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

woof woof said:
I had all my A7 buttons assigned to something so having AEL and AF/MF take up buttons may mean losing something but I suppose I'll just have to live with it.
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As I mentioned the larger A7 bodies have more buttons than the original A7. you won't be losing anything, if anything you gain a few extra button along with an extra dial too if you get the A7IV (as the exposure comp dial is customisable on it)

woof woof said:
I did like that control as all options were in the same place and didn't need any thumb repositioning. It was all just second nature. Oh well. I may even prefer the new set up or at least get used to it.

I do use the faster shutter speeds probably for a single digit percentage of pictures but it's just something I don't want to compromise on as it's just another time and task adding thing to distract from taking the picture. I do use the custom menu for some options but it's even more faff on and not something I want to be doing shot to shot for reasons of shutter speed. And it's another button taken up.
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up to you. I have said my bit, I don't get any money for selling you the a7CII :LOL:
 
nandbytes said:
As I mentioned the larger A7 bodies have more buttons than the original A7. you won't be losing anything, if anything you gain a few extra button along with an extra dial too if you get the A7IV (as the exposure comp dial is customisable on it)
...
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Plenty of custom buttons on an A7iv - I forget what the ones I don't use regularly are set to :LOL:
 
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nandbytes said:
As I mentioned the larger A7 bodies have more buttons than the original A7. you won't be losing anything, if anything you gain a few extra button along with an extra dial too if you get the A7IV (as the exposure comp dial is customisable on it)



up to you. I have said my bit, I don't get any money for selling you the a7CII :LOL:
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The newer bodies have more buttons but I'll need to reposition my thumb or index finger more to use them. C1 looks the best choice for AF/MF on the A7 III but all the others seem to be located at the corners of the camera or at the front / top plate and less easy to use. Glad it works for you but it does look ergonomically worse and a backward step for me, being used to the A7 layout. For me losing the AEL/AF/MF control looks like a backward step but just like the increase in size and weight with the SLR style camera it's something that I can't do anything about.

At the moment I can't think of any extra thing I'd want the exposure compensation dial to do.

Anyway. I can see the appeal of the A7cII but the little gripes just keep adding up so it's not for me and as I can't see Sony making an A7c that would fix all my gripes I don't think it ever will be which is a shame as I do like my RF style MFT cameras but they have the features, abilities and handling I prefer and I don't think any A7c does or will in the future.

Looks like it's the A7 III then.

Thanks all.
 
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woof woof said:
The newer bodies have more buttons but I'll need to reposition my thumb or index finger more to use them. C1 looks the best choice for AF/MF on the A7 III but all the others seem to be located at the corners of the camera or at the front / top plate and less easy to use. Glad it works for you but it does look ergonomically worse and a backward step for me, being used to the A7 layout. For me losing the AEL/AF/MF control looks like a backward step but just like the increase in size and weight with the SLR style camera it's something that I can't do anything about.

At the moment I can't think of any extra thing I'd want the exposure compensation dial to do.

Anyway. I can see the appeal of the A7cII but the little gripes just keep adding up so it's not for me and as I can't see Sony making an A7c that would fix all my gripes I don't think it ever will be which is a shame as I do like my RF style MFT cameras but they have the features, abilities and handling I prefer and I don't think any A7c does or will in the future.

Looks like it's the A7 III then.

Thanks all.
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A7III is still a great body even if it is a little aged now. Can be bought so cheap now as well. Seen a used one with 6k shutter count sell on Facebook the other day for £450

If you consider buying used you should also consider the A9. Can be bought used for less than a new A7III and little to no issues with banding and better a.f. Used ones tend to have low shutter counts as well as most people tend to just use the electronic shutter unless using flash.
 
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I'll buy new as hopefully I'll be keeping it for years and buying a used camera can be a lottery and for the sake of an extra £500 maybe new is the best option for me.

I'm not sure about the A9 series and especially the original as the comparison site I looked at gives its DR as less than my A7's and that could well matter to me. I don't fancy losing a stop of DR, if that is indeed all correct and accurate. According to that site I'd need to go for an A9III to get slightly more DR than the A7 gives.
 
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woof woof said:
Have you noticed the aperture discrepancies?
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Interesting you mention this, as it's not something I've noticed or even looked for. But when I held the Artralab 35mm and the (your ex) Nikon Series E 35mm up to the light, both at f8, yes there is a vast difference. Pity, because it's a lovely lens to actually use and of course much more compact than the Nikon with an FTZ attached.
 
