SAR reader SingLag was so kind to share A7 & A7R Raw samples shot with the Zeiss 35/2.8 & 55/1.8 lenses. You can download them here http://www.sendspace.com/file/7b7f0o -> The right button to click is: “Click here to start download from sendspace”. You can open the images on Sony Image data converter (here for win and here for mac).
Support SonyAlphaRumors: After months of FF mirrorless rumor work I would be glad if you can support my work by making your A7-A7r purchase by using these links below. I will earn a small commission and you don’t pay one single penny more! Thanks!
Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.
Specs and Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE.
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE.
147 Responses
Can you drop some Australian purchase links and i’ll compare prices with where I’m planning on buying it
The Australian prices are A$1999 for the A7, A$2199 with kit and A$2499 for the A7R. If you click a link above there are more links on dealsrunner than listed. The Australian one I saw was for camerapro and all Au stores are the same price. They are up at sony.com.au but if you want to support the admin I’m not sure if on dealsrunner. I think the A7 is overpriced by the cost of an adapter that is included in au however the A7R is cheaper to get locally.
Thanks mate, I had no idea there was a sdk pre-order that included an adapter. Which adapter should I grab? EF, Nikon G, Leica M or Sony A. I have no glass for any of these systems so which would give me the most bang for buck? I’m guessing/hoping by existing m42, minolta md/mc, pentax k and Nikon ais adapters will work fine.
http://www.digitalcameragear.com.au/shop/mirrorless-cameras/sony/sony-a7r-full-frame-mirroless-camera-body-36mp
This place is selling Aus stock a7r $2385. The cheapest I’ve seen.
I have a comment in moderation but it seems the AU price has been discounted already.
No, not discounted. They can sell it cheaper because they are not a brick and mortar shop, that’s all.
Go to flat view and you should see my comment and the dealsrunner site still has the initial price and it was this price when I first clicked a few days ago. Now the au stores have all dropped from initial A$1999 but sony.com.au hasn’t.
I just rechecked camerapro and now they are cheaper and what I would expect for au price. You also get the metabones adapter too. Admins previous links http://www.dealsrunner.com/deals/sony-a7r–2
http://www.dealsrunner.com/deals/sony-a7–2
Lee servile Cameras are cheaper… No mention of Metabones, but believe this is a Sony offer so should apply.
That’s Leederville Cameras.
Same for me with Austrian links!
thank you very much for your work, i still preorderd a 7r and a 2.8/35 via your link … waiting is the hardest : )
I have not ordered mine yet, but when I do, I will order it through one of your links.
Thanks for the best camera rumor site!
Austrian..Throw another shrimp on the Barbie!
That’s Australian, not Austrian (2 different countries) and Prawn, not shrimp. Good onya for trying though.
I think he’s quoting the film “dumb and dumber”
Image slightly blur , Apprentice photographer??
All shots I’ve seen so far from this camera are crap. I can’t believe why Sony didn’t hire capabe photographers for the PR.
Seems like all the early photos are taken by some random P&S soccer moms.
+1
I want a review from http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/
here you go :))
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2013/10/15/hands-on-1st-impressions-the-sony-a7-a7r-and-rx10/
Yeh, I’m pretty sure Steve tried some of his wideangles too but put off his judgment.
I agree.
All the pictures I’ve seen so far taken with A7/R beside those official images are of sub standard.
The usual Sony fail. They make an amazing camera, which probably took years to develop, yet they can’t be bothered to make proper promotional material for it. They don’t even have a promo website for it.
The thing is that Sony doesn’t allow that yet since the firmware isn’t final yet (see EXIF). Steven Huff mentioned he was kindly asked not to even have a memcard in the cameras he handled! These are just rushed leaks taken my “me first” obsessed amateurs behind the backs of half asleep Sony staffers – and it shows.
I understand that and the firmware is a valid excuse when it comes to reviewers. But for their own advertising material?
http://cameras.olympus.com/en-us/omd/photographers
http://cameras.olympus.com/en-us/omd
http://fujifilm-x.com/x-e1/en/
That is how, imho, they should be presenting their cameras.
Well, I expect them to make a little more serious PR when they are actually shipping. Getting a lot of preorders doesn’t mean anything if they get canceled before the actual shipment.
