According to rumors from top sources Sony developed a special and completely new 16 Megapixel APS-C sensor that will be first find his use in the new NEX-5R and NEX-6 cameras coming in September. As you already know those cameras will be announced along three new NEX lenses. The Sony NEX-5R should be priced around $699. The NEX-6 has an integrated viewfinder and should be priced at $950-1000. Both will include Wifi capability. Let’s see if those cameras cans top the momentum of the Canon EOS-M.
Meantime it’s good to hear (for Sony) that while they are facing a terrible crisis in the TV Business they are doing much better than expected in the Imaging Division. Their Q1 financial report (.pdf) says: “Sales increased 7.6% year-on-year (a 12% increase on a constant currency basis) to 193.8 billion yen (2,453 million U.S. dollars). This increase was primarily due to a significant increase in sales of interchangeable single lens cameras reflecting higher demand…“
Mirrorless rules 🙂
32 Responses
REMARKABLE that Sony has decided to stick to “only” 16 MP!
Kudos… and really unexpected from Sony.
Sony is learning from Panasonic/Olympus?
The NEX6 starts to sound like a camera aimed specifically at the OM-D? Same price, same image resolution, also has built-in viewfinder…
Also, Sony is rumored to bring a 35mm (~50mm equivalent) fast prime lens for NEX?
After years of failing to actually create a SYSTEM that makes sense, they might actually start now?
If they don’t hobble the Nex 6 it must have the potential to beat the image quality of the Nex 7.
Could that be allowed to happen I wonder?
I want a NEX w/ IBIS.
yes. IBIS pls.
Nobody here seems to care for usability. The question is: what is going to be around that sensor? A useful camera or a toy? Has it got quick dials or horrid menus? How well does it focus? How well does it focus manually? How is the flash system? How quick does it shoot RAW and clear the buffer? High ISO should be OK by now, but how is the dynamic range? Still worse than film?
The MP count alone matters slightly less than nought.
Well, it matters a bit more than nought, surely? 🙂
In usability, the E-M5 is head and shoulders above the NEX.
Sony has a looooooooooong way to go—and with their consumer mentality, they may never get there—especially where glass is concerned.
I have the NEX-5n and 7, and both have been sitting on a shelf since I brought home the E-M5. Why?
Usability.
I wonder if this new 16mp sensor will also appear in cameras made by other manufacturers (Nikon,Pentax)?
I just hope that Sony hasn’t sacrificed the incredible high ISO performance of the current 16 Mp APS-C sensor in this “amazing” new 16 Mp sensor.
Hmm…I have every camera in the world on my shelves and I am using the E-M5/NEX! What kind of manipulating and probably not true argumentation is that, coming from the fanboys camps?!
Truth is E-M5 and NEX-7 are both amazing cameras…but:
NEX definitely provides more DOF control, no way to get around the physics. Bigger sensor more DOF control. At the same effective focal length/perspective the APS-C sensor provides significantly shallower DOF leading to more control. Because you want to compare a 17.5mm m43 lens with a 24mm NEX lens as both will give around 35mm full frame equivalent focal length at the same f-stop and perspective. Try it out yourself: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/dof-calculator.htm
In noise performance and dynamic range NEX has the advantage. With bigger sensor you potentially get the possibility of more details and less noise. So image quality-wise NEX are definitely ahead. Systemwise however, m43’s are doing amazingly well due to lens selection (although there are many overlapping fl’s) and IBIS option etc and are at the moment getting closer to NEX in image quality in some areas, but in one year’s time the NEX lens selection will be much more appealing (as the next month will actually show) and next iteration Sony APS-C sensors have probably pulled the NEX line further ahead IQ-wise.
No camera is perfect and both NEX users and m43 users have been investing in some amazing systems with peak advantages in slightly diff areas…
I have à em-5 but its lying on THE shelf since i start to use THE nex-7. THE nex handels much better and THE image quality is superb to the Tiny sensor of THE em-5. Ibis smibis it only works on frozen objects. I hate THE poor video quality on THE em-5. Looks like iPhone quality just like THE pictures. In top off that THE em-5 makes à horrible noise.
Lot’s of funny, strange or drastic opinions above 🙂
There are no poor cameras (above compact level) out there today! There are still poor lenses out there.
If you have a 16mpix m43, a NEX or similar and is above kit lens level, and images come out poor – then we have a case of “shit behind the steering wheel”
Camera choice is about which feature you put more emphasis on. If it IS, take an Oly EM-5. If it is high ISO performance, take the Fuji Xpro1. If it is built in EVF take NEX-7/6. If it is cost, take Pana G5. If it is video take the PanaGH2.
The rule “more on lens – less on camera” still applies.
Gear heads, sigh. That’s right. Who cares about subject matter, composition, mood, etc that you’re capturing. It’s all about the gear, right? If you have the right gear, your pictures are automatically good. No one see how easy or convenient the picture was to take when it’s hanging on the wall.
I just hope Sony has ears to the ground. I love doing HDR and lack of AEB and lack of viewfinder in most Sony mirrorless cams is dealbreaker for me.
It would be nice if both new NEX models had a built in Hotshoe 🙂
Where are the Sonyfanboys attacking Samsung? They’re usually around somewhere. LOL