With the recent price drops the NEX-7 is again back on the top of the most sold mirrorless camera list at Amazon (here is the ranking). So is that the right time to buy the camera? Nope! 🙂
Trusted sources told us that the new NEX-7n is going to be announced in one month and it will be available in stores by May. The new NEX-7n will look almost the same of the current NEX-7 but feature major changes inside the body. Every aspect has been improved and the main goal from Sony was to outperform the top MFT model like the Panasonic GH3 and Olympus OMD. Sensor, viewfinder and autofocus have been improved. I am working on the specs right now. And there may be some new E-mount lens too (like the Zeiss zoom).
Meantime keep in mind: Next Monday (Feb 25th) Sony will announce the new A58 and NEX-3n and three A-mount lenses (including the Zeiss). You should be online at 6-8am London time to follow my live coverage of the new products with links to reviews and tests. And one month after we will have an even bigger NEX related announcement with the new NEX-7n and probably some new high quality lenses. The A77 successor will come right after the NEX-7n. In short, stay tuned on SAR! Don’t miss any rumor and subscribe the RSS feed (Click here) and Twitter (Click here) stream and the Facebook fan page (Click here)!
P.S.: Thanks to all sources sending me the NEX-7n info. Give me some time to double check them before I post them on SAR. And you may help me out on the new E-mount lens info too? Thanks!
101 Responses
I’ll force myself not to read this blog too much, or else I may want to buy this. !! skip skip skip, save for NEX-9 !!
you’re not alone on this one, keep on skipping
Not only is it a very long wait (year and a half?), all of which would be great time for doing photography, the potential FF NEX is going to be so expensive that if you can afford it, you could just as well buy a NEX-7 to keep you company and sell it when the 9 comes out.
I already have a NEX7 with which I am taking pics. and not buying the 7N means I can save more and more for hte NEX9. I am also forcing myself not to buy E-mount lenses, to save more for NEX9. I don’t care how much it will be, honestly.
The Full Frame NEX will surely become a damn expensive α and most likely include the LA-EA4 Translucent Mirror Adapter to make the current A-Mount camera line obsolete one day.
I guess I’ll better wait for the NEX-9N anyway and should consider a Metabones Speed Booster to get Full Frame Look on APS-C in the meantime…
I am expecting Sony to ‘drop back’ from 24MP to the new 20MP sensor in the NEX-7n. The 24MP didn’t give great ISO and, more importantly, seemed to give poor edge perfromance for legacy lenses thanks to the combination of very small cell sites and non-digital-optimized lenses. The new 20MP could help solve both of those problems and, being a prosumer camera, I don’t think Sony will worry about their customers thinking this is a downgrade.
I don’t, and hopefully Sony wont. The ISO can be improved in this generation to the 5n ISO performance in a new 24mp chip and new imaging processor (new Bionz Andrea?)
After using the 7 at ISO 1600 and 3200 very often, I can say that you an achieve great results (comparing well with 5n) even if you use Lightroom or Camera Raw. You can achieve much better results using DxO Optics Pro. I have both and for noise reduction (which I use often with the RX100) DxO is king.
If the A58 and the 7N get launched around the same time, I would also expect them to have the same sensor. I guess sony would like to lower the manufacturing costs of the sensor as much as possible, as early as possible. so 2 cams with the 20mp sensor would make sense.
The king is “chroma noise reduction in any of DxO, LR, C1, Rawtherapee, etc” + Topaz Denoise for luma noise.
I would be extremely surprised if the 7n has fewer pixels than the 7. They might even go higher. Sony loves MP, they think 20MP is for compacts like the RX100 with a 1 inch sensor.
Sony is probably not that concerned with how legacy lenses perform. They would much rather sell 7n owners the new higher grade native lenses that are rumored to be introduced along with this camera.
They should fix IQ at the widest end (16mm). Better not in software.
The main fix is to spec a better filter package, the main reason for the NEX-7’s corner issues has always been the overly thick filter package. That’s why the NEX-7 gets colour shift rather than corner smearing with most problem lenses.
