The first NEX-7 unboxing video and a new reviews.

While we are all anxiously waiting for the [shoplink 8454]NEX-7[/shoplink] reviewers keep torturing us with excellent reviews and hands-on. And now we even have the very first unboxing video. So… enjoy and suffer! :=)
And Digitalcamerareview (Click here) posted a new NEX-7 review. And of course it got an Editor’s choice award! And Peter Sills (Click here) traveled for six days to Cuba with the NEX-7 and enjoyed the camera lot: “I am now totally convinced that the future of digital photography will incorporate high-quality EVF in almost all cameras“.
The NEX-7 is hardly available for preorder yet: [shopcountry 8454]

P.S.: You can win a new NEX-5n at Pocket-Lint (Click here).

Sony NEX-5N and exotic lenses (Leica-M, Leica-R, Zeiss ZM, Zeiss C/Y, Panasonic)

The until today unknown website dearsusans.wordpress.com (Click here) tested plenty of exotic lenses on the Sony NEX-5n. It’s a review full of details and image samples. And he tested some really nice lens you might be interested to buy for your NEX. Here is the list of all reviewed lenses:

[shoplink 10330 ebay]1) Leica Elmarit-R 19mm/2.8 II (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “This is a glorious lens for landscapes” but huge and suffers from flare.
[shoplink 10331 ebay]2) Zeiss ZM Biogon 25/2.8 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “On the NEX-5N it looks at home. The size is perfect. Ergonomics are perfect, build quality is fantastic
[shoplink 10332 ebay]3) Leica Summicron-M 28mm/2 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “This lens is perfection. It combines the refinement and naturalness of my Elmarit-R 19 with the sharpness of the Biogon 25.
[shoplink 10333 ebay]4) Voigtlander Colour-Skopar 35mm/2.5 PII (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “In daylight, it’s a street shooter’s dream come true. Tiny, unobstrusive and unassuming.
[shoplink 10334 ebay]5) Leica Summicron-R 50mm/2 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “It’s sharp a plenty, has good colour and reasonably nice bokeh. Build is to Leica standards, except for the aperture ring that feels a bit plastic and cheap
[shoplink 10335 ebay]6) Zeiss Contact Planar T* 50/1.7 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “Pretty convincing (read excellent) and so cheap.”
[shoplink 10336 ebay]7) Leica Summarit-M 75mm/2.5 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “I really liked that lens! My only criticism would be the polygonal bokeh.”
[shoplink 10337 ebay]8) Zeiss Contax T* Sonnar 135/2.8 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “The only real trouble with this lens is that it weighs a ton! Laaarge and heaaavy.
[shoplink 10338 ebay]9) Panasonic 14mm (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “Perfect if you’re into weight lifting and like creamy bokeh.”

 

New Sony NEX-5n review and news roundup

[shoplink 8452][/shoplink]
Imaging Resource (Click here) posted a full [shoplink 8452]Sony NEX-5n[/shoplink] review: “Sony NEX-5N is unquestionably a more feasible take-anywhere camera than pretty-much any SLR camera, and its combination of image quality and feature set make it fairly easy for me to look past the occasional wrinkle here or there. More often than not, I found myself grabbing the NEX-5N from our well-stocked shelf when I left the office for a little photographic R&R. That, in my book, is the mark of a camera worth owning, and for that reason the Sony NEX-5N earns a clear Dave’s Pick

The NEX-5n is a terrific camera and you already know that I like it a lot. And I am not the only one. Every Amazon ranking shows how the NEX-5n is selling well. Click on the links to see the mirrorless chart for every country: Ranking in USA (Pos 4), Ranking in UK (Pos 3), Ranking in France (Pos 2), Ranking in Germany (Pos 1!).

And I guess the NEX-7 would have done even better if there wouldn’t be that delay! Looking forward to January-February when the camera will be finally in Stock!

One more thing: I heard that the Stock of NEX-5n cameras is limited. I hope it will not run out of Stock soon. Check the availability at [shopcountry 8452].

 

First Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 E-mount unboxing and image samples (in Stock in Europe!)


