Sony NEX 7 Withe Leica or Contax lenses

I should say that I have read the Luminous Landscape articles and wanted to hear the findings of others who have gone down this route. I suspect it will be a few weeks before I buy and NEX 7 (if I do) as I understand the floods in Thailand have restricted supply.

My guess, Philip, is that the NEX 7 with Leica or Contax lenses will give you results no worse than the "acceptable" results you got with Canon FD lenses on a G1 body. APS-C is a little larger than M4/3. I wonder, though, if an electronic view-finder can match the traditional range-finder in clarity, speed and "feel". I think it will be wrong to compare the camera with the 5D2. A "full frame" sensor with a high quality lens will certainly give better image quality (with more control over depth of field, as you say). But the crucial word here is "acceptable" and it may be unwise to think in terms of absolutes.

Philip, in addition to the Luminous Landscape rolling review, which was quite favorable to the 24 megapixel sensor in the NEX 7, consider this review by David Kilpatrick on the Sony Alpha 77. Same sensor, same 1.5 crop factor, same EVF, but SLT body. He also presents a very favorable review. It should address your concerns. See http://www.photoclubalpha.com/2011/10/17/the-sony-alpha-77-tomorrow-today/

THank you both - If I do decide on an NEX 7 I will let you know how it performs (with Leica, Contax and canon glass)

Can anyone suggest the maker(s) of a good adapter for Leica M, Canon and Nikon lenses?

I have been using Leica M lenses (And Canon / Nikon) with my NEX 5 and getting good results. Much better in fact than with the kit zoom that comes with these cameras. Reviews claim the NEX 5n and NEX 7 have better IQ than the 5 so I suspect you will not be dissatisfied. I find it rewarding. Focusing using the screen is much better than I had anticipated. The zooming MF assist works well - even better than focus peaking. Of course the NEX 7 has an eye level finder so I cannot say how that works with MF lenses. The experience is different from a rangefinder camera but quite satisfying. While the IQ is good I do think my DSLRs are better with one eception - the dynamic range is excellent.
BTW I do not believe that DOF increases with an APS C sensor. DOF as I understand it is a function of the physical size of the lens aperture in use. Thus it varies with lens format and focal length. (Plus other factors like distance to target.) Thus a 28mm prime lens in 35mm format has greater DOF, other things being equal, than a 50mm lens in the same format (say 35mm full frame) at an equivalent aperture setting. (Conversely a lens designed for a medium format camera, which is physically larger will have a smaller DOF at any given that aperture setting.) This should not change just because the lens is placed on a camera with a smaller sensor. But cameras with smaller sensors usually have more DOF when used with their kit lens, because the kit lenses designed specifically for them are designed to be commensurately smaller. Hence they have a smaller physical aperture size at each f stop.

The adapteer I have for M lenses is by Novoflex, solid and not cheap; it is tight, no jiggle, and wide open no F stops--see below.
For Canon I have for the time being the Japanese Kipon adapter with blades, F stops marked as numbers 1-6. It jiggles--not that cannot be managed. BUT it cannot take the heavier lenses, 24-70, 70-200 F4. They just twist off. There is no stability; the lens would fall off onto the floor if you didn't hold it. ALSO, those bigger Canon lenses should probably be on a tripod, unless you are younger than I and have large strong hands. It may look strange but you won't care when you see the pictures.

Thank you I was looking at Kipon for Contax G and FD. Thanks for your impressions of the NEX 5 Peter. I am hoping the viewfinder will help - on my Panasonic G1 you can zoom in the EVF to focus which is a big help. In terms of DOF - the DOF is only a function of the lens but since a smaller sensor gives a narrower angle of view the same framing has a more distant subject so the DOF effectively increases. thus my Canon 85 F1.2 and my Fuji GX 680 (6x8 MF) 180 F3.2 have about the same effective (ultra shallow) DOF.

I use a Voigty 15mm, Zeiss 21/4.5 and 50/2 and the Elmarit 90/2.8 on a NEX C3. Great little combo but the lack of VF is a dealbreaker - though this is fixed in the NEX 7. I also use a 1dsMk2 with good L primes and zooms. This gallery has a mix of the two systems and you can see the relative IQ's:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Alistair001/Italy2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink
The following gallery is all NEX because I would not have got these with the Canon - it is too big to carry into the desert and too obvious in the back-streets.
https://picasaweb.google.com/Alistair001/Morocco?authuser=0&feat=directlink