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

[pingu666]

if your having weight issues, id suggest a gimbal or a monopod

 

[twist]

Thanks for that, I also added the Nikon D7100, 610 & 750 Not a huge amount of difference., will add some lenses tomorrow when have more time.

I will have a look tomorrow in shops and see whats about. Again, thanks for your help and others who have contributed.

No problem mate, hope you get sorted.

 

[TareqPhoto]

How many batteries do you take/carry for A7/A7r when you go hike long time a day or whole day away from home? how long the battery can hold per day?

 

[pingu666]

2-3 should probably be enough, but get cheap decent generics like the ex pro ones off ebay
and a mains charger or usb and mains

 

[TareqPhoto]

2-3 should probably be enough, but get cheap decent generics like the ex pro ones off ebay
and a mains charger or usb and mains

I bought 4 batteries and maybe add more 2, all of almost same as the OEM even if not original, not expensive for 1, also i bought chargers which is not my main problem.

So, if i take say 4-6 batteries all full charge it will be enough for long day hiking, with turning off the camera but chimp-ing a lot.

I forgot to say i will do more of long exposures, so i will spend long time shooting, using the LCD as preview and view, how long one battery can hold if i do that?

 

[pingu666]

i dont know, but i think you will be fine with 6, i think me and my dad average 2 and abit batteries from a day shooting motorsport, with a55 and a77 (say 10 to 5.30)

i dont think the drop off will be as dramatic as on a normal dslr as the sensor and screen/evf are always on anyways

a usb charger might be a decent investment with one of those usb batteries, you can do your phone, gps, camera batteries etc

4 will be fine though i would of thought

 

[woof woof]

How many batteries do you take/carry for A7/A7r when you go hike long time a day or whole day away from home? how long the battery can hold per day?

I take two batteries but I've never had to use the spare if the one in the camera is fully charged at the start of the day but that may be because of how I use the camera. I have airplane mode on and the rear screen turned off in the menu along with anything else I don't use or don't understand and I only use the EVF, I also turn the camera off if I think I'm not going to be taking a picture for a few minutes. I'm not a machine gunner and depending upon the light / subject etc I normally take anything from just a couple of pictures to over 100.

 

[Musicman]

I only use the EVF

ISTR evidence that the EVF draws more power than the rear screen.

I have four of them (Sony originals), but can't recall needing more than two fully charged batteries in one day.

Like woof woof, I do shoot with MF lenses only, though, so no power draw from AF mechanisms.

 

[Riz_Guru]

I too have two original batteries and only keep the camera on for rapid shooting. It's off when not shooting the next shot within 3-5mins.
Never needed more that two batteries but I'm not a high fps shooter.

 

[woof woof]

ISTR evidence that the EVF draws more power than the rear screen.

I have four of them (Sony originals), but can't recall needing more than two fully charged batteries in one day.

Like woof woof, I do shoot with MF lenses only, though, so no power draw from AF mechanisms.

That is surprising. Having the rear screen turned off in the menu will I guess help as if you just turn it off by toggling the display options you can see that it isn't reeeeaaaaallllly off.

These things are never going to give the same battery life as an OVF equipped DSLR as there's more electronics to suck battery power but things may improve in the future and at the moment I'm not overly annoyed at having to carry two batteries.

 

[Riz_Guru]

Upgraded to firmware v1.10 last night, definite improvement in start up times.
Haven't really noticed anything else tbh.

 

[PCPhil]

The 16-35 looks like shaping up to be a nice lens. This is the absolute ideal walk around length for me.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/zeis...ngle-zoom-on-market-by-a-hair-over-the-nikon/

 

[350wedge]

In case anyone is looking to buy an A7, walked past my local London Camera Exchange this evening and they are doing the A7 with kit lens for £999.

Very good deal and only marginally more expensive than an import....

 

[robj20]

Think mine needs a wet clean anyone used the visibledust vdust plus and orange swabs before, there the recommended ones for the a7r. Need to do a test shot first though. There is a smear on the sensor glass so need to see if it causes any issues first.

 

[robj20]

Got a couple of new toys.

First up the Nissin i40, what a fantastic little flash. It seems to have the power of one double the size and price. Fits nicely size wise with the A7, doesn't feel overly top heavy.
Sorry for the naff photos.

Next up the Meike battery grip, another great accessory it does everything the official one does but with one great extra. You get a wifi intervalometer, and it works perfectly i cant go far enough away for it to stop working.
Its really comfortable to use decent build quality. The batteries show up as 1 and 2 on the screen so its connecting properly rather than just showing as one battery.

For me this will be ideal for long exposures.

 

[simonblue]

In case anyone is looking to buy an A7, walked past my local London Camera Exchange this evening and they are doing the A7 with kit lens for £999.

Very good deal and only marginally more expensive than an import....

It is a not to a bad deal,the only problem is the very bad write up the kit lens gets,would prefer Sony to do a better deal with the 24-70 F4

 

[350wedge]

It is a not to a bad deal,the only problem is the very bad write up the kit lens gets,would prefer Sony to do a better deal with the 24-70 F4

The kit lens isn't that bad, I've got some very nice results from it and I'm used to L series quality as I run Canon kit as well.

