly isn’t. Scale up the A700’s 12MPr senso and it would have been 27MP.
Also, read what I said and it just stated you can’t assume that you can put 54MP on an FF sensor and get the same noise performance as 24MP on APS-C. How does that say I’m saying a smaller pitch causes more noise? They are the same pitch. What I’m saying is that (at the same technology level) it would generate more heat – there are 2.25x the number of elements, data clocking rates will be higher for the same frame rate, conductor lengths will be longer and so on. So this isn’t an issue about photosite size, but one about the total size of the sensor.
Onbe qualification – I’m talking about the 100% noise level. An FF sensor has an advantage on noise for any given output level by dint of just receiving 2.25x the total number of photons.
Your name is “yyirr” and you’re concerned about typos? 😉
Interesting see a long list of cons and a “gold award”. I wonder what a “platinum award” camera would be like. 😉
It’s a mistake when reading DPReview reviews to read the pro/con list and not the rest of the entire review. They describe the importance of each issue in better detail. Just because the list is long doesn’t mean they are significant items.
Also, DPReview’s award system is scoped to the class of camera. They include micro four thirds cameras in the same class as the compact APS-C, but that’s it. So it’s a very small field and earning Gold compared to the rest is a no brainer for this camera.
Anyway, dpreview gives, by far, the most reliably accurate and consistently useful reviews of any photography site. If they say it’s gold, you can bet they have good reason for it and that it deserves it.
Read the whole review.
Actually, if you look, DPR placed the NEX-7 in the “semi-professional” camera class where the competition is tougher. None of the micro 4/3’s cameras is there – nor Nikon’s D7000. This makes the score even more impressive since they say cameras are scored against others in the same category.
The other cameras DPR put in the same “semi-professional” category are the
Canon 5D MkII, Canon 7D, Nikon D300S, Olympus E30, Pentax K5, Pentax K7 and the Sony A850.
The only cameras in that category that received a higher overall score were the 7D (84%), K5 (83%), and the D300S (82%) – all reviewed close to when those cameras were released, and of course things have moved on since then.
+1
The 7d is a turd. I just spent a few weeks with one, because my a700 was broken. I expected the image quality to be better than my old a700, not noticeably WORSE. So glad to have gotten my a700 repaired!
The 7d with the 24-70 f2.8 L lens was no match for the images I get from my a700 with with a $300 Tamron 17-50 f2.8. Ironically, I was also using an older 5d (1st generation, not MkII) with that same L glass, and the image quality was nearly identical to the a700. So, the problem is with the 7d body, not the glass.
Platinum award…It would be a Canon! 😉
Still, no decent lenses from Sony for Nex7, but I’m getting one soon…
I would love to see a FF, mirrorless, non EOS, Canon even if it gets a copper award. 🙂
Zachery is correct about the significance of the cons.
What is more interesting is that a big chunk of the cons could be fixed in a future firmware update. I really hope Sony takes note and makes this camera even better. 🙂
I find the list of features (camera specifications from the manufacturer) they list very useful.
Oops that should have gone above!
The NEX-7 is a huge triumph. It’s the dream mirrorless camera in the flesh! I still think about how AWESOME it was of Sony to listen to the people and make the virtually perfect camera that everyone wanted. I remember when I first saw the prototype images for the NEX-7. I was like, “No wayyyy…”
Actually, here’s an interesting test for someone. If anyone gets the NEX7 and the A-mount adaptor, see what effect the adaptor has on the IQ. Essentially the light path should be the same as the A77 so it would be interesting to see if you get similar results or if there is any difference in the image processing pipeline.
People suspect there is a little more gain on the A77 to help compensate for the SLT.
The micro lenses on the sensor may be different too.
Well the problem now is, what to buy.
I have 1800€ for a new system.
Do I buy the NEX7 with two not so capable lenses (I think the only lens which is 24MP-ready is the 24mm/1.8)?
Or do I buy a GH2 with two pancakes (X-14mm/42mm and 20mm/1.7) and a tele?
Hard decision, cause the hacked GH2 which currently costs 650 Euro is a really good offer I think…
Or you go for the NEX5 and the Zeiss and someday you go for something better.
you can buy the 50 mm 1.8 wich has very good reviews and deliver plenty of the potential of the nex 7 !
In 2012 they will 5 more sony lenses (include 2 pancakes) and probably a Zeiss lens
And may be 3rd part manufacters will propose some new lenses !
I’m getting a Nex-7 also!! Here’s my actual wish list : http://sonyalphalab.com/2011/12/my-2012-sony-wish-list/
What I’d love to see soon is something like a 70mm (pref. Zeiss) E mount portrait lens for this camera. The 50mm is too short.
