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Author Topic: NEX-7 Rolling Review  (Read 80539 times)

Jeff Kott

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #180 on: December 18, 2011, 08:59:23 pm »


Finally, using Leica lenses on a NEX7 does indeed make little economic sense for all but a tiny niche.


Bernard, have you tried using a Leica lens on a NEX?

Using the NEX EVF for live view focus magnification and focus peaking is pretty compelling.
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #181 on: December 18, 2011, 09:27:38 pm »

Bernard, have you tried using a Leica lens on a NEX?

Using the NEX EVF for live view focus magnification and focus peaking is pretty compelling.

I have seen it done by a friend who owns a NEX-5n. It seems to be working very well on static objects, I don't doubt the value of the capability.

My point was that few people who look at the price bracket of the NEX will be willing to spend so much on Leica lenses.

Cheers,
Bernard

Peter McLennan

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #182 on: December 18, 2011, 09:53:11 pm »

I'm assuming from the lack of discussion about the remote control that Sony didn't provide one with the review NEX-7.  Depending on its capabilities, this could be a very useful accessory, especially for video mode.
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Mark D Segal

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #183 on: December 18, 2011, 10:05:15 pm »


My point was that few people who look at the price bracket of the NEX will be willing to spend so much on Leica lenses.

Cheers,
Bernard


I think that's clear. The whole point about Leica lenses on a NEX is mainly for people who are fortunate enough to already own Leica lenses and don't necessarily want to spend 8K on an M9.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #184 on: December 18, 2011, 10:44:49 pm »

Hi,

Yes, of course, if you can live with the crop factor. It may hurt a lot if you like to shoot wide angle.

Best regards
Erik


I think that's clear. The whole point about Leica lenses on a NEX is mainly for people who are fortunate enough to already own Leica lenses and don't necessarily want to spend 8K on an M9.
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Jeff Kott

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #185 on: December 18, 2011, 11:00:56 pm »

I think that's clear. The whole point about Leica lenses on a NEX is mainly for people who are fortunate enough to already own Leica lenses and don't necessarily want to spend 8K on an M9.

Hmmm. There could be some people out there who always wanted to try using the absolute best lenses, but didn't want to deal with a rangefinder for whatever reason.

I bought a NEX 5N, EVF and then purchased a ZM 35 and CV 75/2.5. After using them for several months I have a NEX 7 on backorder, have just purchased a 28 Summicron and have a 50 Summicron on order.

I guess I must be some kind of weird outlier.  ;D
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #186 on: December 18, 2011, 11:11:06 pm »

I bought a NEX 5N, EVF and then purchased a ZM 35 and CV 75/2.5. After using them for several months I have a NEX 7 on backorder, have just purchased a 28 Summicron and have a 50 Summicron on order.

I guess I must be some kind of weird outlier.  ;D

It makes sense if you like the results and have the cash. :)

Such adapters are starting to appear for 1 series too, but I am not sure about the level of quality:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-M-Lens-Nikon-1-Mount-Camera-Adapter-Ring-J1-V1-/220901394660

There are other ways to enjoy Leica lenses though. Replacement mount parts make it a breeze to use R lenses on F mount bodies for example. I do in fact have such a mount sitting on a shelf at my place, waiting for the Leica R 180 f2.8 APO it was supposed to be assembled on in brighter days.  :D

Cheers,
Bernard

Jeff Kott

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #187 on: December 18, 2011, 11:37:35 pm »


There are other ways to enjoy Leica lenses though. Replacement mount parts make it a breeze to use R lenses on F mount bodies for example. I do in fact have such a mount sitting on a shelf at my place, waiting for the Leica R 180 f2.8 APO it was supposed to be assembled on in brighter days.  :D


Hi Bernard,

Putting Leica R lenses on a Nikon body would result in a much larger solution. I travel a lot mostly with just carry on luggage. What I have been looking for is the highest image quality in the most compact possible package.

The other thing I have found is that with the NEX and EVF I have a much higher percentage of images in which I achieve critical focus as compared to my Nikon D300 or Pentax K5 with a split prism focus screen or using the AF "dot" to judge focus. My results are much better using my rangefinder ZM 35 on my NEX 5N than my ZF 35 on my D300.

Also, don't underestimate what a game changer focus peaking is. Here's a shot I took yesterday with the 5N and ZM 35.



