A7R & A7 User Thread! Let's gather here!

[robertdc]

Hi,

I'm currently looking for a small mirrorless camera to use primarily for taking candid street portraits. I have the excellent Ricoh GR for wider street scenes. The full-frame, high resolution of the A7/A7R seems very appealing, coming previously from a D800, but the OM-D E-M1 also seems to have many unique advantages such as touch focus/shoot, quieter shutter, much faster autofocus, better and suitably small portrait length lenses as of right now, built in image stabilisation etc... Ideally I'd love to get back to a high resolution full-frame system in a smaller mirrorless package because a) I often like to to achieve the narrow DOF, b) it gives me more scope to crop later, and c)better low light capability ... but I fear these two Sony's will lead to me losing potentially good shots due to other limitations. I should add that I have no legacy lenses and aren't really keen on manual focus.

Just interested in getting others' thoughts before taking the plunge either way.

Thanks!

 

[ZoomZ]

If street shots are all that you are aiming for, then RX1 or RX1R will be more suitable for you than the A7/R.

Completely silent shutter, super narrow DOF at F2.0, manual aperture ring for quick change to smaller aperture if need and the sharpest 35mm shots you can get from this full frame camera.

A7 or A7R is too loud if you are looking for pure discreet street shots.

Hi,

I'm currently looking for a small mirrorless camera to use primarily for taking candid street portraits. I have the excellent Ricoh GR for wider street scenes. The full-frame, high resolution of the A7/A7R seems very appealing, coming previously from a D800, but the OM-D E-M1 also seems to have many unique advantages such as touch focus/shoot, quieter shutter, much faster autofocus, better and suitably small portrait length lenses as of right now, built in image stabilisation etc... Ideally I'd love to get back to a high resolution full-frame system in a smaller mirrorless package because a) I often like to to achieve the narrow DOF, b) it gives me more scope to crop later, and c)better low light capability ... but I fear these two Sony's will lead to me losing potentially good shots due to other limitations. I should add that I have no legacy lenses and aren't really keen on manual focus.

Just interested in getting others' thoughts before taking the plunge either way.

Thanks!

 

[snoopyzai]

Yes the Sony RX1 or RX1r is the one.

If street shots are all that you are aiming for, then RX1 or RX1R will be more suitable for you than the A7/R.

Completely silent shutter, super narrow DOF at F2.0, and the sharpest 35mm shots you can get from this full frame camera.

 

[m3vapour]

Hi,

I'm currently looking for a small mirrorless camera to use primarily for taking candid street portraits. I have the excellent Ricoh GR for wider street scenes. The full-frame, high resolution of the A7/A7R seems very appealing, coming previously from a D800, but the OM-D E-M1 also seems to have many unique advantages such as touch focus/shoot, quieter shutter, much faster autofocus, better and suitably small portrait length lenses as of right now, built in image stabilisation etc... Ideally I'd love to get back to a high resolution full-frame system in a smaller mirrorless package because a) I often like to to achieve the narrow DOF, b) it gives me more scope to crop later, and c)better low light capability ... but I fear these two Sony's will lead to me losing potentially good shots due to other limitations. I should add that I have no legacy lenses and aren't really keen on manual focus.

Just interested in getting others' thoughts before taking the plunge either way.

Thanks!

As mentioned by other users, for quiet shutter u'll want the rx1/rx1r

Here's a shutter sound decibel measurement and comparison between the a7r, rx1, em5 and a 1d mkIV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl17M7MsD0g

I have to say that the AF on the rx1r is by no means fast like the em1 or even the a7/a7r but definitely suffice for general photography. U might wanna give it a hands on first to decide if it works for you. I tried it out a number of times and found it a little sluggish for my liking but if it works for so many out there im sure u it might work for u too.

You can have fast af, great lens choices and quitter shutter but if the output doesnt please u, it wont make any sense. So it all depends on how much u gonna compromise. If decent af, dof and crop-ability is what u desire, the a7/a7r is an obvious choice. No system is perfect , all with very apparent flaws so i say take your time and weigh out your options.

