Sony Alpha NEX-7 Review: Best Quality Compact Camera
Sony Alpha NEX-7 - Sony unveils best in class compact camera. It is great news for compact size lovers as along-with its compact size the quality is not at all compromised both in terms of exposure level and number of pixels. Sony Alpha NEX-7 is listed as one of the top most high end cameras of all time.
The compact system camera has a focal length of 18 to 55 mm. By using Sony Nex -7, you can capture video at High Definition quality with AF tracking and can control the exposure manually too.
Although Sony Alpha NEX-7 from Sony are smaller than SLR series, Nex-7 may not fit into your pocket unless you have a big size pocket. The camera’s body weighs 291 grams.
Usage of large sensor necessitates the need to go for a sturdy body. The camera in your hands gives a professional appearance.
You will be able to shot quality images in spite of low light conditions and it is possible to maintain a better signal to noise ratio. Sony Nex-7 is the fifth model in the Nex series.
Coming to the specifications, it has 24.3 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor (similar to SLT models A77 and A65), XGA OLED electronic view finder, contrast detect autofocus system of 25 points, tiltable LCD panel of size 3”, ISO range of 100 to 16000 and shutter release lag of 0.02 seconds.
Sony Alpha NEX-7 features entertain both novice and expert users. ‘Point and shoot automatic’ mode will be useful for novice users.
Advanced users can enjoy features like classic program, manual setting, aperture priority and shutter priority. With two sweep panorama modes, you can suture up two images when you are moving the camera from left to right direction to capture shots.
You can also produce a 3 dimensional effect that can also be enjoyed by viewing on a HD TV. You can record either in AVCHD format or MP4 format. High quality sound tracks can be managed by connected external microphone that has a dedicated power source.
Sony Alpha NEX-7: Contrast, Flash, Battery
With new Sony Nex-7, you will be able to manage or correct contrast in a better way. This capability can be gained not only at the time you capture images but also to edit already captured images. You can adjust contrast levels especially for the background by using the software supplied with the camera.
Automatic HDR mode helps you capture scenes which have a very high range of contrast difference. This mode helps you capture such scenes in a single frame and images will be converted into JPEG format.
With OLED view finder, you can capture high quality images without being bothered about watching images on LED screen. You can compose images quite easily by being able to tilt and being able to capture through high resolution and anti-reflective coating.
Sony Nex-7 comes with improvised flashing system. You can even connect external flash (hotshoe) with a dedicated power source.
Nex-7 gives you greater level of control and customization capabilities that can be enjoyed by experienced professional. A dedicated button is provided to go for video recording in no time thus eliminating the procedure to select various menu options.
With 1080 mAh battery you can capture as many as 400 shots with a single charge. Usually as the pixel resolution increases, the noise level also increases.
With Nex-7, it is almost difficult to notice distraction up to ISO 1600 levels. Above ISO 6400 levels, you can find the change to certain extent.
Nex-7 uses the latest rear illuminated CMOS sensors to achieve this perfection. The advantage is that up to A3 size printing, you cannot notice any blur in the images.
Sony Nex-7 comes with the best electronic view finder till date which comes with XGA resolution of more than 1024 x 768 pixels. Compared with other brands like Nikon, Panasonic and Olympus, Sony fares better when the picture is converted in to TIFF format by minimizing noise and thus overall clarity.
Nex-7 delivers better signal to noise ratio pictures. You will get a cleaner and better picture as the signal to noise ratio increases.
Sony Alpha NEX-7 Negatives
Coming to the disadvantages, Sony Alpha NEX-7 is available with limited range of lenses. The autofocus capability is not fine tuned to deliver highest level of quality especially in low light conditions.
Another drawback is the lack of wide angle optic. Experienced users may find it difficult to manage with the limited E-mount lenses off-putting.
Sony Alpha NEX-7: Summary
It can be summed up that Sony Nex-7 is a high end camera that comes with pleasing inward and outward features which is likely to be well received by enthusiasts. Once the settings are adjusted as per your requirements, you can capture best shots at your comfort level.
