Within six months Sony launched three different A7 cameras: The Sony A7 for daily family use, the Sony A7r for landscape photographers and resolution maniacs and the Sony A7s for 4K shooters and ghost hunters 🙂
But now let’s talk about the next generation Full Frame E-mount cameras. I got the following info from many anonymous and trusted sources:
1) Sony is waiting for Canon’s move before to define the next generation camera key specs. Trusted sources told me Sony is trying to see how Canon (and Nikon) will react on the A7-A7r-A7s launch. An example: If Canon is going to launch a 3-layer (Foveon alike) sensor than Sony will be ready to outperform them.
2) Sony is evaluating the A7 cameras by contacting some of the camera owners, talking with journalists and photographers. The next generation of F E-mount cameras will be very much be influenced by them.
And now it’s your turn! Please share your A7 improvements and features suggestions by commenting this post. I will later sum them up in one poll to see what SAR reader would like to see on future FF E-mount cameras. This would be my list:
– Improved A6000 alike autofocusing system
– Improved corner performance for wide angle lenses (for lenses like my [shoplink 23786 ebay]Voigtlander Ultron 21mm[/shoplink]).
– Make camera really fully weatherproof
– 5 axis In body stabilization
– 48 megapixel foveon sensor
I know you will call me a dreamer 🙂
0 Responses
To allow remote and preview video shooting on mobile phone. Now, only remote and preview pictures.
– 1 solid firmware update, given that A7/R/S A6000 share Bionz X. Please add the A6000 AF algos, the 120 720p video mode, trap focus, CDAF w/ LA-EA 4 to A7++
– Dual SD or Micro SD or onboard memory + sd
– IBIS if at all possible
– Try to make it slightly smaller
– Remote Flash trigger.
– Make it possible to charge and use at the same time (a sony representative said this was possible on A7S)
– Minimize baffle on APS-C lenses so full framers can use cheapo pancakes etc. to the max.
– Make the grip chargeable over Micro-USB, and consider a next one which is just one solid battery with 3x the capacity and directly chargeable.
– Add lens cap lenses like Olympus has.
– Make the SDK available for 3rd party app developers (it really helped apple)
– 1 QX cam with solid image quality “QX1” with either APS-C or full frame and either E-mount or 35mm equivalent. it could even have an EVF!
– Make it possible to view the gallery from the play memories app.
– Merge the A-mount and e-mount lines by having Dual-Pixel AF type technology and just a mount adaptor with AF motor. (no SLT)
– Sell lens/camera protectors like a cell phone cover, just made out of silicon or something that protects when you drop it.
1: 16 bit lossless raw
2: Internal TTL radio trigger, No onboard flash
3: FE 18mm 1.2 Prime, better focus at infinity for landscapes
4: 5-7 frame bracketing
5: wireless remote with timer and time lapse settings – Trigger camera and remote flashes
6: Motion sensor input for timer
18 1.2? Dream on, we’ll be lucky if we ever get a 50 1.2
Too have detachable EVF.
!. Work on the shutter.
2. Work on the shutter
3. Work on the shutter.
4. True 14 bit output and not just cRAW only.
5. Slash the prices of the FE lenses to be competitive.
6. Focus on the flash system. Make all cameras with TTL radio trigger. NFC and WiFi should find some real use.
7. Forget 4K/8K gimmicks, every cell phone has one.
8. Hire some optical engineers and drop Zeiss association for the logo. If you can not make it on your own, concentrate on Playstation.
+1
touch screen (like E-M1)
+ we need more lens (24/2, 35/1,4, 50/1,4, 85/1,4… 300/4)
Compact Entry Level FullFrame E-Mount α6 or α5 is missing (www.sonyalpharumors.com/the-super-compact-e-mount-full-frame-camera-patent), also the complete E-Mount line except probably α7s needs video improvements.
i think: Canon = BEST photographic equipment all the time !
Canon stuff is very well sorted, its the Honda of cameras. However, if you look at the SONY Alpha 7 range its more in-line with a Subaru right now, it’s a little rough around the edges but its a far more adaptable to any situation and if you need a one camera that’ll do it all Sony’s design strategy is far more evolutionary!
Areas where the Sony Alpha 7 lacks:
1. EVF is slow to use professionally compared to an OVF. Startup needs improving drastically. This is the number one thing that’ll put off a Canon pro.
2. As we have an EVF there should be a “hard button” on the body to switch off LCD.
3. Auto ISO is useless without some way to set a minimum shutter speed (like 5D3) and every pro I know is an aperture priority user who drinks too much coffee! This is a big problem for a Canon pro!!!!!
4. It’s still possible to “inadvertently” get into the menus whilst working and alter settings by bumping around camera — I’ve never managed that with the 5D3. Maybe a “hold button” like we see on other menu-driven devices?
Sony need to take a leaf out of Honda’s playbook address the details now! There needs to be more pro input and less from the bloggers who for the most part are not photographers. They need to get their version of CPS up & running too!
Having said all this, I’m using my A7s’ daily and loving them, even though the EVF is slow my “hit rate” wide-open (I’m nearly always wide-open too) has improved dramatically and I’m loving the zebras & peaking.
What are you shooting with the Canon? I can see many areas where the 5D3 would be preferable, I wouldn’t recommend an EVF equipped camera to certain photographers I know.
If Sony is waiting for the movement of competition and for this not released anything new should be planted on the inhibition of technological progress (that is punishable by law and such processes have been and ended up penalties for manufacturers who, instead of releasing new belted out rehashed cutlets).
MAKE MORE/BETTER LENSES FOR THE SYSTEM! The only thing holding me back from buying an A7r for landscape work is the lack of good lenses, especially wide-angle. Sony is traditionally stellar at sensors and bodies but confused and lackluster with their lenses.
– Improved corner performance for wide angle lenses (I used Carl Zeiss
Hologon 8/16mm lens with very good results with NEX-7. I was unable to
use it anymore with A7, I needed to move for huge SLR Distagon lens. I
could try Distagon 2.8/15mm ZM but It would be fault to spend about 4K
of Euros for lens with sign of corner issues. I spend a little less and I
have clean corners. But using Metabones EF-adapter with Distagon
2.8/15mm ZE in Green mode isn’t a best combination. I am truly
disappointed that default mode for Metabones Mark III adapter is Green
mode and You cannot change this default setting (i should thanks for that to Metabones). With Advanced mode and electronic first curtain shutter You may go down to really short shutter
time, like 1/10 or 1/8, without any additional pods :)) Hopefully all
of my others Zeiss SLR lenes are C/Y or ZF/ZF.2 mounted).
– In body stabilization would be nice
– I would like to get LA-EA3 adapter, which works like Metabones advanced
mode. Green mode which is based on LA-EA1/LA-EA3 behaviour is pain in
ass.
– Uncompressed RAW output as an option (not as only possibility)
– Open WiFi access. I believed that when my camera has WiFi build in, I would dismount my camera cable from my Computer. But nothing changed. Unless it works only with Sony Software, not like NAS storage with Samba support, my WiFi in camera is always in Flying mode.
Quite simple, actually. A new full-frame sensor with 50-60 megapixels, higher dynamic range and improved ISO-performance, i.e. the logical successor to the D800/A7r sensor.
Other than that an autofocus system like the A6000would and 5-axis in-body image stabilization would be nice, but not a must.
As far as a foveon sensor is concerned: Why not – except that 48mp translates into 16mp actual image size, which is too little for my taste. So batter make it a 144mp foveon sensor…
I for one love mps. The more the better, provided there are affordable lenses that can halfway keep up.
Entry level FF that competes with APS-C on price (and thus gives a route for all beginners to go directly into FF without ever seeing crop frame). That’s the next big thing (assuming current technology) that will really shake up the industry.
Would need a line-up of cheap FF lenses. I’m thinking they would start at f4-ish and without constant aperture, and/or the body would need to work well with legacy (Minolta et all, possibly even fixing their issues in-camera). Purists would balk, but its not a product for them.
built in camera flash
Much improved AF performance
Availability of smaller focus spot size
Electronic shutter
Longer battery life
True lossless RAW
Add SRAW
USB 3
Dual SD card slots
Unrestricted or fewer restrictions to auto bracketing
More crop modes
All functions assignable to function buttons, not just shooting functions
Add option to save camera settings to card
Allow retasking of exposure compensation dial
Improve auto ISO function to better deal with varying focal lengths
A7r with
Improved AF
Improved weather sealing
Improved low light
Electronic shutter for flash sync, silence and reduced vibrations
Give me that and it’s take my money
I want accurate AF as my first choice but also fast AF. For me the only camera that is tempting is the A7S but with the lack of information on it I have been evaluating other cameras to see what suits my needs and is capable of capturing my kids in video and stills.
While Sony keep working on their already great bodies, They really need to work on their lenses. Their lack of lenses, and lack of fast primes and zooms is what ultimately stopped me from buying the a7s. Looking at the roadmap of FE lenses is pathetic. I love the innovation Sony is putting in their cameras but don’t forget the LENSES!! Whilst its great you can adapt many lenses, it defeats the purpose of a small body. Other than that, I agree with focusing speed like the a6000, 5 axis in body stabilzation and TOUCH SCREEN! Why must they leave this for entry level cameras. Touching your focus point is A LOT FASTER than navigating through menus to change the focus area and a lot more accurate than focusing with the focus point and having to reframe.
Unlimited shutter speed for ISO auto. While using ISO auto, the shutter speed limits to 1/60. It’s useless.
– silent mechanical Shutter
– 16bit files
– simpler menu
– firmware for excellent manual focusing with the coming CZ MF lenses
4K internal recording for A7s is a must!
The A7 series has great IQ, now the A6000 has great AF. What Sony lacks is good QC. Combine those 3 important caracteristics in the future A8 (it might be A7 mk II) and all will be happy.
Things like 50mp+ sensor or IBIS are not important (IBIS in a small ff body is not even technically possible and Sony like Canon and Nikon has chosen the in-lens stabilization).
P.S. Don’t forget about adding 14 bit RAW!!!
photobyandrei.wordpress.com
Sensor tilt: turns any lens into tilt-shift lens.
Collapsible FF zoom lens.
Get rid of central hump, e.g. pana gx7 style
Builtin flash
Complete tetheting & remote control
ohhh.. this is good. I’ve got a few issues I would like addressed!
put evf in corner of body pana gx7 style
improve performance with adapted lenses
Just can’t afford that Leica M-monochrom!
X-Sync! Honestly. This is the most important issue.
Decent radio triggers for Studio strobes. Read: PocketWizards FlexTT5 + Hypersync!
A good, wireless automatic TTL flash system like Nikons CLS, but with radio.
Oh… And by the way… Better and more Firmware upgrades.
Some way to trigger the RX1 remotely.
More FE lenses.
@Sony: Why do you keep producing minor upgraded new cameras all the time? Give us more lenses and do firmware upgrades for older cameras!
1. Make up your mind (Is it going to be APS-C, Full Frame or Medium Format? Is it A-mount or E-mount?)
2. More lenses (for all prices ranges)
3. Fix the menu system (that kind of crap shouldn’t be allowed in 2014)
4. Kill the PlayMemories apps (and instead focus on the firmware and making complete camera API)
5. Bluetooth (to send pictures to smartphones without disconnecting Wi-Fi) and GPS
6. Weather sealing
7. Improve battery life
4. quite unlikely to happen
“4. Kill the PlayMemories apps (and instead focus on the firmware and making complete camera API)”
A resounding YES to that! 🙂
haha you can ask Sony to publish specs for their sensors and sell them to amateurs, but this will never happen
“- 5 axis In body stabilization”
that may be difficult because the diameter of E-mount is too short
but who knows….Sony always makes miracles
decent and stabilized “budget” primes and zooms, not just “premium” zeiss lenses for the fe mount.
How abou some basics – proper intervalometer, remotes, adjustable MF ring speed and handling, Live Time a la Olympus, custom LCD overlays, new Focus assist setups (not only a whole screen zoom), RAW panorama etc. All software.
+use PDAF sensor for focus assist (e.g. what is ahead of focus is tinted red and what is behind focus is tinted blue)
Thumbs up!
That is a really cool idea!
You are talking about “pro” level cameras and not “gadgets”. 🙂 I support that. 🙂
Let me keep it non-technical:
No moiré and other artefacts in video.
Improved use for 3rd party wide-angle lenses.
S-log in video mode like A7S.
Silent and non-shaking shutter release.
Full 4k in video (4096×2160).
In-built ND filter (2 stages).
10bit raw video out (via HDMI).
A “hi-res” high-speed video mode (<120ff/sec).
+ xavc codec, not xavc-s.
Oh yes, how could I forget!!! 🙂
A mount would have a LOT more marketshare if Sony paid even a tiny fraction of attention to it that they allocated to the FE pet project. They’re actively engaging users to find out what needs to be improved? Guess they know what A mount users want / need, so we were denied that privilege, or we’re officially an afterthought. It’s funny reading the comments here that the new FE users are now asking for the same things that A mount shooters have been asking for years and have never received. It will be interesting to see how they manage to ignore ALL their customer feedback instead of only that of the largest clientbase by FAR (A mount).
An in camera flash as in the RX1 would be great. A small camera is nice for me as long as I do not have to walk around with an external flash which is as big as the camera itself.
Better AF performance. Better weather proofing. Enlarge the viewfinder (additional performance edge over OVF) Think pro-mini
Sony is waiting for canon’s move.
Canon’s move, hmmm, not gonna happen! 😛
Btw:
@Admin
A hint plz when A99 II rumors a likely to appear here on SAR!
Tell us something about Mark 2 plz.
Thanks for your work.
Have no reliable specs for now 🙁
🙁
– Fix the shutter shock and sound
– improve AF speed (specially in low light)
– improve shutter button sensitivity (it’s so sensitive)
– speed up start time
– FE lenses manual focusing sucks.. It’s hard to know where it’s focusing.. You need to move the ring very slowly to figure out
– since A7S is for Videography .. A7R for landscape .. A7 for everything else.. Then why not make the A7 for sports and wildlife too ? It would be great if A7 can take up to 7-8 fps with continuos focusing
– find better location for menu and C2 buttons.. Or a better design
– built in flash (not that important) but it would be a nice addition to target other flashes
– lens release button location is confusing.. Specially for anyone using DSLRs for a long time
I still love it the way it is..
Better QA on lenses , that’s for sure -_____- give us a 35 1.8 , a 20 F2, and an 85 1.8/2 OSS
An FE Macro lens would be nice.
Aside from that, everything in Jurgen’s list.
I would love to see an FE camera WITHOUT the attached viewfinder, for ultimate pocketability.
The best camera is the one you have with you. The viewfinder is the most obvious and least useful bulk. A good detachable viewfinder solves the problem. Or maybe that popup viewfinder on the new RX100M3. My various NEX 5 series always went with me wherever I went, and as a result I have so many great photos in my life, and there are several thousand profile photos out there from me because the NEX 5 series was so portable. I LOVE my A7, best digital camera ever made, and I respect the size for a full frame interchangeable, but I miss the NEX 5 form factor terribly. If only that massive view finder hump was gone, the A7 would come with me more often. I very rarely use the viewfinder, and every time I look at it, I’m depressed at the possibilities that could have been.
Of course image stabilization would be a dream come true. Autofocus isn’t very important to me, I’m using voigtlander manual lenses, but improvements there will help others adopt the FE platform. I’m an available light shooter, and can not wait to get the A7S with enhanced low light performance. If the A7S didn’t have the viewfinder hump, I would just start throwing money at the screen until it arrived.
This has to be the dumbest post I’ve ever read on this site. I love SAR, but this is just SILLY.
If Sony creates an effective Foveon-like sensor, they’ll use it. They won’t wait to see if Canon has one, Sony is always pushing out AHEAD of Canon on sensor tech, and no one in their right mind would believe Sony would SIT on better tech and wait for someone like Canon to launch first.
Sony is waiting to see how the industry itself reacts to their cameras before deciding on how to modify their trajectory….I could see THAT.
They could be interested in what Canon and Nikon do…we all are.
They could be HOPING that Canon and Nikon will release high end mirrorless cameras, so that Sony can say “SEE, we were right, and the big boys are now Sony FOLLOWERS.”
But the idea that Sony would let someone else release cutting edge technology FIRST, so they could trump it. That’s just dumb.
they can release camera with any ineffective sensor if demand is high enough…
ah. Nikon released D800 with Sony sensor that Sony camera did not use.
Fuji added ‘split screen’ focus aid which Sony cameras lack. etc. etc.
“If Sony creates an effective Foveon-like sensor, they’ll use it. They won’t wait to see if Canon has one, Sony is always pushing out AHEAD of Canon on sensor tech, and no one in their right mind would believe Sony would SIT on better tech and wait for someone like Canon to launch first.”
Yeah, that’s a weird one. If one of the “sources” claimed that, then I suspect that “source” is none other than our infamous resident troll.
More wide aperture primes please.
Would like to see 24mm 35mm 85mm 135mm all f/2 or wider.
Also pancake 40mm f2 🙂
Ok. Top priorities:
1. Sensor-movement stabilization (along with current multi-shot processing)
2. Provision for 3rd party and open source in-camera scripting (run anything voiding warranty, run Sony-approved apps securely without voiding warranty) — think “secure CHDK”
3. Ability to enter data about multiple unchipped lenses and select which is in use such that stabilization and corrections are applied and basic lens data goes into EXIF
4. Approx. pixel density of 24MP for APS-C crop (54MP FF) to meet Nyquist for all lenses
5. Lose the mechanical shutter (or make it optional to use it)
6. Aggressively-compressed 4K video in camera with clean live output
Notes: Giving us 2 probably solves 3. 4-6 are all dependent on new sensor tech; Sony’s way ahead on this, but the development timeline is long enough that I’m sure the options for the next round of sensors are already set…. A final street price under $2000 is a good target.