I’ve heard that a zeiss portrait lens could probably come in 2012 !! 😉
This review just pisses me off. It proves that the sensor is capable of cleaner images than what the a77 puts out. That translucent mirror is a problem for still photographers, yet a benefit for videographers. Isn’t this thing SUPPOSED to be a still camera first?
For what I do the NEX body is just not a good solution, while the a77 body is PERFECT..I had the chance to handle one recently, and loved the way it feels.
I’m very frustrated.
What size do you print at where the slight differences between the NEX-7 and A77 will be a problem?
It sort of depends on the client’s requests. Although, I realize that in a print of 11×14, or smaller one wouldn’t likely see the difference.
My point is that the a77 is supposed to be a still camera first, and any sacrifice in image quality for the sake of accommodating video auto focus is an odd decision, in my humble opinion.
+1 Hurry up and get on sensor PDAF cracked or just give us a new DSLR pro body without the SLT. I’m using the SLT less these winter days and more the A850, that light loss is a killer for sure….
Sony really needs to get on the ball and come out with more Zeiss glass for the NEX-7. Right now there is only one lens, the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8, that could be considered “pro” in any real sense. From what I’m reading, the 50mm f/1.8 is pretty good, if not in quite the same class. The NEX-7 is a brilliant design and deserves more brilliant lenses to go with it.
The hardware is gold! But I’m still waiting for them to fix the fails of their menu system. Actually, scratch that, someone needs to decrypt the firmware so we can do it ourselves.
The flash sync speed of 1/160 is borderline, and still NO tethering. Guess I’ll wait.
Nex 7 seems like a great camera, too bad lenses aren’t.
Every lens is too big making it the size of a mid ranged DSLR, but much more expensive.
AF isn’t as fast as m43 either.
Few years into the model line now and Nex doesn’t have a wide angle option – it’s quite disapointing.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good camera if you need 24mp and are ok with 35mm equivalent lens for $2.5k… 😉
Few years into the model line? NEX hit the market in 2010 for Christ’s sake!
Doesn’t have a wide angle lens? It was launched with the 16mm and if that doesn’t qualify, then there is the fisheye and the ultrawide converter.
Lenses are comparatively large because unlike your m43, the Sony sensor is much larger. Also, add ANY lens to a NEX body and it’s still smaller than a DSLR with the same lens. Try to sell your m43 before you have to give it away and then join the winning team. Sony.
This answer does not make sense at all.
Sony does not have decent wide-angle options, dot. The adapter adds bulk, and (i.e.) nex7 + adapter + 16-50/2.8 is almost a reflex, in size. A bit smaller, yes, but not smaller enough.
Sensor size does not qualify for the main reason of the lack of decent lenses. First: Samsung cameras have the same size, but smaller lenses (that is the set of lenses I would love to see for the Nex system, btw; plus some more wide-angle options); then: Sony admitted that the did not think about the semi-pro market, originally. Very simply put: they do not have lenses yet because they have started working on the serious side of this system very late.
Now, since the lens system is more important than the camera per se, and since the adaptor is not always a good solution, the question is: when is Sony going to reach the system width of its competition?
We have the best camera in the market, the Nex7, and no lenses for it. Frustrating, at best, and while I really am looking forward for this camera, it makes me consider an interim system à la m43 (or samsung), waiting for decent Nex lenses to be released…
The 16mm gets a worse shake than it deserves. It’s not as bad as purported. It’s not the best… but software correction makes it pretty dang great.
I used primes for years, with my old cams (film Pentax, Zenit and Nikon). But now I am spoiled by zooms. I never use my otherwise new Nikkor 50/1.8 DX. I use a lot the Sigma 10-20 at the wide end. That is the kind of zoom I would like to have for the Nex system. 16mm (24 mm equivalent) is not wide enough for many pics I do (I use very much the 10mm of the Sigma zoom – 15mm equivlent, and sometimes I would like it to be even wider).
The point is: with m43 I can have/use equivalent native lenses, smaller than their Nikon/mirrored counterparts (e.g. 7-14 or 9-18). With Nex system I should use the very same lenses of the mirrored camera. This is, at the moment, THE problem of this E system.
I am looking with interest at the primes being announced: there is no need to have exactly the same lenses in all systems. But what makes a system competitive is also the possibility to satisfy different users, and as far as I am concerned I would not be satisfied solely by a zeiss portrait prime, or other primes other readers here seem to want for their Nex7…
I know some want pancakes – but the size of the lenses are not so important to me – however the IQ is, especially with a camera and sensor like this. Let’s have a Zeiss portrait lens around 70mm and maybe a couple more Zeiss lenses around 14mm & 32mm.
These would cost an arm and a leg I’m sure – but it would be a serious little system then.
if the size is not important – just get the A-mount adapter and the 85mm A-Zeiss… Or 85/2.8 to save money and bulk