Sony A7x lounge

David Arbogast wrote in post #17582924
Yes, definitely.

Funny thing, but one reason I would love IBIS in the a7S II is to help the EVF out when using longer lenses. My Zeiss 135mm is a bit of a pain to view through the EVF since it's unstabilized. I can't imagine trying to use Charlie's unstabilized 200mm f/2! Another reason IBIS would be great on the a7S II is it would make shooting long lenses in the dark even easier; just would give a bit more creative control over shutter speed and ISO. Nonetheless, yes, I think the a7S' high-ISO prowess can overcome lack of IBIS.

But, yes, the a7S high ISO prowess is insane. This is a turd of a photo, but was just an experiment to shoot a dark street scene (at dusk) handheld at f/8. It is at ISO 8000 and after I ran through DXO Optics Pro 10's "Prime" noise reduction (which is the most amazing raw-conversion noise reduction available) it is noise-free with excellent detail.

FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA (this is an old photo from before I returned the lens):

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/qYAf​cq
Sony a7S by David Arbogast, on Flickr

that looks so good.. ><

the temptation. lol

xpfloyd. You're not crazy. Just enjoy the ride. Gotta try stuff to see what works for you.
I would recommend the A7II as it is a big improvement in my mind over the A7R.
There are more native lenses now (meaning with AF). The A7II has better AF, IBIS, and is more ergonomic than the A7R. In my mind, it's much more DSLR like. So it might be the perfect fit for you.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with 5DIII and a buncha Canon lenses (as long as you don't mind the size/weight).

Its the size weight thats getting to me now. It was never an issue until I tried my first mirrorless but now it feels like im in constant search for something and I cant figure out what exactly. I just need to avoid constantly selling canon gear then eventually being drawn back again and re-purchasing. Im thinking this phased approach is the way to do it. The more I think about it an A7II, CV 15, 28/2, 55/1.8 setup would be awesome and cover most things I do. Probably only missing an 85mm or 135mm but I am sure there are options for lightweight lenses in that sort of range that I could look at even if it means manual focus.

Just needed a bit of reassurance I think lol

xpfloyd wrote in post #17584068
Help me out here guys please. I need to run my latest thinking past you to make sure im doing the right thing.

For those that dont know last year I sold all my canon stuff and bought a Fuji XT1 and lenses as I wanted a smaller setup. I then didnt like the way the files were handled by lightroom so sold all the fuji and bought an A7R and FE 55 and some canon lenses again which I used adapted. I then felt that although the AF was ok with the FE55 in good light it hunted a bit too much in lower light and I was struggling to manually focus my 135L on it (on moving targets). There was also a lack of AF lenses at the time (I felt) and the A7R was a bit "clunky". Adding to that the shutter noise drove me mad and I wasnt happy with moderate to high ISOs. I then bought a 5D3 and eventually sold of the sony stuff as I couldnt justify to myself having so much cost tied up in what was essentially a landscape body for me.

So, fast forward to today. Im now thinking about giving it another go as the A7ii looks to have better layout and AF and then theres the A7s with its amazing ISO ability etc. and im still lusting after that small setup. This has been brought on by the fact I bought a 24-70II and realised how much I hate the weight and the bulk.

Current setup - 5D3, TSE 24 II, 16-35 IS, 24-70II, 35 IS, 40 STM, 50L, 85 1.8, 135L

Im thinking sell the 24-70II and buy an A7ii with the money. Sell the 50L and 40 STM and purchase probably the FE55. Now the idea is that if I find the AF to be acceptable for my needs I could then add the 28 f/2. Then if I was really sure of the setup I could eventually phase out the canon by selling the 16-35 and buying either the sony equivalent or adding the voigtlander 15 III instead (really love the size of that lens). The last to go would be the 5D3, 35 IS and 85 1.8 (Not selling the TSE 24II). With the money from the 5D3 sale I could always add a A7s for low light situations where the A7ii may struggle

Concerns - I LOVE my 5D3 apart from its size. I love the ISO ability and have it on aperture priority and auto ISO most of the time. As noted above I seem to be going in cycles with gear trying to find the perfect setup, im concerned this is another costly example of this.

So the question is am I mental? Is this just GAS? Does my plan make sense?

If you're looking for 5D3 AF performance in a mirrorless body, I think you'll be disappointed again. But if you really want to go full mirrorless, why don't you buy the successor of the A6000 (I believe it's going to be announced this month, with even faster AF than the A6000) for action photography and the A7II for the rest?

jocau wrote in post #17584117
If you're looking for 5D3 AF performance in a mirrorless body, I think you'll be disappointed again. But if you really want to go full mirrorless, why don't you buy the successor of the A6000 (I believe it's going to be announced this month, with even faster AF than the A6000) for action photography and the A7II for the rest?

