NEX-7 vs X100

[andrew00]

Hey,

This is a super quick probably inaccurate ghetto test between these two cameras before I head out for the evening. Don't make any grand judgements or anything but thought it'd be of interest.

Basically it's the Nex-7 w/Zeiss 24 1.8 at 1.8 (neutral, -3 to contrast and sharpness, 0 saturation, shoe tilted for bokeh), then twice at 5.6 (standard out of the factory, then neutral with -3 to contrast, saturation and sharpness), then the X100 at 5.6 (provia+Auto DR+soft mode which I presume is similar to -neging all the settings).

Initial thoughts are the Nex-7 is getting lots of detail and the Zeiss is really sharp, bokeh is nice too, pleased so far! Video coming tomorrow.

The X100 does do a great job of controlling DR/contrast. Nex-7 seems to underexpose, the shots done at neutral were with +1 EV which brings it back to the middle.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44388193@N06/6601590789/

 

[stompyq]

That Zeiss looks sweet!!

 

[Kent]

I have shot with the X100 this summer and now I have the NEX-7.
I decided against the X100 and for the NEX, because the NEX is more versatile and IMHO the images are even better (although the X100 can produce great photos!).

 

[celluloidprop]

How does the Zeiss/NEX combo feel, weight and balance-wise?

The Zeiss looks huge, but it's hard to really tell anything just from photos.

 

[andrew00]

Well it's still early doors of my using it, but...I like it.

It's big and small at the same time. In the sense that it is large compared to the NEX-7 which is tiny. And it's larger than, say, a 16 2.8 pancake.

Likewise it's a bigger combo than the X100 and I've read, I can't remember where, someone saying it felt like a 50mm not a 35mm. I understand that b/c the X100 is a good inch or two shorter and so the Zeiss is a little closer to the subject, so although both are 35mm equivalents, esp on close up shots, the lens gets closer to the subhect.

That being said, the combo still feels tiny and still feels very light, light as a feather, and the NEX-7 grip feels more solid. The X100 has quite a narrow/shallow grip so although it's perfectly holdable it doesn't have the same heft as the NEX-7.

The Sony does feel good, it has that 'shoot with me' feel. I had a Nex-5 when it first came out and it was a cool piece of tech but poor camera system. The Nex-7, so far, feels like Sony have gotten it 'right' this time, great tech, great camera, v. light and small but not miniscule and the images are great. I'll try post a HQ image later for peeps to pixel peep but they're really sharp and detailed.

 

[rbelyell]

always good to hear real life comparisons. added to the equation i believe in this case is relative cost: the sony rig is about what, 2-3 times the cost of the x100? at that kind of price disparity i would expect the sony to far outperform the x100, even though i adore that camera.

 

[andrew00]

It's just over double the price yes, in the UK about £800 for the X100 and about £1800 for the Nex+Zeiss.

I like the Sony as my 5dmk2 collapsed and I need something that does video, the Sony is a top sensor w/1080P video, good LCD, great EVF, focus peaking etc. It's a win for video so was a solid buy for me.

I can see myself investing in Zeiss glass if the focus ring is a smooth on M mount lenses as it is on the Zeiss 24 1.8, big step up from awful focus by wire Canons (esp L series lenses for some reason, the 50 1.2 L drove me mad). Nikon glass generally had great focusing too.

 

[rbelyell]

It's just over double the price yes, in the UK about £800 for the X100 and about £1800 for the Nex+Zeiss.

I like the Sony as my 5dmk2 collapsed and I need something that does video, the Sony is a top sensor w/1080P video, good LCD, great EVF, focus peaking etc. It's a win for video so was a solid buy for me.

I can see myself investing in Zeiss glass if the focus ring is a smooth on M mount lenses as it is on the Zeiss 24 1.8, big step up from awful focus by wire Canons (esp L series lenses for some reason, the 50 1.2 L drove me mad). Nikon glass generally had great focusing too.

yeah, i'm not a fan of L lenses either, way overrated and overpriced imo. you cant go wrong with zeiss, nothing beats the zeiss 'pop'!

 

[iskraII]

Really liked my X100 till I got Nex 5n and Zeiss Sonnar. X100 was sold 2 days later. Wide open, Fuji is not as contrasty and its corner resolution is way behind of that of Zeiss/Sony combination. I have Sony OLED VF on 5N but still miss X100 hybrid VF.

