Move to Sony A7r/ii?

Should I move or stay?

  • Nikon D810 (currently own)

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Sony A7R

    Votes: 3 37.5%

  • Sony A7Rii/A9 (Prepared to wait)

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Other brand?

    Votes: 3 37.5%
  • Total voters
    8
JayB

JayB

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Hey everyone, I'm looking for some help if possible, currently I have a Nikon D810 which I love but unfortunately due to a declining health issue has become to heavy for me with lens attached for prolonged periods of time. Thus forcing my hand to sell up :( However I do not want to give photography up completely, I was looking at the (baring in mind I want to stay FF) A7r and the possibility of the A7R ii/A9 that hopeful will be coming soonish and wondered if any of my Nikon kit would work on the A7R? I'm not talking about lens as I think most of those will have to go too as I want everything working like auto focus etc so probably have to purchase Sony lens as well. I do however have the sb-900 flash and some yonguno flash guns and wondered if they would work even as manual? I also have YN-622N-TX triggers to set them manually if required. Also on the lens front I currently have a 50mm 1.8, Tamron 24-70mm 2.8, sigma 70-200 OS 2.8 and wondered what everyone would recommend sony wise that would be the same/similar, I can only seem to find F4 lens. Thanks for your help in advance.
 
Thanks for the reply, If I'm honest I'm prepared to move from Nikon, I've had the 750 in my hands for a few hours testing it and tbh although a good camera all round I just don't think its for me. That and I think the sony's are the future unless nikon and canon get their ass in gear. I know there is trade offs with everything and the sony's arnt without their faults too.
 
JayB said:
Thanks for the reply, If I'm honest I'm prepared to move from Nikon, I've had the 750 in my hands for a few hours testing it and tbh although a good camera all round I just don't think its for me. That and I think the sony's are the future unless nikon and canon get their ass in gear. I know there is trade offs with everything and the sony's arnt without their faults too.
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Okay, to give you some idea, in terms of FF Ive used a 5d, 6d, d700, d750, d800, a7, a7s. The most capable all round camera Ive used so far is the D750 in terms of AF/weight/IQ. IME the Sony system is getting there but it isnt quite yet and I find it lacking in terms of native fast primes and zooms (2.8 and faster), the lighting system is also confusing.

The lenses that are available are the same size as the DSLR equivalent because of the sensor size, so you are really saving on the camera size, in terms of ergonomics this may or may not suit you, I find the a7 bodies okay but less comfy than other CSCs like fuji and even less so than a decent DSLR.

You say Sony is the future? At the moment they arent, so whatever you buy is still not going to outperform a good DSLR. The Sonys are very capable in terms of sensor performance but also look into the 11 + 7 RAWs. You have a good kit list and I think youll find you will be taking a step backward unless you want to use manual flash and manual focus lenses.
 
twist said:
Okay, to give you some idea, in terms of FF Ive used a 5d, 6d, d700, d750, d800, a7, a7s. The most capable all round camera Ive used so far is the D750 in terms of AF/weight/IQ. IME the Sony system is getting there but it isnt quite yet and I find it lacking in terms of native fast primes and zooms (2.8 and faster), the lighting system is also confusing.

The lenses that are available are the same size as the DSLR equivalent because of the sensor size, so you are really saving on the camera size, in terms of ergonomics this may or may not suit you, I find the a7 bodies okay but less comfy than other CSCs like fuji and even less so than a decent DSLR.

You say Sony is the future? At the moment they arent, so whatever you buy is still not going to outperform a good DSLR. The Sonys are very capable in terms of sensor performance but also look into the 11 + 7 RAWs. You have a good kit list and I think youll find you will be taking a step backward unless you want to use manual flash and manual focus lenses.
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:agree: As somebody who also has disabilities (including arm & hand), I have found the grip of the D750 to be excellent and the weight not much more than a basic DSLR or a A7 which I have also tried. As been said by Twist when you are talking about FF systems, it has roughly the same size and weight in lenses what ever brand you use. So there isn't a huge difference in overall weight.

An alternative is to have a D750 and a lighter system so they can both compliment themselves. I had a Fuji XT1 before my D750 and will get another when finances allow.

