NEX-7. Yeah baby, YEAH!

[kshapero]

Soon I will have a new backup camera: my NEX 3!

 

[Phantomas]

Great new interview from Sony. Sony's slowly moving away from DSLR and into SLT (logical). Also, full-frame NEX expected next year. I'm happy they are realising the needs of nieche customers too:
“If you are adapting third-party lenses onto a Micro-Four Thirds sensor, you are doubling the focal length effectively. With the NEX system, you have a better bunch of options for adapting lenses.”

 

[bwcolor]

Yes it's like an M macro adapter, but a quick turn of the helical and you're back to regular M adapter. I've been using one for a few weeks.

Link here

I would think that a carefully machined mount would be needed for such an adapter. Slightly out of tolerance and some aspect of the image will suffer. Is this helical mount of such quality ?

 

[morgan]

Sure, many people take great photos with these cameras.

For anyone who wants to use M lenses on digital with a reasonable crop factor, these are the only choices: M8, RD1, and NEX. Used top condition RD1s have been about $1200 for a while now, with 6mp and 1.5x crop. I don't see many people spending that amount when they can get a $1200 NEX with 24mp, much higher ISO, and the same crop with a new warranty. Not to mention using the close focus M adapter which can't be used on the RD1. Pretty much the same goes for the M8.

The beauty of the R-D1 is the design - it's a film camera body with a sensor in place of film. It handles so well that you don't even need the screen (I leave mine flipped around). It's an effortless camera to use. But while the sensor of the R-D1 has had an amazing shelf life, I wouldn't mind the ability to crop more than just a bit sometimes and to have cleaner higher isos. I'm definitely intrigued by the nex7, although I'm also holding out hope for that pana GF pro that rumors say will have some kind of vf.

 

[jsrockit]

The beauty of the R-D1 is the design - it's a film camera body with a sensor in place of film. It handles so well that you don't even need the screen (I leave mine flipped around). It's an effortless camera to use.

Some people just don't get this though. I wish I was one of them... I'd just use a low end DSLR and call it a day.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

The 7 looks almost perfect. Except for the lenses.... God, if they only had a compact lens in the e-28 to 50mm range, i'd be thrilled. The Zeiss 24 is probably quite good, but it negates the camera's purpose for me. I recall when i had one of my Contax G2s, and as lovely as the results from the G90mm were, i never carried that lens around. It just felt too big and awkward (on that camera, compared to the 28/35/45). This is, of course, relative, since i'm used to a large 35mm SLR, and even carry MF. But, in context, i just can't get excited about the NEX yet. But, I'm close. It helps that i can put my old Jupiter-3 on it and use focus peaking, and i love the articulating LCD - that, to me, is gold. TLR-style, and potentially far more 'stealth-capable' than any Leica.

To throw a hair into the soup, though, there's a PJ on the LightStalkers site who has been talking about ANOTHER compact APS-C camera with interchangeable lenses. To be announced "Sept/Oct." I think he's saying it's going to be a Pentax, and it's NOT the little micro Q thing. He says it's for "experts" (pros).

http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/point-and-shoot-update
by Adrian Branco*

*I don't know this fellow, other than from just finding this thread, but it seems he's a working PJ as well as an "editor" of a french gear site, 01net.com.

 

[bitboy]

I just ordered mine from Sony.com, with the 18-55 kit lens. Next purchase, the 24mm 1.8 Zeiss.

 

[efirmage]

This is the perfect stop-gap between me and an M9 (10... 11...).

Should be a great companion to my M6, as I want to shoot both film and digital. Would love a great pancake lens on that though, for when I need autofocus.

 

[spencewine]

I think Adrian was talking about the Nex 7

I think Adrian was talking about the Nex 7

@ CX Dexter

Translated, but you need to go down to the link:


http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.01net.com/&ei=FC9VTv35OvGFsgLotoSsBw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CB4Q7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3D01net.com%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DFBx%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US😱fficial%26prmd%3Divns

 

[loneranger]

I just ordered mine from Sony.com, with the 18-55 kit lens. Next purchase, the 24mm 1.8 Zeiss.

So you just ordered the Nex7 , due to be released in November?
why order so early.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

@spencewine
Maybe i'm reading this wrong, or i'm overly optimistic, but....

