Any Sony RX1RI/II lovers here?

[pridash]

Doesn't seem to be a separate group for this... But maybe because there is only like 3 owners in the UK? [emoji23] There's so few of these on the used market I don't know if it's because no one wants to sell them once they have it or, as I said, there's only 3 owners in total!

Anyway, I've just put some money down on a used one from eBay and should be with me on Saturday. I'm hoping this isn't a regretful purchase! I've been without a camera for a good few months now having sold my 5D3 (Although still have some lenses left to rid of as well) and using my phone camera just doesn't give me the same joy. But i guess that's pretty obvious!

Fingers crossed I'll fall in love with the Sony and start shooting more often again.

If anyone here loves their RX1R let me know what I'm in for! Maybe some tips while you're at it if you're feeling generous! [emoji4]

 

[Raymond Lin]

I'd love one, 35 on FF is perfect. Wish they release this lens on its own somehow.

How much did you pay?

 

[BacktotheFuji]

An RX1 just sold on ebay for under £750

 

[pridash]

I'd love one, 35 on FF is perfect. Wish they release this lens on its own somehow.

How much did you pay?

Yh the 35 was glued to my 5D like 90% of the time!

I paid £2400 - it's only a month old so thought it was a good deal (relatively speaking of course!). I've been finding it hard to choose between this and an a7rii +35, but other than than the Sony 35mm 2.8 the lenses are almost the same size as my old 35L...and I stopped wanting to carry that combo because of the heft. Hence why I'm hoping I won't regret the decision I've made...Really hoping!

 

[pridash]

An RX1 just sold on ebay for under £750

I think I had my eye on that one as well. I've not heard the best about the mark 1 which is why I thought I'd go for the mark 2. But yh they can be had for a bargain (again relatively speaking!).

 

[Raymond Lin]

Yh the 35 was glued to my 5D like 90% of the time!

I paid £2400 - it's only a month old so thought it was a good deal (relatively speaking of course!). I've been finding it hard to choose between this and an a7rii +35, but other than than the Sony 35mm 2.8 the lenses are almost the same size as my old 35L...and I stopped wanting to carry that combo because of the heft. Hence why I'm hoping I won't regret the decision I've made...Really hoping!

That's what's stopping me.

On one hand FF + 35m is my most used lens, literally 50% of my photos are taken at that focal length looking at my LR library. So the RX1RII makes perfect sense, but like you also pointed out, the A7R2 is actually the same price if not cheaper, except there are no native 35mm on the Sony E-mount. Putting a Canon 35L on it is just enormous. The solution would be putting the Canon 35/2.0 IS on it with a n metabone adaptor. That will probably still yield a camera twice as deep as the RX1R.

I've although thought about getting the A7R, which is £899 new in WEX, 36mp, but obviously not as good in AF as the A7R2 and also without he in body IS.

 

[woof woof]

I've thought about one more than once but I reasoned that the original A7 plus 35mm f2.8 isn't really prohibitively bigger plus has the advantage of being able to change the lens.

 

[pridash]

That's what's stopping me.

On one hand FF + 35m is my most used lens, literally 50% of my photos are taken at that focal length looking at my LR library. So the RX1RII makes perfect sense, but like you also pointed out, the A7R2 is actually the same price if not cheaper, except there are no native 35mm on the Sony E-mount. Putting a Canon 35L on it is just enormous. The solution would be putting the Canon 35/2.0 IS on it with a n metabone adaptor. That will probably still yield a camera twice as deep as the RX1R.

I've although thought about getting the A7R, which is £899 new in WEX, 36mp, but obviously not as good in AF as the A7R2 and also without he in body IS.

Yh i was originally going the metabones way as I still have my 35mm (but gonna have to get rid soon!) but yh it would be massive and much slower than the native Sony 35 1.4 so ended up giving up on that. But you're right the 35 IS would be a compromise although still "big" in comparison. I just didn't want to get back to my old self that just kept leaving the camera at home because of the size. I did have an x100T a couple of years ago and loved its size - pretty perfect, especially for travel. But I just really missed the FF look so sold it on. I won't have that complaint with the Rx1r... Although it only goes down to f2 - hoping I won't miss 1.4 too much!

Incidentally the rx1r doesn't have IBIS either.

 

[pridash]

I've thought about one more than once but I reasoned that the original A7 plus 35mm f2.8 isn't really prohibitively bigger plus has the advantage of being able to change the lens.