They would probably be cancelled because of bad PR 🙂
Really? have you seen this one?
http://www.sony.net/Products/di/common/images/products/uxc2/actualphotos/set1/photo_sample1.jpg
Critique the quality not the integrity.
Isn’t it possible to take sharp shots with the A7??
Couldn’t be that hard-.-
no IBIS, no lens OIS….Sony strikes again….great idea, horrible execution…
Yeah, sure, Sony’s fault. What’s next, blame your camera for your framing?
+1
Isn’t the best question to ask maybe how Sony stands up against the competition?
Is there another camera from another manufacturer that can take the same photo, but WITH IS?
I don’t know, I would love to hear answers.
I see this system as crippled, like Sony is keeping IBIS in reserve for other models. If I were buying this body to use with old manual non-stabilized lenses, I would definitely want IBIS. If I wasn’t interested in those old lenses, I would have other options from other manufacturers, options that were presumably stabilized in the lenses themselves. Of course I could be entirely wrong.
It’s not that photography is impossible without IS, it is that if it is reasonably easy to implement in some fashion, why not do it? It’s like AF–sure, it’s possible without it, but it’s most often better with it, with some obvious exceptions.
I’m still at somewhat of a loss to explain why the images don’t look any good, and I don’t think the absence of IBIS is the whole answer.
I simply meant that lack of stabilization is a bad excuse, not that it is useless.
I doubt Sony is keeping the feature for other cameras, it’s too good of a feature to be missed out and they can simply cripple the camera in plenty of other ways (like software) to differentiate it in their lineup. Stabilizing a big sensor is obviously trickier, they said so when the A900 came out, but would also take space and generate heat in an already small camera, and will eat the already short battery life even more. But I could also be wrong 🙂
I read on here (a long while back) that the reason the NEX line didn’t have IBIS is because it would make the camera thicker. As in, they need more room to house the components. I don’t know how true that is but it would explain why they don’t include it. The line is meant to stay slim. But still, if an iPhone can do it via software then I don’t see why Sony can’t do the same. Just crop the image a couple MP if need be. But realistically, IBIS is hit and miss and I’ve learned just to go with faster glass. Really what we should all be complaining about is Sony’s jpg engine and poor high ISO quality. If they can fix that then there is no need for IBIS.
totally agree! photography is impossible without it 😀
OK. I will call you ” OIS Photographer “.
The IBIS is strong in this one!
God knows that no one ever took a sharp photo before image stabilization came along.
The earliest Camera’s did use image stabilisation, it was called a tripod. Over time, technology developed and allowed photographers to leave the tripod behind… Hopefully, this true for the A7/r.
My camera has OBTS (Outside Body Tripod Stabilization)
If someone can’t take sharp shots with standard to ultra-wide angle lenses without image stabilization, they should quit taking photos. IBIS or OIS is not necessary in a 35mm or 55mm, especially in decent light or with a camera with excellent high-ISO performance in low light. I don’t know why so many people are bitching about this. Wait until the camera is out and there are some reviews before making a decision…they will be out soon enough.
If you are a bit serious about making test photos you use a tripod and exosure delay to avoid human error. After all it is about the camera/lens combination and the quality it can deliver. “testers” that just go out, take a few shots, then look at quality are no way serious.
Agreed. These images are unbelievably bad. Waiting for someone to use the A7 for some real photography.
Just a query folks. I have a Nex7 and am happy with it at the moment. I was considering buying the 16-70mm Zeiss aps-c lens but looking to the future and a possible upgrade to a full frame body i was wondering if it would be possible to use the new 24-70mm Zeiss on my Nex7? Also, are there any pre order options for a A7 or A7r with an Canon EF adapter as I have a few L lenses? thanks in advance for your help.
there is no Sony official adapter for Canon lenses, only third party adapter.
Metabones makes an EOS to E-mount adapter that even tries to preserve AF function.
Come on, that link will secretly install Ask search and God knows what else! Here’s a 7 days mirror for the ZIP instead:
http://www.fileconvoy.com/dfl.php?id=gef908f412b59b82a99939517113c5fa3d9b41b5b3
These are the same pictures we saw yesterday, taken with a zoom ??? now taken with primes ???
as a current a99 owner, I am not impress with the sample quality from the a7r so far. is01250 still not comparable to nikon d800 file that i often see from my buddy’s camera. just my 2 cents. i thought sony finally put out a camera worthy to stand up to d800. i am a little disappointed.