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Stephen L said:
Interesting you mention this, as it's not something I've noticed or even looked for. But when I held the Artralab 35mm and the (your ex) Nikon Series E up to the light, both at f8, yes there is a vast difference. Pity, because it's a lovely lens to actually use and of course much more compact than the Nikon with an FTZ attached.
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I don't believe it's f1.4 either.

It is a nicely made lens and the IQ seems nice enough and not being f1.4 (if it isn't and it doesn't seem to be to me) isn't for me as serious as the more glaring discrepancies as you stop down and I really can't understand why they've released this lens for sale in this condition.

As above, I do wonder how much more expensive it would have been to fit an aperture mechanism which was at least somewhere in the ballpark? This is in effect a f1.6/f1.8 (maybe) to f8 lens with fantasy aperture markings. Sold as that I might be less peeved but selling this as a f1.4-f16 lens just seems to be too much out there in porkie pie land because it just doesn't look like it is.

I can't believe that no one at the company noticed this as it is by far the most out of whack lens I've ever seen. It makes the Pergear look like a Swiss watch. I'm glad I never used it on a day out as when looking at the results I'd have been screaming WTF at the computer.

Strange that no reviewers have mentioned these issues as surely some (most? all?) must have noticed. I did post on a Youtube reviewers page and he read my posts but hasn't posted a meaningful reply. Strange.

No reply from them yet and I don't expect any meaningful one. Shame on them. In all honesty I just couldn't recommend this lens to anyone unless they know and accept what it is and are willing to live with it.
 
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Any A9III users here? Considering one here as my lack of purchases this year has got the better of me lol
 
f/1.4 said:
Any A9III users here? Considering one here as my lack of purchases this year has got the better of me lol
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I've got one and have shot a few things with it now. Very good bit of kit and noticeably better Af than the A1. It is the camera I am choosing more often than not.
 
wookie6262 said:
I've got one and have shot a few things with it now. Very good bit of kit and noticeably better Af than the A1. It is the camera I am choosing more often than not.
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It’s hard to imagine something having noticeably better AF than the A1 :eek:
 
On the subject of Alan's broken A7. I noticed a few weeks ago when checking over the cameras that the A7 had some black pixels in the top left corner of the LCD. I just shrugged it off and thought nothing of it. It wasn't until I was using it last night that I remembered and the full LCD is now fine.
 
wookie6262 said:
I've got one and have shot a few things with it now. Very good bit of kit and noticeably better Af than the A1. It is the camera I am choosing more often than not.
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How do you find the IQ in general compared to the A1 ? I found the A1 to be too much resolution for what I shoot but jeez it was incredible
 
LeeRatters said:
On the subject of Alan's broken A7. I noticed a few weeks ago when checking over the cameras that the A7 had some black pixels in the top left corner of the LCD. I just shrugged it off and thought nothing of it. It wasn't until I was using it last night that I remembered and the full LCD is now fine.
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Possibly had some dead pixels on the sensor that have been mapped out when you turned the camera off?
 
That's what I would suggest.

I know my A7 used to do some sort of double take around the beginning of the month, I think when turning it off, and I'm sure I read somewhere that this is when it has a look and does some mapping out and as mine did it just the other day maybe Lee's did too.

BTW. Mrs WW gave her approval so I ordered an A7III and it's due tomorrow so I'll have to have a look and see what else I need to order, maybe just a spare battery.

I'm still gutted over the A7. I keep getting it out of the bin to have one last look and fondle. Happy Days. It'll live on in my heart forever.
 
f/1.4 said:
How do you find the IQ in general compared to the A1 ? I found the A1 to be too much resolution for what I shoot but jeez it was incredible
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I mostly shoot movement. Football, rugby, Athletics and Dogs etc. The fact you are likely to get more images and sharper too makes up for the resolution imo. The smaller file size was a big advantage as I whizzed through about 15K images from a Dog Agility show yesterday. Pre-Capture is also really useful for lots of things. I used it for shooting dogs coming out the tunnel for agility and then one button click and it is off for the other obstacles. I've tried the 120 fps but I doubt I will use that very often. For most of what I shoot small resolution file 2-3000px on the long side as sufficient and the A93 works very well for that. If you want the jaw dropping details the A1 is capable of then it probably falls short but for 90% of what I shoot it will work better than the A1 and I will have them in reserve if I need the resolution. Now they are actually cheaper than the A1 imported they start to make a lot more sense. Another plus is teh screen and the handling which make it a better body to handle
 
woof woof said:
That's what I would suggest.

