Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

1       2       3              6      
7
       8              42       43       end
  

Archive 2012 · NEX Discussion Thread

  
 
philber
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #1 · p.7 #1 · NEX Discussion Thread


In my hands,the 7 has turned out to be a far different camera from the 5N, and for one basic reason.

With the smaller camera, I shoot 85% from the waist, with the LCD turned upwards. I tried the viewfinder and couldn't bring myself to buying it. As I pack my 5N kit really tight in my workbag, or slip it into my pocket, I just couldn't leave it on permanently, and screwing it on and off every time, with this puny mount, was just too much of a pain. I also didn't use peaking, because it wasn't accurate enough to save me from magnifying. So, as long as I am going to magnify, why "pollute" the image with red lines?

OTOH, with the 7, I shoot from the viewfinder most of the time, including of course when I want to shoot in portrait mode, which is my more frequent orientation when I have a choice, and which is so painful when shooting a VF-less 5N. I also find, on the 7, that peaking is quite useful.

Then there is the physical package. The 5N is delightfully light, compact, stealthy. With its equally delightful touch-screen, it is a real Q-cam. It looks like a toy, feels like a toy, everybody thinks it is a toy, actually, they are not even sure if you are shooting or chimping, but you, and you alone, know that, with serious glass, it is a very serious IQ-machine.

The 7, OTOH feels much more substantial. Shooting from eye-level looks much more "photographer-like", purposeful and deliberate. It also balances much better with my lenses (Contax G, Zeiss ZM, Leica R), and, with my ZM 35 f:2.0, it gives me the feeling I had with my 40D and ZE 50 f:1.4. Lightweight, well balanced, with a standard-focal-length prime. HCB, here I come! And, with the viewfinder, which doesn't suffer from weak performance in sunny situations the way a LCD does, and peaking inside the VF, my keeper rate with the 7 is the highest of any camera I've used with MF glass. Almost 100% in most stationary shooting, and maybe 50% in very close-up mode.
Then, of course, there is the IQ. Nothing in the 5N leaves me frustrated or wanting. But now that I've grown used to the 7, the difference is instantly clear to me.

Also, I know know at least one reason why Sony might have left the touchscreen out of the 7 design. It is because, whereas the 5N is LCD-shooting-based, the 7 is viewfinder-based. If you have your cam to your eye, focusing with the touchscreen dones't help, does it?

In conclusion, I am leaving at the end of next week on a trip. Because 5N and 7 are so different, I will be taking both cameras, as well as my primary Canon DSLR (hopefully a 5DIII). I will probably leave my Contax G 45 and Leica R 60 on the 7, and use that as my primary short tele setup, have my ZM 18 and G 28 on my 5N, where they don't require Cornerfix, and have ZE 25 f:2.0 and ZE 35 f:1.4 on my Canon. The shooter I am going with is Leica-only. It will be interesting to compare...

For Jim, so far, I am using the right soft button for MF assist, since I magnify the centre and recompose. I haven't shot the 7 from a tripod yet, where that might not be optimal.



Mar 23, 2012 at 01:53 AM
douglasf13
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #2 · p.7 #2 · NEX Discussion Thread


Yeah, we have totally different 5N experiences. With a leather half case and the EVF, my 5N is a very different camera than your version of it, and the feel of my 5N is very similar to the 7. I use the EVF most of the time with the 5N...but I generally use peaking rather than magnification. The 5N tilt EVF is way more flexible than the 7 EVF, and it seals around the eye better, but, overall, the slimmer form factor of the 7 EVF is pushing me over the edge.

Seeing as how the 7 still has a tilt LCD, I'm assuming that Sony expects some to use it for composing, and the touch screen should've been added, IMO. Also, I wish they'd implement an EVF on/off option with one of the custom buttons, because that is really handy on the 5N's EVF (auto EVF/LCD switching is too slow on both cameras, so I switch manually.)

I'm now realizing that I miss the ISO 3200 option with autoISO on the 7. I hope Sony corrects a few things in an upcoming firmware.

I'm not a huge fan of having tons of choice, and I think I'm gonna stick with the 7 for a while and sell the 5N (I have on old 5 that I can use as an emergency back-up.) The Contax G lenses really work for me on this camera. Unlike my ZMs, there is no color shift to speak of, and the weight of the Gs seems just right. If I run a CV 15, G 35, G 45 and G90 system on the 7, the CV 15 is the only thing that I'll have to worry about with CornerFix, and I don't use that wide of a lens very often.

I wonder if I should try to sell my "pimped" 5N EVF as is, or maybe try to remove the Hasselblad leather?



