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

JulesP said:
Thanks guys.
I've looked at the A7II but think that's probably outside my price range at the moment. It does look a better choice though with the shutter button and also 5 axis stabiliser.
The idea of full frame appeals to me too:)
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The A7 may feel like the "older" sibling to the A7ii now but aside from the IBIS theres little else different beyond the physical size/layout as you already mention. Price wise the A7 is frankly looking like a steal just now, MPB Photographic doing them mint for £634 with some warranty, probably a little cheaper via the classifieds now.

I'm almost tempted, quite enjoyed the one I used over Xmas albeit I didn't see it as a full replacement for my D800 so I sold it on, looking for something smaller again and its probably between the XT-1 and A7 again, its hard to over-look full frame for such a cheap price!
 
I bought mine from MPB with a 35mm.

I couldn't find the combination cheaper anywhere else apart from the chap on here selling the same + a cheap EF adapter and kit lens for £100 more but with no warranty.
 
So my A7 and 35mm arrived.

Annoyingly, it arrived with the battery completely flat.

It seems to be taking forever to charge with this 0.5 amp charger - why have Sony supplied such a poxy little charger for a camera like this?

Anyone have any idea how long a charge takes from empty to full?

I have at least ordered an external charger with two batteries.
 
For the first charge, I left it for hours. After that though, it's fairly quick to charge - I use the external DSTE charger and it works well. Got an extra 2 batteries to boot!

The bonus with in body charging is that you can charge from your car USB port or an external power bank, very handy if you're out and about.
 
I bet they're on a certain auction site beginning with "e."
 
As new lenses are coming along including a nice 35mm to go with the nice 35mm already available I thought I'd post some pictures taken with an old 35mm, this time a Minolta Rokkor 35mm f1.8.

All are via Photobucket and sadly look less sharp here than on my screen, whole image followed by 100% crop...









And just for fun f1.8 and then f8...



 
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Sorry I have posted this twice but I didn't realize that there was a separate thread just for the Sony a7 cameras.

I am going to Japan in 4 weeks time for a 7 day photo trip with my wife with photography as the main reason why we are going..........plus we love Japan.
I currently have both Leica bodies and lenses and Nikon bodies and lenses and my wife uses a Sony R7r with the 50mm f1.4, 16/35 f4 and 24/70 f4
For the last 6 months I have been shooting 95% Nikon as I have been shooting studio and landscape photography so I am enjoying the auto focus function of the Nikon's
Back to the Japan trip..............
I was thinking of taking my Nikon gear D4s, 70/200mm, 50mm and 24mm lenses but really don't want to lug all that heavy gear around so the only other option was take my Leica gear but I don't want to struggle with fast moving photography in Japan using manual focus. So I had the bright idea of buying a Sony body and maybe one lens, then share my wife's other Sony lenses.....................but I have just come off the phone with my wife and she says that her Sony R7r is very-very slooooooooooow (I guess it may have something to do with the 36MP sensor)

So my question is what about the other Sony bodies, are they all as slow as the R7r?
Any advice tips would be much appreciated
 
ndwgolf said:
So my question is what about the other Sony bodies, are they all as slow as the R7r?
Any advice tips would be much appreciated
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As per the other thread I think it's important to know what you mean by slow. Do you mean ordinary single shot shooting or focus tracking?

If you go one page pack in this thread you'll see some Youtube vids I linked and I'm sure there will be others and some focus tracking ones too. Maybe you could try your wifes?
 
rodd1000 said:
Cheers, which adapter are you using?
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Novoflex.

I have Novoflex Minolta, Olympus and Canon FD.

I also have a cheapo no name auction site £10 special :D which is a Minolta to Nex and it works perfectly well to 28mm but as it's an APS-C adapter it gets in the way at 24mm.
 
jonneymendoza said:
Are there any nikon adapters? Fancy trying out the legendary 14 - 24 landscape nikon lens
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Novoflex and Metabones make good Nikon Adapters, I've been considering that myself as an option with a user A7/A7r, using my Nikon Glass would make the move a bit cheaper!
 
Lots of new cameras coming... so says the rumour site... Read all about it...

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-...000-and-a-new-rx-camera-coming/#disqus_thread

And to summarise they say that the A7rII is coming as is a new A6000 and a new RX series witsit thingemy.

In their words...

"It’s SR5, just got that proof (Thanks P:L) that a new A7 series camera a new A6000 series camera and a new RX camera are going to be announced between now and end of May. The image on top is the official Sony Product launch Calendar til June 2015 leaked by Wikileaks. Of course there may be small changes because of uncalculated events (for example A6000 successor overheating issue). The bad news is that there is no A-mount stuff on that list. This means on April 23 Sony will announce new RX stuff and in early-mid May the new A7rII and the new A6000II.

