Yesterday I received a Sony nex-5n and already played with it a bit. From January to March I will be shooting it beside my 5d MArk II in India. This little guy really has the potential of changing my photgraphy. Its so small and inconspicous, its almost scary. ( Except for the the silver lens, I wonder what idiot thought that cameras need to look like flashy jewelery; have to use black tape here. ). Anyways, menu and operation is very different than a dslr, but after a bit of customisation, I dont feel that it slows me down at all. Af is actuall not worse than the 5d in low light, even with the assist light tunred off . (yes, i know the 5d isnt great). In bright conditions the 5d is quite a bit faster, but the nex is already very fast and responsive,so for practical purposes, the speed difference is not relevant for me. Anybody not shooting sports or running kids, where AF-tracking is needed, should have no complaints.
The lack of an optical viewfinder may be more of an issue for me. Having tried the nex-7 at the local sony store, i decided that an evf is no replacement for an ovf. Yes, the evf on the alpha models resolves so highly that you hardly notice any pixels, but contrast and colour isnt natural at all. In addition, the tiny delay it has for adapting to different lightening conditions is enough for me to loose feeling for the scene. Thus, i decided to go cheaper for now and try the 5n first. If it stands the test I still my get the nex 7 for the control wheels. the EVf may also be helpful in very bright outdoor conditions. For now, I hope sony gets the 50mm 1.8 lens out before my departure , as adapting my canon lenses is not really a viable solution (no aperture control).
Right now I ll be doing some test prints, to see how large i can go. I-ll report back.
[quote name='jenbenn' timestamp='1322566635' post='13335']
Yesterday I received a Sony nex-5n and already played with it a bit. From January to March I will be shooting it beside my 5d MArk II in India. This little guy really has the potential of changing my photgraphy. Its so small and inconspicous, its almost scary. ( Except for the the silver lens, I wonder what idiot thought that cameras need to look like flashy jewelery; have to use black tape here. ). Anyways, menu and operation is very different than a dslr, but after a bit of customisation, I dont feel that it slows me down at all. Af is actuall not worse than the 5d in low light, even with the assist light tunred off . (yes, i know the 5d isnt great). In bright conditions the 5d is quite a bit faster, but the nex is already very fast and responsive,so for practical purposes, the speed difference is not relevant for me. Anybody not shooting sports or running kids, where AF-tracking is needed, should have no complaints.
The lack of an optical viewfinder may be more of an issue for me. Having tried the nex-7 at the local sony store, i decided that an evf is no replacement for an ovf. Yes, the evf on the alpha models resolves so highly that you hardly notice any pixels, but contrast and colour isnt natural at all. In addition, the tiny delay it has for adapting to different lightening conditions is enough for me to loose feeling for the scene. Thus, i decided to go cheaper for now and try the 5n first. If it stands the test I still my get the nex 7 for the control wheels. the EVf may also be helpful in very bright outdoor conditions. For now, I hope sony gets the 50mm 1.8 lens out before my departure , as adapting my canon lenses is not really a viable solution (no aperture control).
Right now I ll be doing some test prints, to see how large i can go. I-ll report back.
[/quote]
The NEX7 is already available in your world ?
FWIW, the 18-55 is also available in black - at least for the 7.
These dwarfish things are addictive indeed. I can't imagine to ever go back to DSLR photography.
[quote name='Klaus' timestamp='1322567246' post='13336']
The NEX7 is already available in your world ?
[/quote]
Sony stores have it for playing around with it, but not for sale yet. I tried one some weeks ago already.
[quote name='Klaus' timestamp='1322567246' post='13336']
The NEX7 is already available in your world ?
FWIW, the 18-55 is also available in black - at least for the 7.
These dwarfish things are addictive indeed. I can't imagine to ever go back to DSLR photography.
[/quote]
My part of the world is Berlin <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='  ' />. They have the nex-7 to try out at the sony center, potsdamer platz, you can also pre-order it there. no deliveries yet, however. Yes i know that the 7 comes with a black lens. but this one istn (yet) available seperatly or with the 5n. In any event, should the 5n perform as i hope it will, I probably wait for the "high quality standard zoom" on sonys roadmap, as the 18-55 seems to be sufficient but not great. I particualr miss higher speed at the long end. I may also end up with just the 24mm, the 50mm and something ulta wideangle. we'll see.
11-29-2011, 12:07 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-29-2011, 12:09 PM by Brightcolours.)
[quote name='Klaus' timestamp='1322567246' post='13336']
The NEX7 is already available in your world ?
FWIW, the 18-55 is also available in black - at least for the 7.
These dwarfish things are addictive indeed. I can't imagine to ever go back to DSLR photography.
[/quote]
Funny, I went the other way around from compact digital (Canon PowerShot S30 as my last) back to DSLR (Canon APS-C DSLR, 450D as my current) and can not imagine me going back to smaller.
