By 

Linh Nguyen (New York City) –

  

Update: I recently got hold of a Minolta 3600HS(D) flash for dirt cheap ($50 shipped) and it works wonderfully with the NEX-7. Metering TTL is perfect and my indoor photos look great with bounce flash. Of course, it’s a bit big and will add some weight to your camera, but well worth it.

An average review from an average Joe using a not-so-average camera.

HARDWARE:

The build is sexy. It screams quality. Magnesium alloy body makes it heavier and bigger than the previous NEXes, as expected, but it’s a welcomed extra weight. I don’t have small hands and always thought the NEX-5/5N, as nice as the form is, felt a little bit like a toy. So I definitely appreciate the NEX-7’s new size and weight, something I can really wrap my fingers around.

I think Sony have a pretty perfect layout, or at least one that really works. I’m sure you’ve heard all about the latest-and-greatest Electronic Viewfinder with its amazing high resolution, and the intuitive TriNavi 3-dial control. Yes, they work. I’m a big fan of the bright and sharp 3″ tiltable LCD screen, but I’ve always wanted a nice VF on my camera to better compose my shots and avoid the nasty glare out in the sunlight. This is my first time using an EVF, and it’s a good first impression. The view is quite large, giving lots of room to include all the necessary info. There’s a diopter for those with bad eyesight. The eyepiece is not exactly glass-friendly, and is actually the one annoyance I have with the camera. I just can’t seem to get it to comfortable situated in my eye socket. But maybe I just have to get used to a VF.

The TriNavi is also very good (though i wish we can really customize the wheels). I mainly shoot with Aperture-priority mode so one dial is for aperture and one is for Exposure Value compensation. This does work very well, if you use a native E-mount lens. However, if you’re like me and shoot using legacy lenses, you’ll find that the Aperture dial is basically useless. I’d love to be able to customize the dials to my liking instead of the given presets. It’s definitely not a problem, but I just feel that it’s wasteful. Same with other manual modes.

Oh, hey, there’s a built-in flash and a Sony/Minolta hot-shoe as well if you’re into that sort of things

IMAGE QUALITY:

24MP on an APS-C sensor is pretty impressive. It has been pitted against the 16MP sensor time and time again, and proven to be slightly, VERY VERY slightly, inferior at high ISO settings so I won’t bore you with that. But what does it mean for us average Joes? It means that you don’t have to worry about anything. The 24MP sensor can hold its own. Image quality from ISO100-800 is pretty awesome. Noise at a minimal level and you can go right ahead with those huge prints. Noise level increases as you go past ISO 1600, but even up till ISO 3200, photos are still very much usable. I shoot a lot of indoor shots without flash and I like what I see. But of course, stick to lower ISO and/or use flash to get the best quality.

24MP is also 6MP more than the cheaper NEX models. Will those extra pixels make a difference? I say definitely. a) Holy crop! So much headroom to spare, you can crop to your heart’s content and still have a high-res result. b) Details. The 24MP sensor can probably (probably?) out-resolve any lens you have. I feel (placebo?) like my shots have that extra POP it didn’t with the NEX-5, using the same lens.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

The NEX system is young, and far from developed. There’s a lack of lenses (but an abundance in whining users…). Sony have done a decent job at covering all the focal ranges. We have the 16mm, 18-55mm, 30mm macro, 50mm, 55-210mm, 18-200mm (so good we get it TWICE!). Yet, we’re still missing those fast and good lenses. SOme people say we need pancake primes. I say we just need primes. What’s the obsession with pancakes anyway? The only good thing about them is the syrup.

Also, you can’t use the built-in flash as a wireless flash commander. What’s up with that Sony? The A77 can do it. However, you can tilt the built-in flash upwards to bounce the light. Very convenient.

CONCLUSION:

Buy this camera if you can afford it and find it. It’s a great performer in a small body despite the minor flaws. I think Sony have another winner.

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