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This review is for both new NEX adapters and exist NEX members wish to upgrade to 5R.
I'm a active NEX users and very fond of NEX-7 for it's whole package. I bought this 5R as a backup camera to my NEX-7. So here is some conclusion of my 2 weeks extensive experience with NEX-5R, hope it can give you some ideas:
The NEX-5R is the 3rd generation of Sony NEX camera line:
2010-2011
Entry: NEX-3
Intermediate: NEX-5
Enthusiastic: None
2011-2012
Entry: NEX-C3
Intermediate: NEX-5n
Enthusiastic: NEX-7
2012-2013
Entry: NEX-F3
Intermediate: NEX-5R
Sub-Enthusiastic: NEX-6
Enthusiastic: NEX-7
2013-
Entry: NEX-3N
Intermediate: NEX-5R(update soon)
Sub-Enthusiastic: NEX-6
Enthusiastic: NEX-7(update soon)
Thus, the NEX-5R is the successor of NEX-5n.
If you have don't have a extensive knowledge about NEX-5n or NEX family, here are the highlights of my field experience:
1. APS-C sensor size, 1.5x crop for lens DOF and focal calculation, very popular and balance sensor size, give you enough shallow depth of field but still keep lens in a affordable weight, seize and price.
2. Sony CMOS Sensor, the most widely used and acclaimed sensor in recent days, even Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Fujifilm put Sony senor into their highest level DSLR cameras. It gives you the lots of dynamic range, color depth and top notch low light ISO performance.
The field benefit is I can live with jpegs directly come from the camera w/o tweak Raws and struggle for more detail and dynamic range.
3. Compact size, well designed simplistic camera body is very easy to handle and grasp.
4. Relatively long battery life compare to similar specs mirrorless cameras.
5. 20ms shutter release latency and articulate LCD makes it perfect for street snap shot.
6. Handheld twilight, Panorama photo, Auto HDR is best in its class, easy to use and boost creativity.
7. High-definition (640x480) quality LCD with fast refresh rate and wide view angle, color reproduction is very good and accurate.
8. Highest movie record profile: 1080 60P 28Mbps more than the requirement of Blu-ray and have extensive control over movie recording.
9. High speed focus, comparable to DSLR in daylight but suffers at night. Face detection and scene recognition.
10. For experienced users, NEX system have a 18mm flange-to-sensor distance, so basically you can adapt almost any camera lens in human history to the NEX and enjoy the old style creativity with high technology: Zoom-in focus and focus peaking.
If you already own an NEX and want to know the difference about NEX-5n and NEX-5R, here are the upgraded areas:
1. CDAF+PDAF hybrid auto-focus system, provides both CDAF's accuracy and PDAF's focus tracking capability.
2. Focus speed improved, even with CDAF, the new focus algorithms in those 3rd generation NEX makes them hunts less and more intelligent.
3. More consistent control style, fixed some button and make the Fn as standard button in all modes and apps. (detail list below)
4. Add a new dial, provide more flexible control.
5. Combined shutter release button with power switch similar to other Sony/Nikon/Pentax DSLR shutter release button.
6. Articulate screen can provide 180 degree self-portrait and also gives you 45 degree downward view and still keeps the screen slim.(more photos please see my gallery uploaded to the production page)
7. Wifi function can share photos to mobile device and PCs.
8. App function provides more capability to this camera.(detail list below)
9. New minor improvements added and bug fix: Electronic level gauge, Movie button can be turned off, AEL lock with shutter release, Bracketing range increased from previous +/-0.7 to +/-1,+/-2,+/-3
10. White balance is more accurate.
11. In-body Macro-USB charging.
The problem still exist:
1. PDAF needs lens support, right now all Sony NEX lens support PDAF functions, some need a firmware update.
2. App store is a great concept, but it also exposed the hardware limitation of NEX: app experience not comparable to modern mobile devices.
3. NEX operation system have been improved, but still lack of pro menu functions and it's more family-oriented, such as separate of Movies and Photos libraries. and "world record super long setup menu".
4. Still using the Smart terminal 2 proprietary hotshoe, limit the studio wireless flash and create useless proprietary waste.
5. Wifi function is a little hard to setup and not easy to use for many causal no geek users.
6. App store is just the 1st step for Sony, and what's the future of it is still unknown.
So,if you wants more details:
1.control style evolving:
Historically, NEX-5 are criticized for it's awkward menu and lack of Quick-menu for quick adjustment. So Sony upgrade NEX-5n with a custom center button, which used to be modal change button, provide a custom menu of 5 functions, but leave with a mess and contradiction menu style: If you set the 5n's center button to Quick custom menu, you have to assign either right arrow or down arrow to modal change function in order to change modes(P A S M...), but if you jump into Panorama or Handheld twilight, the center button will recover to model function. thus you lose your Quick-menu function. It's so awkward and makes the your NEX is very different to your friends' NEX after the learning curve. So in 5R Sony made a great decision to it:
Sony makes the center button fixed and cannot to assign any functions, which means in any NEX w/o dedicate modal in future, the center button is fixed to change the camera mode(P A S M...). And add a dedicate Fn button, to trigger the previous Quick-menu.