I’d also like to see offset or optimized microlenses, which would reduce the rest of the corner issues which all NEX cameras are subject to with symetrical wides.
Right, right. It should be clean at least with their own 16/12, 16-50 and (oh yes!) 10-18. As far as I can see, it has no problems with SLR wideangles. It would be nice of course to get more compatibility with RF glass but Sony apparently gives no skit about it.
No way Sony will drop back from 24 MP to 20 MP with NEX7n. That is not how a market works!
I have the NEX7 since it came out with 3 lenses. Perfect pro camera.
Will not wait for NEX9! With that I am almost back to my Canon 5D. NEX9 will be too big house and too big lenses and damn expensive too.
There is always a compromise in cameras. Size and quality. NEX7 is a wonderful compromise.
To compete with the GH3 and the Olympus OM-D, the Nex7n must have a weather sealed body and much better high iso handling, no over heating at video recording, clean HDMI 4:2:2 output, manual audio levels, a earphone output would be nice too, that’s my friends will be fantastic.
Buy sadly we’re talking about Sony here.
Great work Andrea.
This is exactly what I was going to say. It must have the same or better video codec, in body image stabilisation (which Sony denies it can do on NEX) and weather sealing and blazing AF performance (and accuracy, of course)
If this is it, then I will throw my money at Sony then. If the video codec is the same AVCHD crap (I use video professionally and avchd is not good enough) then the NEX 7n WILL NOT compete against Panasonic GH3 (as GH3 main USP is video)
Now that I think better about it… what happened with the compete in the great ISO race vs Fuji? whatever happened to that?
Because Fuji compromised their low ISO performance significantly to get that high ISO performance. X-Trans is clean but pays for it with poor RAW conversions and major issues in the green channel.
Sony on the other hand has come up with a package that delivers maximal low-ISO IQ while still beating everything else except X-Trans for high ISO.
Weather Sealing: Yes
Better High ISO? The NEX-7 already beats both the OM-D and GH3 in high ISO performance, the 6 stomps them.
Video Features: Just buy a NEX-VG body already. Sony shouldn’t waste any time putting more video capability into the NEX-7, but should release a NEX-VG700 with those features instead. Leave Video to the video-optimized NEX bodies.
I’m not sure Sony can compete with Panasonic in the video front, they said the A99 would be a killer in this category as the true Hybrid camera, but although it’s a good camera and it has a lot of video friendly accessories, the video quality didn’t get much better.
Sony addresses some users concerns, but by most of the part, they do what they think that will be more appealing for marketing, which is a shame. I’ve to say, Fuji is the only manufacturer that actually listens to consumers’ feedback and try really hard to improve their gear based on that. Fuji’s commitments towards their cameras has really surprised me in a very good way, when the 2nd gen of the X-mount cameras comes, we already know that AF speed will no longer be an issue and that they even have 1080p60 @36mbps now – which may or may not be translated in better video quality than Sony, but it shows that they are trying. Sony ignored the E-Mount users wanting primes for so long, but if the 85mm f/1.8 is true, coupling with the others f/1.8 lenses, we finally have some decent and affordable primes.
Anyway, this is getting very interesting.
True. This is how it worked for Fuji. Upping the video makes me think of them now because I wonder if their lesser compression can give better video than sony. This is important because even the fs700 is crippled for video…
Any news yet on Sony NAB 2013?
Are we going to see a new FF E mount Pro comcorder? (I.e. “NEX FS-200”)
Don’t know this. Have to ask about the camcorder. Will do that now 🙂
thanks andrea, us videographer would love to find out more about new camcorders!
Thanks, Andrea. That would be very nice.
thanks andrea ur the best;)
Would be interested to see the video specs for the 7n (and Alpha 58 for that matter) esp if the 7n is to go head to head with the GH3.
I wouldn’t count on going head to head with GH3.
Actually: I’d prefer if they wouldn’t and focus on photographic aspects instead.
