(SR4) First “signs” about a soon to come NEX-7 successor…
I got a short message from two different (good) sources hinting about a possible NEX-7 successor coming very soon! I ask my trusted big sources if they can confirm the rumors. I also have no specs yet but I have been told that the camera has a new sensor and very likely the same sensor that will be sued on the A77 successor too!
If I got the message right than Sony will first intorduce the NEX-3n next week and the NEX-7 successor in two months. Stay tuned on SAR! Lot of news and rumros to come soon…
P.S.: Sony NEX-7 price check at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay
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Joe
5 months ago |Admin, do you know if they will opt for the Alpha menu like the RX100 and RX1, the NEX menu really not a professional menu system
Kiril
5 months ago |Ideall would be to have 2 modes of the menu – regular and advanced (nex and Alpha style)
The NEX-7 is great camera and only the weird menu system is the biggest problem. The Settings section borders useless and lacks many needed options for this grade of camera at the same time. Problem is that it is a flat disorganized list. Alpha style menu can host all of the current plus more in easy to grasp structure.
GreenLens
5 months ago |I would even suggest an optional user-defined menu, a grid of empty slots user could assign any function to. Kind of a quick access to frequently used settings. Would it be hard to implement?
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |If they give the NEX-7x Quick-navi, like they did on the NEX-6, it will be more than good enough. There is nothing special about the menu system on existing Alpha DSLTs.
I’ve always missed Quick-navi since Sony binned it after the A700/900. Sony wisely re-introduced it on the A99 and NEX-6.
LensIsAll
5 months ago |“There is nothing special about the menu system on existing Alpha DSLTs.” – how about that: “it’s miles ahead of NEX menu system in terms of usability” ?
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |Sorry, what? Who said that?
LensIsAll
5 months ago |I did.
And what do you mean by “so what”? It’s a big deal.
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |Ah, you did, that means it must be true!
I didn’t say, “so what”.
ka-spot
5 months ago |Awesome! I want one!
alexander
5 months ago |good news !!!
John L
5 months ago |I think people should be aware of the Nex Hack project. They are having some problems. http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/1928-the-nex-hack-project-is-searching-for-new-developers/
Alain
5 months ago |This is the new nex 7 firmware !! Lol replacing a nex by a nex
And the nex 7 has one year now ! It s an old nex !!!
Lofote
5 months ago |Why should they wait updating the hardware with the new “old” hotshoe that has lots of new output possibilities (external screen, ISO flash remote controls, audio/XLR input, …)?
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |I don’t know of many firmware updates that can give you a brand new sensor or hotshoe.
Chris Geary
5 months ago |Great news about the Sony NEX-7, going to buy this while I wait for the 2013 NEX-9 FF.
Wonder if Sony will bring out a speed booster for the NEX-7 as well?
Tom S
5 months ago |What do you mean? Sony does not make speedbooster, and speedbooster would work fine on any Nex (except full frame VG900 and possible upcoming Nex FF camera)
Chris Geary
5 months ago |I was wondering if Sony may bring out their own Speedbooster for NEX that would fix the slow focusing issue when using full frame A-mount lens’s.
Atlasman
5 months ago |chris
Not likely, I’m sure the resources are already spread thin.
I own the NEX-7 and SpeedBooster—it wooks well with most of my EF glass. APS-C has definetly reduced the gap with the full-frame.
At the moment, the above is my mirrorless full frame.
Neo NiGHTS ®
5 months ago |Do you think Sony will drop (for now) the 24mp sensor and go for the new 20mp one?
Or will they try to improve the 24mp sensor? Or perhaps bring a more megapixel-packed sensor?
waldomarek
5 months ago |“oh no, now my NEX-7 has suddenly become less useful!”
Emir
5 months ago |+1
MrBig
5 months ago |You mad bro?
Frank
5 months ago |Is it available in wood?
Emir
5 months ago |Sorry, only in Rubble…
Neo NiGHTS ®
5 months ago |Only at the Moon and Sweden.
MrBig
5 months ago |LOL
Love it!
shamb
5 months ago |Most interesting thing here is that Sony have a new sensor that they have not licenced to a third party (e.g. Nikon), which is very unusual.
