Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only)

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

There are some features about this camera that I hope more nex-users will become aware of that will encourage Sony to look into changing/improving.

-the lcd can be easily scratched "if you own a nikon or a canon you will notice that their LCD's are stronger"
-takes too long to delete photos
-navigating from live view to menu feels laggy
-tri navy is a little too sensitive
-the record button shouldn't be where it is "should have put a Custom Key in that spot"

Although this list is comprised of pure negativity haha, I do really love this camera...The image quality is unreal "BIONIC" ........and because its so compact and lightweight...you don't have to have a super expensive tripod to keep it stable! WOW! AWESOME!

The following image was taken with my nex-7

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

The APS sensor of the NEX 7 has a strong magenta aberation at the adges of pictures and videos taken with rangefinder lenses such as the Voigtlander 12 mm, 15 mm and 21 mm one.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

After an extensive amount of research and review reading, I took the plunge and bought this camera body. I like the feel of it in my hands ( which are not too big,and not too small). So far, it has delivered everything promised by Sony. I've taken some test shots inside and outside, and they have all come out very, very nice.

I did not buy any of the E-mount lenses; rather I invested in the adaptor to use my Minolta A mount lenses, and a few Sony lenses. Autofocusing is snappy and manual focusing using the af/mf button is simple.

I haven't yet figured out how to set up the buttons for custom shots, but that will come in the next week or so as I experiment more.

The real test will come when I travel in mid-June. Once I return, I will upload some images taken on the journey.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Have an NEX-5n. Control of NEX-7 is very close to ideal. Much better then 5. Seems a little quieter then the 5n. With plenty of light, the image quality is supurb, but noise at 400 asa and up is much higher then the 5n. Wish Sony would make a NEX-6 with the 16 meg sensor, but viewfinder, microphone input and control wheels of the sensor, specifically for low light. But why the heck can't we get a headphone jack for monitoring sound?

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I have so far used the camera for some low-light portraits and a lot of garden/landscape photos. The detail can be amazing. So far I have shot only with a circular polarizer on shooting outdoors. The photos were a bit softer than I expected. This was with the 50mm f/1.8 lens. I have found way more noise in low light than in my Nikon D700, but overall I like the results that I am getting. The controls take some getting used to but are not bad at all.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

After about 15 hours of very frustrating attempts to set it up for myself, I gave up. All the reviews correctly hightlight all the wonderful features but fail to identify the ones that ruin the fun of photography.
Ex.: No depth of field preview; OSS turn off demands menu wandering. A camera designed for serious use, burdened with dozens of silly menu/quirky style choices that just serve to take the fun out of the experience.
Documentation: I planned to try my hand at video. The DVD furnished PDF manual (that's cheesy - please furnish a real handbook) has no reference to "movie" or "video" in the Table of Contents or Index. After a page by page search in the 201 page printout, I found video intructions; ie. "1. Press button to start." 2. "Press button to stop." There you have it, how to use you NEX 7 for video. I returned it. The moral: don't buy a camera from a video game manufacterer.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

This camera has that solid feel about it which is instantly reasuring. The functionality is superb, the tri nav system combined with the soft keys make selection of modes and parameters a breeze. the only flaws I see are the relatively short battery life and the annoying video button, Sony need to distribute a plastic guard to retrofit over this to prevent accidental operation. Otherwise a beautiful camera.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

great camera

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I had this on my wish list since fall of 2011. However, the floods in Thailand put any hopes of availablity on hold until April, 2012. I was on the BH waiting list & I finally received my NEX-7 body last month. I also ordered the 50mm f1.8 with it.Like the title says, it was well worth the wait. I currently own an NEX-5N & absolutely love it although it has a couple of shortcomings. The NEX-7 addresses most of these. I do some indoor shooting & wanted to have the EVF and flash at the same time. I added the optional EVF finder to the 5N & rarely take it off. With the 7, I get the evf, and keep the HVL-F20AM flash in place (the pop-up flash is alittle weak & casts a shadow with longer lenses/sunshades). The added dials along with the funtion button next to the shutter release pretty much eliminates the need to take my eye away from the viewfinder to make adjustments. The learning curve for the customization of the functions is a little steep and there's some overlap but once you have the camera set up to you liking, adjustments come naturally. I have most of the E-mount lenses but usually keep the 50mm on the 5N and the Zeiss 24mm f1.8. The 24MP sensor on the 7 really rings the upmost out of the Zeiss glass, but the 50mm is no slouch either. These along with the 18-200mm zoom, the 30mm macro, 16mm pancake w/optional fisheye conversion, a lensbaby & a SLIK Mini-Pro make a nice, lightweight bag that I keep near the door when I'm on my way out to run errends, attend family functions, etc. I started playing with HDR and the NEX-7 is a natural for this purpose. It has built-in HDR that covers a range from +/-1.0 EV up to +/-6.0 EV and the effects can be fairly dramatic. However, I prefer to use post-processing with Photomatix or something similar. By setting the NEX-7 on aperature priorty and keeping the f-stop constant, I can bracket the EV levels up & down by 5.0 EVs in 1/3 or 1/2 increments after getting the "normal" exposure. While the auto white balance does a decent job as a default setting, changing it on the fly, adjusting color temperature or color bias is a great way of seeing what you're actually going to get when you snap the shutter. Speaking of the view, the finder can be set to show the bare minimum of settings all the way up to information overload. My Canon 5D MK II is still my heavy artillary when I'm out for a day of deliberate shooting, but a true enthusiast/semi-pro could get along quite well with the the NEX-7 and a couple of extra lenses. The resolution is amazing (same sensor as the A77). Coupled with the Zeiss 24mm f1.8, this combination makes a GREAT street camera.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I use the camera for general photography, and product photography. I do a lot of close-up work and like it for that. excellent image quality and control.
It is easy to accidentally press the soft keys on the back. Very frustrating.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

