Moisture resistance Sony ILC-E A7
For US readers: The A7r is in Stock for the first time at BHphoto (Click here). And it is also in Stock at Samys (Click here), Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), [shoplink 23364 ebay]Adorama eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 23363 ebay]Bestbuy eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Big A7-A7r news roundup: I have to catch up with links to many new A7-A7r tests and many SAR readers mails. Enjoy!
The A7r is Imaging Resources camera of the year.
Sony A7 is the camera of the year at ePhotozine.
Some images taken with the a7r. Two are stitched using a Rhinocam on 4×5 Arca Swiss (edgarcardenas.tumblr.com).
Image circle: removing the rear plastic shield on your Sony 35mm f1.8 OSS e-mount lens (Mike Kobal).
Sony A7 VS Sony Nex-6 – Raw Quality High ISO Lab Testing w/ 100% Crops (SonyAlphaLab).
Even Ken Rockwell likes the A7!
Sony A7, the new Leica CL? (Chad Wadsworth).
Sony LA-EA4 tested by Ken Rockwell.
Pascal: “I tested low and high iso noise & noise reduction with long exposures. Also vibrations and a sidenote on coma (largely absent) in the Sonnar Lens. http://dearsusans.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/186-low-light-long-exposures-with-the-sony-a7r/” And: “there is a reflection problem with the A7r / Sonnar 35/2.8 ZA that produces spots around bright lights. It isn’t the bullseye colour shift reported by Leica Boss but something else. I wrote a quick piece here about it : http://dearsusans.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/spotty-flaw-in-zeiss-fe-35-28-za-sony-a7r-combo/”
Alik: “I ran a few more tests on the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 35mm lens. I’ve noticed the vignetting is pretty bad at f2.8 and gets better by 5.6 but never fully clears up, even at f/11. I also ran a color test to see if I could get the same color shifts that Leica Boss was getting. I did, but mine wasn’t as bad as his. I am using LR3 RC which possibly could have something to do with it.The reality? I cannot see my lens giving me color shifts unless I blast both saturation and vibrance to the max. Which nobody does. This lens is great, well worth the $800 USD and is razor sharp. Not sure why I see so many complaints about it.
http://alikgriffin.com/blog/dec/10/zeiss-sonnar-fe-35mm-f28-vignetting-and-color-test”
Mark: “When the rumor that Sony was going to come out with a FF mirrorless inter-changeable lens system, i was sold from day one. I got my A7 about a week ago and I absolutely love it! My style of shooting is much more deliberate and considered so the fact that the camera’s AF didn’t perform like a pro sports DSLR did not bother me at all. Also, contrary to what some others have said, I love the hearty sound of the shutter – again, it suits my shooting tastes.
On a recent rainy day, I took it out for a ‘test drive.’ I used the FE 35mm f/2.8 Zeiss and shot in jpegs only. Any vignetting was put in later in post processing.
Here are my test shots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mluvr/sets/72157638457552974/”
Alex: “I have been testing the camera with canon TSE lens and controlling the camera from an iPad mini in the sony remote software. Works very well. here are some test photos from NYC
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kroke/sets/72157638476968315”
Horshack: “A user on dpreview posted samples from his A7R and Canon 70-200mm image-stabilized lens which shows a pronounced blur issue when IS is enabled for certain shutter speeds. He also showed images from the same lens on his NEX-7 which does not show the issue. I tried the test myself and reproduced his results unfortunately.
His post and images can be found here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52630531
And my results in the same thread: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52671220
To work around this issue I think Sony will need to implement an anti-shock delay function on the camera, similar to what the MFT cameras have done (they have the same issue of no electronic first shutter curtain causing vibration feeding into the IS system). This delay would be applied after closing the curtain before the start of an exposure. I’m hoping you can post these results as a story on your site to give it visibility to others and Sony.”
