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

nandbytes said:
robj20 said:
Would definitely be the A7CR for me.
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nandbytes said:
Definitely A7CR unless you really want that 1/8000s shutter speed
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Thank you both. I know the one is from 2019 and the other is 2023. In a comparrison site they slightly favoured the A7R4.

I can live without the 1/8000s shutter speed. I'm not so keen on the viewfinder on the left, however I did have a Sony A6300 with LH viewfinder for a few years that I liked. They also mention the viewfinder screen is not as good, but by your answers, you are both not too bothered by that.

Is there anything else I should know good or bad, is the sensor better?
 
I just can't get over the 1/4,000 mechanical shutter limit and then having to manually switch to the electronic shutter... or shoot with the electronic shutter all the time... thing. If they must fit a mechanical shutter that can not go faster than 1/4,000 it is IMO idiotic not to include an automatic switching option. Even my Panasonic MFT cameras have this option. Good luck to those who like the A7c series but it's just not and possibly will not ever be for me.
 
Redspider said:
Thank you both. I know the one is from 2019 and the other is 2023. In a comparrison site they slightly favoured the A7R4.

I can live without the 1/8000s shutter speed. I'm not so keen on the viewfinder on the left, however I did have a Sony A6300 with LH viewfinder for a few years that I liked. They also mention the viewfinder screen is not as good, but by your answers, you are both not too bothered by that.

Is there anything else I should know good or bad, is the sensor better?
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Same sensor
A7CR has 7 stops IBIS, AF system is a whole lot better with the new subject tracking, new menus system, other features like focus bracketting etc
Its just a better camera overall. Used to have the A7RIV and I didn't enjoy is a whole lot tbh. Much prefer even my A7IV to it.

The main issue for me on A7RC is the lack of 1/8000s shutter speed in mechanical shutter mode. You can get 1/8000s in electronic mode which is fine for static subjects but no good for moving subjects or action as you'll have a lot rolling shutter.

I know Alan above doesn't like it but you can program a button to swap between electronic and mechanical shutter with a single click. Its not a big deal IMO.
you don't need to permanently shoot in either mode. On most bodies I shoot have this setup anyway since I like swapping between the shutter modes depending on what I am shooting.
Even on bodies like A1 I had this customisation since I needed shoot mechanical shutter from time to time. At least for me its a non-issue.
 
snerkler said:
I would too, they haven’t got the ergonomics right on the A7c’s for me.
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@Redspider ignore my previous comment for some reason I read it that you were comparing the A7IV against the A7c but see that it's the A7R IV you're looking at.

For me the ergonomics of the A7R IV are better than the A7CR but the A7CR is a much newer camera and therefore has better AF, better menus etc as mentioned. However, the A7RIV has a better and bigger EVF, better LCD, higher frame rate, faster max shutter and better battery life. It also has dual card slots.

In terms of the final image they will be comparable so it comes down to what you prioritise. I had the A7RIV and it is a fantastic camera, however it's not the best for sports etc. AF can struggle with subjects coming towards the camera. I also found overall use sluggish such as reviewing images, also whilst it's clearing the buffer most of the camera functions aren't accessible. I have no idea whether the A7CR is any better in this regard.

If the camera's primarily for landscapes and say travel I'd be tempted to go with the A7RIV due to the better ergonomics, better EVF and LCD and that it has dual card slots so you have a backup, especially important for me for travel. In fact the single card slot on the A7C series would likely be a deal breaker for me.
 
snerkler said:
@Redspider ignore my previous comment for some reason I read it that you were comparing the A7IV against the A7c but see that it's the A7R IV you're looking at.

For me the ergonomics of the A7R IV are better than the A7CR but the A7CR is a much newer camera and therefore has better AF, better menus etc as mentioned. However, the A7RIV has a better and bigger EVF, better LCD, higher frame rate, faster max shutter and better battery life. It also has dual card slots.

In terms of the final image they will be comparable so it comes down to what you prioritise. I had the A7RIV and it is a fantastic camera, however it's not the best for sports etc. AF can struggle with subjects coming towards the camera. I also found overall use sluggish such as reviewing images, also whilst it's clearing the buffer most of the camera functions aren't accessible. I have no idea whether the A7CR is any better in this regard.

If the camera's primarily for landscapes and say travel I'd be tempted to go with the A7RIV due to the better ergonomics, better EVF and LCD and that it has dual card slots so you have a backup, especially important for me for travel. In fact the single card slot on the A7C series would likely be a deal breaker for me.
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Do you have a mobile phone? Set up an FTP server and auto backup on the go. Arguably better than dual card slots if data integrity is your priority.

