Many readers here on 43rumors are waiting to see a rangefinder styled camera from Panasonic and Olympus. But Sony did it “right” and they will beat them on time with the new NEX-7 which should be announced in late August. How does it look for you? At least better than the current NEX cameras! The real problem for Sony is that they have no small lenses on their roadmap (That Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 is still way to large!). Read more at http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr4-hot-is-that-the-first-image-of-the-nex-7/
UPDATE: Keep in mind that Panasonic will announce a GF PRO camera this year (probaby in August too) which could have the rangefinder style of the [shoplink 21096 ebay]Panasonic L1 (Click here to see that camera on eBay)[/shoplink].
170 Responses
This is exiting :)To bad its not FF.
I would immediatly by into the Nex-System if they would offer the same nice lens lineup as mFT, because the bodys are very good.
But if this is really the new zeiss, yes, this is way too big.
I really have no clue why Sony doesn’t want to offer pancakes, regarding that the Lumix 20mm is for sure the most succesfull mFT lens.
THIS FAKE IS NOT VERY NICE; LOOK AT THE GRIP, UARGH. AND THE TWO WHEELS ARE NOT EASY TO HANDLE, THE RANGEFINDER WILL NEED MORE SPACE, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS BOX
They should make an adapter for the Sony to use m4/3 lenses! – would be intresting…. just crop from censor centre.. or what the hell I bet most m4/3 lenses have a slightly wider than needed image circle (all be it very poor IQ beyond 4/3 sensor size)….
huge lens. I’d prefer an slr.
Shame of the lens line up…but that NEX7 does look pretty good:)
This is what we have been waiting for… Now we just need 2 pancakes, a 35 and a 50 equivalent and we got it!
Maybe Sony should have bought Pentax instead of Ricoh….There would be pancakes galore!
Minolta cooked very tasty pancakes also fyi. Just kinda outdated, and the wrong flange back distance for NEX. As is Pentax.
If this picture shows us a real prototype of the nex 7, it will rock ass 😀
Built in high quality EVF, new superb sensor, new released lenses (the need more lenses indeed) – it will be hard for MFT (Oly and Pana) to compete with that.
Sony has the big advantage, that anyone knows there name – that´s also the reason they got so much market share within such a short period.
I hope espacially Olympus will improve there cams with new(!) sensor (they need new sensor technology, 4/3-sensors are still lagging in some categories behind APS-C in entry level DSLRs) and maybe integrated EVF, otherwise will be hard for them… My opinion (I like Olympus and own a PL1).
Re: they need new sensor technology
It’s not about the sensor technology. Very few seems to understand that the MFT sensor is smaller than APS-C and the impact of that.
The Panasonic technology is better then Canon’s, but not on par with Sony’s, at least not at low ISO.
Panasonic sensor technology has improved over each itertions, mostly at high ISO. Now it’s time for improving at low ISO as well.
“It’s not about the sensor technology. Very few seems to understand that the MFT sensor is smaller than APS-C and the impact of that.”
I know that the 4/3 sensor is “only” roundabout 70% of the size of an APS-C sensor.
But especially Olympus lacks of sensor improvements – Panasonic has optimized their sensors in a better way than Olympus (my opinion). For me a EVIL must have at least the same image quality like a entry-lever-DSLR like EOS1100 or Nikkon D3100. Especially at “high”-iso (in my opinion ISO 1600 is not soooo high) the 4/3-sensors are still losing this epic (*g) battle.
Sony and mFT (and Samsung) have all the same target population, so the mFT system has to compete against the Sony´s Ney- and the Samsung´s NX-systems. I think most costumers won´t think about how their cameras work (sensor size etc.) – but they want good image quality. Now it´s Panas and Olys business to get their self chosen sensor at a competitive level. Pana is on a very good way, Olympus needs some help…
The advantages of mFT (many lenses avaidable) wil be catched up by Sony and Samsung in the next years. And then?
I hope mFT will survive this battle (in contrast to the classical 4/3…)
But still liking my E-PL1 😉
Sensor size difference is well understood:
12MP 4/3 sensor has same area per pixel (/photosite) than Canon’s 18MP APS-C sensor so it’s perfectly reasonable to expect achieving similar noise performance.
And pixel size of Sony’s rumoured 24MP APS sensor corresponds to ~16MP in 4/3 sensor.
>12MP 4/3 sensor has same area per pixel (/photosite) than Canon’s 18MP APS-C sensor so it’s perfectly reasonable to expect achieving similar noise performance.
“similar noise performance” per pixel only! Then again, it does not make much sense comparing noise per pixel, when the images are of a different pixel count. Much more meaningful is comparing images of the same PHYSICAL size. In that case your premise is false. The noise performance of the bigger sensor will of course be better, irrespective of the pixel density!
rangefinder style cameras are too niche especially for Nex 7, if this is true then it will be another Sony fail
btw some Olympus EP-3 images up on my ficker http://www.flickr.com/photos/youdidntdidyou/
Hey “YouDidn’t..”, thanks for the ep-3 shots. What lens did you use for the shot of the person with using the olympus viwfinder?