They haven’t put the camera out yet, it’s just an announcement.
They haven’t even finalized the firmware yet, relax.
Exactly, judge away with a pre-production. And unless you shoot extensively with the D800, how can you know for sure the D800 will outperform? The only way to answer this is to shoot exactly the same scene with the same lens and process the same way. One thing I know for sure that this 7R would not have that left focus issue or dust in sensor.
There are no cameras or camera brands that do not have some quality control issues regardless what we think these are just mass produced electronic goods.I have had my two D800 models since they firs came out in the UK with zero issues just as I suspect the vast number of owners have had no issues.
In internet forums you get all sorts of wild exaggerations often from fanboys of other brands who have never touched the camera concerned let alone owned it. This is small consolation for the guys who get problem cameras. Sony are hardly saints in the problem category .
So far I have honestly not seen one shot that makes me think wow this is as good as my D800 ,however I will wait on controlled tests from proper sites before making any kind of informed decision. These shots all appear to be little more than grabbed snapshots.Getting the maximum from a 36mp sensor requires a bit of disciple in your shooting technique
Ritch,
as I understand it you can but it will become a 36-105.
Second question don’t know
Thanks Paul, thats what happens when I swap my lenses from full frame 5D to Apsc 550D canons so expected the magnification factor. Just wanted to check that the new lens would work on both full frame and apsc as I’m pretty sure the 16-70mm only works on the smaller sensor sonys.
Well, the 16-70 will technically _work_ on the A7(R) as will any E-mount lens, but it will most probably not cover the full frame, but just the APS-C sized center area.
maybe the author of this site should be more selective when it comes to linking the photos of some guys messing around with the new cameras? why dont you just wait for images people put some effort into.
Many thanks for the four Trojan horses in link (software) http://www.sendspace.com/file/7b7f0o for downloading the raw files and mash up my computer. am i the only one ?
watch for viruses , mine been affected too , Andrea protect your readers,
viruses…
Unfortunately, a high percentage of all samples I have seen are amateurish, unterexposed, blurry, bad lit etc.
Nothing that really helps potential customers with high expectations. We have to wait until the cameras are in the hands of more experienced photographers or at least photographers who have time enough to test the camera outside of shady showrooms with a bit more time.
Hi Bernie,
> Nothing that really helps potential customers
Allow me to suggest a different perspective 😉
The sooner the samples are available the faster raw converters are going to support the cameras.
Reposting this from a previous thread as it is still relevant.
The A7R and Zeiss 35mm seem to be A LOT better than the horrible standard zoom and the files remind me very much of the Nikon D800E. It looks like there is a lot more noise reduction applied as default even in Capture One which I think has caused most of the complaints.
Have processed one of the files with no noise reduction in Capture Pro and then imported into Lightroom – it is obvious that there are too many light sources with different colour temperatures when the image was taken – a perfect white balance is almost impossible to achieve without PP.
Have a look at the donwload link and enlarge to 100% to see what the sensor and lens seem to be really capable off which is very encouraging and what I was hoping for.
https://www.hightail.com/download/OGhmTGswNkd5UkZBSXNUQw
Oh deer!
That picture really is bad.
It amazes me that after 3 days and there is still no single good picture taken with A7/R on the internet that WOWs me besides two official pictures from Sony.
Do you folks honestly believe that these cameras will not be capable of at least capturing images at the quality level of the D600/D800 – the two highest rated sensors on DXOMark?
You either (a) have little faith (b) have little understanding of Sony’s place in the sensor industry or (c) are a troll
It’s easy to have little faith when you can see what Pentax could squeeze out of Sony’s own sensor 🙂
But I think people are more worried about the lens performance.
Lots of complaints about blurry images.
Ive been saying all along sony needs to put IBIS in these cameras.
Foolish sar readers kept critisizing me for saying over and over again that it needs ibis and saying we dont need it.
Now they have what they want.
A sopposidly good camera that consistantly takes blury pictures.
The biggest factor in taking a sharp picture by far is camera movement.
The second biggest factor is focus and depth of field.
Only after those are good does the sharpness of the camera become the most important facter.
NO IBIS HUGE MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Based on the comments of the last 6 weeks, I’d say IBIS was highly desirable for this camera (many hoped for olympus’s 5 axis tech).
