Nex Cameras as reviewed by DPReview

[RubberDials]

Then, of course, there are entry level users like me who just stick the camera on ISO 200, raw, f/8, Aperture priority and shoot. Exposure compensation when needed is at the touch of one button then a dial, aperture change is just turn the dial when the shooting display is active. Movie is press movie button at any time. End of user interface issues.

David

It'll never catch on. It's a shame you can't post this on Dpreview. Their banning of you always looked flimsy and despicable.

[Edgars L]

It seems you are using NEX for some time and are very familiar with handling and UI...

Maybe I'm familiar with different kind of entry level DSLR users, but my experience is most of them familiar with few functions, 3-4 buttons and they taking pictures in P-auto.

Are you sure familiar with Sony cameras interface, esp. QuickNavi which is must user friendly?

Again I see some seriously flawed points here. So it's "ok" to make a dodgy handling camera with an iffy menu system because the target buyer is a newbie? Please..let's wake up a little here..

So newbies use a D300 or Canon 50d..should it have bad handling because of that?
Good design allows new and more experienced users to get along just fine..poor design hinders both. Sony are no Ipod/Iphone maker..Apple make desirable classy products with a simple user interface, Sony don't. An Ipod isn't a camera..a mobile phone isn't a camera either!

[vincenzo]

I sold all my DSLR kit including my A900 and lenses to be replaced with Ricoh GXR kit and NEX5 with 16mm and wide-angle adapter.. A900 is wonderful, but its rather heavy and looks too professional for my candid travel and docu photos. I much prefer the point n shoot ethic. The lighter my kit the better pictures I make.
I would rather be ignored as a bubbling amateur than people get suspicious or intimidated by big machine in my hands. Auto ISO and quick aperture priority control is all I ever need. For more controlled or landscape photography I will happily slow down or just use my Ricoh GXR or GR1.
Goodbye DSLR hello NEX and GXR, new stable buddies for the off road wanderings.
Biggest drawback is battery life. Will need plenty of spares because I will be in areas without electricity at some stages. For this, dual charging units are needed.

[Vidgamer]

Then, of course, there are entry level users like me who just stick the camera on ISO 200, raw, f/8, Aperture priority and shoot. Exposure compensation when needed is at the touch of one button then a dial, aperture change is just turn the dial when the shooting display is active. Movie is press movie button at any time. End of user interface issues.

David

Now, this sounds pretty easy. Do you think Sony could add this to the Nex in a firmware update?

From what I've read, it sounds more P&S-ish, but I still frequently use my Sony "bridge" P&S camera, which already had a "simpler" interface than the Nikon I had previously. In some ways, the Nikon was better in the way it gave options, but once I adapted to the new interface, it wasn't so bad. I had to make a couple of compromises, but I think the reason for the "simpler" interface was because it's easier to not lose options. If I make a change in the Sony camera, it's easier to find it and set it back than with the Nikon. Hard to explain, but I suspect the same thing here with the Nex -- it will initially appear "simpler" (as if it were less-featured) but once learning the UI, it'll be easier to not get lost. And for the most part, it would appear that Nex is more-featured than my A100.

As for the DPR review, I don't know what to say. From a quick skim, they seemed to give a good overview of the camera -- the UI, they just didn't like. I think time will tell if most people are happy or not with it.

As for Barry's comments of Apple vs. Sony phones, I don't know -- if the Nex had even a more iPhone UI -- perhaps a touch screen, etc. -- I think people would have been even more upset. I think having the tactile scroll wheel is better feedback than trying to swipe on screen like I have to do on the iPhone add-on camera apps, for example, with digital zoom. The only advantage I see to a touch screen is being able to choose the focus/exposure point -- that is neat. However, the half-shutter works well enough for me, so I'm not exactly going to encourage a touch-screen design.

