YYV_146
Well-known
For me, the cameras are really interesting and I could see a point in the future where I might be tempted. But the lenses are, and I gather will continue to be, on the premium side price-wise. So the investment gets hefty. And have you seen the size of that 90mm macro?
The Minolta 100mm Macro is cheap and nice, and not much bigger...and there are the voigtlanders for manual.
IMO the E-mount system is the last mount that lacks lenses.
vytasn
Established
I agree 100%, I have no problems with steadiness, but I would sure like the ghosting in my night shots to disappear.
Iestrada
Well-known
Looks like Oly Partnership has paid off for Sony in the 7II....
is that a grip better shaped?
Still don't like the hard edges of the prism though
Minolta was the first to implement the Stabilisation on the sensor. They lisensed it of to other companies at about the same time they sold the camera division to Sony.
Sony was highly criticised for not incorporating it into the E mount cameras as it did in all the SLRs and SLTs. Should have been there from the start.
Paddy C
Unused film collector
I'm not actually interested in macro work. It's just that the 90mm looks like it will be the only native "portrait" lens for some time. It's massive and slow for a portrait.
What I'm kinda getting at (being a NEX and a-mount owner/user) is that, once again, Sony is making strange choices with lenses.
kxl
Social Documentary
I always applaud improvements, however slight, but it would be nice if "slightly improved" meant addressing issues with adapted wide angle RF lenses. :angel:
aeturnum
Established
I've read rumors that Sony will be releasing an "A9" 'professional' mirrorless model in 2015, maybe the 36 megapixel sensor in the A7r will be in that camera with IBIS.
YYV_146
Well-known
kxl
Social Documentary
Good to know - thanks.
sahe69
Well-known
A bit premature for me to say specifially as I've not elaborated on the desicion yet. Heck, the A9 is only a rumor at this moment. But probably a few Sony's own (Zeiss) lenses and my M lenses adapted where it makes sense, possibly some other manual focus lenses adapted as well.
Addy101
Well-known
I'm wondering, ByThom (Thom Hogan) stated "Sony really needs to put more effort into respecting raw data." I guess for most people it isn't a big problem, but for people coming from a Nikon D800E, it might be a buzz killer. Hopely they improved that.
A 90mm macro lens is announced and a 85mm portrait lens is rumoured.
A 90mm macro lens is announced and a 85mm portrait lens is rumoured.
Huss
Veteran
And it makes it an IR only camera. As well as removes its ability to infinity focus (at least according to lensrentals.com)
Jockos
Well-known
Was hoping to see this on the Stockholm photo fair today, but they only had a poster and the rep I spoke with knew almost nothing about it..
YYV_146
Well-known
Roger removed the entire filter stack, but that's not a must. And even if you remove the IR layer, you get a full spectrum camera not an IR only one. Also, either the mount or adapter can be readjusted to get back infinity. A light shimming of a 2-part adapter should do the trick.
the only lens I own that gives me issues on the A7 is the 15mm Distagon, and I don't use that lens wide open unless shooting in low light...where the extreme corners go dark anyways
Roma
Well-known
I'll consider sony if that FE 28mm f2.0 lens proves to be very good or at least good. I've tried the a7r with a manual focus fast 28 lens and didn't like it. I guess we'll see what happens in the next couple of months.
BTW, does anyone know when that FE 28mm f2 lens is supposed to hit the market?
BTW, does anyone know when that FE 28mm f2 lens is supposed to hit the market?
uhoh7
Veteran
This is really the crux issue for many of us. The A7 series is breeding all sorts of various versions which specialize in particular tricks, like the A7s. Now we have IBIS, which might be very nice with the long glass, really "as is", though the body is now bigger and heavier.
At this point one has to ask: why no love for the legacy and M crowd, who are largely responsible for the overall buzz surrounding the E-mount, since inception in the Nex series? When asked about the lens ecosystem, sony reps often cry: "oh, use what you like", and this would be wonderful had the design not been hamstrung by the thick sensor covering.
It appears this has not been addressed by the A7m2. The result is that while many lenses can be bolted on the A7 series, few or none perform optimally 35 and wider. Even the native 35 has some issues.The FE2470 has been a disappointment. The 1635 is apparently pretty good, but only the 55 can propel the system into the top tier today. But even that lens is marred by lack of infinity stop and really poor MF ergonomics: the focus ring is not very nice.
I've learned these things the hard way, and my A7 is simply a backup and macro/135+ rig. In both of those situations IBIS would be nice. I'm also curious how the 28/2 FE will be, and the wait has been too long for that one. Some counter that the A mount lenses make for a large ecosystem. Too "large" for me.
Add to these issues the Sony "RAWS", which, in LR, are terribly Lossy, a shadow of a the M9 dngs.
The A7 has been a huge step forward for legacy glass lovers, but simply not optimized, sad to say. Sony's biggest favor to my own photography has been to force my hand and get a M9, which I did last Jan, and 9 months later I'm completely smitten with both results and shooting experience, despite that rig's own list of quirks and less than optimal aspects.
