The Amazing Sony A1/A7/A9/APS-C & Anything else welcome Mega Thread!

[c-m]

Recently took the A7 on a trip to Israel. It showed me two things.

1) My skills are lacking.
2) I took the kit lens and a couple of manual primes. The Kit was used exclusively at 28mm and 70mm so it looks like a need a wide-angle and a telephoto.

Here's few from the trip:

 

[pingu666]

was the humus really good?,

nice pics too

 

[c-m]

The misses is a big humus fan but didn't like it there. I hate humus but really enjoyed the street falafel I had. The food on the whole was excellent. I did take hundreds of photos and some video with the A7, but it's mostly just holiday snaps

 

[steveclem]

On another note, has anyone recommendations for a Leica M adapter that will do my Zeiss 18mm justice on the A7? I've heard the Metabones is decent enough but Fotodiox can be dodgy, any others?
Ta.
Happy New Year.

 

[plamen_gb]

Is it worth getting a Canon adapter and few Canon lenses?

 

[pingu666]

For fd yes, but unless you have eos lenses already, or canon do a lens your really need need that's unique, or for video perhaps...

 

[BacktotheFuji]

Most EOS adapters won't give you the ability to select an aperture. The expensive ones (Metabones) will however.

 

[GIZTO29]

New models take a few weeks to appear on their site, plus I think they're on hols

** We will be on holiday from Dec 24th - Jan 2nd. Orders placed on or after Dec 18th, will be shipped on Jan 3rd, 2015. In addition, all enquiries will be answered on Jan 3rd. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! **

Its up on there now £1180 which is a lot cheaper than I thought so thats good! Thanks

 

[robj20]

Its up on there now £1180 which is a lot cheaper than I thought so thats good! Thanks

£1135.25 now.
Still rather have the R though, not liking how its already gained in size and weight.

 

[chrism_scotland]

£1135.25 now.
Still rather have the R though, not liking how its already gained in size and weight.

Depends on the user I guess, I'm almost the other way I've found the A7 too small to be comfortable to use for me, similar to other mirrorless bodies where I find the buttons all a bit fiddly for my mannish hands! A little more heft (as in the A7ii) wouldn't bother me too much.

 

[Cap'n Bill]

Shall I, shan't I? Buy a 70-200mm f4 FE lens that is. With the cashback I can get one for £949 which isn't too bad. I would like to have a native FE lens instead of my LEA4 + Sigma 70-300mm OS which works quite well but has clunky autofocus and slightly limited functionality but I'd miss the extra reach.

Opinions from lens owners please.

 

[PCPhil]

The 70-200 is a very nice lens paired to an A7 body. Mmmmm

 

[pingu666]

you could do a mount ssm lens too for more options, and cheaper too..

 

[GIZTO29]

£1135.25 now.
Still rather have the R though, not liking how its already gained in size and weight.

Thats for BT though yeh, im quoting the normal price (which has just gone up to £1195).

Is there anyone else to consider? £1399 on Digital rev.

I want the camera for full spectrum conversion. At the minute I have a Panasonic G5 converted with various filters such as the Hoya R72. 2 of my filters, the B&W 093 and B&W 403 are very opaque meaning even at wideish apertures the shutter speed can be as low as 1/10. I recently visited NYC and although my shots looked great in camera when I opened them on the laptop some were soft due camera shake.
I fully had the a7r in mind but after reading about the a7II it just seems perfect. The IBIS stabiliser should really help and ive seen test vids with shots at even slower shutter speeds handheld and they were spot on. Also ive tried rangefinder type cameras and also had a look at an a7 in Jessops and i'm not keen on the shutter button placement so the new layout will suit me more I feel.

 

[ricky1981]

Got the chance to play with the A7II today and was left a touch underwhelmed, I've probably been spoilt by the RX1's images and those from the A7II were quite far back. I tried the E-M1 in the same shop and it was so much nicer to use despite the ugly styling (personal taste).

I'd fully expected to leave the shop considerably poorer but actually decided to stick with my RX1 for 35mm and get a used E-M1 with a few lenses to cover 50mm, 90mm and a cheap zoom since I rarely go longer than 80-90mm.

If they ever announce an RX2 or if the A7IIS delivers then I'll probably be trading in the RX1 but for me the A7II just didn't quite hit the spot and the quirky compact will be with me for a bit longer

 

[chrism_scotland]

Got the chance to play with the A7II today and was left a touch underwhelmed, I've probably been spoilt by the RX1's images and those from the A7II were quite far back. I tried the E-M1 in the same shop and it was so much nicer to use despite the ugly styling (personal taste).

