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

JYC said:
A7S launch price was 2499 USD, making the UK £2400 price a bit steep!

Suspect the A7Rii would struggle if launched at £3000 but the price for Sony bodies seems to fall dramatically after launch.
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UK launch prices are always daft, that applies to all manufacturers. Launch was 2400 in May 14 by Jul 14 it was just over 2k. Where it held steady for quite a while before a drop to 1800 in Feb 15 and currently 1700.
 
Steve Huff is as excited as usual...

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2015/...onster-the-new-a7ii-r-see-my-hands-on-report/

He says this further down in the comments section...

""No idea on the flash sync as I have not used a flash in 15-20 years. I am not a flash guy.
RAW compression? That is the most overblown bunch of nonsense I have seen online. I have 40X60 prints on my wall from my A7II, they are gorgeous and no one, NO ONE would walk up and say…hmm, would have been better without that RAW compression. It’s not noticeable.
Battery life, THIS is my only concern and I spoke with Sony last night over this. I have a feeling battery life will be not so hot. I own 7 batteries fr my A7II.
Buffer seems just fine.
USB 3? Why? Who uses the camera to connect? Use a SD reader. MUCH better.
The AF speed was about the same as my A7s which is a HUGE increase over the A7, A7r. Plenty fast. Was almost instant.
The A7s and A7II focus wonderfully in low light, as did the A7RII fro my limited experience. Though I did not have REALLY low light test it out.
No shutter shock, this has been fixed and written about in this article.
I have no perceptable lag with my S and II, and this was the same.
My A7s and II wake up within a second or so, this one was about the same. Again, I do not have one for review but no one had issues with start up.
Menu system of the A7Ii and A7s are superb, and it is the same here. Nothing wrong with the menu system.

This camera is in another league over just about ANY camera made today for 35mm full frame. Really is. There is nothing like it for what it offers, and the build and feel are superb, just as with the A7II. It’s going to be huge. The images, prints and video from this are simply stunning. Usability is fantastic. Nikon and Canon really should be worried, and with loads of new lenses on the way this year…wow."

I've seen complaints on line about the raw compression although for me and my pretty low standards it's been a complete non issue, still, to shut the complainers up I wish that Sony would offer the option of selecting non compressed raw's for people who need them and people could then complain about something else such as battery life... or the range of lenses available.

Has anyone here seen any real world raw compression issues?
 
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5abi said:
Do you guys know if there will be an AF speed improvement with adapters such as Metabones with the new on sensor phase detect?
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Good news from dpreview.com:

Sony says the on-sensor phase-detection AF can be used with A-mount lenses using the simpler LA-E3 adapter, rather than the LA-E4 that had an SLT mechanism built in. At the press launch in New York we even got a glimpse of the a7R II autofocusing Canon EF lenses using a Metabones electronic adapter. Focus appeared to be on par with OVF focus on a native Canon body, and the AF experience itself didn't appear to be limited simply because you're using a third party lens (full coverage and tracking are available).
 
twist said:
Isnt he the KR of mirrorless.
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I dunno. Ken takes a bashing and possibly deservedly so but in some of his articles he talks a lot of sense. Steve is often rather enthusiastic but he has said that he's not interested in reviewing kit he doesn't like so it's not really too surprising when he gushes as if he wasn't going to gush he probably wouldn't write the review :D Actually sometimes he can be pushed to write about kit he doesn't like... witness his less than enthusiastic write up of the Panny LX100 which was possibly only posted due to people pestering him about it.
 
woof woof said:
I dunno. Ken takes a bashing and possibly deservedly so but in some of his articles he talks a lot of sense. Steve is often rather enthusiastic but he has said that he's not interested in reviewing kit he doesn't like so it's not really too surprising when he gushes as if he wasn't going to gush he probably wouldn't write the review :D Actually sometimes he can be pushed to write about kit he doesn't like... witness his less than enthusiastic write up of the Panny LX100 which was possibly only posted due to people pestering him about it.
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I dont mind some of his articles but he does bang on a bit and make it sound like a marketing exercise. Its good entertainment and not all charts though so hes not all bad.
 