This is now SR5 which means there is now a 90%+ chance I am right on that rumor! P.S.: Glad to hear that my A7rII, A6xxx and RX rumors were correct
icon_smile.gif
"

Well. There you go then :D

I wonder if there'll be an A7sII and what about the A9 and what if and when???? Time will tell I suppose... :D
 
woof woof said:
Lots of new cameras coming... so says the rumour site... Read all about it...

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-...000-and-a-new-rx-camera-coming/#disqus_thread

And to summarise they say that the A7rII is coming as is a new A6000 and a new RX series witsit thingemy.

In their words...

"It’s SR5, just got that proof (Thanks P:L) that a new A7 series camera a new A6000 series camera and a new RX camera are going to be announced between now and end of May. The image on top is the official Sony Product launch Calendar til June 2015 leaked by Wikileaks. Of course there may be small changes because of uncalculated events (for example A6000 successor overheating issue). The bad news is that there is no A-mount stuff on that list. This means on April 23 Sony will announce new RX stuff and in early-mid May the new A7rII and the new A6000II.

This is now SR5 which means there is now a 90%+ chance I am right on that rumor! P.S.: Glad to hear that my A7rII, A6xxx and RX rumors were correct
icon_smile.gif
"

Well. There you go then :D

I wonder if there'll be an A7sII and what about the A9 and what if and when???? Time will tell I suppose... :D
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If the a7r2 comes out before June 8th when I got new York. I'm copping that
 
I'm off to Thailand in August which I think is where they're made. But, last time I was there gear didn't look fantastically cheaper unless my conversion rate was way off. Actually, the expect that the menu would be in Thai :eek: :D

What lenses are you going to get or are you going to be a cheapskate like me and use old film era lenses? :D
 
woof woof said:
I'm off to Thailand in August which I think is where they're made. But, last time I was there gear didn't look fantastically cheaper unless my conversion rate was way off. Actually, the expect that the menu would be in Thai :eek: :D

What lenses are you going to get or are you going to be a cheapskate like me and use old film era lenses? :D
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I'm going to use my 16-35 canon lens for landscape /cityscape while I'm there and my 55mm zeiss.
 
jonneymendoza said:
Are there any nikon adapters? Fancy trying out the legendary 14 - 24 landscape nikon lens
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I"m currently using the Fotodiox one - got it from Amazon. Significantly cheaper than the others and works very well. Nice and tight, no gaps and it doesn't wobble. Can't complain!
 
I'm talking myself into upgrading from my Olympus OM-D E-M5 to an A7 of some sort. I haven't yet decided whether it should be the r variant or not.

Working out what I'd need to replace my current setup is proving somewhat challenging, partly because there's no 'obvious' lens choices to those unfamiliar with the full frame ecosystem. With m4/3 it's simple: there are a full well known standout lenses.

If I wanted to replace my E-M5, 12-40 f2.8 Pro Zuiko, 75mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 (the other lenses can wait) then what should I be looking at? Given that the DoF is shallower on FF than m4/3 can I get away with a single high end zoom? Which one? Would it need an adapter?

The other desirable features include the following - are these are going to be difficult to satisfy?
  • Base ISO of 100 or lower
  • Max shutter speed of 1/8000 or better
  • Choice 1st or 2nd curtain sync
  • Back button focus
  • Works with Canikon-compatible triggers (I often hire studios)
  • EVF should have the ability to boost image to a constant brightness - and to turn the boost off.
  • 5fps or better
  • Tracking C-AF which works
  • Focus peaking
  • Plenty of dials for adjusting ISO, aperture & shutter without pressing buttons. Ideally lens-based aperture ring
  • IBIS as good as the E-M5s
  • Bulb mode live updates as per E-M5
  • Dual SD card slots
  • Ability to shoot tethered
  • The moon on a stick :)
thanks in advance.
 
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juggler said:
If I wanted to replace my E-M5, 12-40 f2.8 Pro Zuiko, 75mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 (the other lenses can wait) then what should I be looking at? Given that the DoF is shallower on FF than m4/3 can I get away with a single high end zoom? Which one? Would it need an adapter?
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As a rough conversion guide between m43 and 35mm, double the focal length and add 2 stops of aperture for DoF. So to get exact equivalents, you'd need a 24-80mm f5.6, 150mm f4, and 90mm f4.

The 24-70mm Zeiss would match the first, but to be honest the kit lens (28-70mm) is almost as good at a fraction of the price. The 70-200mm f4 covers both of the others.
juggler said:
The other desirable features include the following - are these are going to be difficult to satisfy?
  • Base ISO of 100 or lower
  • Max shutter speed of 1/8000 or better
  • Choice 1st or 2nd curtain sync
  • Back button focus
  • Works with Canikon-compatible triggers (I often hire studios)
  • EVF should have the ability to boost image to a constant brightness - and to turn the boost off.
  • 5fps or better
  • Tracking C-AF which works
  • Focus peaking
  • Plenty of dials for adjusting ISO, aperture & shutter without pressing buttons. Ideally lens-based aperture ring
  • IBIS as good as the E-M5s
  • Bulb mode live updates as per E-M5
  • Dual SD card slots
  • Ability to shoot tethered
  • The moon on a stick :)
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For IBIS you'd need the A7II, otherwise the rest are all viable options. No A7 camera has dual slots. They all have plenty of dials (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exp. comp) and all the other stats look fine. I don't do much tracking AF or bulb use, so can't comment on that though.
 
ndwgolf said:
Sorry I have posted this twice but I didn't realize that there was a separate thread just for the Sony a7 cameras.

