Anyone made the change from Canon to Sony Alpha?

quango2k

quango2k

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After reading so many reviews I almost did it..infact, all my canon gear is all boxed up ready to go for trade in..but something stopped me and I cannot put a finger on it. I know on paper the A7Rii is technically amazing, pretty sucky battery power but thats about it.

I was going to get an A7Rii, an A7ii, 16-35 zeiss, 24-70 zeiss, 70-200 zeiss, 55mm zeiss, 85mm batis, grips, batteries etc etc etc..

Trading in my gripped 5diii, 2x 1dx bodies, 16-35 f2.8, 50mm f1.2, 135mm f2, 24-70 f4, 70-200 f2.8, extenders, 600ex flashguns and transmitter etc

Something is nagging at me to stay with Canon in the vein hope that the 5div will be worth waiting for, but the Sony kit is way more advanced in many ways, but I cant seem to let go!

Has anyone been through the change and what are your own experiences, merrits and negatives?
 
I used Canon DSLR's for about 10 years and eventually sold my 5D and all lenses when the A7 came along. Until then I had been using the 5D and MFT but now have the Sony A7 and MFT.

For me the advantages are...

A more compact system.
Focus and exposure aids in view and the whole WYSIWYG thing.
Not having to worry too much about focus accuracy, MA and all that.

As a mainly 28-135mm prime user who only ever shoots with one focus point and never uses tracking or face detect or anything like that there really aren't too many negatives for me, maybe none really worth mentioning. I currently have the 35mm f2.8, 55mm f1.8 and the kit lens and I use old SLR primes via Novoflex adapters.

I gather that the battery life is an issue for some and there are whinges about tracking and the relatively few lenses available so far and the dubious 24-70mm f4 and doubtless many more gripes.

Thought of renting to see if the A7 suits before you jump?
 
Just curious, what is your Canon gear lacking that you will gain from the Sony gear?
 
I m sure that the 70-200 is a G lens. Anyway, that is a big jump and if it's your first mirrorless system I would recommend that you try it before you commit yourself.
 
RichardtheSane said:
Just curious, what is your Canon gear lacking that you will gain from the Sony gear?
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This is the problem, I think I fell victim to marketing. I have no issues with my canon gear..I even still use my 1dmkiii with its 11mp and I'm happy with the results.

I think I like the idea of lighter kit, better dr etc. I have tried an a7ii for a few days with the 16-35 zeiss and an 85mm batis and it was great, no gripes at all...but still, I can't let go of canon.
 
Quite a few of the guys I sometimes shoot 'scapes with have switched to the A7 range.
They very much like the dynamic range. and also the fact they can use their existing lenses, via an adaptor.
Some of them do report frustrating usability problems from time to time, however none of them have gone back to Canon etc.
 
I think it depends on what you do with it in a studio environment there is little benefit of the sony in my opinion, if your a landscaper I can see the weight and 36mp advantage.... I'm looking to get a sony a7 series after Christmas to try I cant see it replacing my 5d3 or 5dsr though for weddings or portraits but for my social trips out I think it is a winner
 
I am hoping Canon are listening to customers at the moment..I hope the 5dmkiv has better dynamic range etc..I use my cameras for everything, from Studio, landscape, fast action (mostly unpredictable kids on location shoots) and weddings, the sony doesnt really have a jack of all trades this is why I was opting for the A7ii for weddings and location shoots and the A7rii for studio and landscapes etc.

I have this nagging feeling that lots of the people that have moved to Sony are only saying they are awesome as they dont want to admit they made an expensive mistake...although I may be wrong :)
 
quango2k said:
I am hoping Canon are listening to customers at the moment..I hope the 5dmkiv has better dynamic range etc..I use my cameras for everything, from Studio, landscape, fast action (mostly unpredictable kids on location shoots) and weddings, the sony doesnt really have a jack of all trades this is why I was opting for the A7ii for weddings and location shoots and the A7rii for studio and landscapes etc.

I have this nagging feeling that lots of the people that have moved to Sony are only saying they are awesome as they dont want to admit they made an expensive mistake...although I may be wrong :)
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Ive had a few A7/s cameras alongside my DSLRs, not the A7rii though, they cant replace my D750 and my requirements/usage is similar to yours minus the landscapes. What they are good at is a travel camera when fitted with the 35 and 55. Theres no point in getting the A7ii if youre already thinking about getting an A7rii.

If you want a better sensor youd be better off spending a lot less and opting for the D810.
 
