p.2 #1 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
DWOfPaul wrote:
While I am a big fan of your app / custom code idea. I do think we need to be realistic about what we can customize. Things like focus algorithms or in camera pixel shift merging are probably extremely hardware dependent in most cameras. This could require the ability to write sub firmware (the AF model may have it's own firmware), FPGA code (the AF model may be an FPGA chip), or even not be possible if a large part of the AF module is ASIC based. I don't see camera companies changing their hardware approach to allow for community customization. I would be very happy if we could even start with custom menus and overlays. ...Show more →
You are right. But it would be interesting to understand the boundaries of what's possible. In the past I worked at a tech startup which built smart surveillance cameras, and our embedded software team was really small and we did our best to abstract as much of FPGA and custom ASIC guts as possible, just to speed up our own software development. For example all of our subject recognition logic and configuration were completely hardware agnostic, but it takes effort to design the system this way.
p.2 #2 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
old-gregg wrote:
You are right. But it would be interesting to understand the boundaries of what's possible. In the past I worked at a tech startup which built smart surveillance cameras, and our embedded software team was really small and we did our best to abstract as much of FPGA and custom ASIC guts as possible, just to speed up our own software development. For example all of our subject recognition logic and configuration were completely hardware agnostic, but it takes effort to design the system this way.
Understanding the boundaries would definitely be extremely interesting, even if we couldn't change them.
As you probably know, there are many different ways to design a product, depending on what the company wants to optimize for (unit cost, development cost, platform flexibility, etc). I worked on a project that was doing video subject recognition on a Microsoft Surface. For this project, a $1,200 tablet made sense as part of the bill of materials but we pushed that tablet fairly hard, and the approach definitely would not have worked if we were looking for a sub 1k price point. On the other side of the spectrum, I also know of a company that was doing video subject detection on the cloud to keep their devices very simple.
Most people have no idea how many decisions have to go into making a product.
p.2 #5 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
BigBabyMoses06 wrote:
Global shutter. DR be damned.
Technically.... If we could get a global shutter 60mp camera with 120fps we could just do 16 photo burst and merge in post to recover the dynamic range. Granted I probably do not want to know how expensive such a sensor will be 😂
p.2 #6 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
With all the wish lists it does make me wonder if Sony boxed itself into a corner with the compact size of its bodies and the increasing need for more powerful processors and associated cooling. The size of recent bodies like the A93 and A1ii has increased slightly but they're still pretty small compared to Canon and Nikon equivalents (especially those with built-in grips). How much more tech can Sony cram into an A7R5-sized body?
p.2 #7 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
The R series keeps increasing in size as well so I don’t think that’s going to hold them back. I don’t know if they plan to go Nikon big but I bet the R series will continue to get bigger…which is a shame. My next Sony will be in the C line because I value a small size.
p.2 #8 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
jwpstl wrote:
The R series keeps increasing in size as well so I don’t think that’s going to hold them back. I don’t know if they plan to go Nikon big but I bet the R series will continue to get bigger…which is a shame. My next Sony will be in the C line because I value a small size.
But isn’t it great that Sony had the foresight to create a compact line that still had the great sensor and AF of its bigger brother. We could ask Canon and Nikon where their compact travel system is.
p.2 #11 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
I have an A7RIV Many of the features in the A7RV are things I'd like (focus bracketing, better stabilization etc), but I upgrade every other camera cycle, so I'll get those with whatever else the A7RVI brings. But there are some things I'd like to see in addition.
In general, I think Sony is (surprisingly) behind many other camera makers in some of the non-optical, more computational, aspects of modern cameras. their AF is of course great, but why did it take so long to add focus bracketing? So in that spirit
1. I like the R series not because I need 60 or more megapixels for any output I produce, but because i want to be able to crop and still have at least 20 or more megapixels left. This allows me to pick different aspect ratios, find a picture in a picture, "extend" the long end of my lenses, etc. In my A7RIV I often enable the crop mode for composition help. That is, if i want to extend the long end of my lens the crop mode lets me see what this will look like. In fact, sometimes I enable crop mode for composition, but then take the picture in non-crop mode. Why can't Sony allow us to pick many different kinds of crop modes to see in the EVF, and assign them to a button or dial? I don't need the camera to actually produce a cropped image (at least in raw). I just want to see it. The Fuji GFX100RF has an aspect ratio dial. Why can't a high megapixels Sony have one too?