This post is exactly why Sony is not becoming a major player in photography: more bodies than lenses, and we keep asking about more bodies? What is wrong with SAR here?
Enough bodies, give us more lenses (full frame) and accessories! Make it a real system! W have now four systems with Sony: APS and full frame A-mount, APS and full frame E-mount… How in the world did we get to this level of fragmentation, and how could Sony populate these with decent lenses?
Enough bodies… Put R&D engineers on lenses and accessories!
The lenses are there as well as all the Minolta lenses that came before. E-mount users love using adapters and obscure lenses – thousands to choose from.
zoom viewfinder (selectable between e.g. 0.7x – 1.4x , will come in handy to poor-sighted
The function to rename “DSCxxxxx” files, I shoot with an RX1, A7 and A7r. So i know what camera i used. ex. RX100001 / A7100001 / A7R00001. I do believe this can be applied to a firmware update.
EXIF is your friend
Auto Bracketing must include the ability to shoot 5-7 shots with 1 to 2 stops difference. Also a 2 seconds delay should be added to the auto bracketing mode.
– Better AF; ala A6000.
– On camera 5 Axis Image Stabilisation; ala Olympus OMD EM1.
– Full Weather Proffing; ala Olympus OMD EM1.
– 4K video for 24 MP A7 replacement.
– USB 3!
– Silent Electric Shutter! No vibration on A7r replacement!
– Improved corner performance with Wide Angle Lenses.
– Dual SD Card Slot.
Lenses lenses lenses
Sony will do fine spec wise , but lenses they should intruduse at least 20 amazing lenses for both a mount and FE mount if they want to be number one in this market
Sony has the potential to lead the market but this not possible without lenses
I think canon is dead in the water, not knowing which way to go. Both options (continue pushing DSLRs or move to serious mirrorless) will lose them market share..They have waited too long to get their act together.
Yet they are far outselling Sony. Plus the A7’s are not selling that well. Better than what Sony expected but they did not expect much in the first place. The A7’s are not selling that well even for mirrorless cameras.
Well firstly nothing in my statement said anything regarding Sony outselling Canon….Please read…I would be interested where your A7 stats are coming from??….Current market percentages for 2014 show the Mirrorless interchangeable share growing.
“Sales of digital cameras as a whole are down across the world by about 34%, or about a third, relative to last year. The American market is hardest hit, with declines of about 50%. The one ray of hope: globally, the sale of mirrorless, interchangeable lens models is up by 24% despite sales of these cameras being down by 34% in the Americas.
Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA). April 2014
Canon is by far the worst placed camera manufacturer for Mirrorless camera systems as Canon’s DSLR market continues to shrink. Inevitability….
There is large variations for short periods of time… If you want to make your point you have to operate with longer periods
Canon is pretty much developing the same tech as others do for mirrrorless: dual pixel AF, liveview, STM lenses, small DSLR (100D) so they are not falling behind much.
If you look at user issues and reviews of their current mirrorless interchangeable camera system (EOS M)…it is an embarrassment for them. Dual pixel technology was meant to be introduced when they rolled out the sensors that had it…They couldn’t get it to work and had to disable their use in the cameras until they could. Then they upgraded to firmware to turn it on. Dual Pixel is a very basic AF system. At least a couple of generations behind current mirrorless AF from the main players. Canon make good DSLRs and terrible mirrorless…
how do you know that? Canon EOS M2 sells only in Asia.
why do you think their dual pixel AF is slow (more probably it’s slower with older non-STM lenses, yet other manufacturers’ mirrorless AF is fast only with dedicated lenses made for them, does Sony ever have option to use OSPDAF with A-mount lenses??)
“how do you know that? Canon EOS M2 sells only in Asia.”
I live in that part of the world…The fact that canon only sells a camera in one market speaks volumes about their confidence in their mirrorless system.
“why do you think their dual pixel AF is slow (more probably it’s slower with older non-STM lenses, yet other manufacturers’ mirrorless AF is fast only with dedicated lenses made for them, does Sony ever have option to use OSPDAF with A-mount lenses??)”
That’s a pretty weak argument….All cameras AF better faster with dedicated lenses. The dual pixel AF system itself is slow and searchy.
1. Lenses.
2. A6000 focus system
3. Remove ugly play memories concept. or at list put the important things into the camera.
4. Add more customize able options : evf/screen button
5. Touch screen! we are in 2014… mirror less without touchscreen?
6. IBIS! this is a must.
Ghost hunter. 🙂
im now stuck between canon and sony A series. Photokina will tell me which way to go. But honestly I#d prefer to see a 20mp 10fps 4k Canon 7DII. Or A88 FF with 4k. As I own A mount lenses.
1.Lenses
2.Lenses
3.Lenses
No seriously… they need more AF OSS lenses for the average and travel photographer. Not everyone can afford to buy two or three bodies. The most important would be a CHEAP 28-135 trans standard zoom lens, even with 3,5-5,6 aperture and, even better, an 18-200 lens, but I think I dream with this one !
1. DSLR/A6000-like FAST AF
2. Leica/NEX7-like HUMPLESS body
3. Built-in flash to control off-camera flash
Jumping to the RX line:
1. 40mm f1.7 Minolta Hi-Matic rangefinder styled camera
— excellent AF performance, this is crucial for any work
— bright (F1.4-F2.0) and compact AF 35mm and 85mm FF primes
— curved sensor tech would involve new line of lenses, isn’t it?
— sensor tech is not limiting factor for development of FE system right now
why don’t you ask for compact 16-300/0.8 ?
Where can I place a pre-order? 🙂
This was meant to be sarcasm. I am sick of reading people asking for superpuper AF, superpuper clean high ISO, superfast compact lenses etc.
Really sarcasm? 🙂 Got that, of course.
16-300/0.8 would likely be around 100kg weight, don’t you think? Hehe.
just shut up and take my money!
Super compact fisheye to 1000mm f/0.0 macro with 360 degree panorama and tilt shift adapter thanks!
1. sensor shift stabilisation
2. built-in flash (at least in the entry level FF A7 type camera)
3. fast and affordable prime lenses
BETTER ERGONOMICS!
This is probably the main reason preventing a purchase. Cannot simply imagine using the current body all day with larger lenses without my hand cramping up. It’s ok to keep the body compact but give the grip some PROMINENCE! You know, the part people actually use all day… In addition, please place the button and controls intuitively. Why is the shutter on the top plate and not the grip like the A6000? Let’s not forgo comfort for aesthetics. Form follows function, always.
In what you are asking, form follows shape of late film SLRs, not function. “ergonomics” needs to be completely redesigned because now there no mirror nor film, and could be done better instead of copying old shapes. There already two mature systems with camera shape you want from CaNikon, why not choose them instead?
Never did I mention anything about Canikon. All I said was that function should precede the importance of form. You are assuming Canikon already does this perfectly. Simple ideas, like placing the shutter button in a more comfortable position like the A6000, is a reasonable improvement to request.
I find the grip to be perfect on the A7. I love it in fact
Yep I agree. Even with the 70-200mm the grip is sweet as…
Maybe Sony can create a new and real flagship camera. Something like Mark IV with high ISO. At least a grip with LCD that display relevant information.
– foveon sensor
– great JPEG out-of camera
– speedy AF
– EVF in the left corner of the body and body alike MEX7, NEX6, A6000
– 5-axle SSS
– fully electronic curtain for unnoticeable shooting
– touch-screen for quick AF point selection
– internal flash
– 4-navy without dedicated dial (3 on the top and 1 rear like on first generation A7* series)
– additional B/W LCD on the top of the body (2 dials can be located under this LCD)
– waterproof
– Improved corner performance for wide angle lenses
– 5 axis In body stabilization
– faster prime lens
– improved autofocus
– weatherproof body and lens
1.Electronic first curtain
2.Fast and reliable AF
For the lenses:
Re-Design the FE2470Z
Make the FE1635Z a better quality than the 2470
Release the 90 or 100 Macro G THIS year
5 axis In body stabilization isn’t very realistic for FF cameras. See how big is sensor unit with small 4/3″ sensor!
if they manage to reduce sensor + cover glass thickness (it’s very thick now), the total mass to move may be smaller that that of current 4/3″ sensor.
Doesn’t matter what comes in the camera. I can’t consider purchasing a Sony system camera till faster lenses are available, for example, a 70-200 f2.8 not f4, plus they need to be sharper than what Nikon/Canon offers, so more Zeiss glass please. Really like my RX1!
The point of the E-mount system is to be “light and small”, I don’t think there will be an E-mount 70-200/2.8. If you want an 2.8, you will have to go with A-mount or use a LA-EA3/4.
– Button to switch from EVF to LCD / LCD to EVF instead to have to go into the menu each time when you dont want it to be in auto.
– Bulb mode, as the LCD is still on when exposing why not have timer on the lcd when you take a long exposure.
– Auto ISO with where you can change the minimum shutterspeed 1/60 is way to low.
– Something same as the x-t1 have in the EVF, dual image.
– Touch screen to select af-points
– Dial / wheel lock, you can lock the auto iso with it ( so you dont bump into it ) but you cant change your shutter speed, should be an option to just lock the dial OR the wheel.
– Quiter shutter.
Sony shouldn’t be waiting for the competition to react as it would then be too late. They should be leaving the competition behind.
Geotag equipment in the A7. I want to see where in the world I took the photos exactly encoded straight into the photos data so it can easily be sorted in my Photo management software.
And then we won’t have any more rhinos, tigers and elephants.
improve the battery capacity too
My advice to Sony would be this:
Do not focus on more camera bodies, sensors or lenses.
Focus on the ecosystem, lighting, accessories, service and & 3rd parties:
1. Fix the f60 flash / release a working successor. Include standard connectors in the flash such as stereo / sync ports (how could those not be included, it’s egregious).
2. Include radio wireless flash controls in the flash AND cameras (which would be a key feature over canon).
3. Make the Wi-Fi feature more robust by adding FTP uploading and one-button click transmitting (a la Canon).
4. Open up the Multi Interface Shoe to 3rd parties via an official licensing program (like the made for iPhone program). Sony is not satisfying 100% of users needs with their accessories (radio control…).
5. Let cameras use the f20m flash as a dumb optical trigger for strobes (option to disable preflash please).
6. Bring the Sony Pro Services to the USA / EU.
7. Invest in the OS of the alpha cameras (where is user “My Menu / Custom Menu” tab, why is the drive mode tied to the timed exposure option, dual card sort shooting does not allow a user to select where to save the video file to).
8. Get more input from pro photographers who use your gear via a beta program prior to release. There are so many common sense software changes to be made that could drastically improve the user experience at low cost. Offer at least one big firmware update per camera within a year of release based on the endless feedback you get from photographers who buy your products (make the official way of doing this via the Sony community site better).
I could see this if we were still tied to the low ASA’s of the film years. But in todays still & motion environment aren’t we better off concentrating on quality continuous light sources? Personally I’ve not used flash in anger for years, I find the flash look somewhat dated now, and given the sensitivity of these new sensors small portable LED lights make more sense from my perspective.
Being able to shoot in the darkest corners with the absolute minimum of artificial light is a wonderful side-effect of digital in my opinion.
SONY’s version of CPS makes perfect sense!!!!!
Cheers,
Chris
If you or I are shooting an indoor wedding or event at night the light source is going to be artificial. While I appreciate hot lights they are sometimes not practical. I cannot take any candid shots with them, because I can be seen coming from a mile away with a blinding LED atop my camera.
Flashes & strobes will continue to have their place alongside continuous lighting.
Sure, I can see that if you’re an event or social photographer. But if you are an even or social photographer you’d be better served with a Nikon or Canon and an OVF.
I’d put the these EVF equipped cameras strictly into the “multi-media” camp right now, I personally don’t think they’re responsive enough for social photography. Maybe, they’re OK for slower paced news/reportage?
I shoot an a99 along with a 1dx. I prefer the EVF for composing in lower light, the Canon OVF’s are pretty dim. Also the flip LCD is excellent for high angle shots. Of course the Canon AF system is vastly superior for either quick moving subjects or low light. I switch back forth to play to their strengths.
I was shocked on how good the EVF is in dim light, almost like night vision compared to the course focussing screen I had in a 5D2. Very interested to see the files from the A7S, I like to shoot in dim light, that and an EVF could be a great low-light combination. Do you have a website? I love looking at what people are shooting. Cheers, Chris.
I have a few, here is my personal / client access site: http://christogal.com
Lovely stuff mate! Its nice to put a style to a name, it makes future discussions more productive. Cheers, Chris.
I agree, I don’t understand the point of keeping one’s photos permanently hidden.
Feel free to share too.
http://www.chrisgibbs.com
Nice black & white work, they must make for excellent fiber prints.
Fiber printing was my thing back in the day, but to be honest I’m preferring what I’m getting out of the Epson 4900, we have some cracking paper surfaces for these Inkjet papers. Canson papers are every bit as nice as the old Ilford warmtone papers IMO, they even smell like an old Fiber print. (:-)
I highly recommend Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta. It’s every bit as good as a silver gelatin print.
Epson Exhibition Fiber is great too, but very fragile and super difficult to deal with if roll printing. It does not play well with my 7900 off the roll.
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll give that a try. As to the Epson Exhibition Fiber it won’t go through my 4900 without showing the pizza wheel marks, I called Epson tech about it, their recombination was “don’t use it” — brilliant I thought!
Yep, the exhibition fiber gets ruined in my machine too. I feel look if I look at it the wrong way it gets scratched.
The hahnemuhle FA Baryta has all of the beauty of the epson EF but is much more durable. It is slightly warmer ( less OBAs) and subtly glossier. Aesthetically I’ve come to prefer it, plus less waste due to the damaged prints.
Slightly warmer, I like that — never been a fan of bright white surfaces they remind me of the old resin coated printing papers.
I also liked the old Museo Silver Rag, it had a very unique look and feel to it and a very durable forgiving surface.
The “Aesthetics” of the craft are something that most people are oblivious too as is the “Etiquette” of shooting…………
Significant AF improvement at least like the A6000.
ISO of A7S
SILENT SHUTTER.
and please include an FE 135 F1.8 OSS around 1K range.
Expand the E-mount system:
Launch A9: 24MP No OLPF, IBIS, full magnesium build, full weather sealing, optional mechanical/electronic shutter, LCD as A99, direct focus point control, A6000 AF system with higher low light sensitivity and better focus customization, high bitrate video, built in flash + radio control, dual cardslots.
Launch A9r: 54MP No OLPF, identical to A9 but without speed/gimmicks, improved EVF, and A99 LCD.
Launch A9s: 16MP, same build, larger battery, 14 fps, no mechanical shutter, no slide show, improved EVF, internal 4K, high bitrate video, A6000 AF system with higher low light sensitivity and better focus customization.
Lenses:
Wide angle prime: 20-24mm f2.8
Ultra fast: 50 f1.2
Macro: 35-50-100mm f2.8
Tele: 70-300mm zoom, 200 f2.8
Portrait: 85 f1.8 OSS
Pancake: 40mm
-A7s like body with fast / accurate AF ,16mp SABILIZED sensor
-Add some fast and affordable prime lenses (meaning drop Zeiss partnership)
This is really all what i will ever need to take pictures.
No Shuttershock
Faster Autofocus
Full sensor readout for video
New XAVC codec
IBS (If possible) including for Video
Touch screen for focus points and Quick menu access
4K internal from a Super 35 (cropped part of sensor) area (FF for 1080p)W no pixel binning
Faster frame rate and burst rate
Silent Shutter mode
Sensor shift for AF on old adapted & MF lenses
I will buy new A7 with 21MP and GOOD AF + FE lenses without the Zaiss sticker: 30 2.8, 60 2.8, 90 2.8/macro OR zoom 30-90 4/macro + Auto ISO in all modes.
too much ?
It would be nice if Sony would make an official declaration stating the IBIS is never coming to aps-c and FE cameras so that the users who have been begging for it for years on here will move on.
IBIS
DSLR shaped A7 and A6000
Full weather sealing
A6000 AF in full frame e-mount
In a compact ff, full remote control capability of most settings, with or without avail wifi. shutter, aperture, iso, shutter trigger, etc. from a tablet, possibly 1/500 flash sync
Also go ahead and build the medium format mirrorless camera with interchangeable lens capability….for 4500$!
I am half-agree with the ONE says “dslr near end”, my another half answer to make this statement more realistic is to push for Revolutionary Full Frame ILCE! Small camera Insane performance are just a real Killer!
Couple of ‘revolutionary things’ that miss in current FF mirrorless in the market:
1) IBIS (5 axis as baseline)
2) 3-layers Foveon sensor
3) Global Shutter (not the one call silence electronic shutter)
4) Flash Sync Speed
Nonetheless, these ‘good stuff’ must continue to have:
1) XAVC S video format (improve further: lower Reso higher fps; ie: 640×480 240fps)
2) Silence electronic shutter (for middle class; global shutter for high end)
3) Super high ISO (0.4mil)
4) High MP sensor (36MP – 50MP)
5) A6000 AF System
Besides, things that we hope to address by Sony:
1) Touch screen in FF ILCE
2) Shutter vibration (address via silence/global shutter)
3) 4K internal
So, the game is really up to Sony how they “PACK” their “PRODUCT” to dominate the market. Sony can differentiate middle and high end class by attach/detach some those revolutionary things and good stuffs components as mentioned above.
