10.12.13 – Not much going on with this lens. We probably won’t see it this year. I’ll now most likely be getting the Sony A7r which is a Full Frame mirrorless camera with a sensor like the Nikon D800E .

09.17.13 – It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll not see this camera this year. Sony will launch three new NEX-FF cameras. (Full Frame) One being the NEX-9. That will likely be the focus for Q4. I’m hoping maybe a new NEX-7N by xmas. Or early next year.

08.30.13 – It’s getting closer. Probably end of september we’ll see a announcement. I did a comparison between the current NEX-7 vs the new Canon 70D and the Nikon7100. The NEX-7 surprisingly is disappointing compared to those cameras.

08.24.13 – No announcements yet. Hopefully next month. But right now, I have my eyeballs set on a new NEX-FF.

06.18.13 – Ships in October. Canon better hurry up with their new APS-C sensor and the EOS-M Markii or they might lose a loyal customer. The only reason I say that is the Magic Lantern firmware for the the Canon cameras is so good it put these cameras into a whole new ballpark of awesome. A built in Intervolometer on a mirrorless camera is a timelapsing, HDR photography beast. And that’s the only reason I’d consider the Canon mirrorless over the Sony. I’d like to see some good lens comparisons between their two mirrorless type lenses as well.
06.14.13 – Sonyalpharumors.com has posted that there is supposedly some production delays. Problems found with prototypes. We may not see this camera for awhile still. Meanwhile I played with my buddies Sony Nex-7 at work. The camera is so awesome and feels so solid. Only downside was terrible vignetting on the 20mm prime he had on there.

05.18.13 – We’re suppose to see an announcement this month. Still waiting.

Sony NEX-7n Review and Some Thoughts

As many people that read my blog or follow me on G+ know, I’m a Canon guy. I like Canon lenses and Cameras, but recently a particular camera has caught my attention, the Sony NEX-7n. I was really considering getting the Canon M camera since I wanted a smaller and lighter mirrorless camera to play around with. But the Canon M just kind of sucks compared to the Sony NEX 7. Although Canon is king of low light, I really want the dynamic range you get from those amazing Sony sensors. Especially for a walkaround pocket camera. For my landscapes it doesn’t matter so much since you usually shoot braketed for those.

Why the Sony NEX-7n?

Since I’m still shooting on the Canon 5Dmkii I never was interested in the NEX-7. It just wasn’t enough of an upgrade to make it worth it. Since I’m primarily a landscape and travel photographer I want a solid sensor upgrade that suits my needs. Neither the NEX-7 or the Canon 5Dmkiii had that. But, you do get more Dynamic Range out of the NEX-7. The Canon 5Dmkii having roughly 12 Evs and the NEX-7 having 13.4. The NEX-7 is clearly the winner here. But it’s low light still kind of sucks for run and gun travel photography and would require more tripod use. Not to mention the body itself seemed to lack functionality. Well this all changes with the Sony NEX-7n. Hopefully :). Here are the specs I have been able to find.

Rumored Sony NEX-7n Specs and Improvements

– Physical Improvements to the body, hopefully a real hot shoe flash mount and a mode dial which is crucial for a camera. We’ll also see a remote port. This is just great.

– We’re looking at a 24 Megapixel APS-C sensor with a 1/2 stop improvement to the Dynamic Range. That would mean almost 14 stop stops of DR which is crazy. That’s only two stops less than a fully bracketed 5Dmkii for HDR.

– Built in Wifi. this is kind of cool but wifi is just kind of slow for how I shoot. Which is out in the field filling up a 20 gig card then coming home. It could be cool if you’re shooting in a studio where you could wifi tether to your computer.

– Improved Autofocus. This is something Sony continues to do with its sensors. We’ll see Contrast and Phase Detection AF.

– Focus Peaking. This is critical for a mirrorless camera where you have to look at an LCD screen or crappy digital EVF all the time.

– 3.8 million dot EVF. From what I understand they do this by layering two displays somehow. It uses more power but is better.

As you can see those are some serious improvements. There camera will have all the pro features my Canon 5Dmkii has, except with an APS-C sensor. But that’s ok. The Dynamic Range makes up for it, and you don’t really get the full advantages of a Full Frame camera when shooting landscapes and travel photos anyway. If we were in a studio that would be a different story.

Now I doubt we’ll see huge improvements with low light but that’s ok. If you’re a Low Light shooter, and want a small camera just get the next gen Canon M, which should also have some great functionality and sensor improvements. Still waiting to see what this magical next gen APS-C canon sensor can do though. That will be the real deciding factor.

Final Thoughts

As an update to this, I’m now liking the idea of an NEX-FF (Full Frame) camera that is rumored to launch soon. It will hopefully have better sensor scores.

If and when I get this rumored Sony NEX-7n it definitely will not be a replacement for my Canon 5Dmkii. Since I’ll still need that camera for when I’m using studio lighting and want my full frame sensor for that extra shallow depth, as well as video and low light situations. Not to mention the weather sealing has saved me countless times from destroying my equipment.

I feel the NEX-7n really will compliment Canon technology nicely. Canon being amazing with low light and Sony with some of the best Dynamic Range, I’ll now have a camera for any situation.