New Sony NEX-7 ISO tests (some video color banding too?).
I bet many of you already preordered the NEX-7 (like I did) and you are certainly not happy to hear that you will have to wait a couple of months more before to get your hands on the camera. But there are many lucky reviewers out there having the NEX-7 for testing. You might ask them if they sell you the testing model? 
Justin Nystrom posted that vimeo video you see on top (Click here to visit his site). And he says: “Not great art, but more of an equipment test. At a very cool event sponsored by Mike’s camera in Denver on October 15, I had about a half an hour to test out a prototype model Sony NEX-7. My impression is that this is an interesting little camera. All of this was shot in 24p mode because the event only had class 6 cards for sale. As you can see, the autofocus is a little slow. I used the Zeiss 24/1.8 lens on this, no color correction, and this is exported out of FCP7. Sorry now that I didn’t wait to test the A77, but I cannot stand zoos. The color banding that appears in this showed up in one other clip as I panned across the sandy-brown cement and rocks. Ideas?”
First we have the guys from Focus Numerique (Click here) that just posted a new NEX-7 noise test (JPG not RAW!). As you can see the Sony NEX-5n is much better at High ISO. At low ISO the NEX-7 does a pretty good job. And anyway, the reviewer said that “the sensor of the NEX-7 does wonders at 6400 ISO sensitivity” suggesting that for a camera with that resolution the NEX-7 actually does a decent job at high ISO!
There is a second short ISO test posted by the Chinese website Zol (Click here).
New NEX-7 image samples have been posted by DCresource and Steve Huff (Full review from Steve is coming soon).
Fashion photographer Nathan Lee Bush (found via Noisycamera) tested the NEX-7: “the NEX-7 is a revolutionary leap forward in the race to put compact interchangeable lens cameras in the hands of serious photographers. It is the first uncompromised alternative to enthusiast and semi-pro DSLRs whose price point it shares, and could conceivably be a first camera for serious enthusiasts and pros, rather than a second, carry-everywhere addition to their existing system“.
Editor’s note: Sony may will take the chance and use the 1-2 months production delay to fix some early “issues” of the NEX-7. So….please improve the JPEG engine and no banding issue on my NEX-7…ok? Thanks!
And here are the preorder links. As I told you yesterday, there are plenty of NEX-5n in Stock and the amazing Zeiss 24mm and Sony 50mm lenses will be soon in Stock!
Sony NEX-7 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Sony NEX-5n Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Sony 50mm f/1.8 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Sony 55-210mm Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
NEX-5n viewfinder Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
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Recent comments
Comment from armando: This banding is re-produceable with the ...
Comment from Nawaf: Same issue with the 5N which takes video...- Comment from Nawaf: I thought the same, not much difference....
Comment from robdel: Well, your findings are based on the ima...
Cain Adamsson
8 months ago |The (updated) results in dpreview’s compare tool indicates that these results are either methodologically wrong (the nex-7 vs. nex-5 iso comparison) or that they have an old firmware.
pancanikonpus
8 months ago |the colo band noise alr known 2 weeks ago as someone posted at youtube
Nex7 auto focus is slow, downsize
john
8 months ago |there is no color band , its just wrong shutter speed with fluorescent lights.
I have the same issues with nex 5n and A65.
If you put 1/60 in PAL countries (like Here in Greece) you get this result.
You have to put the right speed, 1/50 in Pal land , 1/60 in other world.
Dan
8 months ago |He was outside.
Anyway since it’s a pre-production model anyway the issue may have already been addressed. Won’t know until we get them.
john
8 months ago |If there were no lights , then its a bug…
Rob-L
8 months ago |Don’t get your panties in a twist anyone. The Colorado reviewer had a prototype. Don’t start sweating and wringing your hands.
Douglas Grillo
8 months ago |The A77 do the exactly same thing at outdoors to, so must be something with the new sensor, my guess.
Spoon
8 months ago |@ admin:
How can you honestly say the 5N performed “much better” at high ISO in the Focus Numerique test when their results show that’s completely false?
Here’s ISO 6400 from both, 100% crops at 16MP, brightness equaled:
http://i52.tinypic.com/20070w2.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2kgar4.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/9u3rwk.jpg
A bit of objectivity would be nice here.
Nawaf
8 months ago |I thought the same, not much difference. The NEX-7 has more detail in your pics!!