Even though the fact that future will be move to mirrorless world, somehow Sony need to taking care their Amount pool. So, above mentioning list are definitely can go with new Alpha FF/APS-C. Of course, the internal 4K could be even more easily to done in new Alpha FF as bigger body space to get rid of the heat issue.
and last one, please improve the conventional strap to quick access strap; or given user option to upgrade a good strap.
hallelujah and good luck Sony!
– I refuse to buy any ILCE till they fix LA-EA4 so flash can beam AF grid.
– improve LA-EA4 firmware to A99 AF level (AF-D, face detection)
– give us better LA-EA5 with more wider AF points, get rid of f3.5 limit in video
– fix ADP-MAA mounting to camera to HVL-F43/60m level
– fix HVL-f60m overheating and whole flash system (it worse than pentax even)
– PC live view tethering with precise focus control etc.(over wifi and usb)
– smaller body without integrated EVF with touch control
The A7 needs a much improved viewfinder! It’s flickering in daylight and it seems as if the picture is upscaled. We had a long discussion at http://www.systemkamera-forum.de/topic/102791-warum-sagt-keiner-die-wahrheit/ where 90% of the people didn’t care or ignored it, but others fully agreed. The new viewfinder of the a6000 is much better, but still flickering a bit compared to Olympus.
Next is the number of available lenses, Sony has to come out with many, many new, also affordable lenses. This is the reason I bought an Olympus camera as you get many affordable primes.
A foveon alike sensor would indeed be a killer feature. Still love to use my DP2m if I need the best picture quality.
Thanks for that post. I found I might be the only one to complain about that issue. IMHO the A7′ EVF is far behind the EVFs of the X-T1 and OMD E-M1. Sensors might be as good as it gets but what we SEE is what makes the initial impression and the usability of a camera.
Get rid of all the small issues (shutter vibration, slow af speed,..) and combine it with a good support and regular firmware updates for a guaranteed time (like google is doing with their own devices). Do it like with the A77 Mk2. No new camera but improving a already good one!
A higher pixel count only makes sense if there are optics able to deliver the same performance. Look at DXOmark; the Zeiss Otus is the only lens able to use most of teh pixels of the A7r sensor; at least only 5 Mpix will be wasted when mounting that 3500€ 55mm prime…
huge lenses. Therefore; stay with 24-36 MPix and improve lens performance and number of primes and zoom lenses. Make more of teh quality of teh FE 70-200 G; no more Zeiss…
And for all calling for IBIS and DSLR shape combines with lots of lenses… go for A mount!
Sorted by priority:
1.At least A6000 AF speed
2.Foveon
3.IBIS
4.X-T1 EVF or better
5.Softer shutter
It should be compatible with wrist straps. Some of my friends don’t buy A7 because of that now it’s incompatible.
Buy a Peak design wrist strap if you choose your camera on those terms. Really…..
https://peakdesignltd.com/store/cuff
Thanks, didn’t know about it. I should try this one..
– Fast AF
– A99-like flipable screen
Hoped a77II would have 4K… doesnt. Hoped a7x would have a descent AF. doesnt. Hoped a7/a7r would have descent 2k. doesnt. should i countinue?
I don’t think 4K on the A77II is needed, a decent FullHD sampling and bit rate would do it…
Sony has nothing to compete with GH4 yet. I prefer alpha/e-mount to m43, simple as that. I wish im not forced the jump the Pana Wagon.
Without the shutter shock issue it would be my next interchangable lens camera. No global shutter, no buy.
I vote fot option 1
Let everone release thier best sensors and lets jave some competition.
The waiting game only hurts us the consumer.
My previos understanding of stratagy is that Canon was going to release thier stacked sensor at the same time or shortly after sony.
But strategy is a constantly changing game and this may very well be Sonys current strategy.
The focus should be fast, accurate also easy to use, as with the canon 5d3. I don’t need more than 30 megapixels, ibis, xt-1 evf. Lenses are expensive.
Dear Sony,
Here is my list:
-Detachable EVF, sometimes I prefer a lower profile camera.
-EVF on the corner (Nex-7 Style)
-IBIS
-Lenses. A good portrait lens is definitely needed. Don’t waste time designing a 85mm AND a 135mm, Just give us a 100/2 and call it a day.
-More lenses. I’d rather have a 20/2.8 over the 16-35.
-Seriously, we need more lenses. 14-24/4 would be much more welcome rather than a 16-35/4.
-A new lens. The current 70-200 G looks fine but nothing special. Give us something cheaper and more cheerful. Please make it less white this time.
-I have an idea for a lens. Yeah? You too? Do you want a 35mm lens with a wider aperture? Sounds like a good idea. I don’t need it desperately but I can see that you want one. Wait, this was about my idea of a lens. I forgot, sorry.
I need you to stop innovating on sensor design and settle down a bit. Please develop what you’re doing into a system. I had bought several speedlights and RF triggers for my Nex-7, which I have to use with an adapter while my old Nikon SB-80DX mounts directly on to my A7. Don’t you find it a bit funny? I like how you’ve been using the same two types of batteries over decades (Infolithium M and W) and I absolutely LOVE it. I know that you can do it. Please pay more attention.
-Why doesn’t my SEL 55-210’s OSS doesn’t work with my A7?
-Why on earth can’t my A7 connect to the same WiFi network my iPad is connected to and do its WiFi-tethering thing over that network? Why do I have to disconnect my iPad from the network? Haven’t you ever used this feature?
-Have you ever used a A7 while developing it? I bet you haven’t used it for waist level shooting. Anyone who owns one knows what I’m talking about.
-That old Minolta hot shoe? Good riddance. Now, refund my money for everything I’ve invested in that old hot shoe. I thought you were serious with your system. I love my A7 but it’s still quite close to the front door where I can kick it out as soon as Fuji (Who else?) comes up with something I like.
‘obican’, you are from Serbia?
Nope but I love the country 😉
:)) ‘običan’ = ordinary, usually on serbian language :))
Edit:
-Let U1 U2 U3 user modes save total camera state; including screen brightness, auto review setting, live view effect display setting etc. Otherwise it’s mostly meaningless.
IBIS
NEX-7 sized body
I know this two are contradictory but …
Admin asks for our opinion of what sony should do.
I say release the new stacked sensor immeadiatly in a new A mount camera.
Do not wait for Canon, do not wait for 2015, do not put a bayer sensor into this years new flagship A mount camera.
Sony: Do not wait what others do. Just keep pushing the technology even faster as the others are sleeping. Release 999 dollar full-frame E-mount camera, add fast autofocus to all E-mount cameras and increase the amount of E-mount full frame lenses. Also redefine the ergonomics of A7-series. Shutter-button should be in the same place as it is in the a6000.
FEATURES:
Much faster focusing and operation
Quieter shutter options and less shutter shock
Full weather sealing
EVF as good as Fuji X-T1 or better
Fully articulated screen like A99
MORE LENSES:
100 – 150mm f2.8 Macro 1:1
85mm f1.8
135mm f1.8
All with image stabilization and weather sealing. Prices not more than $1000.
The main point should be : 5 axis IBIS for video. The A7S is supposed to be a great portable video camera so without IBIS it does not make sens
1. IBIS
2. silent shutter
3. Full weather sealing
4. more e-mount weather sealed G prime lenses (28mm/2, 20mm/3.5, 35mm/1.4, 55mm/2.8 macro) with no tulip design
5. touchscreen for menus
6. sensor like Nikon 4Ds
7. Canon like swivel viewfinder
“6. sensor like Nikon 4Ds”
In due course. Wait for just 2 more years. 🙂
Dude, are u a NFB? Seems so.
“Like Nikon’s D4s” means just 16MP.
Like D4s is coming with the A7s, with lacking just 4MP…
+1 … thats what I meant
Any Sony user worth their salt has to be a “NFB”, don’t ya think? It is a natural course to follow the mothership and adapt to the “follow the leader strategy”. 😉
The best Sony sensors debut in a Nikon cam followed by Sony in 2-4 years time. Fact of life. Accept it and be at peace with it. 🙂
Canon- now that is anathema. Photography?! Gadgets come first! 😉
swivel screen… 🙂
im ok with the system…. my only problem is … lens!!
Still Image quality – Landscape etc
1. 40+ MP
2. 3 Layer colour (no interpolation, results in serious loss of image quality)
3. 5 axis IBIS
4. Electronic Shutter (reduced vibration)
5. FF
6. Full weather Sealed
Forget Canon, just do it, take the lead.
Fix the loud shutter. Fix the loud shutter. Fix the loud shutter. Fix the loud shutter.
+1
Make lenses with integrated hood & lens cap. Maybe not important for professionals, but it’s important for casual people who don’t want that lens cap to get lost all the time.
One thing that really bugged me is the lack of dedicated button for switching between EVF & monitor. And also make it default to shoot with EVF and review with monitor.
I’d also like in-body IS, improved high ISO noise, quieter shutter and a much improved battery life
I’m loving my A7. Future models could be gradually improved with A6000-style AF, better high ISO, perhaps IBIS, perhaps touch screen.
The main wish list of course consists of LENSES:
– compact: 24/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/2.8, 85/2.8, 135/2.8
– top quality: 28/1.8, 55/1.8, 100/1.8
– fast prime: 85/1.2
One lens I’d personally like to see is a small tele zoom. I don’t care how slow it is, it just has to be sharp.
MY LIST:
IBIS ,( causing a little bigger size is welcome =) )
Fully support of A-mount Lens (by A-E adapter, IBIS)
New Jpeg engine to against Canon and FijiFilm Jpeg quality (especially high iso)
Of cause A6000 AF system
lighter shutter shock or full electronic shutter
I think main priority is introduction of CURVED SENSOR camera. Lot of image quality issues flat sensor lenses are struggling with will be solved. Even more, lens development for curved sensor is MUCH easier and cheaper. This will be real leap in imaging technology.
But the big obstacle is that the level of curvature is different for each focal length and lens design. I’m more optimistic toward curved sensor on the RX series, but on interchangeable lens mounts? I have my doubts…
You have doubts because you have never studies optics.All problems with curved sensors are irrelevant whether it’s interchangeable lens or fixed.
enlighten us
There is no optical law that says 24mm lens should have different field curvature from 85 mm lens. Optical designer can make them to have convex, concave or flat field, any value that you wish to. There was even Minolta MD variable field curvature lens.
On other hand, there are problems with tolerances. Even for fixed lens cameras, lens and sensor are produced separately. If you get sensor with curvature radius r=70.2 mm instead of r=70.0, the sensor will be unusable with lens unit assembled for r=70.0.
Enlighten me please, shouldn´t the projected images of different lens designs have different curvature?
Not necessarily. Conventional lenses are designed to have flat field, regardless of prime, zoom, wide, tele fast slow etc. That is no different from how are all FE lenses designed to have image circle of 43.5 mm.
Someone wrote that they simply design lens for curved sensor ignoring field curvature and then pick sensor to match it (which is I feel is the cause of belief that curved sensors won’t work for ILCs), but this is false.
so, when deciding on a interchangeable lens system with curved sensor they will have to choose specific sensor size and curvature, and stick to it. There will be a compromise, large benefit for wide primes and very small penalty for extreme teles, and a net win in IQ/size.
…I’m still waiting for the A7s!!!
1. Improved focusing system for the A7 and general focusing speed across the line.
2. UHS-II support for improved writing speed
3. Improved FPS (especially on the A7S successor)
4. I know the A7S model is specifically designed with video in mind but I’d like to see a video quality jump on the other models. The still image quality is pretty great. Improve the moire and give us a uniform codec/feature set between models—or at least a software upgrade so that the non-video optimized models can be used as B-cam.
5. Let us use different apertures on the LA-E4! The LA-E4 is a great alternative to the dual pixel system on the C100 & C300 except it locks in the aperture.
Oh, yeah. Add a touch screen and let me manually override the EVF/screen sensor (button or whatever)
1. Full weather sealed body and lens
2. faster focusing and more accurate focus tracking
3. wider focus point distribution
4. 3 way Articulated screen
5. better focus performance in dark environment (A7s may be doing the job good, I didn’t see it in action though)
6. more lens
7. more lens
8.-100. more lens 🙂
5Axis Stabilization, Improve AF, Improve image quality in high noise, IQ and real sync speed 1/250 with any trigger, not only with flash attacth – that really stupid
In other words: no move from Canon, no move from Sony
I’m worried that this is true. It’s not the right competitive approach for a distant third-place player.
The problem is inventory build up. Every camera maker still has large numbers of older generations in stores that need to be cleared out. Some (e.g. Olympus), have a half-year supply in their own inventory. Thus, if you iterate too fast, you risk just building that pile of older gear that clogs the channel.
One problem is that the rapid run-up of digital cameras in the first decade of the century made everyone change their approach to building them: they all went to massive build cycles and even pre-built large quantities under the assumption they’d all sell out. That hasn’t been true for three years now. The correct approach now would probably be fast iteration cycles with JIT manufacturing and a healthy dose of firmware upgrading to keep past customers happy. The problem with that is I don’t think any of the camera companies have good enough daily sales numbers worldwide to make that work. Apple does their adjustments hourly, Samsung daily.
why no body care about sigma foveon quattro sensor haha…
Because it hasn’t proven to sell in large quantities. Most of that is that the Sigma cameras have tended to be slow and film SLR/compact in capabilities, the rest has to do with the high ISO performance.
The thing three-layer Foveon gives you is high edge acuity with no traditional moire issues. The problem it presents is the color model and what you do about high ISO. That said, at base ISO the current Foveon sensors have pretty great performance that’s attractive to many. But the problem is that they’re in bodies that aren’t up to current standards in performance. For the slower-working landscape photographer that’s not an issue. But the more you move towards action-oriented types of photography or low light, the more challenging it is to use those cameras.
Great info from you, thanks for educated me on this!
Hi Thom, what are your thoughts on these EVF’s. I’ve been wanting one since the 5D3 appeared. I got fed-up waiting for Canon to introduce an EVF so I starting using the A7R, I LOVE the bloody thing — BUT — it drives me nuts with all this waiting for it to “wake-up.”
Having used it for a while now I get why Canon & Nikon haven’t implemented it on their “video bodies” as its just a huge headache for the “fast-paced” stills shooter. It feels (to me) like I’m back with those point & shoot cameras that had that terrible delay after you hit the shutter button. With the OVF on a 5D3 you just left it switched on all day (in sleep mode) and popped it up to your eye and squeezed the shutter if you had a shot, everything was near instantaneous — not so with the EVF, it’s like waking your TV from sleep every time you want to see through that viewfinder………….
I can think of a dozen occasions where an EVF would be a massive hindrance but I wouldn’t want to go back to an OVF………..(:-) Chris
I like the most recent EVFs, but they still have issues.
Not sure what you mean by slow to wake up, but two things come to mind: how you have the LCD/EVF interaction set and when the camera is active or not. As a long-time Nikon user, I know I have to hit the shutter release or AF On partially to wake the camera, so I’ve generally done that before the camera gets to my face. The lag is low, too, so I’ve never been bothered by that. With each new camera I usually have to figure out how to keep it as active as I want it to be when I want it to be.
Agreed, that’s my working method with the 5D3.
Try taking the A7R out on a fast paced social/news photography assignment for a day. It’s something that’s hard to quantify here, working with the EVF is just slow by comparison, maybe its simply the software implementation by Sony. Plus, you’re forever conscious about conserving the battery and keeping the sensor cool. I’ve already had mine shutdown during a stills shoot because the sleep mode was set too long. Waking her up from sleep can sometimes be around two seconds and as you know, that’s a lifetime in certain situations.
Sometimes I think its easier getting back into the old “power-switch off” mindset between shots, especially in really hot weather. But there’s still that 2, sometimes 3 second delay before the TV screen (EVF) lights-up.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the EVF, its the future but there’s a reason Canon don’t have an EVF on the 5D3 IMO (where it’d make perfect sense) its got to be a responsive stills camera first & foremost.
Another factor (I’m an equal opportunity critic:) — maybe its me, I’ve been shooting professionally with OVF’s since 1984. Maybe the new “tech-savvy” generation won’t even notice these issues, maybe this is like those old lads with their zone-focussed Leica’s on using the first AF cameras? (:-)
Could be.
We do lose a few things with the transition, though, most noticeably we get an induced lag in our anticipated timing of shots and we lose night vision shooting in low light with EVFs.
Interesting thing about the A7R’s EVF, its wonderful in low-light (read: barely able to see) you can still MF focus the camera, I cannot do that with the 5D3 and my aging eyes. As for lag I haven’t noticed any, but my subjects rarely move that fast.
I don’t believe for one minute Sony are waiting to see what Canon does lol, No Sony should bring out the new sensor technology as soon as possible, ideally this year I would like to see a high MP Foveon stacked sensor whether it be 48MP, 54MP or even 72MP. Put it in a body which has 5 axis IBIS and the ability to take A & E mount lenses or any make of lens with an adaptor and they will have a winning combination as long as they do not overprice it,
and please sony, make some wireless trigger with Pocket Wizzard and Profoto so we can use TTL and hyper sync speed on they product like canon and nikon did
5 axis In body stabilization on A7s.
– any IBIS
– internal 4k video
– more FE lenses
Put an IBIS system into the A7 and I’ll buy it. Simple as that!
A7S + any IBIS + fully articulated display
A7 mkII
– uncompressed RAW
– shutter delay (=mirror lock up)
– TTL radio trigger
– same 24 megapixel, better noise up to iso3200 ( I don’t care iso6400 or above)
A7 body with Portrait orientable screen , PLEASE !!!
