You can now have some fun and play with the JPG and RAW comparison tool that just added the A7r images (Click here). There is also a new A7-A7r experience review article (Click here). And there is a surprising statement:
After shooting with the α7 and α7R for some time, I preferred the α7R for its faster, more reliable autofocus and better images overall. Naturally, I wanted to prefer the α7, with its lower-res 24MP sensor and lower price. The main reason I preferred the α7R: I liked the images better, and I liked the experience better. The α7’s JPEG noise suppression looks quite overprocessed, giving even out-of-focus areas a brush-stroke appearance, and its phase-detect autofocus isn’t as fast, nor as accurate (we’ll be testing further to confirm and characterize this).
So, now it’s the A7r that has a faster AF?
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Specs and Preorders in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.
Specs and Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.
98 Responses
A7 faster AF? Not sure what this guy smoked.
Well actually there is logical reason why A7R might focus faster is certain conditions: lack of optical lowpass filter. Contrast detection will of course perform better when it’s easier to find contrast differences in the scene. Lack of lowpass filter makes the contrast detection work better in theory and I think this reviewer just confirmed that in practise.
No….
Contrast detect works on relative amounts, not absolute amounts. By your logic, increasing the MPs also means CD works faster… that’s not at all the case.
No….
You can also think this other way around: just put something in front of the lens that makes the image more blur. I can guarantee that contrast detection is slower now. And that what optical lowpass-filter is: a blurring filter, when it’s removed AF should be faster.
Why not turn the camera off in the process? 😉
See my reply to Zachery…
Given that he’s actually used both cameras for an extended period of time and I assume you haven’t I don’t think he’s smoking anything!
You’re not going to convince sony faboys of anything, even if it’s sony VS sony. Sony cameras can never lose to another even if it’s their own. LMFAO.
You are not going to convince Sony haters either, ever.
AF Test
A7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MriykjUEuRo
A7R
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxqhVCOwipc
A7 faster than A7R
Don’t forget dpreview have a shop, – They have cameras to sell……
When I had a brief turn with both camera’s I found the A7R with the 55/1.8 faster than the A7 with the 35/2.8. I thought it was just a pre production problem.
If that is so, I think it might actually have something to do with the lenses used. Because I just tried both the bodies, and ironically mine have the 32mm on the a7r and the 55mm on the a7, and the a7 focuses WAY faster than the a7r, and the a7r hunt quite a lot when focusing at infinity. It was instant on the a7, and the a7r felt way slower.
I have tried both. And I have the a7 in my hand now. I can say that the a7 is definitely faster than a7r. I ultimately bought the a7 because of faster focus, and I have a lot of family photos to shoot. And I don’t need more megapixels.
Just got mine today, and I am very impressed by this system. It is the real deal. But will have to take out for a field test to know for sure. I am using OMD E-M1 right now.
I read somewhere else that HK was being delivered today?
Yup…picked mine up today from the Sony shop.
Thanks. Enjoy that Camera!!
How is the focus tracking working indoors with the A7?
Does the A7 focus only using phase detect or does it use a combination of phase and contrast?
You say you shoot an E-M1. Do you happen to have a 20/1.7? If so, would you mind posting a comparison shot of the 20/1.7 compared to the Sony 35/2.8?
Holy smokes that’s impressive. I want to wait for the new Alpha FF but this is making it very tempting not to. Kudos to Sony. Glad to see we’re on top for once in terms of image quality.
I’m surprised Sony hasn’t had better results for years since they’re the ones supplying a good portion of the sensors out there. Unless Sony was never confident in the past with making their own top tier cameras, why give out such great sensors to your competitors? Wouldn’t they want to tweak the sensors just slightly so that they always have the best, even if minor?
Unfortunately D700 has a better ISO performance within all the range
can be compared on Kodak’s Color Chart
LOL!!!! 5 year old tech, 12MP vs 36MP aaaand Kodak is no longer in business. Thanks for coming out. Come again.
Seriously which one is faster now?! I just preordered the a7 which I will most like get my hand on in the next week or so! If the a7r is faster I need to change my preorder fast!
Aside from this dpreview first impression, the guy from cameralab posted his first impression days ago, mentioned that a7 is not much faster than a7r.
He also said that only within its Phase detection area, which is a small square area in the center, can A7 focus continuously when tracking the moving subject.
Get the A7r + LA-EA4 and you’ll get the whole world in your hand.