Im not looking for 5DIII performance. When I had my A7R with the FE55 it was fast enough for what I do in good light, outside etc. It just bugged me a lot when it would hunt in the house and sometimes not even lock at all. If the A7ii could improve on that somewhat then I would be fine. I have no way of testing this though prior to purchasing. Thats also my thinking behind possibly eventually adding an A7s if I sold the 5DIII down the line so that I would have that option if the A7ii started struggling. I could also have two bodies with me with lenses mounted and still be relatively compact and low weight. I would never dream of carrying two DSLRs. Also im thinking I could give a proper MF lens a try in the region of 35-50mm to see how I get on if AF starts struggling. I think the 135 was just too long for my MF skills

Eddie, I think the a7II is your best bet then add the a7s or a7II to have a well rounded body kit. The dslr is still king for AF performance but mirrorless is almost there.

Your potential lens choice if you went back to mirror less looks great too.

xpfloyd wrote in post #17584127
Im not looking for 5DIII performance. When I had my A7R with the FE55 it was fast enough for what I do in good light, outside etc. It just bugged me a lot when it would hunt in the house and sometimes not even lock at all. If the A7ii could improve on that somewhat then I would be fine. I have no way of testing this though prior to purchasing. Thats also my thinking behind possibly eventually adding an A7s if I sold the 5DIII down the line so that I would have that option if the A7ii started struggling. I could also have two bodies with me with lenses mounted and still be relatively compact and low weight. I would never dream of carrying two DSLRs. Also im thinking I could give a proper MF lens a try in the region of 35-50mm to see how I get on if AF starts struggling. I think the 135 was just too long for my MF skills

I’ve been shooting on the a7r for a year and a half and have recently picked up an a7II. The AF is quite a bit better than the a7r, and I’m no longer encountering those frustrating moments when the AF would crap out even in good light. It’s overall more responsive too. Less start-up lag, less shutter lag….just a faster operating camera overall. It still does not acquire focus as quickly as the 5DIII, but it’s still plenty fast, but more importantly…its very reliable.

Eddie, the a7 II seems like a good fit, but I'm concerned about the high-ISO performance. If you weren't happy with the a7R, which scores slightly better than a7, then you'll also be unhappy with the a7 II in that regard.

Also, probably not a deal, but the a7 II is a bit bigger/heavier than any of the original a7 models.

Nonetheless, your ideas about a a7 II with 15mm, 28mm, 55mm makes very good sense. Each of those lenses is basically double the focal length, so the spacing is excellent.

DTBaan wrote in post #17584089
that looks so good.. ><

the temptation. lol

Thanks! A7S is my workhorse everyday camera. Love the low-light performance, the silent shutter, and the 12 MP is perfect for the everyday stuff where maximum detail isn't critical.

David Arbogast wrote in post #17584167
Thanks! A7S is my workhorse everyday camera. Love the low-light performance, the silent shutter, and the 12 MP is perfect for the everyday stuff where maximum detail isn't critical.

Totally agree. For everything else; A7R

Does somebody know under how low light the A7S can focus? The 6D does -3ev (center point) how bout the A7S?

mystik610 wrote in post #17584158
I’ve been shooting on the a7r for a year and a half and have recently picked up an a7II. The AF is quite a bit better than the a7r, and I’m no longer encountering those frustrating moments when the AF would crap out even in good light. It’s overall more responsive too. Less start-up lag, less shutter lag….just a faster operating camera overall. It still does not acquire focus as quickly as the 5DIII, but it’s still plenty fast, but more importantly…its very reliable.

Thanks mate, puts my mind at ease a bit

David Arbogast wrote in post #17584161
Eddie, the a7 II seems like a good fit, but I'm concerned about the high-ISO performance. If you weren't happy with the a7R, which scores slightly better than a7, then you'll also be unhappy with the a7 II in that regard.

Also, probably not a deal, but the a7 II is a bit bigger/heavier than any of the original a7 models.

Nonetheless, your ideas about a a7 II with 15mm, 28mm, 55mm makes very good sense. Each of those lenses is basically double the focal length, so the spacing is excellent.

