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Archive 2014Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
p.4 #1Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Fred
Here is one of the best links that explains the issue. A fellow shooter that uses the D800 get the "white speckles" at 1 to 2 min exposures
Looks like Long Exposure NR "fixes" the issue, at the expense of doubling the already long exposure time........
Check out the note from Nikon under the heading "Update #4"
Cheers
Here is one of the best links that explains the issue. A fellow shooter that uses the D800 get the "white speckles" at 1 to 2 min exposures
Looks like Long Exposure NR "fixes" the issue, at the expense of doubling the already long exposure time........
Check out the note from Nikon under the heading "Update #4"
Cheers
Jan 29, 2014 at 08:24 PM
p.4 #2Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
AGeoJO wrote:
In addition to the body, you have to have... adapters and I am sure you have more than just one, right
? Plus adding an L-bracket, etc. Hmmm, there goes the weight and bulk saving.
I am curious about the combined weight of A7R + adapter + L-bracket. Does it add up to ~ 700+ g, similar to 6D and D610?
Addendum: Just googled: weight of A7R (465g) + adapter (226g) + bracket (76g) = 767g. Comparable to 6D (~770g).
In addition to the body, you have to have... adapters and I am sure you have more than just one, right
? Plus adding an L-bracket, etc. Hmmm, there goes the weight and bulk saving.I am curious about the combined weight of A7R + adapter + L-bracket. Does it add up to ~ 700+ g, similar to 6D and D610?
Addendum: Just googled: weight of A7R (465g) + adapter (226g) + bracket (76g) = 767g. Comparable to 6D (~770g).
Jan 29, 2014 at 08:49 PM
p.4 #3Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Have to compare to 6d and bracket
Jan 29, 2014 at 09:28 PM
p.4 #4Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Great review. Just shows how badly Canon is hurting in the sensor department.
Jan 29, 2014 at 10:02 PM
p.4 #5Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
One could say that - and I agree. But my 5D3 is eminently more usable for the type of general photography I do.
Jan 29, 2014 at 10:10 PM
p.4 #6Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
I own a 5D3 too, it's a 5D2 with an AF system. Nothing special that we shouldn't have had when the 5d2 was released. Looking back it's obviously why they crippled the 5D2 AF, because they knew they had nothing else left to offer in the sensor department.
For the intended purpose of the A7r, Canon has nothing at the moment, and likely won't be able to compete.
For the intended purpose of the A7r, Canon has nothing at the moment, and likely won't be able to compete.
Jan 29, 2014 at 10:41 PM
p.4 #7Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
artsupreme wrote:
I own a 5D3 too, it's a 5D2 with an AF system. Nothing special that we shouldn't have had when the 5d2 was released. Looking back it's obviously why they crippled the 5D2 AF, because they knew they had nothing else left to offer in the sensor department.
For the intended purpose of the A7r, Canon has nothing at the moment, and likely won't be able to compete.
I own a 5D3 too, it's a 5D2 with an AF system. Nothing special that we shouldn't have had when the 5d2 was released. Looking back it's obviously why they crippled the 5D2 AF, because they knew they had nothing else left to offer in the sensor department.
For the intended purpose of the A7r, Canon has nothing at the moment, and likely won't be able to compete.
Jan 30, 2014 at 08:05 AM
p.4 #8Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Scott Stoness wrote:
But before anyone buy the a7r they should know:
1) You cannot use a wide angle (<35mm) rangefinder lens without creating lots of post processing work. There is no canon e mount native wa.The angle of the light coming in creates purple shift on edges and lots of vigneting.
2) The battery performance and camera sleeping performance means you will have to bring a bucket of batteries in cold weather and likely means that it is not a great tool for hiking. I used up 4 batteries in an hour using liveview at -20.
3) You cannot zoom and autofocus in liveview...Show more →
Rather a lot of exaggeration here.
Point 1: So what, buy non rangefinder lenses. My OM 21mm is tiny and just as manual focus.
Point 2: -20 degrees is far from a normal shooting enviroment and therefore can be discounted for 99% of people.
Point 3: It's always in LV so how can you not AF when in Live View? I don't have AF lenses with my A7r but although focus during magnification was incredible on my 5D3, I understand you can't do it on a Nikon either.
