SONY A7 and A7R
Discussion
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/10/16/first-impr...
good video review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnvgceTEV3c
Well this is intriguing. A full frame, mirror-less ILC camera. Well two actually! A7 holds a 24 MP FF sensor and has Hybrid AF. The A7R, a 36 MP FF sensor sans AA filter and only contrast AF (seems like the same chip from the Nikon D800E).
Not sure what to make of these really. On the one hand FF in a small body - and a body that looks lovely to hold, has plenty of well laid out controls at that - but on the other its another lens mount, with its own line of lenses and they seem scared of making proper fast lenses because next to the body, they're going to look totally oversized.
Still while this is a new mount, the FE mount, it will directly take existing E-mount glass and then run in a crop mode giving you 15 MP and the right crop factor on the A7 and of course a similar resolution drop on the A7R. The shutter sound hilariously loud, which I would hope is because these are pre-production. Its a proper "thwack!" noise.
All the current lens adapters (one of the NEX systems strengths) will work so you can mount your Canon, Nikon, Voigtlander, Leica glass and there are two new adapters from sony, the LA-EA3 and EA4 which basically work in the same vein as the LA-EA1 and EA2, the later of which provides full time phase auto-focus by use of SLT, translucent mirror technology.
And the prices seem keen as well. $1700 body only for the A7 and $2300 for the A7R which I don't think is bad.
Still I think they're looking a bit stuck as now they've shrank the cameras, due to the sensor size, they seem rather unable to shrink the lenses quite so much which is probably why none of the launch zooms have apertures any larger than f/4. Fast glass always seems to make the bulk of the weight of your kit and thats the one thing they are unable to do anything about. The smaller camera body doesn't really net you all that much weight saving.
good video review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnvgceTEV3c
Well this is intriguing. A full frame, mirror-less ILC camera. Well two actually! A7 holds a 24 MP FF sensor and has Hybrid AF. The A7R, a 36 MP FF sensor sans AA filter and only contrast AF (seems like the same chip from the Nikon D800E).
Not sure what to make of these really. On the one hand FF in a small body - and a body that looks lovely to hold, has plenty of well laid out controls at that - but on the other its another lens mount, with its own line of lenses and they seem scared of making proper fast lenses because next to the body, they're going to look totally oversized.
Still while this is a new mount, the FE mount, it will directly take existing E-mount glass and then run in a crop mode giving you 15 MP and the right crop factor on the A7 and of course a similar resolution drop on the A7R. The shutter sound hilariously loud, which I would hope is because these are pre-production. Its a proper "thwack!" noise.
All the current lens adapters (one of the NEX systems strengths) will work so you can mount your Canon, Nikon, Voigtlander, Leica glass and there are two new adapters from sony, the LA-EA3 and EA4 which basically work in the same vein as the LA-EA1 and EA2, the later of which provides full time phase auto-focus by use of SLT, translucent mirror technology.
And the prices seem keen as well. $1700 body only for the A7 and $2300 for the A7R which I don't think is bad.
Still I think they're looking a bit stuck as now they've shrank the cameras, due to the sensor size, they seem rather unable to shrink the lenses quite so much which is probably why none of the launch zooms have apertures any larger than f/4. Fast glass always seems to make the bulk of the weight of your kit and thats the one thing they are unable to do anything about. The smaller camera body doesn't really net you all that much weight saving.
Otispunkmeyer said:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/10/16/first-impr...
good video review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnvgceTEV3c
Well this is intriguing. A full frame, mirror-less ILC camera. Well two actually! A7 holds a 24 MP FF sensor and has Hybrid AF. The A7R, a 36 MP FF sensor sans AA filter and only contrast AF (seems like the same chip from the Nikon D800E).
Not sure what to make of these really. On the one hand FF in a small body - and a body that looks lovely to hold, has plenty of well laid out controls at that - but on the other its another lens mount, with its own line of lenses and they seem scared of making proper fast lenses because next to the body, they're going to look totally oversized.
Still while this is a new mount, the FE mount, it will directly take existing E-mount glass and then run in a crop mode giving you 15 MP and the right crop factor on the A7 and of course a similar resolution drop on the A7R. The shutter sound hilariously loud, which I would hope is because these are pre-production. Its a proper "thwack!" noise.
