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Sony NEX-7

 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
 
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced December 2011
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Lenses
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
84
Imaging
64
Features
71
Overall
66

Sony NEX-7 summary

Sony NEX-7 is Sony's Advanced Mirrorless digital camera originally announced on December of 2011. It has a 24 MegaPixel, CMOS APS-C size sensor with a full resolution of 6000 x 4000.

The NEX-7 stands at #40 out of 62 in Advanced Mirrorless cameras & over all #221 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. Please try out our Smart camera finder to find camera rankings based on your customized factors.

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The following is a graph of specific factors used in the rating system.

Sony NEX-7 history

The Sony NEX-7 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can see the complete list underneath.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Sony-Alpha-NEX-5T front thumbnailSony NEX-5T
NEX-7 vs NEX-5T
16MPAPS-C10.0 fps2013
Sony-Alpha-NEX-6 front thumbnailSony NEX-6
NEX-7 vs NEX-6
16MPAPS-C10.0 fps2013
Leica struggles with L-Mount camera sales, tougher than Q or M
Sony-Alpha-NEX-3N front thumbnailSony NEX-3N
NEX-7 vs NEX-3N
16MPAPS-C4.0 fps2013
Sony-Alpha-NEX-5R front thumbnailSony NEX-5R
NEX-7 vs NEX-5R
16MPAPS-C10.0 fps2012
Sony-Alpha-NEX-F3 front thumbnailSony NEX-F3
NEX-7 vs NEX-F3
16MPAPS-C6.0 fps2012
Sony-Alpha-NEX-7 front thumbnailSony NEX-724MPAPS-C10.0 fps2011
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Sony-Alpha-NEX-5N front thumbnailSony NEX-5N
NEX-7 vs NEX-5N
16MPAPS-C10.0 fps2011
Sony-Alpha-NEX-C3 front thumbnailSony NEX-C3
NEX-7 vs NEX-C3
16MPAPS-C6.0 fps2011
Sony-Alpha-NEX-5 front thumbnailSony NEX-5
NEX-7 vs NEX-5
14MPAPS-C7.0 fps2010
Sony-Alpha-NEX-3 front thumbnailSony NEX-3
NEX-7 vs NEX-3
14MPAPS-C7.0 fps2010

Sony NEX-7 Pros and Cons

Here is a collection of good and bad points of the Sony NEX-7 based on features which are often regarded as crucial in a digital camera.

delivers RAW files
does have external microphone port
does have HDMI port
flash built-in
great battery life (430 CIPA)
has face detection focusing
nice screen size (3")
nice sensor size (APS-C)
screen has good resolution (921 thousand dot)
screen tilts up and down
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
very good minimum ISO (100)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
you can focus manually
doesn't have phase detect AF
does not contain selfie friendly screen
does not have headphone port
does not have image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
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Sony NEX-7 Sensor features

The Sony NEX-7 features the Bionz chip. The specification of the sensor on the Sony NEX-7 is 23.5mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 367 mm² sensor has the ability to capture 6000 x 4000 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9.

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The CMOS sensor has 24 megapixels and has a standard ISO range of 100 to 16000. RAW photos are supported which means that you have more room to maneuver in post.

The image underneath shows the NEX-7's sensor size when compared to other popular sizes. The NEX-7 sensor has a crop factor of 1.5 and is displayed in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Sony NEX-7 dimensions

Sony NEX-7 has a weight of 0.88 pounds (400 grams / 14.11 ounces) & the dimensions of the camera is 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7"). The weight of average Advanced Mirrorless camera is 454 grams and the Sony NEX-7 is less heavy as compared to its rivals.

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Down below is a image of the Sony NEX-7 beside a softdrink to help you get a feel for its size.

Sony Alpha NEX-7 dimensions scale

The top view just below will illustrate the button layout on the NEX-7.

Sony Alpha NEX-7 topview buttons dials

Sony NEX-7 Lens features

The NEX-7 works with the Sony E mount and has 170 lenses available for purchase. Here is a few of the lenses we have in our database that will work with the NEX-7.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Sigma-30mm-F1.4-DC-DN-C-Sony-E-NEX lensSigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN C30mmf/1.4 265g
Tokina-Firin-100mm-F2.8-FE-Macro-Sony-FE lensTokina Firin 100mm F2.8 FE Macro100mmf/2.8570g
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Sony-FE-16-35mm-F2.8-GM lensSony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM16-35mmf/2.8680g
Sony-FE-35mm-F1.4-GM lensSony FE 35mm F1.4 GM35mmf/1.4 524g
Lensbaby-Velvet-56-Sony-FE lensLensbaby Velvet 5656mmf/1.6 400g
Sigma-14-24mm-F2.8-DG-DN-Art-Sony-FE lensSigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art14-24mmf/2.8795g
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Samyang-21mm-F1.4-ED-AS-UMC-CS--Rokinon-21mm-F1.4-ED-AS-UMC-CS-Sony-E lensSamyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS21mmf/1.4275g
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Sony NEX-7 Connectivity

The NEX-7 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Digital cameras which have NFC or Bluetooth compatibility are able to be used wirelessly with smartphones. You will be able to transfer files and oftentimes adjust settings with no need to connect physically with the camera.

