Interesting article about Sony A7 series
Discussion
rottie102 said:
lolif you don't like, don't buy...
noell35 said:
Interesting response to that article:
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/debunking-sators-ar...
Thanks for that! http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/debunking-sators-ar...
I'm actually still considering buying an A7 pf some sort as a travel camera... I'd get rid of RX1R and use it with some small pancake lens.
rottie102 said:
Lynchie999 said:
lol
if you don't like, don't buy...
Any other valuable input?if you don't like, don't buy...
like I said... if you don't think the A7 series is for you go for a Fuji or something else...
(or were you offended by the
emoji ? ) RobDickinson said:
You can make a small light setup with the sonys.
Exactly. I often shot the A7RII with the 28f2 lens which is a superb combo and weighs less than 0.85kg all in. At music venues I would use it with a Leica 24mm 1.4 and that still weighs <1.1kg! Try that with a Canon. The IBIS works with third-party lenses.The article seems to smack of buyer's remorse.
Instead of selling up and moving on to something more suitable for his needs, he has picked apart some glaringly obvious flaws with the system that should have become obvious as part of a considered purchase decision.
Those glaringly obvious flaws do not make a cracking camera pointless, exactly as you happy owners have stated in this thread.
Every camera [system] involves significant compromise. The joy is that the manufacturers give us every conceivable option, rather than only one or two compromised systems existing.
Instead of selling up and moving on to something more suitable for his needs, he has picked apart some glaringly obvious flaws with the system that should have become obvious as part of a considered purchase decision.
Those glaringly obvious flaws do not make a cracking camera pointless, exactly as you happy owners have stated in this thread.
Every camera [system] involves significant compromise. The joy is that the manufacturers give us every conceivable option, rather than only one or two compromised systems existing.
I read that before I tried out the Sony A7r and A7rii. The guy obviously has an axe to grind, and with respect to his point of view, he totally misses the point.
Here's a more balanced view as to the strengths and weaknesses he outlines:
Compactness: The A7 series is much more compact than any other FF mirrored DSLR. Of course, if you stick a massive lens on it, for example the new Sony G-Master series which have been designed for future sensors of 100MP then it becomes less compact. But, with a small prime on it is is much more compact.
Weight: The A7r is something like 400g, the A7rii 600g. That makes a difference if you're walking round with a prime lens on it. The size/weight thing is important, as I don't have days where I take a photo with my iPhone thinking "I wish I had my proper camera with me...!".
In-Body Image Stabilisation: Who would not want this!!?? it works very well. The authors only argument seems to be some other cameras can do this.
Adapting Non-Native Lenses: Yes, the native lenses are awesome, but, with a £50 adaptor my Canon mount lenses are actually more useful to me than ever before because not only are they now stabilised to a certain extent, I also have...
Live Exposure Preview: Again, who would not want to see what their shot is actually going to look like before they press the shutter? The fact is, with a £50 adaptor my Canon lens becomes more useful to me. I can look at a screen and a green box will highlight my subjects face as they move around, confirming for me that their face is in focus. On my Sony lens, it will even use AI to pinpoint the subjects eyes and follow them, highlighting them to show that they are in focus. Again, who would not want this!!??
The author has missed the point. I didn't buy mine as a 'mirrorless toy to show off'. I can take great photos, it makes it easy for me to do so. I don't care whether it has a mirror in it or not, Sony have created a package which works well for me.
The author may not like the same camera, but to suggest that a mirrorless camera is a 'fatal mistake' is dramatic to the extreme, and entirely misses the point.
Here's a more balanced view as to the strengths and weaknesses he outlines:
Compactness: The A7 series is much more compact than any other FF mirrored DSLR. Of course, if you stick a massive lens on it, for example the new Sony G-Master series which have been designed for future sensors of 100MP then it becomes less compact. But, with a small prime on it is is much more compact.
Weight: The A7r is something like 400g, the A7rii 600g. That makes a difference if you're walking round with a prime lens on it. The size/weight thing is important, as I don't have days where I take a photo with my iPhone thinking "I wish I had my proper camera with me...!".