Personally I like reviewers who express an opinion and maybe even go on a rant now and again, it's so much better than reading a write up done by someone who seems to be afraid of expressing an actual opinion.
 
woof woof said:
Personally I like reviewers who express an opinion and maybe even go on a rant now and again, it's so much better than reading a write up done by someone who seems to be afraid of expressing an actual opinion.
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Yeah, I find blogs more interesting these days but they can be one sided on occasions. The photos the users take are pretty much always better than the usual test sites though and give a good reflection of qualities besides sharpness.
 
I do have some time for Steve Huff but he does seem to get a hard on for any Sony Kit at the moment, (having been a huge Oly EM1 fan before!) - Shame about the battery, I do feel Sony should take the jump and introduce a new, larger battery, it can't be that hard given the increase in body sizes with the "Phase 2" Bodies
 
Yeah I always go for a blog review rather than a DPR or cameralabs style review these days. Photos are much more interesting and you usually get a good idea of the gripes if you read between the lines of the gushing praise! :p
 
Just on the price... maybe I'm tight but the thought of spending the cost of a half decent car on a camera seems a little extreme to me. Oh well, lovely camera though and I can't say that I wont get one even thought the A7 does just about everything I want. A silent shutter would be nice though :D Wonder if it'll have a leaning person/rolling shutter effect?
 
woof woof said:
Just on the price... maybe I'm tight but the thought of spending the cost of a half decent car on a camera seems a little extreme to me. Oh well, lovely camera though and I can't say that I wont get one even thought the A7 does just about everything I want. A silent shutter would be nice though :D Wonder if it'll have a leaning person/rolling shutter effect?
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What half decent car can you get for 3k lol
 
Most of the people where I live drive cars that are maybe worth half that.
 
Who isn't?

Just keep off the camera retailers websites unless you want your other half to skin you alive when the courier brings a £2.5k+ A7rII to your door.
 
twist said:
Isnt he the KR of mirrorless.
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simonblue said:
He a complete and utter prat :D
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I've enjoyed plenty of his posts when they pop up in my newsfeed. His website is a bit of a commerce-fest for my taste but I never go there so it doesn't bother me. His "Daily Inspiration" series (now on #828) is genuinely interesting - worth a look if you've missed it.
 
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woof woof said:
Just on the price... maybe I'm tight but the thought of spending the cost of a half decent car on a camera seems a little extreme to me. Oh well, lovely camera though and I can't say that I wont get one even thought the A7 does just about everything I want. A silent shutter would be nice though :D Wonder if it'll have a leaning person/rolling shutter effect?
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$3200 isn't it? What are we expecting, £2600?
 
Sid said:
Hopefully a little less than that considering that the launch prices of the A7r were $2299 / € 2099 / £1699

I'd wager around £2300-£2400 but am keen to find out for sure soon.
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I though the US dollar price was already confirmed at 3200. Just waiting to find out how much we'll be stung in the UK, as usual
 
A few days in and my A7R + 50 Loxia combo is proving itself more than a bit okay. Having bought and sold for various reasons an A7 (meh), A7s (GAS) and A7ii (meh) over the past year or so, I'm more than a bit surprised that this combo is the one that might stick. I'm definitely preferring the files to those from my departed D800E. The Loxia is just superb - so easy to focus and a lovely "look" to the images. Now I'm tempted by the 35 and roll on the 85 which I know I won't be able to resist.

The only two negatives so far are the single card slot which I find scary and the lack of a "no-card" lock. No doubt, I'll be tempted by an A7RII - even though it still only has one slot - when the price drops a bit but for now, the A7R is doing a fine job.
 
