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

Fuji has a EVF/LCD toggle, its nice to have.

Blinkies issue is a bit odd. Sounds like niggles will easily be able to be fixed via FW, Sony isnt great with dealing with FW updates though IME.

Whats the IQ like compared to the 5D?
 
twist said:
Fuji has a EVF/LCD toggle, its nice to have.

Blinkies issue is a bit odd. Sounds like niggles will easily be able to be fixed via FW, Sony isnt great with dealing with FW updates though IME.

Whats the IQ like compared to the 5D?
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I can't really say at the moment as I haven't been able to take more than a few shots and most have been indoor test shots. Once I have time to get out and about I'll have a better idea but at the moment I can't say that at base to mid ISO's it's a leap forward in image quality over the 5D or G1 but I think that at least partly and maybe in whole (I hope) that's because I can't process raws in anything but the very poor Sony software and all I'm looking at is rather poor jpegs (you can't shoot Fine jpegs and raw at the same time an the raw+jpeg jpegs are coming out as rather poor 5mb files rather than highly detailed and lovely 12mp files.)

5D and G1 raws when processed in CS5 are very good but at the moment what I see from the Sony files is a degree of jpeg nastiness that's preventing me from saying that the IQ is a leap forward.
 
Thanks, Ive just got mine so will test with Rokkors and have a look at RAWs and get back to you. Still waiting for my native lens.
 
I may have to buy a new software package... I'd rather not as I hate getting to grips with new software but CS5 has come to a stop and the Sony stuff is awful :(
 
woof woof said:
I feel very limited by the Sony raw software.

What are you lot using (PC not MAC)?
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The sony software is AWFUL! There was however a guy who used it, turned all the noise reduction etc off, exported as Tiff then worked on the files in LR/PS. I'm using LR RC5.3, it was free but I think it stops working in December sometime. I have LR 5 waiting to go on, but until RC5.3 becomes a full version I don't think tehre's RAW support yet? AFAIK anyway.


manualfocus-g said:
Well my a7 arrived and...just wow! The EVF is simply stunning :D The camera feels like it's been very well built and I love the exposure compensation dial! Don't like the charge time though :|

Anyway, I've literally only had a quick play as my little sproglett has needed a lot of attention tonight :gag::lol: So just the Konica 40/1.8 has been mounted so far, and just the one willing (well, kind of) model.


IMG_6400.jpg by <<BackToTheFuture>>, on Flickr


DSC00023.jpg by <<BackToTheFuture>>, on Flickr

Photo shot in RAW and very quickly converted in LR 5.3, hence colours might be a bit out.
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I'm after this lens again, I had one on m4/3 and it was very good as long as you kept it away from f1.8 and back or side light. LR really screws skin colours up doesn't it?

I've had yet more loose screws issues, this time in my Rokkor MC 58mm! It's raining here now so as yet still only dogs as test subjects!
 
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woof woof said:
I may have to buy a new software package... I'd rather not as I hate getting to grips with new software but CS5 has come to a stop and the Sony stuff is awful :(
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Why not try get hold of one of the Canon promo versions of LR5, they go for less than retail.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
The sony software is AWFUL! There was however a guy who used it, turned all the noise reduction etc off, exported as Tiff then worked on the files in LR/PS. I'm using LR RC5.3, it was free but I think it stops working in December sometime. I have LR 5 waiting to go on, but until RC5.3 becomes a full version I don't think tehre's RAW support yet? AFAIK anyway.
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That's the way I'm going at the mo... shoot raw, turn everything off, export as tiff, import into CS5 as raw, process and save as jpeg.

woof woof said:
I'm hoping the DNG soon gets updated. The best results I've had so far are from shooting raw, outputing as tiff and processing as raw in CS5 but it's a pain as you can't batch process so processing one simple image takes minutes whilst my 5D and G1 raw images can be batch processed in seconds and saved as jpegs.
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I haven't tried Fine jpegs yet.
 
twist said:
Why not try get hold of one of the Canon promo versions of LR5, they go for less than retail.
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I may trial some new stuff but it might be worth waiting a while for undates to come through with A7 raw support. At the mo options look... limited, if you shot raw.

It's difficult to believe that Sony would ship a flagship product with such poor software. As many on the net have said - manufactures should stop trying to be software houses and adopt DNG. EVERY manufacturers software package I've ever had has IMVHO been rubbish. I thought Silkipix was bad.
 
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woof woof said:
Yup. A £600 package that they stop updating just a couple of years later. £300 a year then... poor value IMVHO.
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Theres a photography creative cloud now availiable for £9 a month. It includes PS and LR which in my opinion is a good deal given your software will stay updated and work out much cheaper.
 
Rokkor MC 58mm f1.4:









I find peaking doesn't always lead to nailed focus as catchlights in eyes often fool me! Magnified view is better in that respect.
 
£108 a year seems like me bending over and then thanking them to me.

I may have a look at it but they don't exactly endear themselves to customers IMO.
 
twist said:
Definitely, IME what did help with the 6D was going to camera profile and changing it from Adobe standard to camera standard. Less of a yellow mess.
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I didn't know you could even do that! Man I wish I'd known about that with the Fuji S5, Adobe makes a right mess of that, took me ages of trial and error to make a preset to replicate it!
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
I didn't know you could even do that! Man I wish I'd known about that with the Fuji S5, Adobe makes a right mess of that, took me ages of trial and error to make a preset to replicate it!
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Its right at the bottom of the develop module, can also tweak it and then create a preset to apply when importing ;)

Im confused why they hide it, not everyone wants ****** Adobe colours.
 
