Bye Bye Number 5, Hello 5N

I sold my NEX-5 so that I can upgrade to the new 5N, I was considering the 7 strongly but the increase in resolution seems to be negated by higher noise levels and the sensor doesn't have offset microlenses like the 5N, I have no idea why they have omitted this feature on the more expensive camera by they have and as a result the camera is less suitable for using many manual lenses.

The touch screen on the 5N is also more useful than I realised, you can use it to pull focus during video recording and it actually does a pretty smooth job of it, certainly good enough for the type of videos I would be interested in making. Talking of videos there's the clicking issue some 5N owners have experienced but as Sony has offered a free fix this doesn't bother me at all because there is a Sony service centre in my town so I can even drop it in to be modified if I get one that doesn't have a factory applied mod!

At first I thought the benefits of upgrading to a 5N were almost non existent but there's more than I realised such as:

1. The sensor is only slightly higher resolution but has significantly better noise performance and also somewhat better dynamic range. It is considered by some to be the best all round APS-C sensor made so far.
2. The burst rate has increased from an already impressive 7FPS to 10FPS
3. You can record 1080P video at 60FPS meaning you can convert it to 24FPS and get awesome slow motion video!
4. The screen is a touch screen and helps to overcome the lack of external controls and also allows new features such as touch activated automatic focus pulling.
5. The video mode uses a much better codec and is sharper with less compression artifacts.
6. The video mode now offers full 1080p instead of 1080i
7. The video mode can now be controlled manually.
8. The 5N has a higher ISO limit at 25,600
9. The battery life is supposedly improved significantly which is good news as this is a major issue with the NEX-5
10. Shutter lag is reduced significantly thanks to an electronic first curtain.
11. You can use the optional EVF which is the same as the one found in the NEX-7 and is probably the best EVF made so far.
12. The ISO range begins at 100 vs 200 so you can use faster lenses in daylight without bumping into the shutter speed limit as easily.
13. The sunset image profile gives the impression of 10bit colour gradation solving one of the biggest issues with video enabled still cameras.

 

Sony NEX-7 on Ebay, How much will it go for?

It looks like someone had the right idea for making a quick profit, an NEX-7 has shown up on ebay and only has a few hours to go now! The price is already over $2100!! How much will it finish for? I don't even want to guess, some people have a lot of money and not a lot of patience! Click here to view the auction! UPDATE: Found another one, also pricey! Click here.

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!