Close Menu
    EOSHD Shooter’s Guides
    • New EOSHD Pro Color 5 is out now, for all Sony mirrorless cameras including the A7S III!
    • EOSHD C-LOG and Film Simulation Picture Profiles for Canon
    X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    EOSHD.com – Filmmaking Gear and Camera Reviews
    STORE
    • Forum
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • 𝕏
    • PRO COLOR 5
    • EOSHD C-LOG
    • Store
      • The EOSHD 5D Mark III 3.5K RAW Shooter’s Guide
      • The EOSHD 50D Raw Shooter’s Guide
      • The EOSHD Anamorphic Shooter’s Guide 2nd Edition
      • The EOSHD Sony A7 Series Shooter’s Guide to Full Frame Lenses
      • The EOSHD Panasonic GH4 Shooter’s Guide
      • The EOSHD Panasonic GH3 Shooter’s Guide
      • The EOSHD Panasonic GH2 Shooter’s Guide
      • The EOSHD Sony A7R II Setup Guide
      • The EOSHD Samsung NX1 Setup Guide
    • Cart
    • Contact
    • More
      • EOSHD Reviews
      • EOSHD Cinematography
      • About EOSHD / Andrew Reid
      • Blog RSS Feed
      • Facebook
    EOSHD.com – Filmmaking Gear and Camera Reviews
    You are at:Home » E Mount compromising performance for slimness?

    E Mount compromising performance for slimness?

    Andrew Reid (EOSHD)By Andrew Reid (EOSHD)May 12, 2010 News 3 Mins Read


    Above: the thicker GF1 body is due to a longer flange back, which improves optical performance

    The Sony NEX5 is a bomb. The build quality of the lenses and the overall styling is incredible. Never before has higher image quality from that size of body been possible, and never has a camera looked so futuristic and contained so much forward-pointing technology. And whilst the new Sony NEX mirrorless cameras are extremely exciting and set to sell like hot cakes, I have some concerns.

    Already voiced, are my own regarding video. No 24p and manual controls on the NEX5 for example. Now it seems there are some very knowledgeable photographers who are beginning to speak out, having taken a look at the NEX system only to realise it’s compromised in many other ways.

    First of these concerns seems to be the ultra short flange back of the new E mount. According to this thread Sony have compromised optical performance for style, whilst Micro 4/3rds does the opposite. On the GH1 for example, the flange back is longer than the minimum, and the body width is much chunkier than the E-mount NEX series. But Sony have taken the flange distance to the absolute minimum on the E-mount to make a sexy body. Either they think the trade off in image quality is worth it, or they have some future upgrades planned to get around the issue.

    But currently, it introduces some nasty optical issues like corner softness and chromatic aberration at wide angles.

    I hate to be Eeyore and to bring you this revelation, but at the high end of the market what matters most? A stylish, thin body or slightly chunkier one with better performance?

    I think it’s an issue of what the customer needs most. The NEX cameras, though having issues caused by the thin body that Micro 4/3rds doesn’t, is still a big step up from compacts. So for this audience, whom value style and brand more than absolute top-notch image quality and pixel peeping, the camera is an extremely satisfying proposition.

    And for the others, there is the chunky Alpha DSLRs.

    By no means is EOSHD.com anti-Sony. I am buying an HX5 compact tomorrow for it’s innovative technology and cutting edge video mode (for a compact).

    But I still believe that not only does Micro 4/3rds offer the best trade off in image quality versus size, the GH range is ahead of Sony by about a year.

    The fact remains:

    • The GH1 + 14-140mm is not surpassed by the NEX5 and 18-200mm, and yet has already been around for over a year.
    • On the GH1 you have 24p and a built in EVF

    Whilst the GF1 is a lot closer to NEX territory and I prefer the styling of the Sony, the 20mm F1.7 pancake is a far more appealing option than Sony 16mm F2.8 pancake in my opinion.

    My advice is to wait and see what the Alpha HD range and NEX7 are like, before deciding to jump from Micro 4/3rds!

    For video at least until September, my GH1 is staying put.

    e-mount flange back nex5 performance release date review sony specs
    Andrew Reid (EOSHD)
    • Website

    British filmmaker and editor of EOSHD. On this blog I share my creative and technical knowledge as I shoot.

    Related Posts

    Camera prices – Have the Japanese taken leave of their senses?

    Read More

    What to expect from Nikon’s first RED mirrorless camera, the Nikon Zr

    Read More

    The Panasonic S1 II pricing is wrong – so is the entire product strategy

    Read More

    EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras

    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

    EOSHD Z-LOG for Nikon cameras

    Articles by category
    • Anamorphic
    • Featured
    • Filmmaking
    • Interview
    • Lens
    • News
    • Opinion
    • RAW Video
    • Reviews
    • Rumors
    • Satire/Opinion
    • Shooter's Guides / LUTs / Colour Profiles
    • YouTube
    Blog post archives
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    © 2025 Andrew Reid / EOSHD

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.