Sony A77, NEX-7, e-mount 24/1.7 Zeiss, a-mount 16-50/2.8

[rickeselgroth]

<p>They say the OLED finder on the A77 is so much better than the EVF on the A55 & 33,35 that it is almost as good as the OVF of the A900 and the refresh rate is so quick that it almost fools the eye in thinking and looking that it is a real OVF. Can't wait too see it for myself : ) I think I'll have to do the same Paul.</p>

[ricardovaste]

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<p>Sorry Rich, I thought you had a NEX-3 or NEX-5.<br>

I'm waiting to see what Samsung does. For being an ele yetctronics brand, they've so far put out the best selection of lenses for their NX system of any brand. Sadly, the sensor on the NX10 and NX100 wasn't up to Sony NEX levels. It seems one can either buy a great body or great lenses, but not both from the same company.</p>

 

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<p>Good god no... don't like those NEX bodies at all. Too few controls, no viewfinder - game over for me. And I think I can only agree with your summary, I think this is because we're in very early days yet, they're still learning themselves and the products still have plenty time to mature. Maybe a 3rd of 4th generation version will be "on the money". I had a look at the Samsung roadmap not long ago, and it surprised me, it's like night and day compared to e-mount. Samsung seem to know what they're doing there, but then, they make the mount too "thick", non m-mount compatable, a bit of a "fail" moment. But if they still lots of great native lenses on there I couldn't care less. Another one to watch for sure.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>To me the glass looks definitely more than half full Rich, at least on first reading of the p/reviews.</p>

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<p>You're right Paul, I think I was probably a bit pessimistic (strange for me). End of the day, the NEX-7 is probably something I could happily use by the looks of it, and with the introduction of a $$$$ Zeiss lens it does show there intent for that area in the future. I guess if I had more money than sense I would be tempted to buy one now (which would be stupid as it would be surplus in it's current state as I already have a complete a-mount system). The truth is the main weakness in my "system" has been my PC, which is currently being updated, so hopefully that will speed the overall process up. In the meantime, I'll wait and see how things mature...</p>

[jiun_der_chung]

<p>Well I have to say that for me personally, that I have been waiting for the NEX7. I thought about getting the NEX5 but decided not to because I thought it would be too much of a pain to use. My main purpose for getting the NEX7 is firstly as a backup for my A900. Yes it won't be as usable as an SLR, but then I am not really expecting it to be. Erganonics aside, I am assuming that it would produce significantly better image quality than my A700. Which means I no longer have to lug my A700 around as a backup.</p>

<p>Secondly, the NEX7 will also be my second body for when I go travelling and/or climbing. For the times when I want to carry something small round. The fact that I can use it for video as well is a bonus as that is not a feature I want for my main camera.</p>

<p>I am at this stage not planning to get any NEX lenses at all but rather just buy the converter and use my alpha mount lenses. I figure that even with the converter, the whole package will be significantly smaller and lighter than the A900 combo. I just think that it now starts to be quite a good match in specification as a alternative to the A900 and the existing lenses I already have. With any luck, the next generation of NEX bodies will continue to improve the erganomics and handling.</p>

[ricardovaste]

<p>Jiun, did you not know it was a criminal offence to put large SLR glass on NEX cameras? Joking aside, I'm confident that sensor atleast will out perform your a700, and it seems to allow a good level of direct input so it seems like a good backup choice. Let us know how you get on with it as it would certainly be good to read hands-on thoughts from you :)</p>

[scottelly]

<p>It looks great to me! I'm a bit spoiled by the low noise images from the Sigma SD1 now though, but I'd like to compare a couple of sunset/sunrise photos shot with an SD1 against what I've seen from the A77, just to see the difference more clearly. Here's a good sample that shows the noise of the A77 at ISO 200 with good specs (aperture, shutter speed, etc.). I processed it from RAW with no sharpening or noise reduction, so you'll be able to see the noise as is, if you download the full-size image (sharpening would make it look worse, of course, but sharpening is not needed at this ridiculously high resolution IMHO). To download the full-size image, click the second link. Then click the thumbnail image, and then right-click the bigger image:<br>

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http://ffphotos.zenfolio.com/a77/slideshow<br>

http://ffphotos.zenfolio.com/a77<br>

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I sure would like to get my hands on an A77 myself. Just in case you're wondering, I downloaded that photo from somewhere, and then I used Raw Photo Processor 64 to convert it. RPP took a few minutes to get the hang of how it works, and it took me a couple of tries, before I realized how to save full-size conversions, but I really like the way it works. It's pretty cool software (though a little limited in its capabilities - I'm used to Aperture, but my old version isn't compatible with the new Sony A77 raw files).<br>

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I am definitely impressed with the low noise at ISO 200 (I would usually shoot sunsets at ISO 100), and I'm convinced the A77 is a camera for me. Now I have to buy that baby, the 16-105 lens, and maybe a Sigma 8-16. Then will be time for the Sigma SD15 and a Sigma 150-500 OS and a bunch of other sigma lenses (in preparation for the big purchase - the SD1).</p>