Let's hear your opinion on.....

[jonoslack]

While I am thankful to Terry for the quick answer to fix the problem, if one needs a brain the size of a planet to navigate NEX' menu, what does that say about it (NEX)?

you don't NEED a brain the size of a planet to navigate a NEX menu . . . it just helps if you've got one (like Terry)

 

[Vivek]

I find the manual focus on the NEX superior to the Pany G1, GF1, the Oly EP-1 and the Ricoh GXR A12. The choice between 7X and 14X is perfect and it seems to remember your preference. I must be missing something as I find it fast whether I am using a manual lens or one of the Sony lenses and want to tweak AF.

After Terry's help (and your prompting on the "Sunny Weather" setting- thanks a bunch for that!), I agree with that assessment- to an extent.

When the AF is set to "Multi point" (or something like that), NEX' manual focus area is tiny and lies in the top corner. Single "flexible" auto focus brought to an acceptable level and in the center. This combined with the "sunny weather" display, should do much better than the EPs (I never could bring myself to buying any of those or the GF).

Still, the G1 is the king for manual focus lens use due to its fabulous EVF.

 

[Vivek]

you don't NEED a brain the size of a planet to navigate a NEX menu . . . it just helps if you've got one (like Terry)

Well, one of my posts flew past yours, it looks like, Jono.

I said, most often, I don't have one or can't find it.:ROTFL:

 

[jonoslack]

Well, one of my posts flew past yours, it looks like, Jono.

I said, most often, I don't have one or can't find it.:ROTFL:

What can't you find?
:ROTFL:

 

[Vivek]

:ROTFL:

 

[barjohn]

After doing more shooting with the NEX 5 and comparing results to the Ricoh GXR I decided to sell the GXR system (it is listed on Amazon and I will also post in the Sell section here). It is an excellent camera with many very good features and excellent ergonomics but I think they made at least two if not three mistakes that have led me to this decision.

1. The release of small sensor modules instead of additional APS-C modules. There were a couple of errors in that strategy even thought that was the easiest thing for them to do. It hurt the sales of the smaller cameras that were used as the basis and it failed to expand on the larger sensor that was the only reason to go with a larger GXR body.
2. There closed system concept with no ability to use anyone else's lenses meant you were locked into the release schedule of a small company that was apparently struggling to produce additional APS-C modules with a time line of at least a year between modules. Had they offered an interchangeable M mount lens unit they would have attracted other options.
3. While they have released a few firmware updates, they failed to address the majority of issues listed by me and others in lists published on various forums including the Ricoh forum and most of the fixes have been bug fixes with very few minor improvements. I wrote to customer service and never received so much as an automated acknowledgement, much less a response to my email.
4. The major advantage of the Ricoh GXR concept would have been the ability to keep current with the latest sensor technology but here too they blew it. No update for the A12 with a faster sensor and more responsive AF or better low light performance and no new units employing the more current 60 fps technology and back lit technology for faster AF and snappier performance.
5. The body processor, memory and buffer performance was just low to average meaning that it longevity as a part of the system is in question. It could have been made truly high performing such that there would be no need to update it for at least 5 years. Had I been Ricoh that would have been a design criteria and my market warranty would have been no need to replace the body for 5 years or you get a free upgrade. The $500 entry price for the body would have been justified.

I don't think the Sony is the end all for the foreseeable future as it is clear that several things are happening. First Nikon and Canon are going to get in the game and no one has yet clearly established a sufficient technical advantage such that they can easily stay ahead of these gorilla sized players. Second all of the current players will have new offerings within the next 6 months making the market hard to predict. With the mirror-less segment of the market being the fastest growing segment and already capturing 30% of the market in many countries the big players cannot stand idly buy and watch their market and market share erode. The losers will be the small companies unless they can carve out a market niche that the big guys aren't interested in keeping. Players like Leica, Ricoh and Sigma will struggle to stay in this market and produce competitive offerings.

 

[LizaWitz]

Pana battery 107g, ~ much cheaper than Sony one and is lot more powerful (1250 mAH. Works for ~250 shots for me on an average).Sony battery 57g, less power (1080 mAH) and is pricey.

