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.