I have the A7C mostly for travel, landscape and never once regretted changing from the bigger cameras. It's less conspicuous, smaller, lighter.
 
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robj20 said:
Do you have a mobile phone? Set up an FTP server and auto backup on the go. Arguably better than dual card slots if data integrity is your priority.
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That's a foreign language to me ;)

I assume you're reliant on mobile data for that?
 
snerkler said:
That's a foreign language to me ;)

I assume you're reliant on mobile data for that?
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No. Your photos backup to your phone, you can then back them up remotely if you do choose, could easily do that at the end of the day via WIFI though.
Dual card slots really is a non issue once you realise this functionality.
 
nandbytes said:
Same sensor
A7CR has 7 stops IBIS, AF system is a whole lot better with the new subject tracking, new menus system, other features like focus bracketting etc
Its just a better camera overall. Used to have the A7RIV and I didn't enjoy is a whole lot tbh. Much prefer even my A7IV to it.

The main issue for me on A7RC is the lack of 1/8000s shutter speed in mechanical shutter mode. You can get 1/8000s in electronic mode which is fine for static subjects but no good for moving subjects or action as you'll have a lot rolling shutter.

I know Alan above doesn't like it but you can program a button to swap between electronic and mechanical shutter with a single click. Its not a big deal IMO.
you don't need to permanently shoot in either mode. On most bodies I shoot have this setup anyway since I like swapping between the shutter modes depending on what I am shooting.
Even on bodies like A1 I had this customisation since I needed shoot mechanical shutter from time to time. At least for me its a non-issue.
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I have the A73 at the moment and I also have it set tp go from mechanical to electronic shutter. I would miss the 8000s SS, but I can live without it. I do use it sometimes to capture birds in flight. The electronic is bad with hellicopters and birds wings, although it can sometimes give a pleasantly different photo. These were shot around 2000 but it was a dark cloudy day.
2 by Andy Williams, on Flickr

1 by Andy Williams, on Flickr
 
robj20 said:
No. Your photos backup to your phone, you can then back them up remotely if you do choose, could easily do that at the end of the day via WIFI though.
Dual card slots really is a non issue once you realise this functionality.
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Does this work with raw?
 
robj20 said:
No. Your photos backup to your phone, you can then back them up remotely if you do choose, could easily do that at the end of the day via WIFI though.
Dual card slots really is a non issue once you realise this functionality.
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I used the FTP via phone to transfer raws from my A7iv to my tablet while on holiday in Australia earlier in the year - while it worked well most of the time (I'd just set it transferring when we got back to the motorhome in the evening, when I was doing something else), I did find I had a small percentage of files that were corrupted during the transfer (less than a dozen over the 2 weeks) - I was able to then go back and resend them, and the resent version would be fine - if I had suffered a card failure then these few corrupted files would have been lost.
Not a huge issue, but the FTP backup is not perfect, and is slightly less robust than dual cards.
 
Faldrax said:
I used the FTP via phone to transfer raws from my A7iv to my tablet while on holiday in Australia earlier in the year - while it worked well most of the time (I'd just set it transferring when we got back to the motorhome in the evening, when I was doing something else), I did find I had a small percentage of files that were corrupted during the transfer (less than a dozen over the 2 weeks) - I was able to then go back and resend them, and the resent version would be fine - if I had suffered a card failure then these few corrupted files would have been lost.
Not a huge issue, but the FTP backup is not perfect, and is slightly less robust than dual cards.
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I've never had that happen. Which FTP software are you using, file checking enabled?
 
robj20 said:
I've never had that happen. Which FTP software are you using, file checking enabled?
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It was whichever FTP server was recommended in the tutorial I found on setting up FTP for the A7iv!
It just seemed to work when I set it up and tested it, so didn't dive into the options to check things - I'll take a look.
 
Faldrax said:
It was whichever FTP server was recommended in the tutorial I found on setting up FTP for the A7iv!
It just seemed to work when I set it up and tested it, so didn't dive into the options to check things - I'll take a look.
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If you're happy with dual cards then it's not really an issue.
I had it setup on mine so that it checked the files, then also uploaded them to my NAS at home.
So they were there ready to edit with no need to connect the camera.
 
For me manually switching shutter modes from mechanical to electronic to get a shutter speed I want is just one more thing I'm potentially going to forget to do and at best one more thing I'm going to have to do before taking a picture. Many will not suffer my ocd and irritation over this and might find the following statement hard to believe as I use manual lenses so much...