Each camera will have performance advantages in different situations. Hybrid AF only kicks in during relatively well lit scenes. Officially it is 0EV at f/2.8. Second concern is that CDAF is faster as pixels are smaller and sharper. So the a7r likely has faster CDAF. The reviewer probably hasn’t noticed the advantages of the PDAF so much as they only really serve to make up for larger pixels on the 24mp sensor and the feature doesn’t really shine until you start doing continuous AF in well lit scenes.
For single AF lock in homes, pubs, indoor events, evening walks, etc, the a7r is likely a touch faster.
But remember, it costs $600usd more, has no electronic front curtain, produces huge files, has a pathetic 1/160s sync speed, and will be the worse camera for moving objects.
Each camera serves different situations.
For ultimate top iq, the a7r IS going to win, though. Pixels matter, no matter what rubbish people have been feeding you over the years.
“Pixels matter” – yes, but at some point there are diminishing returns. At these pixel densities there are tradeoffs. I think 36mp sits “on the bubble”, with the only way forward being layered sensor designs.
At low ISOs, Sigma’s Foveon cameras produce some shockingly great quality images. I’d love to see that tech progress and give at least 1600 ISO usable.
“Second concern is that CDAF is faster as pixels are smaller and sharper. So the a7r likely has faster CDAF. ”
CDAF doesn’t work on individual pixels. They can’t because “contrast” is a spatial concept and so regions with many pixels (if not whole frame) are used. Think of it like peaking focus where the camera counts and tries to maximise the number of pixels that light up within a selected region (or whole frame) by moving the focus.
Also, the regions sizes used for CDAF are likely the same between the two cameras in terms of the physical area and therefore the noise (that makes CDAF difficult) will exist in similar levels between the two cameras… one having smaller pixels wouldn’t matter because more pixels will fit in to that region. Same concept as less MP vs. more MP sensors of the same size.
“Also, the regions sizes used for CDAF are likely the same between the two cameras in terms of the physical area and therefore the noise (that makes CDAF difficult) will exist in similar levels between the two cameras… ”
That is pure speculation. Two different sensors should be optimised differently.
Focus region sizes being the same between a7 and a7r is not due to a lack of optimisation… it’s a matter of consistency.
Unless you have compared these two for focus regions side by side, you’re also speculating… but it doesn’t make sense for Sony to make two cameras that even look identical at first glance to have differently sized focus regions. Doesn’t make any sense to do that intentionally.
Hm, the D800has a longer exposure than the A7- with the same Aperture and ISO. Is Nikon cheating?
Nope… just dpreview team being their usual incompetent selves. Like how dxomark once said, when converting raw files using anything other than the manufacturer’s converter, you are sort of letting go of the standardised things like iso.
I even get consistent exposures between film and various digital cameras… and then we have dpreview.
So, tell me have you tested the camera intensively? I mean no offense but what’s your credential to make such a claim about dpreview being incompetence?
It’s called knowing the subject. You should try that sometime instead of blindly thinking that any bunch of jackasses with a website knows what they’re talking about.
I tried A7r yesterday and I’m regret I will pass this generation: shutter shake is the real problem, fixed EVF is indeed a strong limitation, and lack of touchscreen. All this makes this camera is not particularly comfortable to work with, to what I got used to with NEX-5n (sure, there are far more wheels to control EC, ISO, etc, but once you didn’t nail the focus or got a motion blur due to high torque related to distant center of weight placement – less an issue with swivel EVF once angled – all other factors become unimportant). Plus it doesn’t work particularly well with lux 35 asph fle.
I switched my interest from A7r to A7 on the basis of that heavy slow shutter. It’s possible the A7r sync speed was limited to 160 to try to control the mechanical shock. That makes it poor for landscape (vibration), poor for studio (A7 is 1/250), and slower/laggier(no elec. front curtain) for street.
What serious test told you the shutter causes vibrations? Just silly rumour!
That’s how people are… even if the cameras is better in every way than what they already have/don’t have… one little thing to complain about is all they need to say “that’s it! im going back to my couch to wait again” 😉
People take very nice landscapes even with the Pentax 67 which has a massive mirror and shutter vibrations but oooh… not with the a7r… LOL
LOL You’re a prized moron, who believes they can mind-read other people’s purchasing decisions!
