Video review by TheVerge
The team from The Verge tested the new A7 and A7r cameras and their conclusions are very…radical:
Just like the first iPhone that didn’t have copy and paste, the first Mustang that didn’t have basics such as reverse lights, and the first Converse All Stars that didn’t even have Chuck Taylor’s signature on them, the first full-frame interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras are by no means perfect. But they are so much more advanced in both design and performance than other cameras that they already belong in the conversation.
It might be a few years before we realize it, but when the DSLR is relegated to a niche status among specialty photographers and full-frame mirrorless cameras dominate the market, we’ll have the a7s to thank as the cameras that started it all.
Couldn’t agree more! The A7 and A7r are by no means perfect (slow af, slow FPS, ugly corner performance with many wide angle lenses and so on). But they are the milestone for a new path int he camera industry. And Sony is leading the way!
Important: The Lens Compensation APP has been updated for the A7-A7r. And Apple Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 5.02 adds support for the A7-A7r.
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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
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.
Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
61 Responses
I agree, however Andrea, it is barely reasonable to expect the cameras to be perfect with legacy range finder wide lenses(!!) To be fair the A7/R are nearly perfect. Perhaps the burst rate, first curtain shutter and the AF of the A7R could have been better and the A7 could have gotten more magnesium, but some of that stuff is probably technical difficult when the price had to be kept down as well. Remember the Sony engineers saying that the 1/8000s shutter performance was the most difficult feature to implement.
The corner performance rant is however an unreasonable criticism and now Sony has even finalised the Lens Compensation app, so that performance of legacy RF wides are as good as they get on digital, certainly I don’t think the Leica M does it better, except that it recognises the newer Leica lenses and can compensate automatically.
No room for thinking when facts are available: it is better, to the extent lenses have higher resolution at edges with M compared to A7r.
Lenses have higher resolution on corner? Seriously? And what lenses are you talking about? Zeiss FE 35/2.8?
But let’s just say we live in your world, how often do you check out all the corners on images in flickr, magazines, Facebook or anywhere?
I’m not saying it’s not important, but come on, don’t let that stupid “Leica M has higher resolution on the corner” stop you from buying this camera.
Just work harder and make some money.
Emacs already purchased the camera and sold it again after testing with M lenses, so your attempted insult fails.
How do you know for sure? Are you one of his b!tches?
Telling someone who already owns a collection of M lenses to work harder so they can afford an A7/r makes you a prized idi01. Trying to use insults after you’ve been shown to be wrong makes you look an even bigger idi0t.
Lens compensation App currently not available, perhaps still being worked on?
Downloaded last night straight to camera. Had trouble trying to do it from computer.
How is it working for you? Tested with any UWA RF lens yet?
Worked great on my Canon fd 17mm.
Does it record lens info to the EXIF now? I remember that being a sticking point for many people.
It’s been a pretty impressive year on the original ideas front – the a7/r and the sigma 18-35 all came out of nowhere. If I’m honest none of them are for me (the a7 is tempting but until we see fast primes with oss, I’m not buying).
Definitely excited to see what happens next year!
I think that the A9 will be the perfect event photography camera – light enough so you will never again strain your hands, versatile, and you can also share your lenses with the Sony video camera guy.
If only Sony would come out with an updated wireless flash system. Any new about that?
As a hardcore Canon-shooter, I applaud Sony for the A7R, and I spit on Canon for their conservatism.
I’ll say the same for Nikon although I’m not sure abut spitting 😉
Jay, maybe he just spits so surely because his camera is weathersealed.
The market isn’t ready yet. Canon could join in now and lose money just like the rest of the camera divisions competing in the mirrorless market. Canikon would be smart to develop now and hold back until they know the market will be ready. This isn’t their first rodeo.
Right, so yesterday I finally got my hands on A7 with the kit lens, these comments come from perspective of Fuji/Leica/MF user:
good points:
– EVF is really good, not sure about the contrast and colour though, refresh is great and the lag in dimly light interior wasn’t noticeable and resolution is great -> definitely would be more than happy with it
– AF with the kit zoom is generally fast, at least for me more than enough (I’m not an action/sports shooter) even in worse light
bad points:
– not really great build quality -> I was a bit surprised by this as a lot of people claimed brilliant build quality -> disagree
– shutter is very loud even on the A7 – definitely much louder than my X-Pro1 and miles louder than Leica M
– shutter release button is a joke, it’s very flimsy and you can’t just rest your finger on it, doesn’t feel good at all and is probably the worst shutter release button I’ve ever used
– body is too small for my hands and I couldn’t get comfortable grip and had to change position of my hand quite often because I couldn’t rest my finger on the shutter release button so one position for composing another position for firing shutter
– layout of the controls -> easy for me to reach front dial, a bit harder to operate rear dial
So no cigar for me, might give it another go for longer period of time but didn’t like the experience at all, the same kind of feeling I was left with after using NEX7 when I was choosing between Sony or Fuji APS-C camera -> just didn’t work for me
Now, you can burn me alive 😉
“- layout of the controls -> easy for me to reach front dial, a bit harder to operate rear dial” – just to explain more, I was finding myself touching PASM instead of rear dial, as I said, I have larger hands so camera was too small for me
Well, no need to burn you alive. I chose the NEX-7 over the X-E1 because it felt much better in hand, so I guess, judging by your dislike, the a7 will fit me quite nicely. Although, that shutter button placement will quite probably annoy me.