You then need to look at other things like bags. As an example, I had a Think Tank Retrospective 7 and it weighed 1.3kgs, I changed to a Crumpler Light Delight 6000 which weighs about 600 grammes. etc...........

Edit: A size comparison between a A7II & D750 with 50mm lenses attached. Theres a difference of 146grammes with both camera fitted with 50mm 1.8g lenses. >http://j.mp/1u7IZzE
 
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The grip of my right hand is failing, and I can't take the weight of my camera with a big lens for long. It's also not advisable to try, because it punishes me later. My perfectly good solution so far is to make a lot more use of camera supports. I use a tripod more often, and otherwise mostly use a monopod. The folded up monopod gives me a big fat handle with which my good left hand can take the whole weight of the camera, the right hand just has to work the shutter etc..

The rather nice side effect is that my increased use of camera supports results in sharper images :-)
 
chris malcolm said:
The grip of my right hand is failing, and I can't take the weight of my camera with a big lens for long. It's also not advisable to try, because it punishes me later. My perfectly good solution so far is to make a lot more use of camera supports. I use a tripod more often, and otherwise mostly use a monopod. The folded up monopod gives me a big fat handle with which my good left hand can take the whole weight of the camera, the right hand just has to work the shutter etc..

The rather nice side effect is that my increased use of camera supports results in sharper images :)
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I'm the same at present, I have a home kit for garden bird photography, tripod setup ready to go. I use a Fuji P&S currently for when going out. I have sold my prime 300 f4 lens this week as I want one with VR and will buy a light Tamron 70-300mm if I can handhold, the prime was too heavy for me hence selling. I will buy a 150-600mm for the tripod.

I have found personally for me to keep the hobby is to adjust the equipment to suit, along with the days out, usually wife plonks me on a bench and she then walks the dog.
 
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I prefer the size and weight of the A7 / A7R / A7S as apposed to the new A7II.
I moved from a Nikon D7000 which was mostly paired up with the Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8.
The size and weight difference was significant let alone the IQ benefits.
No regrets moving to Sony here. :)
 
When I read posts saying there's little difference in bulk and weight I wonder what planet you guys are on as quite obviously an A7 series body and a lens will usually represent quite a saving in bulk and weight over a conventional DSLR if only because the bodies are so small. You may have to hold the cameras to make a final judgement but you can get some idea from the size comparison site...

Nikon 750 v A7...
http://camerasize.com/compact/#567.353,487.395,ha,t
and the weights and dimensions...
http://camerasize.com/compare/#567,487
The 750 weighs 77% more than an A7, 366g. The Sony FE 55mm f1,8 weighs 281g so an A7+55mm lens still weighs less than a 750 without a lens.
The Nikon 750 is also 241g heavier than the A7II.

So surely you're going to have to fit one big fat lens to an A7 to make it even the same weight as a Nikon 750 plus a lens.

OP. My advice is to think about what lenses you are going to want to buy and then look at the package as a whole or if finances allow maybe you could buy into a really small system such as a Sony A6000 or Micro Four Thirds. You could then use a small body and lens for most stuff and bring out the big heavy DSLR and lens once in a blue moon when you want the abilities and any additional image quality it can offer.
 
woof woof said:
When I read posts saying there's little difference in bulk and weight I wonder what planet you guys are on as quite obviously an A7 series body and a lens will usually represent quite a saving in bulk and weight over a conventional DSLR if only because the bodies are so small. You may have to hold the cameras to make a final judgement but you can get some idea from the size comparison site...

Nikon 750 v A7...
http://camerasize.com/compact/#567.353,487.395,ha,t
and the weights and dimensions...
http://camerasize.com/compare/#567,487
The 750 weighs 77% more than an A7, 366g. The Sony FE 55mm f1,8 weighs 281g so an A7+55mm lens still weighs less than a 750 without a lens.
The Nikon 750 is also 241g heavier than the A7II.

So surely you're going to have to fit one big fat lens to an A7 to make it even the same weight as a Nikon 750 plus a lens.