I mostly want the camera to just get out of my way and let me take pictures.

To me having to manually change a setting is the camera getting in the way. Having said all that for the pictures I take, mostly static or slow moving, the electronic shutter might well suffice but even if it would I'm being forced to use it and at some level that triggers me and of course some people will run into issues with the electronic shutter with moving subjects.

All in all I'd much rather have a shutter which goes to at least 1/8,000 together with lower than ISO 100 values being available to include in auto ISO so that I don't have to select ISO 50 manually (it's just another thing to do and another thing to get in my way) when running into the buffers at 1/8,000.

The last time I went out for a day it was to Whitby and I think I took in the region of 50 pictures two of which needed me to manually select ISO 50 and another one was taken at ISO 100 with a shutter speed exceeding 1/4,000. Some might not see having to press a button or otherwise change a setting 6% of the time a biggie but I see it as a needless limitation which could potentially go away if someone at Sony typed in a few more lines of code and made lower than ISO 50 ISO's available in auto ISO. I have tried just shooting at ISO 100 and trying to reduce the exposure post capture but shooting at ISO 50 to drop the shutter speed seems to give results I can not match when shooting at ISO 100 and trying to pull it back post capture.

Anyway. Ignore me :D
 
woof woof said:
For me manually switching shutter modes from mechanical to electronic to get a shutter speed I want is just one more thing I'm potentially going to forget to do and at best one more thing I'm going to have to do before taking a picture. Many will not suffer my ocd and irritation over this and might find the following statement hard to believe as I use manual lenses so much...

I mostly want the camera to just get out of my way and let me take pictures.

To me having to manually change a setting is the camera getting in the way. Having said all that for the pictures I take, mostly static or slow moving, the electronic shutter might well suffice but even if it would I'm being forced to use it and at some level that triggers me and of course some people will run into issues with the electronic shutter with moving subjects.

All in all I'd much rather have a shutter which goes to at least 1/8,000 together with lower than ISO 100 values being available to include in auto ISO so that I don't have to select ISO 50 manually (it's just another thing to do and another thing to get in my way) when running into the buffers at 1/8,000.

The last time I went out for a day it was to Whitby and I think I took in the region of 50 pictures two of which needed me to manually select ISO 50 and another one was taken at ISO 100 with a shutter speed exceeding 1/4,000. Some might not see having to press a button or otherwise change a setting 6% of the time a biggie but I see it as a needless limitation which could potentially go away if someone at Sony typed in a few more lines of code and made lower than ISO 50 ISO's available in auto ISO. I have tried just shooting at ISO 100 and trying to reduce the exposure post capture but shooting at ISO 50 to drop the shutter speed seems to give results I can not match when shooting at ISO 100 and trying to pull it back post capture.

Anyway. Ignore me :D
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ISO 50 is not native
 
T_J_G said:
Amazon have the 35GM for £1087 at the moment, delivery not for a week or two though.
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Third party seller though, with a delivery time of that length it's most likely grey.
 
woof woof said:
For me manually switching shutter modes from mechanical to electronic to get a shutter speed I want is just one more thing I'm potentially going to forget to do and at best one more thing I'm going to have to do before taking a picture. Many will not suffer my ocd and irritation over this and might find the following statement hard to believe as I use manual lenses so much...

I mostly want the camera to just get out of my way and let me take pictures.

To me having to manually change a setting is the camera getting in the way. Having said all that for the pictures I take, mostly static or slow moving, the electronic shutter might well suffice but even if it would I'm being forced to use it and at some level that triggers me and of course some people will run into issues with the electronic shutter with moving subjects.

All in all I'd much rather have a shutter which goes to at least 1/8,000 together with lower than ISO 100 values being available to include in auto ISO so that I don't have to select ISO 50 manually (it's just another thing to do and another thing to get in my way) when running into the buffers at 1/8,000.

The last time I went out for a day it was to Whitby and I think I took in the region of 50 pictures two of which needed me to manually select ISO 50 and another one was taken at ISO 100 with a shutter speed exceeding 1/4,000. Some might not see having to press a button or otherwise change a setting 6% of the time a biggie but I see it as a needless limitation which could potentially go away if someone at Sony typed in a few more lines of code and made lower than ISO 50 ISO's available in auto ISO. I have tried just shooting at ISO 100 and trying to reduce the exposure post capture but shooting at ISO 50 to drop the shutter speed seems to give results I can not match when shooting at ISO 100 and trying to pull it back post capture.

