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Just Posted: Sony NEX-7 Hands-on Video Preview

Oct 14, 2011 at 20:04:34 GMT

PREVIEW SONY

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Just Posted: Our hands-on video preview of the Sony NEX-7. The NEX-7 is Sony's enthusiast mirrorless camera, combining a 24MP CMOS sensor with a 2.4M dot OLED electronic viewfinder and more physical controls than on any of the previous NEX cameras. There's been a lot of interest in camera, so we've prepared a hands-on preview video to show what it can do. There will be a more extensive written preview published next week, as part of the process of writing a full review but, in the meantime, we hope this video helps give you an idea of what to expect.

Click here to read our first look at the Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7 hands-on preview video

This video was shot in Full HD, so we'd recommend clicking here, viewing fullscreen and selecting '1080.'

Sony Alpha NEX-7

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Comments

Total comments: 82

Here are some more video previews of the NEX 7 camera:

Sony NEX-7 Hands-On Field Test
http://shrt.fm/pBV0m3

Sony NEX-7 Menu and Control Overview
http://shrt.fm/pLmB2f

Sony Nex-7 HD Video Samples - AZ State Fair 20
http://shrt.fm/pE4ISu

Sony NEX-7 and Zeiss 24 1.8 1st Look!
http://shrt.fm/qbB8tM

0 upvotes

FYI - floods in Thailand have forced closure of Sony factories and Sony have announced the postponement of the launch of the NEX7 and the NEX5N dual lens kit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15380718

I presume this means until some time next year after the factories have been cleaned up and/or rebuilt and manufacturing lines replaced.

... and I had just about convinced myself to get one for my wife ... oh well, back to the drawing board.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 5 minutes after posting

1 upvote

For the Real Review, you might be able answer if the NEX7 supports UHS-I SD Cards and, if so, whether they offer an improvement over the Sony MemoryStick for fast buffer clear.

This info is not currently available on the web. And it can de easily checked with a live NEX7 and some memorycards.

0 upvotes

Excellent video presentation, short and to the point with ample professional polish. Makes one look forward to the final review/preview.

0 upvotes

Hi Dpreview.

When the preview is available for this camera ???

I hope it's soon.

0 upvotes

Well two of the three major objections I had with Nex5n the lack of decent flash solutions and a all weather viewfinder are solved. But my primary objection the lack of system lens is the Nex's weakness hasn't changed. I recently tested a Nex5n and the lack of quality flexible lens options wrecks the primary reason to get a large sensor, bulkier interchangeable lens camera. The kit 18-55mm zoom so so slow dark lens really hampers nex series , yes the 16mm is fast and sharp but a fish eye lens is never going to be my primary lens no need for toy camera/miniature effect mode with 16mm on the Nex. Yes I know you can get the adapters other company's lens but the focus issues make useless general walk about photo shooting. I really want to love the Nex5n the lack of decent lens system ruins the nex series.

0 upvotes

Looks great !!

Looking forward to view the review about this camera.

0 upvotes

Is the rocking toy a good test for the AF tracking?

Just thinking about when I mostly use AF tracking, it's either something moving towards me, or birds/planes in flight where I am panning which takes care of most of the lateral movement. I'm not sure how representative the rocking toy is of these situations.

0 upvotes

Marvellous, what with Christmas coming, its on Santa's list ain't it.
Me creaking old Ricoh GX100 might just face the axe.

0 upvotes

so rent some small fingers…...

0 upvotes

Small buttons, need small fingers to operator.

0 upvotes

very good video! thx!

0 upvotes

When wearing a three-button jacket, one should NEVER fasten the final button. It's just not the thing. Camera looks interesting though... maybe time for a change from my lovely, but slightly ageing GF1...

0 upvotes

It's a four-button jacket - the last button isn't fastened.

1 upvote

Phew. That IS a relief.

0 upvotes

Video reviews are great, but nothing to go crazy about. Glad to see you are catching up with other sites. Engadet has been doing more comprehensive reviews for quite long.
Sober is good, but too sober harms. And something is really odd with the sound - as I am sure everyone has noticed by now.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

for the audio issue, i suggest to convert to mono.

0 upvotes

I say old chap, I do so enjoy the sports-casual look, what?

0 upvotes

Rather!

0 upvotes

Really good to see the focus system in action - something that many reviews often miss. I hope this becomes standard on your video reviews. I look forward to the V1 video.

5 upvotes

Good point. The test involving tracking focus of the rocking doll is very objective. It would be great to see the same test run with video for all cameras in queue for review.

