Nex Cameras as reviewed by DPReview

[agorabasta]

I will be getting a Nex5. It will replace my Lx3.
I hate the Lx3 interface, I won't hate Nex more. Body sizes of Lx3 and Nex are exactly the same, both have no OVF/EVF. Image quality of Nex at ISO3200 is better than Lx3 produces at ISO400, that's about all the 3 stops the OIS gives the Lx3 - so even a 16mm with no IS on Nex should be OK. And that 16mm is also quite equivalent to the wide position of the Lx3 lens. (And all those DPR woes that 16mm is no good for intended customer is complete rubbish.)

That would make a perfect vacation/carry-around camera, and I never more have to make choices between a700 or Lx3 to bring with me.

And I think it's exactly the niche of advanced compacts that would suffer the most from Nex competition - exactly that kind of cams it must be compared to and 'reviewed' against. And all those m4/3 cams are neither small nor light enough to compete here - that's why they still stay of very limited use with customers.

P.S. The screens on both a500 and a550 are much brighter than that of Lx3 or any other compact for that matter. They are about as good as Samsung's AMOLED screens and they are no problem to use even in the bright midday sun. So I expect the Nex screens to be better than that.

[redsim74]

I will be getting a Nex5. It will replace my Lx3.

This has been my line of thinking too.

I don't totally dislike the interface on the LX3, but I've owned other Panasonic cameras so it's perhaps something I've gotten used to. The A700 is a far easier camera to drive in comparison though.

[pakodominguez]

Paul Genge from Sony agrees with you Barry. They have no problems with the dPreview writeup and held direct meetings with them to discuss the issues with the lenses. They read the forum there and don't pay more attention to the forum folk than they do to dPreview.

Apparently they did paid attention since they sent another NEX-5 with Firmware V1.03 that stat up "faster" than the previous V1.0
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=35575033

[Javelin]

this is an interesting development. now it seems Sony made a mistake but weren't some posters who got warnings/bans for pointing out that info was was wrong?

[bfitzgerald]

Sounds more like another behind the scenes PR spin session maybe they hired Peter Mandelson for the job! I can't blame the reviewers for testing what they got. They at least updated the information when a new body was made available to them.
I doubt a better start up time will make a lot of difference to the overall conclusion though. Keep wishing if you want to..

[bakubo]

Some 15-10 years ago there were some PC-hardware sites that generated much geek traffic (e.g tomshardware.com and later anandtech.com). Big companies like Intel and AMD were paying a lot of attention to them, sending them (pre)production samples of new processors so that those geek sites wrote 'reviews' of those things. Smaller equipment companies like Asus made a way to their current success also much through those review sites.
Then PCs became commodity items, much like TVs and fridges and much like the consumer 35mm film still cameras of past decades. Geeks left, comsumers stayed to drop by infrequently. And nobody takes those review sites for what they pretended to be anymore.

Now DPR is a typical geek site. They are not a site for pro photogs in any way. They are not a site for consumers either - they despise the comsumers.

Here comes the NEX - a clearly consumer-oriented item. Sure they hate it, as it's a clear sign of doom and gloom for the geek sites' 'business'. That's the dead end for them if they don't change, and if they do, it's still the end to their geekdom that became their self-identity.

Very interesting post! It sounds plausable, but the only thing I don't quite get is the connection between this fear on the part of dpreview and the NEX product. NEX is just yagg -- yet another geeky product (not so cryptic for those of you who used yacc )

[agorabasta]

... the only thing I don't quite get is the connection between this fear on the part of dpreview and the NEX product. NEX is just yagg -- yet another geeky product (not so cryptic for those of you who used yacc )

Sony stuffs the industry-best APS sensor in a magnesium body into a commodity item. That's Nex5.
And there's also a Nex3 with the same sensor that also comes in a jolly red plastic body to be found only in a girl's purse. By this proxy even the Nex5 is a no-no for the geeks

The Nex is a clear sign that geeks' peak interest in DP is about to end. Commodity items are already starting to get the best technology available in the industry. Geeks need to crowd elsewhere...

[Vidgamer]

Sounds more like another behind the scenes PR spin session maybe they hired Peter Mandelson for the job! I can't blame the reviewers for testing what they got. They at least updated the information when a new body was made available to them.
I doubt a better start up time will make a lot of difference to the overall conclusion though. Keep wishing if you want to..

Who said that the main problem with the camera was start-up time?

I am more of the same opinion as Agorabasta. Now "normal" people can click and 90% of the time take good photos, and it's going to really annoy the status-quo. I've been reading the complaints about how hard it is to set ISO, but yet on my Sony P&S, I have to dive into a menu system to do it. I did not toss the camera away because of it, and I don't think this is really going to be a deal-killer for the Nex. If that's the worst people can come up with, then it's a lot of noise.