Well I've had the a7 for a week or so now and I'm really enjoying it. Great to be able to throw it in my work bag with the 55mm on and not feel the weight.
I know its been mentioned 1 million times, but the shutter noise is a pain the arse. Doesn't help with stealth\street shooting. Other than its pretty sweet. Am now lusting over the a7rii spec and wondering how I'm going afford one.
 
addicknchips said:
Well I've had the a7 for a week or so now and I'm really enjoying it. Great to be able to throw it in my work bag with the 55mm on and not feel the weight. I know its been mentioned 1 million times, but the shutter noise is a pain the arse. Doesn't help with stealth\street shooting. Other than its pretty sweet. Am now lusting over the a7rii spec and wondering how I'm going afford one.
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Yup to the lack of weight. The shutter noise doesn't bother me outdoors probably because seven years with a 20D has made me a bit deaf but the 7rII's ability to shoot silently just like my GX7 would be very nice.

Hopefully a year from now A7rII's will be very reasonably priced because we're all lusting after whatever has just been announced :D
 
Steve Huff is a bit giddy sometimes, particularly about Leica, but he's no Ken Rockwell. He uses and reviews a lot of top end gear and gives you a good insight into how it performs in everyday use. The A7RII looks good but I'm interested to see what Nikon can do with the sensor in their next D900 or whatever it is called.
 
I looked on Flickr after the samples was released and my first impressions was good but not that good especially when you look at what a sub £300 Sigma Merrill can produce at the same settings on a tripod landscape and architectural photography, I am not talking features speed or battery life iso and so on as we all know the Merrill's got low points in these areas but pure detail and sharpness I have not come across another camera to compare with it..
 
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I don't know that I'd trust images on line and in fact I wouldn't. IMVHO it's best to wait for the reviews and good quality shots plus raw's which you can download, process and examine yourself. Otherwise, what are we really looking at?

As far as I remember there was a comparison between a Merrill and a D800 at Camera store TV, here it is...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3VjyHQiqdE


TBH I doubt a Merrill or any of that series of cameras will be able to match the image quality of the A7rII plus a quality lens if we're talking about ultimate quality in a circumstance in which it can be seen and compared but even if it did the Merrill's come with so many little foibles that it/they and any A7 or indeed any CSC will only be competing on the same list of possible purchases for a handful of people. IMVHO. As you say, for architectural shots on tripod... maybe it'll be a very close call probably until you go to larger print sizes but it's apples and oranges (or maybe it's more different than that, apples and wellington boots?) and I'd rather have my old Panasonic G1 than any Sigma DP Merrill type camera and you can get G1's for well under £100 now.
 
A7rII plus a quality lens you would be talking near £4000 ,Sigma Merrill Sub £300 and I would still like to see a proper comparison RAW files between the 2.
 
£2899 will be my guess :) but either way you are going to get shafted with a capital S.
 
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Don't forget the silence shutter mode has some flaws when using it indoors in a place lite up by fluorescent lights
 
n0chex said:
I looked on Flickr after the samples was released and my first impressions was good but not that good especially when you look at what a sub £300 Sigma Merrill can produce at the same settings on a tripod landscape and architectural photography, I am not talking features speed or battery life iso and so on as we all know the Merrill's got low points in these areas but pure detail and sharpness I have not come across another camera to compare with it..
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The D800/E or A7R. Bigger sensor and better lenses will win the day.
 
n0chex said:
A7rII plus a quality lens you would be talking near £4000 ,Sigma Merrill Sub £300 and I would still like to see a proper comparison RAW files between the 2.
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Apples and wellington boots though isn't it?

I'm sure that the Merrills are good cameras and I may be wrong but I really do think that if you're looking at a Merrill you probably aren't looking at an A7, and vise versa of course :D
 
Brazo said:
My first thoughts were the same as yours and the same as they were for all the previous crappy clones they've done.

When you drill down into the comments though it appears the gaudy cams are designed for rich Asian camera collectors and sell very well as such in Aisa.
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All joking aside I'm all for choice and if there's a market for these then good luck to Hasselblad and the people who buy them. The same things happen in other markets from handbags to cars and if people want nice things and they keep other people employed customising and selling the cameras everyones happy... even if I titter just a little bit :D
 
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