I am going to Japan in 4 weeks time for a 7 day photo trip with my wife with photography as the main reason why we are going..........plus we love Japan.
I currently have both Leica bodies and lenses and Nikon bodies and lenses and my wife uses a Sony R7r with the 50mm f1.4, 16/35 f4 and 24/70 f4
For the last 6 months I have been shooting 95% Nikon as I have been shooting studio and landscape photography so I am enjoying the auto focus function of the Nikon's
Back to the Japan trip..............
I was thinking of taking my Nikon gear D4s, 70/200mm, 50mm and 24mm lenses but really don't want to lug all that heavy gear around so the only other option was take my Leica gear but I don't want to struggle with fast moving photography in Japan using manual focus. So I had the bright idea of buying a Sony body and maybe one lens, then share my wife's other Sony lenses.....................but I have just come off the phone with my wife and she says that her Sony R7r is very-very slooooooooooow (I guess it may have something to do with the 36MP sensor)

So my question is what about the other Sony bodies, are they all as slow as the R7r?
Any advice tips would be much appreciated
Click to expand...

a6000 is fastest and is damn fast with the 1650, but thats crop sensor

a7ii should be reasonable af speed
 
juggler said:
I'm talking myself into upgrading from my Olympus OM-D E-M5 to an A7 of some sort.
Click to expand...

If you do decide to go for an A7 one thing which should be a nice surprise is the boost in dynamic range.

I have a Panasonic GX7 which should be roughly comparable to your Oly and although I don't know what the bench test figures are in day to day reality the difference between the dynamic range of my GX7 and A7 is very noticeable.
 
I think Steve Huff likes the 35mm f1.4...

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2015/04/17/one-from-the-sony-a7ii-and-sonyzeiss-35-1-4/

Wot he sez...

"Many have been asking me when my full review for the Sony/Zeiss 35 1.4 Lens will be out. Well, I have been so swamped with all kinds of goodies lately, and I did not want to rush the Sony review so I will be wrapping it up within 10 days or so. For now, I will say that just as I thought in my 1st look report (see that here), this Sony 35 1.4 is the best 35mm lens I have ever shot with, period. For me it beats the Leica 35 1.4 Summilux, it beats the Zeiss 35 1.4 Zm, it beats the Nikon 35 1.4, and handily beat the Canon 35 1.4 L. It has an extreme sharpness at 1.4 but ONLY at the focus point. The background melts away into a beautiful bokeh and the color performance is top notch.

THIS lens, optically, is amazing. As good as it gets in the 35mm world. I will leave you with ONE shot I snapped an hour ago of my Stepdaughter Katie just before her Senior prom."
 
woof woof said:
I think Steve Huff likes the 35mm f1.4...

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2015/04/17/one-from-the-sony-a7ii-and-sonyzeiss-35-1-4/

Wot he sez...

"Many have been asking me when my full review for the Sony/Zeiss 35 1.4 Lens will be out. Well, I have been so swamped with all kinds of goodies lately, and I did not want to rush the Sony review so I will be wrapping it up within 10 days or so. For now, I will say that just as I thought in my 1st look report (see that here), this Sony 35 1.4 is the best 35mm lens I have ever shot with, period. For me it beats the Leica 35 1.4 Summilux, it beats the Zeiss 35 1.4 Zm, it beats the Nikon 35 1.4, and handily beat the Canon 35 1.4 L. It has an extreme sharpness at 1.4 but ONLY at the focus point. The background melts away into a beautiful bokeh and the color performance is top notch.

THIS lens, optically, is amazing. As good as it gets in the 35mm world. I will leave you with ONE shot I snapped an hour ago of my Stepdaughter Katie just before her Senior prom."
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Not better then the sigma art one hehe
 
It looks a great lens but looking at WEX its over £1400, now I know the Canon and Nikon equivalents are as dear for their DSLR line up but when you've got the Sigma Art 35 f1.4 which is generally regarded as being better than those 2 for £650-£700 its a helluva lot of money.... come on Sigma make Full Frame FE Lenses.....
 
There'll probably be some comparative tests at some time, if there haven't been already.

Personally I'd be surprised (but not bothered) if there's much in it and to me of more interest is the price difference as the Sigma seems to be one of the best 35mm lenses you can buy for a DSLR type camera and it's about £700. The fe 35mm f1.4 might well be as good, nearly as good or maybe even better and it costs... a bit more :D Actually it costs a lot more.
 
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