Hi, I'm doing mostly macro stuff. Until now only stills. Now I want to change my camera (A7Rv) more in direction to video. I'm also not happy with the autofocus of my A7RV on land and underwater. But I would need a good underwater macro still function too. As I had recently bought the Sony 100 mm macro (and have other lenses for land, as special wildlife) I want to stay with Sony.

Do you think A7v would be better for video as the A1 II? I would immediately decide for A7v because of price, battery, new sensor ..., but for cropping A1 II would be better and I use cropping also on land a lot for macro. Would be happy for some thoughts about it.

Thanks!

LG Susanne

1 hour ago, Susa said:

Hi, I'm doing mostly macro stuff. Until now only stills. Now I want to change my camera (A7Rv) more in direction to video. I'm also not happy with the autofocus of my A7RV on land and underwater. But I would need a good underwater macro still function too. As I had recently bought the Sony 100 mm macro (and have other lenses for land, as special wildlife) I want to stay with Sony.

Do you think A7v would be better for video as the A1 II? I would immediately decide for A7v because of price, battery, new sensor ..., but for cropping A1 II would be better and I use cropping also on land a lot for macro. Would be happy for some thoughts about it.

Thanks!

LG Susanne

Long story short:
The A1 II is the superior video tool, but unless you need 8K or uncropped wide-angle slow motion, the A7 V is arguably the best "hybrid" value Sony has ever released.

The Sony A1 II is strictly "better" for video performance. It is a flagship beast that does everything the A7 V does, but without the compromises (crops). However, the Sony A7 V is the "smarter" buy for 90% of users, offering 80% of the A1 II performance for less than half the price.

1. 4K 120p (Slow Motion)
   This is the biggest differentiator.
   Sony A1 II: Shoots 4K 120p with a negligible 1.1x crop. You can use your wide-angle lenses and they stay wide.
   Sony A7 V: Shoots 4K 120p with a 1.5x (Super 35) Crop.
   So for macro work you woul have some advantage with the A7V (but read later)
   

2. Sensor Readout (Rolling Shutter)
   Sony A1 II (Fully Stacked): Uses a pro-grade "Stacked" sensor. The readout is insanely fast ( about 4ms) so it wins hands down. But underwater rolling shutter is really not a problem.
   

3. Resolution & 8K
   Sony A1 II: Shoots 8K 30p. This gives you massive reframing ability in post-production (you can crop in 200% and still have 4K).
   Sony A7 V: Maxes out at 4K 60p (Full Width). It oversamples from 7K, so the image is incredibly sharp, but you don't have the 8K archive option.
   

4. Low Light
   Sony A7 V "should" wins: Because it has fewer pixels (33MP) than the A1 II (50MP), the individual pixels are larger. In video mode (especially S-Log3), the A7 V is slightly cleaner at high ISOs (6400+). But here we are splitting hairs.

Now we would need to understand what limits you find with your current A7RV which is still a beast of a camera. Yes, it has an 8k crop and the rolling shutter is high compared to others (but we said that underwater it is irrelevant). But your camera has Sony's most advanced AF. In short, unless there are specific requests, I would stick with the current camera and spend a lot of money on diving 😁

Ciao

P:S.

I am sorry to have killed your GAS.

12 hours ago, Davide DB said:

In short, unless there are specific requests, I would stick with the current camera and spend a lot of money on diving 😁

@Davide DB That is true wisdom and some of the best advice for us all.

Nothing beats the experience gained and the memories made from using the gear in which we invested so much. Truth is, there are really no “bad” cameras these days, especially the ones being discussed.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by ChipBPhoto

22 hours ago, Davide DB said:

Long story short:
The A1 II is the superior video tool, but unless you need 8K or uncropped wide-angle slow motion, the A7 V is arguably the best "hybrid" value Sony has ever released.

The Sony A1 II is strictly "better" for video performance. It is a flagship beast that does everything the A7 V does, but without the compromises (crops). However, the Sony A7 V is the "smarter" buy for 90% of users, offering 80% of the A1 II performance for less than half the price.

1. 4K 120p (Slow Motion)
   This is the biggest differentiator.
   Sony A1 II: Shoots 4K 120p with a negligible 1.1x crop. You can use your wide-angle lenses and they stay wide.
   Sony A7 V: Shoots 4K 120p with a 1.5x (Super 35) Crop.
   So for macro work you woul have some advantage with the A7V (but read later)
   

2. Sensor Readout (Rolling Shutter)
   Sony A1 II (Fully Stacked): Uses a pro-grade "Stacked" sensor. The readout is insanely fast ( about 4ms) so it wins hands down. But underwater rolling shutter is really not a problem.
   

3. Resolution & 8K
   Sony A1 II: Shoots 8K 30p. This gives you massive reframing ability in post-production (you can crop in 200% and still have 4K).
   Sony A7 V: Maxes out at 4K 60p (Full Width). It oversamples from 7K, so the image is incredibly sharp, but you don't have the 8K archive option.
   

