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I use the 5N in nightclubs with an off-camera, hand-held speedlight. To me, the noise is acceptable at 1600-3200, and even 6400-12800 is usable for my purposes.

Unless the 7 is much noisier than the 5N, it wouldn't make sense to ditch NEX for Canon APS-C... if your main goal is to reduce noise. Of course, a DSLR will give you much better autofocus and speedlight options.

My take: If you want better night photos indoors, then go Canon APS-C if you want better AF, but go FF if you want less noise.


Here's ISO 1600 on my 5N... focusing takes an annoying about of skill, but the noise is good enough for me!



 

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The NEX-7 has much better low-light ability than ALL of the Canon cameras you mentioned, and DR is miles ahead.

I suggest you spend a little time over on DxOMark sensor ratings. Research goes a long way.

I don't shoot either of the brands you mentioned, but while I wouldn't mind a 7D to use as an HDSLR video camera, for photography I'd take the NEX-7 over the Canons cameras you mentioned ANY day.

My sage advice, as someone who has done a good deal of changing brands, there is a tendency to think one brand will give you something the other does not, and for very specific uses this may be true, but ALL of these cameras at this level are capable of IQ that was unheard of 5 years ago. You should ask yourself if maybe switching has more to do with just wanting a new camera, or will your images really benefit from a new body.

I've downloaded countless full-sized NEX-7 samples, and for an APS-C sensor camera, it is very difficult to find much better than what you have with the Sony.




Good luck.
 
Hello - soon to be new NEX user here!

I have some Sony SLTs and got me a pair of Canon 60Da cameras for astrophotography - extended red sensitivity covering the important Ha line. So I got me a pair of Canon lenses (2/35 and 2/100) and pondered about jumping ship.

Well - the Canon cameras work ok in the dark but the lenses are not up to the job (will replace the Canon lenses with CZ 2/35 and 2/100 in december).

My 60Da's look rather antique compared to Sony cameras in the same league, and I for one would never trade a Canon for a Sony when it comes to ordinary photography - no way!

Now I want a more compact system than my SLTs for my daylight work, so I am jumping into the NEX system (getting the NEX 6 with the 16-50 mm lens next week). More lenses sure will follow!

Then the world is once more in balance - one quitting the NEX system and another diving into it!
 
Alex, if noise is is your problem, then Canon APS is the wrong answer.

Their FF is somewhat better, though re. their CMOS sensor tech, Canon has remained put at 0.5um and thus has missed 3 generations of development (an eternity in the foundry business), vs. Sony (now at 0.18um). See http://www.chipworks.com/blog/techn...ll-frame-dslr-cameras-canon-stays-the-course/

Investing in caninkon FF glass is wise. However, before any body shifts into dSLR, i'd simply try any of the 16Mp NEX bodies. Their noise, DR and transfer function rolloff at the top exceeds most Canon's offerings (though i kinda favored Canon until recently). Mitch
 
The Tracksuit Barber said:
ChefAlex wrote:

This has no regard to my food photography. My issue was shooting at night hand held. Even shooting indoors with dim lighting. I have found that I wasn't getting good results and had many lost photo's. Other factors include the glass available and quality. AF speed and I found myself enjoying the larger body for my large hands.
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I have medium hands (8.8"), but i discovered a liking for using large FF lenses on tiny NEX bodies that nearly vanish behind the Nikon and Canon zooms. Obviously you hold the lens and only use the body for its job, not for support. Ditto for tripod, it's always the lens, as the NEX body may be less than 5% of the lens ;-)

I see the NEX bodies as good sensors w/ some buttons and display attached, and use them to terminate my FF glass. But when i need a compact system, then i mount a kit lens and get 3-400gr pocket camera, not a multi-pound SLR w/ about the same or worse features. YMMV.
 
migus said:
migus wrote:

Alex, if noise is is your problem, then Canon APS is the wrong answer.
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Good advice - I am a mixed shooter (NEX and Canon) and, about 18 months ago I decided to "get with the times" and buy a Canon 7D. I made a fairly expensive mistake. Despite all the DXO marks and DPReview pixel-peeping, in practice, I could only see what my eyes told me: ugly noise (not at all like the kind of nice grain you used to get from the old 400 film) and RAW files that -to my mind- could not hold a candle to 1DsMkII or 1DMkIII. I have sold the 7D and reverted to my 1D "monsters" for birding.

For day-to-day stuff, my NEX F3 (which replaced a C3 in August) is awesome. I don't know what sort of photography the OP has in mind (run-and-gun reportage?) but I have taken a lot of night shots around London this summer (Olympics and various mini-festivals on the South Bank). It was mostly "urban landscapes" and portraits of mates on long evenings out, usually at 3200-6400, mostly without flash. Honestly, I never missed the 7D (or its size and weight).

Of course, getting hold of the Sigmas (19mm and 30mm) has been the best photographic decision as far as my NEX experience goes. This might be too late for the OP, but seriously: before anyone gives up on NEX, please try your cameras with proper lenses and take all 18-55 and 16mm to the nearest recycling point ;-)

If you're still not happy, go FF; you can get a nice 5D classic for £500, or 5DII or D700 for around £1,000.
 
jpr2 said:
jpr2 wrote:
jpr2 said:
jpr2 wrote:

what I miss shooting 7D and what when with N7
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pls. remember that 7d and 5d2/5d3 are equipped with focus microadjustments (MFA), whereas consumer Canons, like Rebels and 60d are not - this feature might not sound like much, but it is crucial to have every lens fine-tuned to achieve critical focus in much greater proportion (it would never be 100% - on any camera - industrial tolerances are at play :) )

jpr2
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I wouldn't say never 100% in any camera as micro adjustments are not typically needed in a CDAF environment.
 