All the current lens adapters (one of the NEX systems strengths) will work so you can mount your Canon, Nikon, Voigtlander, Leica glass and there are two new adapters from sony, the LA-EA3 and EA4 which basically work in the same vein as the LA-EA1 and EA2, the later of which provides full time phase auto-focus by use of SLT, translucent mirror technology.
And the prices seem keen as well. $1700 body only for the A7 and $2300 for the A7R which I don't think is bad.
Still I think they're looking a bit stuck as now they've shrank the cameras, due to the sensor size, they seem rather unable to shrink the lenses quite so much which is probably why none of the launch zooms have apertures any larger than f/4. Fast glass always seems to make the bulk of the weight of your kit and thats the one thing they are unable to do anything about. The smaller camera body doesn't really net you all that much weight saving.
I've pre-ordered an A7r with 35m f2.8 - i've been waiting for a smaller/lighter camera with IQ on a par with my 5D, and given how impressed i've been with my RX100 Mk2 I expect Sony to have nailed these pretty well. Only slight downside as you mention is the lack of fast glass at launch but the Zeiss 24-70 f4 will be available in the new year as a high quality walkabout lense.good video review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnvgceTEV3c
Well this is intriguing. A full frame, mirror-less ILC camera. Well two actually! A7 holds a 24 MP FF sensor and has Hybrid AF. The A7R, a 36 MP FF sensor sans AA filter and only contrast AF (seems like the same chip from the Nikon D800E).
Not sure what to make of these really. On the one hand FF in a small body - and a body that looks lovely to hold, has plenty of well laid out controls at that - but on the other its another lens mount, with its own line of lenses and they seem scared of making proper fast lenses because next to the body, they're going to look totally oversized.
Still while this is a new mount, the FE mount, it will directly take existing E-mount glass and then run in a crop mode giving you 15 MP and the right crop factor on the A7 and of course a similar resolution drop on the A7R. The shutter sound hilariously loud, which I would hope is because these are pre-production. Its a proper "thwack!" noise.
All the current lens adapters (one of the NEX systems strengths) will work so you can mount your Canon, Nikon, Voigtlander, Leica glass and there are two new adapters from sony, the LA-EA3 and EA4 which basically work in the same vein as the LA-EA1 and EA2, the later of which provides full time phase auto-focus by use of SLT, translucent mirror technology.
And the prices seem keen as well. $1700 body only for the A7 and $2300 for the A7R which I don't think is bad.
Still I think they're looking a bit stuck as now they've shrank the cameras, due to the sensor size, they seem rather unable to shrink the lenses quite so much which is probably why none of the launch zooms have apertures any larger than f/4. Fast glass always seems to make the bulk of the weight of your kit and thats the one thing they are unable to do anything about. The smaller camera body doesn't really net you all that much weight saving.
- been testing it out with a metabobes adapter and my trusty Canon 50mm f1.4 - pictures are absolutely stunning. Absolutely a match for those from my 5D3.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUJc83wV6iA
Decent review from the camera store ^
and another here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUJc83wV6iA
Yeah I know its digital rev, who are now solidly the TG of the YouTube photography review world, but he does at least manage to make a few good points. Reading the spec's I would have plumped for the A7, but having seen that review, the AF doesn't seem bad at all on the A7R. The shutter noise is pure comedy though! The A7R has no electronic first curtain so it needs 2 shutter actuations. The A7 can use electronic FC and so only needs one, plus the mechanism sounds nicer.
Still.. I think the images from the R are cream pie in your pants worthy!
I am still undecided on whether to ditch my NEX-6. It does take great photos, but to actually use I haven't really gelled with it. The menu system is down right awful and because there aren't quite enough customisable buttons (and even the quick function menu has one less slot than I'd like) you find yourself delving into it often enough for it to grate. If they release a FW update that gives it the same menu system as the A7's I'd be much happier. Added to that, the UI feels slow and clunky, compared to Panasonics GX-7 its positively sloth like. The GX-7 is incredibly responsive. Also, the NEX AF has a horrible tendency to focus on background, despite having obvious subjects in the front of frame. Really annoys me as well! You need to reach for the manual focus or take a couple of shots to ensure you get it right.
I was already to switch to the GX-7 and m4/3 based on how much I liked the GX-7. All the adapters exist to fit good cheap interesting lenses, the contrast AF performance is scarcely believable and there is a huge lens line up!
