Carl Garrarard from Alphamountworld (Click here) posted his final word about the Sony A77. The real problem he has with the new 24 megapixel sensor is that “while there is no doubt that specification will please some photographers greatly, I feel the vast majority would have been happier with 14-18mp where the A77 could have performed better as an overall-do it all kind of camera. I simply think the megapixel race has ended, and there’s only so much resolution one needs on an APS-C DSLR that is practical to use day in and day out for multiple photographic tasks.”

Carl (like me) would have been happy with less Megapixels or with a new pixel binning function that would have added an option to shot with less Megapixels and higher ISO performance when needed.

And than there is that Sony JPEG engine which has to be improved: “First of all I feel way too much noise reduction is being done on the Jpegs at ALL ISO values, which robs detail in every 24mp file you save. Then why have 24 megapixels you ask? Good question. ”

But a part of that the A77 proves to be an excellent camera if you shoot RAW and low ISO: “If you are going to shoot Raw only and don’t mind shooting at ISO 1,600 and under (or just normally don’t) then the A77 is a fine photographic instrument able to reach resolution levels no other APS-C DSLR or DSLT has been able to reach yet. For gigantic color rich prints with lots of dynamic range, the A77 is a fantastic tool“.

Editor’s note: I fully agree with Carl. I can recommend this camera to anyone shooting RAW and low ISO images (like landscapes). And of course if you shoot video than the A77 is almost a must have camera!

And here is the A77 full link list to check where it is in Stock: [shopcountry 8461].

Sony NEX 5N studio test from superiormediagroup on Vimeo.

NEX-5n wonderful Oslo Opera image samples on Flickr.

Sony NEX-5N vs Canon 7D – Part 1 (youtube).

Test à hauts ISO des Raw du NEX-5N développés avec Lightroom 3 (Alpha Numerique).

And Jeroen from FotoVideo.nu wrote me: “After weeks of testing (and some delay) we have finally published our 15 page review of the NEX-5N camera. As I think you are using the camera yourself too, I don’t have to tell you how good it is… ;-) Our conclusion: It’s simply the best systemcamera (CSC) available at this this moment!* And therefore we’ve gave it 4,5/5 stars which equals a Gold award. The 5N is very versatile (rotating touchscreen), offers superior image quality (which blows all other APS-C camera’s away), is fast (10 fps), offers very good video-performance (1080p50) and is very affordable. The only drawback compared to the competition are the relatively large lenses, which feel a bit weird on such a compact camera. And we’d like so see more lenses too, especially pancakes. Lastly, we don’t understand the different position of the on/off-switch, compared to the NEX-C3 and the NEX-7. ;-)
Translated (ENG):  http://translate.google.nl/translate?sl=nl&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=nl&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnl.fotovideo.nu%2Freviews%2F2340%2Fsony-nex-5n-review
* we haven’t tested the NEX-7 so far (only a pre-production sample)”

The Sony NEX-5n is always in the top 20 of all system cameras at Amazon US (Click here).

To check the NEX-5n price click these links: [shopcountry 8452].

I guess not all of you know that you can use Micro Four Thirds lenses on your NEX camera by using a [shoplink 9898 ebay]m43 to NEX adapter (Click here to see that on eBay)[/shoplink]. During the last weeks I received three different mails from people testing the new [shoplink 9899 ebay]Samyang 7.5mm compact fisheye lens for m43[/shoplink] on NEX cameras:

Mail 1:
“Via adapter , Horizontal Field of View: 185,4 , effective Focal .Lengh: 8,1 m.m
360º virual reality sample 1 @ f:11.:http://www.aragon360grados.byethost24.com/naranjorabadaffc/naranjorabada2.html
360º virual reality sample 2 @ f:11: http://www.aragon360grados.byethost24.com/rabadaordesa/rabadaordesa.html
both: 4 photos + 2.
I send you caps
Cheers.”

Mail 2:
“The new Samyang 7,5/3,5 fisheye lens is the perfect lens for spherical panos on a Nex camera, spherical panos can be done with just 4 photos, to use this lens in a Nex body you need to shave the shade, recalibrate focus and use a m4/3 to Nex adapter, this adapter works better if screwed to the lens mount, a couple of handheld samples, at 200iso http://www.360cities.net/image/palmtrees-at-travalon-elche and 3200iso http://www.360cities.net/image/nex5-samyang-75-test-torrellano-spain”

Mail 3:
“I tested it very fast over NEX with sunshade and this [shoplink 9898 ebay]m43 to NEX adapter on eBay[/shoplink]. With this adapter doesn´t focus at infity   >-(  so my test is at f:22 to get decent focus, my DIY pano head not exactly calibrated.Tried pano with 3 photos but not enough. Ptgui dates:max width x heigh pano pixels:8772 x 4386 (nex 5),focal lengh:7,9 m.m. HFV:166,4
I´ll test lens on m4/3 body to know if de focus failure is about the lens or adapter…
link to panorama 50% quality and one photo:http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q8JCLTJ7
You can follow it here:http://www.panoguide.com/forums/tipsntricks/9644/?page=3”

P.S.: Links to the [shoplink 9899 ebay]Samyang fisheye lens on eBay[/shoplink].

