carstenw
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 p.95 #18 · Official: Sony A7 and A7R Fullframe Mirrorless | |
philip_pj wrote:
I have probably been reading too many snippy reviews where everyone seem to magnify their very personal gripes as though we want to forget what we have.
Well..., this is both spot-on, and also terribly unjust to anyone who has a legitimate beef with one aspect or another with one or both of these cameras.
The thing that is so interesting about these cameras is that they simultanously have very good full-frame sensors, interchangeable lenses with a short registration distance (also implying a small camera), and a high-res EVF. There isn't really anything else compelling about them, and if you are uninterested in one of these features, there are other choices, many of which are better.
Size, for me, isn't all that compelling. If I were only carrying one camera with one or two lenses, sure, but there is a bag, sometimes a tripod, and other things in my bag like an iPad, a pair of headphones, and whatever else, so in the end, the size and weight of the camera is not interesting to me, except for too large cameras (like my D3 which didn't fit most of my bags).
I also prefer Zeiss lenses at the moment, and apart from a couple of Contax lenses, and one or two of the ZA line (DSLR ones), and maybe a couple of Leicas, I am served perfectly well with my ZF.2 lenses.
Oddly enough, the most interesting thing for me is a 24MP sensor (which Nikon doesn't offer in a body like the D800) and an EVF which promises perfect focusing. All the rest can take a hike. And yet, I still find myself interested in and excited about the A7. Maybe I'll buy one, it isn't all that expensive.
On the other hand, there are a series of downsides, including the worst manuals known to mankind. The minimalist controls combined with maximalist feature set causes problems. Odd holes in the feature set are also present, and a tiny battery, for which no adequate justification could be given. Possibly the only FF mount worse for digital than F-mount, and yet the newest FF mount of any camera. Too narrow, *too small registration distance* (yes, I said it, it is much shorter than anyone needs, and was only done because some Sony git wanted to show off), has given us an initial lens lineup which no one is automatically happy with, and everyone is post-justifying to each other. Too slow, too limited in focal lengths, and a sort of trying to please all but pleasing no one distribution.
Truly, this is an enigma. I hope at least that the Sony guys had a good night out with sake when they designed it.
Maybe I'll have one in the end, but it sure is a painful process.
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I also agree it would have been even better if the camera kept metering the light all the time. I can't say this has been a problem in real world use for me though. (I assume we are talking about the RX1 here.)