@TR
think it was the Leica 25mm f1.4 Four Thirds via adaptor
Aren’t the GF-1 and the PEN’s technically styled after a rangefinder as well (sans the view finder)? I still can’t figure out why anyone would want a mirrorless camera shaped like a DSLR…and I’m a G1 owner. I absolutely hate the design of it, but until the NEX-7/Pro Pen/Pro GF arrive I don’t have much of a choice since a built in EVF is a requirement for me.
I really don’t know how anyone can proclaim a body like this NEX-7 prototype will be niche. We simply don’t know. There’s never been a body like that in the digital world.
PETER! IT IS NOT A RANGEFINDER! IT IS A ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A ZOOM LENS WITH A RANGEFINDER? (AND I DON’T MEAN TRI-ELMARS) DO YOUR HOME WORK SON!
haha “ALL CAPS SHOUTERS”….. LOL
lol lol
Yes, on Contax G system: http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Contax_G
THAT was an awesome camera!!!! Too bad Contax did not have deep enough pockets and technology to produce a quality digital model….but it looks like the dream is about to be realized by multiple manufacturers.
Very true. I used to own that camera, but used primes instead of the zoom. I would sell my Nikon system any day, if something like a digital Contax rangefinder would appear on the market.
Oh, that Contax G1 was sooo nice! Friend of mine owned one once. All metal and full-frame of course, but the lenses were not that big. A bit expensive though. When will they make a digital camera like that?
Contax, come back to us!
Yep, the Contax G was fantastic. I’ve still got 2 G2’s and use them for a lot of family photos. I’m still chasing a digital camera that fits me as comfortably and naturally as that one does. The NEX-5 is my current favorite, but it’s definitely not as good a fit for me. This makes me hopeful about the NEX-7 (fingers crossed).
I highly recommend the G 45mm & 90mm lenses used on m43 with adaptors – they will be manual focus only of course, but the quality is outstanding and denying you the ability to leave the camera on auto inevitably leads to better photos.
It looks like the coming Panasonic GF Pro 🙂
Yes thats what I am wondering. What will the GF Pro be like? Will it be styled like an LC1/L1 – in which case it could look similar to this Sony design. I wonder how much big companies like Sony and Panasonic know about each others product designs before they are released. Maybe there are some staff that move between the companies. Who knows.
Its also a bit interesting that in August/Sept there will be the NEX7, supposedly Panasonic releasing a GF Pro, and also Fuji going mirrorless (possibly micro43) and then there is the rumored Pen Pro but who knows when that is coming. Out of these 4 company products with EVF, i wonder how many will be styled like a rangefinder. We could go from 0 to 4 choices !!
Interesting times.
BTW I like this Sony design except i dont like their lenses.
I especially like the no button.
LOL. Forget about the “rangefinder style”. All I want now is a NO button in my cameras
It could be a no-dial type operation with buttons on top (6). But I wonder whether because it is a computer design, this might be an early prototype and the designer just put those plain silver buttons to indicate the presence of dials because they didnt want to have to draw the more complicated shape of a dial with edges. Dont know. Just a thought.
I understand the `no’ switch will only be on the pink version marketed for women.
The NEX-777 will have three NO buttons to make up for its rediculously sized lenses. They will be labeled “NO”, “NO!”, and “NO?”
Yes, they don´t have any small lenses – but what´s more important: they don´t have any good lenses.
The fact that Sony, unlike Panasonic, managed to keep the built-in evf flush with the body, makes me staring at my E-P2 and VF-2…can’t find the words….
Probably has something to do with it being AMOLED, which is less chuncky than LCD.
Also, it might have less magnification like x100’s.
But, you are right, the EVFs on m43 are chunky in comparison.
The Viewfinder looks way to small, I doubt, that this is real. And I also thought the Zeiss is now 2.0.
And there is a “OFF/NO” switch :D. The chances of this being real are 2%.
it is not a fake – the camera can only be switched OFF or NOt working 🙂
if they had small lenses… in technology they are advanced!
PFFFF… All this is completely ridiculous.
What is the benefict of this “rangefinder style”?
Why don’t they do a version with the viewfinder on the right side of the camera for people like me who uses the left eye to compose?
My nose will press hard the lcd and I will have to clean the smearing on it every time I take a picture.
There is no benefit to this design, it’s a case of acute ‘Rangefinder MANIA’.
People want a camera body that will allow them to pretend they have a Leica. What can I say… this is totally silly but so are most people.
The benefit is actualy for right-handed/right-eyed people – their noses won’t touch the screen 🙂
+1
Just sell a kidney or a child and buy a Leica, ferchrissakes!
Yeah, I really fail to get the “rangefinder” fixation. Compact bodies, I get, but certainly not rangefinder style ergonomics.
I started out with my dad’s hand-me-down rangefinders (Konica II w/Seconic light meter and a Konica Auto S2). I never really liked the form factor and especially the position of the viewfinder in relation to the lens. It always felt a bit “off”.
The viewfinder aligned vertically with the lens makes the most sense (to me). Sort of like sighting and firing a rifle.