In-Body Image Stabilisation: Who would not want this!!?? it works very well. The authors only argument seems to be some other cameras can do this.
Adapting Non-Native Lenses: Yes, the native lenses are awesome, but, with a £50 adaptor my Canon mount lenses are actually more useful to me than ever before because not only are they now stabilised to a certain extent, I also have...
Live Exposure Preview: Again, who would not want to see what their shot is actually going to look like before they press the shutter? The fact is, with a £50 adaptor my Canon lens becomes more useful to me. I can look at a screen and a green box will highlight my subjects face as they move around, confirming for me that their face is in focus. On my Sony lens, it will even use AI to pinpoint the subjects eyes and follow them, highlighting them to show that they are in focus. Again, who would not want this!!??
The author has missed the point. I didn't buy mine as a 'mirrorless toy to show off'. I can take great photos, it makes it easy for me to do so. I don't care whether it has a mirror in it or not, Sony have created a package which works well for me.
The author may not like the same camera, but to suggest that a mirrorless camera is a 'fatal mistake' is dramatic to the extreme, and entirely misses the point.
JustinP1 said:
The author may not like the same camera, but to suggest that a mirrorless camera is a 'fatal mistake' is dramatic to the extreme, and entirely misses the point.
Thanks for taking the time to post the balanced view. I've never so much as handled an A7, but it looks like an excellent system to me (long time user of Canon DSLRs who has also dabbled in - and sold on - crop sensor mirrorless).
Equilibrium25 said:
JustinP1 said:
The author may not like the same camera, but to suggest that a mirrorless camera is a 'fatal mistake' is dramatic to the extreme, and entirely misses the point.
Thanks for taking the time to post the balanced view. I've never so much as handled an A7, but it looks like an excellent system to me (long time user of Canon DSLRs who has also dabbled in - and sold on - crop sensor mirrorless).
For me, the A7r IQ was fabulous, but the autofocus was a bit old school, comparable to the 6D in good light, but, a bit worse in low light which for me killed it off.
The A7rii was the best of both worlds. The autofocus coupled with the electronic viewfinder is amazing. I also enjoy the freedom of literally 'shooting from the hip' if I want to by angling the screen up, and looking at the screen. For me, it was the moment I first used an iPhone, and realised that Pandora's Box was open and I couldn't ever go back to an 'old school' phone with real buttons for numbers, and pressing a few times each to make a letter to send a text.
The Canon primes I really liked I still use, and I get more 'keepers' from using them on the Sony than I ever did on the Canon, which for me is the acid test.
That said, I think the A7 or indeed the A7 mk 2 is a bargain for what is is, and 80% of the A7rii for a fraction of the cost, and as far as I am aware have all of the benefits I've mentioned above.
JustinP1 said:
For full disclosure, I was also a Canon bod for ten years, and I tried the A7r as an alternative to my 6D and plethora of Canon lenses. As it happens, my walk around setup has gone from the exact two examples Rob has described, from a 6D and 40mm pancake to an A7rii and 35mm.
For me, the A7r IQ was fabulous, but the autofocus was a bit old school, comparable to the 6D in good light, but, a bit worse in low light which for me killed it off.
The A7rii was the best of both worlds. The autofocus coupled with the electronic viewfinder is amazing. I also enjoy the freedom of literally 'shooting from the hip' if I want to by angling the screen up, and looking at the screen. For me, it was the moment I first used an iPhone, and realised that Pandora's Box was open and I couldn't ever go back to an 'old school' phone with real buttons for numbers, and pressing a few times each to make a letter to send a text.
The Canon primes I really liked I still use, and I get more 'keepers' from using them on the Sony than I ever did on the Canon, which for me is the acid test.
That said, I think the A7 or indeed the A7 mk 2 is a bargain for what is is, and 80% of the A7rii for a fraction of the cost, and as far as I am aware have all of the benefits I've mentioned above.