Obviously this is just a rumor as opposed to a fact so my conclusions are based on that but here’s two possible conclusions I’ve come up with…
1) Sony has realized that their market research is crap and thus, must wait for Canon to pull the trigger so they can know where to go next and…
2) Sony has no interest in being the best they can be, they simply want to beat their competition.
I’m sure I could come up with more so don’t accuse me of a false dichotomy.
IMO, neither is good.
If their market research is no good, that’s a BIG problem. This could be the case. Their idea of market research could simply be what some are interpreting as them “throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing if it sticks” with regards to numerous product and line releases. R&D is expensive. Bringing products that the market doesn’t want is even more expensive.
If Sony doesn’t want to simply put the best product they can make out on the market at certain price points, they’re selling themselves and their customers short. One-upsmanship is a recipe for mediocrity. An example of this is – I’m a big MMA fan. When fighters know they won the first 2 rounds out of 3 or 3 out of 5 and then they coast to a decision – NO ONE likes that. It’s safe. It’s boring. It also doesn’t win fans. This past weekend there was a GREAT performance put on by TJ Dillashaw in the UFC. He beat a guy many considered to be the best in the world at any weight class. He won all of the first four rounds and could have EASILY coasted to a victory. But instead, he pushed and pushed and ended up finishing the fight by TKO midway through the 5th and final round. Because he never let off the gas, the MMA world can NOT stop talking about how incredible his performance was. Some are saying it’s the best performance by any fighter, ever. Regardless of whether it’s true or not (it’s subjective anyway), the fact that people are saying it is a testament to his will to be the very best he can be, not to simply beat his opponent. The counter example is Benson Henderson. He basically fights to just barely win. He’s had more controversial decisions than anyone I can think of because he JUST BARELY eeks out enough rounds to win fights. This has made him not very popular with casual fans. It also doesn’t push him to be better which, IMO, made him lose his championship belt to someone who wanted it more and was willing to go in and perform his best and finish fights.
Do you want Sony to do just enough to win? Or do you want Sony to come out and give us the very best they’ve got, regardless of what Canon or Nikon do?
I agree with the list of improvements noted by admin. I would add one thing- size. It needs to be bigger. It’s just a tad to small. I’m all for small but it needs some more real estate up top and better grip. It doesn’t have to be the worlds smallest next time around- focus on better ergonomics.
“If Canon is going to launch a 3-layer (Foveon alike) sensor than Sony will be ready to outperform them”.
Andrea, did one or more sources specifically give this as an example?
Some people here have been terrorized that if they speak about wanting stacked sensors they will be attacked by trolls like me and several others that share some of my views.
I am hoping that some of these trolls have changed thier ways and sar will again be a safe place yo give honest opinions…even for those that share some of my views.
I would of course very much like to know everything possible about my favorite suject.
“by trolls like me”
Nice Freudian slip.
I’m sorry, Barry, but your recent behaviour has been shockingly appalling. You have absolutely no right to call anybody else a troll. You complain about bullying and trolling, but you too are doing exactly that yourself – not just to individuals, but the forum as a whole.
I appologice.
It was not my intention to vall you a troll and the subject should not have been posted on a response to you.
I have deleted the portion of my comment that was offensive.
My wish list, according to priorities.
1. Fix the gotchas on current A7/A7r cameras: loud shutter and vibration, light leak, enforce the mount and redesign the impossible-to-reach “Menu” and “C2” buttons please. Most of the above have already been addressed in the A7s, so it shouldn’t be hard and it’s good to know that Sony actually listens. I’d hope Sony called the A7/A7r in to fix some of these problems, but I understand we don’t live in a perfect world.
2. Lenses! And keep them small pls! The 24-70 and 70-200 are challenging the very reason for going mirrorless. Especially the latter, which is bigger and heavier than Canon DSLR counterpart.
3. Better write speed. The A7r is a pain in the *** when writing RAW+JPG.
4. Better AF, though I’d hope for better, but A6000 level should be fine for now.
5. Better customer service: more frequent and substantial firmware updates. more and better apps.
6. Better codec for video.
7. Better image quality. Current A7/A7r are just fine, but improvements are always welcome.
8. Forget Canon for now. The number one shouldn’t be looking at number 4 or 5 for inspirations.
– processing capability similar to the panasonic gh4.
– three versions again, one 4K video, 16MP and ultra low light capable, one faster AF 16MP 4K video, other ultra high res 30MP+ and less fast AF.
– 5 axis stabilisation is a must.
– A6000 like tech for the AF. make the AF speed tunable so it is more usable for video.
– For viewfinder and styling they should look to Fuji. Retro and not sony modern with a retro touch.
– tiltable screen like the pana GH4. Good for the selfies 🙂
– maybe the viewfinder should be an external option like so many mirrorless. just one on the hotshoe kinda thing, and tiltable.
– I miss a bigger dial wheel on the back like on canon dslr’s. At least the option of having no functions behind would be a plus too.
– a mode dial without panorama or video mode and at least 3 custom functions. video mode should be accessible from any other mode. and panorama,
– advanced WIFI control, and not from a freaking app. This should be able to be put on/off via a custom function button.
– in this wifi control app it would be great to have some advanced follow focus options. (setting point in memory and deciding how fast pull goes)
– I like the app integration option but make them feel more integrated in the camera…
– maybe some extra other wireless tech to get seamless wireless video out of it.
– Nikon 1 AW1 like waterproofing would indeed be a dream.
– nikon d4/ canon 1D like robustness.
– at least double the battery size, keep the option of a battery grip, but a grip should add 2 batteries, and keep the original inside nikon D800 style.
– keep it rechargable over micro usb, but let it recharge over at least 2 A like modern smartphones and not 500 mA
– I wouldn’t mind at all if it were a little bit bigger to add all the features above, just keep it smaller than a 5D mIII I’d say.
– better peaking, without the disadvantage of lag.
– body design with some options of some small footprint hdmi/microUSB cable lock in mind. make it possible to make the door seals usable so that this optional cable lock could also weatherseal the thing. (interesting for long long timelapses with external battery pack)
– canon/dslrremote like option of controlling it over USB from an android/ios/windows/mac/linux device.
– lens line-up that is concentrated on smooth AF action for video. no freaking zoom or focus by wire stuff though.
– build-in ND at least for the non high res ones.
– option of electronic shutter noiseless shutter on all. Maybe even ditch the shutter in all in turn for a good ND. (the latter I would not do for the 30MP+ high res version)
– or why not sony A to e-mount adaptors with full electronics and ND’s inside?
There’s nothing wrong with A7 style.
Removable EVFs are a liability in the field; less durable.
AW1 waterproofing would require an entirely new model, just as it did in the Nikon lineup.
I’m a little leery of paying too much attention to video features. Sure, have a video oriented model and put those features in it, but be careful not to burden the menu structures and controls with lots of video stuff that the still shooter won’t use, especially on the high pixel count model. The emphasis HAS to be on getting better image quality and with less menu-diving and more direct control. Customization is more important to the still shooter than more video stuff.
would indeed be a good feature to have a “hide advanced video features” in the menu, for folks like you 🙂
AW1 waterproofing was added to nikons J-series. lens mount etc are still the same. jsut an extra seal around the mount should be efficient. This extra seal would also be a good anti light leaking solution by the way.
I also do disagree with the removable EVF remark. I indeed also fear a less durable camera, but this doesn’t mean they couldn’t make it more durable than what we have seen before…
When you ditch the EVF you could have a tiltable screen with the tilting on top of the camera. Than you can tilt the lcd to right on top of the camera to get a good position supporting the camera on the belly and shoot hasselblad-style.
The AW1 is considerably larger due to the way Nikon sealed the camera. The mount is considerably different and requires sealed lenses, as well, which are also considerably bigger than the regular lenses. If ANY of the three O-rings have any grit or grime on them, the camera is prone to leakage when used in the water, even with all that extra sealing.
It’s one thing to say you’d like more weatherproofing on a camera, it’s another to seal it against water ingress when used IN the water.
Nikon tried to make the removable EVF on the V3 more “durable.” The net result is this: yes, it is to light bumps and taps, but with strong jolts on it you’ll end up messing up the mount and no longer have an EVF or a removable EVF, depending upon whether the EVF came out during the jolt. Nikon has already had to recall the EVF because it is prone to side-to-side issues with the heftier interlocks. For the number of times I’d want to remove the EVF, it just isn’t worth the potential downside, IMHO.
I didn’t say video users don’t need customization. I wrote that still shooters would rather have more customization than more video features.
The whole “hide features” thing is a double-edge sword. Nikon tried this on their DSLRs once. The number one support question I got on my Web site and in the field with students then tended towards “I can’t find X…” Well, that’s because it’s hidden ;~). A lot of that had to do with the way Nikon named the function, and in some language localizations it didn’t make any sense to most people, so they couldn’t actually find the thing to turn the other menu items back on. That’s not to say I don’t think it could be done right. But it’s not as simple as just having a Hide/Reveal menu item.
> This extra seal would also be a good anti light leaking solution by the way.
Nope. Things which are used to hold water are not necessarily opaque. Examine e.g. any ceramics cup.
There is a wrong with A7: the hump. It compromises the size advantage A7 has over DSLRs, and it has potential to hit something, flat top is more durable and fragile-things friendly than the hump. And you don’t need to have hump for viewfinder
>but be careful not to burden the menu structures and controls with lots of video stuff that the still shooter won’t use
EASY! they have video mode on the dial. Just make those video options visible only when video mode is selected.
Not sure I’d agree about the hump. Thing is, when you’re constantly moving cameras in and out of bags, the real issue is whether something gets hung up. Sony’s design has good angles on it, and I don’t find it to be a real problem. EVERY camera with an optional EVF mounted has been just the opposite, in my experience. Beyond that, are you really going to use a 36mp camera with a slappy shutter held in front of you with two arms? ;~)
Thing is, you have to prioritize possible additions/deletions/changes to product designs. I’d put “removable EVF” fairly low on the list of things Sony needs to consider. If they were to consider it, they’d have to do a far better job than anyone else has done so far.
Note how fast all the serious NEX customers tended to move to the fixed EVF cameras over the optional EVF cameras.
Ah, optional EVF looks somewhat like hump. The GX7 shape is way to go.
>Note how fast all the serious NEX customers tended to move to the fixed EVF
This has nothing to do with convenience. Sony’s optional EVF is about $350 (you can buy A3000 or A58, *a whole camera, with lens* for that money), even 3 years after it was released. A6000 costs $650 only. No wonder few ppl buy optional EVF. If Sony had offered cheaper model of EVF for $50, that would have been another story. On the opposite, Sony removed support for optional EVF in later E-mount cameras.
It’s a subtle thing that gets argued about in inner circles, but putting the EVF at the top left edge instead of centered on the lens makes for subtle handling difference that some people don’t like, some people do like. It’s not a win-win situation.
if you prefer hump, why not go for a real DSLR with its advantages and rich set of lenses? (unlike Sony PlayStation has no games^W^W^W^W NEX has no lenses)
mirrorless with hump = lose advantages of EVF and no gain of mirrorless advantages
For the most part I do. However given my age how mobile I need to be, I appreciate smaller, even with a hump ;~). So maybe it’s like downsizing from a horse-sized camel to a pony-sized one ;~).
Technically, we had sidefinders in the OVF days, too, though not a lot of them (Olympus comes to mind, and of course Leica’s rangefinder is an example). The hump won out for a number of reasons, one of which is that it simplifies things. I suspect the same will be true for mirrorless, too. You can’t really stick anything into the throat of a camera, which means that the real estate to the sides is precious. What I’ve noticed happening is that the side-EVFs are using slightly smaller LCDs in some designs now, .4″ instead of .5″. We really want to go the other way if we can.
then smaller DSLR would have made more sense for you. Canon already did good job shrinking 100D, probably they will shrink FF camera to such size too.
the hump, guess what, was the place for pentaprism. it was placed such so the mirror could swing the shortest way. What would be reasons for such placement in a camera which has nor pentaprism nor mirror?
The thinness of most mirrorless cameras coupled with all the things that users want in them doesn’t give you a lot of room for other things. What happens is we see makers use smaller batteries, add fewer external controls, drop the built-in flash, and other things when the real estate gets limited.
As I noted, the throat of the mirrorless camera (lens mount defined area), is completely taken up: lens mount, shutter, sensor, digital board behind, LCD behind that. There is no room for anything in the throat, so all the other things have to go into the wings. When they do, they get downsized (smaller EVFs, smaller, less powerful flash (with smaller capacitor), smaller batteries, you name it. Plus you start to have heat issues. If you want a no-compromise mirrorless camera–and I believe the A7 models should be that–then something has to give.
Sony should improve their our designs before watching Canikon. Actually the watch should go the opposite direction. As long as Sony will be able to launch camera bodies with flawless design and operation with great UX (improving that of Canikon) and low noise shutter, well then they wll not need to watch nobody. In the meantime they can learn some tricks from canikon for sure.
Agreed. The A7 models are unique, but still have some things that need to be addressed. The appeal is “smaller, lighter, best sensor, and less expensive” compared to full frame DSLRs. All good things competitively. But the downsides are focus performance, raw format, and shutter shock on the A7r, all of which take away from the competitiveness in the high end market that these cameras compete in. That plus the need for a full lens lineup ASAP.
If Sony were to address the shortcomings quickly, they’d have a very competitive camera no matter what Canon or Nikon do. Moreover, this whole thing about waiting to see what Canon does about sensor is a non-starter as far as I’m concerned. If Canon comes out with a three-layer sensor, then Sony just pops another A7 model, call it the A7t (t for three).
The RX’s and A7’s are Sony’s best efforts to date, with the Alpha-previously-NEX models not far behind. You don’t wait for an oligopoly competitor to make a move when you have something unique that could get some of their customers; instead, you iterate fast to improve that.
Sony should implement a leaf shutter or an electronic shutter that can eliminate the flash sync speed issue since there is NO wireless TTL triggers available for Sony in the market. Canon and Nikon and other brands have good wireless ttl options..Sony on the other hand..have nothing.
Oh dear it’s good that sony is looking to consumers for answers … means sony might lead
but if it’s waiting for canon and nikon to react… means sony will certainly not lead.
I’m a full time professional Canon shooter that has turned to the A7r as Canon has clearly dropped the ball for photographers like myself. I shoot industrial, corporate and architectural photography as well as studio portraits and as a hobby do some fine art B&W work and have regular exhibitions with large prints for sale. Quality and megapixels are important to me not speed. I have 9 Canon mount L lenses. But I’m totally sold on the A7r even though it has many shortcomings for a pro like me. I still use my 5DIII for some shoots as it is still a superior body that just happens to have an inferior sensor in it. Not terrible but not great by today’s standards and I am in competition with Nikon and Sony shooters whether I like it or not. I have since bought both the 35mm and 55mm native FE mount primes and would buy more native prime lenses if they became available. But as for the camera itself I would like more too: 1. There is no such thing as too many megapixels, don’t rest on your laurels like Canon. 2. Better and faster autofocus like the A6000. 3. Better control of the menu like Canon’s My Menu and it’s ability to remember different setting for different modes, very important when you’re under pressure and can change all setting immediately with one twist of a dial. 4. And more native lenses (I know this is not the camera but it’s key for pros. We buy into a system not a camera.) I really think there are enough 24-70ish f/4.0 zoom lenses now!
“There is no such thing as too many megapixels”
Words of wisdom..I totally agree.
“There is no such thing as too many megapixels”
Ha! When I read that line in Ryan’s post, I knew you would be lurking around here somewhere. Just saying… no hard feelings…
How about A8k with new 36 Mpix sensor
Just skip this 4k generation and go straight to 8k with full pixel readout. For 8k one would need 32-33 Mpix sensor, so current 36 Mpix have enough pixels. Guess how m4/3 camp would respond? Well they really couldn’t as they dont have really high Mpix-sensors.
I don’t think the M43 camp really cares either way. Most seem happy stuck at 16MP. If not, they probably own an A7 as well.
I think it’s safe to say IBIS is a no go. However, if Sony really wanted to throw a curve ball and step its game up it would add in 5 axis. I don’t even care as a SLT owner if they did this. It makes sense from a competitive position. It’s not necessary to be the smallest mirror less full frame camera next time around. What’s most important now is being the absolute best full frame- period. As much as I love my full frame alpha mount cameras I’ll probably move over to mirror less. They just need to offer a better feature set and ergonomics.
Get rid of the shutter vibration !!!
The difficulty is that each user has different needs, preferences and niggles with issues. These are often diametrically opposed to the forces behind maximising profits i.e. not including every bell and whistle in each camera, a lot of work for a return only a few will appreciate, etc.
However, Sony’s biggest issues in terms of gaining market share are simply availability and support.
The smaller range of lenses is not so great a problem but is perceived as one. Where the trouble comes is finding the lenses that are available! This is exacerbated by Sony not working with suppliers in terms of compatibility: only Sony lenses will support Depth map focus and there are no third party flashes!!
Then we come to support…
Here in the UK there is only two repair centres and turnaround is far too long. A loaner during that repair time is out of the question!
If Sony ‘REALLY’ want to succeed they need to keep doing what they are doing in terms of new cameras, but invest in the support network.
Force magnified playback to display the area chosen for AF or Magnified MF. This is how a900/700/200 work, and makes pleasurable to edit missfocus and shutter blur in the field. a7R and a77 always magnify playback in center. Hard to scroll for every edit. Probably all new Sony’s lost that feature from original A lineup.
Please add diagonal control wheel movements like real Alpha’s have.
