Image courtesy: 3D-kraft.
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Quick note for US readers: The Sony A7r is today in Stock at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), [shoplink 23364 ebay]Adorama eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 23363 ebay]Bestbuy eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Michael Reichmann from Luminous Landscape (Click here) tested the world best camera (so he calls the A7r) with the worlds best lenses (Leica M-mount):
Altogether a very sweet camera, and one that Sony should be proud of. Canon and Nikon look like they’ve been left at the gate, with Sony now running a race almost all of their own. Recent Sony cameras have been innovative. Canon in particular just seems to churn out minor revisions to cameras that have been around for ages. The only companies who are pushing the envelope in any way comparable to Sony are Olympus and FujiFilm.
As you no doubt have heard and read elsewhere the Sony A7r is a pretty terrific camera.
If you own some Leica M or third party M mount lenses, and have an eye on Sony’s latest uber-camera, then I think that you’ll find they make a remarkable combination, so long as with wide angle lenses, at least, you’re willing to make an effort to get the most from them.
As he writes in the article even wide-angle Leica Lenses work fine on the A/r if you can work out the vignetting and color casting issue using the The Adobe DNG Flat Field Plug-In.
77 Responses
The best quote from the article:
“Altogether a very sweet camera, and one that Sony should be proud of. Canon and Nikon look like they’ve been left at the gate, with Sony now running a race almost all of their own. Recent Sony cameras have been innovative. Canon in particular just seems to churn out minor revisions to cameras that have been around for ages. The only companies who are pushing the envelope in any way comparable to Sony are Olympus and FujiFilm.”
What a surprisingly weak write up from LL.
weak in the sense that it doesn’t really say much?
Yes, but it is also all over the place. He says it’s a report about lenses, but then goes on to explain how, for some reason, only M-mount lenses make sense for the A7, discusses the camera design and a couple of its features, continues on with how Leica had run its course and compares the M240 to the A7. And when he finally speaks about the lenses’ performance, it is “they all work great and there is some chroma” (paraphrasing).
I am used to much better articles from Reichmann.
I agree. There’s a stronger understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of M lens performance with the A7r and A7 on community forums.
luminous landscape put out a sucky article. not worth the read.
Lucky you pointed it out. I’m about to read it, hahaha.
Hmm.. ok, maybe I’ll read it anyway.
Man, I was about to get exited.. then.. end of article? Huhuhu…
For the love of god just give me one in a rangefinder body. Take my first born!
Quote from the article:
“35mm and longer there is absolutely no issue using any of my M lenses on the A7r.”
Ahem – this is incorrect. With a 35mm lens (say the 35-cron-ASPH) take a photo of a 18% grey card and check out the yellow patch at the top of the frame and the purple vignetting on the left and right.
Yes you can correct it, but you have to convert your RAW file to a DNG and then run it through either Cornerfix or Adobe’s flat-field thing. Do-able, but annoyingly clunky.
Look – I wish I could use my M lenses on the A7r, I really do. But the current Sony A7r chip just doesn’t work. Pixel-peeping even the 50mm Summicron shows smearing at the corners (at f8!). Maybe the A8r (?) will sort it out, but for now the M-lenses go back into the trunk or being cropped on the Nex-5N.
OTOH clip on some Nikon AIS lenses (24mm f2.8, 35mm f2.8, 105mm f2.8) onto the A7r and the lenses shine.
Ive been wondering about the nikon 24 2.8. I heard the center is sharp but how are the edges? Im prob going to use it f5.6-f11.
D/SLR lenses will have the same performance as they do on a DSLR. The 24 will behave the same as when it’s mounted on the D800.
Not to mention corner smearing!.
Terrific- of great size, amount, or intensity.
Hmmmmm….ok, everything applies here except the great size.
By the way, Michael did not call the A7R the world’s best camera as indicated above, he said it had the world’s best sensor. He stopped short of calling it the world’s best camera.
A7r is the best FF camera for 2013 no doubt. Looking to live in Sony era … 🙂
Even though it has the newest sensor, tell me why the D800 and D800E beats it in low light.
continuous liveview/EVF on the A7 means the sensor is warmer, which increases read noise
I find Sony’s ISO to be closer to the ISO standard since they don’t add any gain, you see more of what the sensor sees.
Sony an Nikon use almost identical ISO numbers which considering the same base senor is no surprise.I think any minor differences in performance are to do with the support electronics.
http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Sony-A7R-versus-Nikon-D800E___917_814
1. D800 uses lighter color filters, which produces a technically less pure RGB color response, but increases sensitivity
2. D800 uses different support components besides the sensor that can make a difference to noise
3. D800 has different firmware for processing the image
4. D800 sensor is in a bigger body and may dissipate noise-inducing heat more efficiently
With all of the new technology, how come it can’t shoot 12-15 fps, blow away the D800E in low light and shoot 1000+ shots per battery charged.