> never really liked the form factor and especially the position of the viewfinder in relation to the lens. It always felt a bit “off”.
Remember that rangefinder’s viewfinder didn’t completely show what was showing through the lens and suffers from parallax error which surely makes things seem bit off when compared to through the lens/TTL viewfinders.
it’s not silly is called design. good one in a classic way of speaking. some of us had this taste 🙂 i have a GF1 and only reason to sell it is an new semi-pro camera with rangefinder flavor .
“What is the benefict of this “rangefinder style”?”
It’s like owning an iProduct. You think you’re cool, but in reality get laughed at by people who buy better gadgets for less money.
Small cameras are stupid and hard to use, but they sell well.
Seems to me that DSLRs are like iProducts now…
I do street photography and prefer small cameras to use. Just not too small 😉
Well good, but I do birding and wildlife and I can’t use any of these cameras for that type of shooting. And since I’ll be going into weddings, I can’t use any rangefinder-or-PEN-like cameras for that, either.
I think these tiny retro designs are just a passing fad. Zooms exist for a reason, and zooms aren’t usable on small cameras.
Good for you! for the rest of us small cameras DO have a purpose…and that comes from someone who regularly uses a canon 7d, 580ex II flash and some biggish lenses…
I understand you prefer big DSLRs. I understand that to do birding and wildlife photos a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV is better for you. But why you have to say:
“It’s like owning an iProduct. You think you’re cool, but in reality get laughed at by people who buy better gadgets for less money.
Small cameras are stupid and hard to use, but they sell well.” ?
I use mirrorless camera to do street and don’t because I think I’m cool… it’s just because it’s the better tool for my kind of photography.
The iProduct remark was about the newly-discovered retro looks. Everyone is aiming for that ol’ rangefinder in a leather case because it’s a fad that people currently dig. Thick ol’ glasses are also in style lately, like they were half a century ago, and those phone apps that surround your pics with Polaroid borders too.
As for the small cameras… Well, what we have right now (including the camera on this article’s photo) is smaller than most rangefinders used to be, yet often has more “digital” buttons and less “analog” knobs. As a result, ergonomics suffer, hence the stupidity. Miniaturization only makes sense until a certain point – and I think we’ve gone past that point.
If “Everyone is aiming” means “Amateur photographers is aiming” I agree. But if you mean “Mass consumer is aiming” you are wrong, at least here in Europe. You just have to walk in city center streets to see how many tourists have a DSLR.
This (ugly and fake) prototype have 3 analog knobs! How many do you want? Yes, I agree that miniaturization only makes sense until a certain point and I think SOME cameras gone past that point, but not all.
Funny thing there – my (European) city is one of the stops for Japanese tourists in retirement (no idea why, but it is). I haven’t seen any of them use anything Olympus, and most lug DSLRs around.
Also, so many analog knobs on the body, and so little on the lenses…
We are not talking about japanese tourists, you said everyone. We are not talking about lenses.
No matter, have a good night Boooo!
By “everyone” I meant “Fuji, Olympus, Pentax and now Sony”. Panasonic still holds on to modern design, but I have this weird feeling they will attempt a retro-look camera of their own soon enough.
And we SHOULD be talking about lenses, at least as far as aperture control goes. What’s the bloody deal with all the aperture tweaking *on the camera*?
Apple’s iDevices have ZERO to do with retro looks or retro ANYthing and everything to do usability, visual elegance and simplicity combined with a superior user experience and ergonomics.
I understand some people dislike the level of control Apple exercises over their products, but one would be hard-pressed to argue about the level of design and manufacturing sophistication used to produce their products.
Olympus and Panasonic could use a bit of Apple’s incredible marketing savvy to push the M4/3 platform forward as well! We would ALL benefit.
Zero to do with retro looks? 😀
http://www.designisagoodidea.com/wordpress/?p=1843
You didn’t think their “visual elegance” just fell from the sky, did you?
How is touchschreen which can be used only with clumsy thick fingers and works badly in normally cold weather somehow superior?
There’s surely one thing superior in iProducts: Amount of butt licking from media and vegetables called as average consumer: When iProduct lacks features of competitors those are deemed unimportant, when iProduct finally gets missing feature it suddenly becomes new Jesus feature. When iProduct has original battery fail badly it’s no big deal even if Apple refuses to replace product, when some third party battery fails badly in Nokia everyone demands lynching of Nokia.
Marketing sure isn’t anymore about selling actual product but brand and image and that’s where Apple is superior.
PENs are definitely attempt to get iProduct like mania started but unfortunately those lemmings going with the flow are basically going and will keep going for Canon, Nikon and Sony.
that’s why i bought a lcd protection screen and i always carry a microfiber cloth with me 🙂 i don;t mind the current design, cause let’s face it… people who use the left eye to compose aren’t that many compared to people who use the right one 🙂
that no rangefinder camera.. stop using wrong terms.
but guys. I really hope the new GF Pro / Pen Pro will use this design 😀 or kinda like this. But this is fake 🙂
Sonys NEx – 7 will def. be a small-DSLR like camera, like the GH2/G3/ NX 20 just because it will compete against them.
maybe the NEX-5E will be rf styled? Then sony has a compact NEX-3 series, a enthusiast, NEX-5 and professional, NEx-7
“Sony NEX–7 will be a small-DSLR like camera, maybe the NEX-5E will be rf styled?”
