Video AF, I've been a big complainer...(a7C vs. X-T4 content)

One of my pet peeves as an X-T4 (and X-S10) owner has been AF-C performance in video.

ps - if you're not interested in that specific subject, skip this post...it's gonna be wordy...

To try to sum it up, my main complaint is that AF-C in video isn't as graceful, confident, or sticky as I've seen in Sony and Canon cameras, going back to my 80D. I'm just a camera dad, not a pro - I simply want the camera to confidently focus as whatever I point it at, without hunting around strangely. Sticky Face/Eye AF would be a bonus. Touch-to-track would be a BIG bonus.

I briefly owned a Sony ZV-1, not because I thought it could truly replace my X-T4, but because I wanted a cheap and easy way to try out the latest/greatest Sony AF. The Face/Eye AF was VERY sticky, even through glasses/sunglasses/hat, etc. And the AF-C in video is what I had hoped - confident, graceful. I can go into more detail on that but I think if this subject is on your mind you probably know what I mean.

Omar Gonzalez called the ZV-1 the modern day camcorder and I agree. It's really good in that role. I wouldn't be against owning one again in the future for exactly that. It's also a no-brainer choice if you do Youtube talking-head stuff and don't want to break the bank.

Anyway, the ZV-1 was kind of a proof-of-concept. It left me wondering if one of Sony's more "serious" cameras would fill the AF-C gap and also be enough camera that I wouldn't mind replacing my X-T4. This bugged me for a while until I decided last week to do something about it and order an a7C.

I landed on the a7C for two main reasons - price-wise, it's in the same ballpark as the X-T4, and unlike the a7III or any of the II's, it also has pretty close to the latest/greatest AF. I grabbed a used copy with the kit lens off of B&H and what I found kind of surprised me.

First and foremost, the 28-60/4-5.6 kit lens stinks, so I can't make blanket IQ judgements of the body or the system at all - it wouldn't be fair to the camera. I can only speak to this specific body/lens combo. It was lightning-fast at focusing (as faster or faster than the fastest Fuji LM lenses) so for my purposes it was good. Suffice it to say the X-T4 with the f2 primes is vastly superior in every way to the IQ of the a7C and kit lens - sharpness, color, contrast, build quality, everything. The only other thing I'll say about IQ is that IMO, the Fuji film sims are in every way better and easier to use than Sony's Creative Styles or Picture Profiles.

The a7C's AF is really, really good. Perhaps not quite as good as the ZV-1 (maybe because the smaller sensor has a faster readout and the smaller lens elements can move even faster?) but really good, with the primary benefit to me being the confident AF-C in video. Surprisingly, the Face/Eye AF in Stills fared no better than the X-T4 for me - but this might be down to settings. I didn't take the time to really dig into the AF settings on the Sony. Side note - the tracking AF in Stills is far stickier than Fuji's implementation and since Fuji doesn't have it at all in Video, it obviously wins there as well, and this is no small thing - strong tracking focus is so incredibly useful.

Very surprisingly to me, the Sony Face/Eye detect found "phantom" faces in the walls, ground, trees, etc. several times during my testing! So if you thought this was only a Fujifilm bugaboo my experience says otherwise.

All in all, though, the a7C's AF would be more than good enough for me. Strong enough in Stills, and more importantly, having the confidence and ease-of-use I'm looking for in casual video use.

Win?

My goodness no...

Other than the AF, I found nearly every other aspect of the a7C a distinct DISpleasure to use...

The EVF? The best you can say about it is that's it's barely usable.

LCD? Not terrible.

Build quality? It's supposed to be weather resistant and long-term use would tell the true tale, but my initial impressions were not good. It felt cheap. Very plastic, with unsatisfying buttons, dials, and switches. The shutter felt and sounded cheap. Even the little things like the strap lugs look cheap.

Ease of use? Mixed bag - the U1/U2/U3 modes would be a benefit, but other than that there are too many frustrations and the lack of physical controls means many, many menu dives. But I won't hold it against the a7C - it's part of the design ethos of that body.

Other problems that aren't really surprises but I'll mention them anyway - the max 1/4000 mechanical shutter. You'll hit that limit a lot with fast glass in bright sun. The bigger problem? I couldn't find a way to have it automatically switch to electronic shutter for higher speeds - the only option was to go into the menu and enable "Silent Shooting" manually. I also couldn't find an option for un-silent electronic shooting (for some kind of audible feedback that a shot fired.)

The front grip, while larger than the X-T4's, is completely offset by the lack of a good enough thumb rest on the back. The net result is that the Sony doesn't feel anymore or less secure in the hand than the X-T4. Actually, I take that back - the texture is worse, so it probably does feel slightly less secure in hand than the X-T4.

At the end of the day (not the figurative day, but the literal first day with it), I COULD NOT WAIT to send it back. I'm a gearhead - I love toys and gadgets. So for me to take ANY new camera and happily put it back in the box is really, really something. Going back and picking up the X-T4 after trying the a7C was SUCH a relief.

So where does that leave me? Honestly it leaves me thinking I'll continue to invest in the Fuji system. The fantastic 50-140 is next on my list and I'd like to rebuy the 16-55 that I foolishly sold. I could try one of Sony's higher-end bodies but I'm not sure that I want to spend a grand more for, say, the a7IV in the hopes that the usability will be there. Canon? In this price range, there's the used EOS R which is chock full of it's own compromises. From there you jump to the next price tier in the R6. The R7 is out for me unless they ramp up the glass selection quick.

So that's it. I'm posting this in the hope it benefits anybody who's been feeling some grass-is-greener syndrome lately. I think I just cured mine...