Sony NEX-7 Review

January 4, 2012 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Sony NEX-7 is a new compact system camera, the fifth model in the NEX series, that's aimed squarely at enthusiasts. Featuring the same 24.3 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor as the A77 and A65 SLT cameras, the NEX-7 has an eye-level XGA OLED electronic viewfinder, 25-point contrast-detect autofocus system, 1200-zone evaluative metering, 3-inch tilting LCD panel with 921,000-dot resolution, an ISO range of 100-16000 and a shutter release lag of just 0.02 seconds. The magnesium bodied NEX-7 can also capture fast-moving action at 10fps at full resolution, shoot Full HD 1920 x1080p video as high-quality AVCHD files at either 50fps or 25fps, and has an Auto-lock Accessory Shoe that supports various accessories including external flashguns and a clip-on LCD monitor. Lenses can be fitted via the E mount system, and the NEX cameras can also use regular Sony Alpha lenses via the optional LA-EA2 adapter. The NEX-7 is available body-only for £1000 / $1200 or as a kit with the Sony E 18-55mm zoom lens for £1100 / $1350.

Ease of Use

The Sony NEX-7's rectangular, sharp-edged body, chunky rubberised hand-grip and large APS-C metal lens mount combine to create a futuristic camera that's very different in style to the likes of the Olympus PEN and Panasonic GX-series. With the supplied 18-55mm kit lens attached the NEX-7 looks and feels a little top heavy, and that's without fitting an existing Alpha DSLR lens proper, compatibility offered with pre-existing optics via the LA-EA2 accessory adapter which allows phase-detection AF with almost all A-mount lenses.

The NEX-7 undoubtedly feels solid when gripped in the palm, though with the supplied lens attached it's too big for most jacket pockets, something which the recently-reviewed Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 overcomes with its clever pancake-sized 14-42mm power zoom lens. The NEX-7 isn't the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera, but weighing 291g and measuring 42.6mm in depth if not counting its grip or lens mount, it's hardly a heavy or large model, perfectly at home in a small camera bag.

The NEX-7's 3-inch LCD screen can be tilted back and forward - if not, unfortunately swung outwards at 90° - to allow for low and high angle compositions we might not have attempted without. Sony has included High Definition video shooting at Full HD 1080p at 50fps or 25fps with stereo sound and the very welcome ability to control the shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation during recording, plus either continuous or manual focusing. The NEX-7 also features a small, dedicated red camcorder-style video record button for instant thumb-operated video access, which is useful, while Tracking Focus allows a target object to be selected and automatically followed even when the subject is moving, for both stills and video.

Like Panasonic's directly competing GX1 (and unlike the Olympus Pens) there's no in-body image stabilisation offered by the NEX-7 unfortunately, so this is via lens only, the optically stabilized 18-55mm zoom that we reviewed the NEX-7 with offered as part of a kit deal. Though we did see occasional softness, the image stabilisation system appears to work well - at least as effectively as the in-camera or lens-based anti shake methodologies deployed by rival brands.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Front Rear

Sony branding and DSLR-style lens release button aside, all we find on the faceplate is a small porthole-shaped window for the AF assist/self timer lamp, twin holes for the left and right (stereo in combination) microphone, each sitting either side of the lens mount, an infra-red receiver for the optional remote, a rectangular CR3 battery-sized and shaped handgrip with a rubberised surface for a firmer hold, plus the shutter release button on the forward-sloping edge at its top.

Alongside the shutter release is the first of several buttons that can be customised to suit your particular way of working, this Function button by default providing access to the focus, creative style, D-range and white balance settings. The NEX-7 is turned on or off via a flick of a nicely rigid switch surrounding the shutter release button, rather than via the recessed button we usually find on cameras with a smaller form factor. Do this and it's a wait of less than a second before an image materializes on the LCD allowing the first shot to be framed, a match for most DSLRs proper.

