"Crop mode" in A7CII vs. A7CR - a little rant

[Maxmolly7]

Hello Ralf, thanks for posting this!

I recently ran a benchmark between Tamron 28-200mm and 28-300mm. I tried the APS-C mode on A7CII with 28-200mm the first time. IQ compared almost better than 300mm of 28-300, looking somewhat shorter though; like 250mm.

I kept the 28-200 and returned the 28-300mm because there were not enough benefits to justify the higher price of the latter.

I have the mode programmed to #3 of knob dial.

--
May THE LIGHT be with you!

 

[theswede #100093]

I use my NEX 6, with its nice 16MP sensor, quite a lot still. I just resurrected my KM 5D with 6MP, and I still love the photos it takes. I appreciate high MP count for some things, like advanced noise recovery, but for most photos in most usecases, even the 6MP are by far enough.

// Jesper

 

[thunder storm]

Biased rant disclaimer: A7CII (and A7IV) shooter posting here

The 61MP A7CR is often referred to as having "two cameras in one body" thanks to its APS-C crop mode, especially when discussing which of the 2 current A7C series one should purchase. Just as if the A7CII does not offer such "crop mode". Tech fact:
Both cams offer an in-cam "crop" or more precise, an APS-C crop mode.

1. The A7CR yields roughly 26 MP in APS-C
2. The A7CII yields roughly 14.6 MP in APS-C

One may argue that the A7CII APS-C crop mode falls kind of short compared to that in the A7CR, simply because 26MP is "better" than 14.6MP. So, does the A7CII not provide "two cameras in one body"?

Call me an old fart, but I still remember the A4 prints from my 6MP KM5D (yes, still around, stills works without the dreaded FFB (First Frame Black) issue), and its pics still look great WRT resolution watched on a 4k-LCD 3 chip native JVC Home Theater projector on an 120" screen or LG 65" MLA-OLED. Not to mention the 12MP files from the a700 or the 16 MP files from the a55 - and that is before cropping the crap out to the desired final framing. And didn't I dare to use the meager 10.6MP APS-C mode on the a900 and a99?

Long rant short: A7CII (and A7IV) shooters, switch on "APS-C" mode to benefit from on-LCD/EVF framing support, more "reach" without a lens switch, enjoy that 2nd cam in one body and go take APS-C framed pictures!

Biased rant mode - cropped off. ;-)

Cheers,
Ralf

9 years ago I got the Canon 70D with 20Mp. A lot of aps-c cameras had 24Mp for a long time:

Canon: 80D, M5, M6, M100, M200, M50, M50mk2

Sony: A6000, A6100, A6300, A6400, A6600, A6700

So in that context I can see why 24Mp feels like a kind of standard for some folks, and why 14.6 feels like not meeting that "standard". Most aps-c cameras simply had around 24Mp the last decade.

There was a time I did shoot a Sony Alpha 200 with 10Mp. It feels long ago, but I do remember the first shots gave me the feeling I could crop in forever.

It's all relative.

I used my Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 on my A7RV in crop mode as a 24mm f/2.8 equivalent. I was happy with the result. I got me a Samyang 24mm f/1.8 nonetheless. I just don't like wasting sensor surface.