Eric
8 months ago |Is the 5N really better at high ISO? I guess that depends on your definition of “high ISO”. Up until ISO6400 I say the NEX-7 easily matches the 5n. At 12,800 I think the 5n looks better, but at that point, who cares? 99% of all my shots are taken below ISO3200.
I can’t wait to see raw conversions with the NEX-7. I’ve never cared for Sony’s noise reduction in their JEPG’s. I imagine once people get NEX-7 RAW files into Lightroom the results will look amazing at ISO3200 and even 6400.
Kevin
8 months ago |Honestly this is a sad video example from the operator.. WOW I would make no judgment from this pathetic clip. Clear he is not well versed in camera operation and or how to test a camera..
c.d.embrey
8 months ago |+1 or maybe +100
robdel
8 months ago |Having shot with a Canon 5DMkII, 7D, Panasonic GH2 and now a Nex 5N (I’m just starting to experiment with it), I can tell you it’s pretty well impossible to make any generalized judgements, or arrive at any conclusions regarding video based on that clip. I’ve seen 5DmkII footage that looks worse, and I’ve seen footage from my Canon S95 that looks better.
Until production models get into the hands of 1) the hardcore pixel-peeping brigade; and b) real filmmakers (more important than group #1) there’s no point in trying to guess this camera’s real capabilities in actual use.
Most current cameras in this class put out excellent video for general purposes. How useful this particular camera will be for filmmaking depends on a host of details: aliasing and moire, rolling shutter, true resolution, how the camera down samples, the smoothness of transition between colours and tones, etc., etc. High ISO capacity and “noise in the shadows” are, frankly, minor concerns when it comes to evaluating the NEX7 as a pro or semi-pro video tool.
What we can say about the camera at this point is that the physical controls look well thought-out, the fact that it has full manual controls is essential, the chosen codec should be excellent, and the range of frame-rates is very useful. The peaking function that it shares with the other NEX camera is really brilliant when it comes to working with manual lenses (and I think this is a BIG advantage when it comes to usability that the camera has over the Canon DSLRs and the GH2).
Linh
8 months ago |Hard to judge ISO performance with JPEGs. Could just be NEX-5N has a better JPEG engine.
Jonathan Geach
8 months ago |The high ISO test is BIASED. You cannot compare noise from two different cameras at different image sizes. You can see how much smaller the letters are on the 5n sample. You must either down res the 7 or upres the 5n and at that point I believe you would find that the noise is exactly the same.
People have to stop comparing noise at 100% crop, this puts any high resolution sensor at a decided disadvantage.
Kevin
8 months ago |Right on robdel!! my hx9v has produced better video than that but then I have not shot both side by to see the difference.. I have the 5N and it performs very well to 6400 iso is the 7 going to be better I am not worried about it being better at that iso level, what I am looking for is better resolution at lower iso’s and I do want the video to do well as that would be one of my main uses..
This clip is worthless (imho)
Not only that the low light part was shot through glass with all of the reflections and who knows how dirty it was…
Kevin
8 months ago |Not only that I live here in Denver and there are a lot better things to have shot, to have tested the camera…
Anyway enough said…
robdel
8 months ago |Something I will point out is that many of the NEX 7′s advantages over the 5N disappear when it comes to shooting video.
Buttons and controls: shutter speed is usually locked prior to pressing REC, and aperture adjustments are done on the lens itself (assuming you are shooting manual lenses, which are a necessity for serious video work). The extra buttons and dials on the NEX 7 are less of an advantage here than when it comes to still photography.
Built-in viewfinder: A LCD screen with a Hoodman is more useful than either a OVF or EVF when shooting video IMO (you are not restricted to eye-level shots). Nothing stopping you from doing this on a NEX 7, just pointing out that the advantage of the onboard EVF is not as great for video as it is for stills.
Audio: The NEX 7 presumably has an advantage when it comes to onboard sound, but both are evenly matched if you add an external recorder (again, a requirement for serious video).
The sensor: Not much we can say here until the NEX 7 is available for serious testing. However, the NEX 5N seems to have a higher range of useable ISO, and the picture certain seems no worse than what I have seen from the NEX 7 so far.
None of this is to say that the NEX 7 is a poor choice for video, just that the 5N is better matched with the 7 when it comes to being a filmmaking tool, as opposed to shooting stills.
c.d.embrey
8 months ago |Always use the right tool for the job! The 5n, with the accessory EVF, is the right tool for video. Think of a 7, as you would a V-DSLR, optimized for stills, but with the ability to shoot video.