Mar 23, 2012 at 03:11 AM
mawz
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #3 · p.7 #3 · NEX Discussion Thread


Having moved from the 5N (without a half-case) to the 7 recently there's no contest, I found the 7 a massive upgrade from the already good 5N. But the kicker for me is the two extra control wheels, which make the camera great to work with. In fact I've not even used the camera in any AE modes yet, I stuck it directly into Manual and have left it there where the 5N was either in Aperture Priority with the ZA 24 or Shutter Priority+AutoISO for manual lenses.

Note the 7 is the first camera that has Shutter, Aperture AND ISO directly controllable in Manual. Combine that with exposure simulation in LV and metering from the histogram and its a real winner. I pretty much ignore the metering readout though, it tends to underexpose where the combo of simulation+histogram does not (and is easier to use as well).

The downside is the 7 is purely kicking my butt in terms of technique. The high resolution is extremely unforgiving of any camera shake and you have to keep an eye on the shadows with regards to noise (it's not bad, but will crop up if you aren't careful). The shadow blocking in the EVF is actually useful for this, if it starts blocking up, you probably need to keep an eye on the exposure in the shadows.



Mar 23, 2012 at 07:58 AM
MarkJones
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #4 · p.7 #4 · NEX Discussion Thread


Mawz, I have to agree with your last paragraph whole heartedly. I got my NEX7 back in January and I was most disappointed with the IQ until I saw one image taken with higher shutter speed that made me think it was actually quite good. Having spent more time with it and trying to be sure that the camera is kept still with a higher shutter speed then results can be very good with a better DR than my 5D2. Iam not conviced that it is better than the Canon though.
One advantage the Canon has is it weight; it's easier to hold still! I find that the Sony's electronic first curtain slightly unsettling as I don't have any feedback as to when the shutter has released. I find my self pressing a little toohard thus shaking the camera too much
I got the 24 f1.8 and like others i am not bowled over by it to say the least. It's probably the worst Zeiss lens I have out of 14 or so.
Having had the NEX5 I find the EVF MUCH better. I could not use the 5 in bright light. It was hopeless. Having said that the Sony's EVF is not a patch on the Canon's viewfinder. In bright light the Canon wins. One nice thing about the Sony's EVF is the ability to see DOF changes in a bright image. Overall I like the 7 very much but I feel its still work in progress.



Mar 23, 2012 at 09:05 AM
douglasf13
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #5 · p.7 #5 · NEX Discussion Thread


Oh, don't get me wrong. The control scheme of the 7 is much better than the 5n, and it is one of the main reasons that I've switched. The 7 feels similar in hand to my 5N + case, but the controls are much better.

I haven't noticed any handholding issues, yet. Even with the 7, I find that I can handhold slower than my A900, from what I can tell. Relaxed shoulders and locked elbows at my sides goes a long way for me.

From just running around my house and hard with the camera, I think it'll be a good fit. The 7 and Contax G 45 seems like a fantastically good combo. Crazy resolution and no issues to speak of.



Mar 23, 2012 at 10:51 AM
ELSELS
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #6 · p.7 #6 · NEX Discussion Thread


freaklikeme wrote:
Keep us updated, Douglas. I'll be curious to hear about your experience. I tried left eye shooting with it (not my dominant eye, but I was curious) and if you don't mind putting your face all over the screen, it's probably the most stable way to shoot hand-held.


Hello:

I am "blind" in my right eye, therefore -shooting any camera for me is always needed to be done, using my left eye..

Yes, the 'ole nose print on each and every LCD screen that there is..

(I would prefer all cameras to have a swiveling LCD screen, so I could "flip" it out of my way)...

Just curious - ? Anyone else use their "left-eye" more predominantly when shooting?

Thanks for reading...

Have a nice day,

Ed




Mar 23, 2012 at 11:04 AM
bigkidneys
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #7 · p.7 #7 · NEX Discussion Thread


I am left eye dominant and have no issues shooting besides the LCD smudge from my schnozz...


Mar 23, 2012 at 11:49 AM
gobears
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #8 · p.7 #8 · NEX Discussion Thread



for resizing i export fullsize from LR to PS and use a script quite similar to the one described by denoir in this post.

For web output sharpening, I also use a script similar to this one, and am very pleased with it.

However, is anyone using a similar approach for printing?
Any links or tips about how to resize for a specific print output size?




Mar 23, 2012 at 12:27 PM
freaklikeme
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #9 · p.7 #9 · NEX Discussion Thread


douglasf13 wrote:
- Not sure if I'll use it, but the flash is a cool mechanism, and a hotshoe is nice to have, should I decide to breakout the old studio strobes.


I love having the hotshoe available, mostly because it means the 7 and LAE1 can function as a full back-up for my a900 and chipped converts. Yes, the Sony strobes look ridiculous mounted to the camera, but it works if you need it.