The NEX-7's top plate marks the biggest departure from the other NEX cameras that Sony have released so far. Viewed from the rear and starting from the left, there's an Accessory Shoe that supports various accessories including external flashguns and a clip-on LCD monitor, a built-in pop-up flash with a clever hinged design that lifts it high above the lens to help avoid redeye, and two unmarked control dials that are recessed almost completely into the top-plate.

Depending upon which shooting mode you're using, these dials control the aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation. Although we'd prefer the combination of one fore-finger operated dial and one thumb operated dial, which allows you to more easily and quickly set the aperture and shutter speed together in the Manual shooting mode, having two control dials is something that most DSLRs don't offer, never mind a compact system camera, and is just one of the things that marks the NEX-7 out as a serious camera.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Front Tilting LCD Screen

Press the shutter release button down halfway and, after a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment of focus/exposure adjustment, the AF point/s highlight in green accompanied by an optional beep of affirmation to indicate that the user is good to continue on and take the shot. While the NEX-7 is quick and reliable in good lighting conditions, in low-light it does take longer to lock onto the subject and sometimes misses altogether of frustratingly hunts around - the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic DMC-GX1 definitely have the edge in this department. In single shot mode and to the sound of a satisfyingly brief shutter click thanks to a release time lag of just 0.02 seconds, a full resolution JPEG is written to memory in about 2 seconds. As you'd expect in this price bracket, there is the option to also shoot Raw files, or even more usefully for those who wish to hedge their bets Raw and JPEG images in tandem. These settings are accessed within the Image Size folder and are found within the Quality sub folder. You also get Fine or Normal compression levels offered for JPEGs.

As with previous NEX models, not everything on the NEX-7 is located exactly where you might expect it to be found. For example ISO settings are discovered within a Brightness menu option that from the look of the icon that denotes it initially appears to be for adjusting screen brightness only. One would reasonably expect ISO adjustment to be found within the Camera folder with the other key shooting options. And so there's a fair amount of familiarisation with the NEX-7's quirks required up front.

Shoot mode gets its own virtual dial in the main menu though - so at least selecting the options here, including standard P,A,S,M, 9-strong scene mode, Anti Motion Blur, Intelligent Auto, Sweep Panorama and 3D Sweep Panorama, prove easier. Even in intelligent auto mode users still have the ability to get hands on to a degree by controlling background defocus, with a half moon shaped indicator appearing on-screen to the side of the scroll wheel, defocus at the bottom of the arc, 'crisp' at the top. There are further controls for Brightness, Color, Vividness and Picture Effects, all part of the so-called Photo Creativity Touch interface.

The NEX-7's external backplate is a similarly pared-down affair, the majority of it taken up by the 3-inch widescreen ratio angle-adjustable LCD that stretches from the base to the top plate. The NEX-7 offers switchable framing lines and a level gauge display in both the LCD screen and the viewfinder, helping you to compose your image and keep horizons straight. The NEX-7 also has a clever eye level sensor that switches off the rear screen's info display as you bring your eye close to the excellent viewfinder, plus a facility that automatically flips the same display through 90° should you turn the camera on its side to shoot in portrait fashion.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Pop-up Flash Top

Above this is one of the NEX-7's main advantages over its principal rivals, a high-resolution XGA OLED electronic viewfinder. Offering 100% scene coverage, a bright, high contrast image and a wide angle of view, the NEX-7's EVF also displays virtually all of the camera settings and menus that you can also control via the rear LCD screen, as well as the same preview of the scene according to the current settings. The EVF is so good that we used it for the majority of our shooting in both good light and bad, a real testament to its quality. For us the built-in EVF is one of the main attractions of the NEX-7 when judging it against the compact system camera competition.

Above the screen are dedicated buttons for releasing the pop-up flash and image playback/review, and top-right are a switch/button combination for toggling between AF/MF and AEL and the small but useful dedicated movie record button. Press this and the user is instantly recording video, whatever alternative shooting mode might previously have been in use; like the same control found on latter Panasonic G-series and Olympus PEN cameras, this proves essential with regard to spur of the moment filming. users will find separate covered ports for HDMI connectivity, USB output and an external MIC. Only the USB cable was provided with our review sample; there's no standard definition AV output.