I know my A7 used to do some sort of double take around the beginning of the month, I think when turning it off, and I'm sure I read somewhere that this is when it has a look and does some mapping out and as mine did it just the other day maybe Lee's did too.

BTW. Mrs WW gave her approval so I ordered an A7III and it's due tomorrow so I'll have to have a look and see what else I need to order, maybe just a spare battery.

I'm still gutted over the A7. I keep getting it out of the bin to have one last look and fondle. Happy Days. It'll live on in my heart forever.
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Stick it on the mantlepiece :) I have broken film gear just on display there.
 
LeeRatters said:
Stick it on the mantlepiece :) I have broken film gear just on display there.
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I think it's a bit too scruffy for that with its blebbing covering. I do have a broken Minolta Rokkor 35mm f2.8 on show (broken by Ffordes when they "cleaned" it and ruined the coating) and it looks lovely.

I could mount that Artralab 35mm on it though. That's about all it's good for.
 
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woof woof said:
I think it's a bit too scruffy for that with its blebbing covering. I do have a broken Minolta Rokkor 35mm f2.8 on show (broken by Ffordes when they "cleaned" it and ruined the coating) and it looks lovely.

I could mount that Artralab 35mm on it though. That's about all it's good for.
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It's not scruffy.

It has memories and stories to tell :)
 
My A7III has arrived and is currently plugged in charging the battery.

I was a bit phased looking at the battery charger as it seems to be just a mains to usb converter and means that I have to charge the battery in the camera? If this is the case I suppose I'll have to buy an external charger and probably a double one.

Initial thoughts are that it's the same size as the A7 but noticeably heavier and I prefer the A7's grip, I don't like this ones at all as it feels uncomfortable in my hand and reminds me so much of the Panasonic G7 which I hated as it irritated me every single time I picked it up but I can't live in the past and I'll have to get used to this. Also the port covers seem cheap and nasty tat compared to the A7's.

I don't suppose many people would be upset at replacing an A7 with a III but everything seems a disappointment to me and everything about it seems a backward step. The weight, the grip, the placement of the control and buttons, the looks like they'll break or fall off at any moment port covers... but I have to learn to live with this as the A7 is dead and it aint coming back.

Oh dear. I'm getting triggered by this grip. With the two cameras here and swapping between them I much prefer the A7's grip. The III's grip has a really deep shaped recess and forces my middle finger right up against the stop and I just hate it. It feels really uncomfortable just like the G7's did. I'm honestly considering sending it back but picking something else is going to mean a day out in a city to handle stuff.
 
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woof woof said:
...

I was a bit phased looking at the battery charger as it seems to be just a mains to usb converter and means that I have to charge the battery in the camera? If this is the case I suppose I'll have to buy an external charger and probably a double one.
...
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Yes, one of the first 'extras' should be an external double charger (usually bundled with a couple of 3rd party batteries).
 
Faldrax said:
Yes, one of the first 'extras' should be an external double charger (usually bundled with a couple of 3rd party batteries).
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If I keep it. I'm seriously considering sending it straight back. I just can't get comfortable with the grip. It's not just that I can't get comfortable, I find it very uncomfortable.

Damn.
 
These port covers are idiotic.

When I open the bottom cover to plug the USB lead in what do I do next? The port cover naturally points straight down which means I have to place it on the edge of a table or twist and force the cover up and leave it under strain. What an absolutely stupid piece of brain out non design. I suppose I could put the camera on it's back. Hardly ideal.

So that's two major irritations, the awful grip and these badly designed port covers. Grrrrr. The port covers are just stupid and IMO anything that forces your fingers/hand into a specific position other than for health and safety reasons has to be thought about very seriously as hands and fingers vary greatly.

I think I should have gone to a shop but changing systems does just seem too much of a headache. I'll give it today and sleep on it and then make a decision but so far... I hate it. Given the choice handling wise I'd pick the A7 over this every single time.

