Sony NEX-7 24.3 MP Mirrorless Digital Camera - Body Only (OLD MODEL)

I've been waiting for someone to make a camera like the NEX 7 for a long time. I purchased a Nikkormat about 45 years ago - and loved it. I was an early adopter of the Canon G series "pro-sumer" cameras and owned a couple of them. Now, with my new NEX 7, I have a camera that's a blend of both of these - and much better.The body of the NEX 7 is only a little larger than my Canon G-11 but feels solid like my Nikkormat. Designed into this little package is a lot of great engineering and extraordinary technology from Sony that work beautifully together.Here's what I like:A large APS-C sensor that produces astounding images with low noise.Well-thought-out controls that let me participate in taking pictures if I want - not just trip the shutter (although I can do that with the Intelligent Auto mode if I want)I really like the organization of the controls and menus on this camera. They are logical and accessible - more so than on my Canon G-11.The tilting LCD panel on the back is terrific. This is one of the features I liked on the Canon - but the implementation on the NEX 7 is so much better! I can shoot from my waist (like an old Rollei) or from the floor to get great pix of my grandkids, or by holding the camera as far above my head as I can reach to get a different perspective. The LCD accommodates all of these shooting modes with a large, bright LCD display.I like being able to use my old Nikkor lenses on this camera manually. With a Photodiox adapter, you can mate almost any legacy lens system to the NEX 7. Although you lose the ability for autofocus and automatically setting an aperture, you can do these tasks manually with ease. The NEX 7 will choose an appropriate shutter speed to provide a good exposure for the aperture you choose - since the NEX 7 previews the composition with the lens stopped down. And finally, here's a digital camera that provides a really usable manual focus capability!Whether you're using an old legacy lens, and focusing manually, or using a modern Sony E-Series lens with auto focusing, you can be the final judge on what's really in focus using a feature called Focus Peaking. Simply toggle on Manual Focus and turn the focus ring on the lens to see objects that are in focus highlighted with a contrast colored border. You can even "zoom in" X6 or X12 with the touch of a button to fine focus on the object of interest. This feature is beautifully implemented in the NEX 7 - and you can use it with the LCD or by looking thru the bright OLED viewfinder.Speaking of viewfinders, the NEX 7 viewfinder is really, really good. I use it a lot. Here's why: Last year I had cataract surgery on both eyes. I didn't realize before this surgery that the new lenses the doctor put in can correct for near-sightedness and astigmatism. So when I got new lenses in my eyes, I was no longer dependent on glasses for distance vision. (I had worn glasses for 50 years!) Whoa - what a great gift! I'm still unable to see really well at close distances because of my age - so I need reading glasses. But that's not a big problem with this camera. Here's why:The NEX 7 assists me in two ways. First - the viewfinder has a diopter adjustment so I can dial in my correction and see clearly through the viewfinder without glasses. Second - the menus for the LCD display have a Large Font option so that I can actually see the information about f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, etc on the LCD without wearing my glasses. This is so exciting! Thank you Sony for thinking of us seniors!There are many other exciting features I could talk about like Sweep Panorama, Dynamic Range Optimization, built-in HDR and shooting at 10 frames per second - but that would spoil the surprise. You need to get your hands on one of these cameras and find out for yourself!One of the very best resources for getting acquainted with the NEX 7 is a series of YouTube videos done by Jon Adams of reflectedpixel.com. Jon is a professional photographer whose excitement about Sony's innovation and the NEX 7 is contagious. Search for reflectedpixel on YouTube and watch Jon demo the NEX 7 in a way that will inspire even a serious doubter. But beware - if you watch, chances are you'll want to buy.I also like Gary Friedman's book "Sony's NEX 7 Mirrorless Camera" - available here on Amazon.com. I like the way Gary explains how to set the camera menus up for easy access to the most important features and the very best results.From the day I purchased my first digital camera - the 3 MP Canon G1 (at a cost of over 1 grand) - I wished for the day when a digital camera would arrive that felt like my Nikkormat in my hands, and took high-resolution pictures like I used to get with Ektachrome, and encouraged me to get involved again in the photo-making process using all of the wonderful benefits of the digital format.For me - that day has arrived with the Sony NEX 7.Update: 10/10/2012 I like carrying my NEX 7 on my belt - not hanging around my neck or in a backpack. I've discovered a couple of small, belt-compatible cases that I recommend. If you are using the NEX 7 with the kit 18-55mm lens, get the Tamrac 3320 case. It fits perfectly with the lens down. For a smaller profile, put on the SEL16F28 wide angle lens and use the Tamrac 5689 case. This is the same case I used to carry my Canon G-11 in - and it works well with the NEX 7 and SEL16F28. In this case, I take off the removable eye cup for the viewfinder. It will work with the eyecup installed, but it's a little too tight.

I originally purchased a competing product (Olympus) and set of lenses. I kept them a week and was never really pleased with the quality of the results. It's a great "looking" camera but it fell short of my expectations for image quality. I had already looked at the Sony but couldn't get past the unconventional design and I didn't want an EVF (or so I thought). But I took a shot and bought the Sony NEX 7, 30mm Macro, 50 1.8, 18-55, etc. I took about a dozen test shots and then loaded them into the computer to see what I got. I was absolutely blown away with the IQ from this camera. I was intrigued from day 1.It took time to learn the camera. The menu set up is extensive and took me some time to get familiar with. The camera has a lot of options. Some are useful and some are gimmicky, but the camera executes every bit as you would expect. I do play with several of the special modes. It's fun. And given that I use a 1D4 and 5D3 for my more serious work, this is a great camera to play with.After I'd used the camera for a good week and was much more comfortable with what it could do, I packed up and sold my 7D. I was using the 7D as my carry camera. For all of those purposes the Sony slays it. The NEX 7 wont be a great sports camera, and it won't unseat my 5D3 in the studio. But for day to day use, travel, candids, easy carrying, etc. I'm absolutely blown away. Sony really has delivered an amazing package in the NEX 7. The IQ and flexibility is better than I had with the 7D. Moreover, it's super light, compact and easy to carry. Oh, and accessories/lenses are very reasonable. The 30mm Macro is simply amazing. It's on my camera more than 50% of the time.If you buy the NEX 7, get the 30mm Macro. And give it 10-20 hours of use. It is very different from your P&S and it's very different from your SLR. But it is outstanding at what it does do.Update.Took a trip to Hawaii (Oahu and Big Island) in December and debated between taking the 5D Mark III with several lenses or going with the Sony. I kept thinking that I'd really want the bigger camera system but realized I really didn't want to haul all that gear all over both islands with me. So, I grabbed my smallest Lowe Pro and the NEX 7, 30 macro, 18-55 and pancake. I knew I would not have the reach I would with the bigger lenses from Canon but also knew that normal, wide and small zoom would probably cover my needs. The only time I wanted a bit more reach was at the Kilauea Caldera. Otherwise I was good with those three lenses. (I left the 50 1.8 at home). Having had a couple of weeks to review the pictures both form the NEX 7 and the RX 100 I am entirely pleased. There was NOTHING that I was lacking in terms of expectations and results. I could have had more flexibility with my Canon system BUT that would have meant hauling a lot more gear and a lot more weight. Instead I had a small shoulder bag with a couple of pounds of gear which was great for hiking over lava fields, climbing mountainsides, walking the beaches, hiking the rain forests, etc. and arriving at my destinations with fresh shoulders and legs. My big Think Tank pack and Canon gear would have worn me out.