To the right of the LCD screen is a trio of controls - the top and bottom buttons are unmarked until the screen is activated, at which point their purpose is detailed alongside it. The top-most control is revealed as the 'menu' button, a press of which brings up the shooting icons - six in total - the contents of we've already briefly touched on. Instead of the screen-full of text you might expect to be presented with upon a press of the menu control, from top left to bottom right of screen, presented instead are Shoot Mode, Camera, Image Size, Brightness/Colour, Playback and Setup icons.

The user moves through these options and makes selections either via the scroll wheel just below the menu button, which has its own central (and again unmarked) set button. This wheel is quite responsive to the touch, which, on a positive note, means that tabbing through options is a swift process, but on the other hand it's easy to slip past the setting you actually wanted when hurrying through them as a photo opportunity suddenly presents itself. The scroll wheel also doubles up by default as the most immediate way to change the ISO speed. Used in conjunction with the two control dials on top of the camera, it's remarkably easy to change the three main exposure controls.

By default the central button opens the shooting mode dial, but it can also be reconfigured to access the new Custom screen, which by default contains the ISO, white balance, flash, creative style and image size options. Once again this button can be customised, just one of 5 external controls that can be configured to your specific needs.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Set at three points around this scroll wheel/pad are a means of adjusting the display, exposure compensation (+/- 2EV selectable), and drive mode (single shot, continuous, continuous with speed priority, so focus/exposure fixed from the first shot), or self timer option (2 or 10 seconds). There's also options to enable the camera to be utilized with the aid of a remote - sold separately of course - and a bracketing control for exposure. By default pressing right on the scroll wheel accessed the various flash modes. The flash options more unusually include rear sync as well as slow sync, plus the regulars of auto and fill in. Somewhat confusingly the NEX-7's red eye reduction setting isn't also found here - instead it has to be first enabled via the aforementioned Setup folder if you're shooting portraits with flash.

The bottom button on the camera back provides by default a means of setting the focus type, with three options on offer - Multi, Center and Flexible Spot - and then setting the actual focus point if the latter option is selected.

At the base of the camera we find a screw thread for a tripod directly beneath the lens mount, and, in the nether regions of the grip, a compartment storing both the rechargeable battery and optional memory card - here Sony reaching out to a wider audience by offering SD/SDHC/SDXC compatibility alongside its own Memory Stick.

While the right hand side of the NEX-5N - if viewing it from the back - features a continuation of the ridged grip but is otherwise devoid of ports or controls, the left hand flank is where users will find separate covered ports for HDMI connectivity, external microphone and USB output. Only the USB cable was provided with our review sample; there's no standard definition AV output.

In summary the NEX-7 offers a great combination of a built-in EVF, tiltable LCD screen, and a myriad of customisable controls. While the user interface is a little confusing by default and the focusing system is a little slow in low-light, the NEX-7 generally gets most things right in the handling department once you've taken time to configure it to suit your way of working. Now let's take a look at the image quality that its 24 megapixel APS-C sensor delivers...

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 24.3 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 7Mb.

The Sony NEX-7 produced images of excellent quality during the review period. The Sony NEX-7 has an extensive and very usable ISO range of 100-16000. ISO 100-1600 is noise-free, whilst ISO 3200 and 6400 produce more than acceptable results, and even ISO 12800 and 16000 are OK for emergency use for small prints and on the web. The RAW samples illustrate just how much processing the camera does by default, though, as they're much noisier at all ISO values than their JPEG counterparts.

Chromatic aberrations are very well controlled, only appearing in areas of high contrast. The 24 megapixel images are a little soft straight out of the camera using the default creative style and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera sharpening level. The built-in flash worked well indoors with no red-eye and good overall exposure. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and the Bulb mode offering lots of scope for creative night photography. The  SteadyShot anti-shake system works well when hand-holding the camera at slower shutter speeds.