Sony appear to be more bullish/confident about their own cameras than they have ever been before.
Hendrick
5 months ago |How do you know next week Nikon won’t show us their new D7100 with a new Sony 32mp sensor?
WTH
5 months ago |Because, normally we get the scoop on Sonys next sensor from Nikons press release…
Spoon
5 months ago |Not really. The first to sport the Sony 16MP sensor was… Sony. The first and last to use the Sony 14MP CCD was… Sony. The first and last to use the Sony 14MP CMOS… was Sony. The first to use the Sony 24MP FF sensor was…. Sony. The first to have a camera in stores with the Sony 12MP CMOS sensor was… Sony.
WTH
5 months ago |/facepalm
I was being sardonic…
Spoon
5 months ago |Not really. Sony was the first to have a camera in stores with the:
- Sony 12MP CMOS APS-C
- Sony 16MP CMOS APS-C
- Sony 24MP CMOS APS-C
- Sony 24MP CMOS FF
And first and only one with:
- Sony 14MP CCD APS-C
- Sony 14MP CMOS APS-C
xspider
5 months ago |I guess that is what we will see in the future more and more. Innovation is driven by the Nex line and A-Mount get’s what’s useful. I can live with that and it makes total sense for Sony and their camera business!
DiBok
5 months ago |16,20 or 24 – I give a damn which one they gonna implement. As long as they care for the mla and avoid the poor border quality of the actual sensor…
My wishes for the new model would be:
- Better IQ (less vignetting)
- Better menu navigation
- AutoIso in M
- Auto HDR with camera’s autoswitch to jpeg only
- mode raw&extrafine
- wireless flash control with builtin flash
Chris Geary
5 months ago |Yes I agree hopefully it will have wireless flash control with the built-in flash. Something I really really miss on the NEX range.
Don Cox
5 months ago |“- Auto HDR with camera’s autoswitch to jpeg only”
Or, save the middle exposure as a RAW and the HDR as a JPG (as now). I think that would be more useful, if the camera is set to JPG+RAW.
Then if there are bad double images on the HDR, you can see if the RAW with Recovery and Fill can get a good result.
Ian
5 months ago |I would hope Sony listens to its customers. As others have said, the list of things customers want isn’t massive. We all want pretty much the same things.
You’d hope they would work on the ISO though. That is the most embarassing aspect of the camera. I love the 24mp detail. I’d be disappointed if they dropped back to 20MP to be honest.
I’d like to add touch screen to the list and some custom settting preset buttons. Not that fussed on the menus being fixed. I don’t really need them with tri navi and the custom button functions. I wouldn’t complain if they were fixed better organised though. Mode dial is neither here nor there for me but I do appreciate some use it regularly.
Fingers crossed we hear something definitive soon.
Sony if you are listening, I am available to test the new NEX-7!
Hendrick
5 months ago |I agree here. If they keep the 24mp but improve the ISO (making 3200 look like 1600 – speaking of RAW of course) then we would have a nice camera that would be, arguably, on level with ISO performance for its sensor size compared to FF.
That being said, and without the X-Trans non-supported tricks, if Sony can achieve an ISO mark 1/5 stop close to Fuji, I would be very very happy.
Last, but not least, for those like me who use video frequently, please stop using AVCHD and use other codecs with less compression. 50mbits would be very welcome.
So, the list is:
1) Improve ISO performance by a 1 or 1.5 stops.
2) Do not reduce sensor resolution
3) Improve video output to 50mbps or more
All else, really, is minor compared to this. This would compete more evenly with Fuji (which is high ISO king albeit with some drawbacks in software support) and compete with Panasonic MFT which is selling due to its video capabilities. As NEX is a great mount to use the SpeedBooster focal length reducer, a great video codec will greatly help NEX be more attractive to photojournalists like me who need to use both video and stills in one body (or rather, prefer to)
These changes, while small in number, are most essential.
Tom S
5 months ago |I agree – good list – would like confirmation that the new model does not overheat for video, and that it has clean HDMI out as well,plus at the very least AGC disable.