Many apps also stream a Liveview and release the shutter if you are not close to the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it can easily be connected to an external screen. Virtually all cameras enable you to charge the battery pack using the USB port.

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Sony NEX-7 Video features

The highest possible video resolution on the Sony NEX-7 is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4 and AVCHD file format. 1080p resolution can provide a good balance for video quality and file size but 1080p will not give you any room to downsample. Although the body has a microphone socket, it is missing a headphone socket which means that you won't have the capability to keep an eye on your audio levels.

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Sony NEX-7 Weather Sealing

Sony NEX-7 does not have environment proofing so rainy conditions might affect the camera.

Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder

The Sony NEX-7 has a 3 inch tilting screen having a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

Please note that the screen has no touch support.

Sony Alpha NEX-7 screen and viewfinder Leica struggles with L-Mount camera sales, tougher than Q or M

The View Finder details for Sony NEX-7 are as follows:

  • ViewFinder Electronic
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100%
  • ViewFinder Magnification 0.73x

For sunny outdoor situations that make the camera displays washed out and difficult to see, viewfinders can be quite helpful.

Sony NEX-7 Shutter features

Sony NEX-7 has the ability to shoot continuously at 10.0 fps. The highest shutter speed is 1/4000s.

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Sony NEX-7 Flash and Hot shoe features

Sony NEX-7 has both inbuilt flash as well as external flash support. The highest flash sync is 1/160s.

Sony NEX-7 Autofocusing features

Sony NEX-7 has only Contrast Detect Auto Focus & does not have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is more snappier & exact as compared to Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera has Face detection which makes it useful for taking portraits of people.

It has 25 focus points to select from. Sony NEX-7 has the ability to use manual focus if needed for low light scenarios or you require more exact focus control.

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Sony NEX-7 Battery life

The battery life (NPFW50) on the Sony NEX-7 is designed to last for 430 clicks with respect to the CIPA measurements making it higher than the usual for its class. The average Advanced Mirrorless camera battery life is 390. Sony A6600 comes with the best (810) battery life for this kind of cameras.

Underneath is a list of Advanced Mirrorless cameras with the strongest battery life:

Sony NEX-7 for varying kinds of photography

The following graph presents a summary of the Sony NEX-7 for varying kinds of photography. To understand more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

Portrait photography with Sony NEX-7

The Sony NEX-7 has a rating of 78 which is great, meaning that it is a wonderful pick to use for portraits. Shooting portrait images favors heavily to sensor size, RAW support in addition to the potential to work with external flash.

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manual focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW formats

Sony NEX-7 Street photography details

With a outstanding score of 76, the Sony NEX-7 is a superb fit to use in street photography. A very good street photography camera features a fine balance of image quality and portability.

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screen tilts up and down
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization

Sports photography with Sony NEX-7

A above average sports photography rating of 62 means the Sony NEX-7 is a fine fit for shooting sports. A camera should have very good autofocus plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

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megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
better than average battery power (430 CIPA)
no image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus

Travel photography with Sony NEX-7

Size is super critical in choosing a camera for travel. Overall, the Sony NEX-7 gets a very good 70 for a travel camera which makes it a respectable option to buy for your travels.

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good battery life (430 shots)
megapixel count good (24MP)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly display

Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography advice

For anyone looking to purchase a digital camera for landscape photographs, the most vital factor is going to be image quality. The Sony NEX-7 at it's above average score of 72 as a landscape camera is a very decent pick among it's rivals.

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focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (430 per charge)
no image stabilization
no Time Lapse recording

Sony NEX-7 Vlogging advice

A camera for vlogging ought to come with a articulating screen, microphone port and ideally image stabilization. Considering every thing, the Sony NEX-7 is simply not appropriate as a vlog camera as it comes to a lousy score of 35.

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offers face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone jack
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization

Sony NEX-7 Alternatives

If you are shopping for replacements to the NEX-7, here is a range of the highest scored cameras which fall under the family of Advanced Mirrorless.

The diagram underneath shows you a summary of the NEX-7 versus it's top scored competitors shown previously.

Here are a handful of other cameras you might check out as alternate options. To check out a extensive comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Manufacturer
Sony
Model
Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category
Advanced Mirrorless
Announced
2011-12-13
Body design
Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Powered by
Bionz
Sensor size
APS-C
Sensor measurements
23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area
366.6mm²
Sensor resolution
24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution
6000 x 4000
RAW data
Max native ISO
16000
Minimum native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points
25
Lens
Lens mount
Sony E
Number of lenses
121
Crop factor
1.5
Screen
Screen type
Tilting
Screen sizing
3"
Screen resolution
921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
Electronic
Viewfinder coverage
100%
Viewfinder magnification
0.73x
DXO scores
DXO Overall score
81
DXO Color Depth score
24.1
DXO Dynamic range score
13.4
DXO Low light score
1016
Features
Minimum shutter speed
30s
Fastest shutter speed
1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed
10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range
6.00 m
Flash modes
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync
1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution
1920x1080
Video data format
MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless
Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
400 gr (0.88 lbs)
Dimensions
120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
Other
Battery life
430 photos
Battery form
Battery Pack
Battery model
NPFW50
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage
SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots
Single
Pricing at release
$699