While I am still waiting to see more A77 and NEX-7 review there is one camera I can highly recommend you without any major doubt. And that is the new Sony NEX-5n (Click here to preorder it). Those are the reasons why:

1) Sensor: The performance of the Sony NEX-5n sensor is amazing! There is no doubt that it is a High ISO king! (See Noise test at Focus Numerique and comparison at EosHD.) It has also another advantage, the sensor is the same of the [shoplink 7207]Sony NEX-C3[/shoplink]. It means that Sony had quite some time to tweak the sensor performance and to bring it on it’s best level with the new Sony NEX-5n imaging processor.

2) Compact: Unlike the NEX-7 the NEX-5n fits in your pocket (with the 16mm pancake). Click here ot see the NEX-7 versus NEX-5N size comparison.

3) External viewfinder: If you really need the NEX-7 viewfinder…you can buy it! The new external viewfinder has the same quality of the NEX-7 viewfinder. And it has two advantages. First, you can remove it if you need to carry a compact camera, ad Second…you can upgrade! Yes, whenever Sony will announce a new better viewfinder you can buy it to upgrade your NEX-5n. That is not possible with the NEX-7!

4) Stealth Rollei experience: As you know the external viewfinder can be tilted so that you can look vertically inside the EVF. What I always liked about the [shoplink 8590 ebay]Rolleiflex (Click here to see those cameras)[/shoplink] is that you don’t look straight to the photographic subject. It has a nice psychological side effect. If for example you want to take a picture of a person (street photography) the subject will not immediately feel like he is being observed. Your eyes are focused on your “feet” not on his face! Click here to see the tilt movement of the NEX-5n external EVF.

5) Availability: The A77 and NEX-7 will be start to ship in October and November. And history tells us that most of us will have to wait until December-January before we can get it for real! But the NEX-5n will be available in a couple of weeks!

6) Price: The NEX-7 and the A77 are quite expensive. Not so the Sony NEX-5n! It’s a real bargain for what it can do!

Now I am very tempted to buy the NEX-5n instead of the NEX-7. And as I said the NEX-5n will be in Stock very soon. Preorder it now at:
Sony NEX-5N with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-5N at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, and Sonystore.

—

ALL Preorder links:
Sony A77 with 16-50mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A77 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A65 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A65 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-7 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-7 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, BHphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-5N with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-5N at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, and Sonystore.
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 E-mount at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.
Sony 50mm f/1.8 at BHphoto (notification only), Adorama and Sonystore.
Sony 55-210mm E-mount at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.

A big question we all have in these days is: Will the NEX-7 deliver better image results than the A77 because it has no translucent mirror? And it seems like the answer could be…YES!
Our friend Ray from Thesybersite.com (Click here). He used the [shoplink 3617]Sony A55[/shoplink] to take a couple of images with the translucent mirror and an image without the mirror (yes he removed the mirror!). In short:

1. The mirror reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor by about 1/2 stop.
2. The mirror reduces image detail (Around 5 % loss of detail).
3. Purple fringing is not influenced in any way by the SLT mirror.

Please take a look at his test at Thesybersite.com (Click here) to see the images and make an opinion for yourself!

ALL Preorder links:
Sony A77 with 16-50mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A77 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A65 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A65 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-7 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-7 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, BHphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-5N with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-5N at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, and Sonystore.
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 E-mount at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.
Sony 50mm f/1.8 at BHphoto (notification only), Adorama and Sonystore.
Sony 55-210mm E-mount at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.

Demonstration movie for Sony SLT-A77 – Motor sport from Nick Webster on Vimeo.

ThePictureDesk (Click here) shot the very first concert with the Sony A77.

Images of the Sony presentation in Greece and some A77 image samples at DSLRmagazine (Click here to read the translation).

A resolution and ISO comparison at SLRclub (Translated).

A Hands-on video at Alphatutorials (Click here).

