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My A77II from DigitalRev - think I got a "Lemon"...

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SteveJnerChicago

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Note that I shoot Birds almost exclusively.

After two days of shooting I have encountered the following...

Pros -

Increased Buffer is great. Better ISO performance 800 to 1600 much better than A77. Never shot above 640 with A77.

With LCD Monitor turned in, so that it is off, WIFI turned Off, and EVF only on when I use it I got 2978 shots before Low Battery Warning came on.

Cons - (and I believe I have a bad processor) over 3000 captures and...

I have yet to be able to get a satisfactorily sharp (Tack Sharp) image. Note this is with Tripod and high Shutter speed.

Have had one instance where Camera locked up and gave me a warning about a problem writing to SDHC Card. After 202 captures, I replaced card and did not happen again and the 202 images were all ok.

Distance limiter does not work the way I think it should or the way I had hoped. With a 70400G it seems the focus range when used is only adjustable between 3 and 10 meters. Bummer as this was a big selling point to me as I wanted it to prevent backround trees from focus lock during BIF shots.

All images seem over exposed, highlights blown out, Live view is on and the final images don't match what I am seeing in EVF. (This may be me getting used to the camera though).

Multiple instances of focus going to a blur. I move the camera to different spots of varying distance from very far to near and the EVF image remains blurred( Have many captures of some of the creamiest Bokeh ever but who cares ) This happens in "C"AF and "A"AF modes. At times it would reset by my changing from one mode to another and other times I've had to turn off the camera to reset it. During these Blurry moments I can see the AF point registering (turning green) which tells me the system has focused but the image does not change and remains blurred.

Buying from DigitalRev means your product ships from Hong Kong and also means your hard copy of the manual is in Chinese so that is useless. It also means I'll have to ship back to China for Warranty service or replacement. I knew I would be getting one of the first production units which could be a problem so that's on me. I have changed some settings in the camera and will go out one more time this morning to verify it's the camera and not me but I think I'll be returning to DigitalRev and ordering direct from Sony

You can see my very first shot, Wood Duck, and some ISO test shots I took Friday and there ok but not what I'm used to with my A77.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53770837

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevejner/
 
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Have you adjusted the manual diopter setting of the viewfinder to match your eye yet?
 
Photos look fine to me on my monitor. duck is very sharp.
 
You have probably already thought of this.... But have you tried turning off sss, since you are using a tripod?
 
AND are you using a remote?

Also on the duck you use 5.6 = narrow dof.

Shutterspeed 500th on 600mm, your tripod has to be VERYY stable, no wind or ground tremble.

I wouldn't expect the distance limitter to really work over a great distance, (but that's personal)

I suggest to download a DOF calculator on your phone and enter the data from the duck picture, then alter the distance ans you will be aware of the narrow Dof.

If you're off even a bit the picture might turn out less sharp.
 
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Yes but should that matter if the AF is working correctly, the final image should be independent of my poor eyesight.
 
Good to know. This morning I went out with 70400G only and never encountered the blurring that I encountered yesterday. I still have to go through my images and well see if what I think was much better performance results in what I was used to with my A77.
 
Thanks.
 
Well, I did but only after yesterdays shoot. Today I went Hand Held so SSS left on as I realy wanted to test object tracking of Birds in flight. I had to turn off eye-start AF in order to activate Lock on AF. Seems odd. I shot in various AF modes from Center (spot) to Expanded Flexible spot AF. I still have to review my images but it seemed to work much better this morn. One odd thing occurred was that I noticed an orange "Steady Shot Error" symbol show up in the viewfinder display. I decided to shoot this way for a while to see what effect it had and because the camera kept functioning anyway. I had to power down to clear the error message. Weird. I'm still thinking I have a bad or at least quirky unit. We'll see based on final images.
 
Agreed with all this and at 1/500 and duck in bright sun would also explain why ( I think ) this image is a bit over exposed. I have Live view on but what I see does not match what I am getting.
 
On the A77 and on the A99 I ALWAYS make my pictures 1 click darken then the zero in the viewfinder.

For the rest it looks to me that you just have to get used to this new camera and be aware aim EEXACTLY on what you want,

BTW "Steady Shot Error" show when you are at risk of making a blurry picture.
 
