In the spirit of consolidation, I thought I'd start this thread as a way to wrangle to collective knowledge of the NEX community here and to become a place where users both new to the system and more experienced can ask questions and get answers without having to create a new thread or post in the image thread. Maybe it'll take off and maybe it'll sink like a stone. I guess we'll see.

If it's your first post in the thread, I think it'd be cool if you could share what model(s) you shoot, what lenses are in your kit or, for those of us with more lengthy lists, maybe just a few of the most used, and what, if any, accessories you find invaluable with the camera. Any tips and tricks for maximizing performance would also be appreciated.

Model: 5N (owned the 5 and am seriously considering the 7)
Kit: OM 24/2, OM 40/2, Pen-F 60/1.5, Elmarit-M 90/2.8 (my R lenses do some time on there too)
Accessories: Gorillapod with magnetic feet and an Opteka remote
Tip: When shooting handheld at slow shutter-speeds, the two second delay function can come in very handy (thanks, seboh, for pointing that out a while ago).

I also have questions for the 7 users who moved to it from a 5/N. Do you feel like the 7 is substantially bigger in your hand? Is it more or less comfortable for you? Do you feel like the performance of some lenses is degraded on the 7 when compared to 5/N? Which ones and in what way?

Thanks.

Brad

Model: 5N, first mirrorless cam
Kit: many lenses but most liked: all Contax G's, in my case 21, 28, 45 & 90. And also, Rokkor 58/1.2 and a Jena 135.
Tip: Use S according to your lens. FL=21, t> 1/30s, FL 90, t>1/100s and so forth. Let auto ISO play, and if light is good, be sure to use a fast shutter to avoid my ever presents mistake of over exposure. Dont be afraid to UNDER-expose, the sensor in the 5N enables lifting of shadows better than a 5D2! I dont use tripods.

For me the NEX is a fabulous hi-quality instrument for dead subjects, still life and so forth. It and one-two extra lens fits in the pockets of almost any jacket. For those of you that manage to capture live subjects, I envy you and would like to learn your tricks :-)

I would like to know more about shadow lifting and how loud the shutter is in comparison to dslrs, 5d2 for example frank:-).

Hello all. Here is my info:

Nex 7 (Came from a 5N and 5). Current lenses are : ZA 24/1.8, Tamron 18-200 E mount, Sony 50/1.8 E mount. Numerous other MF glass but nothing outstanding like the Contax Gs on the Nex bodies. I have previously used Contax Gs and some 50s and even the Sony 18-200 E mount which I thought was great for an all around lens. When I picked up the Nex 7 body, I wanted to try and stick with Native AF lenses as I personally just had a difficult time getting sharp pictures using MF glass in the past. That being said, I find it easier to MF my lenses on the 7 mainly because it is larger than the 5N and to me with the grip that is larger, is much easier to hold and stabilize in your hand compared to the 5 and 5N.

The shutter does seem more quiet than the 5N but can't be too sure as I no longer have my 5N to compare. The machine gun 10fps speed priority is pretty amazing to hear. I get a woody every time I use it but then think what a PITA when I have to go through 50 pictures to see what looks best. That being said, I could never be a professional sports photographer! On IQ, I remember being astounded by the quality of the jpg files alone on the 5N coming from the 5. To me everything seemed so sharp and contrasty with the 18-55 and 18-200 lens. With the 7, I don't see the huge jump that I saw with the 5N. Now, I am no scientist or engineer like most seem to be here and am just going off of what I see initially on my screen. It is rather obvious to see the Noise on the 7 compared to the 5N especially at 100%. That being said, I now find myself selecting ISO 100 in most cases instead of selecting Auto ISO as I have done in the past. Will the noise show up in say 13x19 images I would print on my Canon pro 9000 mkII? No idea, as I have yet to really get some time to go out and try and get some good photos both due to weather and my work obligations. I plan on doing a test where I see at what noise level will it really affect prints. I got into photography for two reasons 2 years ago. To try and chronicle my daughters' teenage years before they are off to college never to be seen or heard from again (Doubt It! We all know they need MONEY ) And the other reason was to hopefully to translate what I think is beautiful to me (i.e.. a beautiful sunset in Ibiza in 2010) into a wall hanger in my living room as I am tired of hanging other people's art in my house when dammit, I should be able to take a decent picture and hang it in my own living room and be proud of it ...

To get back on track, something I am throwing around that may or may not be of interest is possibly loaning my camera out with this lenses to a few people here who have been kind in the past to give detailed accounts on cameras and lenses to others here in hopes of making up our minds of what gear we will buy next in hopes of our pictures no longer lacking SUCK If you can't tell, I don't have high regard for my artistic ability. I simply love seeing the beautiful images most here put up which in turn gives me ideas of what I should look for when out and about in my feeble attempts to take quality photos and not just snapshots. That being said, I would prefer those interested be normal posters in the Nex Thread who have been both scientific in their input to others as well as those who just have the natural artistic ability to put such inspiring photos they have, up in these threads. I would be willing to let the camera and lenses go for a month and possibly have 2-4 people do their own reviews of it on here so others may have a better idea of whether or not to take the plunge. All I ask is to take care of my babies and keep me informed of their whereabouts. If any are interested, please feel free to PM me and we will see if it can be done. We can even start a thread to write the reviews in if that is ok with Admin.

5N.

Using kit lens (18-55), ZE 21, 50 and 100, OM 28 and FD 50, along with Canon 24-70 and 70-300L.

Tip: Don't leave home without it!

