Sony NEX-7 vs Olympus OM-D EM-5 Video Comparison

If you have not read our NEX-7 vs OM-D EM-5 comparison read it first before watching the two videos below. Grab your popcorn and watch the APS-C vs Micro 4/3 heavyweights do battle.

Sony NEX-7 vs Olumpus OM-D EM-5

We prefer all the advantages of the APS-C's sensor over the Micro 4/3 and that's why we shoot with the NEX-7.

Sony NEX-7 135mm Lens Battle Part 2

The 135mm Lens Battle Combatants Part 1 for Larger Pictures

Here is the second part of our NEX-7 135mm Lens Battle. Part 1 discussed 135mm lens handling on the NEX-7. We tested three prime lenses (Canon 135/3.5 LTM, Konica 135/3.5, Minolta 135/3.5 MD) and two zoom lenses (Canon 70-200/2.8L, Olympus 75-150/4). The zoom lenses were set at 135mm approximately. The lenses tested are around $100 or less with the exception of the Canon zoom.

The shots were taken at wide open aperture (f/2.8, f/3.5, or f/4) and the at f/8. We have labeled each sample a color and a number. The NEX-7 or lens was on a tripod, ISO100, and JPG Fine output. The samples below are arranged as follows:

• One is shot wide open. It shows the full scene with standard editing.
• One Crop is shot wide open with no editing. It is a 100% crop.
• Two is shot at f/8. It shows the full scene with standard editing.
• Two Crop is shot at f/8 with no editing. It is a 100% crop.
• Three is shot at f/8. It shows the full scene with standard editing.

Here are the samples. Please comment on which samples you like best.

Blue Sample

Red Sample

Green Sample

Orange Sample

Yellow Sample

This post will be edited with the answer key.

Here is the answer key for the sets above: blue, green, orange, red, and yellow. These 100% crops of the RAW file developed by Adode Camera Raw with Daylight white balance. Thanks for participating.

Sony NEX-7 135mm Lens Battle Part 1

Composite of Four 135mm Lenses at f/8 with the NEX-7

Here is a first part of our 135mm focal length test used on the Sony NEX-7. This gives us an equivalent FOV of 202mm. We don't really shoot much at this focal length but we wanted to see how the NEX-7 and the various 135mm lenses worked with each other. These lenses are around the $100 mark with the exception of the Canon zoom. The lenses tested are:

• Canon 135mm f/3.5 LTM
• Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L EF
• Konica Hexanon 135mm f/3.5 AR
• Minolta 135mm f/3.5 MD
• Olympus 75-150mm f/4 Auto Zoom

First let's rate the handling. The Minolta and the Konica are the lightest of the group. This makes them the easiest to handle. The Olympus zoom is next and is most versatile being a zoom lens but it is longer than the Konica and Minolta. The Canon LTM is heavier than the first three but is the most compact in size. The aperture ring is at the end of the barrel and when adjusted, it also adjusts the focus. The Canon EOS zoom is the biggest and heaviest of the group. We do not have the Conurus EF NEX Smart adapter so we cannot change the aperture.

The NEX-7 was set on Aperture Priority, ISO100, and 2 sec self-timer. The camera or lens was set on the tripod. Here are the pictures of the 135mm lenses with the NEX-7.

Sony NEX-7 with 135mm Lenses taken with NEX-5 with 18-55mm Lens

Canon 135mm f/3.5 on NEX-7 via LTM to M Adapter > M to NEX Adapter

Canon 70-200 f/2.8L on NEX-7 via Canon EOS to NEX Adapter

Konica 135mm f/3.5 on NEX-7 via Konica AR to NEX Adapter

Minolta 135mm/f3.5 on NEX-7 via Minolta SR to NEX Adapter

Olympus 75-150/4 Zoom on NEX-7 via Olympus to EOS adapter > EOS to NEX Adapter

We'll post the images on Part 2 of the NEX 135mm Lens Battle.

The images from the 5 lenses above are posted in Part 2.

Sony NEX-7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5

Sony NEX-7 (front) vs Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus has announced the OM-D E-M5 and it has a lot of people excited. It has features that would be welcomed in a Sony NEX body - in-body image stabilization, dust proof, and splash proof body. It uses a 16mp micro 4/3 sensor versus the NEX-7's 24mp APS-C sensor. The LCD on the OM-D is touchscreen but it has less resolution than the NEX's. It is priced closely to the NEX-7. Let's see how the OM-D E-M5 compares to the Sony NEX-7.

Combatants	Sony Alpha NEX-7	Olympus OM-D E-M5
Number of effective pixels	24.3 million pixels	16.1 million pixels
CCD Sensor	APS-C CMOS Sensor 23.5 x 15.6 mm	Micro 4/3 Live MOS Sensor 17.3 x 13 mm
Crop Factor	1.5x 50mm lens = 75mm FOV	2x 50mm lens = 100mm FOV
ISO Range	100 - 16000	200-25600
Lens Mount	Sony NEX E-mount	Micro 4/3
Flange Focal Distance	18mm	20mm
Focusing	25 Point Contrast Detect AF and Manual Focus	35 Point Contrast Detect AF and Manual Focus
Image Stabilization	In Lens - OSS (Optical Steady Shot)	In Camera 5-axis Sensor Shift
Shutter Speed	30s to 1/4000 with Bulb Mode	60s to 1/4000 with Bulb Mode
Continuous Shooting Speed	10 frames per sec.	9 fps
LCD	Tiltable 3" Diagonal 921,600 Pixels	Touchscreen Tiltable 3" Diagonal 610,000 Pixels
Viewfinder	Electronic OLED 2.4M dot	Electronic Viewfinder 1.44M dot
Video Capability	1920 x 1080 / 60p-24p AVCHD and MPEG4	1920 x 1080 / 30p MOV and AVI
Dimensions	4.75 x 2.75 x 1.7 in. (119.9 x 66.9 x 42.8 mm)	4.8 x 3.5 x 1.69 in. (122 x 89 x 43 mm)
Weight	10.3 oz (291 g)	15 oz (425 g)
Battery Life (CIPA)	430 Shots per charge	Unknown
Price	$1349.99 with 18-55 OSS Lens	$1299 with 12-50mm Lens

Sony NEX-7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 (Top and Rear)

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!