I was really surprised to see how poorly the Leica 24 Summilux performed on the NEX-7. At f/2 it was quite poor even in the center especially in comparison to the Zeiss. I would not have thought it would have looked so soft.
As stated in the review, the issue with softness in Leica lenses on the NEX cameras is more visible in wide angle lenses than in normal or telephoto lenses. Still, it illustrates why I personally am not willing to invest large amounts of money in buying "new" legacy lenses for my NEX. It's one thing if I already have the lenses or can get them cheap, but if I spent $6,500+ on a 24mm Summilux just to use it on one of my NEX cameras I would be VERY disappointed in those results. I'm glad I decided to go ahead and pre-order the Zeiss 24mm.
The softness issue with wide-angle rangefinder lenses has always been how it affects the corners and edges of the images. The example in this review showed pretty significant softness even in the center that didn't seem to go away until f/5.6. I found that surprising considering that this is an expensive Leica lens. I use a Voigtlander 28mm that sometimes show softness and smearing in the corners, but the center of the image has always been quite sharp. I think what was even more surprising is that I've read numerous reports that the NEX-C3 has actually improved the corner softness and smearing issues and I would have thought that those improvements would have been seen on the NEX-7 as well. Of course, this is one example and when the NEX-7 comes out we will see more examples of rangefinder lenses being used on that body and maybe they won't seem so disappointing.
Very nice preview. It looks like nex-7 will be a hot camera. Hopefully it will push the competition in the right direction. I don't know how the Leica lens can be soft in the center. Usually it is the perimeter where the softness/color shift shows.
I've read several early reviews and hands-on previews of the NEX-7 one of which suggested that the Tri-Navi system cannot be configured to control Shutter/Aperture/ISO (or really any of the three such as putting the camera in an Aperture priority mode). Is this true?! I like to use a fair amount of manual control in my photography and I am/was very excited b the NEX-7 but this could turn me off a bit.
Not true. As I recall from what I've read, when in aperture priority one control on the top of the camera adjusts aperture, the second adjusts exposure compensation, and the control wheel on the back adjusts ISO. Similarly when in shutter priority, one top control adjusts shutter speed, the second adjusts exposure compensation and the wheel ISO. There is button on the top of the camera that sets the different modes/use of the Tri-Navi controls. The are other settings for them too.
It looks like you're right. Sorry for the false alarm. Lots of incomplete early reviews floating around.
the LL review was what turned me on towards NEX. I was thinking about upgrading my Canon Rebel to 7D or 5D. But 7D doesn't really make sense to me anymore with NEX-7 providing manual controls with an eyepiece viewfinder. I like the form factor of NEX over DSLR (though I'll take full frame with the larger form factor). I'm going to the store this weekend and try a NEX in my hands. (Hope it feels reasonably comfortable!)
Keep in mind that the NEX you try this weekend in the store will be smaller with fewer controls than the 7.