Good point, sounds logical to me.
Ufortunately, the so much wished and quoted “rangefinder look” is merely an elegant term for “no tilt and swivel LCD”.
But I don’t really care about anyway. My G3 is about to arrive…
Kesztio, let us know how your G3 goes when it arrives. Hope you are happy with it. What color did you end up choosing?
I choosed white, but ended up with black. 🙁
The store announced me in the last minute that they’re able to ship just the black version. It was too complicated to find another place to buy…
(pls set me at ease that I won’t have overheating [thus noise] issues using the black model in excessively sunny days… 😀 )
I actually like the black one better. Anyway that doesnt affect the image quality! Sounds good.
“no tilt and swivel LCD”
It looks tilt to me – notice the space between the screen edge and the body.
Kinda looks like a LC1 2.0
The two topdials look like they came from a stereo.
I bet one of the dials goes to 11.
Sony makes stereos, you know. Synergy effects…
What happened to the panasonic announcement in August Admin?
GF Pro rumors?
Competition is always good to us, the customers. This will force Oly and Panny to come up with similar bodies soon!
OFF NO dial? seems photoshopped…
and that’s a huge on/off dial, if true hehehe
Error Level Analysis: http://errorlevelanalysis.com/permalink/4338afe/
i’m no expert but i believe it shows its real
“If you are unsure how to interpret the results, please do not claim the results of this tool as proof of anything.” Maybe u should stick to their hints.
The only thing this shows is, that it was rendered as a whole, only the movie button was photoshopped in later. But this doesn’t mean the camera isn’t fake. It is just a rendered image, somebody made cause he wants the camera to look like this..
And what would the hints say? That nex-7 dosnt look like that? Your out of line
I quoted it, it says:”“If you are unsure how to interpret the results, please do not claim the results of this tool as proof of anything.”
But u did excatly that, u dont know how to interpret the results, but use it as a proof that it is real.
So what is it that you understand, and i dont, in the picture that says that the image is fake?
He hasn’t claimed the camera is fake, he just said the analysis doesn’t mean that the camera isn’t fake. You made the claim that you belived that it shows it’s real, the test does not show that. Just accept that, instead of trying to pretend that Maley said something he didn’t.
Were not the original rumors about the Zeiss 24 for a 1.7 aperture, then it was changed to f2 and smaller size. Have there been any rumours of a 24mm f1.8?
I remember reading the same,,,they were going for f2 to make it smaller….which i like!!!
here admin read this…. because you dont know a shit about cameras:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangefinder_camera
No Hulk! You are the stupid guy here 🙂 Can you read english? I wrote rangefinder STYLED camera! it has the STYLE!!! of a rangefinder and is NOT a rangefinder! Anyway, hope you will moderate the language in future. A bit more respect guy!
look ret**d.. you use a term that has NOTHING to do with the camera.
because the viewfinder is on the left and not in the middle it´s a rangefinder camera for you &%$§%.
that´s like telling a motorcycle is a bicycle style.. but for re**ds that may make sense….
ps: yes i can read english.. but can you read french or swedish you uneducated loser?
admin wasnt wrong. the X100 is also termed by most media as a RF-Styled camera. you can read it on most photography websites. to quote DPR as an example:
“The X100, though, is something totally different. It’s a beautifully-designed rangefinder-styled camera that squeezes an SLR-size APS-C sensor into its compact body”
it is his site anyway. dont read it if you think it’s for retards.
yeah but these guys are not even journalist with an college degree what do you expect?
so you justify on stupidness with another?
What is the word for stupidness in “swedisch”?
Is stupidness a word?
I think the word you’re looking for is “troll”.
A big, green, angry troll.
http://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&q=hulk
green like hulk himself
Stupidness is “dummhet” on Swedich. 😉
long time reader, first time poster, from:
http://www.43rumors.com/about-us/
“I speak 3 languages almost perfectly (German, Spanish and Italian) + 4 languages on an average level (Portuguese, French, Dutch and English).”
I guess he got the language part covered.
If our admin’s English level is just about average, I should rate my English a bit “under the frog”… 😀
Hulk, thanks for introducing yourself.. How did you said, ret**d &%$§% ? Idiot? Well, you can raise your poor self-esteem in different ways.. But why photo rumors forum?
Hulk bad. Hulk bad words. Hulk make people sad. Hulk go in corner.
Hulk should marry Pablo.
Admin…That’s right….stand up for yourself!!!!! You do an incredible job here…INCREDIBLE!..you do not need uneducated idiots like Hulk abusing you.
Hulk…go take an class in English!…and learn to read more carefully.
(Admin…we got your back!).
So Hulk….when are you going to post your apology for your stupidity and bad language??????
