Now that the A7/A7r have been out for a few months...

[kxl]

The poll is self-explanatory, but could you elaborate?

I'm serious considering one or the other, especially at a $200 discount. My primary use will be for adapted M-mount lenses. I currently have a NEX6, which I enjoy, but I want my M-mount lenses to have the same angle of view on a digital body as they do on my ZI.

Thanks.

 

[YYV_146]

On both bodies you'll need to try out most wider m lenses. Anything above 35mm should be fine, and most modern ASPH Leica wides should at least work well on the A7, if not on the A7r.

I won't recommend the A7r unless you have very high-performing m mount lenses (WATE, the new 50mm apo cron, 75 apo cron.etc). Older lenses simply cannot take advantage of the high resolution sensor before diffraction kicks in, and with the A7r you lose the electronic front curtain and must deal with both more camera shake and a longer shutter lag. With the EFC on I can shoot at 1/10 handheld with the A7 and a 35mm Summilux, with it turned off 1/30 is difficult...

But I've been perfectly happy with the A7 and my lens kit (21, 35, 50mm Summilux ASPH, 75lux and the 90 apo cron). The 21mm has a bit of corner smearing wide open, but DOF is so shallow at f1.4 that it hardly matters. If you are comparing it with a NEX6 (which I once owned), the A7 is a huge step up in all directions. Expect greater dynamic range, much-improved high iso performance, a better, more neutral EVF and improved customizability. I thought the NEX-7's interface was good enough, but now I have a function assigned to every spare button on the A7 and use all of them!

As to complaints...battery life is definitely one of them. I average about 450 frames with wifi and nfc turned off, and less than 800 with the dual battery grip. Not too bad, but I won't go on a day-long photo trip without 1-2 spares. The EVF sensor is way too sensitive, and forces me to turn off the EVF when shooting from the waist. Startup is distinctly slower than the NEX-7, and I have no clue why. That's pretty much it. Video is still the typical Sony 60fps mess, but I probably should have expected as much...

 

[YYV_146]

IMO choosing between the A7 and A7r boils down to two questions... 1.Will you be shooting the camera mostly on a tripod and processing files for large prints? and 2. Do you have lenses that can resolve 36mp across the frame at working apertures?

Anyways after three months with the A7 (and a month with two A7s) I can say that in no way do they feel "experimental". Coming from the NEX-6 and 7 the A7 feels like a natural upgrade, just like a 5d mk3 compared to a 60d. Yes it is a bit ugly and yes there are a few quirks, but I liked it enough to get a second body...So yes, if you are on the hedge, buy one

 

[Godfrey]

I bought the A7. My intent was to use my Leica R and Nikkor SLR lenses on it, not my M-mount lenses. I stuck with the A7 rather than A7r with notion that it would be kinder/more compatible with my old lenses, and that I didn't really need 36Mpixels anyway.

So far, it's worked out like a dream come true for all my Leica R lenses and Nikkor (18mm to 180mm). Makes me really really happy.

For M-mount lenses, it's much less clear cut that it will be successful. Of my ten M-mount lenses, the A7 really only works well with the longest of them (Hektor 135/4.5 and M-Rokkor 90/4), reasonably well with the M-Rokkor 40 and Nokton 40. It works poorly with the Color Skopar 21, 28, 35, Ultron 28/2, and Nokton 50/1.5 (LTM). I haven't tried the Color Skopar 50 on it yet. And although the Nokton 40 and M-Rokkor 40 wok reasonably well on it, their ergonomics on this body don't really please me very much: the focusing rings are very close to the body and finding the focusing tab isn't as intuitive as it seems on the Leica CL or M9/M4-2.

The R lenses seem to fit this camera much better, and they certainly perform beautifully.

Personally, I would not buy an A7 or A7r for using M-mount lenses unless I knew for sure that the specific lenses I wanted to work with worked well on it. Unfortunately, it's hard to know that without owning one and testing your lenses on it.

The A7 works so well with my SLR lenses, though, that at some point I'll add the A7r body to my kit.

G

 

[kxl]

Thanks, those are thoughtful responses. I plan to use ZM lenses mostly. I would like to be able to stay close to the same workflow that I have with my D800E and print up to those sizes (mostly 16x24, but on rare occasions, 20x30 and even 24x36). I will use a tripod to the extent that I can. My website displays the types of photos that I plan to take with the A7/A7R.

As an aside, my favorite print medium these days is metal, for which quite a few of my website photos seem ideal and for which I have received a few requests.

