Hey everybody i just got the viewfinder for the 5n and let me tell you its freaking awesome!!! i recommend everybody at least try it out you wont be disappointed. its a must own for manual lenses, love love it. I know its expensive but once you put this bad boy on your camera your wallet will forgive you.
I've read so many good reviews about the Nex EVF from photo web sites but you just never know if it's marketing or not... it's good to hear from the grassroots to confirm what everyone seems to be saying about this EVF. It's been on my wish-list for so long, but I've been distracted by vintage lenses at the mo... Thanks for posting!
The EVF is the best I've seen. It's not as good as an optical viewfinder, but it's worlds better than the LCD. Especially outdoors in bright light. When they can get the pixel count up around 10Meg and the refresh rate down around 5 nanoseconds they'll be pretty good. Ok, I kid, it is a pretty good viewfinder & having the histogram in the viewfinder is really handy.
update on the viewfinder l had some more time to shoot with the viewfinder and my manual lenses, im noticing way better battery life then using the kit lense. Just another benefit of going retro, i guess the auto focus, oss buts a damper on battery life.
I tried the EVF in the A65 recently in a photo store. What I can say: It is really big! But it didn't look too promising. Could anybody tell me if it's better in bright light than indoors with poor light? Of course it makes more sense to use it in good light, but this wasn't possible at the store ... And I think I would rather buy a NEX-7 than a NEX-5N with EVF, as the cost isn't too much different.
I have a 65 and a 5n with the viewfinder. They are very close optically to each other. They do work better outdoors, and i have none of impossible to see due to sun glare issues. I'd considered keeping a 7, but I looked at images from the 5n and 65 as well as the 7 and the 7 did not add anything the other 2 did not. I like the ability to turn the 5n viewfinder to 12o 'clock , really helpful on occasion Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Thanks, HappyPuppy. Yeah, the EVFs in the A65, A77, NEX-5N and NEX-7 are exactly the same, so technically there's no difference in quality. I'm happy to hear it's better outdoors, as I just absolutely love the size of it! I haven't seen such a big Viewfinder in any entry- to mid-level SLR or EVF anywhere else. I for myself prefer the built-in solution in the 7 just for design reasons. Oh, and the 24MP sensor in the NEX-7 does add much to details if you're into landscape or architecture photography.
I'm toying with the idea of swapping my 5 for the 5N so I could get the viewfinder. I'm not quite sure how much that would cost me and if it would be worth it or not. Maybe it's just G.A.S. but when I had a shot of the Fujix100 I realised how brilliant it is to have a viewfinder. I'll probably just talk about it for a year or so though!
I also have a 5 and I'm going to wait about a year until the successor of the NEX-7 is out. You should be able to get a 7 for about 800 then.
yeah i thought about the getting the 7 and just sell my 5n but i would lose so much money. im real happy with the viewfinder since i had some real extensive use with it on my vacation, i just miss a damn flash!! please sony but a damn flash with the option for a viewfinder. I was on vacation and got a lot of comments about how cool my camera looked with a viewfinder and a old school minolta lense! I love feeling special, its really cool to playback photos in the viewfinder when outdoors too priceless!
This is the same dilemma I'm going through at the moment. A 5N body plus an EVF is nearly the same price as a NEX7 body... but it's too late now. If only the Sony FDA-EV1S OLED EVF Viewfinder had even just a FLASH-SYNC output terminal, I would've bought one by now! Sigh...
It's a sentiment that doesn't weigh heavily on me. I'm having a blast with my 5N! The more you get to know yours, you'll discover certain unique IQ qualities that gives the 5N a very respectable standing alongside the 7. It didn't win 'camera of the year' for nothing
True, one thing I love about my 5N is the how noise free 1600 / 3200 ISO images are, which from what I've read isn't the same on the 24MP sensor on the 7
One reason I picked 5N over 7, is to adapt a few 24mm lenses without worrying about color cast. I just ordered the viewfinder, hope I'll enjoy the 5N even more with it. In sunny California, using the viewfinder often becomes a must.
I agree, I own the nex5n and nex 7, and what he says is true, if I have to work in low light conditions prefer using the nex5n even without the EVF
Noise levels at high ISO was the reason I got the 5N over the 7. For less money I get a cleaner image, that's a no brainer for me. Awaiting the 6 to get both of both worlds !
I waited long for the nex 7 and I was in the same dilemma, but I love my nex5n but I felt I needed something more in those sunny days so started looking for more information about the EVF so i found the quality is amazing and you can see plenty of detail previewing your pictures and the high price, so the nex5n plus the EVF as compared to the nex 7 it's almost the same, I decided to take the nex7.
The EVF may not be as sharp as an OVF, but you get to see exactly what you're shooting, plus all your EXIF etc And you can't use a flash with the EVF, but then you get the articulated sight. Both these two most-cited disadvantages are compensated by two amazing benefits that make for some amazing possibilities. Eg. Faux baby-eye-view - laying the camera on the floor and aiming up: Possible with a tiltable screen but even better with the Nex-5 EVF - not possible with a rangefinder!
