p.163 #1 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
I have the A7 with the 28-70 and 55 Sony lenses along with an old Nikon E series 135 f2.8. The kit lens is very good, much better than most make it sound like. The 55 is truly excellent. My minimum needs are a standard zoom for general outdoor use, a fast normal prime indoors, and a portrait lens. My other wants are a longer zoom and macro for a minimum system. If the Sony 70-200 f4 is comparable to the Nikon 70-200 f4 then I would definitely get it. I'm waiting for reviews of the 24-70 f4. If it's really good then I would also get it and replace the kit lens with it but if it's not REALLY good I will keep the kit for general purpose.
My main use is not for alt lenses. But I knew what I would need minimum before getting it. Another benefit is that since the native lens supply range is small you get an effective way of controlling gear acquisition syndrome!
p.163 #2 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
fotographiq wrote:
My question was more along the lines of "If I don't have any alt lenses, which I think is what drives many people to purchase the A7 to begin with (to play nice with all of their alt lenses), is it still a great camera for me with the Sony lenses?"
Probably not. You are better buying into a 'System" that exists, rather than one that is promised and from someone not really known for great support (witness the disaster over their flashes)
Having said that, I already had 3 full systems (Canon 5DII, Canon 1DIV, Leica M9 all with lots of lenses) so it was more an "out of interest purchase" hence A7R - it's been good, but I wouldn't want to rely on it as the only camera ...
p.163 #7 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
People are attracted to the a7/a7r for all sorts of reasons. Already savvy users are mixing and matching - for instance, many will find the 55mm most appealing but need a 28mm or a fast 35mm or 90mm - so high quality, often low cost alts fill the gap very satisfyingly while Sony Zeiss gear up production for those who prefer AF and OEM. Telephoto users are discovering what setups quell the shutter action best. FD and OM and loads more lenses are pressed into service.
The 55mm is a bargain, best in its class and is being recognised as such, and there will be four lenses as of next week. I think the sales will be a slow burn deal, as more users realise they don't need many lenses for what they do, and get to see how excellent the FE lenses are, how liberating small cameras can be.
What proportion of users only ever need a good zoom and excellent body - 50%? How many M lenses does the average Leica M user own? The 'system' meme falls apart quickly when examined in any detail. How about single lens cameras - not much system there, but visit the RX1 images thread to see what they produce. AF is fast enough for most, FPS ditto.
The 24-70/4 is likely to be better than the DSLR equivalents, so why lug a 2kg rig when something half the weight/size does a better job? As stated, the 28-70 is already a fine choice and a bargain for something with 3 asph elements and an ED element. Both are very light for what they do.
File size and PCs...the A900 produced 36+ Mp files five years ago. Upgrade.
p.163 #9 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
The Canon 100 is an excellent 1:1 macro. The results from the Contax 30-70 macro is also excellent but requires you to be on top of the object being photographed.
I recently got a Rokker 50mm macro, with it's own extension tube, haven't used it as yet.
p.163 #11 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
Has anyone been so bold as to really try out the weather sealing on the A7r with one of the native Zeiss optics?
I am having a really hard time deciding whether to keep the a7r and what other current gear to keep or sell. I don't think I could use the Sony as a primary system due to the autofocus performance. I do like to shoot moving subjects like kids and sports. I also place a premium on the small size to quality ratio of the camera as it encourages me to have it on me more often than not (something I can not say for my 5DII) Currently I use the 5DII as mainly my sports and Landscape camera and my OM-D for more snapshots and family photos.
Currently I have the a7r with 35mm, 55mm, and 24-70mm on order.
p.163 #12 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
You can sell the EM-5 and lenses.
You can replace the A7r with A7 and do with it what you do with EM5 plus everything else.
This is what i will do if i had this gear.
If you want, you can replace the EM5 with a Sony RX100 for family pictures and candids.
pixelreaper wrote:
Has anyone been so bold as to really try out the weather sealing on the A7r with one of the native Zeiss optics?
I am having a really hard time deciding whether to keep the a7r and what other current gear to keep or sell. I don't think I could use the Sony as a primary system due to the autofocus performance. I do like to shoot moving subjects like kids and sports. I also place a premium on the small size to quality ratio of the camera as it encourages me to have it on me more often than not (something I can not say for my 5DII) Currently I use the 5DII as mainly my sports and Landscape camera and my OM-D for more snapshots and family photos.
Currently I have the a7r with 35mm, 55mm, and 24-70mm on order.
p.163 #13 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
Here's a couple thoughts on the previous two posts.
One thought is that if you have the Canon system for sports and landscape and the Oly system for everything else, you're covered and don't need anything else.