The effective Dynamic Range Optimizer function extracts more detail from the shadow and highlight areas in an image, without introducing any unwanted noise or other artifacts. The High Dynamic Range mode combines two shots taken at different exposures to produce one image with greater dynamic range than a single image would produce. It only works for JPEGs and for still subjects, but does produce some very effective results. Sony's now tried-and-trusted Sweep Panorama is still a joy to use. The 11 creative effects quickly produce special looks that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom, while the 13 Creative Styles provide a quick and easy way to tweak the camera's JPEG images.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Sony NEX-7. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting:

JPEG RAW  

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

 
 
     

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

 
 

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

 
 

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

 
 

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

 
 

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

 
 
     

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

 
 
     

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

 
 
     

ISO 16000 (100% Crop)

ISO 16000 (100% Crop)

 
 

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are soft at the default sharpening setting. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

File Quality

The Sony NEX-7 has 2 different image quality settings available for JPEGs, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

24M Fine (6.87Mb) (100% Crop) 24M Normal (4.59Mb) (100% Crop)
   
24M RAW (24Mb) (100% Crop)  
 

Flash

The flash settings on the Sony NEX-7 are Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow sync and Rear flash sync, with Red-eye reduction available in the Main Menu. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (27mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (27mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (82.5mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (82.5mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are a couple of portrait shots. Neither the Auto setting or the Red-eye reduction mode caused any amount of red-eye.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
   

Red-eye reduction

Red-eye reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Sony NEX-7's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there's also a Bulb mode for even longer exposures, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 100.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Steadyshot

The Sony NEX-7 has an antishake mechanism built into the 18-55mm kit lens (but not the body), which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with Shake Reduction turned off, the second with it turned on. Here is a 100% crop of the image to show the results. As you can see, with Shake Reduction turned on, the images are sharper than when it's turned off.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Shake Reduction Off (100% Crop)

Shake Reduction On (100% Crop)

1/5th / 27mm
     
1/5th / 82.5mm

Dynamic Range Optimizer

D-Range Optimiser (DRO) is Sony's solution to improve shadow detail in photos taken in contrasty light, with an Auto setting and five different strengths available.

Off

Auto
   

1

2
   

3

4
   

5

 
 

High Dynamic Range

High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) is Sony's solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image, with an Auto setting and six different strengths available.

Off

Auto

   

1

2

   

3

4

   

5

6

Intelligent Sweep Panorama Mode

The Sony NEX-7 allows you to take panoramic images very easily by 'sweeping' with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching and now even successfully compensates for moving subjects. The main catch is that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution.

Standard
Download the Full Size Image
 
Wide
Download the Full Size Image

3D Sweep Panorama Mode

There is an additional 3D Sweep Panorama mode on the virtual on-screen shooting dial alongside the regular (2D) Sweep Panorama. If you're lucky enough to own a compatible 3D HDTV, download the samples below to experience the full 3D effect.

16:9
Download the Full Size Image
 
Standard
Download the Full Size Image
 
Wide
Download the Full Size Image

Creative Styles

There are 13 Creative Style preset effects that you can use to change the look of your JPEG and RAW images.

Standard

Vivid

   

Neutral

Clear

   

Deep

Light

   

Portrait

Landscape

   

Sunset

Night

   

Autumn Leaves

B/W

   

Sepia

 
 

Picture Effects

The Sony NEX-7 offers a range of 11 creative Picture Effects to spice up your JPEG images.

Off

Toy Camera

   

Pop Color

Posterization

   

Retro Photo

Soft High-key

   

Partial Color (Red)

High Contrast Mono

   

Soft Focus

HDR Painting

   

Rich-tone Mono

Miniature

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Sony NEX-7 camera, which were all taken using the 24.3 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Sony NEX-7 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1280 pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 44.9Mb in size.

