Hands On: Sony NEX 7

Dec 02, 2023

"If you can't afford a Leica, this is the one to get." Those are the words of the Sony Rep that demoed the NEX-7 to me. The other day, I finally got my hands on the extremely coveted Sony NEX-7 (or NEX7 and NEX 7). Though the reviews have already started to come out, I’m still waiting for my units to give them a full run through. However, this camera seemed extremely impressive during the brief time I spent with it as did the 24mm f1.8 lens.

Note that these were pre-production models though.

The top of the Sony NEX-7 features the proprietary Sony hot shoe, the on/off switch, two settings dials and another button. Following the trend of having clean and stylish looks to cameras these days, the NEX 7 seems to make its own mark on the community as if it were Fashion Week for Cameras.

The back LCD screen is curious in that it flips up, but I really wish that it had a touch screen like the EP3. However, it's nice to use when shooting from the hip; although sometimes it may think that your eye is near the viewfinder.

The back also features the pop-up flash button, playback button, a button/switch for AF/MF and Auto Exposure locking, two programmable buttons like the other NEX models, and the back dial. In manual mode, the dial operates as ISO control with the two top ones operating Aperture and Shutter speed. In aperture mode, it still controls the ISO. Sony's initiative to do this pleases me, as ISO is the other major control in digital photography.

The side of the camera features the standard ports, nothing extremely special here.

Amazingly, the 24mm f1.8 is surprisingly light. It looks heavy in the photos, and it isn't terribly large. It is much like a Leica lens in size. Still though, I yearn for smaller pancake lenses; especially for street photography.

When the rep said that this camera could replace your Leica, I was intrigued. The build quality is nothing like the M9 at all and I don't even think that it's on par with the EP3's toughness. However, it still does feel very solid and may be just a bit below the EP3. If anything, it's more like the Ricoh GXR.

For the street photographer that wants to shoot in full manual mode, this is the camera to get. The dials are in all the right places, the viewfinder is big and beautiful, and LCD screen can flip up for shooting from the hip, and you’ve got a pop-up flash to shoot like Bruce Gilden.

The menu is still the NEX system's menu, but now that there are more buttons, you don't need to dig through them to find what you need.

Indeed, this camera is going to win awards. And I’m eagerly awaiting mine to come in for review. I couldn't put a card in because it was a pre-production model, but the images with the 24mm lens were sharp and the bokeh was decent but nothing to get too excited about.

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