Change battery system to prevent batteries going in both ways. So idiotic. Real Alpha’s can change battery by feel without looking because of the shape of the battery.
Vertical grip is useless without main control wheel access. Button placement is ergonomic train wreck lifting hand high so elbow cannot rest on chest. Can’t adjust any control wheel without lifting finger from shutter. Can’t attach tripod to LAEA-4 when vertical grip is on. Cannot charge battery in grip from grip, like camera can. Tethering does not recognize second battery for auto switch. Locks computer. Must use one battery in tethering mode.
Just an awful excuse for a vertical grip.
Please add LAEA-5 for full frame. Same as LAEA-1 with removable tripod adapter, small and slim without screw drive motor.
Provide group AF points like a77.
Allow one touch access for AF selection. Can’t believe I need to press so many damned buttons just to change the AF point. Not a real Alpha.
Wait, isn’t LAEA-3 exactly what you’re asking for? It’s basically the LAEA-1 but for full frame. Unless I missed something?
Whoops, sorry, didn’t realize the tripod mount was integrated on that model. Yeah, that’s dumb. Disregard my previous comment.
I want two memory card slot for backup.
My list for the next A7R
1-get rid of the mechanical shutter–really needs EFC shutter like the A7 to eliminate shutter vibration issue
2- Back focus button like the Canons–really need this to have easy focus lock option
3- More exposure range and number of frame options increased to 5 or 7
4- Add option for multiple exposures on one frame
>Sony is evaluating the A7 cameras by contacting some of the camera owners
Already been invited to share my experiences with Sony, hopefully they were listening!
Full Frame body can be refined down a bit fixing the slightly awkward front dial. It’s a modified RX1 chassis with a grip and viewfinder added. I would like to see a more completely refined design personally. Certianly room for ergonomic improvements and better button placement for the Menu and C2. Perhaps extend the entire top outward to meet the screen evenly and this would help clean it all up. Same on the front grip side. Move the viewfinder over to the left side, so the right side can have a LCD screen on top and better manual control dials like Fuji. The EVF does not have to be in the middle like an optical, why force the issue and our nose into the screen. Allow the lcd screen to fully articulate 180 upward also. Favortites area in the menu please! Self timer and HDR bracketing is a must! Requiring Apps is not a good solution for this task.
The A7 series cameras also need to be faster. Perhaps two processors is required or, a better firmware? The newer A6000 is lighting fast and responsive compared to the alpha A7r for example.
Sensor wise, we have hit a point where they are all freaking awesome in the real world! What more do me need? I say dynamic range is what most of us want and need. Not more resolution although great for the IQ and affordable prices. I’m talking average user.
Curved sensor seams like the next logic step to correct for the weak corner resolutions with native E-Mount lenses. The on sensor micro lenses helped, but extreme wide angle is still and issue.
Sony will come out with an organic sensor or a 5 color sensor before they copy Sigma I think. We shall see though 😉
E-Mount APS-C Cameras:
Sony should focus on creating a next generation APS-C Nex-7 (A7000) with all the best ingredients of the A6000 plus a fully articulating touch screen, another manual dial, Latest A6000 Hybrid AF 24mp sensor is pretty awesome, a favorites area in the menu system would also be nice. Mic in and out, plus proper HDR bracketing with the self timer, would be greatly appreciated by everybody!
This camera if for the Nex-7 owners looking for better than the A6000 as good as it is.
For the RX series I would like to see another RX10 like camera, but what can Sony really do next to improve that besides basic aesthetics?
The Fast full frame curved sensor RX sounds interesting, but in the real world is a bit limiting I find. Killer IQ for those that shoot 35mm primes and just want an all-in-one solution though.
E-Mount lenses:
We need quality macro lenses for both formats. The Touit 50mm is out of many peoples price ranges. G-series is fine!
Jay
Just one very important point for me:
In A-mode, let it choose a faster shuttertime than the 1/60 sec. I used to shoot in A-mode, but I’m forced to shoot in M-mode, because this shuttertime is to ‘slow’ without IS. I hate that.
You should be happy about it.. shooting in m is the best thing that could have happened to you 🙂
Please add cabled tethering with live view!
having a 36+ sensor camera without being able to control it on a big screen is a bit pointless
i wont a Nikon D600 (features function) in the size of a slightly larger a6000
The design is almost perfect, what I need is lens choices. The ideal lens would be a pro quality 24-135 f4. One of my workhorse lenses is a 24-105, and find a need for just a little more reach often. Changing lenses is just not an option, when 30 seconds is too much time waisted on a job, for the customer to deal with.
I am considering the a7s, if the low light focus issues have been solved, that i experienced when I tried the a7r.
– Improved autofocusing system and fps (A6000)
– 5 axis in body stabilization
– Faster/bigger buffer (hate to wait for buffer to clear into SD card)
– Better way to select focus point (AKA as Canon-style joystick)
– Improve quality of back wheel
– Reinforce body (in particular, tripod mount point)
Since I first read about the new FE fullframe cameras i have always wanted one. And when they revealed the pricing of the new bodys, I knew i was going to buy myself a a7. But when I first handled the a7 in local camera store, i was very dissapointed. The camera was very slow in operation, my A450 even handles faster. The only big plus for me after trying the a7 was the IQ and the Full-frame sensor. I wanted to shoot my Leica M Lenses on the A7. After reading endless threads of image comparison, I found out that my beloved 35 Summicron wouldn´t work as good as I wos used to on film. Then I tried out the Fuji x100s. The experience when holding it in my hands for the first time was exactly how I imagined it with the new Sony in my dreams.. Everything was at the right spot. Now need for menus, the camera switched on nearly instantly.
That beeing sad, I then finally bought a X-pro1 with 35/1.4 for 1200€. It suits my style of shooting just perfectly. Somehow I feel sorry for not beeing loyal to sony, but they just didnt got it right for my needs.
What would me bring back to sony? (if money wouldnt be a concern)
1. a small Medium format rangefinder-style camera
2. an improved a7 with fuji-alike hybrid ovf/evf
3. a digital full frame designed to work very well with M lenses, or even better, with M-Mount
You won’t be coming back to Sony then. 😉
>with M-Munt.
buy M-E adaptor, glue it to A7 permanently. Problem solved.
Funny you should say that. The first time I got the A7 into my hands, and the autofocus dance turned me off
The features mentioned plus GPS. The A7s with super fast focus and pro construction would do it for me.
1. AEB with a frickin’ timer please 😉
Bracketing on Sony cameras is no real fun. You seriously have to hold down the shutter. Wow, 2014^^
They could just do it like on the D800. A timer before the bracketing starts, and a timer in-between shots. Except there’s some kinda patent on that.
2. Improve zoom in “Play” mode, to watch your pics. Please do it just like on the A6000! Invert the rotational button with the circular wheel that is around the center button.
3. Less shutter vibration
4. A body that actually looks and feels good. I prefer the A6000 in terms of looks and handeling.
5. This time, make it really weather resistant. (I had to send mine in for repair because of such a little minor rain that fell for like 5 min…)
6. Obviously AF performance (like the A77 II, not the A6000)
7. Bring out a wildlife lens (not just 200mm…)
– quieter shutter on the a7r.. good lord its loud..
– bigger buffer so more shots can be taken before you have to wait..
– faster transfer from camera to card of shots
– weather proofing
– better HDR options 5 bracket? 7 bracket?
– button and interface tweaks.. way too easy to bump the wheel on the back of the camera.. next thing you know you’re shooting at 5000 ISO same thing with the wheel on the top
– bigger battery! canon batteries really arent that much bigger but seem to hold much more power.
This rumor is quite denigrating for Sony. A decent technological company has a technology and model roadmap that spans 5 to 7 years, a model version roadmap for 3 years. So no, they will not wait for Nikon, Canon or user feedback. Some user feedback (mostly on models that are 3 to 5 years old in the pipeline) might be used for model fine-tuning, but most user feedback is redundant with internal trade-off’s they made already. Perhaps an occasional bright idea that adds a competitive advantage, and that could be integrated 3 years later.
On the other hand, software can be changed at any time
For software production of complex real-time systems, 18 months is a minimum, 6 months for minor changes.
And still Apple is able to upgrade iOS and OS X every year…
do you really think, e.g. adding option to remove that silly fake shutter sound from NEX-3N takes 6 months?
ibis, definitely
A touch screen, that would simplify selecting different focus points. A single button push setting for focus magnification.
Better ability to take time laps:
-full electronic shutter
-professional adjustments / better app
-possibility to SWITCH OFF the ENERGY SUCKING MONITORS (NOT TO TURN THE LCD BLACK)
I second that!
-possibility to SWITCH OFF the ENERGY SUCKING MONITORS (NOT TO TURN THE LCD BLACK)
There’s one thing that drives me crazy. Every time I wish to review a photo that I’ve taken, I wish that after pressing the magnification button, it would display the area which I’ve chosen to focus rather than having to move from the default centre area to the focused area to check if I nailed the shot.
Sony in a nutshell…
And again, it would be so easy, even due to a firmwareupdate to add the possibility to switch of the LCD, either for timelaps or just for long time exposures.
The position of the shutter button just doesn’t feel natural. I feel that I’ve got to strain my index finger every time I press it.
And lots of people agree. Makes me wonder how Sony designs and tests these cameras.
They are going for the retro look. It’s in the same place as my Canon A-1. If you want a DSLR styled camera, buy the a99.
I have the similarly sized OMD-EM1 and the position of the shutter button is perfect. I do have a pair of 5D3s to fall back on actually.
For the next S’ serie (A7s, Alpha99 & Nex VG successor)
1. 5 axis In body stabilization
2. Internal 1080P 10bits – 4:2:2 vidéo
3. Fully articulated display (3 way Articulated screen ?)
4. Internal ND Filters
5. internal 4k video 4:2:0 – 8bits (Like GH4)
6. Full weather sealed body and lens
7. A6000 alike autofocusing system
8. More « Cinema » Lens
Please Mrs & Mr. Sony !
Release macro ring flash already!
Isn’t there one that no one buys?
it’s LIGHT not flash (through it’d be useful to have them combined)
Sony should put more efforts in introducing more lenses (and less expensive ones), otherwise she will never get close to C & N
so true but nowadays they have to work on many lens fronts:
A Mount DT
A Mount FF
E Mount
E Mount FF
A mount has lots of glass, even AF catadioptic and variable field curvature one. Is it anywhere near c&n?
they have a lot of glass? don’t think so. there are still some very old minolta designs that they are using with slow af and resolution optimazation for analogue photography. i think they have to make some serious developments to compeate w/ canika.
They have all the main lenses…Who cares how old design is if it works well?
First canon’s 5D was 12 mpix which is below film resolution so it did not matter that lenses were “analogue”. If Minolta released working digital FF before Canon did, the marketshares were different now…
AF is function of both lens and camera. You may cry like crazy ‘more lenses’, but what’s the reason of having e.g. 300/2 which A7R will fail to focus? And their ability to design good lenses for FE is compromised until they have sensor which works well with symmetrical wideangles.
Still Sony sucks in general. Bad or no lenses. And also after selling me shittiest thing on Earth aka Nex 3 with 16 mm lens, I doubt I will ever trust Sony ever.Firstly, the lense was fcking terrible, secondly, Nex 3 died into pieces after falling on the sand from 30 centimeters…
Wtf, Sony?
Canon should not worry. Those who prefer quality gear never will choose Sony. I wish I didn’t spend my few hundred bucks on this piece of cr.
Sand is a cameras enemy.
On sand, from 30 cm? Hard to believe. My NEX-5N fell from meter to concrete multiple times and has only small crack in plastic grip.
Basically you are right. I made some harsh posts about my first impressions of the A7′, since I found these cameras to be more a tech gimmick loaded toy for the ones who want to dive into tech more than into photography. A bit an Asian-orientated marketing strategy. But I want to give this A7 concept a real chance and hope Sony will think a bit harder about usability since it is not far off and the IQ from their sensors is very very nice.
While waiting for their competitor’s next move, make sure to keep them on the ropes with a a set of jabs: release more lenses, release refreshed RX versions (like an RX1 MKII), improve customer support.
Some stupidly silly ones that should be possible today:
-Ability to use the viewfinder as a viewfinder and the rear screen as playback rather than it being one or other
-Ability to assign EVF/Viewfinder settings to a custom button
-More usable image review and playback (coming from a Nikon its so difficult to review images)
Some other ones
-LCD display on optional grip for basic settings (ISO, Shutter speed, aperture)
-Better flash, RF trigger built in, small LED based RF flash options as well as usual options
-Better weather sealing as noted
-Would be nice to see some other manual focus aid options like the fuji split image.
Elegant adepter for legacy A-mount lenses. Adapter should be – mirrorless, with good AF performance, small, good looking and cheap. LA-AE4 is ugly.
Because LA-AE4 has screwdriver.
If it’s all about sensors, then there isn’t much to do but to wait and see what the other players do if that’s Sony wants to do; i.e. wait for a trend, respond by outshining.
I think the two most important things for Sony to do NOW is to maximize exposure by:
1) Producing great bodies of work by acclaimed creators. Don’t give an A7s to Mr Blogger or Mr Bigmouth because they have “a following” online. If you want the A7s to appear professional, give it to Lauren Greenfield, Joshua Oppenheimer or Werner Herzog’s DP. Get them to shoot something worthwhile that goes out to other mainstream outlets like film festivals as well as online. Get a body of work that says: “Well, you could do it with an Arri, but you can also do it with an A7s…just look at these guys.”
You want A7r exposure? same thing but for the intended market. It was cool that you got one of Nat-Geo’s photographers for the A99…maybe get someone from Reportage by Getty, Magnum or VII to shoot something great for the A7r and seek distribution of that work beyond Sony’s own sites?
Ditto for the A7.
2) They could, really, just get it over with and launch the best they can launch. Instead of following a trend started by someone else…start your own.
All of the above relates to what appears to be the result of this main post: “sensor technology”.
If we are not talking about sensors alone, of which we already know that Sony is great at, then we should think of the next obvious road of improvement: User Interface. Hunt the Contax designers… they’ll have all the answers you need.
SAR could link some better work:
See: http://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2014/may/12/nightscapes-gavin-evans-indian-cities-dark-pictures-sony-alpha-a7
Yes! Stuff like that deserves merit.
A GPS solution. For a camera line SO portable, you’d think that there would be a GPS solution. Nikon has a GPS port on every model. Every single model.
Oh yes, while I’m at it A7 model line in A mount. You need lenses too!
Love my A7 but here are a few things that would be much appreciated:
Silent mode capable shooting…if not that then please quiet down the shutter
Change the shutter button..thread it to accept a shutter release button like the RX1
Focus like the A6000
Please don’t bury the format memory function in the suitcase section.
Here’s one nobody does that would be totally awesome. Let the photog set any aspect ratio in camera to shoot for a clients layout. Yes I realize I can crop in post but it would make things soooo much easier in camera.
Move the shutter release button forward like the rest of the NEX cameras. That, combined with the weird spot for the strap hook, makes for awkward hand positioning, especially if you use a hand strap, like me on the A7.
agree on the wrist strap
Add 720p video option, Canon has it
Remove that PRIVATEAVHDSTREAM oh I get lost,… directory structure.
Remove that ‘cannot record DVD’ warnings.
Make video option that will use all sensor area for recording. I don’t care that it’s 3:2 not 16:9
Getting rid of the folder structure involves changing codecs, unfortunately. That’s a part of the AVCHD standard.
That said, a change in codec should be on the blocks here. AVCHD is just not a professional container format. I don’t expect XAVC-S on every camera (although the A7S has it), but even H.264 in a Quicktime wrapper would be nice!
– DOF scale of the using aperture showing on live view and EVF when turning the focusing ring.
– Lens options of the same focal range especially zoom lenses, such as best IQ version and compactness version of the same focal range.
– Build it a bit larger and put the stabilization system on the sensor. This will benefit on lens size reduction or the same size with improve IQ.
– FOVEON-like sensor.
– Curved sensor.
– No need to wait for Canon or Nikon move….If you have the tech in your hand, make it real quickly. You will be the true leader.
Ergonomics:
* a better grip – camera may be a little bit taller – theres not enough space for my pinky finger on the grip (battery grip is too big for me)
* Move shutter button to front (angled)
Technical:
* faster AF, PDAF should cover rule of 3rds cross points, not just center area (portraits; eyes)
* better EVF (still some distracting aliasing going on, even on high quality, though not bad)
* longer battery life (bigger grip may accommodate a bigger battery)
* real LCD shutoff
* quieter mechanical shutter & silent shutter option
Software:
* decrease startup time – plus wakeup time
* better panorama function – no sweeping, different approach (single shots)
Ecosystem:
* more lenses
* even more lenses
* faster lenses (like the rumored Zeiss MF primes)
* more options like macro and teleconverters
Mat, what you have described is basically the a-mount system. Just curious – why don’t you use an a-mount camera? I am not trying to argue or anything, just think that your needs are perfectly met by the a-mount system.
I’d definitely go for a ff a-mount in an a55 sized body (or smaller). Failing that, what Mat said with ibis…
teleconverters are silly thing for EVF camera, the best teleconverter for A7 is A6000 😉 (which also has better focus and fps)
I shoot A7R with Canon tele lenses, Leica R and M, Zeiss M and Voigtlanger M:
– improve shutter mechanism shake for sharpness beyond 100mm (full electronic shutter)
– improve use of buttons when in zoom focus mode (all currently default to moving focus point instead of keeping original f stop, Iso or speed exposure adjustment).
