NEX-7......Now I'm not so sure...

I was really excited about the Sony NEX-7, it seemed to be the perfect camera for using legacy glass, lots of external controls, EVF, great body and what I hoped was going to be an excellent sensor but I can't help but feel the NEX-5N would be a better choice in some ways.

There's some differing of opinion about the NEX-7 sensor vs the NEX-5N sensor. The 5N has a cleaner chip, there's no doubting it but many are quick to argue that downscaling an image from the 7 to the size of a 5N yields similar noise performance but then what's the point of buying a camera with a 24mp chip? Obviously you can potentially make larger prints from an image from the 7 but 16mp should be enough for most people anyway, a 20x30 inch print from that chip would look fine as long as you didn't press your nose against it!

The other disappointment is that the offset microlenses on the NEX-5N sensor appear to be absent on the 7!

This feature is desirable because it goes some way to fixing the major problems when using wide angle lenses with short registration mounts such as rangefinder lenses. Because the rear of the lens is so close to the sensor the light rays hitting the edge are at a very oblique angle and this causes optical defects, offset microlenses account for this and cause the light rays to hit the photosites at a less oblique angle which improves resolution and reduces colour casts. This is the main thing that makes me no longer want this camera!

Obviously the 7 is better made than the 5N and has better external controls and is more sophisticated and has more features but it seems for someone who has an interest in using adapted lenses that the 5N is the better choice, it has the potential to deliver better image quality with legacy glass!


I have an NEX-5 and I want an NEX-5N but I cannot afford one for the foreseeable future! Babies are expensive so I guess I'll have to start saving!


I have considered adding some small ads to this site but let's be honest, I'm not exactly world famous and I think finding out my annual advertising commission is £5 would just be a depressing reflection of how little my blog gets seen!