alphaomega wrote:I subscribe to Classiccameras' view
Unless your desperate to change your system or are wondering which direction to take with all these new Sony cameras, or even jump ship, it may be wise to all go on 'hold' for a while to see what Sony have to offer in 'A' mount. You never know, we might all be surprised or very disappointed. I'm sure for me at least I can make a more informed decision when all the [new] cards are on the table.
I see no immediate need to change and find all the exalted discussions about new cameras rather esoteric.
I think whether or not it's esoteric depends on what you're looking for. If you're just chasing after the "new shiny", then it's a bit wasteful. A certain amount of the excitement is something new, better features, etc.
It wasn't such an esoteric idea when I was looking for a larger-sensor-in-a-small-package camera years ago. Now that we have so many alternatives, maybe it's more esoteric in that similar cameras exist that may be good enough, but I can still see the attraction of getting a FF sensor in such a small body. But if you're a happy a-mount shooter, I'm not sure that a conversion to A7 is interesting or necessarily "better", provided you are happy carrying around the larger camera.
Fact is that good pictures have been generated for decades and it is the person behind the viewfinder that matters.
Both the camera and the photographer matters. Good pictures were generated for decades using film. I liked the immediacy of digital, but in some situations, film worked better, at least until digital got better. Now with all of the pixel peeping, it seems a bit overkill. Now, you can start to make the argument that the camera doesn't matter, which is probably the case until people start to use the camera at the extremes -- shooting lower light than they every would have before, printing larger than before, etc. It is kind of fun to have the extra capability.
My RX100 does what I need for "walk about". My NEX-6 & 5N with mainly Sony E zooms does for a day out without breaking the back and my A580/550 do the job with Sony/Tamron lenses when needing fast shooting.
Unfortunately, when I needed the RX100 was about 7 years ago.... If it was available then, maybe I wouldn't have felt a need to get into DSLRs and Nex.
As it is today, the RX100 is about the same price as the Nex, and rather than try to pay for/support multiple camera systems, I'm trying to focus on the Nex.
We have an HX5V for P&S use, as well as the iPhone. These are OK for most casual use. Were money no object, I'd pick up an RX100 (or similar high-quality camera). If it's really all about the photographer and not the camera, why not just use the HX5V? Well, it clearly struggles in low light and has overpowering, smeary noise reduction. But in a pinch, it goes into any pocket, and you just can't beat the convenience.
I have a video set-up with NEX-6/LA-EA2/Sony 18-250 and the new ECM-XYST1M microphone that provides excellent sound, good zoom reach and AF. You can do what you wish to do with Sony equipment (or most other makes). The only Sony offer that could tempt me would be a well priced combo of an updated NEX-6 with say 20Mp sensor and an improved EVF for sunny conditions coupled with the new 16-70 E zoom. I would then sell my NEX-5N.
There's not a lot they can tempt me with right now, as my Nex-6 is still pretty new. Perhaps that's part of why you find discussions of new cameras "esoteric"? I can say that I find the discussion and reviews of the A7 and A7r interesting, and I'm happy for people who are excited about them, even as I'm not (too) tempted to get one.