Jesus, NEX is a never ending story 😀
Never -Ending- Xtory
All I want is GPS in a NEX, then I can change from my A55
“to outperform the top MFT” they have to do a big jump concerning AF speed and jpeg engine …
“..and the main goal from Sony was to outperform the top MFT model like the Panasonic GH3 and Olympus OMD.”
*If this is true*
Sony have set very low standards have they not?!
Yeah…the NEX-7 already outperforms both of those cameras in terms of stills IQ. I suppose the areas it needs to match are AF and video performance?
…and weather sealing and in body image stabilisation (if they bother with it)
Ah, didn’t realize the GH3 had weather sealing. IBIS will never happen, though (and the GH3 doesn’t have that either).
IBIS and weather sealing are Olympus OM D features. Read above where it says NEX 7n will compete in features with these two cameras.
Hendrick – only issue being that you read this sentence as “NEX 7n will compete with OM-D in field of weather sealing and image stabilization”. Which isn’t the case.
Read carefully.
Noone even implied that 7N will have IBIS or WR.
GH3 has weather sealing and Panasonics two f/2.8 zooms are sealed as well.
And a small sensor. Every system has it’s own disadvantages and advantages.
Aaaarrrggghhhh!!!! What is wrong with you people?!!
“Every aspect has been improved and the main goal from Sony was to outperform the top MFT model like the Panasonic GH3 and Olympus OMD”
Weather sealing has nothing to do with performance. LEARN. TO. READ.
in a previous interview, it was stated that there will be NO in body stabilization.
…cause there is one in the lenses already. Yep, we know that. Sony have no interest in adding image stabilization to the body, it’d remove any scraps of demand for E-mount lenses that exist today.
@Lotus eater
It really depends on how you define performance. How about performance in extreme weather?
I know people complain about the NEX-7, but honestly in what way is an OM-D better than a NEX-7 currently other than weather sealing? I know it lost a lot of the limelight but as far as I can tell it is still a cracking camera. Is there something seriously wrong with them? I don’t read about a single photographer still shooting one (doesn’t mean there isn’t heaps of course), but all I ever hear about is the cumbersome OM-D…
Features are not performance. I would prolly say in AF peformance. Everything else are
already outperformed the omd. I dunno bout you, for me, IQ is the TOP priority, and nex
cameras outperform all m43 system. Hell even rx100 is on par with omd according to dxomark
“Hell even rx100 is on par with omd according to dxomark”
not true.
Lenses and stabilization. If NEX had either or both it would reign.
I’ll go and and buy it anyway.
The major improvement needs to be IQ in terms border quality wide open. This is iQ wise the only issue I have with my 7. Second big thing is AF accuracy and speed.
All other things are nice-to-have.
Like:
– Raw and XFine mode
– AutoISO in M
– Camera automatically sets Jpeg setting for HDR mode and turns back after switch back
– 720p120 video mode
– Bigger buffer and support for UHS1 cards
Great this news torrent, but still no RX10 update 🙁
Well, Nikon will announce a “RX10” soon!
The A58 sensor is improved with better dynamic range plus improved autofocus and viewfinder. The NEX7n is also rumoured to have an improved sensor, autofocus and viewfinder.
The NEX7 has the same viewfinder as the A77 so I can’t wait to see the specs of the A78 when it’s announced.
It will be interesting to see how far Sony have been able to push viewfinder technology.
I hope new nex7n will not overheat and I wish to see better low light .
Zeiss zoom with e-mount f2.8 this is what I need . How more long we have to wait ???
2 things I am goona get in this year :
-zeiss 12 f.2.8
-zeiss zoom ( I hope we see it in this year )
And maybe nex 7n
NEX-7 is suffering at high ISO and at night focusing. These can be the most expected improvements. Also, a better HDR will be well came…
I hope we dont have to see aliasing like in the nex 6..i had the 5n (normal aliasing), nex6 terrible aliasing and now I have nex 7 with not that bad aliasing.It has to do with the pdaf in Nex6
The 6 has a reduced AA filter compared to the 5N and 7. That’s where the moire comes from, not the AF unit. It also allows the 6 to have better resolution than the 5N.
