My New Sony Nex-3 Body!

[Nokton48]

50mm V1 Leitz Elmar F2.8 on Nex-3.

50mm V1 Leitz Elmar F2.8 on Nex-3.

This is awesome. Finally my old Zeiss lenses can be put to use again. The Rollei 35mm SLR cameras are always prone to fail.

Thanks again.

You're Welcome Raid!

One of the advantages of the Nex (I think) is that there are -so- many adapters available, for just about every lens that I own. It's going to take a while, to try all the different possibilities 😀

Film/Digital body/lens interchangablility also does it for me.
Well worth every cent spent.

 

[River Dog]

I've always been a sort of purist, one of the "Digital Sucks" guys, but the Nex-3 has opened my eyes to the possibilities that abound.

I couldn't agree more. It opens up the fun of using old lenses that have a lot better chance of working in this configuration than on some of the old cameras I have been collecting. It also protects my investment in glass as I alternate between film and digital.

I have ordered a Pentax K adapter to try my 28 and 50 1.4

 

[Nokton48]

Weekly Trip to Midwest Photo Nex-3 58mm F1.2 MC

Weekly Trip to Midwest Photo Nex-3 58mm F1.2 MC

Minolta 58mm F1.2 on the Nex-3. Visited Midwest Photo, tried the 16mm F2.8 Sony (and I -may- buy one in the future).

Wife was looking at the 28mm F1.8 EFS Canon, from her old friend from school, who now works there.

 

[Nokton48]

I couldn't agree more. It opens up the fun of using old lenses that have a lot better chance of working in this configuration than on some of the old cameras I have been collecting. It also protects my investment in glass as I alternate between film and digital.

I have ordered a Pentax K adapter to try my 28 and 50 1.4

Very Well said!

 

[raid]

The Olympus 4/3 seems to be an equally good alternative here.

 

[River Dog]

The Olympus 4/3 seems to be an equally good alternative here.

Maybe. My wife had a EPL-1 and hated it for many reasons - LCD was horrible, low res and flickered in low light. Auto exposures were all over the place... but maybe it was just a duff one. She sold it within 3 months.

Ergonomically, the NEX-3 is much smaller and thinner. It will slip into my inside jacket pocket without a lens. Or an envelope 😎

Basically, you are carrying around the lens. Any smaller and you would be looking through just the lens, trying to make a sketch 🙂

 

[Nokton48]

Hasselblad 135mm F5.6 Planar-S on Nex 3.

Hasselblad 135mm F5.6 Planar-S on Nex 3.

Sharpest Hasselblad lens I've ever used, it's a fave of mine. Shown focused at infinity, nice easy viewing on the Nex-3 screen. This one is going to get quite a bit of use in the future, for me.

 

[River Dog]

Sharpest Hasselblad lens I've ever used, it's a fave of mine. Shown focused at infinity, nice easy viewing on the Nex-3 screen. This one is going to get quite a bit of use in the future, for me.

Holy crap, got any images from that rifle? You're crazy 😀 but I understand.

 

[raid]

Could you show use a few high resolution images taken with this lens and the NEX?

 

[Paddy C]

The Olympus 4/3 seems to be an equally good alternative here.

I've been waffling over the two for some time, but I'm thinking now that the Nex is much better if you can live without an EVF.

Here's a size comparison I found that sealed it for me:

http://www.seriouscompacts.com/f41/mirrorless-camera-size-comparison-nex5-nx10-e-p2-e-pl1-gf1-g2-295/

You're getting lot with a Nex for no size difference.

My only reservation about the system is the e-mount flange distance. At the moment I wonder if it will be very difficult to build a good lens given the size of the sensor and distance to it. The current e lenses don't look great (usable but with problems). It will be interesting to see how the Zeiss performs and at what price.

 

[Nokton48]

Hassy 135mm Planar-S with Bellows on Nex-3.

Hassy 135mm Planar-S with Bellows on Nex-3.

Iso 3200, quickie tabletop shot of my V1 50mm F2.8 Elmar, with Nex mount. Exposure 1/8 sec at F5.6, holding down the rig during the shot.

The "weathered paint" shot is from earlier today, ISO 1600 Minolta 58mm F1.2 wide-open.

 

[raid]

:

My only reservation about the system is the e-mount flange distance. At the moment I wonder if it will be very difficult to build a good lens given the size of the sensor and distance to it. The current e lenses don't look great (usable but with problems). It will be interesting to see how the Zeiss performs and at what price.

