Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

Home · Register · Search · Software · Hosting · Software · Join Upload & Sell

FM Forums \| Alternative Gear & Lenses \| Join Upload & Sell
1 2 3 4 end

bcaslis
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #1 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

Photozone seems determined to bash the NEX-7 and the E-mount lenses. While there are issues, Photozone makes it sounds like the worst camera ever. I really don't know what their problem is. Read any other review of the NEX-7 elsewhere and you will see more balanced reviews.

Note, I'm not saying anything against the OM-D. Simply that Photozone seems to have some problem with the NEX-7 that I don't see in my experience or other reviews I've seen. There is a photographer Kirk Tuck who uses the NEX-7, you should look at his blog and search it for his real world review of the camera.

http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com

Feb 16, 2013 at 04:42 AM

tedbare
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #2 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

Jeff Kott wrote:
carstenw wrote:
bcaslis wrote:
Should have mentioned focusing. OM-D has faster AF, NEX-7 has focus peaking for manual focusing (and zoomed view also).

Without meaning to sound combative, I would like to mention that I have repeatedly tried focus peaking with NEX cameras, and never found it to particularly helpful. I spent quite some time with a NEX-6 and NEX-7 in the local Sony store, tweaking various settings, but I just couldn't get it to the point where I felt I could rely on it as much as just plain zooming in (which is supported by the E-M5, and I think also the NEXen). Different people appear to have different opinions here, so it is definitely worth trying out before deciding.

I have focus peaking set to low and red on my Nex 5N and Nex 7 and find that when I am taking a photo of a person and see a red glint in the person's eye (without zooming in) I have always achieved perfect focus on that eye. I find this to be much faster than zooming in with magnified view, zooming out to check composition and then taking the photo.

+1 on my NEX-6

Feb 16, 2013 at 07:16 AM

Jman13
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #3 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

I own the OM-D, and I reviewed the NEX-7, though I only had it for a week. In that week, I put about 1,000 frames on it. It just never clicked with me. Didn't care for the ergonomics, and found even the Zeiss 24/1.8 to be only 'good', not great. I much prefer my OM-D, but the NEX has some good points.

The DOF advantage isn't huge from APS-C to m4/3 (m4/3 is only a 1.3x crop of APS-C). Image quality between the two cameras was very, very close. I posted some comparison shots here a few months ago with the NEX-7 and 24/1.8 and the OM-D with the kit zoom, and pretty much no one could tell the difference. Pick which feels and works better for you, as either will make very good images.

If you are going to be using a lot of adapted lenses, it makes more sense to go with the NEX. If native glass, m4/3 has the much better lineup.

As a camera, the NEX-7 has excellent image quality, and many people absolutely love using it. Ultimately, though, I was happy to get back shooting with my OM-D.

Here are my reviews of both cameras, if you are interested:

NEX-7:
http://admiringlight.com/blog/sony-nex-7-review/

OM-D:
http://admiringlight.com/blog/olympus-om-d-e-m5-review/

Feb 16, 2013 at 01:48 PM

VaughnA
Online
•
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #4 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

I've had my 7 for about a month and I'm ready to sell my D300 and bag o nikon. If you are going to be shooting landscapes and don't mind manually focusing then I'd say the Nex series may be worth a look. The flexibility of lens selection because of the adapters available and focus peaking make it almost a universal digital back. And with landscape you'll probably set to F8 where focus isn't that critical. From my and a few friends real world experience. The color shift isn't that bad with DSLR or system lenses but shows most often in adapted rangefinder glass.

Now if you want to shoot some action, prefer AF and worry about the conditions then go with the OM-D. The lens selection is better for AF and system specific lenses. And the weather proofness is a plus for the body, but remember that not all lenses are weatherproof.

I'm getting better results from my little Nex than I've ever gotten from my dslrs. I beleive that it is mostly because I'm using primes with better glass and by using manual focus I slow down and make SURE it's in focus. AF still misses more than you realize IMHO.