@john maverick: although you have only 2 digits of IQ you seem to be very sensitive lol
Well, I was mainly referring to Emacs who stated something about shutter shake not knowing ANYTHING about that. It seems you followed that unfounded, indeed silly rumour. A loud shutter doesn’t necessarily indicate that there’s camera shake, does it? Wait for serious tests before making serious statements!
If you build a camera that’s half to a third the weight of a dslr, then obviously the vibration response is going to be different. Frankly it seems highly probable to me, that Sony have slowed the shutter travel speed in the A7r (xsync is /160) compared to the A7 (sync is 1/200) precisely to dampen the shutter in the A7r because has to perform the additional step of closing before taking the exposure (A7 has efcs). Vibration arising from the impact of the second curtain is obviously neglible because the sensor is no longer being exposed.
If anything, a loud shutter just indicates that less energy is being absorbed by the camera itself…
Assumption, Sir, only assumption. Jumping into a fireman’s sail makes a lot of noise, but my bones get shaken a lot less than without the sail…
Way back when, I did my own tests on a tripod using a timer and shooting with and without mirror lockup.
Using mirror lockup gave considerably sharper shots at some shutter speeds and the EFCS will have a similar effect giving the a7 has that advantage over the a7R.
And comparing with and without EFCS on the NEX-5N, it’s so nice to use both in terms of noise and knowing that any camera induced vibration is occurring only after the shot has been taken – for me personally that feature almost single handedly makes the a7 a better choice than the a7R
So, did he review an A7 with a broken AF/older firmware?
Picked up my a7 with kit lens from Sony HK a few hours ago…
I just ate a sandwich. Now I’m going to watch some TV.
just woke up wassup?
I just checked the dpreview image comparision. Just check the pic of the baby (Default). Change the ISO to 1600 & change the lighting to “Low Light”.
Now compare A7r Vs Canon 5DMK3 Vs Nikon D800. Mind Blowing Performance from the A7r!!! I’m amazed to say the least. Just wish they had the A7 samples too for comparision.
I’m mind blown by the details the Phase One IQ180 sensor is able to produce!!! LOL
At iso 1600? wanna bet?
It’s interesting how people are harping on about phase detect and contrast detect and all kinds of speculated mambo jumbo about the reasons for the comment but they don’t understand that the real difference between PD and CD is seen when tracking rather than in plain speed.
Take a look at how fast the some of the mFT bodies focus with CD alone… much faster than DSLR lenses but they still need to hunt, unlike a proper PD/SLR system and they’re not as good when tracking. That’s where the difference is.
MFT sensors have less latency allowing for faster CD autofocus. It takes much more time to read out a full frame sensor…
α7R for its faster, more reliable autofocus?… lol
DPreview, the have to be very very critical otherwise they can’t give the silver award at the end hahaha
Shawn Barnett, not the best reviewer so take it with a pinch of salt. He might have a point we shall see, but he’s not the most reliable reviewer out there either. He gave us the tediously boring test shots too, entirely lacking in anything interesting.
I’d like to see the views of a real photographer, I don’t find DPR objective or very useful these days
Plus, they take forever now to review anything compared to other review sites like IR. I only go there for ISO tests.
Real photographers will know the camera’s limitations and would probably love the A7/A7r – just because they care about the images, not specifications 😉
thecamerastoreTV reported that the a7 has the faster AF. I’d trust their opinion over this reviewer’s, but perhaps things are different in very low light.
What we learned today:
Just because you have a camera review site doesn’t mean you know how to properly operate a camera.
These early user reports are all over the map, mostly because camera reviewers generally are bad photographers. Outside of Steve Huff and Frank Doorhof, I take these reviews as entertainment only.
Seriously people. Tiny differences in AF performance that review sites can’t even sort out are THAT important?
Running with tripod isn’t always fun. I would leave tripod in studio or I would take tripod with me for serious landscape work or for some macro shooting. IBIS would be very handy in daily use – is it not professional to expect IBIS? Or ay least OSS?
No matter what Sony does, people will be off-put by some “critical” feature that they didn’t put in the camera.
Photographers made amazing photos for all of photographic history without IBIS – and *NOW* we can’t survive without it. This is the silly part. All of a sudden it’s a must-have camera feature.
And PS – your getting OSS with all the FE zooms. And lens stabilization provides better results. Hooray! Right?
OSS is not a tripod, so let’s not fool ourselves into believing that IBIS means “leave the tripod at home and all my images will be sharp” – it’s just a little boost. This is an awesome camera at an awesome price without it.
7r is not a sports camera. So the accuracy of af is more important than it’s speed.