Point 4: Sorry but that's really exaggerated. As per Fred's report, it's both shutter and focal length dependant. Let's keep it in persepective.
Point 5: It's too easy to cancel magnification, honestly the fact you have to breathe on the shutter release to cancel magnification is far from being a problem. Much better than it self cancelling. The magnification uses no more battery than LV in general unless you can prove otherwise even if you are unable for some reason to tap any of the buttons which cancel it.
Point 6: Go to Manual mode. Set your shutter and aperture. Let Auto ISO do the rest and you have exposure compensation right there on the dial. Yes being able to set a minimum shutter speed in Av mode would be nice but as Manual mode is so useful, it's really not a problem that's worth the bother.
Point 7: This one is really funny and reveals rather a chip on the shoulder of the poster. My battery charger cost $7 on ebay, works perfectly. Remote shutter release was $4, works perfectly. You have to buy lenses for any camera, that's a stupid minus. The RRS L plate is $175. Really that list and the exaggerated prices lower the posters credibility to zero.
Point 8: Only, only if you're using Canon AF lenses. That's dinging the camera for not working with a very tiny sub set of what it can work with. Even then it's still far better IQ.
Point 9: Batteries are tiny and cheap. Yawn. I saw a picture of how you could fit 4 of them in a playing card case.
Point 10: And your choice of camera which does not need that for you is what exactly? Do me a favour.
Point 11: Who the heck uses the manufacturers supplied software? Canon, Nikon, etc. They all suck.
There are plenty good reasons to talk about problems with the camera, I could list you plenty. The above reasons though have little credibility.
But before anyone buy the a7r they should know:
1) You cannot use a wide angle (<35mm) rangefinder lens without creating lots of post processing work. There is no canon e mount native wa.The angle of the light coming in creates purple shift on edges and lots of vigneting.
2) The battery performance and camera sleeping performance means you will have to bring a bucket of batteries in cold weather and likely means that it is not a great tool for hiking. I used up 4 batteries in an hour using liveview at -20.
3) You cannot zoom and autofocus in liveview...Show more →
Rather a lot of exaggeration here.
Point 1: So what, buy non rangefinder lenses. My OM 21mm is tiny and just as manual focus.
Point 2: -20 degrees is far from a normal shooting enviroment and therefore can be discounted for 99% of people.
Point 3: It's always in LV so how can you not AF when in Live View? I don't have AF lenses with my A7r but although focus during magnification was incredible on my 5D3, I understand you can't do it on a Nikon either.
Point 4: Sorry but that's really exaggerated. As per Fred's report, it's both shutter and focal length dependant. Let's keep it in persepective.
Point 5: It's too easy to cancel magnification, honestly the fact you have to breathe on the shutter release to cancel magnification is far from being a problem. Much better than it self cancelling. The magnification uses no more battery than LV in general unless you can prove otherwise even if you are unable for some reason to tap any of the buttons which cancel it.
Point 6: Go to Manual mode. Set your shutter and aperture. Let Auto ISO do the rest and you have exposure compensation right there on the dial. Yes being able to set a minimum shutter speed in Av mode would be nice but as Manual mode is so useful, it's really not a problem that's worth the bother.
Point 7: This one is really funny and reveals rather a chip on the shoulder of the poster. My battery charger cost $7 on ebay, works perfectly. Remote shutter release was $4, works perfectly. You have to buy lenses for any camera, that's a stupid minus. The RRS L plate is $175. Really that list and the exaggerated prices lower the posters credibility to zero.
Point 8: Only, only if you're using Canon AF lenses. That's dinging the camera for not working with a very tiny sub set of what it can work with. Even then it's still far better IQ.
Point 9: Batteries are tiny and cheap. Yawn. I saw a picture of how you could fit 4 of them in a playing card case.
Point 10: And your choice of camera which does not need that for you is what exactly? Do me a favour.
Point 11: Who the heck uses the manufacturers supplied software? Canon, Nikon, etc. They all suck.
There are plenty good reasons to talk about problems with the camera, I could list you plenty. The above reasons though have little credibility.