The NEX system was already a known entity when Adrian's thread on lightstalkers was in progress. He seems to be speaking of a new system altogether:
"Pentax Q is for wide audience, wait for the APS-C system in september/october 2011" - this after already mentioning the NEX.

And, this was the last mention, from July 21. The NEX 7 was already being discussed more than a year earlier:
"sorry to spoil without being able to give you all the details.... I had a presentation (under NDA) from a major photo manufacturer about an expert interchangeable lens camera body. I said expert, not an easy-newbie toy.
Will be able to give you more details and also JPEG/RAW files late August. If you are not decided yet about the compact camera you want, wait until this date. This is heavy-weight in my opinion."

 

[claacct]

Suddenly X100 is a thing of the past... This brutal photography market must be hard to keep up with especially when you're one of those who feel new cameras equal better pictures.

The sad and amusing part for me was to see the announcement of 'new' compact digitals by Nikon and cannon on the same page as all these revolutionary Sony stuff...

Bring in the Lytro cameras so the in the stale and stagnated pond of still photography is finally dried up...

 

[Paul T.]

Suddenly X100 is a thing of the past... .

Personally, if I blow $1000-1200 on a new digital to replace my GF1 in the fall, it would be the Fuji rather than the Sony. 35mm is my favoured FL, and i'd prefer an optical VF.

What's great, though, is that we are finally getting more choice in compact cameras, with decent size sensors and fast lenses.

 

[segedi]

Two things -

The ability to purchase a body only is great. One reason I didn't get a NEX-5 was the inclusion of a lens I wasn't going to use.

The other thing, I can't wait to buy one used on RFF after another update comes out 🙂

 

[AFenvy]

Two things -

The ability to purchase a body only is great. One reason I didn't get a NEX-5 was the inclusion of a lens I wasn't going to use.

The other thing, I can't wait to buy one used on RFF after another update comes out 🙂

The inclusion of a lens was not really an issue when I bought my NEX-5. I bought mine with the 16mm lens, then sold the lens for $200. So I saved an easy $200 on my NEX.

 

[uhoh7]

@spencewine
Maybe i'm reading this wrong, or i'm overly optimistic, but....

The NEX system was already a known entity when Adrian's thread on lightstalkers was in progress. He seems to be speaking of a new system altogether:
"Pentax Q is for wide audience, wait for the APS-C system in september/october 2011" - this after already mentioning the NEX.

And, this was the last mention, from July 21. The NEX 7 was already being discussed more than a year earlier:
"sorry to spoil without being able to give you all the details.... I had a presentation (under NDA) from a major photo manufacturer about an expert interchangeable lens camera body. I said expert, not an easy-newbie toy.
Will be able to give you more details and also JPEG/RAW files late August. If you are not decided yet about the compact camera you want, wait until this date. This is heavy-weight in my opinion."

sounds like the x300?

 

[kshapero]

Now the dilemma: after all the complaining, Sony is coming out with some real nice E-mount AF Primes. I thought I was supposed to not care about this since I have a bunch of M mount lenses taking turns on my NEX w/ M adapter. Are we getting something better with the new E-mount Zeiss besides Auto Focus? Should I care?

 

[slm]

I would care... why wouldn't you take them into consideration at the very least ?

 

[ampguy]

Somewhere out there is an interview with a Sony engineer who mentioned that next generation sensors might increase MP but not necessarily increase high ISO performance beyond what it was already. Most folks at that time (~6 mo. ago?) thought he was talking about the D700 successor sensor, but it could be this NEX 7 24MP sensor too.

For those that wan't the best in APS-C, the NEX 3c and 5c have the world class D7000 sensor. While 16MP, DR, color, ISO performance, etc., just doesn't get better, and I still print 13x19 from 6-7MP, and even film!!

 

[douglasf13]

I would think that a carefully machined mount would be needed for such an adapter. Slightly out of tolerance and some aspect of the image will suffer. Is this helical mount of such quality ?

Yes, that is why it is almost $200. The only issue I can see is that, when the helicoid is extended, there is a small gap where dust could get into the helicoid, but I don't expect it to be a problem any time soon.

Honestly, the Hawks helicoid adapter transforms M lenses by giving them SLR-like minimum focus distances on NEX. Outstanding.