Larry251 wrote:
I have been hanging out in the Sony NEX forum and obviously most people ther love their NEX cameras. I got what I thought was a very good deal on a 5N, so I ordered one and it came today. The battery is charging and I'm getting ready to try it out over the next couple of weeks. I'm coming from a bridge camera (Panny FZ35) and an advanced P&S (Canon S90) and I'm not particularly unhappy with them, but wanted to push the IQ up a notch, especially in low light situations. I like the large sensor in the NEX, but like all cameras, nothing is perfect. The lenses are pretty big even though the body is small, the auto focus isn't supposed to be great compared to some of the m 4/3 cameras, there is no built in flash and although I can add an EVF, I couldn't use both fill flash and the EVF at the same time (the upcoming NEX 6 would solve this problem at an increased price) and I'm sure there are several other things I could point out. Nonetheless, it is a great camera.
Micro 4/3 has an appeal in that I think I could get a smaller package which is great for travel and still take a pretty good step up in IQ. My question (and I do have one), is how much of a difference in Image quality would I really likely see in day-to-day use, assuming that most of my pictures will be shared on the web or e-mail with only a small portion printed and even fewer above A4? I would however like the possibility of doing a print or 2 at say 16 x 20 if I got something great when traveling that I thought was worthy of framing.
Finally, what are the feelings re: Panasonic vs Olympus looking in the $500 - $1000 range including a kit lens?
Thanks for indulging me
I'm obviously partial to M4/3, since I bought into it(Lumix G3) and am very happy with my choice, without any second thoughts. But I do want to be fair.
The NEX-6 will be a great choice. It solves the issues with the 5N body by including a great EVF and a pop up flash(not to mention a standard hot-shoe and dual control dials). AF is almost guaranteed to be better due to hybrid AF, assuming they don't suck at it like Canon. Even with just contrast detect, though NEX AF isn't as fast as M4/3, I wouldn't call it slow either. It also shoots at 10fps. And though the price is increased, it's still less than a body-only only OM-D even with kit lens.
Speaking of lenses, I have to admit that new powerzoom looks very impressive from a practicality standpoint. Yeah, it's not as long at the tele end as the panasonic 14-42X, but it's wider on the wide end, which some people may appreciate more.
My main issue sensor-wise is that I consider the current best Lumix bodies(not counting GH3) quite lacking when it comes to dynamic range compared to the NEX system or the OM-D. For the G3, that's almost two stops less, or one stop with the G5 or GH2. If highlight retention matters more to you than shadow retention, that difference will be exacerbated compared to the OM-D, since it exposes and processes for highlights.
Other than that, the GH2, G5, and G3 are a bit more than one stop behind in low light performance vs the OM-D(not counting IBIS) and NEX-5N, give or take a third of a stop. You could go for one of the new pen bodies, which look like a great compromise, but then you have the issue again of using EVF and fill slash at the same time.
But then are the inherent difference of the system. You may have a few small, jacket-pocketable combinations with NEX, but as a
system, M4/3 will be much more manageable. Most M4/3 lenses are affordable and optically excellent at reasonable prices. We also just have a lot more of them at the time. But that gap will narrow over the coming months and years, so I guess it's a matter of how much that matters to you.
In my honest opinion, from an M4/3 fan, the NEX-6 is the best body you could currently buy within your budget. The arguably best-in-class EVF(I prefer the OM-D's for refresh rate and colors, but this one is larger and higher res), awesome handling(assuming similarity to NEX-7), fast burst, potentially great new AF system, features like HDR and built-in panorama, built in flash, and decent external controls add up to a great camera.
However, the best system you can buy into remains M4/3. Both its current offerings and its future lensess look excellent. I would go for the OM-D if you could afford it(there are some $150 off deals going on, so om-d and 14-42 would be in your range).
If not, and perhaps more intelligently, you could get an E-PM2($600) or Lumix G3(~$470) kit with an excellent lens like the 45mm f1.8 for 1000 bucks or less. Heck you could even throw in there that niftyy olympus body cap lens for 50 bucks =P In this case, I'd go with E-PM2 if you care more about size and/or image quality, or G3 if you care more about handling and controls.
Do note that if you don't honestly think you'll upgrade your kit lens, then I'd prolly just say NEX-6 kit.
Good luck with your choice!