Thanks for the insight, genuinely appreciated.For me, the A7r IQ was fabulous, but the autofocus was a bit old school, comparable to the 6D in good light, but, a bit worse in low light which for me killed it off.
The A7rii was the best of both worlds. The autofocus coupled with the electronic viewfinder is amazing. I also enjoy the freedom of literally 'shooting from the hip' if I want to by angling the screen up, and looking at the screen. For me, it was the moment I first used an iPhone, and realised that Pandora's Box was open and I couldn't ever go back to an 'old school' phone with real buttons for numbers, and pressing a few times each to make a letter to send a text.
The Canon primes I really liked I still use, and I get more 'keepers' from using them on the Sony than I ever did on the Canon, which for me is the acid test.
That said, I think the A7 or indeed the A7 mk 2 is a bargain for what is is, and 80% of the A7rii for a fraction of the cost, and as far as I am aware have all of the benefits I've mentioned above.
I love the way DSLRs handle, and that's where I struggled with the Sony crop mirrorless (I had a NEX500n). The results from that camera, even with the kit lens, were very pleasing but I just didn't enjoy the process nearly as much. My main issues were that it was just a little too small and I missed a viewfinder. I strongly suspect that the A7 series would solve all of my issues...and then some.
My first DSLR was an EOS20D, which I replaced with a 40D. Still have the latter as a second body, although it doesn't really see any use. It was the 40D that I replaced with the NEX, thinking it would be so much better for travel (from a size perspective it obviously was!). I then bought a 70D in 2014 and the NEX sat idle for 18 months until I sold it this time last year.
That the A7s can make full use of my Canon lenses is a very interesting point in their favour. Thanks again for the information, I suspect that I will look very closely at the A7 equivalent in a couple of years' time when I decide to upgrade from the 70D. The NEX did enough to convince me on some of the basic qualities that Sony bring to the game, even if it ultimately wasn't the right thing for me.
Equilibrium25 said:
That the A7s can make full use of my Canon lenses is a very interesting point in their favour...
AIUI there can be autofocus issues using Canon lenses on a Sony. I looked into the subject before getting my 5DSR as I fancied an A7rii. Especially concerning was this test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwy6O774NR4
Maybe there are better adapters now?
There's about half a dozen adaptors ranging from £30 to £180 or so. The Metabones one from that video is the most expensive.
Each adaptor has a varying success rate with a proportion of lenses that work perfectly, some which work OK and are just a little slower than perfect, and a minority which just do not autofocus at all.
The Commlite adaptor I got from Amazon was £50 and works perfectly with my Canon 50mm and even works perfectly with third party lenses such as my Tamron 24-70 and Sigma 85mm. There are lists out there which covers the different adaptors so you can check prior to purchase the compatibility.
To be totally honest, I bought the A7rii on the strength of using the A7r, and the knowledge that I'd use it on the strength of the native lenses, but, if my Canon mount lenses worked well, then this would be an added bonus. I was more than pleasantly surprised, and in fact shocked how well they worked. As the autofocus system was such an improvement over my 6D it perversely made my Canon mount lenses much easier to get the shots I wanted in an easy way on a Sony than they were on a Canon.
Each adaptor has a varying success rate with a proportion of lenses that work perfectly, some which work OK and are just a little slower than perfect, and a minority which just do not autofocus at all.
The Commlite adaptor I got from Amazon was £50 and works perfectly with my Canon 50mm and even works perfectly with third party lenses such as my Tamron 24-70 and Sigma 85mm. There are lists out there which covers the different adaptors so you can check prior to purchase the compatibility.
To be totally honest, I bought the A7rii on the strength of using the A7r, and the knowledge that I'd use it on the strength of the native lenses, but, if my Canon mount lenses worked well, then this would be an added bonus. I was more than pleasantly surprised, and in fact shocked how well they worked. As the autofocus system was such an improvement over my 6D it perversely made my Canon mount lenses much easier to get the shots I wanted in an easy way on a Sony than they were on a Canon.
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