Anyway. Ignore me :D
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I agree cameras should give you the option to have it swap shutter automatically (mine actually does ;)) but is it any more hassle to swap shutter type than it is to change ISO to 50?
 
Before I pull the trigger on one of the 61Mp cameras. Has Sony rumours, got anything lurking around the corner?
 
snerkler said:
I agree cameras should give you the option to have it swap shutter automatically (mine actually does ;)) but is it any more hassle to swap shutter type than it is to change ISO to 50?
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With my A7 I don't have the option of an electronic shutter so selecting ISO 50 (or stopping down) is my only choice if I run out of shutter speed and want to avoid the even more inconvenient option of using ND's. With a new camera I'd just be swapping one workaround requiring manual intervention (selecting ISO 50) for another (either selecting ISO 50 or the electronic shutter.) Both things make me think an automatic option should be available.

At some point I might get what I want with a basic FF camera like the A7 but as Sony seem very slow to add some features I'd like whilst being quick to add others which I'm not interested in I've no idea if or when that might happen.

With MFT I do have 1/16,000 available but I have a base of ISO 200. What saves me here is that the fastest lens I use on MFT these days is f1.7 with which I do hit 1/16,000 occasionally.
 
woof woof said:
With my A7 I don't have the option of an electronic shutter so selecting ISO 50 (or stopping down) is my only choice if I run out of shutter speed and want to avoid the even more inconvenient option of using ND's. With a new camera I'd just be swapping one workaround requiring manual intervention (selecting ISO 50) for another (either selecting ISO 50 or the electronic shutter.) Both things make me think an automatic option should be available.

At some point I might get what I want with a basic FF camera like the A7 but as Sony seem very slow to add some features I'd like whilst being quick to add others which I'm not interested in I've no idea if or when that might happen.

With MFT I do have 1/16,000 available but I have a base of ISO 200. What saves me here is that the fastest lens I use on MFT these days is f1.7 with which I do hit 1/16,000 occasionally.
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Oh, didn't realise that.
 
Redspider said:
Before I pull the trigger on one of the 61Mp cameras. Has Sony rumours, got anything lurking around the corner?
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As above just the A9III. Any reason you want/need a high res camera like that?
 
woof woof said:
I just might know that.

As above, it still gives better results than bouncing off 1/8,000 and processing post capture for me.
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Non native ISO is not included as part of Auto ISO by any manufacturer as far as I am aware.
 
f/2.8 said:
Non native ISO is not included as part of Auto ISO by any manufacturer as far as I am aware.
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Extended ISO's seem to be routinely available to add to auto ISO's so I don't see any reason why it couldn't be possible to add lower derived ISO's to auto ISO, if manufacturers wanted to do it. They're in there already and user selectable so it is surely "just" a matter of allowing their inclusion in auto, which surely can not be hard.
 
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ancient_mariner said:
I just had a quick check in Lightroom - I've taken more than 1200 pictures with a shutter speed 1/5000 or faster, and more than 830 at 1/8000.
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I don't think I take all that many, usually just a few when I go out and maybe sort of in the region of single digit percentages seems about right for me but sometimes I don't take any pictures at wide apertures that would require these speeds. I think usually I'm stopping down a bit and mostly I'll probably be at f5 to f8.
 
f/2.8 said:
It is sold by Amazon is now showing in stock as well.

View attachment 411086
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That's what I'm seeing but Tim says he can see it at £1087, but when I look it's third party for that price.

Edit: Actually that third party seller's now gone. There is one at £1049 but it's used like new.
 
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ancient_mariner said:
I just had a quick check in Lightroom - I've taken more than 1200 pictures with a shutter speed 1/5000 or faster, and more than 830 at 1/8000.
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I don't even know how you look for this in lightroom?
 
M
snerkler said:
I don't even know how you look for this in lightroom?
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Metadata. Click on the title bar of one of the groups you can search (camera body, lens etc) & a drop down appears offering you all the different groups that can be searched, including shutter speed.
 
snerkler said:
That's what I'm seeing but Tim says he can see it at £1087, but when I look it's third party for that price.

Edit: Actually that third party seller's now gone. There is one at £1049 but it's used like new.
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What happens if you apply the £125 voucher?
 
mstphoto said:
This past few months the fastest shutter speed I shot at was 1/1600 and that was shooting SEO's in flight
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It's coz I'm Darn Sarf. ;)

FWIW I think the Samyang 50 f1.4 may have had greater light gathering power than the 50 f1.2. I tend to expose to the left a bit, knowing I can recover shadows but not lost highlights.
 
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