William Robb wrote: > I'm gonna play the Devil's Advocate for a moment. > You are certainly stating the obvious regarding size, but what is > perhaps getting lost is the usability of said package. I'd happily be > proven wrong, but tossing a NEX sized camera onto the back of a sizable > lens, say an 80-200/2.8, might make for a really badly balanced package > that is a PITA to use simply because the small body shape doesn't give > enough to hold onto. I read a post on PentaxForum from some guy who had > seen a bunch of people having exactly that problem at some sort of > sports event. > The weight difference between a NEX and a small SLR (I used the Pentax > Kr as a reference) is less than 12 ounces. >
OK. I'll play! I often state the obvious because, the obvious often goes overlooked. If that were not true, the state of affairs on Planet Earth would be in far better shape at the moment. The weight of a Pentax 80-200/2.8 is 3.32 lbs. The weight of a Pentax 80-200/4 is 1.35 lbs. The weight of a Sony 18-200/3.5 is 1.15 lbs. Given that the difference in the body weights quoted between the example DSLR and a NEX is only 12 ounces (.75 lbs.), I think the Sony wins *in that strict measure*. Sony (I believe) started the E-series lens line for video cameras. They're now basically offering the same line for both the NEX's and a video camera line. That makes sense fiscally, as one doesn't need to develop an entire new manufacturing line and supply chain for the NEX lenses vs. the video camera lenses. I'm willing to forgive a little 'proportional disparity' (the E-series 18 - 200 for example) for the sake of 'total system portability' (my new acronym TSP). I detect, as I write, that your issue may largely be with using *DSLR Ienses* on the NEX. I pretty much agree. I don't see the real advantage of mounting DSLR lenses on a small body camera, other than the fact that presumably one already owns the lens. The loss of AF and other possible functions would pretty much rule it out for me. It would be cool if Sony could develop an external lens that had the 18-200 (or thereabouts) range that was only .5 - 3 inch long, essentially a very compact lens that was like the P&S camera lenses, yet external. Not knowing enough about technical lens design and optics though, I'm willing to bet that with the Sony E-series lenses, they're getting a good compromise between quality, and cost vs, the creation of a separate lens line. Tom C. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