It appears that it is being reserved for a-mount cameras only since Sony is releasing e mount lenses with OSS. Sony implemented IBIS on a mount bodies to make a higher profit on lenses. A mount lenses are generally priced equal to or higher than equivalent lenses from canon & Nikon that have IS/VR.
For e-mount bodies, one could make the case that Sony did not implement IBIS to keep the camera bodies as small as possible or that it is technically not feasible. I would argue that Sony did not include it to give their lenses a competitive edge over users seeking to adapt their collection of legacy manual focus lenses.
If you are buying sony lenses and not Zeiss, you are missing the beauty of sony cameras. If not, sony cameras are sub par no matter how great the body is.
A great camera can be a sub par one at the same time? I’m a Zeiss fan and shooting exclusively with Zeiss, but this is such a rubbish statement. As for the exclusion of IBIS, I think Sony still has not figured it out to best implement in these mirrorless. It might heat up the sensor faster during video, or they have not perfected the electronic IBIS. But if they can change the name from NEX to Alpha to distinguish their new line-up, I would think by the time we have IBIS, they would simply name it something else.
I predominantly shoot with the sony zeiss 24-70 and then sony zeiss 16-35, but I havethe non-zeiss sony 85mm and some older minolta lenses that produce nice sharp photos too. I like the sony zeiss lenses but I won’t limit myself to them. The Sony 135mm STF lens appeals to me more than the 135mm sony zeiss, I’m probably going to purchase the former once I get a chance to test it out at B&H. I’m holding off on the Zeiss 85 until an SSM version is released.
I’d like to see a ZA mount version of Zeiss’s 15mm 2.8 lens. A-mount is lacking a rectilinear superwide prime. I was holding out for the “new 70-200 g lens…but I’m going to look into 3rd party offerings as the update is so lame.
I’d say the biggest factor in blurry images is poor technique (not camera movement or subject movement).
Case in point, in the example photo above, why set ISO at 500 and use 1/60th (no flash was used).
The A7/A7r is capable of producing clean files up to 6400 I would guess. Why then wasn’t the shot taken at 1/100th or 1/200th?
My guess is… poor technique.
Photographer ability is certainly the most important factor for good pix.
Not everyone who uses this is going to have good camera skills and indeed these cameras are primarily geared towards evryday peaple…not pro photograpers.
We have the technical ability to compensate to some extent with camera technology.
Not every photo opportunity allows the use of the best technique and many photo opportunities do not allow enough time to even decide the best technique.
Since we are talking about the merrits of the camera that is what is most relevent to this discussion even though what you say is true.
Since you mention technique to reduce blur…
Take shots in bursts of three or more.
Discard the first and last shot…the middle shots will show less blur becase activting and releasing the shutter cause camera movement.
I don’t think these would be for everyday people. I doubt that many pros would buy these for their job either. As for the blurry raws, I think the guy just wanted to take some quick shots to show off as the few first with raw samples. Obviously he didn’t care much about technique (look at the framing or ISO/shutter choice). I don’t think Sony would allow this either. A bit of adrenaline rush would give you those shaky shots :).
Have any high iso test shots been released yet?
I don’t get why the angry _against_ IBIS… 🙁
Same old problem
Sony is truly outstanding sensor maker p,but just good camera maker.
Sure, put IBIS in this and then you have a regular DSLR sized camera that’s roughly 500 or more bucks. Then add overheating issues.
I couldnt care less about saving a few bucks or saving a few ounces if the pictures are crap!
As i said some people will like this camera.for me
No ibis..cant use a mount lenses
No sensor shift..cant use mf lenses
Optimized fo short wa lenses..cant use macro or telephoto lenses
Lower resolution than a77..no depth of field
Thede cameras are completely useless for me.
But they are good cameras and some people(with different needs than me) will love them.
No wildlife photographer will get good results with these cameras.
“Thede cameras are completely useless for me.”
OK fine and STFU.
Your camera is out there somewhere or may come in the future.
Notice that all the complaints so far about blurry images are images taken handheld with normal to wa lense.
This is what this camera SHOULD be best at.
NO IBIS BIG MISTAKE!!!!
Man I shot over 10,000 photos with my NEX-5r when I demoed it and very rarely complained about blurry images. Maybe you don’t understand the demand and market of this camera. “It’s Nitch”
As i said in EVERY one of my posts about this camera it is a good camera for some people and has many good qualities.
It simply lacks the qualities that are important for animal photography.
