Anyone have a Sony NEX7? - Page 5

Shawn, at this point as I said, there's not much point. I like the image (both still & video much better), I like the lightweight relative to the GH2 and I really love using the camera.

It's just much more fun to use than the GH2 IMO.

Thanks, I'll give them a look. I generally give my stuff to a buddy (same guy that also thought the NEX looked sharper & more detailed than my GH2...he does video professionally too) and he puts it on EBay.

Do you think you get a better price on your site vs EBay?

I might consider the 16-50 with the adapter. But I'm surprised you found the Zeiss not to be that sharp. It seems everyone raves about that glass.

I actually think some of Sony's glass is under-rated.

Steve, in video mode the camera seeks a shutter speed in the area of 1/125 regardless of what it was set to in still mode. At least that's my understanding of it. I'm still learning!

Wow, the Sigma is very impressive for a lens of that price Shawn! I'll give it a whirl. I wasn't really planning to get that Zeiss lens, just too much for what it offers. I see Sony is coming out with a new 18-200 that's a bit smaller & lighter than the existing one.

I'll need a longer zoom than the kit lens, so I might look into it.

BTW, I had done a test (it's been a long time since I used this mode given my dislike for 24p) with the GH2 at 1080 24p. Now THERE you have some resolution that gives the Sony a run for its money and dare I say, probably a bit more resolute. I still see a bit of mud in shaded areas where the Sony shows more detail. But in better lit areas the GH2 does look somewhat sharper there. But as I saw a car passing by in my scene, I realized why I disliked that frame rate so much. I still preferred the overall look of the Sony video, given its dynamic range & color. But I just want to show you I am very objective about this stuff. Give credit where credit is due. But 720p & even 1080i...nope, I won't go that far!

I'll let you know how that Sigma lens works out and thanks for that link!

Remember I was always using the GH2 at either 720p or 1080i because of the smooth, natural motion At those resolutions I still stand by my assertion that the NEX is sharper and resolves more detail than the GH2. It's really easy to see.

But then there's 1080 24p on the GH2 and that's where the tables turned. With the exception of the occasional mud, detail-obscuring areas of the Gh2, the GH2 generally was sharper and somewhat more resolute. So sharper at 24p yes, but all other resolutions and frame rates (60i), no.

For me that was always the frustrating thing about the GH2. 24p and even 30p never provided the smooth motion I needed on any camera I've ever used.

So for 1080 60p, the Sony is my choice (NEX or Alpha). Like you Shawn, I can not give up 60p. I don't have to worry about panning, I don't have to worry about fast motion, I can just concentrate on what I want to shoot and get a great image...hell, even my last test @1080 24p with the GH2 before I packed it up, had some neighbor walking somewhat briskly in the frame and even there the 24p stutter was clearly visible and at least for me, clearly distracting.

I haven't checked out the slo mo, but I will. I'm going to see if I can't grab that Sigma lens today at a local camera shop that sells the NEX. I'll let you know how that works out. Did you like the Sony pancake lens? It does make the cam almost pocketable.

Yup. That's why Canon went to a 1920x1080 sensor in their G10 and XA10 camcorders, better low light. But I still like the overall NEX7 package over the NEX5n. I'll still be using my XA10 at times, so I have the low light capability when I need it. But I'd like to see a fast lens on the 7 to see how it compares to the XA10. I limit gain (where I can) on all my camcorders to control noise and I generally won't allow the cam to go over 15-18db of gain.

Just got the Sigma for delivery on Monday.

Me too!

For me the OLED VF was a big draw. A camera, any camera is pretty much useless to me if it has no VF. You just can't accurately compose or focus in the sun with those damn LCD screens. Although I could have gotten the outboard OLED for the 5n, I liked the idea of it being an integral part of the camera. Likewise for the flash. So giving up some low light for improved usability was fine for me.

But yes, the megapixel race is loony. As I said before, Canon got smart with the XA10 & G10 camcorders that offered a 1920x1080 sensor. No more or less than you need for true HD. Those cams wound up being rated best and are also excellent in low light. No surprise.

Well I got my Sigma lens today and it was not a good experience. The autofocus was slow and constantly hunting, there was a rattle in the lens and finally the lens just died. At first I got nervous thinking the lens had somehow toasted the NEX. Fortunately that wasn't the case after I put the kit lens back on.

I tried reattaching the Sigma and found the VF would brighten then dim and the cycle would repeat. I finally got an error message saying the lens wasn't attached properly and therefore not recognized.

After reading a few other people that had QC issues with the lens. I decided to just return it and get something else. The other thing I noticed was the color rendition was quite different. The lens was decidedly warmer. I would have thought the AWB would have adjusted for lens characteristics like color, but it remained warmer. I thought this too could be a problem if you're switching lenses and each time you get a very different color balance.

Very weird.

Yeah, the autofocus was very noisy (before it died) and the rattle in the lens has been confirmed by others. Sounds & feels very cheap. It was the 19mm

My buddy that was wowed by the videos I showed him just ordered the NEX7. We're both considering the VG20 to replace our Canon XA10s.

I love the idea of being able to use the same lenses in both systems.

The Sigma colors were significantly warmer, but I suspect less accurate than the Sony lenses. It was pleasing though.