This could be a major factor, Paddy. It seems to be about balancing choice of sensor size and e-mount flange distance. It may require a carefully conducted testing, without bias, to better figure out the pros and cons of 4/3 versus NEX. It would be good to see a NEX user test an EP2 with electronic VF and have an EP2 user test a NEX.

 

[River Dog]

Iso 3200, quickie tabletop shot of my V1 50mm F2.8 Elmar, with Nex mount. Exposure 1/8 sec at F5.6, holding down the rig during the shot.

The "weathered paint" shot is from earlier today, ISO 1600 Minolta 58mm F1.2 wide-open.

That Minolta looks soft to me - I get a 'dreamy' look with the Pentax 1.4 on film, I wonder how it will turn out on the NEX, probably the same.

Hassy looks good but difficult to see at that size.

 

[douglasf13]

This could be a major factor, Paddy. It seems to be about balancing choice of sensor size and e-mount flange distance. It may require a carefully conducted testing, without bias, to better figure out the pros and cons of 4/3 versus NEX. It would be good to see a NEX user test an EP2 with electronic VF and have an EP2 user test a NEX.

The short registration distance isn't an issue with building good lenses. The manufacturers can make the lenses as long as they want to compensate for the short registration distance. The Sony 16mm is actually a pretty remarkable lens, considering the size. Had Sony made it double the length, it would probably have been better.

The issue with m4/3 for me with legacy lenses is all about the 2x crop. The 1.5x crop of NEX is much more manageable.

As I mentioned above, using the Clearviewer has negated about 90% of my need for an EVF on NEX.

 

[nex100]

nex 3 are officially discontinued in japan.

 

[kshapero]

I studied the available models from Panasonic G1 etc, from Sony Nex 3/5,and Olympus E-PI,P2 etc, and came to the conclusion that they all lacked some of the features that I required.
It was essential for me to have built in EVF and the larger APS-C sensor with 1.5 mag. rather than 2.0mag which ruled out both the Panasonic and Olympus offerings.
The lack of built in EVF ruled out the Sony Nex offerings.
I found that the only camera that answered all my requirements was the Samsung NX10. I originally understood that it couldn't be used with adapters with Leica lenses but this isn't true, it can use an adapter for Leica screw lenses which is readily available.
Since I only use Leica screw lenses with my Leica M2 , the same lenses can be used with the Samsung NX10.
At its current low price I now have all I require and it gives me an "economy" M8 with a 14.6 mega-pixel sensor.
The build quality of the Samsung NX10 is very high and is worth considering if you are still undecided what camera gives the best features and value for money.

How is the EVF on the Samsung?

 

[River Dog]

I don't mind not having an EVF for my work. The LCD tilts up, so I can take photos without holding it to my eye or in front of my face. With me looking down, the subject thinks I am just fiddling with my camera, not taking a photo. The Zeiss I mount gives a punchy contrast that makes monochrome conversion very effective.

This is a bit like my TLR (though not back to front) and although I still have to get to grips with focussing fast enough, it does open up a more discrete style - having said that, the physical shutter is too noisy for quieter places.

 

[douglasf13]

The EVF on the Samsung is excellent.It is high resolution (921,000 dot),with high refresh rate, very clear and bright with adjustable eyesight correction and gives 100% field of view and the image can be magnified in the viewfinder to give precise focussing.A nice feature is that when you switch from viewing live view on the rear screen(3 inch 614,000 dot res.) to using the EVF with your eye, the camera detects the change and switches the EVF on instantly and the rear screen off instantly and vice-versa thus saving battery power.All the settings and information on the rear screen is given on the EVF including the various grids to aid composition (if required).
I doubt if it could be bettered in any current available equipment in this range of small compact system cameras.

For some photo's (not mine) and opinions about the NX10
see:-
http://www.seriouscompacts.com/f4/how-do-you-like-your-samsung-nx10-20/

The main issue to me with the Samsung NX cameras, outside of not being able to mount M lenses, is that, like Panasonic, their sensor tech is quite a bit behind Sony's, so the NEX does a better job at high ISO, and, even more importantly, the NEX dynamic range is quite a bit larger.

Putting a Clearviewer on the NEX's 920K pixel screen works very well, although shooting it TLR style is the norm, it seems.

 

[Nokton48]

50mm F2 V1 Leitz Rigid Summicron on Nex-3.

50mm F2 V1 Leitz Rigid Summicron on Nex-3.

Heavy little gem, but balances very nicely on the Nex-3 body. Sweet combo. 😛

 

[Nokton48]

90mm F2 V1 Leitz Summicron on Nex-3 Body.

90mm F2 V1 Leitz Summicron on Nex-3 Body.

As comfortable as an old pair of shoes.