I own 3 NEX cameras and am definitely in the “niche” for this camera.
I will keep using what I have and not upgrade to a full frame until Sony puts out an emount with IBIS.
I believe that they have not done so because they have not had time to fully integrate the new technology they have acquired from Olympus. The new cameras were almost certainly under development before Sony made its big investment in Olympus and do not take that new alliance into account.
I think the points Barry is making are perfectly valid and do not think he should be bullied for making them, especially as he now does so very reasonably.
“It simply lacks the qualities that are important for animal photography.”
Come on man ,I could take that turtle photo with my old large format kit :-)then I must be special as I have thousands of sharp images taken with my D800’s using primes with no VR 🙂
Thats not a photo its a painting. The eastern painted turtle is a detail (SMALL PORTION) of one of my recent paintings.
The fact that you would need an old medium format camera just to duplicate a small detail of one of my paintings illustrates why todays cameras are not high enough res.
You could also never have taken that turtle with a medium format because you could never have gotten close enough without a boat and the turtle would have run away.
Perhaps you could have photographetd a small detail of my painting with your old medium format camera.
Hey Barry. Move along please. You are adding nothing useful to the discourse.
The market for the A7 and A7r are photo enthusiasts and pros – people who know what they’re doing. Of course you’re not going to get good results from them when used in the hands of someone who would be better with a point and shoot.
Keep saying that to yourself. A real photographer wouldn’t take this camera seriously anyway. Lack of native fast lens support, no IBIS? What?
The people buying these cameras are enthusiasts. This sells based off its size and sensor- that’s it.
This camera without a doubt is of the users from which are the NEX-7 category. This is in every way a Pro version of the NEX line. I don’t know why they don’t just call a duck a duck. If you want a professional no holds bar camera, then the a99 and that alike are right there waiting for ya. Or even wait for the new announcement next year that will use e-mount and a-mount lenses without an adapter but for now, this is the smallest and best full frame camera in the e-mount line that will not be upgraded or surpassed until at least summer of 2014 like the usual Sony repetition. Going from a NEX-5R or NEX-7 to this Sony a7 is blessed. Thanks Sony for doing something now instead of later.
Damnit Barry, get a f***ing Canon 1DX with a 600L IS and live happy!
It was intended as a joke Barry.Frankly your posts get dafter and dafter there are tens of thousands of photos of turtles even some taken with medium format and probably some no doubt even taken by large format.
Turtles are hardly cheetahs with regard to speed and would present little challenge to most any reasonable camera.Frankly if simply must have image stabilization then I would suggest Canon or Nikon , Nikon has image stabilized lenses covering from 16mm to 1200mm { 1800mm for DX or dx crop mode } with far better AF than Sony and certainly far better AF than these cameras appear to have.
they don’t look like RAW files at all, maybe we need a better foftware like LR to see better results but these look like jpegs with NR on
Based on the images so far would I be better getting the Zeiss FE 35/2.8 or Voigtlander Nokton 35 1.2 Aspherical II lens for the a7r? Thanks.
I was very close to ordering an A7R. Lack of IBIS was a turn off but I talked myself into believing I don’t need it. Another reason I wanted the A7R was that I have a collection of old Konica full frame Hexanon manual focus lenses that I thought would find new life on the FF A7R. Now I worry that I will suffer vignetting when I use those lenses FF. The Konica-to-Nex adapter I have is about 20mm long. We could get away with this on the older Nex APSc format. I think I’m asking for trouble if I think I can get away with using these lenses FF on a camera they were not designed for.
Again I find myself waiting for a designed to use my large collection of A-mount lenses. If I want to use my old Konica Hexanon lenses, I’ll go on e-Bay and buy a used Nex-7.
A collection, interesting… what have you got? I am guessing a 57mm for a start?
Yes, a 57mm f/1.2 (my favorite lens of all time) a 300mm, and many more.
I can understand about the Minolta A mount lenses to some extent but those orphaned Konica lenses do not have a place in the modern sensors.
If the focus is on photography, it is better to let go of the old stuff and buy and use what works.
Whatever legends that the old lenses have created are of absolutely no use today. It only brings utter despair and disappointment.
@Hendrick, Sadly I fear you are correct about my old Konica lenses. 🙁
Yet, somehow there is part of me that wants to see what they can do.