Product Images

Sony NEX-7

Front of the Camera

 
Sony NEX-7

Front of the Camera / Pop-up Flash

 
Sony NEX-7

Front of the Camera / Lens Removed

 
Sony NEX-7

Isometric View

 
Sony NEX-7

Isometric View

 
Sony NEX-7

Isometric View

 
Sony NEX-7

Isometric View

 
Sony NEX-7

Rear of the Camera

 
Sony NEX-7

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 

Sony NEX-7

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

 
Sony NEX-7
Rear of the Camera / Custom Menu
 
Sony NEX-7
Rear of the Camera / Main Menu
 
Sony NEX-7
Rear of the Camera / Camera Menu
 
Sony NEX-7
Rear of the Camera / Shoot Mode Menu
 
Sony NEX-7
Rear of the Camera / Image Size Menu
 
Sony NEX-7
Rear of the Camera / Playback Menu
 
Sony NEX-7
Rear of the Camera / Setup Menu
 
Sony NEX-7
Top of the Camera
 
Sony NEX-7
Bottom of the Camera
 
Sony NEX-7
Side of the Camera
 
Sony NEX-7
Side of the Camera
 
Sony NEX-7
Front of the Camera
 
Sony NEX-7
Front of the Camera
 
Sony NEX-7
Memory Card Slot
 
Sony NEX-7
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Sony NEX-7 is a fantastic compact system camera that firmly delivers on its early promise, delivering a remarkably customisable camera that really can be configured to suit many different users. The combination of an excellent built-in viewfinder, handy pop-up flash, tiltable LCD screen and a high-resolution APS-C sensor, all in a light and compact body, simply can't be beaten. It may cost more than the competition, suffer from slow-ish auto-focusing in low-light, have an initially confusing control layout, and perhaps most seriously suffer from a lack of fast E-mount lenses, but its compelling list of features and unique user interface are too good to ignore.

While both other rivals and the cheaper NEX-5N have touch-screen interfaces, we didn't really miss this on the NEX-7, thanks largely to its unique tri-control system and large number of customisable controls. Although there are no custom memory settings, something of an oversight, the ability to change the NEX-7's main buttons and dials is a real boon to your productivity. This means that the initially confusing array of settings can be reconfigured in a multitude of different ways, whilst the camera still provides quick and easy control over the three main exposure settings via the superbly clever dual control dials and rear scroll wheel system. If only all cameras were this configurable.

As it shares the same sensor with the A65 and A77 DSLR cameras, image quality is excellent, with results from the 24.3 APS-C sensor easily rivalling even the DSLR competition, and beating its compact system camera rivals (hence the extra 1/2 star). Noise doesn't rear its ugly head until ISO 3200 for JPEGs and even the faster settings prove eminently usable, although the NEX-7 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean as shown by the much noisier RAW images. The myriad of creative effects such as HDR, Dynamic Range Optimisation, creative styles, picture effects and the innovative sweep panorama mode help to get the most out of the NEX-7.

While we can live with the slightly sluggish auto-focus and are prepared to meet the rather high asking price (after all, you do get a built-in viewfinder and flash), perhaps our biggest criticism of the NEX-7 isn't really about the NEX-7 at all. Although the supplied 18-55mm kit lens is a competent enough performer, there just aren't enough premium lenses in Sony's current E-system line-up to match the sheer performance of the NEX-7 - the Carl Zeiss 24mm f/1.4 and Sony 50mm F/1.8 spring most readily to mind, but the former costs almost as much as the NEX-7 itself. Sony really needs to release some fast, affordable primes to support the launch of what is a stunning camera when judged on its own merits. Which leads us to our first Essential / 5 Star award of 2012.

5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 5
Value for money 4.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Sony NEX-7 from around the web.

techradar.com »

Just as many thought the race to squeeze more pixels onto camera sensors had ended, Sony announced a new flagship model for its NEX line of mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras in August 2011, with a 24.3Mp rear-illuminated CMOS sensor.
Read the full review »

stevehuffphoto.com »

I will start off this review of the long awaited Sony NEX-7 by saying that this is probably the hottest and most anticipated “Enthusiast” camera to be announced in a long time. No scratch that… IT IS the most anticipated camera to come along to us camera and gear nuts… well, probably EVER and for so many reasons. As I said before in a much viewed post, SONY GREW SOME BALLS and produced a camera that so many of us wanted to be made!
Read the full review »

dpreview.com »