0 upvotes

I use NEX-5 for months and have use it for almost all situation: landscape, nightscape, citiscape, streets, human interest, model and action. Never complain about focus speed using its native lens. Wondering people here who judge the AF speed just by watching video :(

1 upvote

And I´m wondering why so many people preorder this realy expensive camera without informations about AF speed performance.

0 upvotes

to quote the reviewer Mr. Taufik: Wondering Beoble (as pronounced by the reviewer) here who write comments who really don't know how to speak properly!

0 upvotes

"Never complain about focus speed using its native lens"
IT DEPENDS ON YOUR SHOOTING STYLE mrtaufik.

0 upvotes

Are there any comparsions of AF speed with Panasonic G3 and Olympus E-PL3? I really like this camera but I´m disappointed with AF speed from this video.

2 upvotes

I went to Fry's to handle NEX-5N and Panasonic G3 and the first was hunting a lot, though the light wasn't that bad, the second locked without hesitation. If NEX-7 has the same focusing mechanism it's a deal-breaker for me. Otherwise it looks like a sweet little gem.

0 upvotes

Funny enough, I've played with both cams in Fry's few days ago and did not notice any issues with focusing on both of them and found that Sony's focusing works much faster, very close to what you can expect from SLR and SSM lenses.

0 upvotes

Lags or hunting in the AF can be aggravated when zooming, panning, or in low light. But it would be good to see a base test of the AF tracking performance in auto mode at uniform focal distances.

0 upvotes

These video reviews are really excellent for two things that are nearly impossible to qualify in text - auto focus speed and shutter noise. Thank you for including those!

Also, I like the sober and professional presentation. Well done.

5 upvotes

looks great even thought i had hoped for faster autofocus..thanks

0 upvotes

Can I use canon lenses with some adapter?

Thank you.

0 upvotes

Yes you can.

2 upvotes

The handling looks really awkward. I can imagine having problems with the eyepiece when storing the camera nd taking it out of a bag. It looks too big as well, and with a moderate travel zoom, you are well into dslr size territory. And why are people ordering this thing before checking it or reading reviews? You NEVER buy a new camera because they all have teething problems. Always wait 6 months so you know what you are buying.

2 upvotes

How so? NEX-7 is the shiznit.

5 upvotes

Simply don't buy it.

4 upvotes

"well into DSLR size territory?" No way. You're still noticeably smaller, slimmer and lighter than the smallest DSLR with equivalent travel zoom. And with a pancake lens, you're as small or smaller than most DSLR bodies alone! Clearly, you have no idea what you're talking about.

2 upvotes

Pancake lens - yes, it's smaller. Any other lens? You just have an unbalanced unergonomic alternative to a DSLR. (With crappy AF).

Comment edited 16 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

taotoo - just like any other mirrorless camera :)

0 upvotes

I really like the video previews. They definitely add an extra dimension, being able to see the camera in use. The presenter speaks very well and even has a flash of DPR corporate blue on the collar, nice touch!

The only downside, is the video really whets the appetite for the review and leaves you wanting more, which in the internet age is only a click away and so it actually encouraged me to look for other sites with more information!

3 upvotes

Excellent video, quality and content!

0 upvotes

British COOL!

1 upvote

Hoping that the NX200 will also get a detailed review along with the NEX-7. If Samsung has managed to improve its sensor in this new generation then it can be a very strong competitor to the NEX system due to the much more developed lens lineup. So will be great if the upcoming reviews allow us to compare these two systems.

4 upvotes

It's not just Samsung's amazing lens line-up either, they seem to have the edge on general handling and price too. The lack of an EVF might be a deal breaker for some, but for everyone else the NX200 could be the camera to watch, providing Samsung have improved the high ISO performance over the last generation.

0 upvotes

Aaah this was excellent. Please keep it up :P

0 upvotes

Check @ 1:40. Sony releasing a new camera with the same lousy autofocus, it's hunting even in reasonably good light, it will be terrible in low light just like 5N is.

2 upvotes

Not sure if it's really bad, but if so, it would certainly be a dealbreaker for me...

0 upvotes

So if Richard is part of the Seattle crew - now I know what he looks like and perhaps some day I'll be lucky enough to bump into him about town.

BTW - I like the video preview - a short video is worth many paragraphs of description and it's nice to see the hardware in action.

Comment edited 49 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

I liked the preview very much. Thanks, as always!

0 upvotes

Well done, Richard Butler. You're a celebrity now :-)

1 upvote

Kudos for the preview Video !!!, it really adds a lot of value and human touch to the already extensive work you've been doing.