NowHearThis said:
NowHearThis wrote:
NowHearThis said:
ChefAlex wrote:

I don't know, my camera was producing a lot of noise for iso's 400 & 800. I already sold my gear and starting sunday, will move on to the 60d or the 7d.

As far as some of the features that Sony provides, I can get them through Magic Lantern. It will provide me with MFA, Peaking, a pretty cool HDR Video mode (look it up), and a bunch of other features. Thank you all for the help and for your teachings.
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Get the 7D. The metering system on the Rebels and 60D is poor. I had a T2i for nearly 2years, hated it's metering system. The 60D/Rebels lock the meter the second you half press the focus button. The 7D doesn't do this, that means you can lock focus but still let the meter work and adjust to changing lighting.

Also why not pick up an A57, A65, A77, or A99, they have fast AF too and stellar lenses (Zeiss, G, etc).
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I own a Canon 40D and NEX 7. Can't remember the last time I've used the Canon.

In fact, I have purchase lens adapters for my Canon, Olympus, Nikon and Leica glass for my NEX. The only camera I've shot with that rivals the NEX is my work camera, a 5dII.

Don't know where you're coming from, but you're headed towards a mistake.
 
Are you judging noise from NEX-7 images at 100%? If so, you will see more noise than from fewer megapixel sensors e.g. 5N's 16MP, but that's a normal consequence of the larger 24MP sensor/smaller pixel sites (or something suitably technical! ;-)), and if you resize the image down to the same size as from the 5N or whatever, so you're now comparing like with like, much of that noise cancels out.

Also, looking at RAW with both luminance and chroma noise sliders at 0, you will see plenty of noise, but that's also normal - any RAW conversion must carefully balance noise vs. fine detail.

Your selling page mentions that you're selling due to Hurricane Sandy losses, but you didn't mention that here - if that's the real reason for selling up, then commiserations.

Probably too late for this discussion, but good luck anyhow.

Alan
 
The Tracksuit Barber said:
ChefAlex wrote:

Hi all, this will be my last thread in the NEX forum. I have just sold my NEX 7 and all the gear I had for it. I love the comfort of the small size and quality of the build, tri-navi and other features but the low light capabilities were killing me. At ISO 400, there would be considerable amount of noise in the photos and PP took too much time and effort.

I am moving over Canon as I have already started using their glass. One question for you would be, which camera body to choose? 60d, 7d, 650d or maybe another suggestion?
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I will recommend 7D. The focusing is fast and accurate. I still keep this camera for more serious photograpy. NEX 7 is only good because it's light. The focusing is painfully slow.
 
...telling us how much better are the S. sensors over C. ones, I've used DPR's comparometer (actually it was during browsing a review of Panny FZ-200 superzoom compact) to see if and how much of that was true (it turns out pretty little):

5d3 vs. 7d vs. N7 vs. 5N at ISO 1600 the 5N and 7d are about on par, with 5d3 clearly superior (no surprise) and N7 valiantly last... yet very, very close to 5N, but no surprise again :)

jpr2
 
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Ah, what a touching farewell. "This is goodbye". Oh, no. The poignant simplicity. Cheffy is not sure where he's going but he's going. The wailing, the gnashing of teeth, handkerchiefs fluttering at the railway station as Cheffy's locomotive pulls out for the unknown, sans N-7, leaving thousands sobbing in its wake.


Now the counselling begins as Postpartum-Cheffy Syndrome sets in; what does life hold for those who are left behind, clutching their N-7's so noisily dark? Cruel, cruel, so cruel, Cheffy. We thought you led the way, but noise at 400 beat you, very possibly at 100 too.

Cheffy's going to a place where lumps of black plastic the size of emu eggs rule, all flapping their mirrors fit to register 7 on the Richter Scale. Even now he might be composing a not so distant farewell to his newest best friends at Can..

And where were you when Cheffy wrote, "this is goo.."? We're taking that as a firm promise.
 
samkho said:
samkho wrote:
samkho said:
ChefAlex wrote:

Hi all, this will be my last thread in the NEX forum. I have just sold my NEX 7 and all the gear I had for it. I love the comfort of the small size and quality of the build, tri-navi and other features but the low light capabilities were killing me. At ISO 400, there would be considerable amount of noise in the photos and PP took too much time and effort.

I am moving over Canon as I have already started using their glass. One question for you would be, which camera body to choose? 60d, 7d, 650d or maybe another suggestion?
Click to expand...
I will recommend 7D. The focusing is fast and accurate. I still keep this camera for more serious photograpy. NEX 7 is only good because it's light. The focusing is painfully slow.
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Looks like he ultimately went 7D based in his latest posts...
 
Just did some side-by-side comparison pics of my daughter playing, Canon 7D+17-55/F2.8 and the NEX6+Sigma 30/F2.8. Both in jpg, almost no difference whatsoever in picture quality. Noise even seems a tad better on the NEX. And even focussing speed isn't that much different, sure the 7D is faster but it's not a massive difference.

I'm really having a hard time justifying to keep my SLR, and it gets worse each day.
 
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