Jan 30, 2014 at 11:04 AM
p.4 #9Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
artsupreme wrote:
I own a 5D3 too, it's a 5D2 with an AF system. Nothing special that we shouldn't have had when the 5d2 was released. Looking back it's obviously why they crippled the 5D2 AF, because they knew they had nothing else left to offer in the sensor department.
For the intended purpose of the A7r, Canon has nothing at the moment, and likely won't be able to compete.
We may see some full-fledged third party bodies in the near future.
I own a 5D3 too, it's a 5D2 with an AF system. Nothing special that we shouldn't have had when the 5d2 was released. Looking back it's obviously why they crippled the 5D2 AF, because they knew they had nothing else left to offer in the sensor department.
For the intended purpose of the A7r, Canon has nothing at the moment, and likely won't be able to compete.
We may see some full-fledged third party bodies in the near future.
Jan 30, 2014 at 12:54 PM
p.4 #10Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Fred, thank you so much for taking the time to post your landscape findings with us. Being one of many who would love to shoot Canon TS-E's in a landscape context on the 36 mp sensor, I was anxiously awaiting your findings on how it came together in the field. Thank you, things are starting to come together.
Do folks in here have thoughts regarding this?
From Lloyd Chamer's website: Two day after I wrote this, I attempted to shoot the 2013 Mac pPo innards with the Sony 55mm f/1.8 and the A7R in the vertical position (sturdy tripod with wireless remote release). I knew this was likely to be trouble from past field shooting (theory being that the vertical position allows the shock wave to travel laterally, not being resisted by gravity) but what the heck. After all, 55mm is a focal length alleged to not have an issue, even though my field shots show odd discontinuities from ƒ/4 to ƒ/5.6 when the shutter speed crosses the danger line (1/125).
Every one of the A7R + 55/1.8 shots I took was unacceptable, with a slight motion blur but no obvious double image.
I find this troubling. Surely the 55/1.8 is one of gems of the FE line. Anyone with practical shooting experience with the 55/1.8 care to weigh in on Lloyd's findings?
Do folks in here have thoughts regarding this?
From Lloyd Chamer's website: Two day after I wrote this, I attempted to shoot the 2013 Mac pPo innards with the Sony 55mm f/1.8 and the A7R in the vertical position (sturdy tripod with wireless remote release). I knew this was likely to be trouble from past field shooting (theory being that the vertical position allows the shock wave to travel laterally, not being resisted by gravity) but what the heck. After all, 55mm is a focal length alleged to not have an issue, even though my field shots show odd discontinuities from ƒ/4 to ƒ/5.6 when the shutter speed crosses the danger line (1/125).
Every one of the A7R + 55/1.8 shots I took was unacceptable, with a slight motion blur but no obvious double image.
I find this troubling. Surely the 55/1.8 is one of gems of the FE line. Anyone with practical shooting experience with the 55/1.8 care to weigh in on Lloyd's findings?
Jan 30, 2014 at 02:51 PM
p.4 #11Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Great read Fred.
I'm getting an a7r to review for an NZ magazine should be good fun if they have included lenses.. Doubt I will get an ef adaptor
I'm getting an a7r to review for an NZ magazine should be good fun if they have included lenses.. Doubt I will get an ef adaptor
Jan 30, 2014 at 03:49 PM
p.4 #12Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Scott Stoness wrote:
Just a counter opinion on this, I realize everyone's situation is different. But this particular one I had to throw in my 2 cents.
-TimI shoud have said snowshoe 
Not quarrelling but just providing more detail. Everyone will be different.
I would also say the batteries performance is lackluster even in good weather compared to the 5diii. On a typical hike with the 5dii I could get by with one full battery. Unlike the 5dii where the auto off is not finicky, the a7r is finicky and only times out if the settings are set tin a particular manner ( eg. not in infinity on magnication and liveview). So when you forget to check the battery goes dead.