0 upvotes

great to to see the camera in human hands for getting a sense of it. It would be even better for size comparisons to other cameras. Even better if it was a great looking woman doing the demo. But hey, I like the British accent.

3 upvotes

This really looks like a great camera, cant wait to see the reviews and actually handle one. Thanks for the teaser video...

BTW Loving the polo shirt and jacket look....

2 upvotes

Absolutely - especially the over-sized blazer - very cool, very 'Fresh Prince'!

0 upvotes

Steady Shot in the menu?

0 upvotes

Love the video, thank you for posting. I hope the NEX-7 doesn't have the "clicking" that some consumers have complained about with the NEX-5N.

0 upvotes

Awesome travel and landscape camera with manual focus lenses - can't think of anything else i'd prefer.

1 upvote

put that EVF on an Oly MFT ! an E-PL4? :-)

Comment edited 21 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Would you be willing to redo the nx200 preview to include AF speed samples?

2 upvotes

If we get time, but that's pretty unlikely, I'm afraid.

1 upvote

10fps but with focus locked- urghhhhh!

0 upvotes

rather interesting little camera. Would be nice to see little smaller standard zoom lens to go with it too.
but well done sony for bringing this.

0 upvotes

The camera looks great. I like the fact that it's bigger than the previous NEX-models. For ergonomics and balancing reasons the camera body shouldn't be too small. I like the custom wheels as well, so it looks really promising. Looking forward to the written preview! Still debating with myself whether I can afford this camera when it's released or if I should wait...

0 upvotes

Great job, looks and sounds great in HD.

Oh yeah, the NEX-7 just looks... perfect. My expectations keep getting ratcheted higher. Please stop teasing me, I don't believe I've been this excited waiting for a camera debut... ever. Highly irrational I know, and yes, I have one on order sight unseen which is also equally irrational.

Here's to hoping your detailed review also includes a look at some legacy lenses. It would be most useful to scores of prospective users to have a look at some manual ex SLR lenses as well as rangefinder variants (like the Zeiss ZM 25, for example) and how they behave, and how focus peaking and magnification behaves for those of us who are not already NEX users.

0 upvotes

Yep. I'm mostly interested in using the body with manual focus glass (a lot of Canon FD lenses in my case) so that's something that would grab my attention.

Conversely, AF speed isn't a major concern to me for the same reason :-)

0 upvotes

No lens? I pass up.

1 upvote

Great hands on video. The NEX-7 is bigger than I originally expected.

Thanks again DPR!

0 upvotes

Wow, very clear watching watching it in full screen 1080!

1 upvote

Its 720 actually

0 upvotes

It's available at 1080 on YouTube - which is the link we originally posted (and to which BMWX5 is referring).

However, the better embedded player, which makes it easier for people to view an HD version (albeit 720) without having to mess around selecting viewing quality, made us switch to using Vimeo.

0 upvotes

Lets hope they release better players then that select the right resolution setting automatically.
I know vimeo allows 1080 too but i dont know what it does on lower resolution displays.
Anyways thanks for the link, i will watch it one more time :)

0 upvotes

I personally prefer youtube. On my netbook --- which is too slow for whichever HD, even 720 --- I have to choose 480 to see it. With vimeo I often end up without looking at the video.

1 upvote

I really like this hands-on video previews that DPR started doing as part of their reviews, well done DPR staffs!

Also, well done Sony as I can see another DPR Gold award here with the NEX 7! c",)

0 upvotes

Sorry. Can't hear it.

0 upvotes

It's High Definition video you need high-end equipment to hear it.

0 upvotes

We're working on that - bear with us.

0 upvotes

The sound is outof phase. Very odd in headphones.

0 upvotes

The swooshy jingle at the start and end is fine, but the voice is out of phase.

0 upvotes

Not playing.

Just went to Youtube, saw video, only 3 plays at time I visited.

Nothing new that was not covered on youtube couple of weeks ago.

Comment edited 11 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Thanks for the video. SOme may have had problems running the video from here AND then clicking on youtube without stopping the initial video -)
Next week a detailed preview? Great, but please hurry with the final review with (hopefully) lots of comparison with the 5N(with EVF).

0 upvotes

"out of phase"? I'd clicked on the video and both the HD quality and audio is good.

0 upvotes

Hallo,
ein sehr gutes Video von meiner Traumkamera!
Das AF System scheint sehr schnell zu sein!
Die Aktion-Beispiele sind sehr interessant!

vielen Dank für den Bericht!

0 upvotes

Total comments: 82


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