Now that the A7/A7r have been out for a few months...

[whited3]

Really liking the A7 - I can vote that now. EVF could be brighter in daylight even after putting it on max brightness. Focus peaking is good. The Canon FD 50L is good. We have a keeper 🙂

Here are some shots of my son who was mesmerized by the ocean.

 

[gdi]

They're all great hand held except for the 180/2.8. That's a 3 pound lens, hard to hold it sufficiently steady for long. Leica R lenses tend to be kinda large diameter but fairly short, add the adapter length and there's plenty of purchase for a good grip and balance.

G

Have you used the 19 much? What do you think of it? I wanted to get the V2, but I am not seeing what I consider reasonable prices - with a lot asking over $3000, so I may try the V1...

 

[Godfrey]

Have you used the 19 much? What do you think of it? I wanted to get the V2, but I am not seeing what I consider reasonable prices - with a lot asking over $3000, so I may try the V1...

Yes, the 19mm series II go for a lot of money now. The series I run about half of that for a clean example. The one I bought is very near to mint, in the box with hood and caps.

I received the 19 last Saturday and did some testing with it on Sunday, but haven't had any time to go further with it yet. From the little I've used it so far, the rendering looks very nice. Corners are a bit soft wide open, sharpen up nicely as you stop down; I understand this was the big improvement in addition to the size with the series II. No smearing, no color shifting; a bit of blue fringing on specular highlights in certain circumstances.

I'm planning to carry it on this morning's walk. Due to the huge front element, the 19mm is a bit clumsier to carry and work with than the Nikkor 18mm f/3.5 AI-S, which is an exceptional performer on the A7 (a lot less expensive, and a handy size too except for the pie-plate sized HK-9 lens hood). Different enough rendering qualities that they're both worth having ... I found the Nikkor at a price I couldn't resist after I'd ordered the 19mm.

G

 

[gdi]

Yes, the 19mm series II go for a lot of money now. The series I run about half of that for a clean example. The one I bought is very near to mint, in the box with hood and caps.

I received the 19 last Saturday and did some testing with it on Sunday, but haven't had any time to go further with it yet. From the little I've used it so far, the rendering looks very nice. Corners are a bit soft wide open, sharpen up nicely as you stop down; I understand this was the big improvement in addition to the size with the series II. No smearing, no color shifting; a bit of blue fringing on specular highlights in certain circumstances.

I'm planning to carry it on this morning's walk. Due to the huge front element, the 19mm is a bit clumsier to carry and work with than the Nikkor 18mm f/3.5 AI-S, which is an exceptional performer on the A7 (a lot less expensive, and a handy size too except for the pie-plate sized HK-9 lens hood). Different enough rendering qualities that they're both worth having ... I found the Nikkor after I'd ordered the 19mm at a price I couldn't resist.

G

Thanks - I'll likely wait to find a V2, but the Nikon sounds interesting. But if I decide to go non-Leica I may just get 21mm Distagon. Please post some pictures with the 19 when you can ...

 

[Rob-F]

I would have clicked on "I didn't buy one and doubt if I will," but that option wasn't offered.

The size seems OK to me. I didn't care for the big "SONY" on the front, though.

 

[Godfrey]

I would have clicked on "I didn't buy one and doubt if I will," but that option wasn't offered.

The size seems OK to me. I didn't care for the big "SONY" on the front, though.

A piece of tape could fix that concern in a moment.

G

 

[jsrockit]

Anyone using the A7r w/ 35mm Sonnar 2.8 combo? If so, is the AF really as slow as the reviews say it is or is it just slow compared to DSLRs?

 

[Godfrey]

Anyone using the A7r w/ 35mm Sonnar 2.8 combo? If so, is the AF really as slow as the reviews say it is or is it just slow compared to DSLRs?

There's a very enthusiastic group of A7/A7r users on GetDPI.com, many of whom are using the FE 35, 55, and 24-70 mm lenses. Several threads in the Sony forum highlight the A7.

I can't tell you about AF speed as I use all manual lenses on my A7.

G

 

[bwcolor]

Yeah, not quite the same comfort level as B&H or Adorama, and I'm usually risk-averse, but I decided to take the risk. So far it's been a vanilla transaction. I got the UPS shipping notice, and should get my trade in credit in the next couple of days.

So, have you received all items as ordered? ..

 

[jsrockit]

There's a very enthusiastic group of A7/A7r users on GetDPI.com, many of whom are using the FE 35, 55, and 24-70 mm lenses. Several threads in the Sony forum highlight the A7.

I can't tell you about AF speed as I use all manual lenses on my A7.

G

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks - I'll likely wait to find a V2, but the Nikon sounds interesting. But if I decide to go non-Leica I may just get 21mm Distagon. Please post some pictures with the 19 when you can ...

A few from Saturday's walk with the Elmarit-R 19mm series I.

All: Sony A7 + Leica Elmarit-R 19mm f/2.8 series I​

This and the Nikkor 18mm produce pretty extreme wide angle for me. It takes a while for my mind to come around to seeing in such FoVs. I'm not quite there yet, but getting more comfortable.