Time will tell, of course, if the interface is easy to use or will end up annoying, and when it comes down to it, it's just going to be a matter of user preference.

About the A100, I, too, bought the A100 even after some mixed reviews. However, I think it was a good move at the time. I still think, today, that the color and resolution is really good. But the A100 wasn't exactly a big step -- it seems very traditional in its controls and handling.

Is diving into ISO the proper technique, or setting the twilight mode? Which is going to achieve better results?

[--Laxe--]

Hi guys, thought I'd chime in here as a p&s user who has a Panasonic TZ7 and was looking to 'move up' in terms of iq. Originally I looked at the Panasonic GF1 and the Olympus E-PL1 but upon hearing of the new Sony NEX-5 I was pretty much sold.

I've been reading all the reviews and videos I can find on it and think it's the prefect camera for me, mainly due its size but also the features it has compared to the M43 offerings such as auto-HDR and sweep panorama! Yes I do realize it's not exactly pocketable but if the iq is a lot better than my TZ7 in low light (which I think is a fair bet to think that it is) but it's still smaller than a normal DSLR and size is a big issue for me! The criticisms about the UI are a moot point for me.

Really I think those who are lamenting it because they can't change iso in a split second are really clutching at straws especially since Sony have said that the product isn't aimed towards them. I do find that there are many people who really want Sony to fail with the NEXT range whether they know it or not for whatever reason. Though this is just my own observations from someone who has just entered into the photography world but the hate is fairly obvious to my eyes as a newbie.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the NEX-5 and have the twin lenses kit on order at Jessops and can't wait to play around with it. My local store have had a few in today but they're all the single lens kit

[Greg Beetham]

I don't think anyone 'hates' the NEX cameras, from what David K says they can take fine photos, far superior too a point and shoot in low light and can do good video as well. It remains to be seen how successful the concept is in putting a DSLR sized sensor into a P&S sized body with interchangable lenses, they could very well end up being a great success in the end. I imagine a great deal depends on how good the marketing is and how well they are received/promoted at the retail coalface...time will tell.
Greg

ps. Welcome to the forum Laxe btw.

[pakodominguez]

Really I think those who are lamenting it because they can't change iso in a split second are really clutching at straws especially since Sony have said that the product isn't aimed towards them...

Hello and Welcome,

The problem with interfaces (mix of buttons and graphic things...) is not how good, bad, easy, complicated, savvy or newbie oriented it is, but how fast and well you can learn how to use it. That's beyond ergonomics and it's call heuristic.

The Dimage 7/A series was a great example: lots of intimidating buttons, but after a week using it, everybody (newbies included) loved this cameras.

In my case, Cybershots took me 30 minutes to understand. I easily get Nikon high end cameras, a little harder with entry level cameras (you have the right to sub-menus!). I have problems with Canons, High end or entry level... The worst was a P&S Panasonic (not the GF1, that is IMHO a wonderful camera, I was about to buy one last December, but at the last minute I decide that I didn't want to invest in another system) even the EP2 interface is not that nice or user-friendly...

In a couple of weeks we'll know more about NEX

Regards

[bakubo]

Now "normal" people can click and 90% of the time take good photos, and it's going to really annoy the status-quo.

A few years ago SLRs and P&S cameras all had FF sensors. I don't recall that 90% of the time people were taking good photos with the P&S cameras (or the SLRs for that matter).

[bfitzgerald]

Handling and controls are a very personal thing..so I don't mind any point of view on that side of things.
I've read few positive comments from anyone reviews/previews or anything regarding controls and handling. That says something surely.

[bossel]

My wife has a Sony T900, it's similar in size to the NEX and all auto. Really easy to use and results are ok for casual use. Of course, you won't change the aperture or ISO, not possible. But usage is easy, why would they make it worse on the NEX? If you plan to use the NEX with your 70-400 or CZ 135 then you're not in he group targeted by Sony.

[bfitzgerald]

Every camera is easy to use if you only shoot full auto and press the shutter release
Who is talking about mounting fancy CZ lenses on a NEX? (I have none anyway)
I'm just talking basic camera operation here..a exposure mode dial would be useful. Being able to set basic areas such as ISO and WB too. A button you can custom set to a specific function. An option to set auto ISO..go read the luminous landscape article for a demolition job on Sony handling.

If Sony want to do a simple simon job then take out the aperture and shutter priority modes and the manual ones as well. After all I know of very few p&s users who use them. Mixed signals here I don't think they entirely know who they are aiming at.