Candidate lenses:

MUST: 35mm Biogon, ZM 50/2.0 Planar, ZM 50 1/5 Sonnar, Niikkor 105mm Sonnar

SECOND: CV 75.2,5, CV 90/3.5, ZM 18mm/4, ZM 25/2.8

From what I've seen, on the ZM 25/2.8 may be questionable



Add to that the occasional street photography (for which I prefer to use my ZI and B&W film).

 

[Godfrey]

... Candidate lenses:

MUST: 35mm Biogon, ZM 50/2.0 Planar, ZM 50 1/5 Sonnar, Niikkor 105mm Sonnar

SECOND: CV 75.2,5, CV 90/3.5, ZM 18mm/4, ZM 25/2.8

From what I've seen, on the ZM 25/2.8 may be questionable ...

I have no personal experience with any of those lenses. Based on what I've heard, the shorter focal length Biogons are difficult as is the 50mm Sonnar. The 50 Planar is supposed to be quite compatible.

However, you should probably take a wander through this thread on GetDPI. Lots of folks have been working with lots of different lenses on the A7/A7r, and many folks there might have the ones you are interested in.

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/9664-fun-sony-_____.html

G

 

[taemo]

OP, if you are printing only max 24x36 then wouldn't the A7 be more than enough?

I picked up an A7 and Novoflex M adapter early today and fortunately all my M lenses works on it (25 skopar, CV 35 1.4, CV 50 1.5, T-E-M 90 2.8).
I decided to go with A7 instead of the r simply because I knew I didn't need 36MP, I have my MF cameras for that and the A7 is more forgiving with M lenses.
I'm also looking to use some of my FD and AIS lenses on the A7

 

[YYV_146]

Thanks, those are thoughtful responses. I plan to use ZM lenses mostly. I would like to be able to stay close to the same workflow that I have with my D800E and print up to those sizes (mostly 16x24, but on rare occasions, 20x30 and even 24x36). I will use a tripod to the extent that I can. My website displays the types of photos that I plan to take with the A7/A7R.

As an aside, my favorite print medium these days is metal, for which quite a few of my website photos seem ideal and for which I have received a few requests.

Candidate lenses:

MUST: 35mm Biogon, ZM 50/2.0 Planar, ZM 50 1/5 Sonnar, Niikkor 105mm Sonnar

SECOND: CV 75.2,5, CV 90/3.5, ZM 18mm/4, ZM 25/2.8

From what I've seen, on the ZM 25/2.8 may be questionable



Add to that the occasional street photography (for which I prefer to use my ZI and B&W film).

Regular A7 will suit the streets better, no doubt there. The A7r is essentially a short-flanged D800E, so for the sizes you are print the A7r may be much better for finer work. That said, I've printed 16*24 with both the A7 and the NEX-7, and results look respectable...

The ZM 18 f4 may suffer a bit on both bodies until f5.6, so I won't be buying the lens for any of the two bodies. I did not even try to test any of the wide biogons with the A7, but from what I've seen results are not good at all...the 35mm biogon may be fine on the A7, though. You'll probably need to test the combination anyways. Both 50s should be all right, but note that focus shift may still be an issue with the A7 and 50 sonnar if you focus before stopping down like I do. The EVF slows considerably when the lens is stopped down too much, so I tend to shoot wide open (and use fast lenses) then stop down right before metering and taking the picture...I guess it's just a style issue.

All long lenses will work just fine on both bodies. The 75mm Summilux is simply stunning on the A7, and the ease of which I can focus such fast glass with peaking has prompted me to think about a Noctliux...

 

[kxl]

OP, if you are printing only max 24x36 then wouldn't the A7 be more than enough?

I picked up an A7 and Novoflex M adapter early today and fortunately all my M lenses works on it (25 skopar, CV 35 1.4, CV 50 1.5, T-E-M 90 2.8).
I decided to go with A7 instead of the r simply because I knew I didn't need 36MP, I have my MF cameras for that and the A7 is more forgiving with M lenses.
I'm also looking to use some of my FD and AIS lenses on the A7

Yes, it may be sufficient, but I wanted to have a similar workflow to my D800E, starting with 36mp. But, I'm still undecided.

 

[kxl]

Regular A7 will suit the streets better, no doubt there. The A7r is essentially a short-flanged D800E, so for the sizes you are print the A7r may be much better for finer work.

My thoughts exactly, but as you said, the A7 will do the job. Still not completely decided.

