M8 vs Sony Nex 7; What to expect

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eleskin

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With the soon to hit the market Sony Nex 7 on the horizon, as an owner of the M8, I am quite interested in what this camera may offer. The big question is aps C is smaller than the M8 sensor but not by that much. High ISO should be superior to any digital M now for sale. Sony has a nifty focus assist mode which highlights an in focus subject in red. I would love to use that with a Noctilux. Megapixel range is 2x the M8 and all for $1000 USD. Camera body will be slightly larger than the M8. That is good. I hate fiddling with small cameras. My hands are large. The M8 is the smallest I can handle.
 
The Sony is an entirely different tool. I like to classify cameras by viewfinder type: M8=direct view, DSLR=reflex view, the mirrorless system types=live view, large format=view .
Each one has a different amount of processing applied to what we see in the viewfinder and in some cases time lags. The M8 is very unprocessed, other than the X0.68 magnification. The Sony is very processed, a JPEG thumbnail with color, saturation, contrast and Gama curves applied.
Both can be useful tools, but different enough to not replace each other. As for using Leica mount lenses, I'd watch for fall off issues.....probably no off-set microlenses.
Bob
 
I believe some folks swear by the optical viewfinder experience that the M8 provides. To them, the Leica M is simply in a different category than the NEX 7 or any other camera. Some even claim that this experience translates into better pictures.

They must be right or why else would anyone prefer a seven year old sensor in a fifty year old body over the creative freedom the NEX 7 will bring to the market? I am sure there were folks who could never get over the TLR either. (Ironically, some are NEX users, for obvious reasons.)

Get the camera that matches your shooting style and budget. One cautionary note, though: contrary to an insidious rumor that the NEX 7 is larger than a Leica M, it is, in fact smaller than the Ms along every dimension.
 
All technicalities aside, the m8 (and m9 of course) is a superb camera capable of amazing images even 5 years after its release. For that, i believe its a real Leica and will still be perceived the same 5 years from now.
The unique thing about a (digital) M is the fact that you can use all those great lenses the way they were made, using the rangefinder. The proces of manual focussing with the bright viewfinder that shows you the world outside, the framelines and the simplicity of using the rangefinder in one natural process cannot be matched ( by far) by using liveview with magnification or whatsoever technical trick. So if you want to enjoy the process of taking pictures with the nice m lenses, go for the m8. Of course, if you want video, 300mm zoom lenses, touchscreen etc, a leica m is not for you. But hey, you are already using one... Just like me and many others. Just stop thinking the grass next door is greener ( higher isos, more pixels etc). just my 5 cents
 
I will probably get an NEX-7 if it comes out as predicted. The only drawbacks that I see (vs the M8) are the AA filter, the larger crop factor, and the lack of an optical RF, though really the EVF in the Sony A55 is excellent, and supposedly the NEX-7 will be even better. Great! Better high iso will be much appreciated, principally if there's none of the banding that tends to ruin the M8 at 1250.

Obviously they're different beasts, and I don't think I'll get rid of M8, in fact I'll probably use it just as much as I do now, but as a second camera with M lenses, the NEX-7 looks to be really good for me.
 
I got myself a Nikon D3100 and use non-AI lenses on it. D3100+Nikkor 58/1.4 is less weight than a Leica M3+Jupiter-9 85/2.0.

No metering, no AF, brilliant quality in RAW and lenses for a song that also fit my Nikkormats.

That body set me back EUR 399 and lenses go for EUR 125 if it's something special but usually around EUR 40 only.

AI lenses even provide metering IIRC.

Honestly don't understand why anyone would bother with an EVF camera, or the M8 with the annoying anti-IR filters.
 
For me,
M8=better physical handling, better VF. N5=must chimp or use kludge VF, which I have done, but which negates some of the N5 advantages on form factor. M8 is the better physical experience to use. The tripod mount on the N5 is not well thought out and not very stable compared to the M8.

High ISO, nudge goes to N5 files.
Size, weight, cost N5 wins hands down. N5 uses many more lenses b/c of short flange-to-sensor design (Leica, Nikon, Canon, Konica, C/V etc.).

They are very different beasts. IMHO, the N5 (and N7 when it comes out) would be a good back-up for an M8 as it can be packed along with an adapter and used in situations where it shines.
 
I got a jtec quick release for the Nex5, solved the tripod issue. Flip LCD is great, high ISO much better than M8. No real difference in sharpness as I'm not making huge prints. Able to use all my Contax lenses, plus M lenses, and M lenses focus MUCH closer with the Hawk adapter than any M rangefinder can ever do.

M8 viewfinder doesn't have enough magnification for me, RF patch is much too small. Give me an M8 with an M3 viewfinder and I'd be happy. :)

Really looking forward to the NEX 7, after shooting the 5. The EVF is supposed to have more than twice the pixels of the Panasonic G1 EVF which I found quite good...
 
Sorry for my ignorance but...can someone explain to me how you would focus with an EVF. Is it done through the EVF or on the LCD?

Thanks
Joe
 
@Joe. It is like a tiny TV-in-a-hole. In practice, it is very much like using an SLR with a focusing screen. Except that you can magnify the image for critical focusing.
 
For Sony, it's academic as there is no EVF currently available, as far as I know. But for the Olympus E P-2 for instance, the EVF is an add on. You can either have the EVF on and screen off, or vice versa. When you are using the EVF on the Oly, all the information, functions and features that you would access though viewing the rear screen, are accessed by looking through the EVF. Don't know how this works with cameras that have touch screens. And the EVF for the Nex7 is currently still vaporware, so we will just have to wait and see.
 
M8 "vs" Sony NEX for manual-focused LTM/M lenses = eating your noodles with chopsticks "vs" plastic fork. Simple matter of convenience/taste/level-of-whocares!-ism
 
LCT said:
Oranges vs apples. Sony NEX are not and will never be rangefinders.
Click to expand...

maybe not, but they put the glass to use...


6022984133_838c53c67b_z.jpg


6058717884_e2eb09c320_b.jpg


I agree the crop is a bummer and the M8 is great. But the 7 will have offset micro lenses somewhat like the m9 and should be a very strong performer.

I wish sony would give us an RF like viewfinder---live, but with the leica style focus aid---then the purists would spit out their coffee :)

The plus side of the sensor size is that the whole PEN line of half frames lenses, not to mention anything else you want to try, fits right on and shoots well.
 
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I am very interested in the NEX7 as a complement to my M8 and 9. Small, compact, and I can see using both my existing lenses and also a 105 f1.8 manual focus Nikkor. There are a lot of neglected manual focus lenses that could have a new life [the 135 f2 Nikkor comes to mind as well--might need to look for one].
 
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