Feb 16, 2013 at 02:25 PM

ddjohns1
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #5 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

I went to K&S today, and looked at all of these. The lack of a flash for fill-in is a deal killer for me on the Olympus. I am still considering the NEX 7 and I also liked the Fuji X-E1. Generally the comments on the image quality of the Fuji are fantastic, and seems like the effective resolution is pretty close to the NEX 7. Downsides appear to be focus speed (although I'm hearing the new firmware helps a lot) and the fact that most RAW converters are not optimized yet for the different sensor pattern. There are fewer lenses for the Fuji, but the ones they have seem to be excellent,and you have the option of using converters just like the NEX. I liked the controls. Any other considerations I should know about for the Fuji?

Feb 17, 2013 at 07:17 AM

pr4photos
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #6 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

I've just spent a month in Thailand with a 4/3rds GX1 and have to say I am super impressed. I didn't miss the bulk and weight of my D700. The image quality is superb, both jpg and raw. Obviously not as good at high ISO but other than that its superb. It's even got me thinking about changing to 4/3rds for work as its good enough, and the next generation will be better still. I don't need a big camera anymore!

Feb 17, 2013 at 09:22 AM

jonrock
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #7 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

ddjohns1 wrote:
Any other considerations I should know about for the Fuji?

I have a NEX 5N and a Fuji X-E1. Something that slightly bothers me is that it's harder to change focus points on the Fuji. In order to change the focus point, you need to press the AF button with your left hand then change the focus point using the 4 point selector with your right hand and then confirm AF point change by pressing the AF button with your left hand again. It's a bit harder to change focus in that manner especially while using the EVF. Personally, I would have like it better if the AF point could be changed like how it is done on my Nikon DSLRs with just one hand.

It's easier to change AF points on the NEX 5N since it has a touchscreen LCD so you merely have to just tap on where you want to focus. Also, I think most NEX cameras have face detection AF while none of Fuji X series cameras have that feature.

Feb 17, 2013 at 09:43 AM

AlexanderR
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #8 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

I have nikon DSLR gear and Leica M mount rangefinder gear. I went with the NEX-6 because my manual M mount lenses only have a 1.5 crop factor on the Nex vs. 2x on the Oly. Other than that they're both great systems. I did handle both cameras at a store before buying. The Oly EM-5 is nice. The Nex-6 is nice. Oly lenses are a bit smaller, so if size is a factor I think the Oly edges the Nex because of lens size.

Feb 17, 2013 at 07:36 PM

douglasf13
Online
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #9 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

ddjohns1 wrote:
I went to K&S today, and looked at all of these. The lack of a flash for fill-in is a deal killer for me on the Olympus. I am still considering the NEX 7 and I also liked the Fuji X-E1. Generally the comments on the image quality of the Fuji are fantastic, and seems like the effective resolution is pretty close to the NEX 7. Downsides appear to be focus speed (although I'm hearing the new firmware helps a lot) and the fact that most RAW converters are not optimized yet for the different sensor pattern. There are fewer lenses for the Fuji, but the ones they have seem to be excellent,and you have the option of using converters just like the NEX. I liked the controls. Any other considerations I should know about for the Fuji?

I'm not convinced that, in good light, that the effective resolution of the X-E1 is greater than the Nex-6, let alone the Nex-7, and I've played with comparison files quite a bit. Maybe further raw conversion fine tuning will improve this, though.

Feb 17, 2013 at 07:47 PM

carstenw
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #10 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

Recent number from ProfiFoto magazine in Germany shows their XE-1 to be slightly ahead of their NEX-6 in resolution, but the difference in minimal. I think for all practical purposes these cameras are competing in the same resolution ballpark.

Feb 17, 2013 at 08:43 PM

Mark_EL
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #11 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

ddjohns1 wrote:
I went to K&S today, and looked at all of these. The lack of a flash for fill-in is a deal killer for me on the Olympus.

The OM-D comes with a separate flash (the FL-LM2) which can be carried in a very little pouch that can be mounted on the shoulder strap with velcro....

Feb 17, 2013 at 09:40 PM

MarcG19
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #12 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

Mark_EL wrote:
ddjohns1 wrote:
I went to K&S today, and looked at all of these. The lack of a flash for fill-in is a deal killer for me on the Olympus.

The OM-D comes with a separate flash (the FL-LM2) which can be carried in a very little pouch that can be mounted on the shoulder strap with velcro....