I'd fully expected to leave the shop considerably poorer but actually decided to stick with my RX1 for 35mm and get a used E-M1 with a few lenses to cover 50mm, 90mm and a cheap zoom since I rarely go longer than 80-90mm.

If they ever announce an RX2 or if the A7IIS delivers then I'll probably be trading in the RX1 but for me the A7II just didn't quite hit the spot and the quirky compact will be with me for a bit longer

I should maybe try and play with one too and see if it stops me thinking about it!

 

[Laudrup]

Got the chance to play with the A7II today and was left a touch underwhelmed, I've probably been spoilt by the RX1's images and those from the A7II were quite far back. I tried the E-M1 in the same shop and it was so much nicer to use despite the ugly styling (personal taste).

I'd fully expected to leave the shop considerably poorer but actually decided to stick with my RX1 for 35mm and get a used E-M1 with a few lenses to cover 50mm, 90mm and a cheap zoom since I rarely go longer than 80-90mm.

If they ever announce an RX2 or if the A7IIS delivers then I'll probably be trading in the RX1 but for me the A7II just didn't quite hit the spot and the quirky compact will be with me for a bit longer

What lens was on the A7II?

 

[Cap'n Bill]

you could do A mount SSM lens too for more options, and cheaper too..

I chose the Sigma because it has optical stabilisation. I don't know of any Sony SSM lenses with that feature. However even if there is one it would still have limited functionality on the A7 as regards not supporting focus bracketing and touch screen focusing from a tablet using remote control application. These are features I want to use on my current project but are not available when the LEA4 adapter is used.

 

[pingu666]

ahh
sigma have other lenses with os on them on Sony mount, anything with os in its name on dyxum should...

 

[pingu666]

and hsm and tamrons one are decent but not as good as ssm mk2 which is crazy fast

 

[Cap'n Bill]

Tamron, for some strange reason, dropped the VC (stabilisation) on the Sony version of their 70-300mm USD lens though it is on the Canon and Nikon versions. Anyway, the point remains that use of the LEA4 adaptor means reduced functionality on the A7 in some areas which just happen to be important for my current project.

I seem to be talking myself into the FE 70-200mm don't I?

 

[woof woof]

Tamron, for some strange reason, dropped the VC (stabilisation) on the Sony version of their 70-300mm USD lens though it is on the Canon and Nikon versions. Anyway, the point remains that use of the LEA4 adaptor means reduced functionality on the A7 in some areas which just happen to be important for my current project.

I seem to be talking myself into the FE 70-200mm don't I?

Don't have one myself but reading on line seems to suggest that it's a good lens

You know it makes sense...

 

[chrism_scotland]

Tamron, for some strange reason, dropped the VC (stabilisation) on the Sony version of their 70-300mm USD lens though it is on the Canon and Nikon versions. Anyway, the point remains that use of the LEA4 adaptor means reduced functionality on the A7 in some areas which just happen to be important for my current project.

I seem to be talking myself into the FE 70-200mm don't I?

They dropped it because of the In Body Stabilisation on Sony.... the FE 70-200 is meant to be a cracking lens.... I'm not helping am I.....

 

[FJS]

Desperate for an A7S now.

 

[ricky1981]

What lens was on the A7II?

I tried the kit lens which was very ordinary (as most of them are!), the 35mm FE and 55mm FE which were both very good but not spectacular and also a 50mm Voigtlander which was sublime but cost more than my car!

Just to be clear, I didn't dislike the A7II, I just didn't get on with it as much as I had expected. I had the same thing with the X-T1 and it's perhaps just a combination of personal preference in terms of handling and having been spoiled by the RX1's images.

 

[steveclem]

What was the Voigtlander????

 

[woof woof]

I tried the kit lens which was very ordinary (as most of them are!), the 35mm FE and 55mm FE which were both very good but not spectacular and also a 50mm Voigtlander which was sublime but cost more than my car!

I suppose lenses are difficult to assess. You can measure this and that but also there's the look and what you like or don't. I think I've read somewhere that the 55mm is one of the sharpest AF lenses a certain well known test house has ever tested. What they say...

