kevistopheles
TalkEmount Hall of Famer
I have been m43 free for a few months now and committed to using the NEX with manual focus glass and I have to say that while there are time I miss the fast AF or the UI of my GX1 for the most part I have very few regrets. First off, the NEX is not for everyone. In many ways it is a non standard approach to digital cameras. Sony has chosen to do things their own way and it is not always what you expect (or even like). That said, I find that the trade-offs are worth it. The things that I feel that the NEX gives me that I did not have with m43 are better IQ. I have friends that swear up and down that I am crazy and that the E-M5 is equal to or better than my 5n in the IQ department. I will give them this...the E-M5 is better than my GX1 but IMHO it is still not up to the level of the 5n. Also, (and I find this to be significant) the 1.5 crop factor of the NEX is much more useful to me when using manual focus lenses. It may not be an issue for some but I find that lenses that I did not care for on m43 (I used a LOT of manual focus lenses on my G2 and GH2) are much more useable for me on the NEX. It's little things like working distance because the 40/1.4 is a 60mm 35mm equivalent as opposed to 80mm. I know that may seem minor and I would have said the same thing before I was a NEX user but I find that it DOES make a difference for me. Finally, I quite like focus peaking. It may not be to everyone's liking but I find that using it I get much better success in nailing focus than I do simply using magnified view. It took some getting used to but now that I am used to it I wouldn't want to use a system without it (I will say that contrasty lenses help).
Do I care that Sony does not have a good set of native lenses like m43? Not really no...but I think I am not they typical digital camera consumer. It'll make a big difference to some folks. Do I think NEX is better than m43? No...I think it's more suited to my needs but better is a very subjective term. It depends what you want out of your camera. Am I tempted to go back to m43? Not particularly no. The GH3 is very impressive but bigger than I am interested in, I've gotten to play with the E-M5 on a few occasions and while I find it really interesting I don't have any interest in owning one and the newer m43 cameras like the E-PM2 and E-PL5 don't offer me anything that I am looking for. In fact since I got the EVF for my 5n I am not really feeling any need to upgrade (or sidegrade). It's fast, gives me what I need for using my MF lenses and I can make images. In fact, I find the 5n with my Hexanon 24/2.8 reminds me an awful lot of my Konica Auto S3 (I love that camera) I feel like I have found the digital camera experience I have been looking for since I started using them. It's not the be all and end all and won't suit everyone it's just something that fits me well and that I can use to make images with and for me that is sufficient.
Do I care that Sony does not have a good set of native lenses like m43? Not really no...but I think I am not they typical digital camera consumer. It'll make a big difference to some folks. Do I think NEX is better than m43? No...I think it's more suited to my needs but better is a very subjective term. It depends what you want out of your camera. Am I tempted to go back to m43? Not particularly no. The GH3 is very impressive but bigger than I am interested in, I've gotten to play with the E-M5 on a few occasions and while I find it really interesting I don't have any interest in owning one and the newer m43 cameras like the E-PM2 and E-PL5 don't offer me anything that I am looking for. In fact since I got the EVF for my 5n I am not really feeling any need to upgrade (or sidegrade). It's fast, gives me what I need for using my MF lenses and I can make images. In fact, I find the 5n with my Hexanon 24/2.8 reminds me an awful lot of my Konica Auto S3 (I love that camera) I feel like I have found the digital camera experience I have been looking for since I started using them. It's not the be all and end all and won't suit everyone it's just something that fits me well and that I can use to make images with and for me that is sufficient.