The videos are sharp and defect free

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Travel photography.
Great quality photos and HD Video.
Small size and light weight.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Superb image quality in a small package. Poor man's Leica 9. EVF surprisingly good. Autofocus slow in low light, accidental video activation and top-dial rotation are beyond annoying: Detents needed. Zeiss 24mm f1.8 lens is strikingly good, 18-200mm stabilized lens more than adequate.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

iso 1600 ok!

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I have been using the NEX 7 for several months now as my carry-everywhere "walk-about" camera with with great results using legacy M mount lenses by Leica and Zeiss. Such use requires an adaptor such as the Voitlander M-to-E mount adaptor available on this site or Hawk's Factory helicoid model which facilitates a closer minimum focusing distance with the turn of a control ring.Use of manual lenses that do not "communicate" with the camera also requires going into the "Settings" menu and selecting "Enable" under "Release w/o Lens". If this option is not enabled, the legacy lenses will not work on this camera. Using the manual focus assist and peaking features make use of manual lenses a snap.I've been a Nikon full frame DSLR camera user for several years, and certainly feel that those larger and heavier cameras still have a role to play in serious photography. But on a recent shoot of Texas wildflowers, compared to the NEX 7, the Nikon felt like a cannonball on a rope around my neck. And at 8.5" x 11" or even 13" x 19" print size, it is hard to remember which shots were taken with which camera. My only real complaint with the NEX 7 is the red video button, which is way-too-easily engaged accidentally. I'm hoping Sony will offer a way to set that button to be active or off via a firmware update.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I'm amazed by this little powerhouse! It doesn't leave my side, I carry it everywhere.
The resolution is great. The lack of noise at higher ISO's so I can shoot at 3200 and still get a pretty clear photo. The Tri-Nav function makes it so easy to take photos in manual mode I just love it. The dials do tend to rotate when you hang the camera down by your side but it's not that annoying.
Focus has a little problem at low light levels but so do most cameras. Just make sure there's a little contrast to what you're focusing on, or use the manual focus(which is a snap!). I'm also very impressed with the clear and sharp viewfinder.

I travel around Afghanistan with this little gem. It's rugged and smaller than all the other DSLR's I carry around and I still get professional quality photos.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

This is the best camera I've ever used for manual focus legacy lenses (including rangefinders and SLR actually intended for use with those lenses). Focus peaking and mf assist work great, and it's possible to customize buttons and wheels according to one's shooting style. Image quality is stunning; the problem is finding glass that can keep up with the NEX-7's sensor.
Just a few minor gripes:
-The menu system is not logically arranged
-The autofocus hunts a bit under normal indoor lighting with the 18-55mm and Sigma 19mm lenses
-For video, there's a huge amount of rolling shutter at 24p BUT (and every online review I've seen has missed this point) virtually disappears shooting at 60p; I highly recommend you shoot video at 60p if doing anything handheld.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I was completely ready jump on board with this camera, and then I checked to see what it would do for exposure barcketing. Bottom line is not much. The most you can get is +-0.7. If you want to do any real HDR, you're out of luck. Sony did include an HDR setting, but we all know that's not the same thing. What would they cripple an otherwise awsome camera? This is a deal breaker for me.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I used my NEX-5 while on vacation in SE Asia but found that I really needed a camera with a viewfinder. . .this was because my Transitin glasses were usually too dark to allow me to frame pictures on the LED screen so my shots were by guess and by golly. . hence the purchase of the NEX-7 which not only gives mea viewfinder but offers a host of additional features and enhanced resolution. . many of which I haven't as yet tried. . but it is incredibly fast, takes phenomenally clear images. . I am very pleased.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Chose to wait for this after being dissatisfied with the ergonomics of the 5N and very happy I did. The feel and operation of this camera are fantastic and once you've set it all up to your liking, it does a truly admirable job of just getting out of the way and letting you shoot. Using legacy lenses combined with the incredible EVF and focus peaking really draws you into the process of perfectly composing a shot, which is ironic because the 24 MP sensor offers downright astounding cropability. The sensor is a bit of a double edged sword however, as the insane level of detail renders it pretty unforgiving with respect to min shutter speed. Noise performance is crazy for this many pixels. While there is slightly more than the 5N, it has a very appealing film-like character and retains a ton of detail when cleaned up in PP. At the end of the day, this camera combined with legacy glass and Lightroom 4 has been the most fun I've had with photography in years.