Because it is small! Want a super fast camera, get a big one that has the space for buffer, processor and battery required
The D800/e can’t shoot 15fps and it doesn’t blow away the A7/A7r in low light. There’s a minor difference that can be measured with sophisticated instrumentation that’s related to the camera operating conditions.
Yes a lighter, smaller, and cheaper camera that can trade blows with the D800E and you want even more. Is there such a camera that you think would suit ur need?
… You must rename this site to: sonyhaters.com or vladtheimpaler.com 😉 relax and enjoy the best 2013 camera !
I agree, I am constantly puzzled that a site dedicated to Sony has so much inane negativity. And so much of it comes from within the Sony community, namely A-mount shooters. If anything, everybody that photographs with Sony products, regardless of mount should be very happy as it might just result in the photo division of Sony becoming profitable. It is rare that a camera generates this much buzz.
I see my name is so suitable for that rather cliched joke, that you decided to completely twist what I said and paint me as someone who hates the camera. Comments here never cease to amaze me.
Unless you meant that entirely as a joke, which would make my previous comment look ridiculous.
I look at it the opposite way. If Sony fans are complaining on here it’s because they actually care. Their love affair with alpha or e-mount products is fueled by their choices in ongoing innovation however. Those who are passionate tend to complain. Do you prefer they not follow the rumors, fail to purchase the products, etc? Complain away, it tells me your thinking which is more than canon or nikon shooters can say half the time.
There are ways to respectfully make points and there are ways that paint you as a bully that nobody listens to. I think it’s the later that we are referring to. There’s nothing wrong with requests for improvements or products but some of the language we see on here and personal attacks are ridiculous. However, sonyalpharumors is orders of magnitude better than what you see on 43rumors where outright racial geographic and ethnic hostility is tolerated.
That’s how I look at it. Sony makes amazing technology, yet somehow can’t master a flash system, or still cameras that can also output great video. I can understand the video issue, but spend a few hours fixing the flash system please.
I like the tutorial regarding the Zebra measurement, now I understand..not like in the user manual.
Sony has added Zebras to all of its new cameras. These come from the video world and are far superior to the usual blinkies for over-exposed areas. These can be set to show peak exposure levels at 5% increments from 70% to 100%+. For most photographers setting at 100% will mean than when the stripes appear in part of the image you can dial back the exposure compensation dial to avoid blow-out. Or, a portrait photographer, for example, might set them to 70% or 75% to see when skin tones are getting too light. A blown background is irrelevant in that situation. Once again, Sony should be congratulated for innovating truly useful features.
QUESTION! … Do lenses like the Bower 85mm T1.5 Cine Lens work with the a7? If so, what adapter would I need and does it have things like auto focus, etc.? Looking for a good cheap(er) portrait lens and I saw the price on that and was like “wow! what’s the catch!”
Thanks!
an E mount exists, also a A mount but in this case you need the L-4 adaptor
http://www.ukdigital.co.uk/samyang-85mm-t15-as-if-umc-lens-sony-e-mount-vdslr-cine.html
FOLLOW UP QUESTION…and does that lens (or similar portrait lens) allow for auto focus when working with that adapter on the a7? Basically I’m looking for a low cost decent fast portrait lens for the a7 at low cost (hopefully with auto focus)…
…or I just saw theres a Sony 85mm 2.8 lens for cheap. How about that one? Would it result in the camera going into crop mode? And would I need an adapter for that and if so, which one? Does that allow for AF? (Thanks!…I’m new to this world)
Bower, Samyang and Rokinon are basically the same lenses and all of them are manual.
The 85 2.8 Sony is a very nice lens, cheap, small and light, yet plenty sharp. You will need a Sony adapter for it. Either the LA-EA3 or the LA-EA4 (which has an SLT mirror).
Posted too quickly. Both Sony adapters will give you AF, the LA-EA4 will be faster though, but it is significantly more expensive and has the SLT mirror.
Be careful. You got some incomplete info. Yes those adapters allow AF for a mount lenses. But NOT for the lens you mentioned. It’s a manual focus lens (hence the cheap price). And no the 85 2.8 sony lens won’t go to crop mode. It’s a full frame lens. It’s slower than the Samyang but it auto focuses. It’s a good lens. I used to own it. It’s a lot smaller than the Samyang too.
FINAL QUESTION…ha!…I once hear the a7 comes with an adapter of your choice…is that true? I plan to buy through the Sony Store because of a family discount. Thank you!
(and I meant that the a7 withOUT the kit lens in my previous post)
Just in Australia
Crickey!