My very personal opinion is that Dpreview’s iso performance test ain’t worth much. The only thing that matters is the amount of light collected by the sensor, to achieve this aperture, shutter speed and light condition must be equal, variations between the pictures must then be adjusted before comparing. Dpreview adjust the lighting and the shutter speed to get comparable JPEG out of camera. In short: worthless. Sorry for my bad English
Too many ?-marks in usability – will check back in 2015 to see what Sony can offer.
The dpreview was substandard in my view. He also complained about the EVF as a means to an end compared to an optical vf, and stated his initial disappointment with the two deck custom menu (which can be reduced to one-deck simply). This shows rather a negative attitude towards the camera(s).
Yes, I also noticed unsharp shots in the Jack Daniels series, especially the cowboy in Jeans jacket from right side. But a glance at the exif shows totally different characteristics: The A7 has the kit zoom at full extension and low shutter speed of (i think) 1/60 = camera shake risk even with OSS, whereas the A7r used one of the primes wide open. So IMHO this test uses many words but has low, reliable content.
I am waiting for a REAL dpreview test.
I’ve tried both cameras, the A7 + kitlens AF was faster than A7R with the 55.
Almost everyone who have handled both cameras agree that the A7 is snappier than the R. Except for dpreview…
the least they could have done is test both cameras with the SAME lens, in similar environment, this is IMO misguided information. How can they claim the A7R is faster without giving it a proper side by side test?
Memo to Sony:
Dude, where’s my camera?
Sincerely,
Canada
Hi – Remember dpreview have a shop – They have cameras to sell as well……
Why no a7r vs a7, or a7r vs d800e image comparison?
The only (nearly) apples to apples image comparison – a7r vs d800 – shows CA in the latter; so, is this comparing sensors or lenses?
Enjoy the Sony a7 cameras cause in about a years time, sony will build another variation without lens support…all because he head honcho gets bored easily and wants to make something different for him and his rich friends. Investing in Sony camera products has a fairy tale shelf life of about….six months.
Get the hell outta here, troll police is on your trail!
Although it was poorly expressed, he does have a point. See the number of Nex cameras out there. The FF lifecycle might be longer… I don’t have issues with Sony releasing cameras even every week, as long as they come with improvements to the hardware.
My point has been made. It’s funny the only point you made was to call me a troll. So what is your point? Wait, you have no point to make, except to attack others when they arent a blind follower like you obviously are. Iam not a troll but you are a worthless scoundrel without a point to make. Make a point of shut up and dont reply, little man.
Sony is fickle. Yes. And so?
The benefits of the camera purchased today will not change in 3-5 years. The range of lenses we’ll be using on it already is great. You know more are coming.
Let’s say, as you predict, that Sony abandons the E-Mount entirely in 3 years – I’d gather that even if we knew that today, they would hit their sales target for this launch.
I’d still buy mine.
So, I guess you point out a true feature of Sony Corporate culture, but your point really isn’t meaningful.
And that is precisely why Sony will never be taken by pros and the ordinary buyer as a serious camera maker or to be trusted. Lenses are coming..etc etc, I’ve heard that before. Olympus also says a 43 camera is coming too…been saying that for years now. It’s time to accept the facts, Sony is not interested in the camera business, it’s interested in the gimmick business. They were nothing before getting Minolta camera tech, they still are not taken seriously since then, and what you call “fickle” is no more than wishy washy lack of direction and stability. Try telling that to the majority of camera buyers who don;t take Sony seriously, including pros. Now before you reply and tell me which pros you know use Sony, or how Sony is sufficient for most work, go outside and look around at the folks NOT using Sony still cameras, that won’t change. Sony is tryingt o reinvent the wheel. Sorry, it’s not possible, as proven by Sony.
Moreover, Sony is trying to do what Minolta failed to years ago. Being a former maxxum user, that doesn’t leave folks like me with any confidence. When I buy a camera, I would like there to be support, for bodies and lenses. I once thought about buying a Sony dslr. Glad I didnt, you know why? Because they stopped making it and made DSLT’s. Now if you like dslrs it means you are screwed. Then it now seems as if they stopped making DSLT’s. If you like dslt’s than you are also screwed. The made the rx1, now it seems as though FF nex is next..and the nex moniker seemingly has been replaced by the word “alpha” So what does this mean for the Alpha line? Not reassuring, is it? Especially if you as a user have invested in Sony A glass.