Bigger sensor wise, yes. Smaller, no way. A Nex-5 has a very small body, sure. Ergonomic nightmare too, and it does not offer smaller lenses with the same capabilities I like either. I do see the attraction to small (easier to carry along), but small has its downsides too.
To jennben: If you can be happy with that lens and that APS-C sensor, why did you have a 5D instead of for instance a 550D? I think it may broaden your photography (when small and inconspicuous is needed), NEXT to your 5D.
[quote name='Brightcolours' timestamp='1322568435' post='13340']
Funny, I went the other way around from compact digital (Canon PowerShot S30 as my last) back to DSLR (Canon APS-C DSLR, 450D as my current) and can not imagine me going back to smaller.
Bigger sensor wise, yes. Smaller, no way. A Nex-5 has a very small body, sure. Ergonomic nightmare too, and it does not offer smaller lenses with the same capabilities I like either. I do see the attraction to small (easier to carry along), but small has its downsides too.
To jennben: If you can be happy with that lens and that APS-C sensor, why did you have a 5D instead of for instance a 550D? I think it may broaden your photography (when small and inconspicuous is needed), NEXT to your 5D.
[/quote]
50% of my shots is portraiture and low light. there are no fast wiede angle lenses for canon aps -C. I need at least 35mm 1.x eqivalent.W
[quote name='Klaus' timestamp='1322567246' post='13336']
These dwarfish things are addictive indeed. I can't imagine to ever go back to DSLR photography.
[/quote]
Guess it depends on the shooting style and needs, but the lack of tracking AF (except perhaps Nikon 1) is a deal breaker for me ditching a SLR system - for now. I think a DSLR + compact superzoom works better for me than something in between that's not as good as either.
Debating if I should bite on a 5D2 at the moment given I can't see the price really going further down than it is now. Or the eternal question if I should wait for the next one since I don't have a major need.
<a class="bbc_url" href="http://snowporing.deviantart.com/">dA</a> Canon 7D2, 7D, 5D2, 600D, 450D, 300D IR modified, 1D, EF-S 10-18, 15-85, EF 35/2, 85/1.8, 135/2, 70-300L, 100-400L, MP-E65, Zeiss 2/50, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300/2.8, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Olympus E-P1, Panasonic 20/1.7, Sony HX9V, Fuji X100.
[quote name='Brightcolours' timestamp='1322568435' post='13340']
Funny, I went the other way around from compact digital (Canon PowerShot S30 as my last) back to DSLR (Canon APS-C DSLR, 450D as my current) and can not imagine me going back to smaller.
Bigger sensor wise, yes. Smaller, no way. A Nex-5 has a very small body, sure. Ergonomic nightmare too, and it does not offer smaller lenses with the same capabilities I like either. I do see the attraction to small (easier to carry along), but small has its downsides too.
To jennben: If you can be happy with that lens and that APS-C sensor, why did you have a 5D instead of for instance a 550D? I think it may broaden your photography (when small and inconspicuous is needed), NEXT to your 5D.
[/quote]
50% of my shots are low light and portraits. there are no fast wide angle lenses for canon aps -C. I need at least 35mm 1.x equivalent. With the 5d i use my 28mm 1.8 and get wide angle coverage. sony would give me the zeiss 24mm 1.8. Not sure about portraiture yet, though. The 5d delivers just outstanding images with the 85mm lens. Speaking inconspicous, the tilt lcd of the sony allows waist level shooting, which is great. Also, if you grap the camera with two hands (one on the lens, one on the body, the camera becomes practically invisible, the 550d would not. the 5d has also the advantage (because of the lenses) to deliver great landscape images, which are sharp to the corners for my gallery prints. sonys 18-55 will not do that, you are right there, although it should easily deliver enough quality for 90% of my shots. ANything not too finely detailed should still print very large, even with that lens. I am in the process of testing that.
I may have to keep the 5d beside the sony in the end, as i certainly cant give up on that portrait look. But the sony would certainly make a great third camera. particuarly for trekking on location, where the main camera would be too heavy. I once trekked up the himalays in Darjeeing with a full SLR (analog) equipment. No fun, beleive me. We'll see.
Jennbenn I wish you a very nice trip and look forward to hopefully seeing some of your shots from India. I tried the NX7 at the French show and found the EVF really good, much better than the A77, both for resolution and speed and would have chosen the NX7 in your place, but I am sure you will bring stunning pix back!
[quote name='Brightcolours' timestamp='1322568435' post='13340']
Funny, I went the other way around from compact digital (Canon PowerShot S30 as my last)
[/quote]
There is no comparison between S30 and 5N. 5N has better IQ than 99% of APSC DSLRs. S30 is small sensor p&s. S30 has a fixed lens, 5N can use thousands of manual focus lenses.
5N isn't as small as S30, but it is still significantly lighter and less conspicuous than a DSLR.
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