When Sony first introduced its range of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras in May 2010, the company was very clear about who it thought would buy the NEX-5 and its near-identical-twin NEX-3. Small cameras with APS-C sensors, we were told, would appeal to compact camera users who wanted to upgrade but would be intimidated by the bulk and perceived complexity of an SLR. The cameras were a sales success (especially in Japan), and their influence on this sector of the market has become increasingly clear, with Olympus's PEN E-PL3 paying extensive homage to their key design features, and Panasonic stripping-down its GF line from the enthusiast-friendly DMC-GF1 to the distinctly beginner-orientated DMC-GF3.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Lens Mount
Sony A-mount NO
Sony E-mount YES
Lens Compatibility
All types of Sony A-mount lenses YES (Requires α-Mount adaptor)
All types of Sony E-mount lenses YES
Minolta & Konica Minolta α/MAXXUM/DYNAX lenses YES (Requires α-Mount adaptor)
Image Sensory
Image sensor type CMOS sensor
Image sensor colour filter R, G, B, Primary color
Size (mm) 23.5 x 15.6mm (APS-C size)
Camera
Total sensor Pixels (megapixels) Approx. 24.7
Effective Pixels (megapixels) Approx. 24.3
Automatic White Balance YES
White balance: preset selection Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash
White balance: custom setting YES
White balance: types of color temperature YES (G7 to M7,15-step) (A7 to B7,15-step)
White balance bracketing NO
ISO Sensitivity Setting ISO100 - 16000 equivalent
SteadyShot INSIDE
System: Sensor-shift mechanism NO
SteadyShot INSIDE scale (in viewfinder) NO
Camera-Shake warning (in viewfinder) NO
SteadyShot INSIDE capability NO
SteadyShot INSIDE compatibility NO
*SteadyShot INSIDE was previously known as Super SteadyShot  
Anti-Dust
Charge protection coating coating on Optical Filter and ultrasonic vibration mechanism
Auto Focus System
TTL phase-detection system NO
Contrast AF system YES
Sensor 25 points
Sensitivity Range (at ISO 100 equivalent); EV 0 to 20 (at ISO100 equivalent with F2.8 lens attached)
Eye Start AF System (on off selectable) YES?with LA-EA2)
AF Area: Wide focus area NO
AF Area: Spot NO
AF Area: Local focus area selection NO
AF Area: Multi Point YES (25 points)
AF Area: Center Weighted YES
AF Area: Flexible Spot YES
AF Modes Single-shot AF, Continuous AF
Predictive Focus Control YES
Focus Lock YES
AF Illuminator YES (with built-in LED type)
AF Illuminator range (meters) Approx. 0.5m - Approx. 3.0m (E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)
Auto Exposure System
Light metering type 1200-zone evaluative metering
Light metering cell Exmor™ CMOS Sensor
Light metering: Multi segment YES
Light metering: Spot YES
Light metering: Center weighted YES
Exposure: Automatic YES
Exposure: Program Auto YES
Exposure: iAUTO YES
Exposure: AUTO+ NO
Exposure: Shutter priority YES
Exposure: Aperture priority YES
Exposure: Manual YES
Exposure: Scene selection YES
Sweep Panorama YES (2D, 3D)
Anti Motion Blur YES
AE Lock AE is locked when focus is locked in multi-segment metering mode. AE lock button
Exposure compensation YES (+/-5EV with 1/3EVsteps)
AE Bracketing With 1/3 EV / 2/3 EV increments, 3 frames
Shutter
Type Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter Speed Range (seconds) 1/4000 - 30 and bulb
Flash Sync Speed; second 1/160
Flash
Built-in-Flash Guide Number (in meters at ISO 100) 6
Flash Metering System Pre-flash TTL
Flash Compensation +/- 3.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Built-in-Flash Recycling Time (approx. time in seconds) 4
