NEX-7 at ISO 3200 on a Hexakopter

Jeff S. sent us an email to show the latest Sony NEX-7 video by Gravity Shots. Gravity Shots placed the NEX-7 on a Cinestar Hexakopter and went night flying. The camera was set to ISO 3200, and shutter speed at 1/25, to shoot 1080 and 24 frames per second. The 18-55mm OSS lens was set at max aperture.

The footage and the house looks great. The continuous autofocus and image stabilization makes for a smooth looking ride.

Here was Gravity Shots first footage of the NEX-7 on a Hexacopter.

Find out more at facebook.com/quadrocopter.

Thanks Jeff!

Sony NEX-5N Users Guide Video

Just got your Sony NEX-5N or looking at getting one? Clear 18 minutes of your day and watch the NEX-5N tutorial courtesy of Sony Asia. Download the NEX-5N Manual and follow along and take notes. This is a good crash course on your camera when you're not out there shooting.

Simple Explanation of the NEX Advantages

Here's a video from Sony showing the advantages of the NEX system. Nice and simple.

Sony NEX and Alpha Cameras Share Sensors

Gravity Shots Takes the NEX-7 Flying

GravityShots.com has a new weapon in its UAV arsenal - it's the new Sony NEX-7. They mounted the NEX-7 on a Cinestar 6 hexacopter and took it for its maiden voyage around a lovely compound. Maybe trying to see if Santa was on the roof?

The lens on the camera is the much maligned 16mm Pancake. The video settings were: "1080 60P, manual at 1/125, f9, iso400, auto focus, WB at cloudy and Vivid for scene."

Sony NEX-7 secured in a Cinestar 6 Hexacopter UAV

Get more info at facebook.com/quadrocopter.

Thanks Gravity Shots!

E-mount Tamron 18-200mm Lens Reviewed by PCHome.net

E-mount Tamron 18-200 Lens Extended from pchome.net

pchome.net has a nice review of the Tamron 18-200 Di III VC E-mount lens for the Sony NEX system. It looks like the Tamron does pretty well against the Sony 18-200mm OSS Lens.

The current price of the Tamron 18-200mm E-mount is $799, see other buying options. This is the same price as the Sony 18-200mm OSS Lens. We are guessing that the Tamron will drop in price once there is more stock at hand.

Sony NEX-C3 with the Sony 18-200 and Tamron 18-200

Thanks PC Home!

Download Sony NEX-7 Users Manual in PDF

Sony Alpha NEX-7 Parts from the Manual

Here is the Sony NEX-7 User's Manual in PDF. It contains a lot of information which will make the NEX-7 experience more enjoyable. Read through the manual multiple times while you wait for your NEX-7.

Download the Sony NEX-7 manual in PDF here.

Here are some NEX-7 features that we found interesting.

Sony NEX-7 Face Recognition for Up To Eight Faces

Viewing NEX 3D Pictures on a 3D TV

You can also download the NEX-7 brochure here.

First Sony NEX-7 on eBay

It looks like the 1st Sony NEX-7 on eBay is getting a lot of attention and bids. The $1200 MSRP for the body only is being eclipsed with a $1750 bid with 2 days and 20 hours left on the auction. Could this go for a 100% profit for the seller?

Nomad Panohead by Thomas Huang

Thomas sent us an email to share his Nomad Panohead for the Sony NEX system and the Samyang 7.5mm Fisheye Lens for Micro 4/3rds cameras.The Nomad Panohead with the Samyang 7.5mm FE is a compact and lightweight system which can cover 360° with four shots.

Check out thomashuang.net for more information on the Nomad Panohead.

Here is a 360­° degree spherical panorama by Jaime Brotons taken using the Nomad Panohead and more samples using the panohead.


Archs Cave, Benitaxel in Alicante

Thanks for the email Thomas!

Tamron 18-200 E-mount Lens Announced

Tamron 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III VC NEX E-mount Lens

Tamron announced their first lens for the Sony NEX system. This is the first third party lens that will support autofocus and autoaperture on the NEX body. The lens is the 18-200mm Di III VC E-mount lens with maximum apertures at f/3.5 @18mm and f/6.3 @200mm. The lens is in direct competition with the Sony 18-200mm OSS lens. Let's compare the specs of the new Tamron E-mount zoom lens vs the Sony's super zoom lens.