The Elmarit 19 produces some lovely rendering qualities, as does the Nikkor 18. They have a look which is quite different, however. The Nikkor is a bit better on corner/edge sharpness, the Elmarit separates mid-tones a little better. Both benefit greatly from a sturdy tripodÑI feel that I need a very sturdy tripod as much or more with an ultra wide lens as I do with a long telephoto, and that it's actually harder to get the most out of an ultra wide (need more pixels, more careful framing, etc.).

fun fun fun ...

G

 

[Wenge]

Have A7 for a month+ now, 2-cents here for manual lenses I own. Chose A7 over R since I don't print bigger than A2/16" wide plus I can hand-hold without tripod

*Summicron 35 v3 - this one did much better on A7 (vs. others it's been on) & main reason I bought the camera after trying the lens on it, a couple samples below.
**Nikkor 24/2.8 pre-ai
**C/Y Zeiss 28/2.8
Mamiya 55/1.8 (m42)
M-Rokkor 90/4
C/Y Zeiss 50/1.7
Nikkor 55/2.8 ais
Nikkor 105/2.5 ais

*stopped to f/8 for tiny amount of vignetting in extreme corners, easily corrected, f/11 all good
**stopped to f/5.6 for tiny amount of blur in extreme corners, f/8 good.
btw I don't worry about the far corners so much and just stop down for landscapes. Also the slr lenses don't seem bulky or heavy to me on A7.

Not good on A7 with smeared edges/corners (but very good on my GXR-A12/M):
CV 35/2.5 color skopar (P II)
CV 25/4 snapshot skopar LTM

A7/35mm v3 Summicron 100% upper-left corner crop straight-from-camera jpeg @f/11, no p/p (#2=full image).

Longest pointed leaves on yucca plant ~18-inches

 

[kxl]

So, have you received all items as ordered? ..

Yes - I got everything I ordered and everything is fine. In fact, the entire transaction was as fast as, if not faster than B&H -- ordered late Wednesday; by Tuesday, I had everything.

The Zeiss 55/1.8 is superb. While I had originally intended primarily to use adapted M-mount lenses, so far I've used the Zeiss almost exclusively.

 

[taemo]

My 2c but after owning the A7 for almost a month now, I can say that it's a device that allows me to take pictures with all my lenses but I don't love it.

There's no excitement or joy using it, it doesn't feel like a camera, for its size, it makes quite an aweful noise and the EVF makes it feel like it's just an electronic device.
It's a camera that gets the job done but doesn't make it fun.

Perhaps it's just me and my romanticism with rangefinder cameras and film that prevents me from loving the A7.
I'm just waiting for the Canon G1X Mark II to come out and I might be selling my A7 already.

 

[raid]

I could not vote as I have not bought such a camera.
I can understand your feelings about RF cameras being special, and then finding this camera to be less special, but doing what it was meant to do very well.

 

[kxl]

M
for its size, it makes quite an awful noise....

I've had the A7R for 1.5 weeks now, and the link below encapsulates my biggest complaint about the A7R -- that awful shutter sound.

http://beforethecoffee.com/the-sony...-waveform-compared-to-the-nex-7-and-nikon-d3/

Note: Turn ON your computer speakers... the results are pretty telling.

 

[whited3]

Coming from a FF pro dslr body, I'm loving the A7. It's a really good digital companion to my film rangefinders. But I think if I had walked a different path and come into the A7 from primarily film rangefinders, maybe it would be harder to love.

 

[Godfrey]

Coming from a FF pro dslr body, I'm loving the A7. It's a really good digital companion to my film rangefinders. But I think if I had walked a different path and come into the A7 from primarily film rangefinders, maybe it would be harder to love.

I worked with Leica RF and Nikon SLR film cameras side by side from 1969 until 2001, amidst other side trips to other equipment. I have an M9 (as well as M4-2 and CL) now. The A7 is a clunky little bugger (sounds just like the A7r when I turn off the EFCS option) but all I need to do to reset my noise expectations is to fire off a few shots with my Nikon F or Hasselblad 500CM. Both sound rather like a cannon going off next to the A7... and the M9 isn't far behind. 🙂

There's a lot of excitement and joy in using the A7 for me because I finally have a nicely sized, compact body with a great viewfinder and sensor that works beautifully with my Leica R and Nikkor SLR lenses. I love taking it out to go shooting, I haven't touched anything other than the Olympus E-M1 since I got it. The joy for me is in what these lenses produce ...

G

 

[jsrockit]

Well, I joined you guys... I have a A7r and 35mm Sonnar FE coming my way.

 

[whited3]

...I finally have a nicely sized, compact body with a great viewfinder and sensor that works beautifully with my Leica R and Nikkor SLR lenses...

G

Agreed, and adding zeros. This thing is just too fun in a GASsy way. I'm salivating over all sorts of lenses I never cared about when I only had Leicas/DSLRs. By the way, not in the survey, but did many of you get the A7/A7r only to skip native lenses completely and play with adapters?