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SteveJnerChicago said:
I have yet to be able to get a satisfactorily sharp (Tack Sharp) image. Note this is with Tripod and high Shutter speed.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you need a Micro Adjustment.
 
Yes will have to look into that. Here are some shots from this morning. Still not great but I can see the AF is working as I expected when tracking. Also figured out the Range Limiter function and it's limitations. Did not have the problem of blurred image when AF shows it is registering that I had yesterday.











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SteveJnerChicago

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SteveJnerChicago said:
Note that I shoot Birds almost exclusively.

After two days of shooting I have encountered the following...

Pros -

Increased Buffer is great. Better ISO performance 800 to 1600 much better than A77. Never shot above 640 with A77.

With LCD Monitor turned in, so that it is off, WIFI turned Off, and EVF only on when I use it I got 2978 shots before Low Battery Warning came on.

Cons - (and I believe I have a bad processor) over 3000 captures and...

I have yet to be able to get a satisfactorily sharp (Tack Sharp) image. Note this is with Tripod and high Shutter speed.

Have had one instance where Camera locked up and gave me a warning about a problem writing to SDHC Card. After 202 captures, I replaced card and did not happen again and the 202 images were all ok.

Distance limiter does not work the way I think it should or the way I had hoped. With a 70400G it seems the focus range when used is only adjustable between 3 and 10 meters. Bummer as this was a big selling point to me as I wanted it to prevent backround trees from focus lock during BIF shots.

All images seem over exposed, highlights blown out, Live view is on and the final images don't match what I am seeing in EVF. (This may be me getting used to the camera though).

Multiple instances of focus going to a blur. I move the camera to different spots of varying distance from very far to near and the EVF image remains blurred( Have many captures of some of the creamiest Bokeh ever but who cares ) This happens in "C"AF and "A"AF modes. At times it would reset by my changing from one mode to another and other times I've had to turn off the camera to reset it. During these Blurry moments I can see the AF point registering (turning green) which tells me the system has focused but the image does not change and remains blurred.

Buying from DigitalRev means your product ships from Hong Kong and also means your hard copy of the manual is in Chinese so that is useless. It also means I'll have to ship back to China for Warranty service or replacement. I knew I would be getting one of the first production units which could be a problem so that's on me. I have changed some settings in the camera and will go out one more time this morning to verify it's the camera and not me but I think I'll be returning to DigitalRev and ordering direct from Sony

You can see my very first shot, Wood Duck, and some ISO test shots I took Friday and there ok but not what I'm used to with my A77.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53770837
Click to expand...
 
It's possible you have a bad camera but I think more detailed testying on static subjects with a range of lenses would be needed to verify that 100%.

In the UK those ordering from Digital Rev are offered warranty repairs in the UK by the way - have you checked you really do need to ship it back to China? Plus DR offer a short refund window of about 14 days if not satisfied - have you checked if you are within their return period? Also, credit card companies sometimes offer protection as well.
 
I can't enlarge your pictures, but they seem fine.
 
I've decided to return for refund to Digital Rev. though the camera performed much better with some setting changes, the blurring but indicating it is focusing and not doing so leads me to think it has a bad processor. This and that I just cant get the IQ that I was able to with my A77. Also, per DigitalRev, Warranty repairs would go t Hong kong and typical return time is 3 - 4 weeks after they receive the unit. Have an option to get a repair quote in USA and then wait for DigitalRev to approve or deny. Just not looking forward to all that in the future. Returning this unit and ordering from US company or Sony.
 
SteveJnerChicago said:
I've decided to return for refund to Digital Rev. though the camera performed much better with some setting changes, the blurring but indicating it is focusing and not doing so leads me to think it has a bad processor. This and that I just cant get the IQ that I was able to with my A77. Also, per DigitalRev, Warranty repairs would go t Hong kong and typical return time is 3 - 4 weeks after they receive the unit. Have an option to get a repair quote in USA and then wait for DigitalRev to approve or deny. Just not looking forward to all that in the future. Returning this unit and ordering from US company or Sony.
Click to expand...
 
Was thinking of letting my uncle buying this camera for me in US, and bring it back to Holland. But these bird pictures of yours look very disappointing. I immediately thought something was wrong with them. I just as well can use my phone if that's the quality. I think you have a lemon too. A good reminder for me to watch out and just buy in Holland in case I have to return.
 
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