Nevertheless we are seeing spectacular images produced with all the A7 series everyday by a plethora of great shooters. So TYG for Sony
Duane Pandorf
Well-known
Dirk
Privatier
I for one, am happy to see this improvement. IBIS is exactly what I have been hoping for. I understand that even the new version is not going to be perfect, and few cameras will ever be, but it goes a long way towards being the best platform out there for alt lens use. Even for wide-angle rangefinder lenses the current A7 is supposedly better than the A7R, and this model should maintain that advantage.
YYV_146
Well-known
This is really the crux issue for many of us. The A7 series is breeding all sorts of various versions which specialize in particular tricks, like the A7s. Now we have IBIS, which might be very nice with the long glass, really "as is", though the body is now bigger and heavier.
At this point one has to ask: why no love for the legacy and M crowd, who are largely responsible for the overall buzz surrounding the E-mount, since inception in the Nex series? When asked about the lens ecosystem, sony reps often cry: "oh, use what you like", and this would be wonderful had the design not been hamstrung by the thick sensor covering.
It appears this has not been addressed by the A7m2. The result is that while many lenses can be bolted on the A7 series, few or none perform optimally 35 and wider. Even the native 35 has some issues.The FE2470 has been a disappointment. The 1635 is apparently pretty good, but only the 55 can propel the system into the top tier today. But even that lens is marred by lack of infinity stop and really poor MF ergonomics: the focus ring is not very nice.
I've learned these things the hard way, and my A7 is simply a backup and macro/135+ rig. In both of those situations IBIS would be nice. I'm also curious how the 28/2 FE will be, and the wait has been too long for that one. Some counter that the A mount lenses make for a large ecosystem. Too "large" for me.
Add to these issues the Sony "RAWS", which, in LR, are terribly Lossy, a shadow of a the M9 dngs.
The A7 has been a huge step forward for legacy glass lovers, but simply not optimized, sad to say. Sony's biggest favor to my own photography has been to force my hand and get a M9, which I did last Jan, and 9 months later I'm completely smitten with both results and shooting experience, despite that rig's own list of quirks and less than optimal aspects.
Nevertheless we are seeing spectacular images produced with all the A7 series everyday by a plethora of great shooters. So TYG for Sony
Frankly, comments like yours always strikes me as a bit odd. My own experience with the Sony A7 ARW files is that they are a huge improvement over the tonal depth and dynamic range of M9 DNGs, and best the M type 240 files at every ISO stop. The amount of shadow detail range on the A7 isn't even in the same magnitude as the M9. I mean 3-4 stops of usable shadows at iso 100 instead of 1.5 or so.
Is there compression? Yes. Can I create a scenario in a studio to show it? Sure. Will I mount the A7 onto a motorized tripod head to shoot full spectrum astro? No. But outside of the labs and in real photo work, I have never worked on a single A7 file and thought "darn, I see compression". I process my files extensively and have monitors that exceed the Argb colorspace, and I will say that I can push the A7 files just as much as the uncompressed files of a D610 or comparable FF camera.
As for the M lens compatibility issue, I think people worry too much about corner sharpness when none of these lenses were intended to be used at infinity and wide open anyways. My 21mm Summilux smears just a bit on the A7 wide open, but the lens is so wide and fast that the corners are almost never in focus at F1.4 anyways. Stopping down to f2.8 and corner sharpness is good enough for 18*12 prints. My 28mm Summicron performs just fine on the A7s, a small bit of cyan shift aside. I put the color correction into a customized lens profile - fixing it is a one-click job.
Now I own some 6,7 M lenses, two A7's and a A7S. I've never felt personally that I have been "not loved" by either Leica or Sony, in the full acknowledgement that juggling two systems will always have quirks. Sticking to Leica or Sony (or any brand) has quirks too, and at least to me I prefer to deal with a bit of corner degradation versus the poor sensor performance of Leica bodies or the size and fly-by-wire manual focus of most modern Sony lenses. In fact, ever since using the A7S I have no desire for a digital rangefinder anymore. It won't be more discreet considering Leica's trend of ever-bigger bodies, and it can't be more quiet than a electronic-only shutter. Taking those factors out and I can't say with a straight face that the experience of using an M is worth five grand on its own.
sevres_babylone
Veteran
I don't shoot with long telephotos, but from my own experience with the E-M5, it is a feature that would sway me deciding on a camera. The other cameras I use are my M9 and my GR. It may be a matter of technique, or a propensity to change position and shoot to capture action before I can hold my camera steady, but I can notice the difference in shots with my Olympus. (As an aside, with the Ricohs, I've had the GRD2, GRD3, and now the "5", and never had the GRD4, which I believe had image stabilization; I love the GR, but a combination of image stabilization and faster autofocus in lowlght would lead me into getting a newer model).
The Sony is enticing, and I'm glad my year of no camera purchases is coming to an end
The Sony is enticing, and I'm glad my year of no camera purchases is coming to an end