OP. My advice is to think about what lenses you are going to want to buy and then look at the package as a whole or if finances allow maybe you could buy into a really small system such as a Sony A6000 or Micro Four Thirds. You could then use a small body and lens for most stuff and bring out the big heavy DSLR and lens once in a blue moon when you want the abilities and any additional image quality it can offer.
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However the D700 will take 4 times as many shots as the Sony on only 1 battery, add another 3x batteries to the A7 and that takes the combined weight up to 714g. Thats a difference of only 126g. So basically if the Nikon had poor battery life it would weigh 126g more.
 
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But then the weight is modular, the spare batteries are in your pocket not your hands. Or in my case the other halfs bag.
 
robj20 said:
But then the weight is modular, the spare batteries are in your pocket not your hands. Or in my case the other halfs bag.
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But then its also less convenient.

If the OP is really trying to save weight he should be looking at M43. Sensor size vs weight is always going to be a balancing act.
 
I have found it the opposite, its more convenient.
 
woof woof said:
When I read posts saying there's little difference in bulk and weight I wonder what planet you guys are on as quite obviously an A7 series body and a lens will usually represent quite a saving in bulk and weight over a conventional DSLR if only because the bodies are so small. You may have to hold the cameras to make a final judgement but you can get some idea from the size comparison site...

Nikon 750 v A7...
http://camerasize.com/compact/#567.353,487.395,ha,t
and the weights and dimensions...
http://camerasize.com/compare/#567,487
The 750 weighs 77% more than an A7, 366g. The Sony FE 55mm f1,8 weighs 281g so an A7+55mm lens still weighs less than a 750 without a lens.
The Nikon 750 is also 241g heavier than the A7II.

So surely you're going to have to fit one big fat lens to an A7 to make it even the same weight as a Nikon 750 plus a lens.

OP. My advice is to think about what lenses you are going to want to buy and then look at the package as a whole or if finances allow maybe you could buy into a really small system such as a Sony A6000 or Micro Four Thirds. You could then use a small body and lens for most stuff and bring out the big heavy DSLR and lens once in a blue moon when you want the abilities and any additional image quality it can offer.
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If your referring to my post I put the latest gen A7, the A7II with the equivalent lenses available. Thought best use this as it's the newest gen camera like the OP's D810, plus if the OP has health issues the A7II with IBIS would be beneficial. The Sony 55mm f1.8 and A7II come to 880gms and the Nikon D750 & 50mm f1.8g come to 1026 grammes a difference of 146 grammes. Not a huge difference, a few bags of crisps.

I think what Twist was advising in his original post and me to some extent, was that for coming from a D810 and his current lenses, probably the D750 would be a better option due to the range of lenses and flashguns etc............ available from Nikon. And if going the prime route do Sony have any AF f1.4 lenses in there line up??.............. which maybe useful if he's a pro shooter.
 
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Not specifically your post but certainly there have been repeated comments on this site about various CSC being the size of DSLR's when plainly even if fitted with the same lens a smaller bodied CSC will represent a saving in both bulk and weight.

It's therefore up to each of us to decide if the weight/bulk saving is worth it when considering any compromises in performance or handling.

Personally I use primes almost exclusively so a CSC + a prime represents a very significant saving in both bulk and weight over a conventional DSLR + lens to me but even with the same lenses there's still a bulk and weight saving as CSC bodies are smaller... but is it significant? It's a personal decision.

As I've said before several times, the first time I went out with my Panasonic G1 rather than my 5D+Sigma 50mm f1.4 I honestly had to keep checking the bag to make sure it was still in there such was the saving in weight. The same is true of my A7+55mm f1.8 or any of my manual primes, the package is much smaller and lighter than my 5D was.

The lens line up is sparse but slowly improving and that could be a consideration for many but even the addition of an adapter enabling the use of Nikon lenses will still I'd imagine give a bulk and weight saving which could matter to the user depending on personal view.
 
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That's all i take with me 75% of the time, A7R and 35mm f2.8. 36MP so i can crop heavily so its even more versatile while still small and light. Fits in my jacket pocket.
 
twist said:
However the D700 will take 4 times as many shots as the Sony on only 1 battery, add another 3x batteries to the A7 and that takes the combined weight up to 714g. Thats a difference of only 126g. So basically if the Nikon had poor battery life it would weigh 126g more.
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The Sony is rated for 340 shots - assume this is greatly exaggerated, and it will only manage 200 shots - depending on the shooting style of the OP, 200 may be more than enough for a full day - so the extra capacity on a D700 would be superfluous.