– faster start-up times
– panorama mode extremely useful but performance is frustrating (tend to use it for panorama composition as opposed to keeper shots)
– Color cast on compact (M mount) wide angle lenses
– better software raw profiling for Adobe Camera Raw (I have been unable to reproduce original camera tones and contrast accurately)
– better low ISO performance
– cleaner EVF quality in low light conditions and more accurate exposure simulation
– for some reason, long exposures (ex. using 10x ND filters) are poorly rendered in exposure simulation AND in actual photograph). First issue seems software related but second may also be due to light leakage.
– fewer white balance presets, too hard to get to the really useful ones (by the way, the menu flow for setting Kelvin and tone is one of the best features of this camera in practical use!!)
– more options for RAW image size files
Electronic first curtain shutter on the A7r to eliminate some of the vibration.
TOUCHSCREEN
This post will reveal what we want today, but what is more important is what will people want when the future cameras are released.
Todsy many people believe stacked sensors will be here reasonably soon. Some believe bayer will become obsolete,and a few will wait because they believe bayer is already obsolete.
By the time the next round of cameras come out more people are likely to feel that way.
Bayer sensor cameras are likely to become harder and harder to sell and require lower and lower prices in order to sell.
If Sony wants to struggle with declining sales and lower profits…I mean bigger losses…then they should continue to produce new cameras with bayer sensors.
If Sony wants to revitalize camera sales and increase market share they should release the stacked sensors now.
If everyone relases then together there is little reason to switch brands.
If Sony is first they can gain market share.
“Bayer is already obsolete”- I’m in that camp. I don’t want more of the same with minor improvement upgrades- so I wait for the real deal. You know Sony has the tech but they won’t utilize it till market forces warrant it. Until then, it’s same old same old.
That is true
Sony will continue to withold Stacked as long as we keep buying thier obsolete bayer sensors.
They could have released them a long time ago if they wanted..they were first released in 2002. They have had plenty of time to get the kinks out.
While part of me wants Sony to succeed so they will survive and keep making cameras, another part of me wants no one to buy amther bayer sensor camera so Sony will be forced to release the new ones.
Sony should be motivated by what is good for their customers..ie better cameras…but the are not, instead they strive to be just slightly better than the competition.
This whole “lets wait for Canon to go first” will drive Sony to bankrupt before they get to show their “at least better on the paper” version of the new sensor technology.
This is my frustration.
I have been desperately waiting for years for a real high resolution camera.
Meanwhile Somy os still playing market waiting games with the camera that I might never get to use.
A7 needs improvement on:
1- ISO performance
2- Number of lenses (and their prices)
3- Built in in body “Steady Shot”
Sony A7 is not a system, it must be a complet system with pancakes or small lenses to work … as is I shall never buy it, I keep my Leica
* rangefinder retro-style with integrated EVF like NEX 6 or the beautiful Fuji X-E1 instead of that stupid fake petaprism blain on top
* optimize sensor for less edge smearing with wide-angle rangefinder lenses -> would also allow for smaller native FE lenses in future
* better support for manual lenses:
** small magnified area in the center of life image for focusing
** split image as in Fuji X-E2 for focusing
** make focus peaking more accurate (e.g. process full resolution captures)
** allow to store current adapted Leica M lens in EXIF (unbelievable that this is still impossible?!)
* full electronic shutter
* more native lenses
Edge smearing with old wideangles is due to thick AA&IR filters, not the sensor. It does not affect native FE lenses because they already calculated to take cover glass in their optical formula. If they make cover glass in newer A7 very thin to make old wideangles work better, those FE lenses which have been calculated for thick cover glass will be compromised.
I don’t think it is as simple as that. And still the 7r has no AA filter, nevertheless it shows edge smearing.
it still has cover glass glued to sensor and separate IR filter (which is as thick as combined AA+IR filter in A7).
Uncompressed RAW would be my first improvement….
Andrea, are you sure you really read our replies here? lol….
Make it not ugly. Seriously… this isn’t 1990 age of the dinosaur’s with zero design know-how for electronics.
Although it’s a matter of taste, I have to agree. It’s to sterile for my liking- needs character.
Character? Like faux leather? It’s a tool, not a tie.
Hehe…I would usually agree. I mean, I own many of Sony’s other cameras that are frankly butt ugly and it doesn’t bother me. This one- I don’t know man- it leaves something to be desired in terms of style. Maybe it’s just me.
Love my A7R but I would like to see
– Improved A6000 alike autofocusing system
– Improved corner performance for wide angle lenses
– Make camera really fully weatherproof
– 5 axis In body stabilization
-Built in GPS
-Updated software for bracketing flexibility eg delay before shoot bracket, F stop bracket, more shots/stop options
-Built in intervelometer (as Nikon does)
-Change the shutter (fully electronic ideally) to avoid the shutter shock & noise inc a delay before shutter activates
-Let me move the focus point with the control pad (like a D800) without having to press C1 or other button first
-Improve screen/evf it gets noisy as light drops should be more like canon live view
-Improve the smartphone shooting app, let me control camera from app inc focus point location, activate focus etc
-Built in ND filters (as RX10 mk3 has)
-Faster start up
-Pano, handheld twilight etc modes to produce RAW file not JPG
-Real LCD off option & reduce sensitivity of evf activation sensor
-DOF scale on lenses not only the flyby wire. Did nobody at Sony try night shooting with the camera?
-No light leaks.
-Better testing during prototyping/before release come on Sony did you test the A7R for ultra long exposures or night shooting?
and I’m sure there are loads of other great ideas in the comments from other folks.
A7 series is to far removed from the functionality of modern DSLR’s. Sony needs to strike a middle ground- that’s how you get a-mount users. Improve the ergonomics, make it quite and for the love of God make it bigger!
Most of us look into these for the small bodies. Now if you’re shooting sports or wildlife, that’s another story, but one of the biggest draws has been the fact that the A7 and A7r are so small, yet offer so much in terms of image quality.
For Sony A9 flagship mirrorless camera.
*24MP full frame sensor with crazy DR
*10+ fps
*Dual Bionz X image processor
*dual SD bay
*Hybrid AF PD/CD
*90% PDAF coverage like a6000
*DSLR type body or a triple battery bay like A99
*XAVCS codec 24/60/120fps 50mbps
*full electronic shutter if possible with using dual processor
*hard button next to the EVF for switching from EVF to LCD
*an updated LAEA4 mark II adapter with atleast 75% AF coverage
*an updated Carl Zeiss 135mm f1.8 Mark II with SSM and tripod mount
*and the last yet very important, IMPROVED BATTERY LIFE PLEASE!
One of the next iterations of the A7 should have no EVF, or at least no hump. Pop up EVF a la RX100M3 is fine. Ideally it’d be an RX1 with interchangeable lenses.
“- Improved corner performance for wide angle lenses”
Could someone elaborate on this? If your corners look mushy, isn’t that a lens issue?
GPS build in !!!
Full tether (if its not already there)
Mic in, sound out
Adjustable mic gain (automatic and manual)
IBIS
GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, HSPA
Printer
Fax
and
Finger print scanner!
I just thought of a really far fetched idea…
Soppose Sony were to put the new stacked sensor exclusively on thier own cameras 6 months before anyone else?
That would be a good idea in so many ways…
But this is Sony.
If Sony brings such a sensor to market, it will be in a Nikon first.
More Dynamic Range and more Iso
Next Generation=ng
The A?ngs has a FullFrame Graphene Curved Sensor with 8-12 MP for max. Lowlight Performance ISO 1638400 and max Dynamic Range- ? Stops of Dynamic Range. All can use in photo and video mode
For Photographers they needs more MP gives the A?ngr with 36 MP
Graphene has great potential but is still very far away technologically from being used in sensors…I predict ten years away.
The patented curved ff sensor likely to be used in rx2 is exmor R, therefore it will most likely be of extrmely high resolution.
The advatages of the backlit sensor are very minimal for lower resolution sensors.
A6000 AF speed n size but full frame. That’s what mirrorless meant for!
To me A7s is almost perfect, but as a photographer, I really don’t need the 4k recording feature ( Full HD is more than enough). I do hope that the resolution could be a bit higher (16-18 MP), and yes, fully weatherproof + electronic shutter would be great.
No shutter shock
quieter shutter
IBIS
autofocus and overall speed. and better placement of the shutter release. Apart from that I am a happy camper!
First – DO NOT CALL THE A7 FOR BEGINNERS……. Faster auto focus and nothing else. I am so far very happy with my A7.
for beginners? why not. they just need to make lens a little smaller and add automatic lens caps (maybe a-la which Stylus 1 has)
in the mean time they can keep plugging away at lenses… I’d love to know when the 16-35/4 Zeiss will be available and I’d love to see a stabilized tele that is longer than the 70-200mm. The current 400mm lens looks great but it’s not stabilized at all on FE bodies 🙁 While they’re at it something that goes beyond 400mm without needing a mortgage (like the 500/4) and that is stabilized would be lovely. I think Sony has proven they have the sensor chops to woop everyone else, now they need to focus on the ergonomics and the lenses. A lot of potential but still quite a bit of work left to do… i’m rooting for them though 🙂 (…and loving my A7r + 50/1.8 FE)
Put the possibility of switching from the EVF to the screen through a button !!!!!!!!
in body image stabilizer
build it like the xt1. nice solid feel with texture. a7 is great but the build and feel is really lacking substance. it just feels like a toy where as the fuji xt1 feels like a mini pro camera. .
Faster and sharper zoom lenses. silent shutter. 5dmk3 focus system, with 12fps. a7s low light sensitivity
5dmk3 focus system? with flipping mirror?
Things I’d change in the A7/A7r:
1) Shutter – very quiet to silent and elimination of the shake in the A7r (although I have not experienced it)
2) MUCH better remote control. Unless you have an Android phone it’s just not good. I should be able to fully control the settings on my camera with the remote app on ANY phone.
3) WiFI connectivity that’s easy to use instead of the kludge Sony brought forward.
4) Video data rate – up to the current standard
5) Better battery life – perhaps a new battery form factor
6) An external charger included the with the camera. Is that too much to ask, Sony?
7) Better focusing with manual focus lenses. The current system takes too many button presses. I imagine lots of us will continue to use Zeiss, Leica lenses. Getting to the zoomed in view is slow.
8) I’d like a monochrome camera like the Leica monochrom
9) Steal the setup mode from the new Leica T so the user can configure a screen with the most-used features
10) instead of bracketing with 3 exposures an auto bracket with 5 exposures. Having a feature that would shoot the full bracket with a single button press with an adjustable pause between exposures to allow the camera to settle would be a nifty feature as well
1) Move the shutter button to a more comfortable location, where the front dial is, instead of bending my fore finger.
2) Better grip and ergonomics.
I quite like my A7R but I could name a few things that prevent it from being an absolutely perfect camera. All in all nothing major just a couple of improvements:
1. Placement of the viewfinder:
It’s an electronic viewfinder, there is no reason to have it aligned with the lens in the middle of the camera. The placement of the viewfinder with the Nex-6/7, the A6000, but also the Fuji X100, the Leica M, etc. is perfect, why place it back in the middle as if it were an SLR?
2. Electronic first shutter:
Now that is a rather nasty omission with the A7R, since all that resolution only reveals how much blur that shutter actually creates.
3. Alias free HD video:
I don’t know if I need 4K, but the aliasing in the video of the A7R is irritating, not really that much worse than other cameras in this class, but still irritating at this point in time.
4. A possibility to assign a button to switch between EVF and LCD:
The choice is already possible through the menues it’s just lacking the ability to assign a button to toggle between the two. In my experience it would be much more usefull than the automatic toggle which often times is to sensitive.
5. Better corner performance for legacy rangefinder lenses:
In fairness this isn’t really Sony’s problem since those lenses were never meant to be used on a digital sensor and also unlike Leica they neither make those lenses, nor have made cameras that used them in the past (aside from the Minolta CLE perhaps). Still it would be nice if something could be done about it.
5. also, those lenses were never meant to produce 36 mpx images xD
For #1, I think the reason is for better balance. Imagine mounting FE 70-200 f4 on A6000 and try to hold the lens and camera with two hands while using the EVF at the corner, how awkward is that?
Please put in ibis. Then the system would make more sence as a whole. A mount an e mount would be interchangeble with each other.
No IBIS if it – in any way – harms IQ. We know OSS can be counterproductive. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I think IBIS will be the main differentiation point if FF mirrorless AF gets better. They might keep it in A-Bodies only. It might be expensive and make the camera bigger. So I really don’t know if I want it.
Must have:
IBIS
14-bit RAW uncompressed
In-camera Raw processing
Full electronic shutter with Silent Mode
72+ Mpx foveon alike sensor, or 32+ Mpx bayer sensor without AA, or 54+ Mpx with new technology sensor (stacked sensor or Exmor R)
A6000 alike AF Speed and 60-90% area covered with PDAF
FPS 8+
Weatherproof
Touch screen
Built-in flash with tethering
WIFI
Audio Mic-In with 2-channel volume control
Audio HP-Out
Ergonomics:
NEX-7 alike EVF, without hump
Tiltable screen
Tri-Navi alike controls
Shutter button in the grip
2 SD card slots
Better battery
Interface:
Preview menu reworked, with cleaner switch from stills and videos, and with zoom lock between stills
Focus with zoomed window on the focus point
Level gauge
Fully programable Auto Iso in Manual mode, including minimum and maximum shutter speed
EVF/LCD switch button
Lenses:
OSS on prime lenses if they don’t plan to put IBIS in camera
Cheap lenses
Pancake lenses
Ultra fast lenses
Quality zoom lenses
Maybe Sony should rather think about lenses to attract customers? Something unique like 85/1.4 and 135/1.8 with STF technology and AF would be phenomenal for wedding and portrait photographers.
For the love of God add a touch screen. The added cost is small compared to the enormous benefit. Selecting the AF point as well as navigating the menu becomes significantly easier. Yes, DSLR’s don’t have touch screens but the controls are also not tiny and fiddly like the A7 line.
Some DSLR have touch screen, EOS 70D, 100D, 650D and 700D.
if they do add a touch screen then please offer a way to turn it off. I would have more difficulties than benefits with one. Dials and buttons are good enough for me!
+1
I should mention I do like the straight forward ease of operation implemented in the Leica T touch screen.
I am pretty happy with my A7. I only miss two things:1. Auto-ISO with min/max shutter speed.
2. Uncompressed RAW.
I would also put more money in the system if there were more cheap lenses. I don’t need revolutionary sharpness like the 55mm 1.8. I need a cheap and small 50mm that i don’t have to worry about when i’m running around.
I wouldn’t mind a big normal-zoom either, if it has OK performance and doesn’t cost too much.
Edit: ooh, and i think a lot of wedding photographers would be attracted if the camera could have real silent mode with fully electronic shutter.
The lack of uncompressed RAW is truely baffling and inexcusable. Uncompressed RAW is very important for the market that the A7R is targeting. It’s a software option and costs nothing to implement. It’s oversights like these that show just how immature Sony is in the photography market. They are a great consumer electronics company and make top notch components. However, they don’t have the experience to truly grasp what’s important to pro and enthusiast photographers.
But isn’t it in Sony’s nature not to give you exactly what you want in each iteration? Either they’ll leave something out or take something away. Plus I think all the camera makers are colluding with each other as to keep each other afloat. Let the consumers buy more cameras.
The weird part is that sony does a great job with professional cameras for broadcast TV. It’s like it’s two different companies!
Further wishes:
fully electronic shutter
proper weather-sealed body
min/max shutter speed both as fixed value and as ratio of focal length
flexible spot metering (not just centre)
touch screen for AF selection
continue to improve AF performance
2nd SD card slot
tidy up the disorganised menus
uncompressed raw
important:
keep the 4 dial setup of aperture, shutter speed, iso, and exposure compensation – all are useful.
Improve JPG rendering, for photojournalism and work that requires fast delivery it is a must and the JPG though better in some areas still exhibit compression artifacts, non smooth gradients, etc. And on the same subject of image quality, there should be a totally uncompressed RAW option. Image quality should be one of the priorities in a camera where already speed and performance hace been compromised for portability.
Realistic(ish) wishes for the next A7s:
-Touchscreen control
-Larger battery
-INTERNAL 4K RECORDING
-Even higher bit rate video
-1080p 60p WITHOUT line skipping and pixel binning
-Continuous phase detection autofocus like on the Canon 70D
Make a silent shutter…weddings, churches, stealth-street, etc…
Autofocus as fast and reliable as Nikon DSLRs, for tele action and a quiet shutter.
1. No IBIS if it will make the body larger.
2. Better video codec
3. Move the shutter button forward over the front wheel
4. Touch screen for AF points with the ability to turn it off completely to save power
5. GPS
6. Totally silent shutter mode
7. More HDR bracketing options
8. Option to show the most recent shot on the LCD while staying in live mode on the viewfinder
9. Ability to fine-tune the focus peaking (I often find points that aren’t totally in focus, even though they were highlighted)
10. Ability to tilt the screen farther down
11. Better low-light performance of the EVF
12. Easier file structure on the SD card
13. More lenses!
14. A built-in IR emitter that can control sony flashes wirelessly
15. Accessory: An RF wireless TTL trigger with group and ratio capabilities
Some of these like numbers 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 could be implemented on current cameras through a firmware update.
MORE LENSES and frimware support. The a7 is a great camera, any improvements will just make it that much better, but the current lens selection is dreadful.
I can think of many little easy things to improve the cameras. The two first ones are not that easy, but a lot of the rest is mostly firmware.
-Fill the gaps in the lens system. That’s got to be the major reason why people don’t buy into E-mount as much as they could.