Sony NEX-5N with new E-mount lenses (Carl Zeiss 24mmf1.8/ 50mmf1.8/ 16mmf2.8).

UPDATE: The Zeiss 24mm for NEX is Stock at Sony stores online in Netherland (Click here), France (Click here), Sweden (Click here), Spain (Click here), Italy (Click here), Germany (Click here) and Amazon Germany (Click here).

Some guy at Mobile01 (Click here) already posted the first unboxing pictures (you have to click on the green links to open the pictures). Cnet Asia (Click here) posted a full lens review: “It isn’t cheap for an E-mount lens–or an F1.8 prime lens for that matter–but the new Zeiss on the block definitely has the potential to gain a fan base among more demanding NEX users who can appreciate a fast and sharp prime.” There is also a NEX-7+Zeiss lens test at Fengniao.

And than Luminous Landscape (Click here) added a new Zeiss lens test on their NEX-7 rolling review. He made an image comparison with the ultra-expensive [shoplink 10462 ebay]Leica 24mm f/1.4 Summilux (Click here to see it on eBay)[/shoplink]. Conclusion: "Given all of the above, the 24mm Zeiss stands up to the Leica Summilux very well indeed. It bests it in some areas, holds its own in some, and falls slightly behind elsewhere. Overall this is a stunning performance. With the 24mm f/1.8 Zeiss Sonnar Sony has produced a lens which photographers will find more than exceeds expectations. At $1,000 it isn’t inexpensive, but then considering how well it holds up to the industry’s benchmark, costing almost 6X the price, it actually is a relative bargain.

Yeah, that lens gets highly recommended and it will ship to you that week! Here are ALL(!) preorder links I do check to see when the lens will be online:
[shoplist 8450]

 

PDN: Canon and Nikon users should be jealous of the A77! NYT likes the NEX-7.

Sony NEX-7. A Matter of Size from The Luminous Landscape on Vimeo.

PDN (Click here) reviewed the A77: “Throw in its remarkable ability to capture tack-sharp fast-action HD video and more surprising bells and whistles than an amusement park, and you have a Sony DSLR that should make Canon and Nikon users jealous. When was the last time you could say that?

Luminous Landsape (Click here) made a video of the NEX-7 (you see it here on top of this post). And Steve Huff (Click here) posted a depth of field comparison. Also the New York Times (Click here) writes about the NEX-7: “This camera is gorgeous. Black metal, like something James Bond might carry. Yet here is, yes, a built-in pop-up flash. It won’t exactly illuminate a football stadium, but it’s fine for subjects up to about eight feet away.

So many good reviews and no camera! but be patient, Sony is doing a 24 hours job to get back to full production. In January the cameras will be back in store!

A77 at [shopcountry 8461]
A65 at [shopcountry 8459].
Sony NEX-7 [shopcountry 8454].
Sony NEX-5n [shopcountry 8452].
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].
NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].

 

Sony A77 news roundup (JPEG quality improvement test with the new firmware).


The video on top shows an “S mode trick” to get the autofocus to work on video shutter priority mode for the Sony A77.

Here is a list of A77 news and reviews you readers sent me the last days:

Cephotography (Click here) posted an image comparison between the A77 firmware 1.03 and 1.04 images. Looks like there is a small quality improvement! Discussion at Dpreview forum.

Jimmartinphotoblog (Click here) madw RAW vs JPEG comparison with the now “old” 1.03 firmware.

1.04 versus 1.03 firmware at Lowyat.

Shutter speed priority mode at SonyAlphaLab.

Firmwar 1.04 image samples by Mike Kobal.

HDMI output test on the A77 and other cameras (Atomos). Interesting!