Hendrick
5 months ago |I forgot to mention. If overheating is solved by making the body slightly thicker in order to accommodate an efficient heat sink, then do it. Slightly larger is welcome, really.
spaceman
5 months ago |Hendrick – the heat issue was already solved with the NEX-6 which have the same computing power if not more. Probably a reduced processor die size (shrinking the transistors) has solved the heat problem.
o
5 months ago |is that so? i thought sensor heat – not CPU – was the problem, and the tightly packed 24mp the reason nex 6 works better
Ivan Mikolji
5 months ago |The Nex7 still has heating problems.
DiBok
5 months ago |If they’d apply the Sensor they are using in the A99, and considering better ISO IQ due to mirrorless, we would get a NEX7n with very good quality up to 6400 and usable 12800.
This is what I personally find more than sufficient.
spaceman
5 months ago |The biggest difference between the A99 and NEX-7 IQ is the difference in sensor size and tech. One being FF the other APS-C, so I don’t think that a better processor will suddenly give the NEX-7 FF ISO performance.
o
5 months ago |i’d be happy with a 12mp aps-c with a99/d600 performace
tokyojerry
5 months ago |* ‘Touch screen’ controls – I second the motion.
* Better articulating screen (like on the alpha, or better Panasonic GH series)
Being that I already own a NEX-6 (nice camera) I will wait for the NEX full frame to release. Then, I will buy that as the main camera and use the NEX6 as a second body to avoid lens swapping.
danny
5 months ago |It will probably be the new 24MP sensor which Sony developed together with Toshiba. Maybe it is the same as in the Nikon D5200. In terms of noise it seems to perform really well.
Hendrick
5 months ago |Now this is interesting. Indeed, the furore was that Toshiba is supplying some new sensors to Nikon but…
http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/cx_news/vol64/sideview1.html
It appears that Sony is increasing its manufacturing of sensors in a Toshiba plant. Would this mean Toshiba and Sony are now developing sensors together and that the Nikon 5200 sensor is a Tosony? I wouldn’t mind seeing a Tosony in the NEX 7whatever if the ISO IS at 3200 what it is now at 800!
Again, I put forwards once more the wish to increase the video bitrate for better quality video.
Seriously, you already have the FS100 and FS700. There is NOTHING in between and the A99 doesnt have anything better than NEX either. Come on, make NEX compete with GH3 in the video dept…PLEASE!
Dimitri
5 months ago |Danny, are you sure about that? In “DPREVIEW” the images of RAW comparison between 5100 and 5200 show that the former performs much better!
Rooru S.
5 months ago |forgot entirely about that agreement between Toshiba and Sony..probably yes, they can use that sensor too but i’m not quite sure they should use it.
Lucas
5 months ago |I don’t care much for the NEX line, but would definitely consider a 7 if Sony:
- updates it with similar/better features as the 6 ( including SLT-like menu and Quick-Navi )
- small built-in flash for wireless control
- increase the number of AF sensors and grid size
- improve high ISO noise control at least by 2 stops, even if it takes to lower pixel count ( 20MP would be fine ).
spaceman
5 months ago |According to DXOMark 2 stops will bring the NEX-7 on par with the best FF cameras D600, RX1, 6d etc. I do not think that is realistic.
If the Toshiba-Sony partnership story holds true, then we can probably expect 20-25% better low light performance from the sensor, like the D5200 current advantage over the NEX-7. That would be realistic.
My dream is of course that the NEX-7 will bring true next gen performance, but with the FF NEX coming up, I do not think Sony is too bothered by making an APS-C revolution.
John Maverick
5 months ago |The NEX-7 sensor had a lot of problems in turning things purple. This was evident with the 16/2.8 and 10-18/4 as well as a bunch of manual wide lenses. I hope this gets fixed properly in the sensor, rather than by relying on software hacks.
!vo
5 months ago |Yes, but how can you tell if it is fixed by hardware or it’s software hack
Don Cox
5 months ago |If you put an M-mount (Leica) lens on the camera, it cannot respond with software correction, as it cannot know what lens you are using. So if the purple corners are gone, it must be hardware.
We shall see in a few months.
GreenLens
5 months ago |If it is done in RAW, I don’t care. Leica does it.
Javier
5 months ago |Damn and I bought the NEX-7 last week.
