I'm pretty happy that Sony and Nikon are announcing product and then getting it out the door quickly. I've got several friends who are trying to decide whether to get the Nex7 or the Nex6 as upgrades from their Nex5n's. It's an interesting trade off. The Nex 6 sensor seems to be a better performer in low light and the on sensor phase detection should help speed up auto focusing, a lot. The only other positive I can see with the newer camera, for some people, is the inclusion of wi-fi for quick sharing. But God help you if you're trying to upload RAW files on a wi-fi connection....
In the plus column for the Nex7 is the robust construction, the Tri-Navi operational controls and the world's best low ISO 24 megapixel APS-C sensor (yes, I am biased).
I'm happy to see the simultaneous release of both the camera with kit lens and the camera as a body only product. A lot of people have Nex-7's and may want a back up. It would be a shame to have to buy another kit lens in that case. Too many other mirrorless camera companies seem to want to force their customers into buying kits if they want the opportunity to buy their cameras in the first few months after the introduction. Points to Sony for letting us go both ways.
My recommendation? Get the Nex6 body only, add the 19mm Sigma and the 30mm Sigma along with the Sony Nex 50mm 1.8 and you have yourself a lightweight, high performance kit with all primes. Expand from there.
If I were starting my Nex system from scratch right now I'd probably go with the Nex6. As I'm already half a year into using my Nex 7 I'm more inclined to have a second one as a back up so I can set them identically and go back and forth, using each with a different lens. Sometimes it's great not to have to stop and change lenses in a fast moving event or on a dusty day...
I got one of the first units available in France, and have been heavily shooting it ever since. I can't say I'm bonding with it like I had back with the Panny GX-1, but the IQ is vastly superior and using NEX (had a 5N prior) turned me into a manual lens freak and I'm in Heaven. The 6 is a boxy, rather unsexy camera but it means business and does everything flawlessly. Being able to use my old SB-600 is godsent. I'm loving the pictures coming out of this thing.
ReplyDeleteI ditched the new kit lens the day after getting it to get my body's price down. Have a bunch of legacies and a Sigma 30/2.8 on the way.
Very happy.
Can you tell me how you're using your Nikon flash on the NEX-6? I'm in the process of buying a flash, and read this...
DeleteTHANKS!!
Kirk have you handled the NEX-6 yet? I'm torn between that and the 7 and a portion of it has to do with the build. The 7 is built solid but how's the 6 I'm wondering, especially since they're very similar in dimensions
ReplyDeleteDavid, I haven't played with one yet. I'm very happy with the handling of the Nex 7. Given that the dimensions are similar and the finder is the same I wouldn't think that handling would be too much different, but I'd wait and try them both.
DeleteI only held the 7 in a store, but I've been using the 6 for almost two weeks and have no complain with the build. It's just pretty light for its size, doesn't have the lovely "heft" of the GX-1...
DeleteFunny... I'm in the process of doing a full gear refresh, and I'm getting very nearly that exact kit. I'm going for the new Sony 35mm instead of the Sigma 30mm, and I'm getting the NEX-6 with the new 16-50 kit lens, because it looks compact and useful for travel/snaps. I only wish the 50mm lens were longer (or that someone offered a longer telephoto prime for the e-mount), but it seems to be a superb lens, so I'll get used to its shortness relative to what I am used to. Here's to a 70 or 90mm prime before too long.
ReplyDeleteI agree, 50mm is too short in many cases. 90mm is what I want. With FF I mainly use 35mm (20%) and 135mm(70%). As much as I like my 5n, the lack of an Auto Focus 90mm f/1.8 keeps me from buying a NEX-6.
Deletec.d.embrey
I really like the 90 to 100 mm focal range on a full frame camera. That's why I bought the 70mm Sigma macro. I've been using it with the Sony adapter but I wish they would come out with their own lens that's smaller and faster. When I use the Olympus Pen 70mm f2 on the front it seems just right. The lens is a little dated and no AF but it is just right on focal length.
DeleteTo me, 60mm is about perfect for the sensor size. But instead we have 50mm, almost certainly just because they has an optical formula that could be easily adapted. So I'm holding out for a 70 or 90mm. If you have a 75mm-e, you might as well skip the 90mm-e, and go for a 105 or 135mm-e, right?
DeleteI'm also holding out hope for a Sony 18mm or 19mm, though I can't say why. I expect to like the Sigma an awful lot. Residual bias from my 2001 Sigma zoom lens, perhaps, has me hoping for a full Sony replacement.
Either way, excited to be playing in the NEX pool. My Nikon D700 has seen very little action of late, because it is too big for daily carrying, and because I need video in a camera I'm using professionally. I can't wait for the switch.
Kirk, I've been thinking about dumping my Olympus DSLR gear to go lightweight. How do you think the Sony's compare color-wise to Olympus? I ordered the NEX-6 with kit lens, and am having second thoughts. The kit lens is getting killed on forums for IQ, but that may mean nothing. This sure seems like it would be a very nice travel package.
ReplyDeleteHave seen the NEX-7 on sale cheaper than the NEX-6 at several UK dealers which to my mind makes the 7 a bit of a bargain right now.
ReplyDeleteWould you think waiting for the Nex-8 would be a good move at this time?
ReplyDeleteI am so eager for the Nex-6 however the possibility of a full frame Nex is keeping my credit card in the wallet.
Looking at getting the Nex 6 with 16-50, 55-210 and a la-ea2, will selling a900 and all zoom lens (including my fav 80-200 f2.8 hs apro) I will keep 3 primes (28, 50 and 85) and 200-500 which will do for bird photography
ReplyDeleteI see the Nex-7 sensor gets higher ratings than the Nex-5N and Nex-5R from both DP Review and DXOmark. The Nex-7 scores higher at DXO for both color depth and dynamic range and gets a higher score in image quality in the conclusion graph at the end of the DP assessment. I'm not sure why that's the case, since all the cameras use similar APS-C sensors, the only major difference being fewer pixels on the smaller cameras. The fewer pixels provide lower noise at high ISO, as confirmed in the DXO results, but as I understand it, should make no difference in color depth or DR. Do these ratings correspond to higher quality in the real world for the Nex-7 over the 5, and presumably over the Nex-6? Does the 7 have a better processor? I'm trying to figure out if there's a reason to go for the 7 over the 6, as the 6 is cheaper, has lower noise, and 16 megapixels is adequate for me. But are 6's color and DR really inferior? Unlike some pepole, I assume the lab tests are valid, but don't take all relevant facts into account.
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