NEX-7 A900 Compare

By Rick Kattelmann
All the fanfare surrounding the introduction of the Sony NEX-7 caught the attention of many photographers interested in a small camera capable of high-quality results, myself included. I duly entered the pre-order lottery back in August and got lucky with a package arriving just before Christmas. I had read plenty of reviews and commentary before the camera arrived, including those published here.
Sony NEX-7 First Impressions
Sony NEX-7 Rolling Review
So, I felt reasonably familiar with the camera before unpacking the box and could get right to the big question: how would image quality compare to the Sony A900, my primary tool of recent years?
My immediate goal was to learn whether the NEX-7 could supplement, substitute for, or even replace the A900. There have been several reviews of the Sony A900 published here in the past.
Sony A900 Field Review
Sony A900 Update
Sony A900 Field Report, by Nick Rains
Sony A900 and Canon 5DMKII
Sony A900 One Year Later, by Bill Cau...