 

[Leica0Series]

So far, the A7 seems to work fine with all of my lenses except for the CV 15, but that's a tricky one on any digital camera so I wasn't expecting much there. I get a tiny bit of corner darkening on my Avenon 28, which is easy to fix, and all my other lenses work fine. The 50 Summicron and Canon 100 are the best of the bunch, and the 35 Summilux is not far behind.

 

[kxl]

Just pulled the trigger

Just pulled the trigger

Pulled the trigger just now. After having thought about this for days, I decided to purchase the A7R ($300 trade in value for a non-working P&S) bundled with a Sony 55/1.8 Sonnar ($650 instant rebate when purchased with the body) plus some accessories bundled in.

This new lens should allow me to maximize the A7R. Overall, I think it was a good deal.

 

[bwcolor]

Where did you find the$300 plus the $650?

 

[kxl]

Where did you find the$300 plus the $650?

I went to Focus camera, and yes, I did research them before pulling the trigger, and did reach out to a couple of people who have gotten the same deal recently from Focus Camera.

Here's the PRODUCT CODE :ASONILCE7RBHVLF60MK3.

Bundle Includes:

•Sony ILCE7R/B 36.3 MP a7R Full-Frame Interchangeable Digital Lens Camera - Body Only
•Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA Lens SEL55F18Z
•Sony HVLF60M Flash for Alpha Cameras
•Sony 64GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 R40 Memory Card (SF64UY/TQMN)
•Lens Band Stop Zoom Creep for One Size Fits All Lens, Black
•Focus 5 Piece Digital Camera Accessory Kit
•Focus Lens Cleaning Pen
•Focus Professional Wrist Grip Strap for Digital & Film SLR Cameras
•Focus Deluxe SLR Soft Shell Camera Gadget Bag
•Vivitar Battery for Sony NPFW50 NP-FW50 1200mah - VIV-SB-FW50

 

[Fuchs]

I have bought the A7 two months ago, and I've been experimenting with different E-mount and non-E-mount lenses. Couldn't be more happy. It is about the same size and bulk in the hand (and it feels very similar) to the Nikon FM2, and its performance and IQ are superb.

 

[whited3]

Took delivery of the A7 yesterday but haven't used it yet (waiting for FD adapter). I spent an hour pouring through menus yesterday & configured the buttons to my liking... all signs point to success so far. Very pleasing build quality and layout.

BTW, the new to me canon FD 50 L is gem of a lens - tiny and dense compared to its EF successor... so just need that adaptor...

 

[Samouraï]

The main issue I've had with the menu/settings is that whenever I change batteries, when I reboot the camera (in C1, where I had left it), autofocus on half-shutter is re-enabled. I the have to switch to manual and back to C1, or dig through the menus to again disable the AF-on shutter. It's the only real bug I've found, but it's annoying. In fact, the entire menu system is pretty terrible and confusing.

Otherwise, the A7R's microlens setup produces a rainbow bullseye with any lens (well, both the 35FE and the 55FE) on a pale flat field. This is an issue with the sensor, I think, and is plainly visible with the saturation increased beyond what is natural. Autofocus with the A7R is kind of crap. It's easier to manual focus some of the time. Even in good light it will miss. Luckily the MF is much better than I had imagined.

That said, I am enjoying the camera and the quality of the images are up there. The native lenses are sharp and have great bokeh. The battery grip improves handling immensely. But without it, most of all, the size of the camera is amazing. The ability to have a full-frame ILC on a hike or a ski trip is what has sold me. I hope they find a way to put a pancake lens on this camera. A cheap 40mm pancake like what Canon has would do me. Really, though, their native portrait lengths will sway me as to whether I keep or sell this camera.

 

[taemo]

the a7 is almost perfect except a couple of annoyances:
-Viewfinder/monitor, i like to use the VF for shooting and use only the monitor to review them. i dont like the auto mode
-ISO, i wish this camera had an ISO dial like the xt1
-EVF, its great for focusing but I miss using an actual optical VF (fortunately i have a 25mm and 28/35mm OVF to mount on top to quicly compose an image)

 

[whited3]

Yeah the EVF is the one worry I have. I guess I will know soon enough when I put the camera through its paces.
That and manual focusing.

 

[kuzano]

Just saw this today... Light leaks on the A7, A7R... Sony is aware, admitted working on solution and will post notice when resolved.

I saw it in Imaging Resource. See here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/new...gs-report-light-leaks-how-much-does-sony-know