 

[N-user]

Erm,I know what the LA-EA4 is. For a non Sony user with no A mount lenses, it defeats the purpose of getting the compact A7R. Why would I want to turn my A7R into a DSLR? Could have stick to my D800E if that's what I wanted.

I guess thats the feeling for some of us.... without the full A7/A7r native lens..... we start to add adapter... metabone plus canon/zeiss lens, LA-EA4 plus A mount or canon 3rd party lens..... it make the whole things quite bulky..... then we start to ask why we get the A7 in the first place.... thats the reason today I did not pick up the A7...... till the next time when they have more FE lenses.....

 

[tsammyc]

Erm,I know what the LA-EA4 is. For a non Sony user with no A mount lenses, it defeats the purpose of getting the compact A7R. Why would I want to turn my A7R into a DSLR? Could have stick to my D800E if that's what I wanted.

Am not arguing that it doesn't make the camera bulky. Just responding to what you said about adapters not being perfect.

But therein lies the beauty of the A7 design. You can use it as a small light street camera. However, if you want a better grip with a heavy long zoom lens, just add the optional battery grip, the LA-EA4 and an A-mount lens and suddenly you have a large easy-to-grip PDAF camera with proper focus tracking. I happen to already have A-mount lenses, but (to me) this flexibility is liberating. With the D800, you cannot break it up into a smaller camera.

 

[tsammyc]

Hi,

I'm currently looking for a small mirrorless camera to use primarily for taking candid street portraits. I have the excellent Ricoh GR for wider street scenes. The full-frame, high resolution of the A7/A7R seems very appealing, coming previously from a D800, but the OM-D E-M1 also seems to have many unique advantages such as touch focus/shoot, quieter shutter, much faster autofocus, better and suitably small portrait length lenses as of right now, built in image stabilisation etc... Ideally I'd love to get back to a high resolution full-frame system in a smaller mirrorless package because a) I often like to to achieve the narrow DOF, b) it gives me more scope to crop later, and c)better low light capability ... but I fear these two Sony's will lead to me losing potentially good shots due to other limitations. I should add that I have no legacy lenses and aren't really keen on manual focus.

Just interested in getting others' thoughts before taking the plunge either way.

Thanks!

I think it depends on your skill level in street shooting. If your skill level is low, then the E-M1 is a better camera for you given the higher DOF and effective stablisation. But if you are able to master the A7/r on the street, it will give you better images when you nail it. Both will be about the same size.

 

[Kit]

I guess thats the feeling for some of us.... without the full A7/A7r native lens..... we start to add adapter... metabone plus canon/zeiss lens, LA-EA4 plus A mount or canon 3rd party lens..... it make the whole things quite bulky..... then we start to ask why we get the A7 in the first place.... thats the reason today I did not pick up the A7...... till the next time when they have more FE lenses.....

Yes, there was no doubt that I will pick up an A7R (or 2) at one point in time but I might have gotten it too early. I was told that native wide angles will follow shortly after the Zeiss 24-70 f/4. Its also likely that Zeiss will make a few lenses in FE mount just like their Touit lenses. Just got to wait and see then.

The lack of a basic set of native lenses at launch is a major bitch.

 

[syke]

I guess thats the feeling for some of us.... without the full A7/A7r native lens..... we start to add adapter... metabone plus canon/zeiss lens, LA-EA4 plus A mount or canon 3rd party lens..... it make the whole things quite bulky..... then we start to ask why we get the A7 in the first place.... thats the reason today I did not pick up the A7...... till the next time when they have more FE lenses.....

Actually, I am hesitant to purchase FE lenses. Simply because I don’t want to be limited only to the Sony ecosystem.

I have been waiting for a Fuji X-PRO2 FF, but I know for that to materialise, it is very unlikely. That’s why when Sony came up with a FF “ranger finder” type of camera, I immediately jumped on it.
Investing in M lenses makes the most sense. With adapters, they can work on any mirrorless system and their adapters are much more compact due to the ability of sitting nearer to the sensor.
They also tend to be smaller than their DSLR cousins. I foresee an increased interest & demand for M lenses in the future within the enthusiast community. This will make buying and selling of lenses a breeze with good resale value.