Jeremy sent me this: “I realized some video test between the Canon 5D and the Sony A77:
– Moire/Aliasing effect : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAAyO4JujTE
– Roller shutting effect : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDxej4PaIxA
– Noise management : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziz764Vvkuc

David sent me this: “I’ve also done a couple of comparisons between the a77 and NEX-5n in terms of noise.
http://soundimageplus.blogspot.com/2011/12/noise-comparison-between-sony-a77-and.html
and http://soundimageplus.blogspot.com/2011/12/noise-comparison-between-sony-a77-and_01.html

John sent me this: “Here’s a video review that I did of the Sony a77. It’s also for a competition that if I win I get to go to CES in Las Vegas next year. Do you think you would be able to help me out with that? please please please! Heres the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlVZdtOrUdY&feature=feedu
And the link to the page where you can vote for me:
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/10/experience-ces-in-las-vegas-report-for-gizmodo-australia/
Of course all SAR reader will vote for our friend John or not? ;)

———

And where can you find the A77 in Stock? I will post my full shopping daily check list. But if you find the A77 in Stock in some other stores feel free to help other SAR readers by commenting this post with the link to the store! Thanks! And here are all A77 links:
[shoplist 8461]

Using the Zeiss Biogon ZM 35mm f/2.0 on a NEX camera.

[shoplink 10350 ebay][/shoplink]
Introduction:
Here is the next article about one of my possible future lens purchases. Generally what I am looking for are lenses with a high build quality (hate plastic lenses) and that are not too big. The NEX-5n isn’t exactly the ideal camera for big lenses. But what I also want is a lens that can cover a full frame sensor as I believe that we will not have to wait a long time until Sony releases a sort of full frame NEX camera. Unlike digital camera I feel very comfortable to spend my money on a good lens. Lenses do last forever and keep a reasonable value in time (sometimes they also gain value!). So after taking a look at the superb Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f/1.5 ZM lens (Click here to read the article). I searched and collected some reviews about the Zeiss Biogon ZM 35mm f/2.0 lens ([shoplink 10350 ebay]Click here to see it on eBay[/shoplink]). Of course this lens will work on a NEX via M to NEX mount adapter ([shoplink 8850 ebay]again here on eBay[/shoplink]).

Lens reviews on the Leica fullframe camera:
The Zeiss Biogon is a M-mount lens and there are plenty of reviews on the Leica M camera.
Ken Rockwell writes: “This Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon ZM is optically superb“. Daniel Valente writes: “I am happy to say that the bokeh is neutral and pleasant“. Diglloyd says: “It’s a no-brainer for any M shooter.” And Steve Huff also likes the lens a lot: “The lens is sharp, it has gorgeous rich color…and if you are one of those who love the 3D qualities of Zeiss then the Biogon will be right up your alley“.

Lens reviews and tests on Sony NEX cameras:
The lens performs extremely well on full frame cameras but how good is it on the Sony APS-C sensor?
The most important review has been made by Photozone: “The Biogon produced impressive quality figures in our lab. The resolution is good+ to very good at f/2 and reaches very good to excellent result beyond till diffraction is limiting the quality from f/11 onwards. Lateral CAs are well controlled and not overly field relevant. The bokeh fringing (LoCAs) is typical for such a fast lens. Distortions are basically absent. The most obvious weakness of the lens is the amount of light fall-off at f/2 which is quite a bit higher than average for a full format lens. The build quality of the Zeiss lens is superb thanks to an all-metal body and super-smooth controls.
Björn Utpott just purchased that lens: “I finally know what my daily NEX-5N kit will look like: the Zeiss Biogon as my main lens with the Sony 16mm pancake in my pocket for the odd time when I need something wider.”
Image samples can be found on flickr made by kriswashington and shigerus.
Video samples can be found on youtube made by dai3smile and unboxing video made by denrusso.
To see how the NEX-5+Biogon combo looks check that picture on flickr. Ad here is the NEX-3+silver Biogon on flickr.

Conclusion:
Super sharp, super build quality and you can use it on any NEX camera (APS-C or FF) that will be available in future. It even works o my old [shoplink 10351 ebay]Minolta CLE[/shoplink]! This lens looks like a real winner!

Links:
Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2.0 ZM on [shoplink 10350 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. I is available in black and silver.
M to NEX mount adapter on [shoplink 8850 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

P.S.: Feel free to send me your lens suggestions!!! Thanks!