The launch of the Olympus E-PL2 triggered the search for the ideal manual lens digital camera for me. I've been a little disappointed in AF abilities of DSLRs, even with prime lenses. This was especially exacerbated by my combining some old Nikkor manual lenses with a Canon 500D recently, which gave me some truly awesome results. Exactly what I've been looking for actually.
Only problem I have with it is that I much rather have a smaller body, and the LiveView mode of the 500D (needed for zooming-in to focus), feels a little cumbersome.
I've been reading up on the Micro 4/3s that have come out, especially the PL1 and PL2 from Olympus, and despite having some really good selling points, still don't look as attractive to me as the Sony NEX series of cameras. The PL1/2 no doubt are probably one of the best bang for your buck if you're looking for a great out-of-camera JPEGs with the addition of fun art filters. Furthermore, there's a much larger assortment of lenses that are available for this series.
But I prefer the Sony NEX..
Why Sony NEX?
The NEX series, however, despite having only 3 lenses out so far (and a few more announced over the course of the next 2 years), is a fantastic camera body for lovers of manual lenses or vintage lenses.
Having the shortest flange distance of any modern camera, and couple with an APSC-sized sensor (DSLR equivalent), practically any lens can be attached to the body with an appropriate adapter (and there are many on eBay!), and you only get a 1.5x crop, vs 2x crop on a m4/3 camera (how manified your focal length is). Some lenses being used by others - Nikkor, Leica, Olympus, M39/M42, Canon FD, Minolta MC/MD, Russian Jupiters, Helios, German Biotars, Flektagons, and close-circuit TV camera C-mount lenses!
So how do you focus? With Manual-Focus Assist of course! With one touch of a button, you can zoom in 7x or 14x into your subject, focus till what you see is tack sharp, then unzoom and fire away. This is made easier with Version 3 of the firmware.
Other obvious selling points are the size of the body - it's TINY! Good low-light/ high ISO ability of this little camera. The tilting screen is a bonus for those who like to 'shoot-from-the-hip'. If you've been shooting LiveView with a clunky DSLR that doesn't have a tilt-screen, you will understand what a God-send this tilt-screen can be.
Manual shooting benefits aside, let's list the other amazing features this camera has (not all can be used in tandem with legacy lenses):
Handheld Twilight mode, High Dynamic Range (HDR), Continuous burst shooting (~7fps), Panorama shot, the list goes on..
Finally, I'll address the menu system. This is a big issue in many reviews for this camera, making it, initially, the camera that many amateurs/pros scorned because it seemed that Sony was selling a compact camera with an APSC-sized sensor, but with a dumbed-down menu. However, with the implementation of
version 3 of the firmware, the NEX cameras now have 2 extra soft buttons that can be customized to suit the users preference. For manual focus users, they'll probably choose MF-focus assist and ISO, but its really your own choice if you'd rather have shooting modes, or other options set to either button. Furthermore, you can set the buttons to have multiple features too! Not an issue here at all IMHO.
Downsides of the NEXOk, so I've been raving about the plus points, let's take a step back and be a little more objective. Glaring flaws of the Sony NEX series:
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clip on flash: limited in use, especially if you want to link up with external flashes. Also, fiddly to screw on.
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kit lenses seem soft - some argue that image improves if you manually focus, or close down the aperture.
- few available lenses for the E-mount. The Sony E-mount roadmap is out, and there are a few lenses on the cards due for 2011/12.
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lack of in-body stabilization: could be a problem, though I've read of many who use their neckstraps as a third pivot for steadier shots. And the 1.5x crop factor would not magnify lens shake as badly as a 2x crop factor (ie. a 50mm lens will be 75mm on NEX, but 100mm on m4/3). Image stabilization is in the E-mount lenses (not all though).
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no viewfinder (only applies to those who NEED one - as someone who spent years looking thru an LCD on the back of cameras, this isn't an issue).
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Movie-record format - NEX-5 allows users the option of using either AVCHD or MPEG format. MPEG allows for easier editing, vs AVCHD which compresses better. The NEX-3 uses only MPEG format.
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Neutral & unsharpened JPEG images: out-of-camera JPEGs may not be as 'nice' due to having a neutral colour tone and low sharpening. This means, you will need to get your hands dirty, post-processing your images to look better, as opposed to the PL1/2's gorgeous OOC images.
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form-factor: may not suit everybody: I've come across some users who simply cannot get used to the small size of the body, or are unused to the idea that the lens should be part of the grip. So go hold one at your local retailer first before ordering one.
So should you find these issues bothering you, perhaps then the NEX is not for you.
What's the difference between the NEX-3 and NEX-5?Both shoot HD videos: NEX-5 can shoot videos in 1080i and on AVCHD (smaller files), whereas the NEX-3 shoots in 720p on MPEG format (easier to edit).
The NEX-5 has a magnesium body while the NEX-3 has a plastic body - both feel solid to reviewers.
The NEX-5 has an IR sensor for use with remote triggers.
Otherwise, they use the same internals, and thus image quality-wise, there is no discernible difference.
The NEX-3 has a flatter but wider grip, while the NEX-5 has a more grippy protrusion.
NEX + manual lensesHere's some 'camera-porn' from those who've fitted some awesome lenses onto their NEX bodies:
This shot courtesy of silvergetz from
Club Snap. For more of such shots, please refer to this
post on Golf To Impress.
Voices from the Net abt MF on NEX:
re2_king from Flickr says:
So far, i've tried adapters on a Lumix GF1 and I have to say, the Sony NEX (in my opinion) blows the GF1 out of the water. We havent had this much fun swapping lenses and getting different results. It feels like the NEX5, to us, is a digital back that just records whatever the lens interprets the scene we aim it at.
mediageek on
his own blog:
Being able to mount lenses of all different brands and mounts was one of the features that really attracted me to the NEX, and using these F-mount lenses on the NEX-5 was no disappointment. Although this requires that you manually select your aperture on the lens and also manually focus, I found this to be no more difficult than using an older manual film SLR.
So why spend hundreds/thousands of dollars to get the latest brightest lens for your DSLR when you can shave off that expense by picking up some cheaper legacy glass on eBay, and still have lots of fun taking photos? Obviously, the above may not apply to certain classes of photographers who still need super-fast AF. But that's only for the really specialized sort, like sports photographers, among others. Most of us will probably find the convenience of having a small form factor camera with an intechangeable lens and a large APSC sensor to better suit our style.