So far the highest ISO I've printed (13x19) shows no noise at all, as smooth as ISO 100 w/Canon 1ds2

there's a nex-7 with the 50mm for $1500 on b&s

mirkoc wrote:
I would like to know more about shadow lifting and how loud the shutter is in comparison to dslrs, 5d2 for example frank:-).

It's loud, no big difference from a 5D2. I was surprised - I thought mirrorless was supposed to be pretty quiet :o)

Regarding lifting shadow there are many ways but first of all shoot RAW. If you use ACR/Photoshop then "Fill Light" is the most direct way - although not providing much control.

Interesting about the shutter. Regarding lifting shadows, I use it most of the times, but thanks for the tip nevertheless. I also asked about it in comparison to 5D2, so if you could elaborate a bit more, it would be nice.

I dont hear much of a difference in terms of how loud it is. But to characterize it I would say that the 5D2 has a more refined sound - softer yet as loud. Whereas the 5N is more rough, more like a whip.

Ksh-klonk vs. k-KLONK :-)

Nice description! :-) I tried 5D2 side by side my 5D once and also found 5D2 shutter softer if not really quieter. Silent shutter mode of 5D3 is quite a temptation for me.

Have you got any direct comparison shots with dark conditions exposure pushing? I remember denoir showed it with his M9 some time ago, and it was quite amazing.

mirkoc wrote:
Interesting about the shutter. Regarding lifting shadows, I use it most of the times, but thanks for the tip nevertheless. I also asked about it in comparison to 5D2, so if you could elaborate a bit more, it would be nice.

The 5D2 has banding pattern problems in shadows when trying to lift them in post, which limits the camera's DR potential.

Camera started with a Nex-3, now a Nex-5n (most important advantages: quieter shutter, touchscreen, smaller, better video, build quality)

Kit 18-55, Contax G45, Minolta MC 50/1.4, Minolta MD Macro 100/4, Minolta MD 85/2, Minolta MC 35/1.8, Minolta MC 200/4, Minolta MC Macro 50/3.5, Sigma 24/2.8 (SR-Mount), Canon nFD 35/2
Lenses i didn't keep: Minolta 58/1.2 (too big, too expensive, not that different from my MC 50/1.4), Canon nFD 24/2.0 (too expensive, i don't use that focal length too often, the kit-lens is quite good at 24mm as well), Sony E 16/2.8 (sold it for a good price, wasn't satisfied by its image quality), Minolta MC/MD24/2.8 (weren't any better than my sigma 24/2.8 which is a 1/4th of the price)

Tip
when shooting raw and using LR 3 i get much better colors since i increased the saturation of the red channels. I noticed that when the ooc jpgs had much better colors than my raws.

Regarding shadowlifting: i think iso 100 gives you quite a bit less noisy shadows than iso 200.
using iso 100 i can lift the shadows a lot more than i could with my canon 550d, see attached example.

the untouched raw file:

I have both a 5N and a 7. Main lenses: Zeiss ZM 18, ZM 35 f:2.0, Leica R 35-70 f:3.4, R 60mm Makro, Contax G 28, 45, 90
Yes, NEX 7 feels significantly more substantial. I heel that it handhold much better, and the integrated viewfinder is a blessing for hooting portrait orientation.
Even the kit lens looks better on the NEX 7. Only those lenses that present corner/magenta issues with the 7 look worse in my experience. Of course, looking at 100% crops from the 7 Vs 100% crops from the 5N is a biased comparison because the 7's higher pixel count means that 100% crop translates into higher magnification...

Phillip Reeve wrote:
a 100% crop (i think i misfocused, but there is close to no noise and colors are accurate)


I think you can't see if there is noise in a shot like this. You need more uniform colours.

carstenw wrote:
I think you can't see if there is noise in a shot like this. You need more uniform colours.

like that?

Model: 5N
Kit: 18-55, CZ 28 f/2.8, OM 28 f/2.8, CZ 35-70, CZ 80-200, CZ 45 G, CZ 90 G, OM 50/1.2, CZJ 135/3.5
Accessories: Gorillapod, Opteka remote, Giottos CF travel size tripod
Tip: Use an LCD shade and set LCD mode to 'SUNNY' in bright conditions for better viewing, IMO beats the EVF

Question - does anyone have the J-Tec L bracket? I hope it is decent, because I just ordered one. I was using the RRS mini plate, which is OK, but I'd rather have an L.

Model: 5N (formerly the 5)
Kit: Olympus OM Zuiko 21/3.5; CV35/1.2 v2; CZ 45 G; Pentax-M 50/1.7; CZ 90 G
Accessories: Viewfinder

Tip: You need a sledge hammer to remove the cv35/1.2 v2 from the NEX-5N. How do you do this, you may ask? Take sledge hammer and hit yourself in the head! This my favorite lens on the NEX-5N

Phillip Reeve wrote:
carstenw wrote:
I think you can't see if there is noise in a shot like this. You need more uniform colours.

like that?


Yes You can throw the 550D in the garbage, what a disaster. But what about the same row of tests with different ISOs?

Tip: You need a sledge hammer to remove the cv35/1.2 v2 from the NEX-5N. How do you do this, you may ask? Take sledge hammer and hit yourself in the head! This my favorite lens on the NEX-5N

Bob, I'd be happy to help. You might wake up in a tub of ice water missing your kidneys AND the CV35, though. I'm helpful like that.

Nice comparison Phillip. was that shot through the window. There seems to be a reflection in nex shots, or is it flare or corner color issues? The big tree by the church looks washed out in 1st, 2nd and 4th pic.
I wouldn't say 550d is a disaster. -2LV looks fine and one rarely pushes more than that. The nex IS much better of course. Samples taken in low light at ISO 800 or 1600 underexposed 2 EV and pushed up would be nice.