None of those photos are showing up for me Alan, but when I click on them I can see them.
 
twist said:
Its right at the bottom of the develop module, can also tweak it and then create a preset to apply when importing ;)

Im confused why they hide it, not everyone wants ****** Adobe colours.
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Too right! Sometimes they're OK - they're better than Panasonic but way inferior to Fuji, Olympus and now apparently Sony!

oh Alan - did you sort turning the screen off? Just set my down button to do so but there's a glitch(at least in A7R), it stops it displaying data but doesn't actually turn the screen off, the backlight stays on so it doesn't save any power at all!
 
Yup. I posted about it earlier.


woof woof said:
The only real issue I've found other than processing so far is that switching between the EVF and back screen is a pain as the EVF detects my eye and the screen goes off and then when I remove my eye from the EVF the screen comes on so it's constantly flashing on and off. You can switch between EVF and screen in the menu but it's a pain to access and there doesn't seem (as far as I can see) any way to allocate EVF/screen to a function key. You can allocate "deactivate monitor" to a function button but the backlight remains on and in low light I find it distracting as again it's constantly flashing on/off, but it's the best fix I've found so far. My G1 was much better in this respect.
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There doesn't seem to be any way to switch between EVF and screen other than diving into the menu.
 
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Laudrup said:
None of those photos are showing up for me Alan, but when I click on them I can see them.
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They were republished after posting here since LR didn't add metadata to them all, I think they're Ok again now?
 
woof woof said:
Yup. I posted about it earlier.

There doesn't seem to be any way to switch between EVF and screen other than diving into the menu.
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with FINDER/MONITOR on Auto it uses the sensor to flit between the two, it's how I have mine set with the function menu on the rear screen and just plain VF image in the EVF.
 
Yes.

I have it on auto with a function button set to "deactivate monitor." It's not perfect but it sort of works.
 
You could try exporting as 16bit tiff, that should? Be as good as raw
 
twist said:
Blinkies issue is a bit odd. Sounds like niggles will easily be able to be fixed via FW, Sony isnt great with dealing with FW updates though IME.
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You can get blown highlight blinkies by turning on "zebra" so you see it before you take the shot. Super feature.
 
nice writeup :)
i had a play with the a7 (normal one, not R) in a shop and was very impressed with the build, focus speed with kit lens (nearly as good as my a77 with 16-50) and that was in low light too (camera flashed iso2000 or so), and the shutter sounded really nice and silky :)
think the r might have a different shutter, or is abit different and uses it front and rear
 
pingu666 said:
think the r might have a different shutter, or is abit different and uses it front and rear
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The 'plain' A7 has the option to use an electronic first curtain, with a mechanical second curtain.

The A7r uses its mechanical shutter for both first and second curtain and cannot do EFC.
 
Tobers said:
You can get blown highlight blinkies by turning on "zebra" so you see it before you take the shot. Super feature.
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Ah Ha! I wondered what that was! I'll give it a go! Thanks! :D
 
Alan, that Rokkor looks good! The Konica appears decent wide open on full frame, I know a lot of people struggled with ghosting wide open on crop and m43, to the extent that baffles were being added to the rear of the lens by users. I've not seen a problem so far with the a7 (although admittedly I only had 10 minutes playing with it last night).

Hopefully I'll get a chance to play with the Jupiters tonight, the Contax Zeiss lenses look stupidly big on this body BTW. I might try to pick up a Tessar 45/2.8 pancake for giggles though.

P.s. I really like the feel of the buttons on this camera :)
 
Got my mitts on it, initial thoughts, handles great in my hands, build quality imo is lacking a bit for a 1k+ camera, to much plastic, the cheaper Fuji XE1 is better built. The side 'flaps' are pretty poor. In this respect the A7r will be slightly better but probably not noticeable in use, only if youre being picky.

TBH though for what I shoot the 7 is the better camera and I saved a few hundred quid over the R, which helps keep overall system price down. So Im still pleased I chose the 7 instead.

The sensor looks MASSIVE in such a small body!!

My Rokkor 50 1.4 PG X performs very well wide open and is about the size of an 18-55 kit lens.

Ill add some more as I go.
 
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twist said:
Got my mitts on it, initial thoughts, handles great in my hands, build quality imo is lacking a bit for a 1k+ camera, to much plastic, the cheaper Fuji XE1 is better built.
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True, but you are comparing a higher end crop camera to a low end full frame camera remember ;) I'd compare it to a a 6D or D610...it looks better built than my 6D :D
 
woof woof said:
I may trial some new stuff but it might be worth waiting a while for undates to come through with A7 raw support..
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Personally I'd e-mail those PhotoNinja fellas and see how quick they can get the A7 into their software : then use the trial version. There's some sensible stuff in that programme, and the defaults are quite contrasty, which is nice ... coming from m4/3rds.

manualfocus-g said:
Hopefully I'll get a chance to play with the Jupiters tonight,
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Please post a portriat with a Jupiter-8 at F2? Pretty please?
 
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Tobers said:
I think the Canon FD 20 2.8 is going on my list.
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Now I have one of those, and the OM 24mm f/2.8 he was using and which I've enjoyed a lot on my 5D.

Whereabouts are you in Surrey? We might arrange a little testing... :)
 
Now that looks like a nice compact solution. Oh, I never meant the buttons, I like them. Some of the shell, that was literally 5 min overview I'll update as I go, unfortunately no time tonight.
 
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