Isn't the original a7 the same size as the newer models? Or maybe I'm being ignorant here! But yh the 35 2.8 is very compact and I did consider that paired with an a7rii... But I'm not sure if I'd be happy only shooting at 2.8 - it's already bad in my eyes that I can only stop down to f2 on the RX1R haha!

 

[Raymond Lin]

Yh i was originally going the metabones way as I still have my 35mm (but gonna have to get rid soon!) but yh it would be massive and much slower than the native Sony 35 1.4 so ended up giving up on that. But you're right the 35 IS would be a compromise although still "big" in comparison. I just didn't want to get back to my old self that just kept leaving the camera at home because of the size. I did have an x100T a couple of years ago and loved its size - pretty perfect, especially for travel. But I just really missed the FF look so sold it on. I won't have that complaint with the Rx1r... Although it only goes down to f2 - hoping I won't miss 1.4 too much!

Incidentally the rx1r doesn't have IBIS either.

I think you and I are on the same path.

I really want an A7R2 and suck it up and put the 35L on it with an adaptor.

I ended up with a Fuji X-T1 with a few lenses, that's my compromise at the moment. I do miss FF but at 1.4 at cropped, the bokeh is not so bad at all. It's just the files are unfamiliar, and also not enough mega pixels!

Might still get a Sony at some point though, I think if they release their own 35/1.4 lens or 35/2.0.....I'll get the A7R2 pronto.

 

[pridash]

I think you and I are on the same path.

I really want an A7R2 and suck it up and put the 35L on it with an adaptor.

I ended up with a Fuji X-T1 with a few lenses, that's my compromise at the moment. I do miss FF but at 1.4 at cropped, the bokeh is not so bad at all. It's just the files are unfamiliar, and also not enough mega pixels!

Might still get a Sony at some point though, I think if they release their own 35/1.4 lens or 35/2.0.....I'll get the A7R2 pronto.

Yep we might be haha! I considered the xt1 as well way back. Nice feeling camera and images are great especially with the 23 and 56mm...But, for me, it just wasn't the same feel as FF even though the bokeh was nice at times.

Sony does do a native 35 1.4 g master but I believe it's bigger than the 35L and more expensive too! But not checked the price against the 35L II.

If you're in no rush then maybe it's better to wait for the a7riii to come out first!

 

[Raymond Lin]

Yep we might be haha! I considered the xt1 as well way back. Nice feeling camera and images are great especially with the 23 and 56mm...But, for me, it just wasn't the same feel as FF even though the bokeh was nice at times.

Sony does do a native 35 1.4 g master but I believe it's bigger than the 35L and more expensive too! But not checked the price against the 35L II.

If you're in no rush then maybe it's better to wait for the a7riii to come out first!

That's my thought too, I have the 35L mk2 and that is a huge lens for a 35mm, it's bigger than the Sigma 50 Art, with an adaptor on it, it is probably not far off the size of a 70-200.

I am undecided whether to take my Canon on holiday this year or the Fuji, still torn. But i am leaning towards the Canon, suck up the size for the FF goodness.

 

[pridash]

That's my thought too, I have the 35L mk2 and that is a huge lens for a 35mm, it's bigger than the Sigma 50 Art, with an adaptor on it, it is probably not far off the size of a 70-200.

I am undecided whether to take my Canon on holiday this year or the Fuji, still torn. But i am leaning towards the Canon, suck up the size for the FF goodness.

Jeez that 35Lii is massive! Yh forget using that with the metabones!

I'd take the Fuji if I were in your shoes. But then I'm more of a 'one bag' traveller (especially for short haul) so space and weight is more important! When I went to Vienna the other year I only took the X100T - the weight (or lack of it) whilst walking all day was liberating. Didn't miss my 5D at all and it was on very, very rare occasions that I longed for a wider/longer focal length. I think that was the turning point for me really wanting a compact FF camera. IMHO travelling is more about the experience than capturing every conceivable moment, and when I haven't got a heavy camera and bag that i have to lug around, I get to enjoy 'the experience' much more. [emoji4]

 

[woof woof]

Isn't the original a7 the same size as the newer models? Or maybe I'm being ignorant here! But yh the 35 2.8 is very compact and I did consider that paired with an a7rii... But I'm not sure if I'd be happy only shooting at 2.8 - it's already bad in my eyes that I can only stop down to f2 on the RX1R haha!

The MK2 has a different grip and I think a slightly deeper body. See here...

http://camerasize.com/compact/#487.394,579.394,ha,t

Unfortunately the 35mm f2.8 is f2.8 but in reality I do think that f2.8 is just enough and that f1.4/f1.8 is mostly psychological or at least it is a lot of the time and in all but the darkest scenarios. Of course it'd be great if the 35mm f2.8 was f1.4/f1.8 but if it was I bet it wouldn't be as compact. So, the choice is very compact and f2.8 or something with a faster aperture and bigger.