Hulk…do you hang out with a guy named Pablum?
or better you american public-school-losers learn to speak french or swedisch or even german.
instead of learning only one language.. but i guess one language is more then enough to swallow for the usual american brain….
der einzige ungebildet idiot bist wohl du hier…. imbécile 😀
Hulk…Sony put the “NO” button on their new rangefinder-style camera…just for you!
🙂
LOL Bob! That was a damn good joke 😉
Careful Bob. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry… 🙂
thevoice, r u sure? seems impossible not to like such a splendid character like Hulk
It’s ok..I am 4/3 Rumor’s pit bull. LOL!
I really respect all the hard work that goes into posting and running this site by admin.
This is a great website for active photographers.
I banned Hulk. I want a more respectful talk here.
Thanx!
Well done Amin!
Plus one.
+1 🙂
I know crap like that is an issue with non activated accouns, but I totaly love the fact that hear I can post without “being a member” no more login passwords & stuff to deal with (even if it is not much – but just no more at all) in my email, and not another place/databace my email can be harvested from…
This is how I wish all forums were on the net, as having to sign up to just post a comment hear or there on a forum is a pain in the butt…
But I guess you end up with too much crap in such forums! – while you feel abale to keep it open, please do…
And Big +100 RESPECT for all the work you do on the site and in bringing us all the jucy goss!
Hulk go bye, bye. LOL!
This is excellent news, because in a year’s time, Olympus is going to launch E-PL5 that will look exactly like this NEX model. Coupled with IBIS and m4/3 lenses, it’ll be my dream camera.
As for pancakes for NEX, don’t expect any besides 16mm F2.8 – unless you’re prepared to shoot with F4 primes. It’s APS-C system guys, they can make small bodies, but the lenses won’t be much smaller than APS-C DSLR lenses.
Actually, the will be larger due to the shorter register (“built-in adapter”).
That’s not true. Samsung NX system (APS-C) have two pancakes (20mm f2.8 and 30mm f2) and they are making a 16mm f2.4. Why can’t sony do the same?
http://www.seriouscompacts.com/attachments/f41/411d1281273618-mirrorless-camera-size-comparison-nex5-nx10-e-p2-e-pl1-gf1-g2-p1060445-jpg
and
http://www.seriouscompacts.com/attachments/f41/417d1281273913-mirrorless-camera-size-comparison-nex5-nx10-e-p2-e-pl1-gf1-g2-p1060454-jpg
Because of different register distance. To quote reverse stream swimmer from two days ago:
“* Samsung NX mount 25.5 mm
* Micro Four Thirds System 20.00 mm
* Sony E mount 18.00 mm”
Sony made shorter register distance to make cameras thinner, but in doing so, the fast(ish) “pancake” lenses could be made around 16mm. By going with greater register distance Samsung can make pancakes in longer focal lenghts. I leave to you to conclude which system is aimed at which type of user.
Sweet spot for pancakes in m4/3 is 15-20mm, that’s why we have pancakes in those focal lenghts.
What happens if I put an adapter NX->NEX with the 30mm samsung pancake? It will be just 2mm more than the m4/3.
20mm m4/3 mount register distance + lens* 25.5mm lenght = 45.5mm
18mm NEX mount register distance + adapter 7.5mm lenght + lens** 22mm lenght = 47.5mm
* Panasonic 20mm f1.7
** Samsung 30mm f2
Very interesting. If I may ask: Would it be possible to produce a lens with a few millimeters of register distance included in the lens? Much like an adapter between the bajonett and the lens.
Of course this would make the lens _a bit_ larger. But a pancake with 7,5 extra millimeter would still be a fairly small lens.
I am no expert so I can not speak with certainty, but as I understand it there are no problems.
That was my first thought as well. I’m no expert on these matters, but if Samsung can make a 30mm f/2 lens that is only 22mm deep then Sony should be able to make one around 30mm deep, which would still be perfectly acceptable to me. Sony just doesn’t seem to get it; their lens road map is a total nightmare.
I want a rangefinder-esque body more than anyone, but unless I decide to buy a Leica-M adapter and some extremely expensive rangefinder lenses to go with it then I really don’t know what glass I’d use on the NEX-7.
If this is Sony’s idea of “rangefinder look” then they got it wrong. It’s one of the ugliest designs I have ever seen and the huge lens does nothing to improve it. The designers of Minolta CLE must be turning in their graves.
You can argue about functionality and image quality as much as you like, but I wouldn’t be seen dead with one of those.
I dont think sony woke-up one day and decided they need to make a rangefinder styled camera,
this camera is about size/functionality – this happends to resemble rangefinders more then SLR’s, thats all!
All the rangefinder talk is pointless, the idea behind it is to have a slimmer camera then SLR with the EVF in the corner, THATS IT!
I agree…form follows function..with lots of manual controls!!!!! 🙂
I like the “look” of the body because it has all the stuff I want.
Now…if I could just attach all of my MFT lenses to it.
This is exciting info even if you do not own or want a Nex camera.
Still you gotta admit – looks like a very promising design!
Source:
http://www.minoltasonyclub.it/cms/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31880
It resembles my old Sony DSC-F707 from 2001 or 2002 🙂
It was awsome design of its time.