That is probably the thing that is missing from this - what is the OP wanting to shoot?
There are a growing range of decent quality f/4 native lenses for the E mount, which may meet his requirements - without knowing how he intends to use the camera, it is difficult to advise.
 
a lot depends on the amount of chimping you do - also a lot of people use the "spray and pray" mentality instead of taking more care with each shot like in the days of film
 
If you want to reduce weight move from a DSLR or DSLR type …… f2.8 or long DSLR lens will still be big and heavy - in their very design

M4/3 bodies and lens may suit you - they even do a very good 300mm CX lens now …. Panasonic and Oly produce some excellent kit

Depends what you want to shoot ……… if you shoot birds with a 800mm there is little option …….. it is about matching the equipment to your needs

The Sigma DPM,s certainly match the D810 for IQ - you will get all three for under £1k
 
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Faldrax said:
The Sony is rated for 340 shots - assume this is greatly exaggerated, and it will only manage 200 shots - depending on the shooting style of the OP, 200 may be more than enough for a full day - so the extra capacity on a D700 would be superfluous.

That is probably the thing that is missing from this - what is the OP wanting to shoot?
There are a growing range of decent quality f/4 native lenses for the E mount, which may meet his requirements - without knowing how he intends to use the camera, it is difficult to advise.
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Sure, but the rate of charges vs actual image count doesn't change. I always found that when I grabbed my CSC the battery was flat or near it and then I had to be concerned wether I could do another days shooting without a spare or two. With a 1500 shot battery theres no need to worry until after a few days and by then I would've dumped the card and charged the battery while I was doing that. At least its not a Sigma DP battery :D

Thats a good point, looking at current spec, its a bit of everything as he's well covered, so its wether he needs fast aperture lenses. As he's mentioned the F4 lenses I think its probably safe to assume he's wanting F2.8 or he wouldnt ask what else is available.
 
Looking at the OP current equipment I would pressume he's a pro and wedding shooter looking at his flickr and facebook account which can be seen on the link below. Or he doesn't like the D810?

If he is a pro would the A7 be suitable for weddings.?

Also, he was on line earlier perhaps he will have a chance to tell us his main uses of camera when back on line?

Linky >https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/photography-help-needed.564764/
 
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woof woof said:
Not specifically your post but certainly there have been repeated comments on this site about various CSC being the size of DSLR's when plainly even if fitted with the same lens a smaller bodied CSC will represent a saving in both bulk and weight.
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This what I was trying to show you earlier, the A7ii & 55mm lens is not a huge difference between the D750 & 50mm f1.8g lens. In length the A7 maybe even a tad longer with the lens fitted as the Sony lens is about 22% longer than the Nikon lens.

See my link again > http://camerasize.com/compact/#579.395,567.353,ha,t
 
Its still a lot smaller total package. Look at the side view.
 
robj20 said:
Its still a lot smaller total package. Look at the side view.
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Not really, when you consider handling. e.g size of hand v size of grip, location of strap lugs, dials and where thumb rests etc.
 
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Not sure why handling comes into it if your main priority is to move to a smaller system. I understood that moving may involve a reduction in ergonomics, but it just wasn't, i can use it just as well as i could my old camera.

I'm sure some people just want CSC to be physics defying cameras that offer all the functionality of a dslr but lighter and smaller.
 
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robj20 said:
Not sure why handling comes into it if your main priority is to move to a smaller system. I understood that moving may involve a reduction in ergonomics, but it just wasn't, i can use it just as well as i could my old camera.

I'm sure some people just want CSC to be physics defying cameras that offer all the functionality of a dslr but lighter and smaller.
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Of course handling comes into it, if you have issues with your hand/grip then a cramped camera isn't going to be very good, bigger grip and more spaced out command dials etc will be much better than hard to reach custom buttons and uncomfortable dials. I thankfully have no issues with handling either CSCs or DSLR but I can feel a difference in comfort between the two and that difference is far bigger for people with pain.

It seems the OP has lost interest anyway.
 
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