FK
5 months ago |Let’s hope the Nex 7 successor’s Sensor won’t get Sued as well.
alonzo
5 months ago |Overheating issue ,the biggest problem with nex line .
!vo
5 months ago |Did you use Photocamera as a Videocamera? My Nex5N never overheated with still pics
SonyCyberPunk
5 months ago |Instead of sharing the info anonymously, I might as well just post it here…
The upcoming NEX 7 specs:
APS-C
24mp
On Sensor Phase Detect
ISO increased approximately 1 stop
JPEG processing and compression improved
Menu system revamped
Tri Nav revamped
Movie button revamped
Form factor and grip revamped
Pop-up flash revamped
Also, two more features incorporated, one of which is quite unexpected and very useful.
spaceman
5 months ago |SonyCyberPunk – ISO performance one stop better, nice joke, that would send the DXOMark close to 2000, and the performance would be close to A99.
It sounds too good to be true.
Stan
5 months ago |Actually that would put it above A99, since A99 is around 1600-ish due to SLT design. 2000 usable low noise ISO would put it close to 5D Mk3 @2300 and above 5D Mk2 @ 1800. With sensors already being pretty good, I doubt its even possible to pull out that much out of APS-C sensor when compared to a FullFrame, unless its some radically new design/approach that no-one has figured out yet.
Don Cox
5 months ago |Time marches on and sensors (and processing algorithms) keep improving. I don’t think the Sony engineers are up against a brick wall yet.
Stan
5 months ago |I agree about a brick wall part, but a full stop improvement over a previous gen? Sorry, but I just don’t see that happening. Maybe .5 stop at best.
As much as i’d love to see A78 with that kind of a sensor (I’m debating between A58 and A78), I just can’t see that kind of improvement happening. More incremental over multiple generations of the same sensor – maybe.
SonyCyberPunk
5 months ago |You’re wrong and do not have the insider info. Thanks for doubting.
Stan
5 months ago |Well, if what you say is true, then i’m all for it. That kind of improvement would be completely awesome.
Frank
5 months ago |Isn’t this all sounding like the A77 ISO in the hundreds of thousands claim again?
Carl
5 months ago |How could we doubt something we’ve read on the internet?
Stan
5 months ago |@Carl, That reminds me of a commercial
-F: They can’t put on the internet something that isn’t true.
-M: Where did you hear that?
-F: On the Internet…
spaceman
5 months ago |Sorry for 1-stop ISO performance increase the DXOMark for the NEX-7 should be around 1750. Twenty five percent increase is apparently around 1/3-stop, so roughly it will be on par or better than A99 and around 40% better than the new D5200.
I doubt it although it would be great
Stan
5 months ago |Umm no… +1 stop means doubling the amount of light passing through. Current DXOMark score for NEX-7 is 1016 ISO. 1016 x 2 = 2032.
Stan
5 months ago |Just noticed the 25% remark. Yes, 25% is close to 1/3rd of a stop because 1/3rd of a stop is 33%.
skeptical
5 months ago |Guys, some basic math! 1 stop is 2x the amount of light, but that doesn’t mean that 1/3 stop is 33% more light. It’s a logarithmic scale; so 1/3 stop is the third root of 2, which is about 1.26. The ratios are
1/3 stop = 1.26 (26% more light)
2/3 stop = 1.59 (59% more light)
1 stop = 2.00 (100% more light)
Stan
5 months ago |My mistake on the stop divisions. Didn’t realize they were logarithmic. At least I got the full stop right lol.
SonyCyberPunk
5 months ago |Do you work for Sony?
skeptical
5 months ago |When was the last time a sensor improved 1 full stop in one generation? I don’t remember any such historic occurrence. As others pointed out, 1 stop is close to the gap between APS-C and Full Frame – a massive leap compared to the margins between different APS-C sensors these days.
Dave
5 months ago |Any whispers about price? I am assuming a touch more than what the 7 is going for now?
Sean Lancaster
5 months ago |Adding On Sensor Phase Detect to the old sensor (e.g., the NEX 6 to the 5N) would be a deal breaker for me. I didn’t see the 5R and 6 as upgrades to the 5N with regard to the sensor.
