NEX 5: Revised list of Pros and Cons

[rrcphoto]

Feel free to augment\modify this list according to your impressions from the DPR review for the NEX 5.

Conclusion - Pros

• Small, innovative designs that are still comfortable to hold
• Decent Autofocus
• High resolution sensor with excellent High ISO performance (in PASM modes)
• Good JPEG output quality
• Great build quality (particularly NEX-5)
• Metal barrelled lenses feel impressive compared to peers
• Tiltable high-resolution screen
• Point-and-shoot interface that provides optional control of aperture
• Interesting extra features such as in-camera HDR and sweep panorama
• Good, clear live view magnification
• High quality video mode
• Built-in user guide (Shooting Tips)
• The only compact interchangeable lens camera that offers a kit with a fast wide angle prime.

Conclusion - Cons

• Tendency to overexpose (although 1 button exposure compensation is available in PASM modes)
• Lack of function menu makes settings changes in PASM modes unnecessarily long-winded
• Consumes battery very quickly if you use the screen a lot between shots
• Slow startup and poor shot-to-shot times compared to a DSLR
• 'Bkground Defocus' feature encourages the use of wrong settings
• Very limited video control (no aperture control or exposure lock)
• Screw-on flash awkward to attach
• Live histogram unavailable when making exposure changes

Cons ..

• proprietary flash mount - if you can call it a mount. no ability to add / trigger flashes outside of optical trigger.
• awkward and potentially poor tripod mount (flexure)
• absolutely zero third party adoptation and unknown whether or not there will be anything else other than sony addons - given the properietary E mount.
• screen and the fact that everything is menu driven may prevent customization in some environmental conditions (ie: bright sunlight).
• menu / function consistency - such as disabled features having dependancies in other main menus with no prompting to why they are disabled will frustrate most users.
• system awkward to use in protrait mode.

 

[WilsonsLandscapes]

Feel free to augment\modify this list according to your impressions from the DPR review for the NEX 5.

Conclusion - Pros

• Small, innovative designs that are still comfortable to hold
• Decent Autofocus
• High resolution sensor with excellent High ISO performance (in PASM modes)
• Good JPEG output quality
• Great build quality (particularly NEX-5)
• Metal barrelled lenses feel impressive compared to peers
• Tiltable high-resolution screen
• Point-and-shoot interface that provides optional control of aperture
• Interesting extra features such as in-camera HDR and sweep panorama
• Good, clear live view magnification
• High quality video mode
• Built-in user guide (Shooting Tips)
• The only compact interchangeable lens camera that offers a kit with a fast wide angle prime.

Conclusion - Cons

• Tendency to overexpose (although 1 button exposure compensation is available in PASM modes)
• Lack of function menu makes settings changes in PASM modes unnecessarily long-winded
• Consumes battery very quickly if you use the screen a lot between shots
• Slow startup and poor shot-to-shot times compared to a DSLR
• 'Bkground Defocus' feature encourages the use of wrong settings
• Very limited video control (no aperture control or exposure lock)
• Screw-on flash awkward to attach
• Live histogram unavailable when making exposure changes

Cons ..

• proprietary flash mount - if you can call it a mount. no ability to add / trigger flashes outside of optical trigger.
• awkward and potentially poor tripod mount (flexure)
• absolutely zero third party adoptation and unknown whether or not there will be anything else other than sony addons - given the properietary E mount.
• screen and the fact that everything is menu driven may prevent customization in some environmental conditions (ie: bright sunlight).
• menu / function consistency - such as disabled features having dependancies in other main menus with no prompting to why they are disabled will frustrate most users.
• system awkward to use in protrait mode.

why awkward to use in portrait mode?
--
"Shoot in the mountains as often as you can, it will change your life"

 

[rrcphoto]

I should ask .. is it intelligent enough that if I hold it protrait mode .. everything flips to protrait mode .. or do I have to keep on flipping the camera from landscape, back to portrait or crane my neck 90 degress to read anything. I'm assuming it doesn't because I haven't seen anything on it.

with the lack of controls .. and so much relying on the menuing system - yes, potrait will be awkward because the tilt screen cannot tilt swivel outside of simply flipping up.

 

[JanKritzinger]

Some good points, except

• absolutely zero third party adoptation and unknown whether or not there will be anything else other than sony addons - given the properietary E mount.

Rayqual have anounced an adapter for Nikon G, Canon FD, contax-yaschica, and Leica M lenses.

The short flange back distance will make a variety of 3rd party adapters very attractive.

