The Sony α NEX-7 is a
digital camera
A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...
announced 24 August 2011 by Sony.
It is a
mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and as such inherits a smaller body form factor than a traditional
digital single-lens reflex camera
A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a solid-state image sensor and digitally records the images from the sensor.
The reflex des ...
, while still retaining the sensor size and features of an
APS-C-sized model. It is targeted at experienced users, enthusiasts and professionals. It is replaced by the
ILCE-6000 (α6000).
Features
Being targeted at experienced users, enthusiasts and professionals, the Sony NEX-7 offers features relevant to them. Mainly, it integrates a 24.3
megapixel
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...
s APS-C sensor, videos 1920×1080p at 60 frame/s in
AVCHD 2 and 10 fps stills shooting. It's built in a robust magnesium alloy and incorporates an XGA OLED electronic viewfinder with 2.4 million dots resolution.
The camera's specifications are as follows:
*24 megapixel
APS-C CMOS image sensor
*
ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
Me ...
100-16000
*2.4 million dot
OLED Electronic View Finder (EVF)
*Electronic first-curtain shutter (for faster response time)
*1080p 60 HD video recording with built-in mic (stereo)
*Rear screen with tilt feature
*Built-in flash and alpha hotshoe
*remote control receiver (infra-red)
*External mic input
Reception
Albeit being delayed for a few months because of 2011's Thai floods, the α NEX-7 was very well received by critics and users. In regions like Hong Kong, α NEX-7 was always running out of stock. DPreview.com and PhotographyBlog gave it their highest awards, with the highest score ever attained by an APS class camera. α NEX-7 also won the best camera in Camera Grand Prix 2012 under professional catalog, which was voted by a professional community consisting of 57 council members from the professional press field of the Camera Journal Press Club.
Image quality
At the time of its release, the Sony Alpha NEX-7 had the best image quality among any mirrorless interchangeable-lens compact camera which had been tested by
DxO Labs and also the best APS-C Sensor camera from Sony. Sony α65, Sony α77 and NEX-7 have similar sensors and received DxOMark Overall Scores of 74, 78, and 81, respectively. The image quality of NEX-7 can be comparable with
Nikon D7000 (score 80) and
Pentax K-5 (score 82).
Hasselblad Lunar
In September 2012, the Swedish camera manufacturer
Hasselblad announced a collaboration with Sony and a mirrorless compact camera at
photokina 2012 in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, Germany. This camera, named
Lunar, is based on the Sony NEX-7 with identical key specifications, but with aesthetic differences in exterior design and menu system. In January 2014, Hasselblad announced another cosmetic variant of the camera, limited to 200 units, named the Lunar Limited Edition.
See also
*
List of Sony E-mount cameras
*
Sony NEX-5
*
Sony α6000
References
{{Sony MILC cameras
NEX-7
NEX-7
Live-preview digital cameras