My standard hiking kit is eosm...Show more →
I can see you don't like this camera.......and that is ok it is not for everyone. But I think your dislike is clouding some of your facts or you have your camera setup wrong. I have been shooting in very cold weather lately and have been very surprised how well the batteries hold up. I shot for 5 hours just yesterday 5 degree's Fahrenheit and below using just slightly more then one battery. It was around zero degree's(that's Fahrenheit not Celsius) and almost dark when I was packing up. That was using live view maybe 40% of the time and view finder the rest. Turning LCD off between shots and camera completely off when walking. Camera is also in airplane mode. Went through one and a half batteries a week or two ago shooting for 7 hours in a raging snow storm again in the single digits. I don't see how people are going through so many batteries unless I have some kind of magic batteries .... are you using Sony batteries or some off brand ?
tsdevine wrote
I don't regularly hike at -20 (I assume Celsius right?), and my hikes are day hikes (< 10 miles.) For that purpose I don't see it being any worse than bringing my 5D II. Honestly I'd much rather bring the a7R.Just a counter opinion on this, I realize everyone's situation is different. But this particular one I had to throw in my 2 cents.
-Tim
Not quarrelling but just providing more detail. Everyone will be different.
I would also say the batteries performance is lackluster even in good weather compared to the 5diii. On a typical hike with the 5dii I could get by with one full battery. Unlike the 5dii where the auto off is not finicky, the a7r is finicky and only times out if the settings are set tin a particular manner ( eg. not in infinity on magnication and liveview). So when you forget to check the battery goes dead.
My standard hiking kit is eosm...Show more →
I can see you don't like this camera.......and that is ok it is not for everyone. But I think your dislike is clouding some of your facts or you have your camera setup wrong. I have been shooting in very cold weather lately and have been very surprised how well the batteries hold up. I shot for 5 hours just yesterday 5 degree's Fahrenheit and below using just slightly more then one battery. It was around zero degree's(that's Fahrenheit not Celsius) and almost dark when I was packing up. That was using live view maybe 40% of the time and view finder the rest. Turning LCD off between shots and camera completely off when walking. Camera is also in airplane mode. Went through one and a half batteries a week or two ago shooting for 7 hours in a raging snow storm again in the single digits. I don't see how people are going through so many batteries unless I have some kind of magic batteries .... are you using Sony batteries or some off brand ?
Jan 30, 2014 at 08:49 PM
p.4 #13Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
thw2 wrote:
]AGeoJO wrote:
In addition to the body, you have to have... adapters and I am sure you have more than just one, right? Plus adding an L-bracket, etc. Hmmm, there goes the weight and bulk saving.
I am curious about the combined weight of A7R + adapter + L-bracket. Does it add up to ~ 700+ g, similar to 6D and D610?
Addendum: Just googled: weight of A7R (465g) + adapter (226g) + bracket (76g) = 767g. Comparable to 6D (~770g).
Let's not forget the need to add a 26 oz. weight (comparable to the weight of a 6D body!) to the A7R to dampen the shutter vibration... then your weight/bulk "savings" really goes out the window.
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/the-shutter-vibration-issue-explained-by-joseph-holmes/
]AGeoJO wrote:
In addition to the body, you have to have... adapters and I am sure you have more than just one, right
? Plus adding an L-bracket, etc. Hmmm, there goes the weight and bulk saving.I am curious about the combined weight of A7R + adapter + L-bracket. Does it add up to ~ 700+ g, similar to 6D and D610?
Addendum: Just googled: weight of A7R (465g) + adapter (226g) + bracket (76g) = 767g. Comparable to 6D (~770g).
Let's not forget the need to add a 26 oz. weight (comparable to the weight of a 6D body!) to the A7R to dampen the shutter vibration... then your weight/bulk "savings" really goes out the window.
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/the-shutter-vibration-issue-explained-by-joseph-holmes/
Jan 31, 2014 at 11:55 AM
p.4 #14Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
These weight numbers seem a little bit skewed.
There is no need for the 26oz weight...
Also an L-bracet is a necessity for all cameras on a tripod so it should not count as added weight.
The Metabones does not weight 226g. (8oz) ...that was probably the shipping weight someone found online.
Fred
There is no need for the 26oz weight...
Also an L-bracet is a necessity for all cameras on a tripod so it should not count as added weight.
The Metabones does not weight 226g. (8oz) ...that was probably the shipping weight someone found online.
Fred
Jan 31, 2014 at 12:19 PM
p.4 #15Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Fred Miranda wrote:
These weight numbers seem a little bit skewed.
There is no need for the 26oz weight...
Also an L-bracet is a necessity for all cameras on a tripod so it should not count as added weight.