I notice that on ebay I can now buy LA-ea2 adapters for under $200 and a Nex-7 w/lens for under $800. So for under $1000 I could have a camera that would let my play with my old Konica lenses. Better yet, I could attach my Sony 300mm f/2.8 to it and have one hell of a birding lens with split phase focus and 1.5X magnification. I would also have a small camera for hiking with.
I suspect that some are selling off their Nex stuff to jump on the A7/R bandwagon. This opens another option while I bide my time waiting for Sony make a new camera for the A-mount faithful.
Cheers! 🙂
Don’t worry, it should work well, i have konica 57 f1.2 too, it still super sharp when i turn it to f2 on my xe-1,but as i understand from most of the review, a7 work better on old lens better then a7r,a7r will cast the magenta on the corners. Anyway, for me a7’s 24mp is good enough for me.
I spoke to some experts on this topic and was told that he expects that my old Hexanon lenses will work on a A7/R should I buy one. He told me that the vinyetting I feared on FF would not occur. Now here comes a bigger surprise: I have already ordered a different camera! I decided that what I really wanted was a simple to use camera that I would not mind lugging with me when I travel. I ordered a RX-100 MK2.
I’ll still lurk on SAR in hopes of see a camera dedicated to the A-mount base.
I disagree. Most of the really good old lenses are still terrific, even on the newest sensors. Some are as sharp as new primes. But there is also the smooth bokeh (look at the awful bokeh of the zeiss 32mm touit for instance). And they will last pretty much forever. And last bit not least: You don’t have to change lenses if you change the camera brand. I would never sell my old manual Zuiko primes. Could change my camera in a heartbeat and just need a new adapter 🙂
I was specific about those Konica lenses and Dave graciously understands. It is a different scenario with OM lenses (some of the at least). I would not go near the touits. I not only hate the name but the actual lenses also. Not worth my dime.
Have you really try the 57 f1.2?, if you tried, i think you got a bad copy, i can’t comment o other konica lens, but 57f1.2 is very good lens even on modern digital camera, i tried a lot of old lens, but the konica 57 f1.2 is the only one i keep and never consider to sell, it is still selling for $500+ usd on ebay now, it has its value that is why it is still expensive consider its age, it is little blur on,1.2 wide open(it is normal even for modern lens), but when reduce it to f2, it is super sharp
You should visit mflenses.com on a regular basis to get a good estimation of the true value of these old gems 🙂 Of course manufacturers want you to buy new stuff, but there’s really no reason for that, if you can live with manual focus. Konica is superb, as is Topcon and of course the six big Japs and a few Germans and Russians. Character, that’s what you will encounter 🙂
Harv and others- I know mflenses forum (not a member) but most (I know roughly who has what) will have to come to me to know a few things about many MF lenses. There are good ones (rare) and a whole lot of junk, notwithstanding ebay values and such.
I don’t think you know this by own experience. Of course you shouldn’t want to use a cheap seventies zoom lens, or a thrift shop Sears or other no-name, but very many old (and expensive) primes are still on par with nowadays lenses. Rule of thumb: all fast primes coming from Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Minolta, Topcon, Konica, Zeiss and Leitz are more than good enough to give superior results on this A7(r). Testing other brands (Yashica, Fujica, Staeble, Mir, Industar) can be quite surprising too. On the start of the digital era, lens manufacturers fooled a lot of people that old lenses weren’t good enough anymore. Why? Did laws of physics change?
And yes, I do own a lot (> 50) of them, I can distinguish mediocre from good from excellent.
To be honest, the Hexanon 57/1.2 is not that sharp compared to other manual focus 50ish 1.2. Bokeh wise, it might be as nice as the Rokkor 58/1.2, but that Rokkor is sharper. The sharpest 50ish 1.2 I have shot with are the Canon FD 55/1.2 Asph (sharper than the current EF) and Contax 55/1.2. Overall, I still think that ZA 55/1.8 would beat most of the 50s out there, especially all of those less expensive one.
No need to get an 1.2 lens, most 1.4’s are good enough, sometimes even better. My Konica Hexanon 1.4/57 is brilliant.
I am with Rolleiflex. Old Contax 55/1.2is gold and the new Zeiss 55/1.8is bound to be even better than that. 🙂
the images are awfull, probably because of the photographer, i just played with one of the raw’s for about 2 minutes… and liked
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/6776/kxpe.jpg
I am sorry Quark but that image looks dreadful.