Not that this is the greatest photo technically, but I saw these 4 coming towards me out of the corner of my eye and had about a second to focus and take the photo. With the EVF and focus peaking, I was able to get it. Trying to manual focus on a DSLR, there's no way I would have captured it.

The other thing is that when I use the NEX people don't have the same negative reaction to the camera that they have with an SLR. It looks like a point and shoot.

Kind regards,

Jeff

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ErikKaffehr

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #188 on: December 19, 2011, 12:19:51 am »

No longer when you put a Leica 180/2.8 APO on it ;-)

Jeff,

I really appreciated your thoughtful comments. Focus peaking seems to be an interesting technique, which I unfortunately don't have on my stuff. Does it work for critically accurate focusing?

As I normally travel with a lot of gear I can really appreciate the alternative to keep wight down and quality up.

I'm a bit contemplating the options:

- NEX-7
- Alpha 77
- No more cameras right now

I have a Sony Alpha 55 SLT, which has LV. It's the camera I use for long telephoto (400, 560 and 800 using extenders). Main camera is the Alpha 900. The Alpha 55 SLT with 16-80 and 70-300 works as walkaround kit. But I would love to have a "real camera", with more switches and wheels.

Best regards
Erik


The other thing is that when I use the NEX people don't have the same negative reaction to the camera that they have with an SLR. It looks like a point and shoot.


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Jeff Kott

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #189 on: December 19, 2011, 02:09:20 am »


Jeff,

......Does it work for critically accurate focusing?


Hi Erik,

The thing that you have to keep in mind with focus peaking is that it shows the areas of highest contrast in the image, which are usually, but not always, the areas that are the most in focus.

It works best at wide apertures with shallower depth of field, but I find that between focus peaking and magnified live view, I can focus at my shooting aperture, which is another advantage because it eliminates any lens focus shift issues and you see the depth of field at your shooting aperture. For example, when taking a photo of a person at reasonably close distance wide open, the focus peaking will outline the dark part of the pupil or the eyelashes, which is perfect.

I find focus peaking least helpful outdoors in bright sunlight when there are many areas of the image with extremely high contrast. In those situations, one push of the button gives you eye level magnified live view for fine tuning. Push the button a second time and it zooms in even more. To avoid the issues involved with focusing in the center of the frame and then recomposing, you can push on the scroll wheel to move the zoomed in portion of the image around the frame.

So, after using the NEX for a while I find that between focus peaking and fine tuning with magnified live view I can pretty much nail focus in any situation. My percentage of critically focused shots is much higher than with AF or MF with my D300 or K5.

Also, my percentage of properly exposed shots on the first try is up because you can have a live histogram in the corner of the viewfinder and change exposure compensation and ISO to get the correct exposure and shutter speed without taking the camera from your eye. At this point, I feel kind of handicapped when I go back to the OVF of my D300 or K5.

I know this is heresy, but the reason I have a NEX is not because I cannot afford an M9.

Cheers,

Jeff
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #190 on: December 19, 2011, 05:18:05 am »

Thanks for that detailed feedback Jeff.

Cheers,
Bernard

Mark D Segal

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #191 on: December 19, 2011, 08:39:05 am »



I guess I must be some kind of weird outlier.  ;D

 "Mainly" describes a "general" circumstance. Exceptions are neither weird, nor outliers nor practicing heresy! What you are doing is obviously within your means, most interesting and you are surely getting excellent results with it, which is what matters most. I'm also using a NEX 5N though with the kit lens, and I find myself reaching for it more readily than for my 1DsMk3, whose functioning I am intimately familiar with, largely for the reasons you mention. I'm getting very satisfactory 11*17"-ish prints on 13*19" sheets with it, as long as I compose carefully enough to avoid excessive cropping.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2011, 04:42:34 pm by Mark D Segal »
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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douglasf13

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Re: NEX-7 Rolling Review
« Reply #192 on: December 19, 2011, 03:11:08 pm »

  Me too, Mark.  I finally sold my A900 and lenses after it was just sitting on the shelf too long.  I also use a 13x19 printer, and the 5N is certainly good enough for that.  As someone who prefers manual focus, despite the A900's OVF being the best in DSLR, it just can't match the accuracy of the focus magnification/focus peaking combo for manual focus.  As Jeff mentioned, throw in a live histogram, and it almost feels like cheating.  It's funny to scroll through my Lightroom catalogue, because you can tell when I started using NEX... the bad exposures are much rarer.   :)
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