Yes, and has anyone tried it to see if the Dual IS makes the through the EVF view substantially more stable (especially at 600mm)? Once we get out of the big dark here in the PNW I'm going to rent the combo and check it out, but it'd be nice to hear about other folks' experiences in the meantime : )
Here are some shots from my second outing with the A7R5 and 200-600. All shots are over 30 yards distance, shot at 600mm in crop mode (so 900mm), hand held. Pics have been significantly cropped to show detail and no sharpening has been applied. What do you think of the performance of this combo?
These shots show why I upgraded to the A7R5 from the A7R4. Even when shooting in Zone, I can select bird recognition, with eye priority, and it will focus on bird despite foreground obstacles. These shots are so easy now, where before I had to shift to manual focus with peaking to try and get this type of shot and only had a 50% success rate at best. The 200-600 works great in these situations. So I am happy with this combo. Your thoughts?
R426 User wrote:
Here are some shots from my second outing with the A7R5 and 200-600. All shots are over 30 yards distance, shot at 600mm in crop mode (so 900mm), hand held. Pics have been significantly cropped to show detail and no sharpening has been applied. What do you think of the performance of this combo?
the second shot is on the money, but it looks like bird eyeaf isn't hitting the mark on several of the rest of the shots... you could try looking at 'em in a7info and see where the exif says that the shots are focused... it's difficult because there isn't enough focal length, so the a.i. has only a few pixels to work with.
beyond that, shooting at f/8 is not good for af accuracy on these unstacked sensors, i'd try shooting it wide open.
on the other hand tho, that second batch you posted of the stationary bird eyeaf capability is imho rather impressive.
I have found that on BIF shots, particularly at distances over 30 yards that I don't often see the focus box on the eye first thing and it may take a couple of seconds (if at all) before the AI finds the eye. In the mean time I may already be taking the shot as long as there is a box on the bird. The closer you are the quicker it finds the eye. I posted these pics because of previous comments that the focus with the 200-600 on the A7R5 was not as sharp at longer distances and I thought these shots were representative of the typical focus experience I have had with this combo, which I find to be perfectly acceptable. Other users may be more demanding, but I felt actual shots tell their own story.
Osv2 comments were right on. I find the new AI very useful, but it does have its limits at distance and fast moving targets. That said, it is still a very welcomed addition and worth the upgrade for me.
I was shooting at F/8 mostly out of habit from my previous A7R4 setup which seemed to offer better overall results at F/8. I agree that wider apertures tend to facilitate quicker and more accurate focusing, but sometimes in the varied shot opportunities at many birding locations, the little extra DOF offered at F/8 comes in handy and the 200-600 lens testing shows it is generally sharpest at f/8. This was only my second limited outing with the new A7R5 and I am still experimenting, so will try your suggestion and use a wider aperture to see how it works.
Overall, I am very happy I upgraded to the A7R5 for my wildlife and bird shooting. My old A7R4 will be setup for landscape/travel applications. I love the 200-600 lens on either body, but the A7R5 really enhances its performance when shooting birds using the new AI chip, faster processing, and better viewfinder. My biggest complaint with the A7R4 was being locked out of making settings changes (e.g. going between crop mode and full 61MB) while the buffer was clearing. No problem with the A7R5. I also love the fact I can flip the rear screen around to protect it when not using it. Had that feature on my old A77II and really missed it when I got the A7R4. The A7R5 really works for me the way I like to shoot.
