I need another camera like I need another hole in my pierced head, but . . .
I have a Nikon D7000 which I ADORE. But, we hike a lot, and carrying my Nikon with my Macro and Wide Angle lenses (and sometimes a telephoto) gets really heavy.
The Sony NEX 7 is coming out (supposedly) soon. It's got a 24 mp sensor and lots of bells and whistles and it would be a lot lighter, even with lenses. But, dang, it'll be more expensive than my D 7000.
Any thoughts? Has anybody tried a Sony and actually preferred it over a DSLR? Since the NEX 7 hasn't come out yet, obviously, nobody except lucky advance-copy reviewers have really tried it. Would I just be disappointed with the NEX and wind up lugging my beloved Nikon everywhere anyway?
I am no expert nor have I used either but I'm doing a lot of research into the Sony cameras as I'm looking at upgrading my p&s. I've read a zillion reviews and I read very positive things about the NEX cameras especially the NEX 5N which seems to be coming out on top of the NEX 7 and is cheaper.
I have the NEX 5 which I bought in the summer - I absolutely adore it! I have an entry-level DSLR I bought about 3-4 years ago - and it knocks spots off it. The lens is excellent, it's got full manual functionality, it's extremely light and small - but it is pricey. And I occasionally get irritated with the controls - can be a bit finicky and the video record button is in the wrong place and I keep hitting it by mistake. But APART from that - I love it.
Consider that NEX-7 and NEX-5N both have a lower performance AF than Nikon 7000, specially in low light you will notice it. And they both have less focus points than 7000 (25 against I gues 34 of 7000). But, as the size and weight matters to you and you are going to choose between NEX-7 and NEX-5N consider the followings:
NEX-7 has a better built body (Metal inside), it has 3 dials which gives you a better manual control than 5N (5N has a touchscreen instead), it has a built in viewfinder (Which is very important if you are doing professional work), which to get an external one on 5N you have to pay more than 340$. Also, it has a higher number of pixels than 5N. The body is bigger than 5N and gives you a much better grip.
But, as NEX-7 has the same size sensor of 5N but making more mega pixels out of it, the noise level in higher ISOs are more than 5N. And 5N is a lot cheaper than NEX-7.
The buttom line, NEX-5N designed for people who are upgrading from a point and shoot, and NEX-7 designed for people who are used to work with DSLRs and looking for something smaller with near functionality.
I have the NEX-5N and love the camera. It's easy to use and fairly customizable considering the relatively low number of buttons and controls. However, the lack of a viewfinder is my biggest complaint and most likely the reason I will switch to the NEX-7 as soon as it is available. I know - you can add a viewfinder to the 5N but it looks like it could be damaged easily from the way it sticks out and it costs $350 which puts the combination within a couple hundred dollars of the 7.
@mhphoto Thanks, Mike. I wound up going with the Olympus Pen E-P3 for various reasons, though I'm sure I'll have a bit of buyer's remorse when the NEX-7 comes out! I have the EVF for my Olympus, and it is kind of a pain to use and it doesn't fit in my bag when attached to the camera (though I could get a bigger bag, I guess). I went with the Oly mainly because I was going micro 4/3 for size and weight. We hike a lot in the summers, and taking my Nikon D7000 with all my huge lenses was just getting ridiculous. So, I liked how small the Oly lenses are and how light the camera is.
Hey guys, I got my NEX-7 a few weeks ago and am still evaluating it but I can tell you it is an amazing camera. I'm coming off a D700 and have also used an X100 a lot. With the 7's three dials and high level of customisation, you can run it like a DSLR, however it won't shoot as fast with continual autofocus, and when it comes to winter temperature and heavy gloves etc, forget about it. However, I've yet to find any limitations in real-world shooting where I felt I missed a shot because I didn't have my D700. My one gripe so far is that after you shoot it takes a couple of seconds to display the result in the viewfinder. If you turn image review off it's not an issue but it is slower in this respect than the X100 (faster in every other respect). In terms of build, look, feel, grip and handling, it is as good as the reviewers say it is. In terms of image quality, it is on par with the D7000 but if you're coming off a full-frame DSLR there will be more noise than you're used to as the ISO creeps up. The thing to remember is these are 24mp files so you will not likely see the noise at reasonable printing or screen sizes, and the noise looks GOOD. Like film grain.
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NEX-7 has a better built body (Metal inside), it has 3 dials which gives you a better manual control than 5N (5N has a touchscreen instead), it has a built in viewfinder (Which is very important if you are doing professional work), which to get an external one on 5N you have to pay more than 340$. Also, it has a higher number of pixels than 5N. The body is bigger than 5N and gives you a much better grip.
But, as NEX-7 has the same size sensor of 5N but making more mega pixels out of it, the noise level in higher ISOs are more than 5N. And 5N is a lot cheaper than NEX-7.
The buttom line, NEX-5N designed for people who are upgrading from a point and shoot, and NEX-7 designed for people who are used to work with DSLRs and looking for something smaller with near functionality.