Ritch
If you take a look here:
http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/products/lenses/lineup/detail/sel2470z.html
It is mentioned in the specs the APSC equivalent.
This make me hope that the lens (actually all FF lens offered by Sony/Zeiss) will be fully functional on say a NEX7.
An official confirmation would be appreciated
Animalbarry,
You are not the only one that would like IBIS and more than 50 Mpix
So here is one that second you instead of criticizing
Regards
Paul
Of course the full frame E-mount lenses will be fully functional on APS-C NEX. The only difference is in the larger image circle covered by the full frame lenses.
I don’t like this camera to be honest. But, in its defense I think the RAW files are just bad pics. We’ll probably see some really nice pics in the next few days. No IBIS is a deal killer for me though. Give me the additional bulk- how much does it really matter anyway. You’ll all be crying when the Alpha mount comes out with these but includes all the stuff obviously missing.
Can no one on ain’t alpha rumors shoot without stabilization? This is kind of embarrassing. Not to mention IBIS would put quite a higher price tag on the cameras.
Good that the A7/R cheaper as rumored is, isn’t it?
IBIS would make it expensive, but some people are ready to pay for it (yes, I’m one)
So, I’m really really hopping for a NEX-Rangefinder-Style and IBIS (A8 maybe) even if body only it’s 3000€
I’m confident that the images will be better than my nex7. I’m really not too worried. I’m just waiting to see the differences between the 7 and 7r. I’m very confident I’ll be getting one of them.
I’m fine without IBIS and am happy to take the reduced size instead.
My guess is almost all the best (recognized) photos in the word were taken by photographers using cameras *without* IBIS.
Pulitzer Prize winning photos… World Press Photo Awards… National Geographic Gold Medal photos, etc.
Am I wrong?? http://www.worldpressphoto.org/
The point is, to my mind, IBIS has little (if anything) to do with taking great photos.
I know, it’s so funny. Really I’m just humoring them but not having IBIS in a camera is like whining that your iPhones camera doesn’t have enough megapixels.
Creating high quality hand-held video is an order of magnitude easier if the camera or lens is stabilized.
As someone who shoots a lot of video in situations where a tripod is not viable this is important to me.
Get a Movi if you’re serious about it…. This is first and foremost a still camera.
True so long as it is hardware based stabilization and not the software stabilization used in the SLT cameras. Using “steady shot” for video on a99 it results in significant quality and sharpness degradation.
“My guess is almost all the best (recognized) photos in the word were taken by photographers using cameras *without* IBIS.”
Well they are PROs, I’m not, and neither want nor pretend to be. That said, I don’t care that other people use it or not, but I know what I want, and that is IBIS.
A professional sports, wildlife or action photographer would ve a fool to not use IS. Anything that calls for lenses 200mm or over greatly benefit from IS.
too bad, non of this expensive full frame dslr offer slomo frame rate like in iPhone 5s lol…
The only thing I worry with the A7 and any future e mount FF cameras is the lens direction of Sony. Since there is now a FF option within the same mount ecosystem, does that mean any future quality or Zeiss lenses will only be FE lenses? Sure those lenses would work just fine on APSC bodies, but that would mean that anything of high quality would mean larger or slower lenses.
I personally don’t have a strong need to switch to FF at the moment as an APSC sensor gives you a sort of best of both worlds approach with the shallow DOF when you need it, yet a slight FOV bump for telephoto needs and deeper depth of field for my architectural needs. So I’m just worried that Sony will no longer see a need to produce high quality optics for the APSC users. I also wonder about Zeiss and their touit lenses, if they would continue to bring out more lenses or if they will only focus on producing larger, FE lenses now.
This is the only reason I ever think about going with a Canon or Nikon setup on those rare occasions since I know what to expect and can have comfort investing in glass and cameras without having to worry about innovation. Like that joke I threw in there? 😉
You can expect at least three years of FE type lenses and camera’s living strong.
Canikon have very few lenses made specifically for APSC, it is really only in the wide angle area that it matters. There is no strong reason for FE lenses to be bigger at the same aperture once you get past 50mm (I believe that “APSC” 50mm more of less covers full frame).
I would be much more worried about the need for solid FE lenses for the actual A7/A7r buyers. I understand the lack of lenses above 100mm since they would be most problematic for the AF at this time and not have much size advantage, but it is sad that we don’t get a high quality WA in the short term.