A higher-resolution sensor will reduce aliasing, given an AA filter of similar strength. Going 24MP or higher will allow Sony to reduce the AA filter strength without increasing aliasing issues.
The Nex-6 aliasing is not apparent in images, so it is probably due to the method of downscaling. This is not a filter issue, because video is at 2 Megapixels, and an AA filter that is effective at that resolution would completely destroy the effective still image resolution.
If Sony can affect the downscaling algorithm, the aliasing issue might even be solved with a firmware update.
After my firmware update both in camera and lenses(18-200 and sel 50 1.8) i felt that the moire and aliasing increased
I guess it’ll be the same old nex7 + Autofocus phase detection + Wifi + iso that perform as good at 1600 as nex5n/r.
Good
and of course, the new 16-50mm
Also, I bet on GPS.
The issue with moire and aliasing is of course only in videomode..as a still camera the 6 is ok.
What would I like to see in the 7n as a long-time NEX-7 shooter?
Most important:
Robust tripod mount. Sony should buy Jim Buchanan’s grip design and sell it for the 6 and 7 bodies, or come up with some other robust tripod mount.
Remote release: Wired Alpha release support, or at least support the PlayMemories App
I’d really like but not critical:
Weather Sealing. And the ZA or G zooms should have that as well.
Significant AF improvements: I’m not expecting OM-D speed, but matching the G3/G5 would be nice
Improved filter pack: Improve corner performance to at least NEX-5N/5R/6 levels via a thinner filter pack.
Better grip: Resolve the common grip peeling issue affecting many NEX-7 users
Assignable control wheels: I’d like some more configurability
Allow Auto magnification to be disabled without disabling manual zoom. This annoys me to no end as I don’t like Auto-magnification and disabling it also disables manual zoom which I have assigned to the AF/MF button. This is the single main reason why I prefer adapted lenses to native lenses. Fix it and I’ll replace my basic lens kit with native lenses.
Allow reassignment of video button. Disabling it was a nice temp fix, but I’d like the button to be useful.
I totally agree with your suggestions – here are my requests to add on your great suggestions
1) mode dial – ( or make it an option to have one of the Tri Navi be like the one on the NEX6 )
2) Menu system like RX100 or Alpha 99
3) Better auto focus speed
4) Touch screen
5) APP support
6) Faster kit lens to match Fuji’s X series kit lens – at F2.0-2.8
7) Art filters like RX100 has
8) Better programmable Function buttons
9) Flash commander mode like in the Olympus OMD-5 – supporting groups and channels
10) A better finish – more like the NEX6
Love the comment one person made – Sony has more bodies than lenses 🙂
– they need to focus now more on lenses –
I think quality of Sony glass could be better – Fuji leads the way in great glass –
Panasonic and Olympus have many better made lenses and at a decent price in the Micro 4/3rds market.
I love my OMD-5 and have quite a bit of micro 4/3rds glass but I just think Micro 4/3rds is a dead end street in few years when Sony will come out with the NEX9 and lead the market with Full Frame in the CSC market. How can Micro 4/3rds compete with a Full Frame sensor?
This is exciting news. I love my NEX-7, but if the 7n has a significantly improved sensor I’m buying one.
Sadly I don’t think Sony can match the AF speed of the OM-D and Olympus MSC lenses with the Sony lenses that are out now. Olympus designed certain lenses (12, 17 1.8, 45, 75) for fast AF whereas none of the current E-mount lenses can get there even with PDAF. Maybe the new high end Sony lenses will be designed for fast AF along with the 7N.
I assume Alpha A78 will have the same sensor with this NEX 7N.
+1
And the next NEX-5 the sensor from the A58…
Every time again i’m a bit amazed by the comments on news like this. All followers dive into specs and comparisons. But, who asks the question: what is the use of flushing more and more camera’s and still having a rather poor lens line? Highest long lens is 55-210 mm and most lenses are rather poor in aperture. That limits the use of more and more sophisticated mirrorless camera’s a lot to my opinion.