My a7R has a dead pixel…
Is this a joke?
Not a joke.
Too bad for you. I’m pretty sure every LCD screen has a chance for a dead pixel or two. My a55 had a two in the viewfinder, but it wasn’t noticeable at all unless I’m REALLY looking for it. I found it while playing with the menu using the viewfinder.
Not on the LCD, on the sensor.
I think it’s a hot pixel too… by a dead pixel you mean only one pixel? Anyway, if it’s a hot pixel, let the camera cools down. They will gone in no time.
If you mean on the sensor: forward the camera date a month and check again. Should be gone, set back to original date.
I thought this trick used the electronic first curtain to detect and correct the pixel. I probably are wrong though.
No, it takes an exposure with the lenscap on once every month to detect dead pixels and map them out. A feature Sony has used for over a decade. From what I recall, Nikon cameras still require service to fix it (you can’t).
pixel mapping does not “fix” the hot pixel the camera simply hides it.Most RAW software will do the same automatically. Neither option actually repairs any damaged pixels.
Semantics game much? It fixes it for all practical purposes, the same way all manufacturers “fix” it when you send your camera in for repair. The same way manufacturers “fix” dead pixels when detected during manufacturing, your camera might have more than a few. There is no other fix, other than a sensor replacement. Nothing new. Saves the trouble with every converter and the OOC jpegs.
And “most converters” do not deal with dead pixels in the same way. Only a few take care of most dead pixels efficiently, most notably Lightroom/ACR. But even then it’s not foolproof as occasionally you still see people with examples of dead (black) pixels in every picture, that Adobe can’t seem to take care of.
“Semantics game much?”
No ,semantics it does not fix it “it hides it” just as the most commonly used RAW convertors do. It is more difficult to find one that doesn’t certainly all the major ones do including Adobe Photoshop { for a few generations now], Lightroom, Elements, Nikon NX2,Canon DPP. They are no more inefficient than the in camera pixel hiding.
Your post look like the typical brand fans dig at another system because your chosen system has an “extra feature”. It is not unique to Sony ,Olympus fans idolize image stabilization, Panasonic fans video, Nikon fans the CLS system, Canon their TSE lenses
Lol so does mine (on the rear lcd) annoying
It’s actually on the sensor. I can go through every picture and find it in the same spot (zoomed in). Every picture has one white dot.
How well any M lens “works” on the A7R really just depends on one’s pickiness, but I think it is a little disingenuous for LL to say that all 35mm and longer M lenses work well on the A7R. Just about everything 35mm and wider shows smearing in the first few apertures, compared to the M240, and there is color shift in some of the 35mm lenses, as well (including the FE 35.) Heck, even the 50 Summilux shows smearing on the A7R compared to the M240.
Does that make the lenses unusable? Of course not, but, if you’re expecting M240 performance with these lenses on the A7R, it is something to note.
Are you referring to a red hot pixel ?
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52687136
Michael’s latest reviews have been so so to be fair, it almost feels like “let’s put something out there so it’s not only about workshops”
How can I get this camera….for free?
Hey Andrea, I had a chance to play around with the a7 recently. One build feature I found odd was the linear shutter butter switch: it’s not tactile! Is that so, or am I imagining things?
Wow, “shutter butter”. [button]
It’s better to prevent from camera shake. I also had to get used to it but after some days it’s perfectly fine. Same for the grip. I found it a bit small at the beginning but now it’s just fine.
Then the weels. Seemed a bit too difficult to turn but after some days perfectly fine, much better than the ones on the NEX7 which I turned accidently too often.
The more I use it the more I love the A7r.
Since I’m not interested in any manual focus lens, the availability and investment of lense is only my concern. FE zeiss is nice but the investment is still high for FE Sony with Zeiss badge. If there are more lenses to choose from (Hopefully Sigma will join FE mount, I will jump from FF DSLR surely.
Good chance as Sigma already has some cheap and good e-mount lenses.
MF lens pain in the ass for street shooting
Less pain with focus peaking I guess.
Leica user can do this since 100 years. Get some skills 😉
Owning a Leica doesn’t give one any special skills. Except maybe condescension thinly veiled by smiley faces.
That’s what DoF scale is for, pre focus and use DoF to get acceptable sharpness – zone foucusing.
I agree. Much faster than AF.
John, did you get one of these new cameras? I’m still thinking hard. Decided to wait for CES and after that I’ll make decision.
My A7R is shipping from B&H!!! YAYYYY!!!
I have the A7 couldn’t justify spending extra on
The A7R which Is louder, Slower, and has more camera shake and worser high iso. I love the A7.
I think you will find at the same output size the A7r will have noise just as good as the A7.It may even have a small advanatge as the extra detail in the a7r file may allow for more flexibility in NR