I don't use it massive amounts as I have Minolta lenses that are better and cover the same focal range, but if I want to use the stabiliser its still very good to my eyes....

 

[simonblue]

The kit lens isn't that bad, I've got some very nice results from it and I'm used to L series quality as I run Canon kit as well.

I don't use it massive amounts as I have Minolta lenses that are better and cover the same focal range, but if I want to use the stabiliser its still very good to my eyes....

Thanks i mainly use zooms theses days,would love to have a try of the 7s with its great high iso,but the price with the F4 still bit high for me at the moment

 

[ShrubMonkey]

I'd also add the kit lens, as kit lenses go is decent enough.

 

[ShrubMonkey]

Think mine needs a wet clean anyone used the visibledust vdust plus and orange swabs before, there the recommended ones for the a7r. Need to do a test shot first though. There is a smear on the sensor glass so need to see if it causes any issues first.

Not used vdust plus, be interested to know if you use it. My A7 looks fine, but my A6000 has loads of dust spots

 

[Musicman]

Next up the Meike battery grip, another great accessory it does everything the official one does but with one great extra. You get a wifi intervalometer, and it works perfectly i cant go far enough away for it to stop working.
Its really comfortable to use decent build quality. The batteries show up as 1 and 2 on the screen so its connecting properly rather than just showing as one battery.

Ooh! Nice

 

[woof woof]

I also have the kit lens.

I've never used it for real world shots as I use primes mostly but I just bought it because it looked to be a good price and I thought it might come in handy. I like having a kit lens just in case and I think I've always had one apart from for my 5D even though I don't use them a lot.

Anyway, I've played with the kit lens and given it a quite thorough testing and I think it's actually quite good and very probably better than any kit type lens I've ever owned. It seems well made and optically good and I probably will use it once I get tired of manual primes.

If one can be had for a good price I'd say it's worth it even if it only gets used occasionally.

 

[simonblue]

Nice one glad to hear some good reports on the lens

 

[Musicman]

I'd echo what woof woof said.

I bought my A7 to use with MF primes, but I was a little nervous of abandoning AF entirely having gotten used to it a bit, so I purchased it with the kit lens, which is pretty decent for what it is.

I would use it more if it weren't for the fact that my MF primes work so well with the A7.

 

[Swanseajack]

I'm in the process of possibly selling my XT1 for something with the ability of longer AF lenses, as mentioned on previous pages.. I went to my local Sony store the other day to try out the A7 with the kit lens, I also took my XT1 and 18-55mm lens. I took a number of shoots with both cameras at same objects. After hearing some negatives about the Sony lens, I was suprised how good it was and certainly no worse than the faster Fuji lens which is highly rated.

The LCE price mentioned above, for a UK kit is very good and probably not worth going grey for the difference.

 

[woof woof]

There may be something new coming next year.

Read all about it...

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-alpha-pro-e-mount-camera-at-cp-in-february/#disqus_thread

Obviously this is a rumour site and things must be taken with a pinch of salt but on the other hand they seem to have a good track record and even more so the closer we get to release date and they do seem to be drip fed from people in the know so I think we can have some confidence that something along the lines of what they're talking about could well be on the way.

If this new camera or indeed range of cameras comes along it'll be interesting to see if it sits above the current A7 range or replaces it. This new gear may attract some of the people who've said they're waiting for the next generation to come along and it may even tempt some early buyers (like us here...) to buy the new gear. I doubt very much that I will as I'm very happy with my A7.

I wish Sony success though and I'd like to see them shake up the market a bit. Competition is good.

I do wonder if Canon and Nikon are sleeping giants who could awake at any point and dominate the CSC market as they do the DSLR market or if they've been left behind and can't and CSC's will become dominant and they'll (Canon and Nikon) go the way of Kodak... if not totally then maybe in part and lose their dominant position.

We live in interesting times and I personally think that mirrorless is the future.

From that linked site...

"More tidbits about the new camera: I have been told the A7 camera series was a Sony “attempt” to study the market. This new PRO FE camera was developed with maximum possible resources and tech knowledge. It will be Sony’s first serious camera to fight against the big ones. We will finally see if Mirrorless can succeed against DSLR cameras when it comes to “grab” the professional market. That camera is also the main reason why Sony is launching their PRO service all over the world (article on SAR here). It’s also very likely there will be different variations of that new camera generations coming during 2015 and 2016."

 

[robj20]

So we were a test, nice that Sony thinks that way. I'm a bit annoyed, if its got features I want I may sell my 7R and get it.

 

[pingu666]

as a a mount user its quite :-(

 

[Musicman]

So we were a test, nice that Sony thinks that way. I'm a bit annoyed, if its got features I want I may sell my 7R and get it.

I'm not at all worried. My A7 does exactly what I need it to and I'm likely to keep it for a good while yet.