 

[pridash]

The MK2 has a different grip and I think a slightly deeper body. See here...

http://camerasize.com/compact/#487.394,579.394,ha,t

Unfortunately the 35mm f2.8 is f2.8 but in reality I do think that f2.8 is just enough and that f1.4/f1.8 is mostly psychological or at least it is a lot of the time and in all but the darkest scenarios. Of course it'd be great if the 35mm f2.8 was f1.4/f1.8 but if it was I bet it wouldn't be as compact. So, the choice is very compact and f2.8 or something with a faster aperture and bigger.

Ah right yh it is slightly shallower - learnt something new there! I do agree to a degree on the aperture - 2.8 vs 2 isn't a massive difference (compared to 1.4) but at wider focal lengths every little bit counts for bokeh! But, yes, it's all about compromises...although an A7x paired with a Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.2/1.4 was also an option I looked at - quite compact compared to AF equivalents, but it's been a long while since I manual focused so not sure if I could use that permanently. Image quality looks superb though.

 

[woof woof]

Manual focus is easy with these cameras if you have the time and if you do you can get very accurate focus.

I've lusted after a Voigtlander for years since I stupidly sold the only one I've had (a color scopar 35mm f2.5) and I just love the way the lenses look but sadly the reports I've managed to find and read seem to say that none of the 35mm's are very good on an A7x body. I've read they ok for people shots but poor at the edges if you're looking for sharpness across the frame and as I tend to take pictures of almost anything and tend to like reasonable performance edge to edge now and again I decided it was time to give up on the thought of buying a 35mm f1.2, 1.4 or 2.5, I think my old Rokkor f1.8 will probably be better as at least it's sharp across the frame when stopped down.

I will take an interest in the new E mount f1.4 when reviews start coming in but if it's another lens that'll give relatively poor performance at the edges on an A7x even when stopped down I wont be buying.

 

[pridash]

Manual focus is easy with these cameras if you have the time and if you do you can get very accurate focus.

I've lusted after a Voigtlander for years since I stupidly sold the only one I've had (a color scopar 35mm f2.5) and I just love the way the lenses look but sadly the reports I've managed to find and read seem to say that none of the 35mm's are very good on an A7x body. I've read they ok for people shots but poor at the edges if you're looking for sharpness across the frame and as I tend to take pictures of almost anything and tend to like reasonable performance edge to edge now and again I decided it was time to give up on the thought of buying a 35mm f1.2, 1.4 or 2.5, I think my old Rokkor f1.8 will probably be better as at least it's sharp across the frame when stopped down.

I will take an interest in the new E mount f1.4 when reviews start coming in but if it's another lens that'll give relatively poor performance at the edges on an A7x even when stopped down I wont be buying.

Didn't realise edge performance wasn't up to par... But then I'm not that overly concerned about that so probably didn't register with me! I did read that MF is great on the Sony - the fuji introduced me to the idea that MF wasn't too hard, but as you say, probably best saved for when you can take your time over a shot. If the RX1R doesn't work out for me I'll probably have to go down the a7x route and MF/compact AF lens.

 

[woof woof]

As you've had a Fuji you'll know that there are essentially three ways of taking pictures with manual lenses on these cameras. You can go all old timie and use a non focusing specifically on your subject technique such as hyperfocal, Merklinger or zone focusing and when doing this you can shoot quickly, you can use peaking which I find to be good at wider apertures or you can call up the magnified view and focus very accurately. If you like the 28 to 50mm sort of view hyperfocal or Merklinger can give you acceptable near to back results but at wider apertures obviously not.

Manual focusing does take time but as I tend to move the focus point for the vast majority of my pictures I'm not particularly fast when taking AF shots either

 

[pridash]

As you've had a Fuji you'll know that there are essentially three ways of taking pictures with manual lenses on these cameras. You can go all old timie and use a non focusing specifically on your subject technique such as hyperfocal, Merklinger or zone focusing and when doing this you can shoot quickly, you can use peaking which I find to be good at wider apertures or you can call up the magnified view and focus very accurately. If you like the 28 to 50mm sort of view hyperfocal or Merklinger can give you acceptable near to back results but at wider apertures obviously not.

Manual focusing does take time but as I tend to move the focus point for the vast majority of my pictures I'm not particularly fast when taking AF shots either

Yh I've just tried it on the RX1Rii (finally arrived) and yh MF is reasonably easy - I'm not keen on the zoomed in view though as it takes away from the framing. The Fuji had a zoomed view in the corner - can't seem to see that option being available on the Sony.