Second comment about the RX 100 is that I've been using one for over a year. The lens is really good at the widest focal length (28 equiv.), but speed and quality drops off rapidly at longer focal lengths. So I'm thinking about replacing my RX 100 with a Panny GM 1 (which I would use with a 20/1.7 pancake and the kit zoom) or the Oly EM 10 which is rumored to be announced shortly and which is expected to be a GM1 competitor size wise with in-body OIS.
p.163 #14 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
The problem is that from what I am reading, the A7, even with on-chip PDAF comes no where near the AF-tracking perfomance of my 5DII, especially with the 70-200 2.8 II and the center AF point. Also the EM5 focuses much faster and much beter in low light / low contrast situations. I am finding the A7r really has issue in these conditions, often selecting higher contrast point behind the subject, even when the background is nowhere near the selected AF point...
nandadevieast wrote:
You can sell the EM-5 and lenses.
You can replace the A7r with A7 and do with it what you do with EM5 plus everything else.
This is what i will do if i had this gear.
If you want, you can replace the EM5 with a Sony RX100 for family pictures and candids.
p.163 #15 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
Jeff,
You make a great first point. The only reason I am so in love with the A7r is the range of the Raw files compared to the 5DII. The extra resolution is nice to, of course, but I love how far I can push the A7r files in LR5 vs the 5DII. Also the size / weight difference is significant for travelling and hicking.
I forgot to mention that I too have the RX100, and while I do think it's great for its size, I just don't find myself using it much. I bought it for my wife but she really prefers the touchscreen of the E-M5. (I love the touch shutter for taking pics of the kids in tight/ akward quarters) I can't figure out why Sony does not put the touch screen in more of their cameras since they have the tech in-house (nex 5). People complain that touchscreens should not be on more Pro level cameras, but my take is you can always turn the touch function off.
Dimitri
Jeff Kott wrote:
Here's a couple thoughts on the previous two posts.
One thought is that if you have the Canon system for sports and landscape and the Oly system for everything else, you're covered and don't need anything else.
Second comment about the RX 100 is that I've been using one for over a year. The lens is really good at the widest focal length (28 equiv.), but speed and quality drops off rapidly at longer focal lengths. So I'm thinking about replacing my RX 100 with a Panny GM 1 (which I would use with a 20/1.7 pancake and the kit zoom) or the Oly EM 10 which is rumored to be announced shortly and which is expected to be a GM1 competitor size wise with in-body OIS....Show more →
p.163 #16 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
pixelreaper wrote:
The problem is that from what I am reading, the A7, even with on-chip PDAF comes no where near the AF-tracking perfomance of my 5DII, especially with the 70-200 2.8 II and the center AF point. Also the EM5 focuses much faster and much beter in low light / low contrast situations. I am finding the A7r really has issue in these conditions, often selecting higher contrast point behind the subject, even when the background is nowhere near the selected AF point...
What focusing pattern are you using? I've found a big variation depending on how you use it with the A7. I never use zone or wide but experimented with them and found them useless in low-light. I normally use single point small, but that has problems in low light also. But single point medium works much better in lower light. So if you haven't I would experiment with the different modes.
p.163 #17 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
bcaclis,
That's a great suggestion. I have only used the single point Small. I will try out the medium size single point in low light and see if it fairs better. I am fairly happy with the AF speed on the A7r just not the accuracy / behavior in low light conditions.
bcaslis wrote:
What focusing pattern are you using? I've found a big variation depending on how you use it with the A7. I never use zone or wide but experimented with them and found them useless in low-light. I normally use single point small, but that has problems in low light also. But single point medium works much better in lower light. So if you haven't I would experiment with the different modes.
p.163 #18 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
Dimitri, there's no question in my mind that if you photograph sports, you need a Canon or Nikon DSLR.
If you love the files and the compactness of the A7r (as I do), you've got to keep that too. I'm pretty much in love with that camera and it sounds like you are too.
So, your only question is do you need the Oly system too or would something else do for the type of shots that you can't get with the A7r when you want a more compact system. There are so many options available for this use that I think that is a matter of personal preference. I think if I were in your postition (already owning the Canon and Oly gear) I would just hang onto the Oly gear for what it's good for and become a 3 system guy.
p.163 #19 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless
It seems that is the direction I am gravitating towards, much to the chagrin of my wife and my wallet!
Jeff Kott wrote:
Dimitri, there's no question in my mind that if you photograph sports, you need a Canon or Nikon DSLR.
If you love the files and the compactness of the A7r (as I do), you've got to keep that too. I'm pretty much in love with that camera and it sounds like you are too.
So, your only question is do you need the Oly system too or would something else do for the type of shots that you can't get with the A7r when you want a more compact system. There are so many options available for this use that I think that is a matter of personal preference. I think if I were in your postition (already owning the Canon and Oly gear) I would just hang onto the Oly gear for what it's good for and become a 3 system guy.
I didn't get to try my cheapie helicoid M adapter though.
Many feel it's the sharpest nikon ever and it's also great at infinity--well so is bokina.