I recently asked Andea about the arrival of longer lenses. 2014 was the answer. Any more on this to puut all the camera anouncements more in pespective? I’ really welcome this for i won’t be spending my hard earned money on a system that isn’t comlpete. A camera is nothing without a good lens.
Yeah I’ve been saying the same, too many bodies for almost no lenses, if you take the kit-lens-type with low aperture, you end up with just a few primes and no high-end zoom at all, no decent macro or a portrait lens, so much is lacking for E-Mount, when you compares that to Fuji’s X-Mount, which is barely one year old, they have pretty good selection of lenses and more to come.
I’m waiting to see what Fuji managed to pull out of that new 1080p60 36mbps codec and then I’ll wait for the new X-Mount camera and this NEX-7n to decide, should I stay or should I go.
We replace camera more often than lenses, so it’s logical to introduce more cameras than lenses. Besides, Sony promises us 5 lenses per year beginning from this year.
Most lenses are not poor in aperture. The zooms are slow, but compact while all but one of the primes feature very respectable speeds.
Sony is designing lenses for three markets. The PZ 18-200 is for the video market, the other current zooms except the 10-18 are for the consumer market and the primes and 10-18 are for the enthusiast market. And the speed of the lenses matches very well to the intended markets for that lens aside from the 30 macro, which is a little slow (it also should be a 60mm)
Do people still shoot video WHILE zooming?
Mathias
NEX 7 is serious camera and it would be nice to get rid of the “Smile Shutter”, “Toy camera”, “Pop Color” and “Autumn Leaves” gimmicks.
None of those make the camera any less serious. Just don’t use them.
Oh, Karen… As said already, just don’t use them. Then you can be all serious and stuff.
OK. If you’ll find in the new NEX 7N blink detection, fart detection, pregnancy tester … you will say “Just don’t use them”?
Of course not! Who could resist a fart detector? You want know who dealt it? NEX-7N can tell you!
I think I’ll use it, just for fun!
If those features would make you more grouchy and keep entertaining us, then hopefully they get added soon! 😛
I’d like to see the Nex menu system greatly improved and streamlined in the 7n.
Also, Nex 7n needs custom settings memories.
I’ll be getting it right away. I currently have the nex 7 and nex 6 which I use for short films and photography. The nex 7 overheats way to quickly in video mode. The nex 6 does good in the video department but it lacks the professional control of the camera that the nex 7 has. Can’t wait for the nex 7n.
Seen the 7D mk II specs?!
Top camera (if true) with top lenses!
Only…..bit heavy…..
Geez, the onslaught of Nex bodies continues. Sony is the only camera company that releases more bodies than lenses. Aye…
How about some fast/constant aperture zooms in 24-70 and 70-200 equivalent, a couple decent portrait lenses and a few f1.4 lenses for portraits and shallow DOF please? The Alpha adapter is clunky. I’ll stick with my 5n until then.
I’m going to say that Sony is working on some fantastic glass to out resolove the resolution of the Nex-7. Until they do that they feel that the lenses that would work perfectly fine on the lower nex modies are just not ready for release yet because it has to work well with their flagship. Just a guess.
After seeing how much Canon was able to improve the 7D with a firmware update is proof that a lot of features can be tweaked, added or improved through the firmware.
It’s annoying that Sony would rather sell you another body than make lenses and update the firmware.
Yeah +1 !!
And I find it really sad that the last Nex 7 firmware was only for the 16-50 ! Where are the lens correction for the 35mm, the 20mm and the 10-18 ???
I would have bought one if I had it !!
Aww, come on, it is not so bad. We have sweet 24, 50 and 35 primes, and an ok (but slow) video zoom. The 55-210 serves in a pinch, too. A high quality zoom is still missing, but for portraits and macro, we can use lots of manual glass. (I love the fast old Olympus PEN lenses, and others are using Leica glass.)