2. All the AF stuff is great, but why can't I have a function that automatically sets my focus to the hyperfocal point? The camera knows everything it needs to to do this
3. Perhaps a little harder, why can't I set two focus points in a frame and have the camera adjust the focus and/or the aperture so that they are both (reasonably) in focus?
4. Olympus has their "electronic ND" filter effect. It'd be harder for a high res Sony, but pretty neat if it could work.
5. Many other camera brands do double exposure in camera. A lot of the ICM folk like that. Its not really my thing but it does have utility, and again the other companies can do that processing. Why not Sony?
Most of these things would be worth more to me than going from a 60 megapixels sensor to an 80.
We will see what we end up with (I'd guess sometime next year).
p.2 #12 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
WillR wrote:
3. Perhaps a little harder, why can't I set two focus points in a frame and have the camera adjust the focus and/or the aperture so that they are both (reasonably) in focus?
-Will
My EOS 650 had this feature in the mid 1980's. It probably wasn't perfect, but it seemed usable. It does seem like that can't be like putting a man on the moon.
Also trap focus......I would love to have that when doing manual focus hand held macro.
p.2 #13 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
I'd like more resolution, something closer to medium format. I'd like 1tb internal storage and a fast(er) card slot and maybe a faster USB port for quicker downloading when I don't have a reader handy. A couple of more FPS so it could be used as a 3rd (emergency) body for sports as needed. It's OK now, but more would be appreciated. Multiple in-camera exposures. Bigger rear screen (I could manager with fewer buttons to give it room for the screen. I seldom need to make quick changes like I do when shooting sports with the a1 or a9 3. Hell, I wouldn't mind a bigger body and a built in battery grip. My grip never come off anyways. Faster sync speed, maybe 1/400 or so. I currently use a cam ranger attached to it for portrait sessions and send images wirelessly to multiple ipads. I'd love to do this without the cam ranger attached. My a7r5 is a great money maker for me as is, but these are some things that would make it better.
p.2 #14 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
A camera with a slide-in, replaceable sensor module. Those who want megapixels, they can use the 100 MP module. Others, their black and white low MP module... and so on.
p.2 #15 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
WillR wrote:
I have an A7RIV Many of the features in the A7RV are things I'd like (focus bracketing, better stabilization etc), but I upgrade every other camera cycle, so I'll get those with whatever else the A7RVI brings. But there are some things I'd like to see in addition.
In general, I think Sony is (surprisingly) behind many other camera makers in some of the non-optical, more computational, aspects of modern cameras. their AF is of course great, but why did it take so long to add focus bracketing? So in that spirit
1. I like the R series not because I need 60 or more megapixels for any output I produce, but because i want to be able to crop and still have at least 20 or more megapixels left. This allows me to pick different aspect ratios, find a picture in a picture, "extend" the long end of my lenses, etc. In my A7RIV I often enable the crop mode for composition help. That is, if i want to extend the long end of my lens the crop mode lets me see what this will look like. In fact, sometimes I enable crop mode for composition, but then take the picture in non-crop mode. Why can't Sony allow us to pick many different kinds of crop modes to see in the EVF, and assign them to a button or dial? I don't need the camera to actually produce a cropped image (at least in raw). I just want to see it. The Fuji GFX100RF has an aspect ratio dial. Why can't a high megapixels Sony have one too?
2. All the AF stuff is great, but why can't I have a function that automatically sets my focus to the hyperfocal point? The camera knows everything it needs to to do this
3. Perhaps a little harder, why can't I set two focus points in a frame and have the camera adjust the focus and/or the aperture so that they are both (reasonably) in focus?
4. Olympus has their "electronic ND" filter effect. It'd be harder for a high res Sony, but pretty neat if it could work.
