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

Been contemplating the A7R for some time but the price hasn't dropped from £999. Now there's £120 cashback I'm wondering if it's time to bite?

I currently have an A7 for which I'd be considering it an upgrade/spare body, the only native lenses I have are the kit 28-70, and 28mm f/2.0. The rest are old A mount lenses on an LA-EA4 adapter.

I'm fully aware of the limitations of the A7R (lack of IBIS, no electronic first curtain shutter, rubbish AF) but can work with them as I mostly take landscapes on a tripod. Benefits I hope to achieve are slightly increased resolution for more cropping capacity, and no anti-aliasing filter. I also understand the body is made of magnesium whereas the A7 isn't.

Of course I'd much prefer the A7R II, but there's a difference between £880 and £2,500 that could be put towards glass :)
 
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an1uk said:
Been contemplating the A7R for some time but the price hasn't dropped from £999. Now there's £120 cashback I'm wondering if it's time to bite?

I currently have an A7 for which I'd be considering it an upgrade/spare body, the only native lenses I have are the kit 28-70, and 28mm f/2.0. The rest are old A mount lenses on an LA-EA4 adapter.

I'm fully aware of the limitations of the A7R (lack of IBIS, no electronic first curtain shutter, rubbish AF) but can work with them as I mostly take landscapes on a tripod. Benefits I hope to achieve are slightly increased resolution for more cropping capacity, and no anti-aliasing filter. I also understand the body is made of magnesium whereas the A7 isn't.

Of course I'd much prefer the A7R II, but there's a difference between £880 and £2,500 that could be put towards glass :)
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£880 for a brand new Sony A7R is a very good price!
 
Great stuff as usual...

I'll be interested to hear if you think that the image quality has moved forward in any area or if the improvements are "just" to features, abilities and speed of operation.
 
Shock! Horror! A9 banding issue!

Read all about it at Diglloyd, Thom Hogan says it's there too.

Is this a Pixel Peeping / every slider turned to the max issue only or a real world issue?

Over to you.
 
woof woof said:
Shock! Horror! A9 banding issue!

Read all about it at Diglloyd, Thom Hogan says it's there too.

Is this a Pixel Peeping / every slider turned to the max issue only or a real world issue?

Over to you.
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The 5d4 also has banding issues in the shadows :(

Only when pushing to some ridiculous levels
 
woof woof said:
Shock! Horror! A9 banding issue!

Read all about it at Diglloyd, Thom Hogan says it's there too.

Is this a Pixel Peeping / every slider turned to the max issue only or a real world issue?

Over to you.
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It's irrelevant, the people who are spending this kind of money will most likely pixel peep and compare to its main rivals. If banding does exist no matter how small it is, it will be seen as a deficiency, not something you want in a £4500 body.
In all fairness I don't think Sony has advertised the A9 as banding free! Clever marketing imo just like the whole weather sealing saga!
 
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I haven't read the articles thoroughly but from a half look I think Diglloyd is claiming that the banding is visible in a good exposure. I'm aware that in the past this sort of thing has happened with various cameras when the sliders have been pushed to the max in Lightroom (or whatever) and the picture has been pixel peeped and if this is the case here then I personally wouldn't worry about it. If however the banding is visible in the sort of severe push that we all do now and again (rather than a push of everything to the max just to see if it all falls apart...) I'd be more concerned and even more so if the banding is visible in a more ordinary normally processed shot.

If there is indeed a real issue maybe it's something that Sony could fix with a firmware update and if it's real and serious enough maybe they'll do that, if possible. Now that one of us here has one no doubt we'll see a balanced report.
 
addicknchips said:
My A7rii is in the uk. Shame there's no weekend delivery. Having to wait until Tuesday now. Oh well. Back to the paddling pool.
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It was 40.1 deg C in the sun in the garden yesterday.

My GF felt at home :D but more comfortable as it's less humid here.
 
woof woof said:
If there is indeed a real issue maybe it's something that Sony could fix with a firmware update and if it's real and serious enough maybe they'll do that, if possible. Now that one of us here has one no doubt we'll see a balanced report.
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Or Sony will fix it in the A9 II. ;)
 
Anybody know if the a7rii / mc11 / 35 art works with all af modes? specifically afc?
 
addicknchips said:
I think so for the art lenses

http://briansmith.com/sigma-mc-11-smart-adapter/
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Look at 35 art

Sigma-MC-11-Lens-Compatibilty-Chart.jpg
 
twist said:
First Sony A9 overheating issue report. And it “eats stars” too :(
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When I was out on Friday chilling in the sun in the park with my camera exposed to the sun.i got the overheat issue but it still focused and shot fine.