Combatants	Tamron 18-200mm Di III VC	Sony 18-200mm OSS
Zoom Range	18-200mm (27-300mm EFOV)	18-200mm (27-300mm EFOV)
Maximum Aperture	f/3.5 @18mm f/6.5 @200mm	f/3.5 @18mm f/6.5 @200mm
Lens Stabilization	Vibration Compensation (VC)	Optical Steady Shot (OSS)
Minimum Focus Distance	19.7 inches (500 mm)	11.8 in (300 mm)
Weight	16.2 ounces (460 g)	18.5 oz (524 g)
Length	3.8 in (96.7 mm)	3.9 inches (99 mm)
Lens Mount	Sony NEX E-mount	Sony NEX E-mount
Price	€669 (estimated $892)	€709 ($799 Street Price)

The Tamrom 18-200mm E-mount will be available later this month. The street price should be well under $799.

Here is the official announcement from Tamron.

Tamron 18-200 Di III VC Available in Black or Silver

NEX-5 with Sony SEL18200 Zoom Lens

Sony NEX-7 Review by What Digital Camera

What Digital Camera reviews the NEX-7. They did not like that the wheel rotates. They also did not like the autofocus system of most compact cameras. The NEX-7 did win favors because of it's excellent electronic viewfinder and the 24 megapixel image filled with details.

Sony NEX-7 Features from What Digital Camera

Sony NEX-7 with 50mm f/1.8 OSS Lens

Thanks What Digital Camera!

NEX VCL ECU1 Wide Angle Conversion Lens Deal

Save 50% on the VCL-ECU1

The VCL-ECU1 Wide Angle Conversion Lens for the E-mount 16mm Pancake is currently on sale at Amazon. It is not in stock but you can still order one for $65. It is normally priced at $130. The VCL-ECU1 with the 16mm pancake produces images with an 18mm FOV.



Here are some photos from flickr using the VCL-ECU1 Wide Angle Conversion lens.

by Hiro Taro

by freiraum7

by Teddy Leung

by Eugine W

by TomRickHalNao

Sony NEX-7 Best ILC Popular Photography

Sony NEX-7 Gets Good Grades from Popular Photography

Popular Photography has published their Sony NEX-7 test results online and on your newsstands and they seem to like it. Here is a quote from popphoto.com,

Sony’s NEX-7 is currently our pick for the best ILC (interchangeable-lens compact)on the market. It combines outstanding image quality with solid ergonomics and, in addition to the normal array of preset shooting modes, plenty of useful options.

A quick comparison to the Olympus Pen E-P3 popphoto test shows that the NEX-7 bested it in most categories except for Color Accuracy - 7.8 vs 7.7 very close. The NEX-7 at ISO 6400 scored an Acceptable 2.9 on the Noise Meter while the E-P3 garnered an Unacceptable 4.6.

The NEX-7 also topped the Canon EOS Rebel T3 in all of popphoto's test criteria. The T3 resolved 2190 lines per picture height, while the NEX-7 resolved an Excellent 2740 l/ph. At ISO 3200 the T3 had Noise levels were Unacceptable at 3.0 - the NEX-7 were at a Moderate 2.4.

Check out Popular Photography's online test of the NEX-7 to learn more of their testing methods and how the NEX did so well.

Sony NEX-7 with Carl Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 Sonnar ZA

Thanks popphoto!

Sony NEX-7 Size Comparison Video by Luminous Landscape

Luminous Landscape is doing a rolling review of the Sony NEX-7. So far they've covered the user interface and high iso capabilities of the NEX-7.

The fourth installment of the review is perfect for gearheads. The NEX-7 is shown with most of the E-mount lenses and the LA-EA2 lens adapter. The camera is also shown alongside the NEX-5N with viewfinder, the Fuji X100, the Leica M9 with a 50mm Summilux, and the Panasonic GH2. The video gives us a good idea of the size of each camera and lens. Grab a glass of wine, dim the lights, and play the video in full screen - get ready for 12 minutes of gear lust.

NEX-7 and the X100 Side by Side

Thanks Luminous Landscape!

Make sure to follow the rolling review in the link above.

NEX-7 vs M9 vs 5dII vs X100 vs D7000 vs 7D

NEX-7 24mp APS-C Sensor vs Leica, Canon, Nikon, and Fuji

DxOMark published their test results for the Sony NEX-7 sensor and we wanted to see how it compares to the most popular cameras around.

The top row shows the NEX-7 vs the full frame contenders, Leica M9 and the Canon 5d Mark II. The NEX-7 comes out on top overall with a score of 81. The Canon 5dII is a close second gaining a DxOMark of 79. The Leica M9 comes in third with a score of 69. The NEX-7 edges out both full frame contenders in Portrait (Color Depth) and Landscape (Dynamic Range). The 5dII wins in the Low Light ISO category followed by the NEX-7 with the M9 in third.