Not just for Pro/Enthusiast photographers but this is a sick camera for video enthusiasts because of the Auto focus capabilities.
Based on the bit rate, I suspect the a7 uses the same compression / encoding algorithm as the a99 and should produce similar results. Many have been disappointed by the a99’s video results because of the lineskipping / downsampling. The a9r will probably be even worse.
The a7 has better auto focus.
The AF in the a99 is limited significantly by sony’s firmware. If you are going to purchase this because of AF with video then I highly recommend that you test it.
For instance, when in cinema mode the camera defaults to f3.5 (regardless of the lens aperture) and changes the shutter speed wildly to get the exposure it wants. You cannot set the aperture with AF and changing the shutter speed as it does is ridiculous since as you probably know the shutter speed should be based on the frame rate ( 24fps = 1/48 shutter or 1/50 since it is the closest option). To compensate, I trick the exposure into 1/50 & f3.5 and use the AE lock before hitting record.
Because of the limitations, I use MF more often than not. The a7 may share these strange firmware decisions.
I don’t know of any enthusiast videographer would rely on AF. You can’t never do a smooth follow focus with AF…
They should have made the A7/A7r in A mount.
GUYS, this is a good look – http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-alpha-7-7r/ – http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/digital-slrs-hybrids/sony-alpha-a7-1189941/review/2#articleContent
Thanks! Focus is still all over the place and again weird settings, but better.
Jeeehh… Ugly pictures.
Take a look here http://briansmith.com/sony-a7r-field-test/ and see what a pro can do with the A7R.
Those are misleading, theres a ton of pp in those
People dont be naive, ibis or ois is not the problem here. Some shots are well within the acceptable shutter speeds and are still super soft (nof blurry). The time has come to accept that whatever they did to the microlenses or some other reason makes fhe output of this cameras soft. This cant be fixed in firmware. Why are we waiting for tripod studio still lice shota ahen none of us shoot that? We shoot in just about the same scenarios that have been posted so far, and I that regard the camera fails. The full frame placebo effect is taking full toll on some people, you cant put the one decent sample over the overwhelming amount of bad ones around.
Truly, you don’t know what you are talking about. You are saying acceptable shutter speed as if you wouldn’t be able to get motion blur shooting at that speed. Yes, with bad technique, you can still get motion blur at 1/200 with a 55 lens. Furthermore, the 36MP would greatly enhance any of the motion blur. The tripod studio test is to show you what you can get out under ideal condition. If you can’t get that normally, you know you need to improve your technique. It’s so easy to blame the equipment than to blame yourself. And there is no full frame placebo effect. The physics is there. I, myself, don’t need IBIS. I would rather learn the breathing technique of marksman than rely on such tech. But for older people, it definitely helps.
“Why are we waiting for tripod studio still lice shots when none of us shoot that? ”
Actually as a landscape shooter I shoot nearly all my shots exactly that way mounted on a tripod , with self timer on and using manual focus.By doing this or observing the results of this being done one can instantly find out the fly in the ointment.If the results is perfect ,then the sensor/metering etc are not to blame so the problem either lies in the AF or the lenses.
I think that there are now so many bad sample shots from people who handle all kinds of cameras every working day .Some of the shots like those from
the photographyblog.com website look downright awful:
We can simply blame the photographer despite the fact that they have previously managed to post decent shots from dozens of cameras from all price brackets and formats. His sample shots from the Panasonic GM1 also just announced seem just fine .I am beginning to strongly suspect that there is something wrong somewhere.
http://www.photographyblog.com/previews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_gm1_photos/
So far I have not seen one convincing shot from the A7r While I am very much interested in this camera I am in no hurry to buy it and prefer to wait and see what more controlled shots deliver.
>So far I have not seen one convincing shot from the A7r<
How many have you seen? Three? Five? Were they the kind of photographs you're used to? Of course not. Far too early to judge that camera. Don't expect yourself to be able to do so.
I agree with several other commenters on the poor quality of the photographs posted to date. I suppose it isn’t the job or intent of SAR to review the images they post, but it certainly would separate some of the wheat from the chaff if they did. I think that “bad” publicity is worse than no publicity. It certainly would have served Sony to have put several of these cameras into more competent hands to counter the predominately poor images that are in circulation at present.