Just a thought on changing systems.
I think if I do I'm not going to have 9 AF lenses and 7 MF lenses. I think I'll be slimming things down to maybe two or three lenses. A wide, a 35 or 40mm and maybe a MF lens in native mount.
 
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wookie6262 said:
I mostly shoot movement. Football, rugby, Athletics and Dogs etc. The fact you are likely to get more images and sharper too makes up for the resolution imo. The smaller file size was a big advantage as I whizzed through about 15K images from a Dog Agility show yesterday. Pre-Capture is also really useful for lots of things. I used it for shooting dogs coming out the tunnel for agility and then one button click and it is off for the other obstacles. I've tried the 120 fps but I doubt I will use that very often. For most of what I shoot small resolution file 2-3000px on the long side as sufficient and the A93 works very well for that. If you want the jaw dropping details the A1 is capable of then it probably falls short but for 90% of what I shoot it will work better than the A1 and I will have them in reserve if I need the resolution. Now they are actually cheaper than the A1 imported they start to make a lot more sense. Another plus is teh screen and the handling which make it a better body to handle
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16000th shutter speed maximum with fast aperture lenses is something of a deal breaker. I'd never trust them either to add beyond that via a FW update given their track record with this
 
woof woof said:
These port covers are idiotic.

When I open the bottom cover to plug the USB lead in what do I do next? The port cover naturally points straight down which means I have to place it on the edge of a table or twist and force the cover up and leave it under strain. What an absolutely stupid piece of brain out non design. I suppose I could put the camera on it's back. Hardly ideal.

.....
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I've got the A7iv, rather than the A7iii, but looking at the side image on the Sony website the external view of the covers looks the same.
On mine, the ports are hinged, so just swing out, rather than down - I don't know if this is a hidden design change between models, but I don't have the problem you mention (I also rarely open the ports, as I have an external charger).
 
On the A7III the two LHS port covers, one upper and one lower, when looking at the back of the camera don't swing open like a side hinged door would. They are tethered at the bottom at one point only and just fall open when you release them. The upper port cover falls down and partially obscures the top port of the lower section (WTF?) and the lower section port cover falls open and points straight down.

It really does look to be a cheaply done thing which is as far as I can see completely impractical.

The A7 covers were like side hinged doors and just swung out. These A7 III port covers are daft. I can not see any plus point in them at all.

As I may have mentioned before I used to do product approvals and if this camera had landed in my list of things to assess I'd have winced at the grip and mentioned the severity of the design but ultimately left it up to the designers as it's not a safety or quality issue as such but these ports are something I'd have specifically critisised. I'd have recommended side hinged doors. What can the cost difference be?

I can avoid annoyance by charging the battery outside of the camera but I tend to leave the card in the camera and connect it to my pc with a usb cable so the silly port will affect that use too.

Things like this really do annoy me as the cost and assembly time savings must be miniscule. Most people I suppose wont obsess over these little irritations and might not even care if a badly designed port door gets in the way or even breaks and falls off but I'm not most people and sadly the obsessive traits which made me good in computing and products make me a pita all the rest of the time.
 
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woof woof said:
On the A7III the two LHS port covers, one upper and one lower, when looking at the back of the camera don't swing open like a side hinged door would. They are tethered at the bottom at one point only and just fall open when you release them.
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The port covers just swing out of the way, pivoting on the tag.

I find one of those leatherette half cases or an L bracket make the camera nicer to hold.

If you do send it back, consider a new A7 MK1.
 
trevorbray said:
No Alan. Not even bothered to look. I use it rarely but honestly happy enough with it.
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woof woof said:
My A7III has arrived and is currently plugged in charging the battery.

I was a bit phased looking at the battery charger as it seems to be just a mains to usb converter and means that I have to charge the battery in the camera? If this is the case I suppose I'll have to buy an external charger and probably a double one.

Initial thoughts are that it's the same size as the A7 but noticeably heavier and I prefer the A7's grip, I don't like this ones at all as it feels uncomfortable in my hand and reminds me so much of the Panasonic G7 which I hated as it irritated me every single time I picked it up but I can't live in the past and I'll have to get used to this. Also the port covers seem cheap and nasty tat compared to the A7's.

I don't suppose many people would be upset at replacing an A7 with a III but everything seems a disappointment to me and everything about it seems a backward step. The weight, the grip, the placement of the control and buttons, the looks like they'll break or fall off at any moment port covers... but I have to learn to live with this as the A7 is dead and it aint coming back.