 

[rbelyell]

Really liked my X100 till I got Nex 5n and Zeiss Sonnar. X100 was sold 2 days later. Wide open, Fuji is not as contrasty and its corner resolution is way behind of that of Zeiss/Sony combination. I have Sony OLED VF on 5N but still miss X100 hybrid VF.

i dont spend a whole lotta time looking at the corners of my x100 photos, so i'm still amazed by it every time i take it out.🙂

 

[gavinlg]

Really liked my X100 till I got Nex 5n and Zeiss Sonnar. X100 was sold 2 days later. Wide open, Fuji is not as contrasty and its corner resolution is way behind of that of Zeiss/Sony combination. I have Sony OLED VF on 5N but still miss X100 hybrid VF.

Which you'd kind of expect considering the size and speed difference in the lenses 🙂

 

[jsrockit]

The X100 is sooooooooooooooo last year! 😉

 

[Richard G]

Great to hear about how good the NEX-7 is. Interesting to see that someone would compare this with the X100. The comparison for me would be with the M9. The X100 package is just so great. Goes everywhere, no decision about which lens to carry. Easy access controls. It's got what keeps people using Barnacks and Elmars: simple and small. Incredible value considering it's less than half of the cost of the NEX-7/Zeiss package. My M2 is just as last year as the X100 which is great for suppressing GAS. I would love to see the shots from the 50 C Sonnar on a NEX-7 though.

 

[celluloidprop]

I think the comparison is basically compact body plus fast 35mm equivalent lens. No one else is making a 24/2 (or 1.8) designed for APS-C.

The NEX-7/24 sounds like a great package. If Zeiss makes a nice system of lenses for the NEX, could be a great battle between them and the Fuji interchangeable system.

 

[bigeye]

The X100 is sooooooooooooooo last year! 😉

I spent the night reading Steve Huff's site about mirrorless cams. We started the year with the Leica X1, the X100 still just a press announcement and ended with the X100 in it's maturity.

1 more gen and we could be close to digital nirvana. Should be within 12 months, at this rate.

.

 

[benlees]

Things will get more interesting when the next X-- comes out!

 

[fireblade]

Things will get more interesting when the next X-- comes out!

and the next one🙂.....and the next one😀.....and the next one:bang:

 

[Frontman]

and the next one🙂.....and the next one😀.....and the next one:bang:

Perhaps this is one of the things which makes film cameras attractive; your film camera usually doesn't become obsolete after only a year.

I like the X100; the design and layout are closer to the film cameras which I use, the quality of the images is beyond adequate, and it's fixed-lens design is a benefit, not a drawback; I don't have to be tempted to buy expensive adapters or deal with crop factor when using other lenses.

For the meantime, I won't touch any other digicam until my current one stops working or gets stolen.

 

[Adanac]

I can see myself investing in Zeiss glass if the focus ring is a smooth on M mount lenses as it is on the Zeiss 24 1.8

I've not handled the Zeiss E mount 24/1.8. The ZM lenses a nice solid focus feel - they are manual focus lenses after all.

One thing to be wary of - the wider Biogons (21, 25, 28) are likely to be soft at the edges and in the corners even when stopped down some - this is a by-product of the NEX's anti-alias filter combined with the nature of the lens design. The ZM25 did not impress me on NEX, but I'm very pleased with it on the GXR.


The ZM18 is a different design and apparently isn't affected on the NEX-5N but I did not have a ZM18 when I owned the NEX so can't confirm this myself.

On an anti-alias filter free camera like the the Ricoh GXR (with the M mount module - the "Mount A12") or the Leica M9, you'll see these lenses behave as was intended, across the field.

The NEX-7/24 sounds like a great package. If Zeiss makes a nice system of lenses for the NEX, could be a great battle between them and the Fuji interchangeable system.

Ricoh will update their M mount module to the same sensor as the NEX-5N. As the existing anti-alias filter free 12.3 megapixel module handily competes with the 5N's 16MP sensor today, it isn't a stretch to expect that a Ricoh 16MP M mount module, presumably also anti-alias filter free, will compete very well with the NEX-7.

For that reason I wouldn't count Ricoh out of this battle or whatever we are calling it, at least if manual focus interchangeable lenses - rangefinder lenses particularly - are of key interest to a photographer.

 

[Shade]

The NEX7 and 28/1.8 combo is surely interesting. However it makes up to a fairly large set up compared to the X100. And I personally loved the Fuji OOC colours better...