Anonymous: “just saw an interesting article in a Chinese forum (mobile01.com), lots of good pictures from Las Vegas taken with A7R and many Canon lenses (14, ts-e17…) converted with Metabones plus some reviews – http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=254&t=3682934&p=1”
E.J.: “The big weakness of the A7/A7R is the short battery life. Sony doesn’t supply a stand alone charge, just a small charger that you plug the battery into. At least here in the USA, that charge only has a 0.5A charge current which results in the battery taking about 4 hours to fully charge. however the NP-FW50 battery has a charge current spec of 1.02A so it could be charged in half the time. If you have an iPhone, the small iPhone charger is 1.0A – you just plug the Sony micro-USB cable that came with the camera into the iPhone charger. Many other Micro-USB chargers are also 1.0 amp (you have to read the fine print on the Output current). However you can not use an iPad charger as this charger supplies ore than 2A. I just wanted to let you know that you can cut the charge time in half safely. Please feel free to let the readership know.
I am an Electrical Engineer by training and spent 27 years in the semiconductor industry.”
Anonymous: “Note that Really Right Stuff is now taking pre-orders for Sony A7/A7R mounting plates and L plates:
http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=BA7-L-Set&type=3&eq=&desc=BA7-L-Set%3a-Includes-Base-%2b-L-component&key=it
http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=BA7&type=3&eq=&desc=BA7%3a-Plate-for-Alpha-a7%2fa7R“
Steve: “Im a Canon User vor over 20 Years, but these pics from the Sony A7 are the best ife seen in my life. Outstanding, Amazing! I´m breathles. See the sheeps on bottom of page 2 AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.dslr-forum.de/showthread.php?t=1352979”
William: “This is not my site! But this guy has some very nice images done with the A7r and some commentary: http://xexets.blogspot.co.uk/”
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Specs and Preorders in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.
26 Responses
Why do these people, with more money than sense, do this sort of thing?
We KNOW that it is designed to resist water, so nothing is taught and all is risked.
Well we were told it was water resistant ,now we know it is :-).
+1
Peter, if you believe there is a risk then you must not really KNOW that they are water resistant. This guy just proved it for you. Say thanks.
What’s for sure is that the water did not affect that awfully load shutter sound. Almost went def at the end of that video when he took a picture while listening through ear buds.
It’s not that loud in real life. Source: I own the camera.
The shutter sound “issue” has been so ridiculously blown out of proportion I can’t even begin to explain. It’s no louder, and in fact, probably quieter, than a Nikon D800 and nobody bitched about that. The shutter + mirror in the D800 sounded like it would cut off my head if I got too close to it with an audible “ring” persisting after the shutter sound. The A7/A7r shutter is not nearly as violent-sounding, though the sound does last a little longer with the A7r or A7 without EFCS enabled.
Seriously, though. It’s not bad, unless you’re trying to be totally silent.
Shutter sound is fine, stop spreading nonsense.
Again someone puts camera under a tap and think it proves something.
I did the same with Sony A450 – camera that never was advertised as weather-resistant – yet it easily survived that.
People never learn.
You deliberately put a non-weather sealed camera under a tap?
Holding a camera under a tap is a reasonable facsimile of being out in heavy rain. Showerproof is really all that these cameras claim only a tiny few cameras such as the Nikon 1 AW1 are actually submersible.
Have a read of the small print even on very tough models such as the Olympus E-M1 , you might be surprised just what isn’t covered.
Could you please repeat the test and place an YouTube link here?
I would love to see it 🙂
As an Electrical Engineer myself, EJ’s comment on using the iPad charger doesn’t sound right. While the iPad charger is *capable* of providing 2.1A, devices plugged into it will only draw as much as they need or are designed to use. It will not force 2.1A output. If the A7 draws only 1A, then that is all that the iPad charger will supply. Both the A7 and the iPad charger would have to be fully non-compliant to the USB spec to cause concern. The iPad charger can go beyond the standard USB amperage, but at the same time can function within the spec as well.
