Sony A7R2 first impressions

[mikeojohnson]

Posted my first impressions here: http://www.mojphoto.com/blog/2015/8/another-new-camera

So far, so good.
Mike

[Don Lacy]

Mike how much of a weight saving are you getting when you put Canon lenses on it and you ad the weight of the adapter plus the extra batteries you need to carry. I was interested in this camera when it was announced but now that it is out and I have learned that the camera will drop to 12 bits if bulb mode is used is a deal breaker for me when it comes to landscape work. This loses a full stop of DR and limits your ability to do adjustments in post which is already limited by the compression Sony applies to the Raw file. For those interested the cameras actually drops into 12 bit in several different shooting modes along with applying NR directly to the Raw file at higher ISO which can not be turned off which is detailed in these blogs http://blog.kasson.com

[mikeojohnson]

Hi Don,
As you pose the question the savings are a little less than a pound. While you are correct with the raw format and bit rate comments you made I have no idea if they make a practical difference. I suppose it also matters what you are comparing the reduction in bits to. I also understand it was the same for the previous model. I will add, you can bring up shadows quite a bit in Lightroom without adding significant noise.

The metabones adaptor doesn't weigh much and the batteries are very small and light.

For me, the point will be to use smaller lenses which makes the weight and size savings more significant. My goal would be to have the high iso capability, which I understand to be pretty good, the newly designed sensor, which is also getting good reviews result in higher image quality as my Canon gear so I don't need to bring the bigger body and lenses. Don't know if it will work out but I am impressed with the IQ so far. Only had the camera for a few days.

Here is a comparison:
Canon 5d3 with 24-70 f/2.8 vs Sony A7R2 with 24-70 f/4
4 pounds vs 2.5.

154471

[Don Lacy]

Hi Mike,
12 bits plus compressed Raw will show up in post with some images the problem is you will not know when it will be an issue until you are in front of the computer when it is to late to do anything about it. I know in the field when I am DR limited and I am able to take steps to insure I get the image. Canon corrected the banding issue they had with the 6D and all cameras since then I can pull three stops of shadow detail with out much of a penalty and I rarely find situations where I can't blend exposures if needed but you can't fix posterization once it shows up. Again for me it's a deal breaker if I was truly limited by my 6D I would switch to Nikon who actually gets more out of the Sony sensor then Sony (actually I would switch to Pentax MF if I could afford it)

As far as weight that's not a fair comparison change out the 24-70 2.8 for f/4 version and the saving is a pound. There is no way to get around the physics of lens design you can not make smaller lenses for a full frame camera just because the camera itself is smaller.

I am sure there will be many great images made with the A7RII and for the vast majority of photographers they will not be limited by its compromised Raw output but if I am spending thousands of dollars on a trip I want to be 100% sure I won't have issues with the files when I get back home. These are the reasons why I decided to stay with Canon and will be getting a 5DSR to replace my 6D when I decide to upgrade others will have different needs and make different choices.

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks for posting this. Great to hear experience with alternative equipment.

Don is right, I also find little value in terms of weight saving in a mirror-less FF camera, the size and the weight of the system will be limited by the lenses that will not shrink unless they cut corners in optics. Note that Sony sensors aren't better in high ISO compared to canon, if anything Canon have the edge there as the optics are generally superior suppressing the need for too much sharpening and the noise that comes with it. What Sony is good at is the low ISO dynamic range, when recovering deep shadows, but a 12Bit compressed RAW totally defeats that advantage.

[Geoff Newhouse]

Hi Mike, its Geoff from the Antarctic cruise last November. Cool to see you on this forum!! Thanks for the review of the new super sony. I've been eyeing one up!! I will likely wait for some price drop first.

Congrats on winning the Aurora contest...I should have entered...doh....

[David Stephens]

One of my friends is shooting this body with the 70-400mm Sony lens, with very good results. He's thinking hard about the 500mm. Anyway, I shot it a little bit on Sunday and found that it felt good. The EVF had its plus and minuses for BIF, but I was able to latch onto a bird and keep several in focus, without any practice. Anyway, it's a very nice, functional package. I have no desire to sell my Canons and move to Sony, but I can understand the attraction, particularly for those already into Sony.

[mikeojohnson]

Interesting comments from everyone. (Hi Geoff-thanks for the compliment)

I will be taking the A7r2, 16-35 f/4, 24-70 f/4, 2 1DX's, 70-300L and 200-400 with an extra converter to shoot spirit bears next month. It will be interesting to see how shooting two systems compares to the comfort of one way of doing things. At this point I still prefer an optical viewfinder but am slowly getting comfortable with the EVF. I'm finding that it is best to customize the function buttons and then practice a lot to get to know where everything is. So far I'm continuing to like the Sony.

As to weight, while I understand it is comparing apples and oranges, the savings are real to carry the smaller, mirrorless body with a few f/4 lenses. Seems like bumping the iso one stop is a small price to pay for the weight savings. In my case, back issues may decide the question for me no matter the technical comparisons.

I was at Disneyworld last week and got this image http://www.mojphoto.com/p987976280/h54766fb7#h54766fb7 (http://www.mojphoto.com/p761540059/h54766fb7#h54766fb7). It was shot with the A7r2, sony 70-200 f/4 at 1/30th of a second hand held.

Mike

[David Stephens]

I was at Disneyworld last week and got this image http://www.mojphoto.com/p761540059/h54766fb7#h54766fb7. It was shot with the A7r2, sony 70-200 f/4 at 1/30th of a second hand held.

Mike

Mike, the link is asking for a password.

[mikeojohnson]

Oops, sorry
should be fixed
mike

[mikeojohnson]

New firmware for the Metabones adaptor enables phase detect AF. Released today: http://www.metabones.com/article/of/EF-E_Firmware_Mac

mike