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quango2k said:
I am hoping Canon are listening to customers at the moment..I hope the 5dmkiv has better dynamic range etc..I use my cameras for everything, from Studio, landscape, fast action (mostly unpredictable kids on location shoots) and weddings, the sony doesnt really have a jack of all trades this is why I was opting for the A7ii for weddings and location shoots and the A7rii for studio and landscapes etc.

I have this nagging feeling that lots of the people that have moved to Sony are only saying they are awesome as they dont want to admit they made an expensive mistake...although I may be wrong :)
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Just a quick point on the dynamic range issue...

I did lots of comparison shots between my Panasonic G1 and my 5D and although the 5D probably has a greater DR (I don't know the figures but I'm sure it must have...) the Panasonic's in view histogram actually made it easier to judge the exposure and I found that despite the Panasonic (presumably) having less DR I was able to get a workable shot much more easily and much quicker than with the Canon by exposing for the highlights and not blocking up the shadows too much so that they could be boosted if required post capture. With the 5D I'd have to guestimate the exposure for the best effect, check the results and alter setting as and when appropriate and shoot again and of course my Canon's didn't respond too well to shadow boosting although later ones may be better in this respect.

My first shot hit rate in challenging conditions when an in view histogram could really help was much higher with the G1 than with the more capable DR wise 5D. In fact with all of my CSC's I rarely need to retake a shot due to exposure issues.

So, my point is that it's maybe not just the sensors greater DR that gives an advantage to the A7 series but also the in view exposure aids.

How this help you I'm not sure :D but I just wanted to mention the point :D
 
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Since your Canon gear is still doing a good job for you, why not wait another year or two until its deficiencies become annoying. By then the technology you'll be able to upgrade too will be even shinier. It might even be Canon which will save you money. If you must buy something I'm sure there are other lackings in your gear. Have you got enough tripods? Bags? LED panels?
 
woof woof said:
Just a quick point on the dynamic range issue...

I did lots of comparison shots between my Panasonic G1 and my 5D and although the 5D probably has a greater DR (I don't know the figures but I'm sure it must have...) the Panasonic's in view histogram actually made it easier to judge the exposure and I found that despite the Panasonic (presumably) having less DR I was able to get a workable shot much more easily and much quicker than with the Canon by exposing for the highlights and not blocking up the shadows too much so that they could be boosted if required post capture. With the 5D I'd have to guestimate the exposure for the best effect, check the results and alter setting as and when appropriate and shoot again and of course my Canon's didn't respond too well to shadow boosting although later ones may be better in this respect.

My first shot hit rate in challenging conditions when an in view histogram could really help was much higher with the G1 than with the more capable DR wise 5D. In fact with all of my CSC's I rarely need to retake a shot due to exposure issues.

So, my point is that it's maybe not just the sensors greater DR that gives an advantage to the A7 series but also the in view exposure aids.

How this help you I'm not sure :D but I just wanted to mention the point :D
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DSLRs have moved on since the original 5d.... a lot. They have live view, histograms, live exposure etc etc.
 
The best canon full frame sensors are just about touching Sony APS-C from 2011 in terms of dynamic range. This doesn't mean however that landscapes from 2011 are sudenly poor images technically so maybe DR is largly a moot point?
 
Brazo said:
The best canon full frame sensors are just about touching Sony APS-C from 2011 in terms of dynamic range. This doesn't mean however that landscapes from 2011 are sudenly poor images technically so maybe DR is largly a moot point?
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Wash your mouth out, you heretic. That's crazy talk. Everyone here knows that it simply wasn't possible to take a decent landscape photo until 2012.
 
chris malcolm said:
Since your Canon gear is still doing a good job for you, why not wait another year or two until its deficiencies become annoying. By then the technology you'll be able to upgrade too will be even shinier. It might even be Canon which will save you money. If you must buy something I'm sure there are other lackings in your gear. Have you got enough tripods? Bags? LED panels?
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I have a serious case of G.A.S (gear aquisition sydrome)...tripods and bags I have so many I dont know what to do with them...and I have just ordered the rotolight neo 3 light kit with barn doors..so I will be good on LED panels too haha.

I think I will just chuck some more money at glass, there are a couple more lenses I really want (probably dont need but hey, I'll be dead one day)
 
I'd personally (and am) waiting to see what Canon does as a response to the A7 line. The 5D3 was released before all this happened so I'm hoping the 4 will at least match it for specs.

However I'm doubtful and if they don't, I'll most likely wait for the next A7 line and jump for it.

I'm thinking about picking up an A6000 as a test to get a feel for things, walk around camera.
 
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