The star trail issue is from the A7R2 fw. With each fw update they do on that camera they seem to break something so if you can grab a A7R2 using a old firmware below 3.3 u be fine.

Also another flaw someone found on the A9 is banding at Base iso. You have to have good eyes to see it and it appears when shooting directly at sun light.

That particular picture Imo no one would have batted an eye lid.
.

Also I am out wit the camera with my canon 70-200 and it focuses a lot better than the A7R2! Still not as blistering fast as the 5d4 but usable in the street and all the way from infinite to near focus at 200m!
 
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jonneymendoza said:
When I was out on Friday chilling in the sun in the park with my camera exposed to the sun.i got the overheat issue but it still focused and shot fine.

The star trail issue is from the A7R2 fw. With each fw update they do on that camera they seem to break something so if you can grab a A7R2 using a old firmware below 3.3 u be fine.

Also another flaw someone found on the A9 is banding at Base iso. You have to have good eyes to see it and it appears when shooting directly at sun light.

That particular picture Imo no one would have batted an eye lid.
.

Also I am out wit the camera with my canon 70-200 and it focuses a lot better than the A7R2! Still not as blistering fast as the 5d4 but usable in the street and all the way from infinite to near focus at 200m!
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Ive ordered an a7r2 (can cancel as not shipped) and now looking at glass options, I know I can get away with 1 lens all the time so that helps my pocket. The highest ISO I tend to hit is 6400-12800 so trying to figure just how good the AF is going to be with either MC11 or MB MKIV (siggy 35 ART) in that light (this is a piece of cake for the D700 in low light using CAF) . Some say either are better so thats confusing me.

I hope I can get on with the camera, Im doing more video and its a big reason for me to go for it, would be nice to have 1 camera instead of say the D700 and a A6500 along with associated extras. Cost wise both setups, probs the same.

Seen a few mention the A9 overheat warning now, maybe the new design sensor is getting hotter due to design.
 
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twist said:
Ive ordered an a7r2 (can cancel as not shipped) and now looking at glass options, I know I can get away with 1 lens all the time so that helps my pocket. The highest ISO I tend to hit is 6400-12800 so trying to figure just how good the AF is going to be with either MC11 or MB MKIV (siggy 35 ART) in that light (this is a piece of cake for the D700 in low light using CAF) . Some say either are better so thats confusing me.

I hope I can get on with the camera, Im doing more video and its a big reason for me to go for it, would be nice to have 1 camera instead of say the D700 and a A6500 along with associated extras. Cost wise both setups, probs the same.

Seen a few mention the A9 overheat warning now, maybe the new design sensor is getting hotter due to design.
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That's great. If you are shooting wide open. It will focus wide open.

Dslr only stop down a lens max F2.8 even if the lens goes wider.

That's one advantage over dslr af
 
jonneymendoza said:
That's great. If you are shooting wide open. It will focus wide open.

Dslr only stop down a lens max F2.8 even if the lens goes wider.

That's one advantage over dslr af
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Yeah, but as you know... dslr CAF is hella fast in all light.
 
twist said:
Ive ordered an a7r2 (can cancel as not shipped) and now looking at glass options, I know I can get away with 1 lens all the time so that helps my pocket. The highest ISO I tend to hit is 6400-12800 so trying to figure just how good the AF is going to be with either MC11 or MB MKIV (siggy 35 ART) in that light (this is a piece of cake for the D700 in low light using CAF) . Some say either are better so thats confusing me.

I hope I can get on with the camera, Im doing more video and its a big reason for me to go for it, would be nice to have 1 camera instead of say the D700 and a A6500 along with associated extras. Cost wise both setups, probs the same.

Seen a few mention the A9 overheat warning now, maybe the new design sensor is getting hotter due to design.
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Twist, I believe the Sigma glass works better with the Sigma MC-11 over the Metabones, I was planning on picking up the MC-11 & 35mm before I decided to jump ship!
 
chrism_scotland said:
Twist, I believe the Sigma glass works better with the Sigma MC-11 over the Metabones, I was planning on picking up the MC-11 & 35mm before I decided to jump ship!
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Thanks Chris, I think were very different shooters but how did you find lower light AF vs Nikons? Why did you jump ship anyway, Fuji big sensor just that good?
 