This picture however looks like rendering.. fake or not… it is very interesting camera body.
I wish it was MFT…
On the other hand switching to new system is only a matter of selling my 4000$ set and go for NEX when the quality lenses are available for it. Nowadays it is only a sensor and focus peaking function which are good in all this NEX system.
(I have been using it for a while and I know what I’m talking about.)
Hi Admin
Any news or rumors about high end models from Panasonic (GF-Pro) and Olympus (Pen Pro)? It would be great if there were sketches of them for us to see 🙂 Hopefully something with an EVF and in rangefinder style.
Thanks for all your work.
And any news of 12-50/60 mm bright zoom????
yeah..yeah…all that Andyoz said for the Pany PRo AND a Foveon sensor…that would trump Sony in image quality, size and lens selection. (I think Canon may be bringing that total concept on to the market…they have deep enough pockets…A camera like that would blow this mirrorless market to pieces).
Working on that! Have some GF PRO news I am posting soon…
Cant wait!
On a personal note i’m keen on hearing any m43 news, but what interests me most is the upcoming sensors.
OH HELL YEAH. Glad I never bought into micro43.
Well, I am glad of my G1+Nokton kit. Learned a lot about photography with that kit. But new Sony’s child make me rethink my love to M43 gear… There are few reasons for me to switch to E-mount:
* 24/1.6 will be real
* 24/1.6 similar with quality to Nokton when full open
* nex-7 will be photographer’s tool, not compact concept like previous nexes
* gf-pro will fail
So hard work for Sony to be done to have me on its side 🙂
Looks like a concept to me…
+1
I am almost certain that this image was created with 3D software. We can notice the rendering of textures. It does not look like a picture obviously. Of course this does not mean that this is not the NEX-7. In addition, the button “ON OFF”, it’s written “NO” instead of “ON”, I do not think Sony would have made such a mistake.
Anyway, Sony cameras does not interest me that much, I have too much invested in the M43 system. Therefore, I look forward to the pro versions “Rangefinder Styled” from Oly and Pana and I hope we will have some information soon.
:-D….off and no, need we more chooce on it button for we can use camera.
I could understand it if it was the flash release button 😛
I hate flash…. well one of my best photos is flash, but i still hate it 🙂
It is the same as in the movie…it’s better to ignore the Hulk^^
Obviously, Sony prepared the Homework:)
Doesnt matter what shape the NEX cameras take. There are only poor quality, slow, not so small lenses available. Good lenses are possible but have two major disadvantages:
1. They will be large
2. They don’t currently exist
There never will be lenses like the oly 12mmf2/45mmf1.8/9-18 or the Panny 7-14/20mm/8mmFE/25mmf1.4/45mm macro.
Seems like Sony’s strategy is to sell as many cameras as possible before people realise this!! It’s interesting that Sony has released far fewer compact&high quality lenses (=nil) than oly/pan had at this stage…….
Yeah, this is my impression too. It seems they avoid releasing additional lenses so people can’t see that they are generally quite a bit larger than m4/3 lenses (before it’s too late). They released the 16 first because that’s the only focal length they can make in pancake size.
The new Sony rangefinder styled camera has an appealing design.
I personally would prefer the Olympus professional MFT-camera in a conventional DSLR-design with weather sealing like the Olympus E-5.
But there should be a rangefinder styled Olympus MFT camera too.
This is an important market segment for Olympus.
Another possibility would be a close cooperation with Fuji. As Admin already mentioned there is a rumor that Fuji could produce a FinePix X100 styled camera not only for APS-C CMOS sensor but even for Micro Four Thirds. Fuji with its Foveon sensor knowhow would be a valuable partner in the Micro Four Thirds consortium.
I agree with Admin:
Admin: “The real problem for Sony is that they have no small lenses on their roadmap.”
The MFT-sensor-size provides a comparative advantage for the creation of fast professional and compact SHG/HG M.Zuiko and MFT-Panasonic lenses in the future. From the ergonomic point of view they have realized an optimum with Micro Four Thirds.
Sorry to harp on about it, its probably been mentioned already…
But from this view (IMO) this is hardly a ‘rangefinder styled camera’
Its just a NEX with a built in EVF which happens to be on the side, not the centre.
But cool, doesn’t really matter.
I just dont see it as the LC1 styled GF im dying to get my hands on. A good solid metal body, high quality evf thats flush with the body…something that gets me to close to the feel of shooting a leica or what my old days of shooting pentax and nikon mf slrs. the LC1 and x100 and the closest ive seen yet – real shooters cams that force you to be involved in the process of capturing images – but they suffer from fixed lenses
To me its not so much about the style, its more the usability or the feel of shooting – the actual act of taking pictures is probably more important to me then the images i get.
My G1 (and soon to arrive G2 since my wife ‘stole’ my G1) have been the closest I personally have owned in the digi world to what I desire, but they still slightly miss the mark for me.
IMO ALL olympus m4/3 cams are ‘rangefinder styled’….they just lack one of the most important ingredients, a built in EVF. Piss of that stupid pop up flash (I NEVER use a built in flash….hate the damn things) and give me a built in evf and that is getting pretty damn close to digicam perfection forme.