Thanks David. Therin lies the quandary. Im torn between the A7ii and A7s. The A7ii seems like the best option for my needs, higher MP, IBIS etc but the ISO concerns me and so does low light focus lock. Then there is the A7s which ticks those two boxes but has its own things like lower MP etc. Im sort of hoping the A7ii would get me 90% of the way there and give me the confidance to sell my 5DIII. If I done that I would be able to add the A7s and be covered for all eventualities. Im pretty much at the point where I have put as much money into this hobby as I want to so trying to make things work on the value of what I have.

the A7ii is nice, I am considering putting up my 6D to trade for one..... however, having a hard time getting over the fact that I no longer have a dslr....... This past decade, that was pretty much all I shot. The A7ii is a good improvement over the a7r. Just get started with a cheapo manual focus 50mm IMO. spend like 30 bucks for one, something like I let dean borrow, just an FDn 50mm F1.8. The manual focus experience is like nothing you've ever experienced unless you shoot zeiss of course. Shoot with it for a solid week, and if you dont like it, you're out only 30-50 bucks. Give it an honest workout, you might like it.

The A7ii will allow you to shoot any prime @ 1/60 - 1/80 shutter speed with good results, so if your kid is hanging out in the house, that's pretty good light acquisition, and somewhat negates the high ISO scenario. I do shoot a bit of auditorium events, and the a7ii has been an absolute pleasure in use, love it much more than the a7r in use. it's too bad it doesnt have the 36mp or high iso ability of the a7s.

lastly, you've got crazy GAS, takes one to know one

xpfloyd wrote in post #17584127
Im not looking for 5DIII performance. When I had my A7R with the FE55 it was fast enough for what I do in good light, outside etc. It just bugged me a lot when it would hunt in the house and sometimes not even lock at all. If the A7ii could improve on that somewhat then I would be fine. I have no way of testing this though prior to purchasing. Thats also my thinking behind possibly eventually adding an A7s if I sold the 5DIII down the line so that I would have that option if the A7ii started struggling. I could also have two bodies with me with lenses mounted and still be relatively compact and low weight. I would never dream of carrying two DSLRs. Also im thinking I could give a proper MF lens a try in the region of 35-50mm to see how I get on if AF starts struggling. I think the 135 was just too long for my MF skills

I have had the A7II for 2 months now. I have yet to experience hunting (granted, I use AF only with the 24-70 and not on a daily basis).

mystik610 wrote in post #17584158
I’ve been shooting on the a7r for a year and a half and have recently picked up an a7II. The AF is quite a bit better than the a7r, and I’m no longer encountering those frustrating moments when the AF would crap out even in good light. It’s overall more responsive too. Less start-up lag, less shutter lag….just a faster operating camera overall. It still does not acquire focus as quickly as the 5DIII, but it’s still plenty fast, but more importantly…its very reliable.

What he said. My experience too. It's close enough to DSLR-like AF that I don't mind. Unless you're goal is to track stuff in motion (Sports, birds in flight) then the A7II is more than capable.

Charlie wrote in post #17584228
the A7ii is nice, I am considering putting up my 6D to trade for one..... however, having a hard time getting over the fact that I no longer have a dslr....... This past decade, that was pretty much all I shot. The A7ii is a good improvement over the a7r. Just get started with a cheapo manual focus 50mm IMO. spend like 30 bucks for one, something like I let dean borrow, just an FDn 50mm F1.8. The manual focus experience is like nothing you've ever experienced unless you shoot zeiss of course. Shoot with it for a solid week, and if you dont like it, you're out only 30-50 bucks. Give it an honest workout, you might like it.

The A7ii will allow you to shoot any prime @ 1/60 - 1/80 shutter speed with good results, so if your kid is hanging out in the house, that's pretty good light acquisition, and somewhat negates the high ISO scenario. I do shoot a bit of auditorium events, and the a7ii has been an absolute pleasure in use, love it much more than the a7r in use. it's too bad it doesnt have the 36mp or high iso ability of the a7s.

lastly, you've got crazy GAS, takes one to know one

Great suggestion from Charlie. This is exactly what I did too. Within a day of owning the A7II (and complaining that the layout and menus were annoying), I met with Charlie who let me borrow his FD 50/1.8.
Within hours, I was shooting nothing but MF and loving the size, performance and found I was getting 90% keepers.
The rest, as they say, is history. I hardly ever turn AF on anymore and still only own the one FE native lens (24-70).
Not saying MF is for you. But worth a shot. And if it's not the AF is good enough and the FE lens selection is excellent, so you can go with those and still find yourself not needing the 5D3 (except for sports, birds, and the such).

davidfarina wrote in post #17584171
Totally agree. For everything else; A7R

Does somebody know under how low light the A7S can focus? The 6D does -3ev (center point) how bout the A7S?

a7S does -4 EV

Good advice Charlie and Nadim, thankyou both. FD 50/1.8 sounds like a good starting point. The fact I thought the A7R AF was fine in good light is also giving me more confidence in this situation