[Vidgamer]

Then, of course, there are entry level users like me who just stick the camera on ISO 200, raw, f/8, Aperture priority and shoot. Exposure compensation when needed is at the touch of one button then a dial, aperture change is just turn the dial when the shooting display is active. Movie is press movie button at any time. End of user interface issues.

David

It'll never catch on. It's a shame you can't post this on Dpreview. Their banning of you always looked flimsy and despicable.

I would have said you are overreacting, but it looks like they may have banned someone who was posting criticisms of their review. They should just ignore it. Weird. I've seen them post defenses of their reviews before -- which is fine, of course -- but how bad does it have to be to ban someone? Then again, if someone stooped low enough, I suppose I'd ban them too. However, I can't see David being nasty enough to ban, but hey, maybe that's just me. On the other hand, I saw some pretty snippy responses from the DPR staff -- it doesn't look pretty.

[Mark K]

The dpreview has been considering shutting down Sony Alpha Forum. I think Phil was serious when he said this in the forum

[agorabasta]

That DPReview gang has every reason to be nervous/pricky.

First of - they know they lied quite a lot in their 'review'. More of that was on subliminal level, still poor quality 'samples' used for 'objective' tests are still there, though not as glaring as with the a550 'review'.
But that's peanuts.

Now what's really important is that those 'beneficiaries' (i.e. those who run the DPR) have every monetary reason to hate the NEX.

Consider this - there were tons of web sites proliferant on computer geeks in the late 90's to early 00's; now they all cost nothing compared to what they were. And it's quite expectable: as tech matures - the geeks leave; and that's for a simple reason - there's nothing geeky in the stuff available to every 'lamer'.
Now there are some financially successful digital-photography sites thriving on geeks' traffic. Guess what happens if, all of a sudden, the tech matures enough that every lamer has a cheap access to the best tech in digital photography, right there in their pants' pocket and cheap enough to leave on some beach after having a few beers?... It simply leaves the geeks with no self-importance feeling in that whole tech area.
The NEX is almost cheap enough and definitely mature enough to make the (para)sites like DRP fret and sweat. And the NEX is not made for the geeks at all in any sense - every lamer is invited - just as every sane photog can easily command the thing to their liking.
So da boyz lose it all at once - mamma Sony brought up a toy for their foes, and they don't get mamma's tit to suck-in some financing (so they have to understand how deeply they really suck financially).

So da boyz are sure fretting in theirs panties; and sure it shows... and stink it does!

[pakodominguez]

That DPReview gang has every reason to be nervous/pricky.

First of - they know they lied quite a lot in their 'review'. More of that was on subliminal level, still poor quality 'samples' used for 'objective' tests are still there, though not as glaring as with the a550 'review'.
But that's peanuts.

The quality of the samples is a subjective matters, so I'll pass.

But their "not recommended" review right when the camera hit the shelves is more than suspicious: it is hazardous to say that DPR have "something" against Sony, but it is hard to find a positive review of a Minolta or Sony camera...

Sony wanted to bring a revolutionary camera: we got one that is about to close down the photographic forum with more traffic in the WEB

And the NEX is not made for the geeks at all in any sense - every lamer is invited - just as every sane photog can easily command the thing to their liking.

Spot on: NEX is made for hipsters, not for geeks.

So da boyz are sure fretting in theirs panties; and sure it shows... and stink it does!

It doesn't stink worst than while the A700 review. Or the A900. Or the A550. It is hjust that this time they went too far bashing the 16mm f2.8 and giving the 'not recommended" label.

Probably is time for the community to find alternatives to DPR (David: you'll need a better hosting for this forum...)

[bossel]

The dpreview has been considering shutting down Sony Alpha Forum.

So - would it be a loss? More noise than signal I joined in 2002 but the forums have degraded a lot. My activity was getting much less since at least 3 years and my last (unsignificant) post is 1 year old. The worst of all is when the staff feels criticized and attacks the forum members - pathetic. Yes, shut it down pleaaazzeee .

[supernovak]

your post scares me - i might follow!

