NEX-7 cameras are starting to show up in the hands of users via Sony outreach to camera clubs and such. Maybe we could track such early first hand reports here. I'll start with a couple. First, this exuberant note is very encouraging: Spent a day with NEX-7 - Wowww!!! - DPReview Report the NEX-7 shutter is much quieter - DPReview
Hmm! As much as I would like to buy the NEX-7 ASAP, perhaps I should stick with my -5 and buy the Zeiss 24/1.8 first?
Steve Huff just published his first basic impressions of the NEX-7 and will be leaving his readers hanging for at least a week and a half while he takes the NEX-7 on a trip. Apparently the camera he has received is final / final firmware too. At least he left a few snapshots to consider. Here's the ones I cared about: NEX7 | Fujifilm X100
So the X100 offers a little more detail in the trunk shadows in that shot; the NEX-7 a little more contrasty with the Zeiss 24 f/1.8. I tend to prefer the Zeiss, probably because I like the background rendering more. I wonder if Huff had some of the dynamic range features on the X100 turned on.
He said he'll be writing something about it everyday... the full review will be a few weeks from now..
I have to say that I find the huff pix very disappointing,...one would fairly expect better performance from the NEX7 compared to x100, in view of twice the pixels and much better/serious design. .....last Saturday I examined the x100 'dentistflex' for the first time in a branch of John Lewis,...VERY poor quality, feel, design and ergonimics for a £1000 camera,...reminiscent of a cheap and tinny canonette type point and shoot from the 60's/70's.....The Olympus 'Trip' was a nicer item! Personally, I fail to see how anyone can compare it to a Leica unless they have not seen either camera first hand. I also saw the pentax Q1 stupidity,...there appears to be a tiresome trend to sell camera using the 'Oh! it looks so cute' mode of marketing.....
The X100 will appeal to some and not to others. I must say it was the most fun digital camera I've used in a while; I didn't mind its quirks, and it was interesting to witness first hand that subjects - planned or otherwise - seemed much more comfortable in its presence as compared to hauling out a DSLR. The bottom line is the X100 produces very high quality output. I expect the NEX-7 to not disappoint in this regard either, but neither will it be offer a panacea. Double the resolution won't mean double the apparent visual quality. I'd be ok with similar image quality, but an improved ability to get higher levels of detail out of some subjects. Huff takes shots that appeal to him; they may not be the best demo of what the camera can do all the time, but then again, do all of us shoot test charts for fun? I'm just glad to see the camera in the hands of more people. In a month, I'll post photos of my own from my NEX-7, if there are no delays in shipping.