-Longer battery life. It’s okay to use a bigger battery, I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard to make an NP-FM500H fit in the A7 cameras. With that, you’d probably have the best battery life of all mirrorless systems, and you wouldn’t need to come up with a new battery!
-Timer should be an option set apart from the shooting mode
-Improved autofocus, should work well in low light and be quicker
-It would be awesome to be able to move the spot metering, it can be useful for timelapses where the light changes a lot
-Being able to set the preferred shutter speed, and choose min and max shutter speed, with options depending the focal length (maybe choosing a value for widest angle and longer telephoto, that can be memorized for lenses that can be recognized by the camera) or the ability to change it quickly and easily
-Bracket mode with the shutter speed
-2 memory card slots
-Higher bitrates for video for every mirrorless camera from now on.
-It would be very cool if you made an A7, or a FF camera, in the same form factor as the A6000 (rangefinder style).
Rangefinder body style, silent shutter, phase detect AF with A7S’s high ISO performance.
Improved AF speed as in equal or better than best in class for a mirrorless.
Improved JPG rendering (non destructive NR, compresion artifacts, non smooth gradients)
Uncompressed RAW
Full Electronic Shutter /Silent operation
improved Auto ISO (min/max shutter selectable)
Improved handling for selectable AF points (touch screen or joystick)
Better Menu organisation
Better Video Codecs, higher bitrate – non avchd full resolution/frame rates and maximum quality – please.
Full movement rear LCD screen, similar to Alpha SLT line.
As a casual user:
Faster AF
Maybe around 18Mpix for good low-light performance.
Who cares about the sensor if customer support sucks? Does Sony have something similar to Canon’s CPS? What about Canon’s customer loyalty program? Canon’s equipment loan program? That’s what Sony has to improve first.
And if they do, they would be improving at just the right time. Canon is making some big stumbles with their CPS and general customer service work right now.
-Improved AF performance
-No lag when swiching settings as shutter speed
-Improved playmemories remote shutter app
– Better menu organisation
– Even more assignable butons
-No alliasing on the EVF
-Quicker booting
And a geniune intervalometer from Sony
And a quieter shutter sound (a7r)
These are the features which, if added, would cause me to upgrade. Otherwise, I’m happy to stick with what I have.
1. Next generation sensor tech. Eg. 54 megapixel stacked sensor, organic sensor etc. First company to offer revolutionary sensor gets my money for the next decade or longer.
2. A6000 autofocus or better
3. Shutter which doesn’t cause nearly as much vibration. Quieter shutter.
4. Uncompressed RAW. Do everything possible to maximize image quality.
5. Better build quality. If I’m spending over $2000, the camera better feel and handle like a solid, well made and thought out camera.
6. More lenses. Do not skimp on quality or optics, but don’t over charge. As sensors get better, it is getting more important to make excellent performing lenses. Many E and the EF mount lenses seem more expensive than other comparable lenses.
Features which I think should be improved, but aren’t essential to me:
1. Easier to use implementation of WiFi.
2. When zooming into check focus, focus point should be used, not center of image.
3. Better EVF
4. Weather sealing
5. No Ibis if it raises cost a lot
6. RF, built in, flash system
7. Better battery life. Include charger.
” First compamy to offer revolutionary sensor gets my money for the next decade or longer”
Sony are you reading this?
“Sony waiting for Canon’s move and evaluating the A7 cameras.”
?????
Developing a camera takes atleast 18 months between setting requirements and launch. More probably like 24 months.
So what you are saying is that the response will be in more than 2 years from now?
Yes probably. Most camera cycles are 4 years. 2 years is reasonable.
I can’t believe how many comments this one is generating. Sony- are you reading this?
IBIS
no shutter shock
touch lcd for selecting focus point
Then my A7R would be perfect
High FPS 1d / d3d4 killer
Touch screen like the omd-em1. 4k video. Tilt the screen all the way down so that I can do selfie. Smaller, lighter body. Improve autofocus speed. Less shutter noise
Silent shutter
No higher than 16-24 Mpix conventional sensor (or two streams, one with high and one with low Mpix counts)
Equivalent foveon-like sensor (this would be amazing)
Rangefinder style body a la a6000 (or think entirely outside the box and focus on ergonomics and modular systems; body modules, sensor modules, EVF modules like Google’s project Ara)
Weatherproofing
Rear touchscreen
USB 3.0 or thunderbolt…it’s 2014. No excuse for slow data ports anymore.
Ability to select aspect ratio as a frame line over full 3:2 sensor view. That way you can compose with the desired aspect ratio, and see the full view as well.
A6000 AF
Fully customisable buttons and control wheels (all of them, not just 1 or 2)
Option to take exposure bracketed shots with a timer
Ability to set Min/Max ISO and shutter speed based on focal length (customisable!)
Ability to completely turn off rear lcd screen
Smartphone processor? Faster processor, faster buffer, better video output, etc.
Open up app store to third party developers. Play Memories store is sad and barren.
Much better firmware support – so many improvements could be added via updates. And commit to continuing firmware support of old models. If Sony stops treating their cameras as throw away one-offs, that will raise the brand profile and more people might recognise them for the innovators that they are. Pros might actually want to use a camera that is reliably supported.
Continue filling holes in lens lineup
IBIS (or at least for the higher end model)
Faster continuous frame rate
A6000 style AF
More customizable buttons
No more shutter shock
Weatherproofing (at least for the higher end model)
USB 3.0
Larger, higher capacity battery (but in such a way that the old battery could still be usable)
Please share your A7 improvements and features
More and better lenses. Until that happens, none of the cameras are of any interest to me and presumably many others.
+1
I want to start seeing some cool Signature models such as Fender/Gibson guitars produce.
A cool start would be A Black and White Ansel Adams signature model with some cool retro specs etc.,
a HCB model that looks like an old beat up Leica…. maybe a cool old retro daguerreotype simulation mode type of model. Why the hell not….the camera industry is practically in the crapper. They may as well pull out all the stops.
Having been a Sony animator this last winter, of the A7 and A7r, I have to say the ergonmics could be better, no thinking reflex of the photographer, the body feel of steering (DiafragmeShutterIsospeed), of course fuji XT1 like,that would be fantastic, that to me is the difference between an electronics builder and a historic photography actor. Even in a BMW they have better electronic sub-menu steering, more logic!! less thinking, intuitive!!
Improved built!!!
Improved perf with large aperture wide angles
Improved af
Improved EVF
Improved treatment, to bridge the gap with Nikon, who gets better pics out of the same sensors
I own an A7r with a Zeiss 55 1.8 FE. My key requests would be:
– Faster Autofocus like A6000.
– Silent shutter with no vibration.
– A6000 placement for the EVF (I dislike the EVF hump, and it get in the way when I shoot from the hip using the screen.
Anything else is really just gravy – I love the build, handling and image quality of my A7r. Autofocus and Shutter sound are really the only areas I think that it could easily be improved with today’s tech.
I love my Sony cameras. We gripe about them so much on this site, but I wouldn’t trade mine for anything… my A7r is out for repairs right now (my fault), and it makes me sick to think about it, lol. 🙂
Back in the film days 2 tings determined the best quality picture a photographer could take with sufficient skill
The lens and the filmm.
All cameras would take the same qiality picture with the same lens and film..althogh some might be hatder or easierto use.
Today the sensor takes the place of the film.
Today with the same quality processor and lens all cameras will basically take the same quality picture but be harder or easier to use.
The sensor is the idespensible heart of the camera just as film used to be.
Most of the requests here are for differrent combinations of bells and wistles to make pictire taking easier, but Sony is repackaging the same obsolete bayer sensor and holding back the new stacked semsor tech for reasons known only to sony.
I do not wamt to belittle any of these requests as they are all important to those that ask for them, but none of it matters mutch without a better sensor.
The sensor is the camera.
I want a better camera..translation..I want the next generation better sensor.
Hasselblad has been rutruthlessly ridiculed for dressing up the same old Sony camera on new clothing…exactly like Sony is doing.
For me the camera needs to figure out a better light sealing around the mount. I believe this is already on their plates, but def I would like them to think of us long exposure (up to 10 minutes) shooters.
I would also REALLY want to see much LOWER ISO… I don’t care about the super high sensitivity, but low ISO is easy enough to handle in terms of firmware, and would avoid buying crazy expensive ND filters to go to minutes in day time. Same thing with setting up exposures longer than 30 seconds without using the bulb mode: easy to implement numerically.
I would also like to have an IR shutter release sensor on the back of the body, not only on the front side.
A 5 axis in body stabilization would be fantastic, since soem of the lenses I use are NOT stabilized…
I say full weatherproofing as well, and better autofocus, although this is not my primary concern for the A7R
I own the A7 with the 35mm Zeiss 2.8. LOVE the size and image quality, focus peeking as well as fantastic movie mode.
Please make a nice walk around zoom. From what I’ve heard, the Zeiss 24-70mm is a disappointment, and the kit zoom is just too slow. Can you make a native mount G lens with a 24-105 or 120mm zoom range with a constant f/4? I don’t care about power zoom lenses – in fact, I prefer to manually zoom. With small kids to chase around, I power zooms just get in the way.
more lenses, a 28, a 24, and a 100mm macro are essential
– full compatibility with UWA RF lenses (corner issues)
– shutter cable release compatible
– improvement on ISO smudging issue
– port for flash sync cable
I would love to see these improvements on the next gen FE cameras! And as usual, i will pre-order without hesitation if the new cam gets all these!
Leaf shutter lenses….That would blow open the 35mm market…
Touchscreen, GPS, telephoto lense (something like a 70-300mm).
Autofocus that works fast and does not try to be smart and end up focussing on things that are not center frame. Theva77 and a99 have ruined 100s of shots by focussing on background out of center things like walls. And in filming in low light or spot light the a99 is so bad that I am also waiting for canons response to jump ship to canon, yes in my experience the autof, fast under ideal conditions it may be, kills so many pics and clips it is maddening.
High iso clean shots
Please please a hologon
8k and super slow motion 2000 frames or more per second (available,for years now in certain pro motion picture cams, see the art of flight)
Some sort of b/w function with very many grey steps
Oh and let us not forget the classic we all wanted at some point: x ray vision please, in other words much improved version of the old infra red.
I own a57, a77, a99 and like 6 flashes, of course Minolta gear. I am not a pro but I can spend 10 000 on new camera stuff immediately, if I get the dream specs. 9xi remains the best ever, ergonomics and being able tu fuse with the camera .
I don’t have the issue you describe with the A77. Sounds like you don’t know how to use auto-focus and/or DMF to me.
Had the A7 but would prefer a FF sensor inside an NEX6/7 body so I sold the A7 and kept the NEX6 for the time being. I’d like to see Sony get the mirrorless form factor as small as possible (Ala Lumix GM1) but without sacrificing the EVF and manual controls. With retractable zooms and Leica M mount primes, a FF NEX6/7 body camera can be very pocket-able and at the same return stunning images, and that will be my next camera if Sony make sure a camera, if not, I will most likely jump ship to the M43 camp.
I shoot full frame a-mount and zeiss glass mostly. I also bought an EP5 and a few lenses about four months ago. Zero…and I mean zero regrets. Just a great little camera thats a joy to operate. Funny thing is I went to the camera store that day to check out the a7. I saw the oly and compared all aspects. Well, you can see how that went.
Sony is distant 3rd. They have some features that might wow the consumers but not mature enough or essential enough that would make Canicon got to the drawing board. Similarly, poor lens selection. Except 135 1.8 there is no lens that would make people switch just for the lens or have a dual system. Does it have any 1.2? Necessary pro accessories or support? No. Pro speed lights? No. Except A7R and 55 1.8 nothing is there. Again, this combo could have been a killer if they had priced that lens little cheaper and not had the shutter shock or shutter delay. Try tracking a person walking towards you with A7r, he would move 6″ between you press shutter and actual photo is taken. What does the A7 series offer? Some wow engineering that offer very little in photographic sense. Have a nice shiny toy that is small and light then stick a big f4 lens to it and brag that you have world’s smallest and lightest 70-220 setup, well f4 and can’t use with tripod as shutter shock will ruin all your images, use handheld at high iso because you need 1/500 shutter speed. I’d rather grab A900 and 135 or even beercan.
What they could have done was make the 70-200 f4 for A mount, make the A7 cameras a little bigger and put a competent SSS inside, electronic 1st curtain in all models, built in flash with commander mode or at least an external tiny commander, eye AF that triggers automatically when a face is detected, movie button at the place of C2, proper AF selection mode (right now you move the AF points the rule of third lines disappear, how do I place it at proper intersection), proper level display(it is at the middle of screen where you might have focus and you cannot what you are focusing) .. there are so many things that tells me someone doesn’t know how to perfect a design .. things need to mature then only Canon will wake up. If Sony waits for Canon to respond, I guess Sony will keep waiting :). Except the sensor, and a few lenses, Sony needs to solve many of their problems
-various aspect ratio guide lines (cinescope 2.41:1) etc.
-120fps 1080p 50mbps
-no more jiggly, noisy camera strap hooks on camera body! (ruins internal audio)
-10bit colour output
-in body image stabilization
-included battery charger!
-tilty flippy screen similar to a99 (if possible)
-customizable button setting 1)switch between viewfinder and monitor manually 2)picture profile short cut 3) aps-c off/on short cut 4) lock back wheel (iso) short cut
“-customizable button setting 1)switch between viewfinder and monitor manually”
Boy, do I hope the next firmware update will bless us with that option…
The automatic switch is so damn annoying in so many situations that it’s just astonishing how that customization option wasn’t already there in v1.0
I forgot to mention IBIS and Touch Screen too in my last post.
-gps
also, why the hell care for more cameras if there’s only 5 lenses?….. canon has made the move with over 100 lenses.
Place the evf on the side like a6000, more solid body. Doesn’t matter if it’s slightly heavier, the camera needs to feel solid in hand.
Better bettary performance.
Do those and name it a9 that will be the camera everyone wants.
Not really. I like the position of the EVF in the centre and the weight of the current models.
It needs much more to be called an a9…what you’re proposing is more of an a7.5
I’m a documentary filmmaker (capturing live moments and weaving it into a story), I’ve tested both the A6000 and EOS 70D for their servo focus system and the 70D edged out the A6000 purely because of the touch focus, low light focusing (not limited to f6.3), non-reflective LCD and dedicated facetracking mode (does not get faces confused with other objects).
So the ideal camera would be like the EOS 70D but with the following improvements:
– allow for user selectable focus modes WHILE recording video (with dedicated button)
– add DMF to the touch screen
– silent user adjustment of audio levels during recording video
– pressure sensitive button for rack focusing
– the main thing is we need to be able to change focusing schemes on the fly while recording.
Its funny how technology works. When I first used an EVF I was blown away. Then I went back to an a900 and was amazed but how clear that OVF was….then I bought a 1956 rollieflex and realized they both pale in comparison to the awesome huge bright display of yesteryear.For every new gain you loose something. Maybe thats why I get less and less excited for new tech.
More aspect ratios. All the other brands offer them on their mirrorless cameras. Even the Nikon D800 offer 4:5 in addition to the 2:3. I know I can post crop but it’s not the same as seeing the camera display the ratio and ACR opening up to that.
Andrea, please work fast start the poll 🙂 I will take the result post to every Sony related sites LoL
I could count numerous minor things, but my list is very short.
Item 1. Fully articulated screen, or at least screen similar to A65 – is a must.
Item 2. IBIS could be also very useful.
Item 3. GPS.
I would have already bought it if it had IBIS, a better grip/handfeel, 2 wheels like A77.
I would’ve bought it if it had IBIS.
It has actually three(!) wheels!?
Two words:
Sensor Reflections!
I love my A7 but these sensor reflections are really annoying and a nightmare to retouch. They’re really ruining so many low light and night shots for me that if the “A7II” wouldn’t have them that would be enough of a feature for me to consider an upgrade.
Well, it would be nice to have more than one or two good lenses for it.
Electronic shutter for the A7R. The mechanical shutter is a nightmare
I doubt its possible nowadays to read out 36megapixels fast enough. But we will get to that point someday 🙂
I’m just waiting for them to take my money, but from the looks of it the next generation isn’t even coming in September.
IBIS, autofocus, and price. It’s too bad these overpriced Zeiss lens don’t come with OSS.
Overpriced Zeiss? The Otus costs 4x as much as the sony e mount version.
FF in NEX-5 alike body with touchscreen. I had A7 and I sold it because operation with MF glass was way too slow. And, BTW, make something with your system lenses: no distance indication, no hard inifinity stop makes them hard to use and unreliable for my purposes (street, landscape and architecture shooting).
Starting from what I want the most:
– An ergonomic shutter button
– Built in 4K recording in h.265
– Touchscreen
– Android
– Built in flash
– A body with no sharp edges
– A Canon/Nikon style swiveling screen
Faster auto focus speed.
Nearly silent shutter.
Faster refresh rate in evf.
Better corner performance with voightlander et. al. glass.
Complete weather sealing rather than sort of.
A7S has silent Electronic shutter 🙂
Internally motorised sensor to achieve vertical shift? Dreaming on…
what for, you can do “perspective correction” in software. makes sense to ask Sony to add it for EVF framing and JPEG engine.
also there is very few spare space in E-mount, so shifting will get into vignetting very fast (putting a medium format lens won’t help)
You can achieve the same result using ‘perspective correction’ in PP (it makes sense to ask Sony to add option to support it in liveview for framing)
Also, E-mount has virtually no spare space so you’ll run into vignetting very fast. Putting a medium format lens won’t help.