 

[woof woof]

What I do is frame the shot then place the focus point where I want it and then call up the magnified view, as long as you, the camera or the subject don't move the framing is unaltered.

For some shots I think manual focusing with peaking can be more effective than AF but those shots may be few and far between

I hope you enjoy the camera

 

[nandbytes]

the A7R2 is actually the same price if not cheaper, except there are no native 35mm on the Sony E-mount. Putting a Canon 35L on it is just enormous. The solution would be putting the Canon 35/2.0 IS on it with a n metabone adaptor

What exactly are you looking for in a 35mm lens?
There are 35mm lenses on Sony e-mount:
Sony zeiss 35mm f/1.4
Sigma 35mm ART+MC11 works nearly as well as a native lens
Sony 35mm f/2.8
Samyang 35mm f/2.8
Zeiss loxia 35mm f2 - MF only.

I take it these don't fit your needs somehow?
I personally would like a compact 35mm f/2 with AF, which doesn't exist on sony yet

 

[woof woof]

What exactly are you looking for in a 35mm lens?
There are 35mm lenses on Sony e-mount:
Sony zeiss 35mm f/1.4
Sigma 35mm ART+MC11 works nearly as well as a native lens
Sony 35mm f/2.8
Samyang 35mm f/2.8
Zeiss loxia 35mm f2 - MF only.

I take it these don't fit your needs somehow?
I personally would like a compact 35mm f/2 with AF, which doesn't exist on sony yet

Isn't Sigma rumored to be working on a fast 35mm? Time will tell.

 

[Raymond Lin]

What exactly are you looking for in a 35mm lens?
There are 35mm lenses on Sony e-mount:
Sony zeiss 35mm f/1.4
Sigma 35mm ART+MC11 works nearly as well as a native lens
Sony 35mm f/2.8
Samyang 35mm f/2.8
Zeiss loxia 35mm f2 - MF only.

I take it these don't fit your needs somehow?
I personally would like a compact 35mm f/2 with AF, which doesn't exist on sony yet

A 35/1.4 auto focus, preferably the size of the Sigma 35 Art or the Canon 35K mk1 at most.

The 1.4 requirement takes away most of your list.
The auto focus requirement takes away the rest leave just 1 which is massive…so big I might as well put on my Canon with adaptor and live with the hit on focus.

I don't believe this " adaptor works as well as native lens", almost all the reviews i've seen says otherwise.

 

[nandbytes]

I don't believe this " adaptor works as well as native lens", almost all the reviews i've seen says otherwise.

It depends on lens tbh. Some lenses are better than others. Sigma 35mm, 50mm and 18-35mm ART being the best of the lot and telephoto lenses like 150-600mm being the worst.

35mm ART is not as good as native FE35/1.4 but it's very close for sure from personal experience. Then again even on canon bodies canons own 35mm/1.4 focuses better than the sigma 35mm I believe.

 

[pridash]

What I do is frame the shot then place the focus point where I want it and then call up the magnified view, as long as you, the camera or the subject don't move the framing is unaltered.

For some shots I think manual focusing with peaking can be more effective than AF but those shots may be few and far between

I hope you enjoy the camera

Yh that's the thing - I end up moving!

 

[southernjessie]

I have a RX1R and it's an amazing camera in my opinion. The thing that sticks out for me is its resolution (which is off the scale) and ridiculously thin DOF at f2. I used it when I went to Dubrovnik and it was great. For wider compositions I shot 3-5 frames in a sweeping panorama and stitched them in LR. I wouldn't swap it for anything else at the moment.

 

[pridash]

Yh files are great and I'm enjoying it so far!

However I've just tried capture one for three first time and I'm blown away at the difference with the files straight out of camera compared to LR! In LR the same file looks a little washed out.

 

[sheridant]

I got one - the mark 1 and it's amazing - carry it so many places I never used to take a decent camera, and also serves as a super light second camera when carrying the 5d around with a 70-200 on

For 750 on eBay it's a steal when you think the rx100v costs more . The lens itself is probably worth more than I paid for the camera

It's also good that it doesn't have the kudos of a Leica - so the value of the mark 1 has dropped rapidly even though the quality is almost identical

The kit is sorted now, a Ricoh GR for ultimate pocketable portability, the sony for walk around and the 5d3 when lens flexibility is needed

I really don't miss the zoom lens on the compact, as long as it's around 35mm you get good portraits and decent environment shots