Couple questions for Sony fans

So I have used Nikon and now currently a Canon user but I love the look of this new Sony body. I am not a homer who just looks at a brand and gets all crazy... for myself I will shoot with anything that works good.

Anyway I was curious what the biggest difference is with regards to this new Sony A7R II compared with the previous model? I mean does it merit the extra money in your opinion? I think the most impressive thing in my eyes was the focusing, looks amazing. File size to me seems a little on the large size but can't hurt to have some extra room to mess around with. Oh I shoot people, portraits, models, some landscapes but no action stuff if that helps.

My other question was concerning the Meta Bones system and some lenses. I was curious if you would recommend using the Sony lenses, with the new body, considering the previews say there are certain auto focus attributes that only work with the Sony lenses. I have 2 L series lenses, one is the 135mm L lens which is very nice and wouldn't mind keeping since Sony doesn't have that lens.

One last question for those who do more video. I never got into video but if I got either Sony body I wanted to start doing more. I was curious about these cheaper manual focus lenses, like the Rokinon, and if they work well for video? I would love to find something that is good for both photos and video but hey whatever works is great... I am not wealthy so saving a little would be nice considering the costs of switching systems.

Thanks for your help and time. I appreciate any advice and apologize if I didn't give enough information so just tell me if I need to add more. I use to shoot a lot like 15 years back, film era, then stopped for many years and just got back into shooting a few years ago.

Take care

Jimmy

photosincali said:

So I have used Nikon and now currently a Canon user but I love the look of this new Sony body. I am not a homer who just looks at a brand and gets all crazy... for myself I will shoot with anything that works good.

Anyway I was curious what the biggest difference is with regards to this new Sony A7R II compared with the previous model? I mean does it merit the extra money in your opinion? I think the most impressive thing in my eyes was the focusing, looks amazing. File size to me seems a little on the large size but can't hurt to have some extra room to mess around with. Oh I shoot people, portraits, models, some landscapes but no action stuff if that helps.

Click to expand...

I think biggest difference is In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) and BSI 42Mp sensor. Of course 399 AF points across majority of frame is a very nice too. Internal 4K and Super 35mm are amazing additions too. Biggest in the market EVF is a bonus too. There's so many options to list. I think what makes it an amazing camera overall is the balance of all features and specs combined together - I mean Sony could have gone only extreme Mp route - like having 96Mp, but then DR, high ISO would have suffered (look at 5DS/R with it's max native 6400 ISO). Or they could have gone for extreme sensitivity, but then Mp could have suffered (A7s). They managed to find a perfect balance and add to that tons more features. That is what makes thsi camera great.

photosincali said:

My other question was concerning the Meta Bones system and some lenses. I was curious if you would recommend using the Sony lenses, with the new body, considering the previews say there are certain auto focus attributes that only work with the Sony lenses. I have 2 L series lenses, one is the 135mm L lens which is very nice and wouldn't mind keeping since Sony doesn't have that lens.

Click to expand...

Eye-AF and some extra focus modes will only work with native Sony lenses (information still not confirmed), but these are icing on the cake and not bread and butter - I mean all usual things that 99% people need - will work on any lens. I think you should keep your Canon lenses and use them via adapter (still have to decide which adapter is better) and gradually buy into FE native Sony lenses that you really need. Do not rush, as rumor has it we will see Sony announce 6 more FE lenses in next week or so. But without doubt keep those Canon lenses that Sony hasn't made and that you like and need.

photosincali said:

One last question for those who do more video. I never got into video but if I got either Sony body I wanted to start doing more. I was curious about these cheaper manual focus lenses, like the Rokinon, and if they work well for video? I would love to find something that is good for both photos and video but hey whatever works is great... I am not wealthy so saving a little would be nice considering the costs of switching systems.

Thanks for your help and time. I appreciate any advice and apologize if I didn't give enough information so just tell me if I need to add more. I use to shoot a lot like 15 years back, film era, then stopped for many years and just got back into shooting a few years ago.

Take care

Jimmy

Click to expand...

Simply put, super high rez, 4K, IBIS, and back illumination is a combination of skills that many said couldn't be done on a FF camera in the foreseeable future. Maybe in 5-7 years, but not now, and Sony has done it in a small package. Even last year companies were reporting difficulty implementing IBIS and 4K on much smaller sensors because of heat build up (interviews at creative live). People presume that cameras like the GH4 can't have IBIS because they have to park a heat sync on the sensor to keep it cool for 4K.