No experience with the NEX or Fuji, though I considered both. Deal killer for me on either was the lack of really wide selection of native lenses available as of about a year ago (things are a little better in that regard now, but not great), especially in the wider areas. At the time I wasn't too keen on adapting at the time (I'm a little more open now, though really if I were adapting I would prefer swapping lenses of the same sensor size). The size of a lot of the NEX lenses is off-putting for me. The price of the Fuji and lenses is also off-putting to me, though in this case it would not be a deal-breaker. The NEX is supposed to be very programmable (and I have no doubt it's true), but the OM-D is good in that regard too (I also didn't find the menu system to hard to figure out. After I spent a few hours on it).

Anyway, I'm a happy OM-D camper and even though you've decided against it (perfectly fine decision), I'll plug it a bit.

. Camera size and sensor quality is excellent (note: current generation Olympus bodies have apparently the same sensor and software. Choose body based on features). Volume taken up by my OM-D kit is 1/3-1/2 the size of my Nikon APS-C kit.

Lenses can be awesome - I have been nothing but pleased by the Olympus 60mm macro and Voightlander 25mm f.0.95. Not just sharpness or bokeh, but also by the intangibles of the lenses. Almost as happy with the 12mm Olympus, but I've found it harder to get good results out of this as on my Nikon-mount Tokina 11-16 on Nikon bodies. (maybe it's sample variation, maybe it's just because my best opportunities over the past year with wide angle shots have had me with Nikon bodies).

To hit a few things mentioned in the thread:

Each of the current generation Olys come with a tiny separate flash that's sort of the same size, extended, as a built in flash (it also has a tiny speedlight controllable with said accessory flash). I'm actually a bit surprised nothing in the line has a built in flash anymore.

All current generation Oly bodies have an ersatz focus peaking feature which works surprisingly well. It's buried as one of the art filters (key lime IIRC - I don't have the camera with me now and it's the only filter I use so when I switch to filters it automatically comes up), and as long as you set output before you move to the filter you won't lose any settings (you won't be able to view the un-filtered raw file in camera, though it's not filtered when you view it on your computer). I've been able to manually focus accurately and quickly with the Voightlander 25mm f/0.95 with not too much effort. I think it works quicker and easier than the evf magnification feature, though that feature is the one you want to use of course if you want to be sure about focus accuracy and DOF.

Edited on Feb 18, 2013 at 06:41 AM · View previous versions

Feb 18, 2013 at 03:57 AM

Savas K
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #13 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

No contest between the two options.

Feb 18, 2013 at 04:24 AM

ddjohns1
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #14 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

I really appreciate the detailed information, it is very helpful. There is a borrow lenses store not far from where I live, so maybe the best path would be to drive before I buy.

I'm probably dwelling on the wrong things, but it seems like if I go with the NEX, I'll need to get creative with lens purchasing with the non-native lenses and adapters. With those lenses, the images in the NEX gallery on FM are really amazing. The OMD appears to be the best all around camera when all things are considered, the lens options are good, and I'll have to try it based on the large number of outstanding comments above. (But the separate flash thing still bugs me, personal quirk of mine I guess) The fuji seems a bit expensive, but once their 50-200 lens is available, I think they've got all the focal lengths I would want covered and all the lenses in their system are getting great great reviews- no major reason to go non-native. The RAW conversion issue is a bit worrisome-- I don't want to change my converter from Lightroom, and its not clear if Adobe will improve their conversion of Fuji's sensor.

Should be fun trying the different cameras!

Feb 18, 2013 at 07:26 AM

carstenw
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #15 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

Savas K wrote:
No contest between the two options.

Look around. Clearly there is lots of contest

Feb 18, 2013 at 08:35 AM

bobbytan
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #16 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

carstenw wrote:
Savas K wrote:
No contest between the two options.

Look around. Clearly there is lots of contest

And the contest is so damn close it could go either way. Definitely not one-sided.

Some people are just biased, myopic, in denial ... or all of these things.