This means the sony battery is more efficient than the panasonic battery, and should probably cost more. Panny gets 11 mAh per gram while sony is getting 19 mAh / gram. Much higher energy density. This points to the panny being built with low cost cells and the Sony being built with cutting edge cells. To deliver the same value (mAh/g/$) the Sony battery should be %63 more expensive.

With batteries these energy density figures are key. Improvements in energy density are the difference between different battery types (like Nicad, NiMH, LiPo and Lithium Plymer). The sony's %60 higher energy density means nearly the same capacity in a lot less weight and volume.

But this time I'm not buying anything until it's supported by Aperture (so I could have a long wait )

It might not be that long of a wait. I suspect the NEX is going to be much more mass market than m4/3 and then its just a question of how proprietary the RAW format sony is using is. I believe the m4/3 cameras were embedding a lot of custom info into the RAW format which wasn't revealed by Olympus or Panasonic for Apple to use in building support.

Terry, just for fun, how about a picture of the NEX compared to the iPhone?

I'd very much like to see such a picture as well. Right now I'm debating between getting an iPhone 4 and a NEX-5.

The reason is that the iPhone 4 may be "good enough". Since I'm buying one anyway, this would mean I could wait another year to see how things develop in the mirror-less world.

On the other hand, I might rather spend that year shooting with a NEX.

 

[Terry]

Will comply once the sun comes up and it isn't pitch dark here.

 

[jonoslack]

Will comply once the sun comes up and it isn't pitch dark here.

couldn't you use the flashlight app on the iphone and a mirror?

. . . . of course, you could even switch on the light :ROTFL:

But if I were you I'd go back to bed for a couple of hours!

all the best

 

[barjohn]

An error I see several of you making on the batteries is that it isn't milliamp hours that is the accurate measure of battery power, it is watt hours (Wh). This is voltage time milliamp hours. The Sony battery is a 7.7 Wh battery because it provides a higher voltage. The Panasonic battery is around 3 volts if memory serves me correctly meaning it is around 3.6 Wh. That would be a significant power difference.

 

[Terry]

Is this what you are looking for? The iPhone is a bit reflective to do a straight on shot and it is still a little early in the unshowered day for a self portrait.

 

[Diane B]

Wow, it really is small with the 16. The comparison with the Iphone gives me a good idea of its diminutive size So how are you carrying it? I notice in the top pic there's no strap but you added what looks like a neck strap in the bottom 2. Do you tend to use it that way or slip it in a handbag?

 

[Godfrey]

An error I see several of you making on the batteries is that it isn't milliamp hours that is the accurate measure of battery power, it is watt hours (Wh). This is voltage time milliamp hours. The Sony battery is a 7.7 Wh battery because it provides a higher voltage. The Panasonic battery is around 3 volts if memory serves me correctly meaning it is around 3.6 Wh. That would be a significant power difference.

From the Panasonic G1 specifications:

Specifications
...
Battery Pack (lithium-ion) (Panasonic DMW-BLB13PP):
Information for your safety
Voltage: 7.2V
Capacity: 1250 mAh

Panasonic: 7.2V * 1.25 Ah = 9 Wh

Sony (by the numbers posted in this thread): 7.7V * 1.05 Ah = 8.085 Wh

 

[monza]

Sony is 7.7 Wh, 1080mAh, 7.2v

http://bit.ly/bd7oHI

 

[Terry]

Bottom line from my three weeks of use, Panasonic batteries last longer and are slightly cheaper.

 

[Godfrey]

Bottom line from my three weeks of use, Panasonic batteries last longer and are slightly cheaper.

And people say they're too expensive, eh?

 

[barjohn]

So much for my memory..:ROTFL:

 

[tom in mpls]

I'd love to have a fast 24mm or 35mm pancake for the NEX.

 

[barjohn]

The fast 24 mm gets my vote.

 

[Godfrey]

I'd rather have slow pancakes ... savor the taste, enjoy the aroma, etc.

Oh, you mean compact lenses! ;-) A compact, fast pair of 24mm and 35mm lenses would be good for the NEX. I'd like to see a similar compact, fast pair of 25mm and 38mm lenses for Micro-FourThirds too, since Panasonic already has the compact 20/1.7.