The BSI started out in smart phones and we were amazed when the NX1 had one because that sensor is large and the data trough put is really high. A FF sensor has a lot more data, let alone a really high rez FF sensor. Even Canon basically threw in the towel with serious video on their new 50mp sensors because that's a lot of data to crunch, so many people felt we just were not there yet with processing power, so you have to pick high rez or 4K. Sony might have brought the future here.

Finally, the A7II has the greatest spread of phase detect AF points of any camera of its kind. The AF in general should be must faster and almost miraculously it can focus Canon mount lenses with an adapter--fast! This is a major step up if indeed the reports are true.

So that's why this camera is creating so much interest imo. Other improvements that matter to me are:

• More robust body with deeper grip.
• Electric first curtain (or electric first and second curtain) eliminate shutter shake issues important for maximum sharpness with high rez. sensors.
• Ergonomics of shutter button better.
• Tougher (stronger) mount.
• Better EVF.
• 42mp.

That said, mirrorless and an EVF is still not everyone's cup of tea. You should try before you buy and see if it would work for what you want to do.

Cheers, Seth

Two short videos from a canon shooter who now has a ton of Sony gear.

why I like the a7ii better than the 5Diii (it's a given this will a longer list once I get my a7rii) -
My adapter choice (Commlite) -

photosincali said:

Anyway I was curious what the biggest difference is with regards to this new Sony A7R II compared with the previous model? I mean does it merit the extra money in your opinion?

Click to expand...

The A7II is the obvious model to compare with, mostly because IBIS really is the most important otherwise missing feature for a camera that can mount nearly any lens ever made. I see 3 major upgrades from the A7II to the A7RII:

1. Recording 4K video internally. The A7II doesn't do better than 1080. There's also a silent shutter mode that's sort-of a corollary of being able to handle 4K data rates....
2. 42MP. Not only does this mean getting high resolution out of the best FF lenses under near ideal circumstances, but it also means APS-C crop is 17MP, up from 10MP on the A7II. That's enough so that you can feel pretty good about using lenses that only cover APS-C well (or at all) on it; I tend to carry both my NEX-7 and A7II so I can pick between 24MP APS-C and FF for each lens.
3. Better AF using the main sensor, even for SLT-less adapters. This really shouldn't be that big a step up from the A7II; it is mostly better firmware that's responsible for the changes, and the A7II probably could be given a similar firmware upgrade.

In sum, the A7RII doesn't blow away the A7II for most circumstances, and pricing on the A7RII is probably going to be high for a while (until Sony has tuned their fab to get yields up on the exotic new 42MP sensor). However, the A7RII sensor is the way of the immediate future, with the BSI and copper interconnect probably buying a stop of low light performance over the A7II sensor.

Being able to shoot silent images with IBIS at 42Mp with a stop more ISO is amazing.
Nothing comes close.

The great full chassis build, new T* coating EVF, 4K video, AF array and 500k shutter durability also put this one way in front of the a7II.

photosincali said:

So I have used Nikon and now currently a Canon user but I love the look of this new Sony body. I am not a homer who just looks at a brand and gets all crazy... for myself I will shoot with anything that works good.

Anyway I was curious what the biggest difference is with regards to this new Sony A7R II compared with the previous model? I mean does it merit the extra money in your opinion? I think the most impressive thing in my eyes was the focusing, looks amazing. File size to me seems a little on the large size but can't hurt to have some extra room to mess around with. Oh I shoot people, portraits, models, some landscapes but no action stuff if that helps.

My other question was concerning the Meta Bones system and some lenses. I was curious if you would recommend using the Sony lenses, with the new body, considering the previews say there are certain auto focus attributes that only work with the Sony lenses. I have 2 L series lenses, one is the 135mm L lens which is very nice and wouldn't mind keeping since Sony doesn't have that lens.

One last question for those who do more video. I never got into video but if I got either Sony body I wanted to start doing more. I was curious about these cheaper manual focus lenses, like the Rokinon, and if they work well for video? I would love to find something that is good for both photos and video but hey whatever works is great... I am not wealthy so saving a little would be nice considering the costs of switching systems.

Thanks for your help and time. I appreciate any advice and apologize if I didn't give enough information so just tell me if I need to add more. I use to shoot a lot like 15 years back, film era, then stopped for many years and just got back into shooting a few years ago.

Take care

Jimmy

Click to expand...

Canon EF AF lenses are slow on all current A7 series and AF-S only......all that changes with the A7Rii.