I came here just to say that this is completely correct. I strongly doubt this E.J. guy really is an electrical engineer if he does not know this simple fact about amp draw and charging circuits.
Yes that is true and I actually tried the iPad charger and the camera got very warm very fast. I understand current draw vs force current. but just because the charge current spec on the battery is 1.02, that doesn’t mean that the camera isn’t capable of drawing more. I felt, just to be on the safe side to let people know not to use the iPad charger due to the rapid heat buildup that I experienced when trying it.
Sorry, but E.J. information about chargers is complete nonsense.
You can use any USB charger with rated current not less that 0.5A
Charger current written on the charger is just maximum current, that can be drown from charger. That dos not means, that if you connect USB cable to Ipad charger rated for max 2A current, 2 amperes will be used to charge the battery. Charging circuit in NEX6 and A7/A7r is inside the camera, and this circuit controls the charging current and time needed to charge the battery!!! There is only one solution, if you want a little more fast charging time, is to buy external charger!
Of course not, see my reply above.
The worst thing is that no battery charger is included – especially when the battery doesn’t have a long life. At the price of these cameras, there should be a charger included.
People, give it a rest! You spend $2000 dollars US and up and complain that there is not battery charger. As I have mentioned before, I bought one for $27 and that included two batteries, an automobile adapter and a European (French) style plug. In addition, how many of you whiners have a NEX camera? Guess what? You can use the same charger. And then there is the whining about the battery life. Yes, we would all like a battery that is good for 2000 exposures. But it is not that difficult to change the battery. I have at least six batteries. Again, if you spend this much on a camera, invest in a supply of batteries.
For those old film users out there, remember when you had to change film every 24 or 36 exposures. If I remember right, that was much more difficult than changing a battery.
PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE RELATIVELY INSIGNIFICANT.
P.S.
I figured all of this out on my own and I didn’t need a degree in electrical engineering!
And even Ken Rockwell…
Hehe, that’s funny
Very informative review as always, we once again learn about his growing family and that we need to click on links.
Thanks for signalling my blog William and glad you enjoy it!
Uh, Sony does not need to do _anything_ to fix blur issues with Canon 70-200mm lenses. They aren’t officially supported and the adapters aren’t even made by Sony and it’s those adapters that need to do the things that fix the problem here. If the problem is even fixable.
Sony, though, doesn’t need to do a thing.
The best choice for a user is to just turn IS off, it’s not as necessary or useful as is often wrongly thought anyway, particularly if you’re not shooting still subjects. And if you really desperately need IS on a Canon lens, I suggest you buy a Canon camera.
Sony actually bundles coupons for Metabones’s Canon->NEX adapters with some of their NEX camcorders and cameras. So while Sony may not manufacture the adapters themselves they’ve implicitly given them their imprimatur for use on NEX bodies.
You know, third party chargers work just fine with these batteries. I have used several without issue. Just quit whining about the battery charger and spend $15 on an external one. “Wah wah wah these cameras cost too much to not include a charger” is ridiculous. It’s so meaningless. A) They include a charger in the camera which is in itself a beneficial option to have and B) you’re already spending thousands on camera and lens, $15 more for a charger, or even $50 for Sony’s own quick charger is not a big deal. Not everyone needs an external charger anyway. It’s very convenient to me to have the option of traveling around with my camera, iPhone and iPad and only needing one cable and one adapter (One micro-usb + micro-usb to lightning adapter) with one wall wart to have the ability to charge it all.
Hell, even the third party charger I bought powers off USB if so desired. It is all very nice and convenient with many options for travel/charging.
It’s hard to understand why so much energy is expended complaining about non-issues. You all must have very little value associated with your time.
Well i will still wine! Cause its not the money its the principal period! Instead of selling the a7 for us $1699 they should sell it for us $1749 with charger included and i would have bought it but instead they give you no charger and any and all other camera’s i have bought nikon, canon, olympus all give you a freakin charger. So i will never buy a Sony product if they are going to do this period. And yes thats exactly how i roll