"The scale of Sony's achievement here becomes clear when comparing the FE 55mm F1.8 directly to the Zeiss Otus 55mm F1.4, which lays a strong claim to being the best lens for which we have test data. The Otus still just about comes out on top - it measures as slightly sharper wide open - but it's unlikely any difference will be particularly visible in real-world photography. The Otus also just about wins out on chromatic aberration and distortion, but overall the Sony can certainly wear its Zeiss badge with pride.

Compared to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II or Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, the Sony is quite simply in a different class in terms of wide-open sharpness. This is only to be expected, given its much higher price and far more modern design, but it does give some idea of why Sony feels it can charge a premium for the lens. The Zeiss also beats Nikon's latest, and even-more-pricey AF-S Nikkor 58mm f/1.4G for sharpness in these tests - it really is very good indeed.

From the lab test results, the Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA is quite simply one of the sharpest lenses we've seen. It's clearly been designed with the demands of modern high resolution sensors in mind, and is easily a match for the currently class-leading resolution of the Alpha 7R. It's impossible to ignore its price, but in this case, there's a pretty good argument that you get what you pay for."

Maybe the Sony 55mm is "spectacular" in the eyes of some people and going by some test results? I have one and IMVHO it's a very very good lens. My Minolta 50mm f1.4 is nice and my Sigma 50mm f1.4 was very good indeed but to be honest I think that the Sony is better than both in any measurable way. Anything else is opinion but with things you look at I suppose opinion matters but I think even people who don't like the 55mm should still recognise that it's a very good lens.

 

[PCPhil]

Agree totally. The 35mm is a great lens and the 55 is excellent. By spectacular do we want it to emit fireworks every time it takes a shot

 

[Riz_Guru]

I own the Zeiss 55mm f1.8 and it's one epic lens.
The Sony 70-200mm f4 is also a great lens

 

[woof woof]

I think it's biggest problem is that it's a Sony and people maybe think Sony should stick to making.... DVD players(?) and certainly not the sharpest AF lens ever tested. If it was made by even Canon Nikon it'd have more fans, possibly

 

[GIZTO29]

Does anyone know of somewhere in the Uk or atleast a seller that keeps stock in the UK that sell the Fotodiox EF-E adapter? Ive read and watched reviews that say its as good as the Metabones adapter but is far cheaper... The metabones has just jumped £50 on Digital Rev today aswell :/

 

[steveclem]

Do a search on Fotodiox, most reviews say it stinks. Metabones or Novoflex are the ones I understand. No point putting a 3rd rate adapter on a first rate lens.

 

[GIZTO29]

Do a search on Fotodiox, most reviews say it stinks. Metabones or Novoflex are the ones I understand. No point putting a 3rd rate adapter on a first rate lens.

I can only find them in the States even on Amazon.co.uk. I agree, I had watched a review showing it in action where the guy hadnt been happy with his Metabones and returned it then bought the Fotodiox version.

 

[steveclem]

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2014/...on-50-f0-95-full-frame-lens-with-the-sony-a7/

 

[twist]

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2014/...on-50-f0-95-full-frame-lens-with-the-sony-a7/

Been out a while, review posted Apr 28 2014.

 

[woof woof]

Hmmm. Minolta 50mm f1.4 is enough for me

 

[Impspeed]

I picked up an A7 with kit lens for my wife. It's more than enough for her but I've already seen it as a retail opportunity. I want some fast, wide primes.

 

[woof woof]

This place reports that A7 series sales are doing well...

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr4-a77ii-and-a7-series-sales/#disqus_thread

"A long time source spilled out some general info on the Sony camera sales:
1) A77II A-mount camera sales slightly exceeded the projections of the first three sales months.
2) A7-A7r-A7s sales are way higher than Sony’s best projection.
3) The most sold FE camera is the Sony A7s
4) The most sold E-mount camera (FF and APS-C) is the A6000.
I am not surprised to hear that at all. And I hope Sony will take note that we need more APS-C E-mount lenses too to support the many A6000/5100 and future A7000 camera owners."

That's nice, and the A7s is the best seller. I don't know why but I didn't expect that. Still happy enough with my A7

 

[robj20]

It will be a lot of video people snapping the A7s up. Im happy the sales are doing well, might spur Sigma into making FE lenses.

 

[twist]

It will be a lot of video people snapping the A7s up. Im happy the sales are doing well, might spur Sigma into making FE lenses.

Id agree with that but also add that in other markets its very similarly priced to the 7R so for people that dont want the res and prefer ISO and better MF lens performance its a bit of a no brainer. In this country though theres huge difference in price between the 3 models.

Im sure Sigma confirmed they will be looking into FE.