Flash Mode Flash Off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync, Wireless
Wireless flash mode YES
Red-Eye Reduction NO
Flash Popup NO
Viewfinder
Type Electronic
Focusing Screen NO
Field of View (%) 100
Magnification (with 50mm lens at infinity) 1.09x
Eye Relief Approx. 23mm from the Eyepiece lens
Diopter Adjustment -4.0 to +4.0 diopter
Live View
Live View YES
LCD screen
Screen Size 7.5cm(3.0type)
Monitor Type Xtra Fine TruBlack LCD
LCD Total Dot Number 921.600
Brightness adjustable YES
Tilting screen YES
Rotating screen NO
Recording
Drive Mode Single, Continuous, Speed-priority Continuous, 10 seconds and 2 seconds Self-timer, Self-timer continues (with 10 sec delay 3/5 exposures selectable), Bracketing
Continuous-Advance Rate (approx. frames per second at maximum) Speed priority continuous shooting: 10 fps
Recording Media Memory Stick PRO Duo™,Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™, SD memory card, SDHC memory card, SDXC memory card
Recording Format JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format), 3D MPO (MPF Extended compliant) 
Image Size L - JPEG (pixels) 6000 X 4000 (24M)
Image Size M (pixels) 4240 X 2832 (12M)
Image Size S (pixels) 3008 X 2000 (6M)
Panorama size:Max. degrees of sweep angle(focal length 16mm/18mm) Wide: horizontal 12416 x 1856 (23M), vertical 5536 x 2160 (12M), Standard: horizontal 8192 x 1856 (15M), vertical 3872 x 2160 (8.4M)
3D Panorama size:Max. degrees of sweep angle(Focal length:16mm/18mm) Wide: 7152 x 1080 (7.7M), Standard: 4912 x 1080 (5.3M), 16:9: 1920 x 1080 (2.1M)
Still Image quality RAW, RAW + JPEG, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard
Movie Recording Format AVCHD / MP4
Video Compression MPEG-4 AVC (H.264)
Audio recording Format Dolby Digital (AC-3) / MPEG-4 AAC-LC
Movie recording mode - AVCHD 1920 x 1080(50p, 28M, PS), 1920 x 1080(50i, 24M, FX), 1920 x 1080(50i, 17M, FH), 1920 x 1080(25p, 24M, FX), 1920 x 1080(25p, 17M, FH)
Movie recording mode - MP4 1440 x 1080(25fps, 12 Mbps), VGA(640 x 480, 30fps. 3Mbps)
Noise Reduction (Long exp.NR) On/Off, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 second
Noise Reduction (High ISO NR) YES
Noise Reduction (Multi Frame NR) NO
Color Space (sRGB) YES
Color Space (Adobe RGB) YES
Color mode/DEC/Creative styles Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W, Sepia, Saturation, Sharpness
Dynamic Range Optimizer Off, Auto, Advanced: Level
Playback/Edit
White/Black Out Alert NO
Index Playback YES
Enlarge (Maximum magnification) L: 16.7x, M: 11.8x, S: 8.3x, Panorama (Standard): 25.6x, Panorama (Wide): 38.8x
Image Rotation YES
Auto Image Rotation YES
General
InfoLITHIUM Battery Indicator YES
Histogram Indicator YES
Exif Exif Ver.2.3
Exif Print YES
PictBridge NO
Menu Language English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Greek, Turkish
Zone Matching NO
Depth-of-Field Preview NO
PRINT Image Matching III YES
Remote Release Terminal NO
IR Remote Control NO
DPOF(Digital Print Order Format) YES
Indicator of remaining memory space (CF) YES
Beep Sound On,Off selectable
File Number Memory On,Off selectable
Folder Name Mode Standard and Date
Operating Temperature (degrees C) 0 - 40
Jacks
Video Out NO
HD/HDMI™ Out YES
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed YES
USB Mode Mass-storage, MTP
Power/Others
Battery System NP-FW50
Supplied Battery NP-FW50
Stamina (battery life in CIPA condition) Approx. 335 shots with 2GB Memory Card, Image Size 24M (3:2)
Dimensions
Width (mm) 119.9
Height (mm) 66.9
Depth (mm) 42.6

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