Digitalversus (Click here) posted a full NEX-7 review: “Sony’s new NEX-7 is a very well-designed expert-level camera with a customisable interface, a high-def electronic viewfinder and an excellent build and finish. However, Sony’s NEX lenses aren’t good enough to get the best out of the 24-Megapixel sensor. We also found that noise wasn’t handled quite as well in this model.” Anyway, the reviewer liked the camera that much that he gave her 5 stars out of 5!.

Digitalcamerainfo (Click here) previewed the NEX-7: “Is it worth the hefty price difference compared to the mid-range NEX-5N? We won’t have a definitive answer to that question until we get both cameras and run them through our full review process, but we can say that the NEX-7 does offer quite a bit for the money. Whether Sony can squeeze the best out of such a high-megapixel image sensor remains to be seen, however.”

Steve Huff (Click here) tested the Sony NEX-7 with wide angle Leica lenses. He also compared it with the Ricoh GXR A12.

Sony NEX-7 with Rokkor-M Konica and Contax Lens (SonyAlphaNex).

And here are all NEX cameras and lens preorder links (Click on shopname to check price and availability):
Sony NEX-7 [shopcountry 8454].
Sony NEX-5n [shopcountry 8452].
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].
NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].

For weeks Rob Skeoch from ThePictureDesk (Click here) is heavily testing the [shoplink 8454]Sony NEX-7[/shoplink]. I have some doubt that Rob will ever return the camera to Sony :)
He posted a couple of interesting articles about the NEX-7 and Zeiss ZM combination:

1) Sony NEX7 with Zeiss M-mount 18mm ZM (ThePictureDesk). Lens specs and price on [shoplink 9803 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
2) Sony NEX7 with Zeiss M-mount 21mm ZM (ThePictureDesk). Lens specs and price on [shoplink 9804 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
3) Sony NEX7 with Zeiss M-mount 25mm ZM (ThePictureDesk). Lens specs and price on [shoplink 9805 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
4) Sony NEX7 with Zeiss M-mount 28mm ZM (ThePictureDesk). Lens specs and price on [shoplink 9806 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
5) Sony NEX7 with Zeiss M-mount 35mm ZM (ThePictureDesk). Lens specs and price on [shoplink 9808 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
6) Sony NEX7 with Zeiss M-mount 50mm ZM Sonnar (ThePictureDesk). Lens specs and price on [shoplink 9809 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
7) Sony NEX7 with Zeiss M-mount 85mm ZM (ThePictureDesk). Lens specs and price on [shoplink 9810 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

The Zeiss ZM is an amazing fulflrame film system. Sony should take inspiration from the [shoplink 9812 ebay]ZM camera and ZM lenses[/shoplink] for their new fullframe NEX system!

And there is also a new NEX-5n review at Pocket-Lint (Click here): “The NEX-5N has two major things going for it: image quality and its HD movie mode. There’s no other compact system camera out there that can better the 5N’s images (except, perhaps, for the as-yet-untested NEX-7), though the distortion at wide-angle settings can make for edge softness issues. As for the second point: the 1080p movie mode is exceptional in quality, control and performance terms. In fact we’d go as far as saying there’s no other CSC out there at this price point that’s as good in this department.“.
I own the NEX-5n and also highly recommend it: [shopcountry 8459].

And here are two more links about the A77. First an A77 versus A700 image comparison at Dpreview forum and than ISO samples at Photographybay.

While I fully agree with Photographyblog when they say that the camera has an excellent image quality I do not agree with the lack of sexiness! I use the NEX-5n with the also highly recommended [shoplink 9725 ebay]Voigtlaender Nokton 35mm f/1.4 lens (Click here to see them on eBay)[/shoplink]. It’s a terrific sexy combination! I am currently to busy to post a review now but as soon as I am back from my NYC work trip I will shows you a first preview of my NEX-5n+Nokton kit. Maybe we should do a sexiness contest to see which lens looks better on the NEX :) Do you have some ideas?

P.S.: You need an [shoplink 7984 ebay]M-mount to NEX adapter (Click here to see the list on eBay)[/shoplink] to use the Voigtlaender Nokton 35mm lens!

The Sony NEX-5n is in Stock at [shopcountry 8452]. And there is also that nice (a bit expensive) NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].

And the new NEX lenses can be (pre-)ordered here:
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].