SonyCyberPunk
5 months ago |Wow, I think you might be the 1st photographer in history to discount faster focus. You’re not the majority.
Nik
5 months ago |Better to say that if that is the only improvement made to the sensor it won’t be a worthy upgrade. It will have been almost two years, this isn’t the 5r.
But if it’s the same “new” sensor as the A78 that can’t be the only improvement. Why would an SLT camera have on sensor PDAF?
Nik
5 months ago |Better to say that if that is the only improvement made to the sensor it won’t be a worthy upgrade. It will have been almost two years, this isn’t the 5r.
But if it’s the same “new” sensor as the A78 that can’t be the only improvement. Why would an SLT camera have on sensor PDAF?
The Lotus Eater
5 months ago |With respect, the 5N sensor was pretty damn good already. PDAF hasn’t really been a negative addition to that sensor.
Atlasman
5 months ago |I own both the 5N and 5R and I don’t see a difference in image quality, but a noticeable improvement in auto focus speed—on-sensor phase detection would be a welcome addition to the NEX-7.
!vo
5 months ago |I have to agree with Sean, adding On Sensor Phase Detect to the old sensor was a deal breaker for me about Nex6. Faster focus is a good thing but I don’t see it in the real example.
a900andanex5
5 months ago |A seemingly silly request, but please could it have the touch screen?
Otherwise I’m still sticking with my 5N where I can manually focus about 3 times quicker
tokyojerry
5 months ago |Not a silly request. I want the same thing. Panasonic can do it. Sony apparently can not.
Also want the more versatile articulating screen as in the alpha series.
Tom S
5 months ago |Get me Clean HDMI out and I will buy one..
a65 Owner
5 months ago |I wonder if Sony’s tendency to replace models so quickly is hurting them at all. I find it hard to pull the trigger on a purchase since something else will be along in a minute or two.
Things that would get me to look at the new 7…
1. Touch screen – It really adds to a camera like this – especially if it will support Wi-Fi and apps as I suspect it will
2. Better high ISO performance
3. Faster AF – I’d like to see an improvement over the NEX 6
4. Built in flash can be used as a wireless master – I’d never stick a flash on a NEX, but I’d like to use the one I have as an off-camera flash
5. Micro-mirrors on the sensor – Or whatever it takes to make it better edge-to-edge w/ old manual lenses. If I’m going to invest in NEX I’m sure I’ll want to play with old lenses.
Stan
5 months ago |Micro mirrors on the sensor, thats a cool idea! DLP projectors have a micro-mirror based chip to reflect the light. I wonder why noone has tried a Hybrid sensor with mirrors instead of PDAF pixels reflecting the light on a large PDAF sensor. This would be an interesting approach for DSLRs.
a65 Owner
5 months ago |D’OH! Meant microlenses.
I worked on a DLP chipset in a past life so that term is forever suck in my head.
Tristan
5 months ago |Fast auto focus is all I want. Especially of objects coming closer (like my children).
Fast and accurate auto focus with all lenses and accurate follow focus with 10 fps!
Don Cox
5 months ago |I think faster auto-focus will depend on the coming of faster processing chips – which is bound to happen. If the contrast could be analysed in, say, a quarter of the time, focussing would speed up noticeably. Give it a year or two.
Improvements in software can also help. There is a faster Fast Fourier algorithm available now, which might be usable.
I doubt if the phase detection will make much difference, but it should help a bit in some situations.
LensIsAll
5 months ago |get SLT. Mirrorless isn’t really a wise choice if you need fast AF.
Don Cox
5 months ago |The point is to improve the speed until it is a wise choice. I see no reason in principle why contrast focussing cannot be made much faster. It is just one of those chewy problems that take a while to solve.
Tristan
5 months ago |I used to own a Nikon D700. Amazing camera! But so heavy it took all the fun away. That was even before I had children. Now I need to carry them around as well
doug
5 months ago |An NEX-7 successor with an improved sensor is an exciting prospect. I curently own an NEX-7 and while its sensor is very good, there’s room for improvement, particularly with regards to color shifts and corner sharpness with some wide angle lenses and also in high ISO noise. If these are significantly improved I may be adding yet another NEX to my camera bag.