Doug
8 months ago |Judging from the tests on Focus Numerique, I wouldn’t say that the NEX-5n is better at high ISO than the NEX-7 at all. At ISO 3200 and 6400 my eyes tell me that the NEX-7 is, in fact, slightly better.
robdel
8 months ago |The high ISO NEX-5n looks slightly better to me, with less smearing, fewer sharpening artifacts, smoother noise reduction, better colour and better definition. However, these are jpegs so they are subject to in camera correct and there is an exposure difference between the two shots. Both of these factors essentially render any hard conclusions based on the jpegs moot IMHO.
I haven’t bothered to download the RAWs and deal with the Sony converter (no support for the NEX 7 yet in my image editors of choice).
At any rate, the two seem very close when it comes to still photos which should make everybody happy. Not sure how they compare when it comes to video because no one has actually tested the two cameras side by side. That being the case, I concede that my comment above about the 5N sensor is based more on hearsay than actual tests – which don’t exist yet.
Spoon
8 months ago |My findings are the opposite, see the direct comparison in my post above.
robdel
8 months ago |Well, your findings are based on the images you down-sampled and adjusted. Mine were based on what was provided on the website. In either case, what we are really comparing are the relative abilities of the jpeg engines of the two cameras, which may be tuned slightly differently.
To be fair, the test should to be redone at the same exposure and the results examined in RAW. They may very well show the NEX 7 to be better at high ISO. Frankly, I hope the NEX 7 is better at high ISO. It’s a more expensive camera directed towards enthusiasts and it would be disappointing if it were not better than its smaller, consumer oriented rival.
Regardless of the results, it seems the two cameras are very close in high ISO IQ which should make everyone happy.
hs
8 months ago |Hi Andrea,
what´s about the NEX-6 with plastic-body, touch-screen, EVF and ISO-improved 24MPix sensor? Will it come before the NEX-7?
nopt
8 months ago |Hahaha, did you just make up a completely fictional camera in your head and then ask if it’s coming out?
Anon
8 months ago |Becoming less interested in this camera (NEX 7) now. Wish the 5n didn’t click (not because I care about the click — I don’t do much video — but because of resale value). Hopefully 5n used price will come down more, and I’ll grab one in a month or so.
danny
8 months ago |I made another comparison using the RAW images from Focus Numerique, ISO1600 Nex-5N,7D,D7000,A77 : http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/iso1600.jpg/
Baba Ganoush
8 months ago |The slow video focus of the NEX-7 was apparent in a short video that Steve Huff posted on his site last week just after he got the camera to test. When he re-entered his home the camera did a bit of a dance while trying to adjust from the outdoor scenery in his front yard to focusing on the front door of his home and the interior entranceway. Perhaps the pronounced change in lighting from bright sunlight to much more subdued lighting played some role in that case.
What’s with the red hand and fingers in Huff’s picture of the yellow leaf (fall colors) in his latest post?
TimberWolf
8 months ago |Hmm, my A77 is limited to ISO 1600 in video, why can the NEX7 do 3200 if it’s same sensor?
Terryfried
8 months ago |I ordered an A77 from Local Sony centre via Sony web site 3 pm yesterday. the Site said available mid November. 2-4 weeks delivery and I took free postage (3-5 days) instead of fast. It was delivered 10-30am this Morning. Less than 20 hours delivery time. Now that is service. I only paid £1299.99 with kit lens and of coarse its version 1.03 If I had got a Nikon the equivalent Lens would have cost almost as much. A Canon 60D with Canon 17-55/F2.8 costs £1599.99 in Local Dealer or £300 dearer than My kit.
rishio
8 months ago |Something is wrong with this test. It states it’s being shot at iso 3200 but in video mode, the nex 7 only goes up to iso 1600. Steve Huff and EOSHD has confirmed this to me. Steve Huff did say the camera says it goes up to iso 6400 but it is really shooting at iso 1600.
Nawaf
8 months ago |Same issue with the 5N which takes videos at ISO3200 even though it says ISO6400. Well this is what people are saying, can’t confirm it because I don’t have a 5N.
c.d.embrey
8 months ago |The Nathan Lee Bush review is the first I’ve read that is useful. Check-out his Web Site and Blog, this guy is a Real Photographer/Video-maker! From what I’ve seen of his work, I’ll trust his review.
armando
8 months ago |This banding is re-produceable with the sony nex5n
it occur’s when you push up the gain in a very bright situation with a fast lens like the rokinon 1.4 with the nex adapater.
so the banding is basically (over-loading) the sensor with light.