Actually that already exists, but I cant afford a M9 (and even if i could, dropping so much cash on what is essentially a toy [i aint pro] is just totally un-justifiable)
It is not practicable to have a range finder on a camera with interchangeable lenses. In the depicted configuration, the rangefinder would let shine through maybe a little sky in the upper left, the rest being obscured by the lens barrel 🙂
Also how does a range finder work when swapping lenses from lets say 18mm to 200mm?
Though, I greatly like the idea of the OFF – NO power wheel button. Want to take a picture? Just turn the wheel from OFF to NO. Then start thinking what to do next 🙂
Good job admin on putting Nex news on 43R site. Let’s hope you’ll get more GP1 leaks soon.
Some questions for yr sources:
Y/N
– multi aspect sensor
– external mic socket
– 1.5 (GH2)or 3 (Nex-7) MPx EVF
– 1080p 25/50
– video full manual
– copyrights in pictures menu option (LX3 has it!!!)
– ETC
– OLED or LCD
– what is the spec of “bright wide angle” enigma
– “bright wide angle” – pancake or regular
TIA 🙂
Does anyone know what the NEX cameras are like to manual focus? Do they have easy magnification? If so this would ne nice with the voigtlander 35 1.4.
Don’t know about magnification because I don’t have any NEX camera but I’m sure that with the new firmware they have the peaking mode for manual focus… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGPF375-2rA
Generally i would say that if you are using ‘legacy’ glass NEX is the way to go, if you want to shoot digital. APS-C will get you closer to the original focal lengths, and the controls aren’t as bad as people make out. This new peaking mode looks to be rather good. For myself this new NEX looks v.interesting, however for me the system is let down somewhat by it lenses, for a compact system camera it doesn’t pay much attention to the compact system part lol.
I’ve been using NEX with E-mount lenses and with manual focus using peaking mode. I can say two things to you:
1. Forget using it with present E-mount lenses – you’ll end up with poor quality pictures. Nothing to compare with MFT. More to this controls are terrible. Some modes are lacking functions, and swithicg them (even with programming Fn Buttons in your way) always leads you to the point where you have to dig into menu.
2. Using manual focus and peaking mode changes this all. IMO peaking is much more useful than magnification in my GH2. I can set manual focus on NEX 3 times faster than on my GH2. I have recently considered buying NEX for using exclusively with manual lenses, for portratuire and as a lightweight hiking gear. Using NEX with manual lenses leaves you with one and only option of work the “A” (aperture priority) mode, and you can forget about lacks of physical controls of the body.
So again – as a system, NEX is a crap nowadays, but using it with manual lenses (if you can work that way)… hmmm this creates an awsome, very cheap, high quality tool. However you have to bear in mind that keeping small package requires using rangefinder lenses (Leica M for example) and they are quite expensive…
Curiously, I consider buying NEX as my smaller MF camera B, for everyday use and as a complement to my GH2 :D:D:D
The peaking mode seems to be quite good for manual focusing as it doesn’t require looking at a magnified portion of the image, but rather at the “peaking” highlight superimposed…looks much more easier to use…
As for NEX system, they have the best sensor available…now it looks like they are improving on usability…so the question is…will they have the lenses to go? And will they be small lenses or not? If they get the lenses part of the equation solved, they could have a great system in their hands…if not…then, all the cool techno gizmos and excellent iq and whatever will not mean much…at least IMHO
I’m eagerly waiting for what they’re about to offer. I could even see myself both with m43 and a NEX-7. The m43 gear for daylight street photo. The NEX 7 w/ quality ZEISS 24mm (offering a versatile 35mm equivalence) for low or “difficult” light.
Peaking mode is one of those features that I envy 🙂 but who knows, it is only software… micro 4/3 and NX systems could make it with a simple firmware update. Let’s hope!
Is focus assist not the same as peaking mode?
No, not really. Peaking mode shows an overimposed image with the areas “in focus” (i.e. higher contrast) outlined in a different colour…
It’s funny that here on Micro 4/3 Rumors we have over 115 comments and Sony Alpha Rumors still need to get to 90 🙂
Why not have only mirrorlessrumors with categories (or tags) for each system?
Want only micro 4/3 news? go to mirrorless.com/tag/micro43
Currently I have to keep 3 tabs open (mirrorless, 43 and sony)!
Looks pretty nice; keep in mind that’s an EVF, not an OVF (as “rangefinder style” kind of implies to me), so it’s not dramatically different from Panasonic’s G/GH series in terms of functionality.
There’s something to be said for style, though, which I think the NEX line has done poorly at in the past. This is a nice improvement in that regard (although I still prefer the PEN look, myself).
Boy, that lens looks huge, though.
That image looks so fake. Standard hotshoe from Sony? LOL
EDIT: you correct yourself before me 🙂
Actually that’s not a standard hotshoe. But it still looks fake. It looks so much like L1.
The image is a fake. It has too many buttons and dials for Sony. Their pro version will only have one button, and you shake it to turn it on.