BUT!!! I am now holding back till the new year because I hear rumour of an NEX-7 replacement!!!! - If they nail that, I may spring for that instead as I am already invested in the eco-system. As long as they keep it at 24 MP. I don't think APS-C needs more. And remove the AA filter, add 1/8000th shutter and 1/320 flash sync, bigger EVF and keep the tri-navi (and maybe simple 2-axis in body IS?).
Decent review from the camera store ^
and another here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUJc83wV6iA
Yeah I know its digital rev, who are now solidly the TG of the YouTube photography review world, but he does at least manage to make a few good points. Reading the spec's I would have plumped for the A7, but having seen that review, the AF doesn't seem bad at all on the A7R. The shutter noise is pure comedy though! The A7R has no electronic first curtain so it needs 2 shutter actuations. The A7 can use electronic FC and so only needs one, plus the mechanism sounds nicer.
Still.. I think the images from the R are cream pie in your pants worthy!
I am still undecided on whether to ditch my NEX-6. It does take great photos, but to actually use I haven't really gelled with it. The menu system is down right awful and because there aren't quite enough customisable buttons (and even the quick function menu has one less slot than I'd like) you find yourself delving into it often enough for it to grate. If they release a FW update that gives it the same menu system as the A7's I'd be much happier. Added to that, the UI feels slow and clunky, compared to Panasonics GX-7 its positively sloth like. The GX-7 is incredibly responsive. Also, the NEX AF has a horrible tendency to focus on background, despite having obvious subjects in the front of frame. Really annoys me as well! You need to reach for the manual focus or take a couple of shots to ensure you get it right.
I was already to switch to the GX-7 and m4/3 based on how much I liked the GX-7. All the adapters exist to fit good cheap interesting lenses, the contrast AF performance is scarcely believable and there is a huge lens line up!
BUT!!! I am now holding back till the new year because I hear rumour of an NEX-7 replacement!!!! - If they nail that, I may spring for that instead as I am already invested in the eco-system. As long as they keep it at 24 MP. I don't think APS-C needs more. And remove the AA filter, add 1/8000th shutter and 1/320 flash sync, bigger EVF and keep the tri-navi (and maybe simple 2-axis in body IS?).
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Thursday 28th November 22:15
...Mole... said:
I love the look of the A7R and I am strongly considering selling my 5d Mk2 and 24-105mm to go towards one next year.
I've got the 24-105 mounted on the A7 this morning - great combo!Only thing i'm going to miss compared to the 5D3 on hols is the continuous shooting speed.
StuH said:
I've got the 24-105 mounted on the A7 this morning - great combo!
Only thing i'm going to miss compared to the 5D3 on hols is the continuous shooting speed.
What adapter are you using? only ones i've seen are about £400 which is a bit excessive since the one lens covers all my needs.Only thing i'm going to miss compared to the 5D3 on hols is the continuous shooting speed.
I only need aperture control if i was going to use an adapter as I never use Auto Focus.
...Mole... said:
What adapter are you using? only ones i've seen are about £400 which is a bit excessive since the one lens covers all my needs.
I only need aperture control if i was going to use an adapter as I never use Auto Focus.
I'm using a metabones mk3 - £300 - which gives AF. But if you don't need AF then there are much cheaper options - I only need aperture control if i was going to use an adapter as I never use Auto Focus.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kipon-Canon-EOS-EF-mount...
StuH said:
I'm using a metabones mk3 - £300 - which gives AF. But if you don't need AF then there are much cheaper options -
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kipon-Canon-EOS-EF-mount...
Interesting, might keep my 24-105 in that case then.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kipon-Canon-EOS-EF-mount...
...Mole... said:
Interesting, might keep my 24-105 in that case then.
Great review http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Sony_Alpha_A7/ - A7 better IQ than 5D3, A7r better IQ than D800e After perusing the links I have to say it looks quite interesting. It looks like a 1980's SLR but with digital thingybobs, and certainly makes the current DSLRs look bloated.
Otispunkmeyer said:
The shutter sound hilariously loud, which I would hope is because these are pre-production. Its a proper "thwack!" noise.
I like the fact they have removed the mirror but substituted a very loud shutter to compensate!A student on my astro photography workshop least night had a shiney new a7r. I like the diminutive size,screen was a bit small and the ancillary economics we're poor but it still seemed like a fantastic little powerhouse.
My plan I think is to replace the 5d2 with a 6d soon and then pick up an a7r with the metabones early next year unless canon come up with something new.
