Decisions: A7 or a6000?

[dcsang]

I've got a bit of a conundrum here.

I currently have the Sony A7 (haven't really used it much lately because I never invested in any of the Sony FE lenses - only used my Leica M-mount glass with it) and while I enjoy it, over the last month and half I haven't touched it because I acquired an M(240).

Now, here's the rub.

I will be eliminating a lot of gear over by the end of September. I can see my trusty M7 going away, my IIIc, my Nikon D600 (which has never had ANY issues since I bought it a year ago), all my Nikon glass, and, perhaps, even my beloved Ricoh GR.

I want to keep ONE AF body to go with my M(240) - I'm thinking of getting the a6000 but then I've been waffling on keeping the A7 as my intent is to use the Leica and Sony for portraiture and weddings in the future (currently I use my Nikon for that).

So I'm stuck.. and can't decide what to do.. the A7 I already have... the a6000 would have to be a "net new" purchase.

Any input would be helpful.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Turtle]

Personally, I would keep the A7 simply because it means not taking the depreciation hit to buy a new 6000, which too will then depreciate. I think the A7 is a great camera and you'll have an excellent back up for the M240. While the A6000 is faster, the A7 has better hig ISO so its a bit of a wash really. ... and if the thing is working reliably, its always a risk to get rid of it an introduce something that might not.

 

[Klyment]

I'd keep the A7. I've used the NEX-7, NEX-6, A6000, A7, A7r, A7s, and RX1r and my applications for these cameras sound similar to yours and I have never found anything other than the NEX-7 and the RX1r lacking in terms of AF speed or accuracy. The NEX-7 is even fine in lighting conditions where you'd hand hold at ISO 1600 and below.

With regards to the A7 and Leica M glass, I'm going to assume that you've tried your glass on it before and have noticed that 50mm and wider glass tends to have strong chromatic aberration and corner softness. I don't think that the A7 will give you comparable lenses with these shorter focal lengths. I primarily use my A7 with the 90 Summicron-M E55 pre-ASPH so CA and corner resolution is acceptable and I pair it with the RX1r when needing to shoot digitally.

 

[z.bruce.li]

You mentioned you want one AF body to compliment your M240, then I think the A6000 with the compact PZ kit lens will work very well. Since this combo is definitely smaller and slightly faster than the A7 with kit lens.

 

[GaryLH]

One thing to consider.. Control interface between the a7 and a6000 plus some other aspects that may help u decide
- a7 dual dial (aperture/shutter) vs single dial
- basically same mode dial
- location and dedicated exposure index dial
- though both are 24 mp, a ff should have better dynamic range
- a6000, sigma art (19, 30 and 60 all f2.8), Zeiss and other third party e mount lenses. To use these lenses on a7 means apsc crop factor (slightly greater than 10mp)
- a6000 16-50 kit lens while compact is only average at best
- a6000 af is suppose to be faster

Personally, I would just keep the a7 because u already paid for it, as a ff, it can backup your Leica DRF and I think the user control layout is better. The Zeiss 35 and 55 fe mount lenses are good... Only time will tell how well Sony will do w/ their roadmap.

Gary

 

[jsrockit]

What would be the advantage of the downgrade to the A6000 unless you need the supposely superior AF of the A6000? The A7 (I use the A7r) is pretty small already and has better (IMO) build quality than the A6000. Or is it just to get the cash from the A7?

 

[dcsang]

What would be the advantage of the downgrade to the A6000 unless you need the supposely superior AF of the A6000? The A7 (I use the A7r) is pretty small already and has better (IMO) build quality than the A6000. Or is it just to get the cash from the A7?

It really is the AF I'm concerned about - but people have said that the A7 AF isn't 'that bad' - I should really try it out with one of Sony's lenses.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[z.bruce.li]

The kit lens for A7 actually is not bad. For me, to pay $1000 a piece for Zeiss AF lenses while you already have excellent Leica glasses is a bit difficult to justify.

 

[jsrockit]

The kit lens for A7 actually is not bad. For me, to pay $1000 a piece for Zeiss AF lenses while you already have excellent Leica glasses is a bit difficult to justify.

Unless you'd like AF.

 

[MCTuomey]

Unless you'd like AF.

Exactly. And AF from the A7 with native glass is a fine complement to Dave's M240. I'd be surprised if the A7's AF with FE lenses wasn't adequate for what Dave seems to intend to shoot.

I'd keep the A7, decide which native glass works best, get that lens (or lenses), and move on. Simple.

 

[dcsang]

Exactly. And AF from the A7 with native glass is a fine complement to Dave's M240. I'd be surprised if the A7's AF with FE lenses wasn't adequate for what Dave seems to intend to shoot.

I'd keep the A7, decide which native glass works best, get that lens (or lenses), and move on. Simple.

Bingo Mike.

I had a chance yesterday to play with the A7 and the Sony/Zeiss 55mm (again) and the 35mm f2.8 (again). I also tried the 70-200 f4. While the 70-200 looked "odd" because of the size of the A7 body.. the lens is cracking sharp and would be awesome to use for weddings/events. I tested the 55 and 35 with continuous AF while walking towards a subject (in order to mimic movement of a subject towards me if I was stationary) and the camera/lens worked a LOT better than I had even anticipated or expected.

I have decided to hang onto the A7 and proceed accordingly. It will be fine to build on this mirrorless kit - and it will make a great back up or prime camera (when AF may be a necessity) to go along with the M240.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[jordanatkins]

While not on par with most DSLR's, the A7 does autofocus pretty quickly... definitely better than the NEX-7 did anyway, which is what I upgraded from.

Unless you really, really need DSLR level autofocus speed, just keep the A7.

 

[Kwesi]

And now for something completely different.
Ditch all the other stuff like you plan to. Including the A7.

Screw the AF.

Get a second M240. You can save 1500 by getting a CPO. You already have enough lenses to justify 2 identical bodies when working professionally.

 

[Kwesi]

Just saw your response to Mike.

Good plan.
The A7 is a great camera with a host of very cool features. It deserves to be used with its native lenses instead of as a generic digital back for M lenses.

 

[jordanatkins]

I was editing a photo in lightroom today and was reminded of how awesome the A7 is.

I shot a photo indoors with low light, ISO 4000, and I was able to take luminance NR up to 80 to almost completely remove the grain, and I lost NO detail. I could read 10pt type on a letter sitting on the desk when the photo was magnified 100%. Blew me away.

How's that ISO performance on the 240?