All this “fickleness” does is send a message to any user or potential user that Sony CAN and WILL drop or change whatever you like at ANY time they choose, regardless of their users. Look at their minolta hotshoe, they changed that,another proprietary item. They could have used that early on, so if you bought any Sony flash guns you are then burned. People who spend over a grand worth of stuff care about their investment, and Sony never helped matters buy constantly throwing whatever they can to see if it sticks on the wall, and everyone who isn’t blind can see the pitfalls of owning sony camera products…which is, Sony wants the user to be loyal but there is absolutely NO loyalty coming from them. I’ll stay away until Sony can make up their minds but I’m not holding my breath.
You’ll stay away? You’re about as sticky here as fresh glue on a piece of paper. There must be something that keeps bringing you back.
Old Maxxum user, we know the motives and grudges, it gets old. Well.. just like old Maxxum users themselves I guess. Generalisations left and right, predictions based on a 6 year active past, being outdated as we speak.
@zohee.
it’s not a grudge dude, it’s the truth. If you can’t handle the truth than maybe you should shut your mouth and LISTEN for a change instead of being such an angry little child. It’s not tiring to me because Minolta FAILED and SONY has FAILED as well. You see any pros and real ppl use them by the bushful in the real world? No you don’t don’t you? so I guess what I had to say has some merit doesn’t it? Hey, if you don’t like me for not trusting Sony, here’s my my response…I don’t give a SHIT about what you think, angry little man. And my second advice to you is to try to LISTEN to ppl instead of being such an ANGRY little dweeb, it also helps when dealing with women…just so you know.
@ Zohee. You know what’s “tiring”? Angry little Fanboys like you that seem to have infected every single damn site on the net, who believe that just because someone doesn’t like what they like gives them an excuse to act like a woman scorned. Take my advice, try not being so angry and LISTEN to other ppls opinions for a change, it helps alot when you’re dealing with women someday.
+100… too many people here make useless insulting statements..
I welcome a debate and a difference of opinion..but if you want to dissagree with someone exress YOUR DIFFERING OPINION….not a worthless insult.
Sloppy work from Dpreview. They even applied different amounts of sharpening and/or NR to the cameras in the comparison tool. The A7R looks noisier there than the D800, but when you download the actual files, they look the same (despite the D800 possibly receiving more light, see shutterspeed).
I chose A7 for shutter and AF, and read the DPR preview with some skepticism. The A7r shutter is like the old one on the NEX5, press the shutter button, shutter closes/opens/closes/opens. I hated it, and yes, shutter shock is a real issues with all of that movement. In comparison, I love the shutter on the NEX7 – instant response. I cannot imagine going backwards on this feature.
If the AF on the A7 is truly slower, that will be disappointment for sure. But I suspect user error, or poor technique – or at least, a technique I wouldn’t use, such as allowing the camera to choose focus point. I did not go to PhotoExpo here in NYC, but have friends who did, and they all reported much faster AF on the A7, but only when they turned the PDAF system on – by default, it was off on the cameras on display.
Also have to note that for the work I do, which is not landscape, 24mp is a lot, so A7 is better (less data to process and store). If you shoot landscape, the shutter response won’t be an issue and extra pixels will be welcome, no doubt, so A7r.
No matter how good an e mount camera sony makes without ibis its not a good choice for current a mount users.
I would like a smaller e mount camera but already have a collection of a mount lenses therefore am not a customer.
Perhaps Sony should add another feature to their A-E adapter…OSS 😀
I was reading up on types of lens distortion, and correction methods used.
The bottom line is that there is no perfect lens, and that excellent lenses are difficult/expensive to design/produce.
What struck me was that the various distortions ALL get progressively worse, the farther out you go from the center of the image.
This is the argument for using FF lenses in crop mode. Even excellent FF lenses should perform better across the field on a smaller sensor.
Everybody knows about sharpness falling off toward the edges, but what surprised me was that everything else gets worse, too–coma, chromatic aberration, etc.
I’m getting the feeling that a good FF image might become a great crop image.
Do people experience this? Does the image get very much better in all respects?
unless you’re shooting brick walls, there’s more to photography then lens design flaws/issues.
Distortion will be an issue for people who photograph architecture and landscape, but there are lenses already made with virtually no distortion or easily fixed in post, so again, not really a problem if you have the money to own them.