It should allow much faster AF and AF-C as well.

Against the original A7R, you have higher resolution, faster AF (both AF-S and AF-C), stabilization with all lenses, and auto focus to a lower light level (EV -2 VS EV -1)......along with the BSI thing and other improvements.

In terms of using EF lenses currently, as I said AF IS slow but in some cases useable for me with some lenses......including the 135 f2 L.



Some 135 L shots with my A7s....mostly auto focused.

philip pj said:

The great full chassis build, new T* coating EVF, 4K video, AF array and 500k shutter durability also put this one way in front of the a7II.

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Interesting reasoning, and a special kudos mention goes out to Sony's marketing machine ;-) Confirmation bias, choice supportive bias, and post-purchase rationalisation usually occur later in the product lifecycle, most often some time after a product has been in the hands for a while, or at the very least once it's actually available !!

thanks to everyone for the replies, I appreciate the highlights.

has anyone used some of these cheaper manual focus lenses with success, mainly from a video point of view?

photosincali said:

So I have used Nikon and now currently a Canon user but I love the look of this new Sony body. I am not a homer who just looks at a brand and gets all crazy... for myself I will shoot with anything that works good.

Anyway I was curious what the biggest difference is with regards to this new Sony A7R II compared with the previous model? I mean does it merit the extra money in your opinion? I think the most impressive thing in my eyes was the focusing, looks amazing. File size to me seems a little on the large size but can't hurt to have some extra room to mess around with. Oh I shoot people, portraits, models, some landscapes but no action stuff if that helps.

Click to expand...

others have answer this generally. I personally feel it does merit the extra money (not that I can afford it) but you have to really decide this for yourself.

photosincali said:

My other question was concerning the Meta Bones system and some lenses. I was curious if you would recommend using the Sony lenses, with the new body, considering the previews say there are certain auto focus attributes that only work with the Sony lenses. I have 2 L series lenses, one is the 135mm L lens which is very nice and wouldn't mind keeping since Sony doesn't have that lens.

Click to expand...

I would suggest first looking for native e-mount lenses and in case of it absence look for Sony a-mount lenses. Firstly metabones adapter (which is reverse engineered) and canon lenses are not officially supported by sony. On the A7rII, canon lenses and metabones work just as a happy coincidence because Sony is providing support for LA-EA3 adapter with a-mount lenses (which is what they officially support).

While AF-C possible with metabones some of the AF features are not available. They might not be available with Sony LA-EA3 either but there far more chances that Sony will update this for their lenses as a side effect it may update for canon lenses or it may not...

While LA-EA3 will give you reasonable AF with SSM/SAM lenses on A7rII only, the LA-EA4 adapter gives you decent AF with all current e-mount bodies including A7II//s/r for *all* a-mount lenses including some really good old minolta AF lenses.

Lastly LA-EA3 is cheaper than metabones and LA-EA4 is about the same money with a lot more capabilities. Honestly I feel metabones is a rip-off.

As for 135mm lens have a look at Sony zeiss 135mm f/1.8 or Sony/minolta 135mm STF lens (which is one of a kind but MF only but could be amazing for portraits/models etc). then there is always the cheap, small and cheerful minolta 135mm f/2.8 but both these lenses will require LA-EA4 adapter for AF (regardless of the body as they are screw driven).

photosincali said:

One last question for those who do more video. I never got into video but if I got either Sony body I wanted to start doing more. I was curious about these cheaper manual focus lenses, like the Rokinon, and if they work well for video? I would love to find something that is good for both photos and video but hey whatever works is great... I am not wealthy so saving a little would be nice considering the costs of switching systems.

Click to expand...

well the zeiss loxia lenses and the rokinon 'CINE' version lenses are supposedly good for this. Basically what you are looking for is click-less aperture functionality, smooth focussing and in case of a zoom a powerzoom (also a constant aperture would be nice in case of a zoom). So even the native SEL 16-50mm and SEL 18-105mm will be great for video. While they are APS-C lenses you can easily use them in APS-C or super 35 format in 4K mode on A7rII. And of course there is the beast that is Sony 28-145mm f/4 G PZ lens which costs as much as A7rII.

photosincali said:

Thanks for your help and time. I appreciate any advice and apologize if I didn't give enough information so just tell me if I need to add more. I use to shoot a lot like 15 years back, film era, then stopped for many years and just got back into shooting a few years ago.