Complaining about absolutely zero third party adoption is a bit strange considering that the mount was just introduced... however I understand, from a practical point of view that someone buying the camera now would've preferred the lenses to be available now in stead of tomorrow.

Judging by the reaction to the NEX 3 and 5 alone, the future of the E-mount appears bright, and E-mount camcorders have not even been released yet.

If the E-mount does prove popular enough, I see no reason why Sigma, Tamron and Zeiss wouldn't eventually make E-mount lenses.

 

[rrcphoto]

cool news on the adapters!

sigma may - however you're talking about making lenses with a vastly different registration distance - highly unlikely.

they would have to be for all purposes designed from the ground up to support the E-mount. Most third party lens manufacturers make their lenses for the longest supported registration distance and simply flip the electronics and mount mechanics - lens design remains the same.

and don't forget .. adding the adapter - makes it essentially the same form factor of the DLSR that lens was originally designed for - because it's simply adding the space between the E-Mount and the original DSLR's mount.

Again .. if you want to be fair .. any new mount has this issue that is only supported by one manufacturer - and seems to be as priorietary as sony's (going by the electronic mount connectivity).

So it's a con.

 

[rrcphoto]

cool news on the adapters!

sigma may - however you're talking about making lenses with a vastly different registration distance - highly unlikely.

they would have to be for all purposes designed from the ground up to support the E-mount. Most third party lens manufacturers make their lenses for the longest supported registration distance and simply flip the electronics and mount mechanics - lens design remains the same.

and don't forget .. adding the adapter - makes it essentially the same form factor of the DLSR that lens was originally designed for - because it's simply adding the space between the E-Mount and the original DSLR's mount.

Again .. if you want to be fair .. any new mount has this issue that is only supported by one manufacturer - and seems to be as priorietary as sony's (going by the electronic mount connectivity).

So it's a con.

add to this .. at this time it's unknown that the mount doesn't have to be reverse engineered.

has sony said anything about giving out the mount specifications to third parties?

I think there was some mention of zeiss however was that actually from sony or wishful fantasies?

if so, we're relying on sony lens production which is now split between A and E mount.

and if manufacturer A has the ability to design and sell a lens to a market of approximately 60M installed base (canon, nikon, sony A mount - ie: DSLR's) versus design a specific lens for market of say 2M .. odds are 60M will win first.

amusingly the best thing that could happen to NEX is canon and nikon jump on board with their own variants .. with the large three companies producing short registration distance cameras - then the third party manufacturers would then start looking at producing lenses.

hard to say whether or not sony will by themselves though as it's fighting a large (very very large) installed base when it comes to a third party decision on lens design and fab.

 

[JanKritzinger]

no text

 

[JanKritzinger]

amusingly the best thing that could happen to NEX is canon and nikon jump on board with their own variants .. with the large three companies producing short registration distance cameras - then the third party manufacturers would then start looking at producing lenses.

This would be insanely awesome

 

[zepzr]

on IR review

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/NEX5/NEX5A.HTM

that's better than DPRs anyway.

 

[K e n n e t h]

Finally feedback from the ordinary user.

 

[SG_Guy]

Are you inferring that you worked on the NEX camera for Sony? I've read some of your other posts and you infer there also that either yourself or some of your friends have direct association with Sony. If so, it would be best if you recused yourself as your input will be biased.

this is silly, what was said that is not in the review it self? you said he is trying to rewrite the review when he is simply showing a different interpretation of what the DPReview staff reported on for all to see, and it makes sense.

you both have said you do not like the NEX cams already and go looking for a NEX thread to nag, for all you know people who worked on the NEX for the past 6 months post right under you nose.

--
"Shoot in the mountains as often as you can, it will change your life"

 

[zxaar]

Slow startup and poor shot-to-shot times compared to a DSLR

Wouldn't be even mentioned. Should be only compared in cameras of its class. If it does better than what you actually have you can not put it into CONs.

Maybe, but I can still flip open my P&S TX7 and take a picture in under a second. Quality isn't the same of course, but since Sony is marketing the NEX as a P&S replacement (at least for some people who want to upgrade), relatively quick startup will be an expectation for some people.

Yaa if you going to lose your photos because it takes you 1 more second then may be it is not for you. The point and shooters those i know take their time to set up their shot. 1 or 2 more seconds for them hardly matters.

--
::> I could not learn to spell 'cos God always ate my homework.

 

[sodablue]

• menu / function consistency - such as disabled features having dependancies in other main menus with no prompting to why they are disabled will frustrate most users.

I agree that this is a problem. My A500 does this with HDR if the camera is set to save RAW files. It has to be JPG or HDR is disabled, and it's not clear why.