@twist if adapting a sigma lens use the sigma adapter. If using canon, get the metabones.
 
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twist said:
@Fuguru Why do you think I shouldnt buy the A7rii? As a long term user, give me the negatives besides cost!
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The A7RII is an amazing camera but it comes down to what your requirement is, if your going to produce massive prints, pixel peep or do heavy cropping then the A7RII is hard to beat, if not then I'd wait it out for a newer 24mp model (A7III).

From my perspective I found that working with the 42.2mp files was quite taxing on my MacBook Pro both in terms of processing and raw storage space so you'll need to take this into consideration.

If your shooting studio based work which requires off-camera flashes then you need to consider that the A7RII exhibits an AF issue which causes some lenses not to AF optimally.

The auto-focus is reliable and I have only had two problems during my ownership which I never found the root cause of.

Technically the A7RII is up there, but my logic is that if your going to invest in a high resolution sensor, you should consider the very best glass to go with it. G Master :D

If you can afford it then I'd highly recommend it, not many negatives really.

Do I miss mine, yes but only for the technical spec. I am getting great images out of my Fuji XT-2 which I am hard pushed to tell the difference compared to my A7RII, only under pixel peeping conditions you see where the A7RII excels.
 
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Fuguru said:
The A7RII is an amazing camera but it comes down to what your requirement is, if your going to produce massive prints, pixel peep or do heavy cropping then the A7RII is hard to beat, if not then I'd wait it out for a newer 24mp model (A7III).

From my perspective I found that working with the 42.2mp files was quite taxing on my MacBook Pro both in terms of processing and raw storage space so you'll need to take this into consideration.

If your shooting studio based work which requires off-camera flashes then you need to consider that the A7RII exhibits anAF issue which causes some lenses not to AF optimally.

The auto-focus is reliable and I have only had two problems during my ownership which I never found the root cause of.

Technically the A7RII is up there, but my logic is that if your going to invest in a high resolution sensor, you should consider the very best glass to go with it. G Master :D

If you can afford it then I'd highly recommend it, not many negatives really.

Do I miss mine, yes but only for the technical spec. I am getting great images out of my Fuji XT-2 which I am hard pushed to tell the difference compared to my A7RII, only under pixel peeping conditions you see where the A7RII excels.
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For me 12mp is even enough as I compose carefully and am very used to working distances with my lens, not often I need to crop. The things that I think may be useful are the low ISO, IBIS for video, 4K. Big downside is probs AF and definitely cost after including lenses... not sure Ive spent enough time pondering this. :facepalm:
 
twist said:
For me 12mp is even enough as I compose carefully and am very used to working distances with my lens, not often I need to crop. The things that I think may be useful are the low ISO, IBIS for video, 4K. Big downside is probs AF and definitely cost after including lenses... not sure Ive spent enough time pondering this. :facepalm:
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Buy it ;)
 
jonneymendoza said:
Buy it ;)
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Like I said, I have already... really worried about AF though. TBH, after spending the day researching Im not sure its going to work out. Adapted sounds clumsy and slow in low light and native is crazy expensive for not much faster according to reviews... dont think it will do me as a single system, as a second cam hell yes but I dont want to get into the 5k+ bracket again.
 
twist said:
Like I said, I have already... really worried about AF though. TBH, after spending the day researching Im not sure its going to work out. Adapted sounds clumsy and slow in low light and native is crazy expensive for not much faster according to reviews... dont think it will do me as a single system, as a second cam hell yes but I dont want to get into the 5k+ bracket again.
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I think if af is your main concern stick with your nikon.

Could one of the Panasonics sort out your video needs?
 
addicknchips said:
I think if af is your main concern stick with your nikon.

Could one of the Panasonics sort out your video needs?
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No, AF is crap, sensor to small. A6300 possibly, I have owned and used the A5100 for video for a long time now and its been really great but want to add 4k so thought the A7rii would give me the best of both stills and video... but it seems a clumsy compromise unless I want to spend a fortune and settle for average stills low light AF. No cameras perfect heh.
 
twist said:
No, AF is crap, sensor to small. A6300 possibly, I have owned and used the A5100 for video for a long time now and its been really great but want to add 4k so thought the A7rii would give me the best of both stills and video... but it seems a clumsy compromise unless I want to spend a fortune and settle for average stills low light AF. No cameras perfect heh.
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What is it you'd be shooting for your stills?
 
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