I know it's a little frustration at first glance: 5R added a new Fn button, but fixed the customization of center button. But if you consider this in a more brighter way: it's good to have the modal button fixed and the new Fn button is easy to trigger with your index-finger, plus you won't lose your Quick menu in any situation even in app mode. it's not a loss. And a little comfort is this qucik-menu can assign 6 functions.
Another control style change is fixed right arrow to ISO and down arrow to exposure compensation. This modification is also accompanied with the previous discussed: make the NEX camera more canonical, so everyone touches a new generation of NEX can play with it and enjoy the new feature without dig into menus system and assign your own style. I can understand their effort to make NEX family standalize but lose the customization of control style still makes me feel NEX become obsolete and inclined to traditional DSLRs (with tremendous dedicate buttons).
2. PDAF do have some limitation:
PDAF is mostly benefit in the AF-C mode (Please watch the movie within this review), AF-S didn't improve much compare to previous CDAF, still hunts for focus.
PDAF can only be activated when aperture value is no greater than f/6.3 (e.g: f/1.4-f/6.3 works, f/7.1-f22 won't work)
PDAF is only works with still image, not for movies.
PDAF won't work when it's dark.
PDAF won't work when AF illumination turned on.
3.The NEX-5R have two kinds of wifi usage:
a. link to a exist wifi hotpot, and
surf the web and download apps
upload the photo to photo sharing site: play memory, facebook,flickr(possibly) you name it...
b. create a direct hotspot by itself, and
Let your cellphone/device to collect to this personal hotspot and wirelessly using live view/ shutter
Let your cellphone/device to collect to this personal hotspot and the camera transfer its photos to your cellphone/device
4. Welcome to App world.
I really welcome this, but my feeling is a little mixed: promote such a important function in camera is quite a innovation. but does the users ready to accept the concept that they have to pay for a function in future?
When iPhone opened the world of mobile apps, it have a most important conviction: user-centered. Every app is around user: satisfy user needs. Does Sony fully understand this and through the app to improve their user experience? It's a little early to place any conclusion.But I expect Sony understand why Google play and iTunes are successful app stores because they satisfied user needs and improve customers experience.
For example, at present, the NEX-5R app store have 4 apps: 3 free 1 for sell with $4.99.
Those free apps:
Remote control is just works, using your smartphone as live view and control the camera shutter.
Direct upload needs some updates, it's only function is upload photos to facebook or play memory gallery, hope it can support flickr or picasa in future.
Fliter+ is provide more filters, like the newest watercolor or blend two filters effects together, a welcome addition to NEX users.
The only app with price is multi-frame noise reduction app. It works like Handheld twilight but with more controls over aperture, iso, shutter speed. Sony provide such function in their Alpha cameras, but not in NEXs, NEX only have "lite version" as the automatic Handheld twilight.
I end up give MFNR a try, and here is the interesting part: You buy the app once and it can gives you 10 licenses to any camera associate with your Sony account.
Because I cant upload full-size photos to give you the illusration, So I just give you the conclusion:
In MFNR, the ISO 12800 is comparable to standard ISO 3200, ISO 6400 is comparable to standard ISO 1600, etc... and it's also makes the ISO 400 to ISO 800 noise free when 100% zoom-in, So I'd say it provide 2ev improvement over normal ISO shots.
In some sense, it's still seems like a steal money from us. but like someone said before: you have the choice. However, please understand not everything from a camera manufacture "should" be free, Nikon charges it's Capture NX 2 for $130 and Camera Control Pro 2 for $180, can we say "because you a my camera's manufacture, so everything software associate with your camera should be free?" Software is a intellectual property, manufacture have the rights to sell it or bundle it in some camera. So it's a decision made by Sony, and it's your decision whether buy it or not.
If this works like the way app store on mobile. For real example: I purchased goodreader when it came out on year 2009, it still on my newest mobilephone and upgrade twice a month from 2009 to 2012. it's quite a bargain when you consider this app cost $1 when it came out. So does this apply to many successful apps and great thanks to those hard working programmers. They treat old customers well, and we recommend those app to our friends. a win-win situation.
If Sony treat apps like MFNR, time-lapse in this way: constant upgradeable and compatible on all future cameras. people like me are willing to pay for it.
There also some bad examples: GPS device charges you fee for map upgrades(hopefully, they're dying because mobile devices.), antivirus software charges you year by year(they're dying too),Microsoft, Adobe charges quite a amount for upgrade version.
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