Sony’s just announced NEX-7 digital camera is a real contender as the new king in the compact mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera realm. We’re sure that you are itching, same as we, to see how it stacks up against the competition. We’ve pitted the NEX-7 against two Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras, the new Olympus E-P3 and the Panasonic GF3 — although we are sure Panasonic is secretly cooking a high end shooter, the GF3 is currently their higher end compact MFT camera. We’ve also added the excellent fixed lens Fujifilm FinePix X100 to our comparison; the NEX-7 shares some of same genes having a no-nonsense retro look, APS-C sensor and lots of controls. Head over after the link to see a spec fight-out.
| Sony Alpha NEX-7 |
Fujifilm FinePix X100 | Olympus E-P3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Sensor (effective resolution and size) | 24.3-megapixel APS-C Exmor HD CMOS | 12.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS | 12.3-megapixel 4/3 Live MOS | 12.1-megapixel 4/3 Live MOS |
| 23.5mm x 15.6mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm | 17.3mm x 13.0mm | 17.3 x 13.0mm | |
| Focal-length multiplier | 1.5x | 1.5x | 2.0x | 2.0x |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100-16,000 | ISO 100 (expanded)/200- 6400/12,800 (expanded) | ISO 100-12,800 | ISO 160-6,400 |
| Continuous shooting | 10 fps | 5 fps | 3 fps | 3.8 fps |
| Viewfinder / effective magnification |
2359k dots OLED EVF with eye sensor 100% view / 1.09x with 50mm lens |
Hybrid optical /electronic OVF 90% view 0.5x EVF 1440k dots 100% view / 0.47x |
Optional external | None |
| Autofocus | 25-point contrast AF | 49-point contrast AF | 35-area contrast AF Touch AF |
23-point contrast AF Touch AF |
| Shutter speed | 30-1/4,000 sec; bulb | 30-1/4,000 sec; bulb max 60 min |
60-1/4,000 sec; bulb max 30 min | 60-1/4,000 sec; bulb max 4 min |
| Metering | 1,200 zones | 256 zones | 324 zones | 144 zones |
| Flash | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Image stabilization | None (lens) | None | Sensor shift | None (lens) |
| Lenses | E-mount Alpha-mount with adapter |
Fixed 23mm f2 lens (35mm full frame equiv) | Micro Four Thirds
Four Thirds with adapter |
Micro Four Thirds
Four Thirds with adapter |
| Video | 1080p60 AVCHD 28Mbps
1080p24 24Mbps 1080i60 17Mbps |
720p24 H.264 MOV | 1080i60 AVCHD 17Mbps 720p60 17Mbps |
1080i60 17Mbps
720p60 17Mbps AVCHD or Motion JPEG QuickTime MOV |
| Audio | Stereo; mic input | Stereo | Stereo; mic input | Mono |
| LCD size | 3-inch 922k dots tilting LCD | 2.8-inch 460k dots fixed | 3-inch 614k dots fixed touch OLED | 3-inch 460k dots fixed touch LCD |
| Battery life (CIPA rating) | 410 shots | 300 shots | 330 shots | 320-340 shots |
| Dimensions | 4.8 x 2.6 x 1.7 in (120 x 67 x 43 mm) |
5.0 x 3.0 x 2.2 in (126 x 74 x 54 mm) |
4.8 x 2.7 x 1.4 (122 x 69 x 34 mm) |
4.2 x 2.6 x 1.3 in (108 x 67 x 33 mm) |
| Body weight including card and battery | 12.3 oz (350g) | 15.7 oz (445g) with lens |
13.0 oz (369g) | 9.3 oz (264g) |
| Body material | Magnesium alloy | Magnesium alloy | Metal | Plastic and aluminium |
| MSRP | $1,200 (body only) | n/a | n/a | $500 (body only) |
| $1,350 (18-55mm kit lens) | $1,200 (fixed lens) | $900 (with 14-42mm kit lens) | $600 (with 14-42mm kit lens) | |
| n/a | n/a | $900 (with 17mm f2.8 kit lens) | $700 (with 14mm f2.5 kit lens) | |
| Release date | November 2011 | March 2011 | August 2011 | July 2011 |
| © Stuff-Review | ||||