Mar 24, 2012 at 02:05 AM
Phillip Reeve
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #10 · p.7 #10 · NEX Discussion Thread


okay, lets discuss raw color:

Especially when there is much red or yellow present in an image i like the LR-preview(when i browse through my images LR shows a preview, which i think is generated by the cameras JPG engine, first and after maybe 2-3 seconds the image changes to how LR interprets the raw-file) much more than anything what i can get out of LR.
Example:
Preview on the left, how LR interprets the Raw on the right
http://phillip-voigt.de/FM/Nex-5n/Nex_RawColors.jpg
does anyone have an idea how to get such colors out of LR?
the raw file

thanks,
Phillip



Mar 27, 2012 at 11:17 AM
briantho
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #11 · p.7 #11 · NEX Discussion Thread


+15 saturation?


Mar 27, 2012 at 11:31 AM
Jacob D
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #12 · p.7 #12 · NEX Discussion Thread


Phillip,

I have not considered it, but I do recall someone mentioning a camera profile for (one of the) NEX cameras that produced better color in RAW conversion. I don't know much about this as I haven't bothered profiling/calibrating any of my cameras in LR... maybe I should.

If you were going to start from scratch I would say probably a bit of orange channel saturation, and possibly luminosity on that channel if a universal adjustment doesn't address it. Of course, that only solves the issue for one image...

(by the way, is LR 3 or 4?)



Mar 27, 2012 at 11:46 AM
douglasf13
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #13 · p.7 #13 · NEX Discussion Thread


You could try using this to get the various Creative Style options for the NEX-7 in Lightroom: link


Mar 27, 2012 at 12:09 PM
Jeff Kott
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #14 · p.7 #14 · NEX Discussion Thread


Phillip,
I'll throw in my two cents. I have 4 different raw converters on my computer. When I get a new camera, I play around with raw files in the different converters for a while to see which one has the best output to my eye for the camera.

I've compared raw files for my NEX 5N and NEX 7 in ACR (same converter as lightroom) and Capture One 6 and I really prefer the Capture One 6 output. My suggestion is that you download a free trial version of Capture One 6 and compare it to what you are getting out of Lightroom. I see that Phase One is running a promotion with a significant discount on Capture One now:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11675-12439

and there is a Luminous Landscape article on how to integrate a C1 workflow with Lightroom in case you like using Lightroom for cataloging.

http://luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/c1_lr_workflow.shtml




Mar 27, 2012 at 12:25 PM
Phillip Reeve
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #15 · p.7 #15 · NEX Discussion Thread


@ briantho: doesn't come close

@Jacob thats what i did until now, but i didn't like the result as much as the preview (i use LR4, but the 2012 process doesn't change the image much, compared to the 2010 one)

@douglas great tip! i had already downloaded the presets some time ago but i couldn't find a way to use them, now that i have i got pretty close using the neutral profile:
http://phillip-voigt.de/FM/Nex-5n/RawColors2.jpg

@jeff: well i got where i wanted, but i would like to see how my raw file does look like if you put it trough C1



Mar 27, 2012 at 12:59 PM
freaklikeme
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #16 · p.7 #16 · NEX Discussion Thread


douglasf13 wrote:
You could try using this to get the various Creative Style options for the NEX-7 in Lightroom: link


Thanks for this. Have you tried using his profile for a900 files, Douglas?



Mar 27, 2012 at 01:07 PM
douglasf13
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #17 · p.7 #17 · NEX Discussion Thread


Hi. I didn't discover these until I had already sold the A900. I used to use theSuede's blackbody light, profile, though.
link



Mar 27, 2012 at 02:28 PM
freaklikeme
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #18 · p.7 #18 · NEX Discussion Thread


Thanks again. I'll give them both a try.


Mar 27, 2012 at 03:01 PM
Jacob D
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #19 · p.7 #19 · NEX Discussion Thread


douglasf13 wrote:
You could try using this to get the various Creative Style options for the NEX-7 in Lightroom: link

^ That's what I was thinking of. Someone else here mentioned his name before. I'm going to give these a try myself.

I'm installing LR on my new computer today, and will be upgrading to LR4 soon, so might as well make a fresh start... exciting stuff!



Mar 27, 2012 at 04:09 PM
sebboh
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.7 #20 · p.7 #20 · NEX Discussion Thread


douglasf13 wrote:
You could try using this to get the various Creative Style options for the NEX-7 in Lightroom: link


thanks! i hadn't seen that either.



Mar 27, 2012 at 04:26 PM
1       2       3              6      
7
       8              42       43       end




FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

1       2       3              6      
7
       8              42       43       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.