My plan I think is to replace the 5d2 with a 6d soon and then pick up an a7r with the metabones early next year unless canon come up with something new.
RobDickinson said:
A student on my astro photography workshop least night had a shiney new a7r. I like the diminutive size,screen was a bit small and the ancillary economics we're poor but it still seemed like a fantastic little powerhouse.
My plan I think is to replace the 5d2 with a 6d soon and then pick up an a7r with the metabones early next year unless canon come up with something new.
Students must have a lot more cash these days! I could only just afford beer My plan I think is to replace the 5d2 with a 6d soon and then pick up an a7r with the metabones early next year unless canon come up with something new.
I love the ergonomics, particularly the direct exp comp, but then I have small hands.............................
RobDickinson said:
His normal camera is a Leica M9:-)
The review and zoom buttons are tricky to use and purely placed especially with glove on but it's not a deal breaker
Astro Photography for oligarghs 101? The review and zoom buttons are tricky to use and purely placed especially with glove on but it's not a deal breaker
Gloves! I'm off to Oz over xmas so hopefully I won't need those.................
This doesn't seem to be the most popular camera by a long shot, but just a few weeks in I think it's a bit special. I come from a D600 but missed some features I played around with on the OMD EM5 that a regular DSLR is really going to struggle to do well (tilting screen that is useable to shoot with, EVF with data overlays etc).
The image quality is easily up there with a D600, comfortably so, probably helped by the stunning Zeiss glass available which has an undefinable 3D 'pop' to images that you can't put your finger on but just looks fantastic. The biggest hit is probably AF, but it's perfectly useable and hasn't caused me any problems yet. I've no problems using an EVF, the data/overlays etc is great and you see exactly what your photo will look like (and you can review your shots through it), the tilting LCD makes mixing up angles very easy to do, couldn't fault any of it.
I've taken a slightly unusual route, I wanted something fairly light/compact, so have the a7 and 55mm 1.8 FE (which is unbelievably sharp) for day to day stuff, but have also added the Sony LA-EA4 adaptor which adds a mirror and 'proper' AF, currently I have a Sony/Zeiss 135mm 1.8 attached to that (which is a joy to use) but will also add a longer telephoto later...
Sony a7, LA-EA4 & Zeiss 135mm 1.8 by Harry_S, on Flickr
The Zeiss 135 is a big, heavy piece of glass, but it handles well on the little a7, helped by the adaptor which adds a nice base to grip. I took the kit along to Wilton on Sunday and it handled everything I asked of it beautifully, I was particularly pleased with the continuous AF through the dark tree canopy with cars heading straight at me.
Sony a7 Flickr Set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/harry_s/sets/7215764...
A few samples...
Wilton Classic & Supercar 2014 by Harry_S, on Flickr
Wilton Classic & Supercar 2014 by Harry_S, on Flickr
The image quality is easily up there with a D600, comfortably so, probably helped by the stunning Zeiss glass available which has an undefinable 3D 'pop' to images that you can't put your finger on but just looks fantastic. The biggest hit is probably AF, but it's perfectly useable and hasn't caused me any problems yet. I've no problems using an EVF, the data/overlays etc is great and you see exactly what your photo will look like (and you can review your shots through it), the tilting LCD makes mixing up angles very easy to do, couldn't fault any of it.
I've taken a slightly unusual route, I wanted something fairly light/compact, so have the a7 and 55mm 1.8 FE (which is unbelievably sharp) for day to day stuff, but have also added the Sony LA-EA4 adaptor which adds a mirror and 'proper' AF, currently I have a Sony/Zeiss 135mm 1.8 attached to that (which is a joy to use) but will also add a longer telephoto later...
Sony a7, LA-EA4 & Zeiss 135mm 1.8 by Harry_S, on Flickr
The Zeiss 135 is a big, heavy piece of glass, but it handles well on the little a7, helped by the adaptor which adds a nice base to grip. I took the kit along to Wilton on Sunday and it handled everything I asked of it beautifully, I was particularly pleased with the continuous AF through the dark tree canopy with cars heading straight at me.
Sony a7 Flickr Set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/harry_s/sets/7215764...
A few samples...
Wilton Classic & Supercar 2014 by Harry_S, on Flickr
Wilton Classic & Supercar 2014 by Harry_S, on Flickr
Edited by ukaskew on Monday 11th August 22:38
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