The bottom row of the image above shows the APS-C sensored cameras. The NEX-7 and the Nikon D7000 are the top APS-C cameras in this comparison. The Fuji X100 comes in third and the Canon 7D comes in last.

The scores are based on RAW sensor performance of the camera as tested by DxOMark.

Check out DxOMark's favorable impression of the NEX-7.

Thanks DxOMark!

100 Words to Win an NEX-FS100 Camcorder

Evening Waltz by Philip Bloom using the NEX-FS100

100 words or less can win you an NEX-FS100 Super 35 Camcorder. Turn the ordinary into extra ordinary, describe filming and editing techniques, and have your chance at Philip Bloom to make your film.

To take part in the competition to win a Sony Professional NXCAM NEX-FS100EK super 35mm camcorder and for Philip Bloom to create your winning film, you need to submit your extra ordinary idea in no more than 100 words. The idea must take an ordinary, everyday scenario and make it extraordinary and demonstrate a particular film technique and be based on a scenario and not be location specific, although the winning entry will be created in the UK. This needs to be filmed using one camcorder, based on a one day shoot scenario.

Here is the official contest website to win a Sony NXCAM NEX-FS100.

Sony NEX Black Friday Deal at Best Buy

Dell $250 Off NEX-5

Addendum 2: Dell has the Sony NEX-5 with 18-55mm OSS lens for $399. Add the camera to your cart. Check out and apply coupon code J22D9F4R?22PDC to get $250 off. It seems that more than 1 can be ordered at the discounted price.

Addendum 1: Sony Style is also having Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals for NEX cameras. The NEX-5 is $499 and the NEX-3 is $399. Click on the "Cameras and Camcorders" tab when you get to the page.

Here was the only Black Friday deal we found for the Sony NEX system. The NEX-5 is on sale for $499 at Best Buy. This is a $150 discount on the standard NEX-5 price of $649. Get there early if you want one.



We are staying home and not waiting on lines and will do our black friday shopping at Amazon.

Good luck shoppers!

Sony NEX Camcorder Manuals PDF Download

Here are the owner's, instruction, or operator's manual for the Sony NEX-VG10, NEX-VG20, and NEX-FS100 Handycam Camcorders. The user guides below should be read by owners and perspective owners.

Sony NEX-VG20 Handycam Camcorder

• Click to download the Sony NEX-VG20 Instruction Manual in PDF.
• Click to download the Sony NEX-VG20 Handbook in PDF.

Sony NEX-FS100 Super 35 Digital Motion Camcorder

• Click to download the Sony NEX-FS100 Instruction Manual in PDF.

Sony NEX-VG10 Handycam Camcorder

• Click to download the Sony NEX-VG10 Instruction Manual in PDF.

We are using Dropbox to host the NEX manuals for free. Click here for an invite.

Replace Sony NEX LCD Protector

eviltig shows us how easy it is to change the LCD protector of an NEX camera. The standard plastic protector peels off, although the "booger is on there." Clean any residue and stick on the glass lcd protector. Below are the before and after pictures of this modification.

Sony NEX with Standard LCD Protector

NEX with Aftermarket Glass LCD Protector

Thanks eviltig!

NEX-7 and NEX System Presentation at B&H Photo

Grab the popcorn and sit back and enjoy 108 minutes of information on the NEX system presented by Sony at B&H photo in NYC.

Underwater NEX-5 Photos by Scott Evans using a Nauticam Housing

Here are some great photos by Scott Evans using the NEX-5. He has taken his NEX-5 to the waters of the Red Sea and Gibraltar protected by the Nauticam NA-NEX5 underwater housing.



Here is a video of the Nauticam NA-NEX5 housing in action.

Sony NEX-5 with Nauticam Underwater Housing Video

Don't worry NEX-5N users, there is an NA-NEX5N underwater housing.

Nauticam Housing for the NEX-5N

Check out more of Scott Evans' NEX-5 photos at scottevansphotography.co.uk.

More info about the underwater housing at Nauticam USA.

Thanks Steve!

NEX-5N Tokyo Time Lapse By Okometubu

Here is a time lapse video by Okometubu made with the Sony NEX-5N and the Switch Science intervalometer that we posted about last July.

Here is the list of Nikon lenses used on the NEX via a lens adapter:

• Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
• Nikkor 20mm f/2.8s
• AF Nikkor 50mm F1.8D
  
• AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
• Nikkor 28mm f/3.5

Nice work Okometubu!

