Pulled over after sunset to grab something from the trunk and ended up taking a quick photo. Completely forgot to open the aperture up to 1.2 and instead shot at 4 seconds f8.
Daniele067 wrote:
Is it necessary to turn off EFCS at speeds over 1/500 for the 3rd generation of a7 cameras?
No, but I would advise turning it off at shutter speeds faster than 1/1500s. Only the first generation A7R didn't come equipped with EFCS.
If you use electronic shutter, there is nothing to worry about.
Turning off EFCS isn’t necessary at high speeds, just optimal for better bokeh and even exposure across the frame.
Electronic shutter has its own caveats. Shooting people in silent mode, I frequently notice distortion from rolling shutter. If someone is moving or if I’m tracking them with the camera, even moderate movement will result in some image distortion (and shutter speed doesn’t matter in this case). I’m on the A7rii, so maybe later cameras have a faster sensor readout and it’s less noticeable. Personally, I prefer mechanical shutter above 1/500th (or 1/1500th).
Sony needs a combined EFCS+mechanical shutter setting that could adjust based on shutter speed.
Fred Miranda wrote:
No, but I would advise turning it off at shutter speeds faster than 1/1500s. Only the first generation A7R didn't come equipped with EFCS.
If you use electronic shutter, there is nothing to worry about.
What is the issue/problem with leaving it off vs on that you would advise turning it off at shutters faster than 1/1500?
Daniele067 wrote:
What is the issue/problem with leaving it off vs on that you would advise turning it off at shutters faster than 1/1500?
EFCS eliminates shutter shock at lower speeds (it can be visible usually between 1/4s - 1/100s). I'd rather forget to turn off EFCS at high speeds than forget to leave it on at low speeds. The former can result in a busier bokeh look, the latter can ruin your image entirely.
Yes, shutter shock will be the issue without EFCS, although newer generations offer less vibration compared to the original A7R.
I think the bottomline is to turn it off @ shutter speeds faster 1/1000s. Slower than that, bokeh will remain pretty much unchanged. If your subject is static or moving slowly, silent shutter is also an alternative for better looking bokeh without having to worry about EFCS.
It would be nice if Sony offers the option to turn EFCS 'off' automatically at fast shutter speeds but they are not really listening to this feedback.
Just got this lens and it says Ver. 01 on the lens. Noticed it when updating the firmware for the A7R3. Is there an update for the lens? Took a look at their site and couldn't tell. Thanks!
Etherton wrote:
Just got this lens and it says Ver. 01 on the lens. Noticed it when updating the firmware for the A7R3. Is there an update for the lens? Took a look at their site and couldn't tell. Thanks!
Firmware Ver. 01 is the first and only for this lens.
The EFCS issue is an easy fix, so brickbats for Sony. I also leave it off permanently, simply because I will not interrupt my shooting zone for some camera nonsense. Alan Cooper (developer of VB and interface guru) calls this kind of thing 'stopping the action with idiocy'.
Decades of experience when EFCS was far in the future and a library of 10,000 plus h/h a7r images I'm totally happy with, so each must decide. Me, any f1.2 lens where OOF is integral in your shot planning, you must get the best from its OOF, and Fred's tests look very conclusive, and my light is very strong, s/s fluctuates wildly. On this lens and the 40mm FL, I succumb. It will fit great in a row of 21-40-55-85. Great images this page, thanks.