I sold all my DSLR kit including my A900 and lenses to be replaced with Ricoh GXR kit and NEX5 with 16mm and wide-angle adapter.. A900 is wonderful, but its rather heavy and looks too professional for my candid travel and docu photos. I much prefer the point n shoot ethic. The lighter my kit the better pictures I make.
I would rather be ignored as a bubbling amateur than people get suspicious or intimidated by big machine in my hands. Auto ISO and quick aperture priority control is all I ever need. For more controlled or landscape photography I will happily slow down or just use my Ricoh GXR or GR1.
Goodbye DSLR hello NEX and GXR, new stable buddies for the off road wanderings.
Biggest drawback is battery life. Will need plenty of spares because I will be in areas without electricity at some stages. For this, dual charging units are needed.

[redsim74]

The dpreview has been considering shutting down Sony Alpha Forum. I think Phil was serious when he said this in the forum

Phil threatened the same to the KM SLR forum some time back, for similar reasons.

[Edgars L]

I agree, A900 (esp. with grip) sometimes is counted as pro camera and you have to use long lens to keep a distance. Fortunately landscapes don't care... and sometimes pro like camera helps to keep status.

DPR has their own stile for tests as well as some personal preferences which some people counted as bias. Of course DPR reviews have many flaws also. For example I hate DPR cripple way to demonstrate cameras RAW capabilities. Even for most advanced cameras their reviews were based on JEPG. I agree that in opposite to their own expectations, they are week as photographers. The main confusion of Sony forum is DPR criticisms that on Sony cameras Canon or Nikon label is not present and therefore Sony cameras are far from excellent rating...

[vincenzo]

"and sometimes pro like camera helps to keep status."

- Status is exactly what I'm looking to avoid. I can't stand being spotted when I'm making pictures. As brilliant as the A900 is, to me it just gives the impression to people that I'm a serious professional photographer (yes I am thankyou, but I don't want anyone to figure that out!!!)
This big DSLR look was the only gripe with the A900. In fact its the best looking DSLR out there and fairly compact when compared to others on the market.

[Vidgamer]

I agree, A900 (esp. with grip) sometimes is counted as pro camera and you have to use long lens to keep a distance. Fortunately landscapes don't care... and sometimes pro like camera helps to keep status.

Yeah, good point -- you'd think a lot of people wouldn't be so threatened by Nex, since you can still get a DSLR if you want that pro-look.

DPR has their own stile for tests as well as some personal preferences which some people counted as bias. Of course DPR reviews have many flaws also. For example I hate DPR cripple way to demonstrate cameras RAW capabilities. Even for most advanced cameras their reviews were based on JEPG. I agree that in opposite to their own expectations, they are week as photographers. The main confusion of Sony forum is DPR criticisms that on Sony cameras Canon or Nikon label is not present and therefore Sony cameras are far from excellent rating...

I don't mind that different sites have different ways to go about reviewing cameras. I've even come to accept that DPR just doesn't like how Sony does things, and that they are probably right about some of the problems with Sony cameras. But they do sometimes seem overly negative.

And the bottom-line is that there is still a lot of subjectivity involved, and having a percentage-point rating does not change that. Really, there's nothing wrong with some subjectivity -- just own up to it.

I do like their objective tests and comparisons and think they usually do a good job (RAW issues aside).

Phil threatened the same to the KM SLR forum some time back, for similar reasons.

For what reason? That they were being criticized?

[bfitzgerald]

I think some folks need to calm down a bit. It's just a review..impossible to not have some subjective views on things else it's no longer a review and more a "walk through"
As for the DPR team well it's about time someone else faced the "wrath of the fanboys" on that forum

So they don't really like what Sony are going for a while at least (not so good review entry level..A550 luke warm..now the NEX far from positive) I don't think they are alone in that thinking either.
But folks can make their own buying choices, no review stops anyone from doing that. I'd use them purely a guide and take it or leave it. Saying that I would much rather hear some of the possible problems than glossing them over.