Could you elaborate on two of your points. What is wrong with the contrast? Too much? And what didn’t you like about the build?
– a little bit too much contrast so shadows were blocked out and rendered too dark (but then again I have experience only with Fuji’s EVFs and OM-D)
– somehow I expected build quality of RX1 but it isn’t the case, I’d say it’s on par with X-Pro1 which in my opinion is better built than X-E1 you have tried
I didn’t have option to try A7R though
“somehow I expected build quality of RX1 but it isn’t the case”.
With respect, you expect far too much. The launch price of the RX1 was £2600.00.
that’s true but also features 35mm f/2 Zeiss lens – and I can imagine that wasn’t cheap to pull out in such a small package
Is the A7/R build quality any lesser than the RX1/R ? I was going to order the A7r blindfolded assuming the build quality was identical to the RX1/R but if the build quality is questionable then I may have to wait and see before to buy. Build quality and design can be a deal breaker for me. I am not overly keen on the design so if the build quality is not there then…
Regarding the shutter buttons, wouldn’t adding a soft release button to a Leica or Fuji makes it feel similar to the A7/r shutter button?
Honestly, I’ll choose this shutter button over the one found on NEX 7, I come from Nikon and I enjoy the soft half press shutter button.
There’s no distinct 2 step feel to it and it feels very “nervous” and cheap. I don’t use soft release addons.
So are you saying the Fuji x1pro has better handling and big enough for you than the a7?
Definitely – that’s personal preference though. A7 is way too small for me and I prefer traditional controls where I can clearly see my exposure settings without the need to turn the camera on.
The only thing I reall, really, really dislike is the contrast AF on the A7r. I’m focusing on the eyes in bright daylight an it gives me sharp ears instead of the eyes. A lot of times it focuses more on the background instead of the foreground, that’s extremely annoying. I use the 35/2.8 from Zeiss. If there at least where some settings for adjusting the focus… I hope for a good update. And focus peaking is still useless with manual leica lenses because it’s not accurate enough. Maybe it will with the 4MP Oled finder because of the higher resolution.
But other than that I love the cam. So small and light and also the fact, that you can chose now between NTSC and PAL framerates. The viewfinder and the image quality are awesome and the price is very fair.
But still I will sell it and buy the upcomming A7R Mark II, when it’s out because of the focus issues. This cam is a diva.
“slow af”
Really, Andrea? Compared to what? In what circumstances? All the time?
Compared to a decent DSLR it will be slow when tracking subjects, sure. Are you a sports photographer? Then buy a DSLR. For the vast majority of people AF is fine, and if it is genuinely faster than previous NEX models then there really isn’t a lot to worry about.
slow AF compared to fast AF, it’s as simple as that, you don’t have to be a fanboy with this, it doesn’t matter what type of photography, is the AF slow? yes, it is, period.
Ah yes, the easily distributed fanboy insult. Thanks for that.
Slow AF, no, not “period” at all. Yes it slows down in certain situations, i.e. low light, but in many situations it is far from slow. Slowness is subjective based on the photographers needs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MriykjUEuRo – not slow IMO
ePhotoZine actually measured it, instead of making off-the-cuff generalizations. They found average AF shutter response time of .25 seconds on the A7. For comparison, their tests of the Nikon DF returned .15 seconds. So, there you go, it’s 2/3 slower than a brand new high end DSLR.
On the other, other hand, they rated the XE-1 at .3 seconds, and the XE-2 at .175 seconds.
To me, the A7 AF seems plenty fast enough… but I guess it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.
I don’t call it slow AF. I have the A7 and Had A7r. In low light they may hunt, but in daylight, I can hardly tell the different between them or my canon 7D AF.
I agree. I really wouldn’t call the AF on the A7 “slow”. Maybe it isn’t the fastest in the camera world, but it isn’t slow. Slow would be the Fuji X-pro 1 at launch. Not only was that slow, but it wouldn’t even lock-on in low light.