Kirk Tuck explains you at Visualsciencelab (Click here) why “Sony gets it when everyone else is stuck at 2004“. According to him “The real story, besides the translucent mirror, is all about the EVF and that’s where the revolution exists. While most of the old timers who grew up with luxuriously bright prism finders will howl in derision the reality is that a superbly made EVF has many advantages.” He ends the article with the following statement: “If this camera, with its 24 megapixels, 60fps video and miracle finder actually works as well as it’s spec’d, and the images are commensurate in quality to their pixel quantity, and the asking price is around $1500,  then why the hell wouldn’t we buy it? “. And now read the full article at Visualsciencelab!

And David Kilpatrick explains at Photoclubalpha (Click here) how Sony should change their transparent mirror position in order to eliminate the ghosting effect: “So, Sony, when you make you that full-frame EVF camera change the entire approach. Position the SLT mirror so it reflects the image sideways, upways or downways! And put the SENSOR where it receives the image from the REFLECTED lightpath. Make the mirror reflect 70% of the light and transmit 30%, instead of the other way round.” Read the full article at Photoclubalpha!

ALL Preorder links:
Sony A77 with 16-50mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A77 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A65 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony A65 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-7 body only at Amazon, Adorama, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-7 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, BHphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-5N with 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, Jessops UK and Sonystore.
Sony NEX-5N at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto, and Sonystore.
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 E-mount at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.
Sony 50mm f/1.8 at BHphoto (notification only), Adorama and Sonystore.
Sony 55-210mm E-mount at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore.

The image on top shows the naked A77 AF sensor :)

There is a new set of 34 RAW images taken with the A77 by Dpnow (Click here to download them). You can find the RAW files of the ISO test at Focus Numerique (Click here and scroll right below the ISO testimages).

How to open the RAW images? There are three ways:
Geert wrote us: “I edited the file headers towards the EXIF of A55 RAW files and they opened without any problem in Capture One 6 Pro.”
A Mac Only BETA Raw Processing for A77 Dpreview forum.
For Windows, RAW support at: Visualbakery.com.

BIG question: I cannot find any NEX-7 RAW image samples! I would like to compare the NEX-7 RAW images versus the A77 RAW images to see if there is any image quality difference. Because I want to see if the NEX-7 images are slightly better due the absence of the transparent mirror light loss!

—

Preorder links of ALL new Sony cameras and lenses:
Sony A77 with 16-50mm lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony A77 body only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony A65 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony A65 body only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-7 body only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-7 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (notification only) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-5N with 18-55mm lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-5N at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto, and Sonystore (Click here).
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 E-mount at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony 50mm f/1.8 at BHphoto (notification only), Adorama and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony 55-210mm E-mount at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore (Click here).

The video on top shows a new A77 hands-on by Whatdigitalcamera.

Whatdigitalcamera also posted following videos on youtube:
Sony Alpha A77 and A65 Press Launch on youtube.
Sony NEX7 & NEX5N Press Launch on youtube.

Amy Davies posted a new A77 hands-on at Techradar (Click here) with new Images samples:
EVF: “Its detail resolution is impressive. Unlike most EVFs, which have a visible texture, the view in the A77’s finder is smooth.”
AF: “In use the Alpha 77’s AF system proves to be fast and accurate in many situations. Provided you can keep the active AF point over the subject the camera does a good job of tracking focus with fast moving targets. That’s not to say it is infallible, if the AF point strays over an area of low contrast, the lens may hunt and the subject goes in and out of focus. As soon as the AF point is back over an area with contrast, the lens snaps the subject back into sharp register.”

More A77 news:
Dcfever posted a set of A77 image samples

Those are all preorder links I have now. Feel free to send me links if you find more stores!!!

Sony A77 with 16-50mm lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony A77 body only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony A65 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony A65 body only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only), Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-7 body only at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-7 with 18-55mm lens at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (notification only) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-5N with 18-55mm lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto, Jessops UK (Click here) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony NEX-5N at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto, and Sonystore (Click here).
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 E-mount at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony 50mm f/1.8 at BHphoto (notification only), Adorama and Sonystore (Click here).
Sony 55-210mm E-mount at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, Bhphoto (notification only) and Sonystore (Click here).