Shootout in the snow - Sony A65 vs Panasonic GH2 vs Canon 600D

[Andrew Reid]

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Note: the Sony A65 shares the same sensor, image processor and viewfinder as the NEX 7 and Sony A77. Image quality is 99% the same on all 3 models.

As part of my series of reviews on the Sony A65 I shot this comparison yesterday near Manchester, city of Oasis and Frank Sidebottom. The A65 represents the latest generation of Sony’s technology – 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor, ExmorHD image processor with 1080/60p and a 2.4MP OLED TruFinder. So is it any good?

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[Zxander34]

What a [i]Supersonic[/i] review  :D

[Cowboy]

"Note: the Sony A65 shares the same sensor, image processor and viewfinder as the NEX 7 and Sony A77. Image quality is 99% the same on all 3 models."

dpreview:

"The graphs confirm that the NEX-7's pixel-level noise is higher than the NEX-5N's, and indeed about the same as the GH2's. They also show the advantage the NEX-7 has over the SLT-A65 and SLT-A77, with measurably lower noise at all ISOs; this is due to fixed semi-transparent mirror in the SLTs that deflects light to the AF system, meaning that the NEX-7's sensor receives more light at any given ISO."

http://***URL removed***/reviews/sonynex7/page16.asp

[Andrew Reid]

Yes I am aware of the SLT mirror and the slight light loss - but in a practical real world sense they are still 99% the same for image quality in video mode. For those who are concerned about the SLT mirror get a faster lens or adjust your exposure slightly. There really isn't much difference in low light performance between the NEX 7 and A65 in video mode.

[Cowboy]

Thanks Andrew, but it's not just the exposure difference. More light means better SNR, therefore less noise (for a given ISO).

[Amro Othman]

But the SNR will still be a tiny difference, right?

I guess the only way to be sure is when we get some proper NEX-7 tests, but I don't think they'll be visibly different in the real world like Andrew mentioned...

[hoodlum]

Andrew, you mention the Nikon has a low bit rate.  I thought it was close to 24mbps which is as good as you can get with an unhacked camera.

[Andrew Reid]

The Sony you mean  ;D 24Mbit is ok if the codec is advanced (b-frames, etc.) the main issue on the Sony is the scaling of the full sensor down to 1080p. Remember an un-hacked Canon 600D has 36Mbit at its disposal and the 5D Mark II has 45Mbit+

[hoodlum]

Actually I was referring to your comment on the Nikon 1.  :)

[barnesytv]

Hi Andrew
Loving your blog, I have also bought GH2 and anamorphic ebooks.
I am from Saddleworth and the shots look familiar, where did you shoot them?
This was my Saddleworth shoot on the GH2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRU-etGzWhI
and http://vimeo.com/32405059.

Have a great christmas and new year.
Brian Barnes

[hmcindie]

So how big is the crop really?

The sonys are 1.5, Canon DSLRs are 1.6 and the GH2 is supposedly somewhere around 1.85.

Where does the videomode crop go? Theres been so much smack about the crop but no one has said what it compares to.

[Andrew Reid]

The GH2 does the crop on the sensor. It has a wider sensor to accommodate 16:9, with a 1.86x crop. You're asking what it compares to... It compares to Canon APS-C 1.6x quite closely, and the A65 compares to the GH2 quite closely since it has an extra crop over APS-C 1.5x to accommodate the image stabilisation.

[ntblowz]

thanks for the compare, so GH2 still have the edge on clarity