The Metabones does not weight 226g. (8oz) ...that was probably the shipping weight someone found online.
Fred
Yes, easy to get miscalculations and misinformation snowballing! Pretty soon you need a 5 lb. counterweight!
These weight numbers seem a little bit skewed.
There is no need for the 26oz weight...
Also an L-bracet is a necessity for all cameras on a tripod so it should not count as added weight.
The Metabones does not weight 226g. (8oz) ...that was probably the shipping weight someone found online.
Fred
Yes, easy to get miscalculations and misinformation snowballing! Pretty soon you need a 5 lb. counterweight!
Jan 31, 2014 at 12:31 PM
p.4 #16Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Fred Miranda wrote:
There is no need for the 26oz weight...
It sounds like that depends on whether or not you want consistently sharp images with all lenses and at all shutter speeds, Fred... enough people have demonstrated that the problem exists.
There is no need for the 26oz weight...
It sounds like that depends on whether or not you want consistently sharp images with all lenses and at all shutter speeds, Fred... enough people have demonstrated that the problem exists.
Jan 31, 2014 at 02:17 PM
p.4 #17Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Frankly, that's a weird setup. Just mount a battery grip and put in two batteries in there and voila, you get a similar effect. Plus, it looks more elegant that way. Actually, you could lessen the vibration by mounting your rig on the adapter rather than on the lens collar.
Jan 31, 2014 at 06:12 PM
p.4 #18Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
eric hagemann wrote:
Fred
Here is one of the best links that explains the issue. A fellow shooter that uses the D800 get the "white speckles" at 1 to 2 min exposures
Looks like Long Exposure NR "fixes" the issue, at the expense of doubling the already long exposure time........
Check out the note from Nikon under the heading "Update #4"
Cheers
Eric,
You forgot to add the link to your post.
I think the "white speckles" you are referring to is noise from long exposures and this happens with all digital cameras.
To reduce noise in long exposures, the Sony A7R uses dark-frame subtraction in which the camera takes a second dark frame to measure the sensor’s own noise then subtracts it from the image. This can be disabled but it's very efficient, especially when taking hours of exposure time in the case of astrophotography.
Fred
Fred
Here is one of the best links that explains the issue. A fellow shooter that uses the D800 get the "white speckles" at 1 to 2 min exposures
Looks like Long Exposure NR "fixes" the issue, at the expense of doubling the already long exposure time........
Check out the note from Nikon under the heading "Update #4"
Cheers
Eric,
You forgot to add the link to your post.
I think the "white speckles" you are referring to is noise from long exposures and this happens with all digital cameras.
To reduce noise in long exposures, the Sony A7R uses dark-frame subtraction in which the camera takes a second dark frame to measure the sensor’s own noise then subtracts it from the image. This can be disabled but it's very efficient, especially when taking hours of exposure time in the case of astrophotography.
Fred
Feb 01, 2014 at 12:52 PM
p.4 #19Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
Astro would generally take many shorter exposures and stack, probably with two dark field shots to subtract noise out
Feb 01, 2014 at 01:57 PM
p.4 #20Review: Sony A7R teams up with Canon glass
RobDickinson wrote:
Astro would generally take many shorter exposures and stack, probably with two dark field shots to subtract noise out
I agree, they are a batch of small exposures but some of them are as long as 6 minutes. The dark frame helps a lot.
For example, for this shot I captured about 30 light subs at different exposures.
(5) 360s, (5) 240s, (5) 180s, (5) 120s, (5) 30s, (5) 10s plus the dark and bias subs.
Taken with EOS 6D and Canon 500mm f/4 II @f/4. I want to do the same experiment with the A7R.
Astro would generally take many shorter exposures and stack, probably with two dark field shots to subtract noise out
I agree, they are a batch of small exposures but some of them are as long as 6 minutes. The dark frame helps a lot.
For example, for this shot I captured about 30 light subs at different exposures.
(5) 360s, (5) 240s, (5) 180s, (5) 120s, (5) 30s, (5) 10s plus the dark and bias subs.
Taken with EOS 6D and Canon 500mm f/4 II @f/4. I want to do the same experiment with the A7R.
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Feb 01, 2014 at 02:21 PM