Went to get a G80 and ended up with an A7..tips from M4/3 and FF users?

Treadurownpath wrote:

Firstly, this is not a M4/3 bashing thread. I have been using M4/3 since 2013 now. I have a GX80 and several moderate lenses including 20mm, 14mm 12-32mm and 45-175mm. I travel a lot and love the size and features of my GX80.

However, I have just become sick of the GX80 viewfinder and was a little bit disheartened to find that they have used the same model, complained about since the GX7 days, in the GX9. It is not even the colour tearing that bothers me, it is the ratio and size, like peering through a tunnel. I use the viewfinder for essentially all of my compositions.

So I set off to get a new camera. The GX8's flawed shutter and IBIS system ruled that out so I looked at the G80. It's great, but the Sony A7 came up on a prime deal for £570 (including cashback) with kit lens. I just couldn't resist.

I have not had a big chance to try it out but am instantly noticing the bigger viewfinder. The menus are not as complicated as people make out and overall it seems fine to use. A big miss if the lack of touchscreen AF. All in all, the GX80 is quicker in every respect and more fully featured, but then I think well most of my shots are landscapes or general travel photos like portraits, do I really need any more speed than the A7.

Moreover, although I love the functions of the GX80 like 4k and its various 4k photo modes, in practice I barely ever use these. I'm a pretty traditional photographer from that point of view.

So currently I'm assessing the image quality difference, especially in relation to my needs and weighing up whether an A7 with the 28 F2 and 50 F1.8 would actually meet 99% of my photography needs. I may yet still run M4/3 parallel to this though with a couple of zooms for video and wildlife....or I may just get a cheapy FZ1000.

In any case, I was just pondering what other people's thoughts were on running both systems and if any M4/3 users can help me with tips to adjust to FF. I really am a noob in this area!

Who knows, perhaps the FF IQ won't capture me and I'll merely keep my GX80!

First of all, the IQ of the A7 will blow the GX80 out of the water. Having owned an A7 system as well as M43 for ages, I will tell you that the files from the A7 are a joy to work with, especially if you use low light or higher ISO. (However, the difference between the A7 and the GX8 is quite a bit smaller than the difference between the A7 and the GX80...keep that in mind when you make your decision.)

That being said....After 2 years with my A7, I sold it and returned to M43, with yes, that "flawed" camera you refuse to consider, the GX8. I actually prefer the GX8 in almost every way to the A7. Yes, you get the better sensor with the A7, for sure. But you also get wonky white balance and inconsistent color rendition, SLOW AF (not so much in daylight, but the A7 is awful in low light, which is a royal pain, especially when you have been used to Panasonic's excellent low light AF capabilities); expensive, and not great, lens selection, and no stabilization at all unless the lens has it. Add to that the refusal of Sony to activate sensor based PDAF in that camera for non-native lenses, and it means you have to use the expensive and touchy LAEA4 adapter for A-mount lenses, and it won't AF with adapted Canon lenses (unless you want to wait a week while it gets around to it).

Now, on the plus side, working with FF will give you a very different perspective on DOF effects and it's a great learning experience. I learned a lot about subject isolation and composition while working with it, and that was very valuable. As a matter of fact, I would add in another FF to my system again, if anyone other than Sony comes out with a mirrorless FF system (and I can afford it at some point), for wide to normal work in lower light, which is where M43 is at its weakest. However, since I spend most of my time out at long tele ranges, M43 (GX8 and 100-400mm) is a more versatile system for me at this point overall, so it's what I have and enjoy now.

So, moral of the story?  The A7 is a pain in the butt to use.  Later models rectified many of the flaws in that particular camera (although not the color rendition), and you would be far better served by buying one of them instead of the A7.  I personally would recommend the GX8 over the A7 that you are considering, actually....Much better camera, and the world's best EVF. By the way, I bought my GX8 after almost being totally put off by the hysteria about SS and the stabilization, and I realized that the entire issue was hugely overblown.  I use e-shutter about 90% of the time, and when I switch to the mechanical shutter, I don't have the problems with it that I thought I was going to, either, so it's a non-issue for me.  The stabilization is mediocre, but, to use that as an excuse when you are going to be buying a camera that has NO IBIS at all, is kind of an odd argument....

Anyway, my advice?  If you want to dabble in FF, then go for the A7.  It's a great learning experience.  Just keep in mind you are getting a body that has some major flaws, and it may not be all you want it to be.....

-J