Sony NEX-7 Arrived Yesterday - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

03/02/2012 03:38:55 AM · #1

Yesterday I picked up the new Sony NEX-7 with the 18-55 mm zoom lens. Unfortunately, the 55-210 mm and the Zeiss 45 mm are both on back order so I was not able to receive a completed order. My dealer offered to loan me a the very large 18-200 mm for an up and coming airshow shoot that I have planned in place of the back-ordered 55-210 mm, but this combination looks odd especially when the zoom is racked all the way out. This lens is larger than the camera. I understand that I can buy an adapter to place my Nikkor lenses on this Sony body and I think that I will buy this ring to play with so I can see what new realities I can create with this irregular combination.

My first impression is that this camera is awesome. I will share a few images later this weekend.

It feels good in my fat hands which was a worry before I picked it up. It is not the same at all compared to the NEX-5 which was another concern since I found that model to be lightweight and having a plastic feel to it. I am still trying to figure out all of the controls and the settings; there are many so it will take some time to gain a comfort level. But, it is somewhat intuitive so I am confident that I will get there.

The ISO setting is defaulted to auto so it throttles the ISO setting based upon need. When I used the built-in flash, it dropped the ISO and when I shot in low light it drove it up. The higher ISO seems to hold together well in dark areas of the scene, but more examination is required.

The colourimetry looks good and skin tones seem to hold true with and without the flash. The built-in flash is an engineering marvel the way that it extends out and retracts back into the main body of the camera. I need to try the camera outdoors to see how well it works in high contrast which is important to me and my type of photography. I also want to try the flash outdoors as I commonly use it for fill on sunny days.

There is no argument that this camera is a fine product and too good to be tossed into my brief case as I have always done with my previous Nikon, Canon and Panasonic point and shoot cameras, so I need a good protective case for it. By the way, I have a lot of P&S to get rid of now. Suddenly, they all became antiques in just one day, imagine.

While in the office yesterday, I took a snapshot of a work colleague at full figure showing head to toe. Then, we zoomed in on the head to look at individual strands of hair and the crisp letters identifying the maker of his prescription eyeglasses. I was stunned at the clarity of these images.

This camera is a true paradigm shift. I suspect that the photography industry has forever changed now that these high resolution cameras are hitting the market from Sony, Nikon, and Canon, as well as the amazing Nokia 41 megapixel cellular telephone announced this week.

The images that I have seen so far rival the results from my 6 cm x 6 cm Hasselblad film images that I scanned with my Nikon 4k x 4k scanner. To date, I have never seen any digital still camera that could compare with the Hasselblad film camera / Nikon 8000 image scanner combination. Now I have. So, I am even more excited to see the Nikon D800 that I still hope to receive before my trip to Florida in three weeks. A friend pointed out the delay in the D4, but it seems that the D800 version that I ordered is still on schedule - as of yesterday anyway. I hope it makes it in time so I can take it to the Sun 'n Fun aviation week in Lakeland at the end of the month. That will be a real test for the technology.

More to follow...

Michael

Ozzie

Nikon D90

03/02/2012 04:27:41 AM · #2

Thanks for your review, I've seen the reports on it in magazine etc, but it's good to have it verified by a real person. Look forward to seeing the images as they come.

03/04/2012 10:19:34 AM · #3

Interesting results for the NEX7 in these test results. I look forward to seeing the D800 here soon.

//www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Camera-Sensor-Ratings

Tiny

Apple iPad mini 4

03/04/2012 10:33:38 AM · #4

Thanks for that interesting stuff.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

03/23/2012 12:43:04 PM · #5

I wish I could get better lenses for the NEX7 camera. This is truly an amazing camera but the optics are not at the same level as the body. The Zeiss lens is back ordered until June. I guess I need to wait to see what this camera can truly do.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

03/23/2012 01:44:44 PM · #6

This is one I've been thinking of. Really want a small camera that shoots as good as my D7000 at least.

Too bad about the lenses...maybe if there were a micro-four-thirds adapter, that would be a "smaller" option with (relatively) lots of lenses to choose from.

Putting Nikkor lenses on certainly would save money...but they would be pretty heavy and big, and I bet it would feel the same as picking up a lens without a camera!

pixelpig

Sony Alpha a55

Sony DT 1.8/50mm SAM

03/23/2012 02:05:36 PM · #7

It is fun to get a new camera which is NEW in so many ways....looking forward to the pix, esp after you get your Zeiss lens.

03/23/2012 09:05:26 PM · #8

Neil, I purchased the Novapro adapter collar to mount the Nikkor optics on the NEX7, so once I have time next week to play around a bit at the airshow, I will see what superior optics and do for the NEX7. More posts of images promised...

Originally posted by Neil: