Jim: Mostly the sensor I think but the lenses do their part of course. The images are lightly PP:d for the simple reason that I'm having difficulty doing it. Unlike the M9 files that I'm used to the C3 RAWs are ultra sensitive to adjustments. A small contrast adjustment tends to make the shadows too dark and blow the highlights. So except for image 1 the only adjustments were tiny changes in contrast and exposure in Lightroom as far as development goes. For image 1 I inverted the b channel in Lab mode in Photoshop.
Generally speaking I'd say the NEX-C3 greens are very good, blues less so and reds are, well, not good but that's a general digital problem not specific to the C3.
Philippe, yes, no color shift on the ZM18. Or better to say no relevant color shift. If you shoot a white surface and increase the contrast a lot then you can see a trace of it, but nothing that would affect real life shots.
Interesting observation about the 5N vs C3 as they use identical sensors. So it's either a question of different software configuration of the sensors or simply that the 5N JPEG engine is better than the C3 default RAW conversion settings.
Apparently the 5N and C3 have slightly different sensors if you look at the exact megapixels, different internal part numbers, and different base ISO... but that could all just be firmware?
Luka, my guess is that the electronics are not quite the same between the two cameras. For example, the 5N has 100 as its base ISO, rather than the C3's 200. It is also rated one stop higher in max ISOs. I found the metering to be much less often wrong on the 5N. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony has given the 2 cams the same sensor, but put NEX 7 electronics on the 5N. This sort of "mix-and-match" is typical of large-company marketing. And that would differentiate the C3 and 5N more, which they failed to do with the previous generation of NEX bodies At any rate, just ask Andrew what he thinks of his 5N, where he now uses RAW and Capture One.
AhamB wrote:
Not that it really matters, but I've seen several people abbreviating Summilux to "Summi", which is a bit unfortunate because it could refer to Summicron just as well. (Hence, Cron and Lux are better abbreviations.)
I really don't like the rendering of the APO Summilux 75 though, in almost everything I've seen from it on FM. Not impressed by the bokeh and LoCA is there in web sized pics.
You mean the 75 APO-Summicron, don't you There is no APO 75 Lux.
The rendering of that particular lens is extremely neutral. I'm personally not crazy about it but when you want a high performance short tele that doesn't have a particular signature or characteristic rendering style you probably won't find a better lens. In terms of raw optical performance and aberration control it blows away highly regarded lenses such as the Zeiss 100 MP. But as I said, it has no distinct character and a clinical rendering which IMO makes it the least interesting lens of the modern Leica lenses.
That's a personal opinion though, there are plenty of people that swear by it and some even mange to get really nice shots from it
philber wrote:
Luka, my guess is that the electronics are not quite the same between the two cameras. For example, the 5N has 100 as its base ISO, rather than the C3's 200. It is also rated one stop higher in max ISOs. I found the metering to be much less often wrong on the 5N. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony has given the 2 cams the same sensor, but put NEX 7 electronics on the 5N. This sort of "mix-and-match" is typical of large-company marketing. And that would differentiate the C3 and 5N more, which they failed to do with the previous generation of NEX bodies At any rate, just ask Andrew what he thinks of his 5N, where he now uses RAW and Capture One....Show more →
Electronics, firmware.. who knows. Once there's RAW support for the 5N, you'll be in a good position to do a side by side test
By the way, how come you bought the 5N in addition to the C3? I thought you were happy with the C3 for now and were waiting for the NEX 7.
Well, I went off shooting in Istanbul with my "significant other", who brought her own Panasonic compact. I was then informed that I could only entertain any hope of recovering the "lovely little camera" which she used (and with talent, I may add) for all the time when she wasn't sleeping in, on peril of my life. I don't take such statements lightly, hence the 5N. She will collect the C3 in early October.
Also, I am not yet sure that the 7 will be better than the 5N, IQ-wise, you know all the voodoo about "cramming too many pixels", in which case I would keep the 5N. Otherwise, I have a deal with my usual local shop that the 5N interlude between C3 and 7 would only cost me 100€, which I thought was more than fair.
(Hence, Cron and Lux are better abbreviations.)