Apple Camera Raw Update 3.9 Adds NEX-5N

NEX-5N RAW Files Now Compatible with iPhoto '11 and Aperture 3

Apple's iPhoto 'll and Aperture 3 Photo Suites now recognizes Sony Alpha NEX-5N, SLT-A65, and SLT-A77 RAW files.

You will need OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard or 10.7.2 Lion in order to apple the update. Check it out at apple.com.

Sony NEX Essential Accessories

So you're ready to order your new NEX camera, what else do you need to complete your kit? Here's a list of essential NEX accessories which each kit should have.

What you need in your NEX kit.

1. Class 10 SD Memory Cards - You will definitely need memory cards for you NEX - it will not come with one. We suggest using high speed and high quality SD cards for maximum photo and video performance. It's also a good idea to get multiple cards instead of just one high capacity card in case a problem occurs.
   
2. Extra Sony NEX NP-FW50 Battery - your NEX camera will come with a battery but if you plan on shooting for a whole day, it's always good to have a backup.
   
3. Sony NEX E-mount body cap and rear lens cap - your NEX camera will unfortunately not come with a body cap or a rear lens cap. It's a good idea to have the caps available for storage purposes. You can easily separate the NEX body from the lens and it will make for a very compact package to carry. If you buy E-mount lens adapters, they will not come with rear lens caps so be ready. If you get the twin lens kit, the 2nd lens will come with a rear lens cap.
   
4. Sony NEX Remote - Need a critical shot with minimum camera movement - use a tripod and a remote. Taking pictures of you and your family? Make it easy by remotely triggering you camera by using this remote - no need to run or hand your camera to a stranger. The remote is also handy for bracketing shots for use with HDR photos.
   
5. Mini-HDMI to HDMI cables - be ready to share your NEX pictures by connecting your camera to your TV by using an Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable.
   
6. Camera Bag - So where does all this go? In any bag of your choice. You will need one with lots of pockets for all the little things your NEX needs.
   

What else do you have in your NEX bag? Send us an email with a picture of your kit.

Sony NEX-7 with Rokkor-M Konica and Contax Lens

Sony NEX-7 ISO 800 with 18-55mm OSS @52mm f/5

We posted earlier about our trip to Unique Photo to see the new Sony NEX-7. It was an open house with Sony representatives exhibiting the new Alpha and NEX cameras, Sony lenses, and flash guns.

There was a lot of interest with the new cameras so our time with the NEX-7 was curtailed. The Sony representatives were all very helpful allowing lens changes and personal memory card usage to grab some images of the pre-production NEX-7.

The brief time with the NEX-7 was great. Since the NEX-5 was our main camera, it's been a while since we used a viewfinder. The NEX-7's EVF was a new experience. It felt odd in the beginning putting a small electronic screen up to your eye but we adjusted by the end of the night. We didn't have time to adjust the diopter, which we should have. All the information from the rear LCD is translated to the 2.36 million dot, 0.5" XGA OLED EVF. The EVF and slightly larger body of the NEX-7 made shooting with quite heavy SLR lenses very manageable.

We did not use the two new dials on top of the NEX-7 since we were using manual lenses. The dials felt great when we did play with them briefly. There was an additional button by the Shutter button that we will most likely reassign to a new command.

We learned a few things about the NEX-7. It responded to the same remote control as the other NEX and Alpha cameras. Also in the menu there was a Micro Adjust option for auto focus lenses. Lastly the NEX-7 was considerably lighter than it looks and will make for a great travel companion.

What would we change with the NEX-7 from our brief encounter? Change the Exposure Bracketing to +/- 3EV with a 5 shot option. The extra button by the Shutter button hopefully is customizable. We would set it to EVF or LCD mode only and not rely on the sensor.

We set the NEX-7 to Shutter priority, and Auto-ISO when the light allowed. The camera was set to JPEG output and that is what's posted here. The posted images are resized and 100% crops from each lens. No other changes were made to the file. All the lenses handled great with the NEX-7. The snapshots are not the best but we had a great time playing with the NEX-7.

Sony NEX-7 ISO 160 with Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar - the shutter speed at 1/60 didn't help this shot.

Sony NEX-7 ISO 200 with Minolta 28mm f/2.8 Rokkor-M

Sony NEX-7 ISO 400 with Konica Hexanon 57mm f/1.2

Sony NEX-7 ISO 6400 +1EV with Voigtlander 12mm f/5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar

The CV 12mm Ultra Wide Heliar shot above was not focused and was taken to see if red-shift at the corners was present.

Thanks to Unique Photo, Sony, and the lovely model in the photos above.