carstenw
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 p.101 #2 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless | |
briantho wrote:
Flawed according to you. I could argue that all previous fat FF cameraslike the D800E were flawed because of unnecessary weight and size. 
Yes, this is clearly all IMO, although for each point, I guess there are some who agree with me. The few likes I am getting here would indicate that, although the many likes you/Rich/Derek/others are getting also show that more people agree with you...
douglasf13 wrote:
Agreed. E-mount was apparently only designed for aps-c in the first place. Had Sony made a new, wider mount for the A7, it would have allowed faster and shorter lenses. I guess Sony didn't want to create even more mount confusion by introducing a third mount, and they wanted to leave the option of using aps-c lenses on the A7, unfortunately.
I would think that most people's needs would have been perfectly served if the FE mount had been maybe 1cm deeper, and Sony had provided an adapter to use the FE lenses on NEX cameras. Ah well, missed opportunity, and it makes Derek and others with existing E-mount adapters happy.
kroyston wrote:
Intelligent Auto, uses the best identified settings to get the best picture from a single image capture. Superior Auto starts with the same functionality but may take multiple images with a single shutter press. The objective is to reduce noise and blurring combining them into a single picture. Image extraction provides the option to record each donor image to the SD card.
Thanks! Where did you find this out?
Not sure I follow with the mount restriction though. If I can adapt and use a CV 50mm f1.1, what would prevent Sony, Zeiss or CV from producing a native equivalent?
What is the diameter of the rear element on that lens (no contacts, remember)? And there is auto-focus. It won't all fit, unless the lens is large. Maybe this is the real reason Zeiss is going manual focus?
sebboh wrote:
+1 every complaint carsten has mentioned is something I view as a positive.
You enjoy short battery life? It is a positive if Sony/Zeiss cannot design fast, compact AF lenses for this mount? Making the grip slightly wider and slightly deeper, which would have improved the feel of the camera while holding it, might have made it able to accomodate one of Sony's larger batteries. I think that would have been a great move.
douglasf13 wrote:
When NEX was new, there were several indications that NEX was originally intended as only a consumer level, lower end product, and there was even a Sony video presentation where the presenter stated that a FF sensor in e-mount wasn't going to happen.
When you look at the size of other mirrorless mounts, like m4/3, you'll notice that the mount seems large compared to the sensor size, and that allows a lot of room for lens design. The proportions of e-mount to an aps-c sensor falls in line with the other mirrorless mounts out there. As theSuede has mentioned several times, a mount with a larger diameter, but the same registration distance, would have allowed shorter lens designs, particularly with wide and fast lenses, and it still would have been just as adaptable with 3rd party manual lenses.
As it stands now, native wide lenses faster than f2.8 are apparently going to need to be about the size of current fast SLR wides + adapters....Show more →
I guess the future will show, but this is my fear. The E-mount dimensions are really not very suitable to compact, fast, FF lens design. Zeiss can be relied on to get the most out of the possibilities, so when their lenses start coming out, we will really find out what is possible, but I am somewhat pessimistic.
Makten wrote:
I've had the a7 for 6 days now, and I'm very, very happy with it. It's mostly exactly what I've wanted for years. Of course I had hopes for RF lenses, but I really don't care anymore. Whatever I put on it, the system will be much smaller and lighter than a current FF SLR. And then there is the great EVF that lets me shoot at night with every single image in focus. And the tilting screen that helps me get sharp images at 1/15 with 50 mm focal length. And the gorgeous files with great sharpness, colors and low noise. And it's even cheap too!
What more to ask for, if you're into manual focus lenses? Not much. ...Show more →
This is all very true, and the Sony's real strengths. A great EVF, a great FF sensor, and enough space to fit all kinds of adapters.
ceder wrote:
I tend to agree with Carsten on the negative points. However, as he said, despite the limitations, I may buy the camera.
Maybe I can help provide some answers...
Forgive me father, for I have sinned:
http://throughthelensdarkly.com/forums/A7-1.jpg
http://throughthelensdarkly.com/forums/A7-2.jpg
I went to the Sony store, and fiddled with the menus for a long time. First I didn't like them (thankfully they were set to Alpha mode, otherwise I might have puked on the camera), then I got along okay, then I found them fine. I had a discussion with another guy who is in a similar situation, and we took turns finding out things about the camera. I tried the A7R with the 35/2.8, sweet little lens, although I will go into my grave still wishing that it had been an f/2. Then I tried the A7 with the 28-70, forgettable lens. I thought of getting it, but decided I could always pick it up cheap, used, later. I might get the 24-70/4, or I might just relegate that to the E-M1 which I am planning to pick up for family duty (unless the A7 surprises me and can handle it all, in which case: 24-70/4).
I spent a lot of time finding and setting all the AF/MF/Focus Assist options, and eventually arrived at some parameters and settings which I could get along with. In the final setup, I was manual focusing, and pressing the AF/MF/AEL centre button to see the focus square, moving that around, then pressing the button again to zoom in for final focus, then shooting. This seems a really nice workflow, and much better than holding the D800 out in front of me with live view enabled. The EVF is comparable to the Olympus EVFs, rather than slower EVFs like even the newer Fujis. Very smooth, very high res, no gaps between pixels that I could see.
I hemmed, I hawed, I checked the balance on my credit card, and then I decided to go for it. A7, 35/2.8, stand-alone charger with extra battery, and the Novoflex F-mount adapter with the aperture activator, all of which was in-store, so I sadly could not take advantage of the coupon code a generous FM member had sent to me for online purchase. Impulsive move, but I have everything at once and don't have to wait.
Unfortunately the charger/battery doesn't seem to have made it into my bag, which no one noticed. It must be standing on the counter. I will call them tomorrow and hope that they noticed too.
If I can't stand the camera, I will just resell it, and be a lot more knowledgeable to boot. If I like it, I *might* sell my D800, and maybe get a D700 or D600 instead, just so I have one FF DSLR with a beautiful optical viewfinder. If I don't miss the optical viewfinder (it would surprise me, but maybe), then I might never look back.
Time to find out.
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carstenw