I would like to add these things on my A7
A6000 Autofocus with -3EV focus
Touch Screen for selective focus
360 Screen If possible
GPS
IB IS
60 FPS FHD mp4 format?
1 Stop better ISO
1.5x Battery life
TOTAL control Playmemories App ( like canon )
Timelapse Build-in ( bought anyway )
Adjustment for the longest speed at auto-ISO.
IBIS and Electronic Front Curtain Shutter on A7r; Also it seems Leica can make lighter and faster lenses than Zeiss. I had A7r and I returned it. See http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3618052#forum-post-53036689
A customisable button to switch between EVF, rear screen & auto
User selectable minimum shutter speed before auto ISO kicks in
A hard shutter speed dial (+ a hard button to toggle auto shutter on/off)
Manual aperture rings on lenses (to go with shutter dial)
A hard ISO dial (+ a hard button to toggle auto ISO on/off)
Fully articulated rear screen
Focus check button that can be held in (and custom set)
Higher res and/or faster EVF response
A better designed body
Better button layout / design
Touch-screen for focus could be cool (not mega bothered about this)
Focus peaking toggle (custom button)
Oh and I’d like a reasonably priced 35mm prime lens please. A small f/2.0 please 🙂
I really don’t want in-camera image stabilisation if it effects the body size/weight. The iso capabilities of the A7s surely make this pointless?
My A7r wishes:
1) A new shutter without that noise and the shutter shock.
2) Uncompressed RAW.
3) Auto-ISO exposure time depending on focal length.
4) Better battery life and an external charger.
5) A faster method for focussing manual lenses. The current way needs too much pressed buttons.
6) After making a shot, show the image on the LCD but keep the live view in EVF active. Simply emulate the way any classic OVF DSLR works.
7) No more Megapixels. 36 is enough. Really.
8) More lenses. And better lenses. Do not make something like the 24-70 F4 again. Make more high-quality primes.
9) Adjust lens prices. 790€ for a 35mm F2.8? The Canon and Nikon counterparts are at least one stop faster and are priced around 500€.
10) A touch screen would be nice.
2) RAW is lossy compressed on the A7!?
6) but please as an option. It is one of the biggest advantages in my opinion to be able to see the final shot immediatly from the finder when using flashes.
Usable P,A and S mode, where the camera opens up past f4 and allows min shutter speeds shorter than 1/60. Any custom button to allow toggling EVF and screen. Sensible viewfinder mode where review and menu is done on screen and photography done through EVF. Choice of no noise reduction, so that a 30sec exposure does not mean 30sec processing.
The A7r is a remarkable camera and I hope Sony will stay with the design for once and not reinvent body after body. However, the software needs to be programmed based on photographers input and not Nintendo kids.
u can turn long exposure NR in menu. I turned off already. shoot 30sec and instant done.
fully articulating touch screen, that does touch focus, and one touch focus and shoot, faster auto focus, with focus points that cover 90%, silent shutter, faster primes that are small like the Canon 50 f1.4
Its probably not possible for 50mm, due to the different flange focal distance.
Optional full electronic shutter.
Configurable minimum shutter speed with both options: x/focal length and 1/x.
A6000 alike autofocus or better
Lenses with less vignetting and prices closer to the market.
But also:
Full configurable dials:
I want to shoot in A mode with front dial for Aperture, Rear dial for ISO – the control wheel is not well positioned.
In combination with the exposure compensation it would give me full access to the exposure parameters.
This could be achieved within a firmware release.
Champions NEVER pause for opponents immobility. They leverage advantage from it.
among the rest portrait orientable screen on A7 or A6000 body would be a great add.
fully articulating touch screen, that does touch focus, and one touch focus and shoot, faster auto focus, with focus points that cover 90%, silent shutter, IBIS, faster fps, popup flash and autofocus assist beam, faster primes that are small and light like the Canon 50 f1.4, 85 f1.8, and 40 f2.8 pancake, but fully weather sealed, don’t hold back on any new technology no matter what the cost, put out a camera that does everything right, and really kicks the ass of Nikon and Canon
The number one thing that has kept me from buying an A7/r is the shutter noise. Way to loud for street photography without a silent shutter option. The second is the lack of an ultra-wide prime 24mm (at least f2.8 )
As I was saying before this form spazzed out before I could finish…. a 24mm is the bare minimum for landscape work. The zooms offered in the FE mount are all f/4 so I am concerned Sony will not offer an f2.8 zoom in the FE mount. There is also the question of can Sony make faster lenses for the FE mount f 1.4 – f 2 that are smaller and more compact than what is available from Canonand Nikon. There needs to be clearer evidence of a complete system from lens selection to flash (that does not have a rep for overheating).
there is still a lack of fast prime lenses in the full frame E mount system, that urgently needed to be addressed and improved.
My humble list:
1. Do away with horrible lossy RAW compression
2. Continue to improve EVF resolution and magnification
3. Make a complete set of fast primes and fast zooms
4. Quieten the shutter and fix vibration issues
5. Improve the autofocus (perhaps moving the whole range to 4K 60p live view would help the contrast detection algorithms)
6. For the A7s: 4K, 60p, 10bit output (either 4:2:2 or just give us the raw readout from the sensor). That very sensitive sensor was made for high speed!
7. Internal 4K recording please. My Galaxy Note 3 cellphone can do it so Sony should be able to do it too on their comparatively much larger camera 🙂
1. Vintage rangefinder looking
2. Easy focusing for manual lens
– compact design similar to nex-6 / nex-7 / a6000 with side vf (might be pop-up)
– articulated touch-screen
– ibis
– hybrid autofocus similar to a6000
– weather-sealing
– better corner performance
– quiter shutter
– mirrorles adapter with a built-in motor for a-mount lenses
In order of priority:
– fully articulated touch-screen
– better autofocus performance (similar to a6000)
– better low light performance (similar to A7s) for ~ 24 Mp sensor
– silent shutter mode
– better battery performance
– f 2.8 standart zoom and f 1.4 35, 50, 85 mm primes
– better menu ergonomics and more configuration options
– new camera design
how do you know A7S is noteably better in low light than A7R?
There are no dxomark tests nor any other serious tests.
I don’t believe Sony is holding back innovative technologies so that they can respond to Canon. Just look at all of the products they’ve launched in the last two years. Canon moves like a glacier. Sony will catch them by rapid iteration, listening to users as well as Fuji does, and deep commitment to a lens line. I was a longtime Canon user. Even I’ve stopped waiting for them to release a small, sexy mirrorless camera.
FEATURE REQUEST: Quieter shutter. Soften those hard edges of the body. Better battery life.I’d like touch screen. Much easier to touch the feature you want to adjust, then go try and find it in the menus.I’m waiting for the A7r II before I buy one.
1. Compact design (similar to NEX-6,7,A6000)
2. In body image stabilisation like big Alpha.
3. Less time to start.
4. Better low light autofocus performance
5. Faster autofocus.
6. Tilt-screen sensor that shuts off EVF-sensor when screen tilted (like it realised in Olympus OM-D).
7. Touch screen or another way to easy define focus point.
8. Full electronic shutter (as an option! I like shutter sound of A7R!) for silent shooting and time-lapse.
This is about body. In all E-Mount system I want to see more fixed-focus bright lenses.
Metal mount (the a7 is plastic mount), touch screen, work with m-mount wide angle lens, slient electronic shutter
Wait what?! Source please!
I’m not an A7 owner, but this is the first time I hear that A7 has a plastic mount. To my knowledge the only camera in Sony’s lineup with a plastic mount is A58
To my knowledge all E-mounts are plastic, I mean one layer of metal but all plastic beneath.
Its metal or some kind of alluminum. Ihave it in my hand right now. Not plastic. The front plate is though.
I have been using the A7 for 6 months now. My impressions are very positive. The camera fixes 10s if not 100s of issues from NEX-7 times. The design though a bit voluminous and outright ugly compared to NEX-7 is acceptable. Here are my top wishes
1. Fix auto iso. Just copy the thing from Nikon d800
2. Add uncompressed 14 bit RAW – why save on this simple thing and get all the bad mouth stuff?
3. Fix the artefacts that appear with small light sources in frame – weird ghosting effects plague the A7 and A7r in night shots in cities where many small and bright light sources exist in the frame. These should not occur at least with the Zeiss lenses.
4. Add option to move the magnification button in Play mode. It is awful now.
5. A6000 tracking AF would be great
6. A77 style flip screen
7. LA-EA6 with A77 II focusing system or better is a must
8. More lenses! This is critical. Please add few easy choice options like the A mount 35, 50 and 85mm. Zeiss and G class lenses are great give us more but please please add some good quality not so expensive glass in there. 28-70 is fantastic we need more of it.
8.a. Some great and so expensive telephotos like 300 f4, 400 f5.6 – can be A mount no problem.
8,b, Some portrait lenses may be – 85 f1.8, 100 f2, 135 f2 (not f2.8) (these need be native FE)
This is really amateur list of wishes. I suppose the most important to address needs of various pro photogs – wedding, fashion, studio, wild life
To make the list short..
1. fully silent shutter mode
2. better battery performance
4k recording in camera
Minimum shutter speed (programmable by User) on auto iso. Fuji does this.
I agree with your suggested improvements, except for the desire for more MP. I think 24 is even too much for many of Sony’s sensors. Why is Canon limiting its cameras’ sensor output? To improve image quality. I hope Sony stays with the 12MP trend it restarted with the A7s. The A7 definitely needs some help in the area of focus speed. To me, this factor makes me reach for my A77 and/or RX100 rather than the A7 much too often. In-body stabilization will also have to be in the next generation!
It is not either or.
Sony needs both high and lower resolution cameras.
Cleary not everyone needs higher resolution
And clearly many people need or want higher resolution.
Sony needs both and currently higher resolution is taken a back seat to some sort of waiting game Sony wants us to play.
Nobody is reading your suggestions. Don’t waste your time. 🙂
Canon apparently is sopposed to release a ff stacked organic sensor of high resolution in 2014.
I am seriosly considering cancelling the lenses I have proeordered in Sony mount so I have the option of buying canon lenses instead and the new Canon stacked sensor.
This is actually a good time for people who are on the fencewith all the new lenses coming out to switch brands.
If Canon comes out with this sensor first many people will switch..and not come back.
Sony you dont have to keep us waiting and it may cost you dearly to do so.
There is so much unknown in your prediction. It can’t really be taken seriously.. sorry.
1. Pure speculation about Canon having a stacked sensor ready for market. No evidence out there at all..
2. No evidence that, market ready, stacked sensor technology is up to CMOS sensors yet… particular in terms of latitude. Even when stacked sensors hit the market there is no evidence that they will have an advantage over CMOS in their initial form (as we have seen from Sigmas version of the technology).
Don’t get me wrong. I am as sure as you that stacked sensors are the future. But just don’t buy into the panic, if Canon releases a stacked sensor before Sony. Even if they do. There is every possibility that when Sony release their version it will be better. Particularly if recent senor development is anything to go by.
True..no prediction is certian.
I do however feel that NOT buying bayer will speed things up.
if you really need to speed things, try to gather a few dozen million bucks (e.g. via kickstarter)…
Camyx.com april 29 2014
1.) ultra high ISO performance (like A7s??)
2.) 14bit RAW files
3.) ultra fast AF (A99 or better)
4.) ultra responsive (time from power on to shooting; large image buffers; power saving mode with ultra short wake up time; etc.)
5.) if possible smaller body (A6000, NEX-6)
6.) touchscreen focus setting
7.) complete pro grade weather sealing
8.) perfect ergonomics; maybe 3 wheels; wheels and button easily usable; wheels don’t change position accidentaly; all buttons and wheels asignments customizable …
9.) silent shutter
10.) auto iso from Nikon
11.) flip screen
12.) inbuild GPS
13.) accurate focus distance indicator
14.) Provide a software API: make it an open platform where people/3rd party companies can develop their own camera software
15). built-in cold fusion engine, so it could function 9000 days per one charge
touchscreen, multi-direction panorama (a-la olympus m4/3 and nexus phones), in camera/in sensor stabilization, pop-up directional flash like a6000, weather sealing, gps,
9 stop auto bracketing!
Intervalometer!
Leave the body as is, at maximum add a few mm to the lower end of the grip.
Of course do NOT remove the efv or place it on the side.
No popup flash. When I need one, I add one on the hot shoe. If you add one, make it bounceable and diffuseable. No entrylevel style direct flash on a pro camera please.
For gods sake, only show the auto review after completely releasing the shutter button. I had to turn it off because it blocks the evf and I cant take 2, 3 consecutive shots with the same focus point. My old rebel could do this. Or add the option to only show auto review on lcd and on evf only after pressing the play button.
Of course: Battery life, evf, af, iso, raw&jpg and overall speed improvements.
No IBIS.
Bluetooth for gps geotagging via smartphone? Dont know of it works via nfc.
Video: 720p/120fps, less aliasing.
“Raw” hdr.
Forgot one: LCD killswitch
Yes do NOT move the EVF!!! Totally agree. Nothing will kill the A7 faster than that.
If anything increase the size of the EVF to give us a larger viewing image. Increasing the EVF advantage over OVF. It would be a significant bump to have a viewfinder image as large as a MF camera.
I was a potential canon 5D mark III buyer but I have put any full frame purchase on hold until at least photokina. Sony’s chips are at least a generation ahead of canon’s and canon doesn’t seem to care. Canon’s arrogance and corporate inertia may well cost it dearly in the next year or two if they don’t extract the digit. The Sony A7 is a great start but with a few flaws. Around Xmas 2014 we will have many more options for full frame cameras. Exciting times!
One thing i want to see added to the firmware is Black and white display in EVF for colour with Focus peaking, it is great believe me makes focus peaking faster, set camera to B&W mode then set focus peaking to yellow/red and see how much quicker you can get the focus, only problem is i need to shoot raw, to have colour images,
In-camera stabilization would be a gift to all those who shoot legacy glass. Faster focusing would would be a gift to everyone else. Cool looks like a Fuji X-T1 a definite plus. More megapixels — let’s be honest — who needs them? And what lenses can deliver >36mp in field conditions anyway? For studio shooters, your medium format camera is coming.
– Make camera really fully weatherproof
– 5 axis In body stabilization
These two things would raise the bar even further. If Sony did this I’d be selling my A7 and m4/3 gear for the upgrade
1.Stronger and weather sealed body.
2.Shutter like the RX1.
3.Just have one model (A7+A7r). I mean, really.
Admin
Your wishlist incdes a 48mp stacked sensor.
Prvious rumors were for 54mp stacked, and sony currently has a 36mp bayer but I have not seen any rumors of a 48mp sensor.
Is this something new that you have not told us about yet? Or some sr1 rumor? Or just an arbitrary resolution you think you would like to see?
I totally do not expect to see this but for my wishlist put this on the top
158mp stacked sensor..56mp x3.
No this is not a new rumor its just what I would like to see.
10 Megapixels.
As a filmmaker, I am looking for Sony to combine the following into 1 camera: 4k 4.2.2. 10 Bit ProRes recorded INTERNALLY, using a super 35mm sensor, (doubling my lens count with the Metabones SB); with Slog 2/3; and since we’re dreaming here, with a sensor that moves, allowing autofocus and image stabilisation with all my classic lenses…
Sony is dead without proper lenses and what they have until now doesn’t even perform near like Canon/Nikon, e.g. the 70-200.. So until Sony doesn’t manage to come out with some extraordinary glasses (or contract Sigma for their Art series), Sony is just wasting money.
Another thing is the flash control/features.
Want to have the ability to change aspect ration !! It might be done in a firmware update ?
Want to have the ability to change aspect ratios !! It might be done in a firmware update ?
Much faster AF, reduce shutterlag (yes it’s there!), silent (=silent!) shutter, make selftimer usable for bracketing (no tripod handy), stabalization, real batterypower and – indeed – serious glass
Ergonomics. Ergonomics. Ergonomics. Ergonomics Ergonomics.
When confidently gripping a camera: the shutter button should be tilted ~30 degrees forward and positioned under the first finger while the front control wheel should fall under the second finger.
You got this all right with the A99. So stick with that and forget about this idiotic “retro” trend. Let Fuji have that niche – they do it better anyway.
Hi there, I have a Sony A7, A7R , A6000, FE 55, FE 24-70, FE 70-200, 2 handgrips ,
I’M a fine art , portrait , wedding, fashion photographer .
I need 2 card slots for jepg and RAW simultanious shooting. HIgher sync speed, not HSS, HSS is fine but not a lot of power for group shots to overpower the sun, so electronical shutter on the sensor, faster AF very important Phase Detection AF like in the A6000 in the new A9 if thats the name, so I dont need to have 3 cameras in a bag!! Just 2 A9 and I’m set. And last but not least a 85 mm 1.4 or 2.0 Portrait lense in FE mount.
A wireless trigger system to click the camera, no infrared please! no iphone APP.
And new HVL- Flashes with integrated transceiver and transmitter system wirless speedlights!! with no overheating problems.
better accu capacitiy!! I have 11 batteries!!! for 3 cameras
I bought Phottix Mitros for SOny speedlights until the new speedlights are coming…..
But electronical shutter is my most important new feature I could use for action, glamour overpowering the sun option.
Cheers Andy
Photographer munich germany http://www.andyschulz.net
Longer battery life, super sharp wide angle glass so we can utilise that resolution while shooting landscapes(could be 24mm prime), bracketing working with 2 second delay or proper remote control, smoother shutter so there is no clunk. Maybe sony made adapters or colaboration with Sigma for quality glass like Sigma 18-35mm f1.8
4k internal recorder in the sdxc card for the a7s, for sure!
Make it weather proof and attach a built in flash please.