Obviously no mirrorless camera can really be either a rangefinder or an SLR, as both have internal mirrors. I don’t have much problem with descriptions like “SLR-styled” or “rangefinder-styled” to separate the different layouts, though. However, I have recently changed my mind on what should be called “rangefinder-styled”. My new classification would be:
SLR-styled – centered “bump” housing EVF (G1/G2/G3, GH1/GH2, NX5/NX10)
Rangefinder-styled – left flush built-in EVF (proposed NEX-7, GF Pro)
Compact-styled – no built-in EVF; LCD only without add-on (all Pens, GF1/GF2/GF3, Sony NEX’s to date, NX100)
While it is a bit of a stretch to call a camera “rangefinder-styled” if there is not an actual rangefinder, at the very least it should have a built-in EVF in the traditional range-finder spot. Of course, some could argue that there are compacts that have a basic tunnel OVF in that upper-left corner, too, but it seems that these days, most just put as big of an LCD as possible at the expense of any viewfinder.
As for the NEX-7 concept above, I would be really impressed if they can fit a quality EVF in the space shown, unless they are projecting onto a mirror like the X100 does. Otherwise, I generally like the look of it, but agree that lenses will be the limitation on its value. If/when Panasonic releases the GF Pro, it will have the Pan 14mm f/2.5, Oly 17 f/2.8, and Pan 20 f/1.7 pancakes; the Oly 12mm f/2.0, PL 25mm f/1.4, and Oly 45mm f/1.8 compact lens (similar size to some Leica lenses); and other small lenses such as the Oly 14-42mm, Oly 9-18mm, and arguably the Pan 14-42mm, Pan 14-45mm, and PL 45mm f/2.8. Even some of the longer zooms (e.g., Oly 14-150mm) wouldn’t be too unwieldy. Unlike NEX or any other APS-C system, the m43 lenses, which are physically smaller due to its smaller sensor, are tailor-made for a rangefinder-styled body.
if sony brings that camera it is almost an earthquake..
The GF1 looks more RF like to me, especially when you place the EVF in the hotshoe. Maybe if Sony redesigned those huge lenses…
If all the rumours are true, then by the end of this year Sony will have a 24MP NEX, a 24 MP SLT camera, the A77, and also possibly a new FF camera with 36 MP, in its range.
Will Sony deliver a good range of lenses for all these cameras? The NEX range needs to have, amongst other things, a high quality compact wide zoom, something like 9-18mm f4. Without compact lenses the NEX 7 may not have much overall size and weight advantage over the A77.
Clearly something isn’t quite right with this as the “On/Off” switch says either “No/Off” or “On/FFO”.
Good morning!
hahahahaha! you made my day! :))
Do not see why the rangefinder style matters. Although someone likes EVF, as a Fuji X100 owner, i am not so crazy about it. I think that the future of mirrorless is in the touch screen control. I agree with many here that what Sony has to pay attention more to is its lens.
I get this feeling, that the entire Sony NEX system is built on a lot of wishful and hopeful thinking. Good sensor yes but where’s the “system” in a system’s camera? I like the body but the standard queries I get from salespeople since it was launched is “coming soon!”. There is no such thing as “coming soon” for a single system user. I need it and I need it right now. Sony has commitment issues with three sensor lines. In the end I went with Panasonic because they’re ruthlessly committed to their m43 with no other system sharing space.
I get this feeling, that the entire Sony NEX system is built on a lot of wishful and hopeful thinking. Good sensor yes but where’s the “system” in a system’s camera? I like the body but the standard queries I get from salespeople since it was launched is “coming soon!”. There is no such thing as “coming soon” for a single system user. I need it and I need it right now. Sony has commitment issues with three system sensors.
Sony has come up with a lot of cameras. The “killer” R1: http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/compacts/sony_dscr1
The dscf707 http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/compacts/sony_dscf707
The dscf717 http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/compacts/sony_dscf717
The V1 http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/compacts/sony_dscv1
The V3 http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/compacts/sony_dscv3
Of course the NEX system…
All of these seemed interesting when announced. I bought a V1. However, they all seemed… Lacking, in some respect, once tried. The new EVF DSLRs also are not really conducive to actual photography. The EVF isn’t “comfortable”.
So, just because a camera looks like a Leica (which lots of people seem interested in imitating), doesn’t mean it behaves like a Leica any more than an old Mitsubishi Starion was on par with the 944 series – even though it REALLY tried to look like a 944.
I’m almost certain the Nex-7, whatever it looks like, will take decent-looking pix. But will it be a good tool? Will it not get in the way of taking the shot? Will it work with my 12-60 lens? (hahaha)
Sony likes to try new stuff, and then sometimes it leaves the end user kind of hanging and moves on to newer new stuff. I wish that Sony would be a bit more focused.
Dana, those were the glory days of Sony. I wish Sony made something as nice as the F707/F717/F818 series these days. Those days are over though.
Agreed, I once bought a Sony PSP GO. What a waste of my funds. What a dud. Now nil support as Sony have moved onto a newer platform.