Feb 18, 2013 at 04:07 PM

bcaslis
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #17 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

What images are you trying to create? That will drive which lenses are best. The NEX lenses are limited in number but the 24, 35, and 50mm primes are excellent. The 10-18 zoom seems to be very good, and lenses that are derided such as the 16, and new 16-50 are actually pretty good if you use them properly to avoid their weaknesses. The biggest weakness for the NEX currently is long fast primes or zooms.

Feb 18, 2013 at 04:39 PM

mawz
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #18 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

bcaslis wrote:
The biggest weakness for the NEX currently is long fast primes or zooms.

That's more a mirrorless weakness in general. Aside from the Samsung 85/1.4, Oly 75/1.8 and Panasonic 35-100/2.8 there just aren't any native high-end mirrorless primes or zooms that are long (Sony joins that club this summer with their 85/1.8 OSS). Oly does offer some remarkably good consumer-grade telezooms, but nothing in Mirrorless is competitive with what's available for DSLR mounts beyond the 200mm-e range and there's only one that isn't a 120-150 equivalent (the Panny 35-100)

NEX is actually the best option here as you have the option of combining the LA-EA2 adapter and an Alpha lens such as the Sigma 150/2.8, Sony 70-200G or 70-400G and getting fast AF and a high quality lens. m4/3 gives you the option of the lovely 4/3rds tele's, but with crippled AF performance. Fuji and Samsung don't offer anything here.

Feb 18, 2013 at 05:10 PM

bcaslis
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #19 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

mawz wrote:
That's more a mirrorless weakness in general. Aside from the Samsung 85/1.4, Oly 75/1.8 and Panasonic 35-100/2.8 there just aren't any native high-end mirrorless primes or zooms that are long (Sony joins that club this summer with their 85/1.8 OSS). Oly does offer some remarkably good consumer-grade telezooms, but nothing in Mirrorless is competitive with what's available for DSLR mounts beyond the 200mm-e range and there's only one that isn't a 120-150 equivalent (the Panny 35-100)

NEX is actually the best option here as you have the option of combining the LA-EA2 adapter and an Alpha lens such as the Sigma 150/2.8, Sony 70-200G or 70-400G and getting fast AF and a high quality lens. m4/3 gives you the option of the lovely 4/3rds tele's, but with crippled AF performance. Fuji and Samsung don't offer anything here.

All true. I was mainly thinking of the Oly 75 f1.8. I'll be a lot happier if the rumored NEX 85 f1.8 shows up.

Feb 18, 2013 at 06:25 PM

bobbytan
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #20 · Sony NEX vs. Olympus u4/3rds?

The Panasonic 100-300 lens is really not too shabby in good light and if it's handled properly:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1127925/0#10777852

The Oly 75-300 is supposedly better/sharper although it's been discontinued and will be replaced by the Mark II, which I am sure will be even better than the original version. Panasonic will be releasing their 150/2.8 prime lens later this year. Hopefully Olympus will announce 1 or 2 fast/long prime lenses this year ... and a TC may emerge that will hopefully work well with lenses like the 75/1.8 and 150/2.8, etc. The range of native µ43 lenses is expanding rapidly - we are seeing longer and faster prime and zoom lenses from Olympus, Panasonic, Voigtlander, Schneider, Sigma, etc.

mawz wrote:
bcaslis wrote:
The biggest weakness for the NEX currently is long fast primes or zooms.

That's more a mirrorless weakness in general. Aside from the Samsung 85/1.4, Oly 75/1.8 and Panasonic 35-100/2.8 there just aren't any native high-end mirrorless primes or zooms that are long (Sony joins that club this summer with their 85/1.8 OSS). Oly does offer some remarkably good consumer-grade telezooms, but nothing in Mirrorless is competitive with what's available for DSLR mounts beyond the 200mm-e range and there's only one that isn't a 120-150 equivalent (the Panny 35-100)

NEX is actually the best option here as you have the option of combining the LA-EA2 adapter and an Alpha lens such as the Sigma 150/2.8, Sony 70-200G or 70-400G and getting fast AF and a high quality lens. m4/3 gives you the option of the lovely 4/3rds tele's, but with crippled AF performance. Fuji and Samsung don't offer anything here.

Feb 18, 2013 at 10:41 PM

1 2 3 4 end
FM Forums \| Alternative Gear & Lenses \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 3 4 end