 

[woof woof]

I think that one thing that could get my wallet open could be varying the exposure per pixel. This has been talked about for some time and from what I've read it's implemented in some way in the video world (?) If it could be implemented effectively in still cameras I assume it'd have the effect of pretty much ending exposing for the highlights or shadows and could also see an end to HDR which in my humble opinion has lead to some eye watering abominations in recent times I suppose there's no reason why you can't do this with a digital camera and all you need is enough processing power and clever script.

 

[Crossroads]

If this new camera or indeed range of cameras comes along it'll be interesting to see if it sits above the current A7 range or replaces it. This new gear may attract some of the people who've said they're waiting for the next generation to come along and it may even tempt some early buyers (like us here...) to buy the new gear. I doubt very much that I will as I'm very happy with my A7.

"More tidbits about the new camera: I have been told the A7 camera series was a Sony “attempt” to study the market. This new PRO FE camera was developed with maximum possible resources and tech knowledge. It will be Sony’s first serious camera to fight against the big ones. We will finally see if Mirrorless can succeed against DSLR cameras when it comes to “grab” the professional market. That camera is also the main reason why Sony is launching their PRO service all over the world (article on SAR here). It’s also very likely there will be different variations of that new camera generations coming during 2015 and 2016."

Since getting my A7 I've really felt that Sony has been genuinely interested in customer feedback and looking to bring exciting new products to the market. Just about every product I registered on their site was followed up a few weeks later with a request for a review. They invited me down to London to participate in a feedback session where they seemed to really listen to us, and gave us a hands-on with unreleased products like the A7s and 70-200mm. Products QX series are blatantly "let's put out something different and see how the market reacts".

Hardly surprising to hear the probable direction is more "pro" because at least in my group that was the most common suggestion - all the things we missed from DSLR land such as AF performance, battery life, build quality, full weather sealing, etc. that was making the A7 a 2nd instead of main body.

It makes sense from a market point of view too - they've already covered "doing what DSLRs don't do", now it's time for "doing what DSLRs do too, but better".

 

[pingu666]

I think for the pro market its making a lot of headway, as it is different from huge canikia lumps, great quality too, while a mount stuff wasn't different enough for those guys to swap, and sony didn't round out that system as well as it should have.

its just mixed feelings to see another round of ef cameras, while there's no a99s or a99r, which should of been fairly easy

 

[woof woof]

I've read a few review that said that the Sony DSLR's (DSLT's? whatever...) are good and I'm sure they are but people seem to choose Nikon and Canon over them presumably because pro's use Nikon and Canon cameras and they have the widest choice of accessories. The fact that most people only have one or two lenses and few or indeed no other accessories doesn't seem to affect decisions all that much.

My sister had a Samsung DSLR and it was IMVHO very good and much better made than my Canons but its resale value was much less than the very probably inferior Canon and Nikon equivalents.

It'd be nice to see the market shaken up a bit.

 

[simonblue]

They need more pro lens

 

[Riz_Guru]

I can't wait for a Pro A7 series body
Sony are heading in the right direction.
No regrets ditching Nikon for Sony so far.

 

[pingu666]

I've read a few review that said that the Sony DSLR's (DSLT's? whatever...) are good and I'm sure they are but people seem to choose Nikon and Canon over them presumably because pro's use Nikon and Canon cameras and they have the widest choice of accessories. The fact that most people only have one or two lenses and few or indeed no other accessories doesn't seem to affect decisions all that much.

My sister had a Samsung DSLR and it was IMVHO very good and much better made than my Canons but its resale value was much less than the very probably inferior Canon and Nikon equivalents.

It'd be nice to see the market shaken up a bit.

in terms of use they are very similer to the a7x, same menue and evf etc
just annoying how they seem indifferent to a mount atm, and the stupid price of some of the lenses :-(

 

[robj20]

I wonder what they mean by Pro?

I have seen a lot of pro photographers using the A7, so does that mean there using the wrong camera. What's wrong with just using a camera that's suitable for the task in hand.

With that said, i would be interested if they did an A7R that had the following. Full electronic global shutter, full weather sealing (like we were told the A7 had anyway), and some system tweaks such as min shutter speed per focal length and ISO.

I'm waiting on the 16-35 to drop to its low price point on Panamoz i would expect to see it at about £850 soonish, until then i'm thinking about the 70-200 f4, iv'e got an old manual lens but i'm missing a lot of shots because of the speed of use and lack of OSS. So anyone that's got one, what do you think of it? Its £870 so its a good price.

 

[pingu666]

guess more robust, more buttons, need to keep similer size I think

 

[woof woof]

With that said, i would be interested if they did an A7R that had the following. Full electronic global shutter, full weather sealing (like we were told the A7 had anyway), and some system tweaks such as min shutter speed per focal length and ISO.

Yup.

Silent mode would be very nice and of course the ability to assign "Back screen OFF, Yes... REALLY OFF" to a function button would be just wonderful. I've read criticisms of the placement and angle of the shutter button and whilst I sort of agree that it could be a bit better it's never been a major problem for me but they might as well fix that too

I suppose in body IS isn't going to happen Oh, and a fully articulated rear screen that can be turned to the body please

 

[pingu666]

button for evf/rear screen switch like on the slt's would be good too
and a record button thats not in a silly place xD