4. Low Light
   Sony A7 V "should" wins: Because it has fewer pixels (33MP) than the A1 II (50MP), the individual pixels are larger. In video mode (especially S-Log3), the A7 V is slightly cleaner at high ISOs (6400+). But here we are splitting hairs.

Now we would need to understand what limits you find with your current A7RV which is still a beast of a camera. Yes, it has an 8k crop and the rolling shutter is high compared to others (but we said that underwater it is irrelevant). But your camera has Sony's most advanced AF. In short, unless there are specific requests, I would stick with the current camera and spend a lot of money on diving 😁

Ciao

P:S.

I am sorry to have killed your GAS.

Wow, many thanks for your detailed answer. It helps a lot! Please see also my comment in the A7RV firmware topic (about my focus problem). Since I'm also doing wildlife/birds I would like to have more speed. And as a next challenge doing more videos, that's the reason behind.

2 minutes ago, Susa said:

Wow, many thanks for your detailed answer. It helps a lot! Please see also my comment in the A7RV firmware topic (about my focus problem). Since I'm also doing wildlife/birds I would like to have more speed. And as a next challenge doing more videos, that's the reason behind.

Hi, @Susa - I have the a1 which I upgraded to from the a7rIV.

The auto focus is extremely fast and very 'sticky' to the subject. Above the waves I do a fair amount of airshows which involves many of the same techniques, challenges, and performance needs as bird photography. While in the 'photo pit' at various shows there are a fair number of a1 users as well as a7rV. Even though there are some minimal differences, both deliver exceptional results. I have seen this in both my own images as well as those I have met. While I have not yet run across the a7V (not 'r') as it is so new, the specs and tech on which it is built are very solid.

The lens also makes a tremendous difference in high-action photography. The Sony 200-600 is the go-to for bird and airshow enthusiasts. With that said, I met someone who brought a Sony 300 f/4. Yes, there was a significant difference in the image quality. But then again, he traveled the country doing the airshows and had mastered the techniques that warranted that level of investment.

As @Davide DB points out, the a1 is the 'best of the best.' The question really comes down to will you get an appreciative benefit for the last ~10% of a performance gain for the over double the price difference?

Regarding video, please also keep in mind that filming in high res on a mirrorless will cause the cameras to run hot, in some cases extremely hot. 4K 120p, as an example, puts an incredible demand on the body and generates a lot of heat. 8K is even more taxing. Many who do a large amount of high res video will often add an external recorder to move the heat from the memory card writing away from the body. This adds an entirely different financial aspect to the equation and not one I am suggesting. Adding proper quality video lighting adds yet another dimension. With this said, doing the occasional 1 min or less video clips along with mainly still photography should be fine. I just want to share an aspect many do not mention when discussing 4K or higher video specs.

Without trying to sound cliche, once one reaches this level of equipment, it's not the gear, but rather the user that makes the difference. Regardless of your decision, once you master the strengths and limitations of the system you choose, you will have the ability to deliver consistent, quality results.

Enjoy,

chip

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by ChipBPhoto

Hello Susa,

I must premise that although I try to keep up to date with the new cameras released, I am not a Sony user, in fact I have a Panasonic camera which, at today's pace, can be considered almost vintage 😁

From my experience, there are two factors at play:

On YouTube you will find many strong opinions about the fact that the AF of X is better than Y and that Y and Z are on par. IMHO it is a very, too simple generalization, in fact I would say almost incorrect. It is true, there are differences between the models which are less and less evident with each release.

But what many shilltubers forget is that the camera never works alone but with a lens attached. And here a world of differences opens up. Too easy to see 99% of AF tests with the youtuber running back and forth in the backyard checking if their big face is in focus. BTW tests done with the kit lens or the most expensive native 24-70mm.

In fact here users often specify which lens they are talking about because underwater photography and filming are extreme and very niche situations. An example: There is no Sony camera that can work with the Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro, whose slowness in AF is known. The situation is very different with the 90mm or the new 100mm or the Sigma 105mm. I'm sure other more expert users than me can add other relevant examples.

So two users with the same camera and different lenses might have a completely different user experience.

If, as you wrote, you also want to dedicate yourself to video, know that 99% of AF system tutorials and reviews are valid only for photography. All cameras, when you switch from photo to video, have menus that can be completely different and a lot of features you have in photo mode you don't have in video mode. Sad but true. the reasons are purely technical and every brand is different. Moreover the capacity of the lens motors to follow continuous AF in video is put even more to the test.

Surely in the forum there are threads that talk specifically about the best settings for Sony and underwater AF. In the meantime, I have found this:

If you want, try to open a specific thread so that other users notice it and can give you their contributions.

Ciao