Hi !
Your remark on autofocus speed caught my interest.
Would the A7r & Zeiss 35mm 2.8 autofocuses faster than the NEX-6 & Sony OSS 35mm 1.8 given the same shooting conditions ?
I have the NEX-6 with the Sony OSS 35mm 1.8 and I find the autofocus fairly faster than the original NEX-5 with the 16mm pancake.
Now if the A7r autofocus is faster that would be fantastic !
I do think that Sony did something big with the A7s but I don’t think it’s already all of that, comparinf the A7s to those other things is a big exaggeration. Releasing the camera is just half of the job, the main part is the system, even more with the flaws that were listed.
So, for me, to be considered revolutionary right off the bat it would have to at least be a great camera with little to no flaw OR to have a complete system to back it up. What happens if the system is no good some years from now, how would these cameras be compared to those other products?
And by how fast Sony changes their mind, to have an actual system in 3 years, it’s more than enough time to Sony change its mind again. I’ll be happy if they accomplish a system but for me, so far, Sony hasn’t been inspiring a lot of committments when it comes to their system.
I’d say let’s wait and see. The cameras are technological achievements and deserve big nod. What’s missing is good lens line-up. I might revise Sony’s offerings in a year or two when more lenses are available. I don’t need much to be honest, just fast 27mm, 50mm and 90mm – or if you like wide, normal, portrait with a macro down the road but when it comes to apertures, I’d like to see 27mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2(at least) and portrait can be f/2.8 too.
These cameras don’t make sense with adapted lenses, especially A7R where any imperfection of adapter would show straight away thanks to its high resolution.
More lenses isn’t going to change the shape of the body, the feel of the shutter button, or the sound of the shutter (unless Sony has added support for a leaf shutter lens).
Why 27mm when 28mm is so standard and common?
Adapted lenses are actually why I bought the A7. So far, it’s making quite a bit of sense.
Doesn’t matter if 27 or 28 😉 by the time there are more lenses Sony will have possibly another generation of these cameras in the stores – rumoured NEX7 styled FF.
Adapted lenses won’t show problems if you going to use your photographs on the web. The main point (for me) of getting high resolution camera would be the ability to print large, otherwise I don’t see any point of 36mp. And once you print large you can clearly see where your focusing is sloppy or where your lens doesn’t perform as well as you though or where adapter isn’t really transparent (non-existing) element between the lens and the body. I’ve been through few adapters for my Nikon macro lens -> on macro shots you can easily see if your adapter is perfect or not.
I have a different view on what revolutionary means. There is nothing revolutionary in having a system. And a camera with little or no flaws, well, I don’t know of such a mythical beast.
“What happens if the system is no good some years from now, how would these cameras be compared to those other products?”
What happens if a system we still know almost nothing about is no good some years from now, compared to non-existing products from competitors? I guess, people will buy the competitors’ products. However, what happens if the system is good and competitors have nothing better?
But, well, I would agree that Sony could very well fail in their approach, I just don’t consider it to be very plausible.
I believe that the winning trick would have been to anticipate the A7/R years ago when developping the NEX-3 and NEX-5 _ which were great at the time except for the lack of lenses _ and made sure that all the NEX lenses would be compatible with full frame. Then the A7/R would be benefiting from some lenses today. I do not think there is much of a price difference between E-mount and FE-mount lenses so no catch for the buyers…
This statement is crap. “They are so much more advanced in design and performance.” Pa..lease. Go check out the A7R’s review on cameraergonomics.com. Absolutely terrible. The top realestate needs to be completely redesigned and so does the placement of the shutter button- completely illogical. Feels like a brick in the hands too- a light one, but a brick. The grip is mediocre at best.
Advanced performance! Really! Olympus has more advanced features by far built into their m43rds. This is recycled technology that finally slapped a big sensor in it all. If it was advanced it would have the latest type 5 axis, most advanced AF- it has neither and trails far behind. Don’t overstate facts, I hate that.
What I hate is when people take things out of context and cherry-pick what suits them.
“Just like the first iPhone (…) the first full-frame interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras are by no means perfect.”
And, of course, the fact that Sony managed to put a great EVF and a full frame sensor in a body that is roughly the size of m43 offerings, is completely missing from your rant. It’s easy to do, right? Actually, you said that “Olympus has more advanced features by far”, where “by far” is covered by the two examples you mentioned – IBIS and AF. Don’t overstate.
“Just like the first iPhone (…) the first full-frame interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras are by no means perfect.” – even that statement is incorrect, first was Leica 😉
Leicas have mirrors. Otherwise you would never see framing lines and a rangefinder rectangle superimposed on your viewfinder.