Take care

Jimmy

Click to expand...

photosincali said:

So I have used Nikon and now currently a Canon user but I love the look of this new Sony body. I am not a homer who just looks at a brand and gets all crazy... for myself I will shoot with anything that works good.

Click to expand...

I too was a Nikon user for several years before switching to Sony two years ago.

photosincali said:

Anyway I was curious what the biggest difference is with regards to this new Sony A7R II compared with the previous model? I mean does it merit the extra money in your opinion? I think the most impressive thing in my eyes was the focusing, looks amazing. File size to me seems a little on the large size but can't hurt to have some extra room to mess around with. Oh I shoot people, portraits, models, some landscapes but no action stuff if that helps.

Click to expand...

In body stabilization is the main difference, but, this will be of value to those who use non-native lenses or lenses without stabilization. (In my case, I used only Nikon lenses with Nikon body earlier and now only Sony lenses with Sony body. Also, all my lenses have OSS stabilization. So, no difference for me with A7R II. However, I am considering A7R II for its silent shooting capability, which means I can use it where silence is a must (example _ churches and concert halls)).

photosincali said:

My other question was concerning the Meta Bones system and some lenses. I was curious if you would recommend using the Sony lenses, with the new body, considering the previews say there are certain auto focus attributes that only work with the Sony lenses. I have 2 L series lenses, one is the 135mm L lens which is very nice and wouldn't mind keeping since Sony doesn't have that lens.

Click to expand...

I always believe in using native (Sony) lenses as it communicate better with the Sony body as these are made by same company. With more electronics these days, such communication is important.

photosincali said:

One last question for those who do more video. I never got into video but if I got either Sony body I wanted to start doing more. I was curious about these cheaper manual focus lenses, like the Rokinon, and if they work well for video? I would love to find something that is good for both photos and video but hey whatever works is great... I am not wealthy so saving a little would be nice considering the costs of switching systems.

Click to expand...

I use the same lens (FE 24-70) for video shots as well as photos. In video shots I tend to avoid panning and zooming while taking a scene. So, features such as power zoom is not important for me. I often switch off the auto focus and to do manually focus, so, your manual focus lenses should be okay for video also as long as you are okay with manual focusing.

photosincali said:

Thanks for your help and time. I appreciate any advice and apologize if I didn't give enough information so just tell me if I need to add more. I use to shoot a lot like 15 years back, film era, then stopped for many years and just got back into shooting a few years ago.

Take care

Jimmy

Click to expand...

--
Paul

ProfHankD said:

Better AF using the main sensor, even for SLT-less adapters. This really shouldn't be that big a step up from the A7II;

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That's actually a very big step for a Canon users, like OP. If A7rII is mature enough to take full advantage of Canon lenses (as early reports are indicating) then the OP can have a smooth transition by reusing his existing Canon lenses with full/good AF performance. That's a very a big deal, a game-changer, for a Canon user!

ProfHankD said:

it is mostly better firmware that's responsible for the changes, and the A7II probably could be given a similar firmware upgrade.

Click to expand...

Interesting information, but early information are indicating that A7rII have a whole new and redesigned hardware/sensor (a redesigned PDAF). I hope you are right, because then Sony will probably release a new FW and turn A7II into a game-changer camera too. Because that will promote Sony's new "One Mount Ecosystem" strategy. Do you have a source, or further explanations, about this information?

Sam_Oslo said:

ProfHankD said:

Better AF using the main sensor, even for SLT-less adapters. This really shouldn't be that big a step up from the A7II;

Click to expand...

That's actually a very big step for a Canon users, like OP. If A7rII is mature enough to take full advantage of Canon lenses (as early reports are indicating) then the OP can have a smooth transition by reusing his existing Canon lenses with full/good AF performance. That's a very a big deal, a game-changer, for a Canon user!

Sam_Oslo said:

it is mostly better firmware that's responsible for the changes, and the A7II probably could be given a similar firmware upgrade.

Click to expand...

Interesting information, but early information are indicating that A7rII have a whole new and redesigned hardware/sensor (a redesigned PDAF). I hope you are right, because then Sony will probably release a new FW and turn A7II into a game-changer camera too. Because that will promote Sony's new "One Mount Ecosystem" strategy. Do you have a source, or further explanations, about this information?

Click to expand...

As Sam_Oslo stated, it is a hardware issue that speeds up the AF. The readout is much faster and allows this to happen. This has been confirmed by several folks in the know including Brian Smith in a thread on here (I hope I have not mistaken him for stating that). This means that the speed up will not be coming to the a7ii unfortunately.