When Fuji do indeed come out with a FF camera, I could easily jump on the Fuji bandwagon, without have to worry about my lenses. Or even get myself a Leica body… So many options, and I don’t need AF.

 

[Oly5050]

1. if you reduce frame to medium size, might as well get the A7 instead of the A7r?
2. no anti-shake on the A7r. higher shutter speeds will help indeed.

Whet do you mean by anti-shake?

 

[ayuready]

Any one got any correction profile for 16mm to be used in uncrop ff mode?

Will removing the rear baffle help in anything ? Not expecting true 16 mm but anything between 16-24 would be an bonus haha

 

[Atarandas]

Whet do you mean by anti-shake?

referring to In body stablisation

 

[ricleo]

May I know:
1. If A7r file size is too big, can always reduce frame to medium for non - landscape shots right? Will thus solve the problem?
2. To reduce blur, can use anti - blur function or high shutter speed on A7r. Why some people are saying A7r is difficult to use because of blur.
Thanks for your comments.

1. if you reduce frame to medium size, might as well get the A7 instead of the A7r?
2. no anti-shake on the A7r. higher shutter speeds will help indeed.

Whet do you mean by anti-shake?

In response to the original poster. No IBIS on a7/r

 

[LangLee]

In response to the original poster. No IBIS on a7/r

There is a function called anti - blur that shoots 3 shots & combines like HDR into 1 shot with a sharp image. Wisma showroom sales guy demonstrated it. I even shake the A7r while shooting & it turned up sharp.

 

[Atarandas]

There is a function called anti - blur that shoots 3 shots & combines like HDR into 1 shot with a sharp image. Wisma showroom sales guy demonstrated it. I even shake the A7r while shooting & it turned up sharp.

yeah but its going to suck more up battery power and not sure whats the reliability rate of successful sharp images too.

 

[ricleo]

There is a function called anti - blur that shoots 3 shots & combines like HDR into 1 shot with a sharp image. Wisma showroom sales guy demonstrated it. I even shake the A7r while shooting & it turned up sharp.

you could possibly use that with static objects, but for moving objects will that be useful?

anyway i thought that was a auto 3 shot noise reduction function? maybe i have to start reading the manual haha...havent touched it since getting the A7

 

[Oly5050]

you could possibly use that with static objects, but for moving objects will that be useful?

anyway i thought that was a auto 3 shot noise reduction function? maybe i have to start reading the manual haha...havent touched it since getting the A7

So there is no anti shake function on A7 that A7r does not have right?

 

[ricleo]

Dont think so? Not that I am aware off. Multi shot is for noise reduction rather than anti shake from what I am aware. Perhaps langlee can show us where the anti shake function is.

 

[LangLee]

Dont think so? Not that I am aware off. Multi shot is for noise reduction rather than anti shake from what I am aware. Perhaps langlee can show us where the anti shake function is.

In the menu of A7r, there is a heading called Anti - blur. Sorry I can't be of more help as I don't own that camera & it was at the showroom. But definitely, it was an anti - blur function.

 

[LangLee]

In the menu of A7r, there is a heading called Anti - blur. Sorry I can't be of more help as I don't own that camera & it was at the showroom. But definitely, it was an anti - blur function.

Here is a review of this function
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_a7r_review/

" the clever Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion Blur scene modes, the A7R takes six shots in a rapid sequence, typically at a high sensitivity setting and a (relatively) fast shutter speed, and then combines them into a single image that has somewhat less noise than a single shot taken at the same ISO and exposure settings. In our experience, the difference between the two modes is that in Anti Motion Blur mode, the camera is more willing to pick a really high ISO setting like ISO 6400 to maintain a fast shutter speed, whereas in Hand-held Twilight mode, it will only go as high as absolutely necessary to avoid camera shake at the chosen focal length. If light levels are truly low, however, the A7R will pick a high ISO speed even in this mode."