[viddler id=1159eea4&w=545&h=307]

Engadget (Click here) posted a new [shoplink 8454]Sony NEX-7[/shoplink] preview. And their conclusion based on the pre-production model is extremely positive: “As you might have gathered, we really love this camera — it’s the first of its size from any manufacturer that could replace a DSLR for almost any photographer, and, while expensive, offers a tremendous amount of bang for your buck. It’s at this point when evaluating a pre-production sample that we’d chalk issues up to the fact that this version is far from final — but honestly, if the NEX-7 were available for purchase right now, even in its current state, we wouldn’t hesitate to pick one up.”

There is also an interesting info about the image quality: “besides filling your SD card quickly (because of the 24 Megapixels), photos look fantastic as well. Sony confirmed that the camera’s “sweet spot” is at f/5.6, so even though you can now shoot photos at up to f/1.8, you’ll want to bump down the aperture a bit if you want the absolute sharpest images.“.

Anyway in summary Engadget is amazed by the NEX-7! I preordered mine ar Sonystore and will give my [shoplink 8452]NEX-5n[/shoplink] to my girlfriend as soon as the NEX-7 arrives!

NEX-7 and lens preorder links:
NEX-7: [shopcountry 8454] Zeiss 24mm f/1.8: [shopcountry 8450] 50mm f/1.8: [shopcountry 8448] 55-210mm: [shopcountry 8444]

Also Digitalcamerareview (Click here) posted a couple of images: “When dealing with scenes of great contrast, the SLT-A77 tended to produce darker images rather than clip highlights. Shooting in Aperture Priority with default evaluative metering, I found some of the shadow detail was lost in images like the one below, but some minor adjustments in-camera or in post-processing could correct the exposure.”

There are a couple of discussions ongoing at Dpreview form (here and here). I found the image quality is very good at low ISO and I still think the final A77 production camera results will show better results at High ISO. So what’s your opinion on the A77 image quality?

You can click those links to check if the A77 is available for preorder: [shopcountry 8461].

And here are the links to all other new cameras and lenses from Sony:
A65 at [shopcountry 8459].
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].

Today you have plenty of [shoplink 8454]NEX-7[/shoplink] images to analyze! After Imaging Resource also Dpreview (Click here) posted a set of full size NEX-7 image samples. Those are all made with a pre-production camera and the 18-55mm kit lens. There are also sweep-panorama shots! At first glance I have to say the images up to ISO 1.600 do look very good with plenty of detail. A bit surprising if you do consider that we are talking about a 24 Megapixel camera combined with a “cheap” kit lens! I never shoot at 3.200+ ISO so I don’t care about the noise performance. And I cannot wait to see more image samples with the top quality lenses like the [shoplink 8450]Zeiss 24mm f/1.8[/shoplink]. Waiting…

P.S.: Amazon UK says the NEX-7 will be in Stock on November 7. And as usual the NEX-5n and NEX-7 are floating inside the top-20 position of Amazon rankings.

NEX-7 and lens preorder links:
NEX-7: [shopcountry 8454] Zeiss 24mm f/1.8: [shopcountry 8450] 50mm f/1.8: [shopcountry 8448] 55-210mm: [shopcountry 8444]

I still didn’t get my [shoplink 8452]NEX-5n[/shoplink] so I cannot test it for myself. But it looks like the camera has an overheating issue when recording videos! But the good news first. It takes over 20 minutes in an ambient temperature of 30 deg. Celsius before you notice the problem. Probably a more serious issue is the clicking noise when moving around or panning (See discussion on Dpreview). See the video below to hear it:

Beside those problems that hopefully can be solved via firmware upgrade as soon as possible the image quality of the NEX-5n is stunning. See the comparison with the Nikon D700 fullframe camera at Kayakphoto (Click here).

The NEX-5n is in Stock in most stores like [shopcountry 8452] (Click on shop names to check the availability).

All other new camera and lens preorders:
A77 at [shopcountry 8461].
A65 at [shopcountry 8459].
Sony NEX-7 [shopcountry 8454].
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].

It’s probably the hottest combination of the moment. The [shoplink 8454]Sony NEX-7[/shoplink] with the [shoplink 8450]Zeiss 24mm f/1.8[/shoplink] lens. But how is the real image quality? Thanks to Rob Skeoch we can analyze the very first full size image samples on Flickr (Click here). And on his blog ThePictureDesk he writes: “I think this lens will be very worthy of the name. It’s sharp, has great contrast and great flare control. Both the lens and camera are pre-production. I’m not sure how useful this posting is, since they are early versions and the photos are kinda lousy…. and I mean user error or what is often called poor photography. LOL.”

Preorder the NEX-7 at [shopcountry 8454] (Some stores may are not accepting preorders now).
Preorder the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 at [shopcountry 8450] (Some stores may are not accepting preorders now).