FF Pro said:

Sam_Oslo said:

ProfHankD said:

Better AF using the main sensor, even for SLT-less adapters. This really shouldn't be that big a step up from the A7II;

Click to expand...

That's actually a very big step for a Canon users, like OP. If A7rII is mature enough to take full advantage of Canon lenses (as early reports are indicating) then the OP can have a smooth transition by reusing his existing Canon lenses with full/good AF performance. That's a very a big deal, a game-changer, for a Canon user! ...

Click to expand...

As Sam_Oslo stated, it is a hardware issue that speeds up the AF. The readout is much faster and allows this to happen. This has been confirmed by several folks in the know including Brian Smith in a thread on here (I hope I have not mistaken him for stating that). This means that the speed up will not be coming to the a7ii unfortunately.

Click to expand...

Here's my understanding. The copper interconnect enabled a higher read data rate from the sensor chip and there is no way the A7II will get that without a sensor swap. That helps both PDAF and CDAF. However, the use of main-sensor PDAF with adapted lenses is entirely a software issue, and there is nothing preventing Sony from doing that, although AF speed might still be inferior to the A7RII's PDAF due to a slower control loop.

Sony has made obvious changes to their focus algorithms several times, the best known being when they added rudimentary AF support to the use of the LA-EA1. They appear to be using only the SLT PDAF in the LA-EA2/4 and only sensor CDAF on other electronic adapters, but that is certainly a choice that could be changed by a firmware upgrade. Would that firmware-only upgrade really improve AF on the A6000, A7, and A7II? Probably, but we'll only know if Sony does the firmware changes -- which I do not expect they will, but they might.

photosincali said:

So I have used Nikon and now currently a Canon user but I love the look of this new Sony body. I am not a homer who just looks at a brand and gets all crazy... for myself I will shoot with anything that works good.

Anyway I was curious what the biggest difference is with regards to this new Sony A7R II compared with the previous model? I mean does it merit the extra money in your opinion?

Click to expand...

Yes - if you need or want the best!

photosincali said:

I think the most impressive thing in my eyes was the focusing, looks amazing. File size to me seems a little on the large size but can't hurt to have some extra room to mess around with. Oh I shoot people, portraits, models, some landscapes but no action stuff if that helps.

My other question was concerning the Meta Bones system and some lenses. I was curious if you would recommend using the Sony lenses, with the new body, considering the previews say there are certain auto focus attributes that only work with the Sony lenses. I have 2 L series lenses, one is the 135mm L lens which is very nice and wouldn't mind keeping since Sony doesn't have that lens.

One last question for those who do more video. I never got into video but if I got either Sony body I wanted to start doing more. I was curious about these cheaper manual focus lenses, like the Rokinon, and if they work well for video? I would love to find something that is good for both photos and video but hey whatever works is great... I am not wealthy so saving a little would be nice considering the costs of switching systems.

Thanks for your help and time. I appreciate any advice and apologize if I didn't give enough information so just tell me if I need to add more. I use to shoot a lot like 15 years back, film era, then stopped for many years and just got back into shooting a few years ago.

Take care

Jimmy

Click to expand...

photosincali said:

thanks to everyone for the replies, I appreciate the highlights.

has anyone used some of these cheaper manual focus lenses with success, mainly from a video point of view?

Click to expand...

i have plenty of good and 'character' vintage manual focus glass.

t'was, unequivocally, Sony's A7R w/vintage glass images that drew me into seriously wanting a FF body for my mf lenses.

i had seen plenty of those images on Flicker and Fred Miranda.

BTW i went the A7ii. not the high MP of A7R but the IBIS to use with mf lenses.

add...looking at A7ii images with the new Batis 85...wow...a combination made in heaven.

i don't see a lot of legacy mf usage in a future where i own the Batis 85.

Depends on what you value the most.

High resolution (more than 24mp), how many AF points and Dynamic Range matter much less to me than some people.

I prefer a good strong low light, cross, center AF point like my 6D had.

If you're doing night time landscape or astros you can enjoy lossless RAW like a Nikon and high dynamic range like a Sony or Nikon.

For an all around camera the A7ii is the way to go. If you need the other things more....it's up to you how much it's worth the extra cost. The only thing about the A7rii that I would like is the ability to use Canon lens with fast AF through la-ea3 and maybe silent shutter sometimes. These are obviously not the main feature of the camera though. The backlit sensor, 42mp and high AF points are its selling points for people who need that.