Apologize if this sounds harsh but if your judgement on a good-great image is based on the inherent lens flaws, then you need to go out and shoot more. A good lens does produce better IQ but photography isn’t all about that, that is unless you have clients who cares more about the technical side then the artistic side.
lol Adam, actually I DO shoot brick walls, and do architectural photography…but especially brick walls from various angles.
It’s not just image distortion I’m talking about, it’s things like coma and chromatic aberration. Plus I understand that even with distortion, moustache distortion is difficult to correct in PP.
If you do a lot of crop-zooming like I do, you learn to try to center the area you want to crop-zoom because it can make a big difference in quality.
In my kit, it depends on the lens I’m using. I shoot with the A99, and pretty much keep it in full frame always, for stills. Crop mode seems pointless to me if you’re shooting stills. The camera simply ignores the outside 14 megapixels and just crops the center 10MP image for you. So, if you plan to crop in to improve lens performance, then shoot the larger picture and crop in post. You’ll have a lot more flexibility for final image framing and composition–which, for me, is the only reason I ever crop in on a full frame still. I use the Sony Zeiss and G lenses, and the full frame images come out beautiful, edge to edge in most cases.
Now, I openly admit to using crop mode while shooting video quite often–particularly for auto focusing during video capture. I don’t use it to improve lens performance, nor to reduce vignetting or other edge issues. I use it for the simple fact that the A99 AF area is just way too small for that sensor, and crop mode extends the AF reach nicely into the outer thirds of the frame.
But, your comment that improved lens performance is an argument for using crop mode on a FF seems an expensive route to go. If you want to crop a full frame lens for improved IQ, then do it on a crop sensor camera at 1/2, 1/3 or even 1/4 the body cost of FF.
Just for fun.
quick and dirty comparison of 3 different cameras with 3 different lens
(A: omd e-m1 17mm 1.8, B: a7 kit lens 35mm, C: a7 leica 35mm 2.8, D: a7 FE35mm 2.8, and E: x100 2)
All shot wide open and one set at iso 800 and another set at iso 1600
Didn’t try to fix shutter speed and just use camera exposure
All OCC JPEG
Don’t read the exif, and tell me which camera you like best, and I will disclose which camera took what photos:
Camera 1
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5946500989247974193?authkey=CPzpyqiDk_DzZw
Camera 2
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5946508717948657201?authkey=CIj40pzNvafiaQ
Camera 3
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5946503624642308593?authkey=CJ2mz-aU6uiY1wE
Camera 5
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5946501490801631265?authkey=CMWp6tWsk5mBfw
Camera 7
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5946507621596658065?authkey=CJrYrriL9by2TQ
BTW, I focus on the white notice that says “Cambridge Road” on the first photo
another one for 50 mm comparison
Comparison 2:
e-m1 25mm 1.4 and a7 kit lens 50mm
Camera 8
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5946504735118445569?authkey=CNLR1du1tI27oAE
Camera 11
https://plus.google.com/photos/101191223694267273293/albums/5946505199488502001?authkey=COOM0uaBovCVpwE
I hadn’t realized how bad the donut-bokeh is on the 25mm f/1.4.
FYI, your images all have EXIF data saying which camera shot which, not that it wasn’t pretty obvious (esp. with the 50mm test) without looking at the data.
The AF speed on A7R vs A7 could be that A7 tracks better but focuses slower. Or it could be that, as they point out in the review, they seem to have gotten a bad sample of the kit lens.
These two pictures look like the were taken with the same sensor
While I’m sure these are capable cameras, I don’t understand all the fuss. Full frame does not always = better. For example, the old A900 was it better than the A700? The RAW files on my computer don’t show it.
The A7 has pixels that are about the same size as 12MP APS-C, which means Sony could make a crop sensor with identical performance, and the A7R has pixels about the size of the crop sensor 16MP, so what? The D800 has and always will be crap for noise, as for reducing the image file to hide noise? More nonsense.
I’d take that funky looking Nikon df, that FF 16MP image sensor, when you figure in the resolution and the noise, it’s probably the best image sensor available, period. Yeah the camera has some funky controls and other issues, but at least the image quality will be top notch. Still waiting for Sony to make a true high ISO camera, they can do it, nothing is stopping them, and they never deliver. I’m not buying any of these cameras, hoping Fuji does something better in 2014, or the price of the Nikon df softens up just a little. Sony A7 and A7R for features are nice, but high ISO, meh….
D800 crap for noise? LOL you just make yourself sound like a fool by saying that.