M240 was first mirrorless full frame camera. You don’t use any mirror with EVF/LCD
Nothing taken out of context here. The Verge stated it wasn’t perfect- ok. It then stated it was so much more advanced in design and performance than other cameras- not ok.
Perfectly in context and I stand by my statement.
It is out of context and I still don’t see why their statement is “crap”. Same as the A7 is not perfect, the E-M1 isn’t either. Depending on their criteria, they can prefer one over the other. For example, I do agree that the shutter placement is weird, but then so is the on/off button on the Olympus. Having a FF sensor can also be considered part of performance. The Verge clearly states that the camera has “poor autofocus system, poor battery life, still fairly high price tag, and very limited lens options”, so it is pretty obvious that they are speaking about other aspects when they say that they are “more advanced in design and performance”. It is unfair to take that sentence out of the article. And their view certainly isn’t “crap”.
From the cameraergonomics.blogspot.com review of the A7:
“Sony Alpha 7/7R I have not yet had one of these in hand so my comments are based on photographs of the camera and photos of users holding the camera.”
While I agree that the layout of the camera could use some improvement as could most, the above quote doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in that particular site. He may be 100% correct and may be an ergonomic expert but this doesn’t exactly have the sound of what most people consider a credible resource.
I’ll couple those comments with my own experience. Taken into context with dozens of other camera reviews, I think the guy knows a bit about ergonomics. It’s not the best execution of functional design by any means. Is it horrible? No. Revolutionary? Hardly, and that’s my point.
Tom, we get it that you don’t like the camera (I saw your other comments in other posts), go out, breath some fresh air and just enjoy your life, don’t have to keep on reminding us why you don’t like the camera.
I like it, I don’t love it.
I tell you this, when the camera has that tiny sensor in it, like the m43, anything else can be put on it easily. What feature do you want? Easily! But when the sensor goes FF, that’s a different level, different world.
I want better AF and 5 axis. Are these small grapes? I don’t think so.
Better AF is not really the forte of mFT ,even its best and most expensive option the E-M1 which I own .Gives only fractionally better C-AF and tracking which pales when compared by like priced DSLR’s.
As for 5-axis or any other type of image stabilization for that matter, it is quite possibly the most over hyped feature in photography.Its utility is strictly limited to near static subjects in low light.
If you spend a lot of time photographing street furniture at night then its a winner.For nearly all other activities there are far better options { tripods, monopods, bean bags ,gorilla pods,faster lenses , better high ISO , better shadow performance etc. Neither the A7r or A7 would be my choice if you are looking for fast AF { beyond S-AF ],then to be honest no mirrorless would be.
The ability to correct for rotation around the lens axis when pressing the shutter isn’t hype in my opinion- especially on a mirrorless camera you plan on hand holding. I tend to shoot stopped down quite a bit. I’ll take less motion blur please. As far as better ISO, your right there. That does negate the need for serious image stabilization…unless ofcourse you like to shoot at native ISO as much as possible.
Tom, as far as i remember, when a900 was out there were talks that IBIS for FF is sufficiently more difficult to implement that for APSC. So its even more difficult to do in small body, i dont think they just could take a900 system and slap it into a7.
Also, we hadnt see ANY mirrorless camera from Sony yet. So i think its better some FF mirrorless camera now, that FF mirrorless with IBIS 1 year later.
And what about AF? Didnt even touched camera yet, but from news it at least at average normal mirrorless level. How is it bad?
If it was X-Pro 1 or Canon M with original firmware slow AF level, i would understand your concern. But its not.
And about wanting this or that. I want z-axis shift af camera. A7 and A7r do not have it. But i somehow dont rant about that it is huge flaw.
“I’ll take less motion blur please”
There are no image stabilization methods that help with motion blur , motion blur is a consequence of the subject moving faster than the shutter speeds ability to freeze the motion. I currently own Nikon VR lenses, Panasonic OIS lenses , Olympus 5-axis and have in the past used Canon IS.All of them offer some utility, but its value is only in very specific circumstances.
Anyone tried to lens compensation app on the A7 and A7R? Is it worth the bother?
Hi Gents, I have two questions:
1. Is the A7r shutter vibration a genuine issue ? Personally I tend to trust the Sony Engineers to know what they are doing and test their products extensively before market realease… Some people seem to have found some issues.
2. Would you know if there are any shops / organisations in EU, US or Singapore offering bundles with the A7r, Zeiss FE 55mm – 1.8 and Zeiss 35mm – 2.8 as well as the kit zoom ? Either a sweet price and / or foc accessories like extra batteries, LCD protection film, Sony sling bag, 64GB Class 10 Memory card, etc… would be great.
Thanks & Best Regards,
Patrick