So I sold my Lumix GF-1, just didn’t like it, great camera, but using manual focus lenses was a bit of a chore.

I bought an NEX-5 as a replacement, I’ve not had it long, so I can’t comment on it’s long term use, but here is what I think so far…

The UI is actually pretty good, people criticize it’s screen based interface, but I leave it in aperture priority all the time anyway, and regularly used features like exposure compensation is easy to get at with a dedicated button, so it’s not a biggie.

The screen on the back is fantastic, I can manually focus without zooming in, but when I do want to zoom in, there is a button for it, much better than the GF-1. (Note to Panasonic, you can’t use pushing in the dial for EVERYTHING).

Firmware updating is currently Windows only, but Sony is promising a Mac version, so I’ll let it go, I could do it using Virtual Box, but I can’t be bothered.

Image quality is fantastic, the kit lenses haven’t been well received, but when stopped down bit, the pancake is OK, and wide open it’s not terrible. I’m currently using it with a Nokton 35mm 1.4, a much, much better lens, but manual focus only, which doesn’t really bother me, and the manual aperture control is a big advantage.

I think adapted lenses are a better option on NEX rather than m43 (Micro Four thirds), not just because of the better APS-C sensor, but because of the crop factor, the 2x m43 crop is just too much, makes ultra-wide almost impossible.

Lastly, the high ISO of the NEX is amazing, on the GF-1, even ISO 400 wasn’t great, the NEX is amazing, even 1600 is pretty decent.

Quick summary : NEX is good, and for the money, it’s difficult to do better. (For the money, you could get an entry level DSLR, which would be just as good image quality, but much, much bigger)