An interesting development.

When a reader pointed the new Sony NEX-7 out to me I brushed it off with the rebuff that cameras without proper viewfinders hold no interest for me. Yes, I use an iPhone 4S which lacks one, but that’s hardly for ‘serious’ snapping. It’s all I can do to hold that gadget when taking a snap without dropping it.

Well, I was wrong. Not only does the flood-delayed NEX-7, when it emerges from Thailand, have a viewfinder, it’s a high pixel density EVF, on paper an improvement over the one in the Panny G3 and GH2. And Sony has dropped the ridiculous prism ‘bump’ which Panny insists on including in its DSLRs.

From pictures it’s a little hard to reconcile the seemingly gargantuan lenses, mostly in garish, shiny chrome, with the small body, and the alternative of using adapted Leica M optics is simply not an alternative. No auto focus and silly prices make it so.

But it’s an interesting entry from Sony and one which boasts a high megapixel sensor. If responsiveness and the UI are half decent, it will be a meaningful entry into the APS-C marketplace. However, at $1200 for the body + kit lens, I doubt Panasonic is losing any sleep over it.

Seemingly gargantuan kit lens in place.