5. Many other camera brands do double exposure in camera. A lot of the ICM folk like that. Its not really my thing but it does have utility, and again the other companies can do that processing. Why not Sony?
Most of these things would be worth more to me than going from a 60 megapixels sensor to an 80.
We will see what we end up with (I'd guess sometime next year).
6. Why can’t I just put my camera on a tripod and walk away and let the camera decide on the best composition, best exposure and best focus. With a little AI, I’m sure it could.
p.2 #16 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
1st feature: automatic shutter release when the eyes are in focus even when a manual focus lens is attached.
This is particularly useful for insect and animal photography.
Scenario: I use a manual MF macro lens for insect photography. The AF mode in AF macro lenses are rarely useful when photographing moving insects. It is extremely difficult to photograph them as any slightest movement (even 1mm) renders the photo out of focus. This can happen due to my own movement or, the insect's movement or, a slight breeze that moves the plant or flower over which the insect is standing. I can see these movements in the back screen or viewfinder but most of the time cannot be fast enough to grab the shot as soon as the insect's eyes are in focus. The camera however, sees this as I notice in the viewfinder even when the attached lens is MF. So it should not be hard to add a new feature in the menu system that enables the camera to automatically take a shot, once the eyes are in focus.
This feature has similarity to per-capture mode in recent Sony models but it's not the same.
2nd feature:The sensor assembly is already sitting on an IBIS system that can move it. Make the system in a way that can move the sensor 1-2mm back and forth to have the AF even with a MF lens. For many situations such as macro photography, this movement back and forth is enough to have the image in focus.
3rd feature: auto-focus bracketing using the camera's built-in AF system (feature #2)..
p.2 #17 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
@raminolta Your post reminded me of something. There was a company a while ago (like 10+ years ago) that was working on a sensor which, in addition to measuring light intensity at each pixel, also recorded the angle at which photos hit. The benefit was that you could focus after an exposure was taken. Basically, focusing happens in the RAW converter by selecting any point in the frame with a mouse, not by rotating a lens helicoid during capture.
The trade-off was, IIRC, a pretty dramatic drop in resolution. At the time, 6-9MP range was considered great and sufficient, but not enough to accept such trade-off. I wonder whether it's worth revisiting now in the era of 60-100MP+ sensors.
p.2 #18 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
old-gregg wrote:
@raminolta@ Your post reminded me of something. There was a company a while ago (like 10+ years ago) that was working on a sensor which, in addition to measuring light intensity at each pixel, also recorded the angle at which photos hit. The benefit was that you could focus after an exposure was taken. Basically, focusing happens in the RAW converter by selecting any point in the frame with a mouse, not by rotating a lens helicoid during capture.
The trade-off was, IIRC, a pretty dramatic drop in resolution. At the time, 6-9MP range was considered great and sufficient, but not enough to accept such trade-off. I wonder whether it's worth revisiting now in the era of 60-100MP+ sensors....Show more →
p.2 #19 · What is your wish list for the Sony A7RVI
I can't imagine a huge upgrade need from A7RV. 100MP sensor may add more copping ability, print size and I think GM lenses can handle such small pixel size, however GM lenses peak resolution and border of diffraction is almost the same, F4-F5.6 so we can't harvest significant more resolution from FF. I don't care much about better AF, and definitely not about stacked sensor and global shutter in a R line camera specified on stills, most important is image quality, so resolution or dynamic range is the importance. Personally I don't like the multi fold screen, I prefer the simple, more aesthetic tilt only, maybe a multi tilting screen like in Fujis. Also I can accept a bigger screen, and I don't mind a higher and wider body, but not thicker.
Overall I'm not exited for a new R model at all.
But I'd like:
-Medium format R-line camera with 44x33 sensor and A7RV's AF, and new bayonet GM lenses
-A7C1 body, in size of the A7CR with grip extension, but with 5M dot EVF and 2M dot multi tilting screen with A1 sensor, only e-shutter.
-Fixed lens APS-C camera like X100VI, just good EVF and tilting screen, G-line lens quality and Sony's fast AF.