Sony does not really offer more bodies than lenses; there are basically three acceptable options at the moment (low end, ok, ok+viewfinder), with the 7 having become obsolete due to the advances in the 6. I would really like to have a NEX with a better UI (and also GPS, higher ISO, and a faster video frame rate).
Fuji’s tempting X-E1 has a nicer UI, but even fewer lenses, and Pana and Oly have smaller sensors. At the moment, I don’t really see an alternative to Sony in the mirrorless market.
You want fast wide-range zooms? Gonna be big. Which means they’ll handle like crap on all the NEX bodies. Which is why Sony makes them in A mount instead. A NEX 16-50/2.8 isn’t going to be much smaller than the A mount one. So why should Sony bother, if you need that A mount exists.
As to the f1.4 primes? Yeah, I’d like some but it’s only 1/2 stop from f1.8 and you are not netting much DoF control either. Sony’s choice to stick to 1.8 for NEX and keep the size down makes a lot of sense here.
I hope Sony doesn’t drop the MP count. I have a 5N and a 7 and the extra MP of the 7 are nice for landscape work. With the right lenses you can make use of them.
Improved AF, improved ISO and a bit better dynamic range would be great. Some custom function buttons would be useful. I don’ get the complaints about menus. They do suck but you never have to use them on the 7 as far as I can tell. Customer settin buttons would mean I would never touch them, ever.
Better remote control functionality is really important in my limited view.
Nobody wants a Zeiss zoom for E-mount, we all want the selection of fast primes that m4/3 has!
I want a zeiss or a G zoom !!!
Don’t expect too much from Sony, check the IQ high ISO of the 5R,6 vs 5n.
Check what you expect to have from FF A99 and what Sony give us in exchange….
You will be less deceived , if you don’t expect too much.
Probably Sony’s strategy is to give us more gadgets than more IQ !
Nothing you have said there makes sense…
IQ of the NEX 7 can be great in the right hands.
And my A99 is fantastic. I moved from Canon 5D2 to Sony. No regrets at all.
Do you just talk about gear with your own prejudices, or do you actually use it and take lots of pictures?
I said just don’t expect too much!
new sensor, new viewfinder, new af. Sounds greta to me! But I also want to see the real image samples before to express my final judgment.
I am hoping that the Nex-7n will be the camera that I jump in and buy. I have the RX100 for weekend, family shooting and it is a great little camera. I was playing with a mates Fuji X100 and it was so cumbersome, I couldn’t wait to give it back, the RX100 is just much better in my view, much more fun to use.
I’m looking to jump into a smaller camera system, as I use Canon for my work, but they are just to big for the jobs, like events. They are OK when I have an assistant with me. If I can get the same IQ, and fast accurate auto focus as my canons but in a small package. I will start using that system for certain jobs.
looking to the future, I would buy the Nex FF and keep the Nex 7n as the back up to the FF. All in a system that is half the size of my canon gear. Lets hope the features are there on the Sonys.
IQ-specially at 1600-3200 iso
Lens quality
Auto focus speed and ACCURACY
easy of use on the job-maybe a Q button or Fn button
Accurate metering
Wifi-to upload to iPad to show clients on the job
Have I forgotten anything, I’m sure someone will think of something?
Snooze…yet another boring Sony body. Why doesn’t Sony make some decent lenses for a change?
I am shooting with an NEX-7 and love it. I have used gear from Minox spy cameras to 8×10 inch view cameras, and the NEX-7 is one of the best yet. I have only a few small quibbles. Making the various buttons programmable is a great idea, but more functions should be available–for example, focus peaking level and color. Reviewing images should be possible at magnification. And user configurations should be able to be saved. But the image quality of this small unit is just great. Anyone who complains about that is probably not as interested in making images as in a kind of gear-head numbers-comparison infatuation.
Is there any update on the Nex7, I notice it was predicted to be announced in April we are one month past this date.
It certainly sounds worth the wait?
So we went from a SR5 ‘it will come in march’ to a SR3 ‘it may come later this year’ … Andrea, do you have ANY info regarding the announcement date?