CTPhotographX.com
5 months ago |Really needs diagonal scrolling for magnified focus and review. It gets old just having left and right scrolling. Should also retain magnified view after deleting edits. Would make focus edits in the field much more efficient.
Either return to iISO shoe and put an XLR port on the side, or at least create some smart radio slaves. iISO has everything needed, including smart slaves. 3rd parties create nothing for new shoe.
Can we get some wired remotes for stills and video here? IR remotes are for soccer moms.
Please provide option for proper Alpha menu system. It does have the Alpha logo, right? Take the dang Alpha logo off the camera if Alpha menu system isn’t available.
Allow for metering and focus, all shooting in stop down aperture mode.
LensIsAll
5 months ago |I can bet that they’ll put in-camera apps (aka “PlayMemories”) instead of a proper menus.
Jim Stewart
5 months ago |I have a Nex-7 and don’t expect to be tempted into replacing it until the FF version comes along, its not enough of an upgrade and there is the FF (hopefully) around the corner. I moved from micro four thirds to Nex to get a larger sensor and am now waiting for the FF. In fact, I have bought a film rangefinder to use this year as a FF alternative to compliment the 7 (all my Nex lenses are leica-M mount).
Assuming the FF comes in 2014, I can see it makes sense for Sony to try and squeeze one more top end APS-C release this year before the FF arrives.
SonyCyberPunk
5 months ago |You wonder why we don’t share info about upcoming releases with you? Really? We’ll keep trying… it;s the best we can do.
Don Cox
5 months ago |I am curious to know what the “very useful” feature is.
Chris K.
5 months ago |Admin really needs an automatic spell-check…This is unreadable! (I share in the excitement though, my NEX-7 has been a joy and I look forward to the successor.)
Foothillson
5 months ago |I’ve been looking at mirrorless cameras for a few months,settled on the NEX-7 as my camera of choice. Now I’ll have to wait a couple more months to see what happens to the camera. I’m sure I’d be happy with a current NEX-7, but since there’s an upgrade coming I’ll wait for the new model. So I suspect it will be summer before I actually see something new in my bag.
a65 Owner
5 months ago |You’ll probably win either way. You’ll either a get a model that you deem better suits your needs or you’ll get the current NEX 7 for a lower price.
kum
5 months ago |what lens is gonna come with the NEX 7N??in the kit? :S
Poki
5 months ago |The 16-50mm pancake. But the three Zeiss primes should be released at about the same time, so you have better options anyways.
Little Monster
5 months ago |i am curious which kit lens it will come with as well. 16-50, 18-55 or the new 16-80 Zeiss?
Linh
5 months ago |16-80 Zeiss? o.o How much are you expecting the kit will be?
GreenLens
5 months ago |The new E20 for the price of E16 could be a great combo too!
Phil
5 months ago |I just hope it comes with embedded GPS and Wifi…
Pictus
5 months ago |Give-me 14 bit RAW
WTH
5 months ago |Give me 14 bit RAW with the option of Compression Levels…
Douglas
5 months ago |My wish list for the Nex 7 successor:
-Weather sealed body.
-Touch control.
-Improved high ISO handling.
-No overheating on video recording.
-Clean 8bit 4:2:2 HDMI output as the A99.
-Manual Audio control.
Tom S
5 months ago |+1
Joel Richards
5 months ago |Let’s add XAVC video encoding.
Thomas F
5 months ago |Well I for one am excited to see what the NEX-7 successor will be after seeing the updates to the 3,5 and the release of the 6, and seeing what Sony has learned from each of those release and sales as input on what their customers are looking for. That and knowing that I should start saving now for a hopefully improved Camera…
Infocus
5 months ago |Give me good lenses, especially longer ones tha 210 mm
Michael
5 months ago |Hey SonyCyberPunk – any word on release timing for the new 7?
Mart
5 months ago |It will just change a phase Detection sensor,and apps downloadable function. Judging from the past new nex set, u can expect the speed of their progress. Nex C3 to NexF3 to Nex3N all minor improvement.
Dozn Medda
5 months ago |Yeah, awesome… one still cant buy the 24/1.8 or 35/1.8 lenses directly from amazon.de, but SONY thinks we need a body upgrade. Sure. To use what lenses with?