The first time I hit this I must have spent 5 minutes trying to figure out why it wasn't enabled, and I'm a determined techie. A normal user would assume the camera is busted.

 

[felixhsieh]

I should ask .. is it intelligent enough that if I hold it protrait mode .. everything flips to protrait mode .. or do I have to keep on flipping the camera from landscape, back to portrait or crane my neck 90 degress to read anything. I'm assuming it doesn't because I haven't seen anything on it.

None of the on-screen indicators rotate to match current orientation. However smile-detection does work in portrait (both hand-over and hand-under positions) -- but does not work with the camera held upside-down.

 

[FredB]

Pointless because you have not used the camera.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30939186@N04/

 

[jimb100]

Actually, I don't think anyone here needs you to interpret what the dpr review stated. I'm pretty sure we can all read it for ourselves.

Now when you get your Nex, take a few hundred pix and want to tell us how your experience differed from theirs, you'll have something new to add.

Until then, why do you feel the need to play interpreter?

I don't see where Jan takes his credentials from to alter DPR's conclusions.

I've said over and over that my conclusions are based on observations and facts produced by DPR themselves in their review. You state that I can't do this, without referencing a single instance where I made an erroneous conclusion based on DPR's facts and observations.

I must conclude therefore that you simply feel it is wrong for me to disgree with DPR, without actually considering the points I disagree on.

 

[WilsonsLandscapes]

so when the actual speed of the NEX cam was discussed and at first people put off by the review came to realize it is not slow, that was in your eyes a waste of time by those who brought it up?

most change you need to make taking 5 seconds or less instead of the ages upon ages portrayed should not be brought up?

if someone is interest in the NEX cam and only reads the dpr review and then is off-put by the conclusion and summary people should mention if they think there is a shadow cast over the image given and mention the good reports and reviews which lean the other way or their own experience which does the same

beside, maybe some one was rescued from m4/3 cams

--
"Shoot in the mountains as often as you can, it will change your life"

 

[jimb100]

so when the actual speed of the NEX cam was discussed and at first people put off by the review came to realize it is not slow, that was in your eyes a waste of time by those who brought it up?

And you know for a fact it is not that slow? You tested it? Yet, somehow, you "know" dpr is wrong and you are right. Of course!

most change you need to make taking 5 seconds or less instead of the ages upon ages portrayed should not be brought up?

I must have missed that! What is the dpr definition of "ages"? I don't think I've seen t hat in their reviews.

if someone is interest in the NEX cam and only reads the dpr review and then is off-put by the conclusion and summary people should mention if they think there is a shadow cast over the image given and mention the good reports and reviews which lean the other way or their own experience which does the same

Really, what other reviewers who actually used the camera. Somehow I missed the names of the reviewers who differed so I could read their contrary reviews myself. You don't mind if I don't take your word for it do you?

beside, maybe some one was rescued from m4/3 cams

Ah, saving photographers one camera at a time. What did we ever do before you got here?

--
"Shoot in the mountains as often as you can, it will change your life"

 

[Mario Mejia]

Felix, thanks for the review. I see that you have the Gf1 also. How do both cameras compare to each other in image quality and autofoucus speed and responsiveness?

What firmware version is in your camera?

Thanks again

 

[WilsonsLandscapes]

so when the actual speed of the NEX cam was discussed and at first people put off by the review came to realize it is not slow, that was in your eyes a waste of time by those who brought it up?

And you know for a fact it is not that slow? You tested it? Yet, somehow, you "know" dpr is wrong and you are right. Of course!

most change you need to make taking 5 seconds or less instead of the ages upon ages portrayed should not be brought up?

I must have missed that! What is the dpr definition of "ages"? I don't think I've seen t hat in their reviews.

if someone is interest in the NEX cam and only reads the dpr review and then is off-put by the conclusion and summary people should mention if they think there is a shadow cast over the image given and mention the good reports and reviews which lean the other way or their own experience which does the same

Really, what other reviewers who actually used the camera. Somehow I missed the names of the reviewers who differed so I could read their contrary reviews myself. You don't mind if I don't take your word for it do you?

beside, maybe some one was rescued from m4/3 cams

Ah, saving photographers one camera at a time. What did we ever do before you got here?

--
"Shoot in the mountains as often as you can, it will change your life"

I bet looking back at this jimb100, you feels a little silly?

if you want to continue to have a smart butt attitude and this time not look foolish in public feel free to e-mail me next time you wish to question what I say

i can also provide you with the other reviews you requested above

[email protected]

--
"Shoot in the mountains as often as you can, it will change your life"