Oh dear. I'm getting triggered by this grip. With the two cameras here and swapping between them I much prefer the A7's grip. The III's grip has a really deep shaped recess and forces my middle finger right up against the stop and I just hate it. It feels really uncomfortable just like the G7's did. I'm honestly considering sending it back but picking something else is going to mean a day out in a city to handle stuff.
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I'm not sure why you didn't consider purchasing a used A7? However, I think you should still consider the option, seeing you hate the m3.
 
ancient_mariner said:
The port covers just swing out of the way, pivoting on the tag.

I find one of those leatherette half cases or an L bracket make the camera nicer to hold.

If you do send it back, consider a new A7 MK1.
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No they simply do not. Not on mine anyway and I'll explain why.

The top cover can not swing anywhere without partially obscuring the top port in the lower section.

The lower cover wants to point down and can only be swung if put under strain. The retainers appears to be some sort of flexible material. Are they adequate? IMO no as I don't believe that anything should be put under unnecessary strain. I can't say how many cycles these retainers will survive before they snap or if indeed they eventually will snap but they are imo inferior to side hinged or even side retained doors for reasons of access and possibly durability.

The top door when released obscures the top lower port and the bottom door makes it difficult to place the camera base down on a surface. Avoiding these issues involves placing strain on the retainers. I admit that these are small points but just as any length of elastic material placed under repeated strain may eventually weaken or indeed snap their use here could lead to component failure which could be more avoidable by using side hinges or retainers which would leave the ports clear and allow the camera to be placed base down on a surface.

I'm both surprised and not by things like this. I've met designers who don't seem to be fully conscious many times and little things do often creep in further down the line in production or purchasing, if they're allowed to. So I am a bit surprised but then again not really.
 
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dcash29 said:
I'm not sure why you didn't consider purchasing a used A7? However, I think you should still consider the option, seeing you hate the m3.
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I couldn't see any new A7's for sale anywhere. Maybe they're discontinued? I didn't consider a used one as they are getting on now and could be a lottery. I've had bad luck buying used both on ebay and from dealers recently.

There are definitely things about the MKIII which I think are poor to very poor, the grip and the port doors specifically, so I'll have to quickly make my mind up but a day out in Newcastle just doesn't appeal to me at all so if I can live with the grip and don't think the port doors are going to break pdq I'll be spared the day trip to Newcastle, or Leeds.

I'll give it today and make a decision tomorrow.
 
I'll upload a picture when I get home. Can't do it from the phone.

In order to swing the flap out of the way you have to pull the flap away from the body a little so that the tether will pivot. When the tether is deeply embedded then it acts in the way you describe.
 
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ancient_mariner said:
I'll upload a picture when I get home. Can't do it from the phone.

In order to swing the flap out of the way you have to pull the flap away from the body a little so that the tether will pivot. When the tether is deeply embedded then it acts in the way you describe.
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There's no need to upload pictures for my benefit Toni.

The retainers don't pull out to any great extent, they only come out maybe 6 or 7mm or so and that's not enough to allow the covers to be repositioned and be completely out of the way. The covers can be repositioned but only by placing the retainer under strain. They may last the life time of the camera and they may be the last thing to break but they are imo a poor awkward option which could have been easily avoided by using side rather than bottom retainers.

The main point though is the grip.

The battery seems to be taking a long time to charge but I don't think I want to configure the camera yet. I want to concentrate on the handling and if I think I can't live with the grip it'll have to go back. I really hope not as I don't want to have to go to Leeds or Newcastle.

I don't think I'm ever going to love this camera like I did the A7. That camera just fitted my hand and got out of the way and I don't think this III will ever do that as something about it is always going to irritate me.
 
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woof woof said:
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The battery seems to be taking a long time to charge but I don't think I want to configure the camera yet. I want to concentrate on the handling and if I think I can't live with the grip it'll have to go back. I really hope not as I don't want to have to go to Leeds or Newcastle.

....
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The battery has about twice the capacity of the FW50 in the original A7, so will take much longer to charge, particularly if you are used to charging your A7 battery in an external charger (which is faster than via camera).

The A7iv grip is bigger than that of the A7iii - if you do decide to return the A7iii have a look at the A7iv, as it may resolve the issues you have.
 
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