Sonys' new A7(r) FX mirrorless

Hi everyone...

After long time rumors it seems finally to be released on Wednesday... I have been waiting for a FX mirrorless for a while hoping to replace an old FX DSLR with a more compact system...

When it comes to underwater performance what do you guys think will this make a nice UW camera?

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-more-a7a73-specs-and-info/

I do seriously hope nauticam will come up with a housing and the new to be released Zeiss lenses will give some options in the 24mm, 100mm Marko area...

Any thoughts?

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waiting with bated breath. would love to use the nikonos 15mm with something like this.

as a current nex 7 user, my only concern is lens selection, which has been poor with Sony Mirrorless.

Still waiting for proper macro options...... doesnt look like a dedicated marco lens will be one of the first options for the FF system. We are still waiting for the 50mm zeiss macro for aps c. would love something longer. would love that i"m wrong

The A7 may have the same potential to change photography as the NEX had.

With the NEX range Sony however failed big time to provide a competitive lens range within a given time.

I never understood the fact there had been several glasses covering the range 24-70 (18-50, 18-200, 24, 30) but leaving out the short or long ends of the range or having sensefull macro optics.

As the A7 requires a complete new set of optics I fear Sony will run into the same issues again.

One thing future users have to be aware off is the fact that there is a relation between sensor size and lens size. As larger the sensor as bigger the optic must be.

So any FF capable E-Mount lens will most likely have the same size than their SLR counterparts.

If the mirrorless design still makes sense in this case is something I would doubt.

So it may be that this camera has a standar mount as his fullframe brothers from nikon and canon ?

Should it be possible to use the nikon prime lenses on that camera, and get the same quality?

Because i heard several oeople talking on forums that they would sell there D800 if this camera is good...

Be careful with this logic. i moved from the Nikon D7000 to Sony NEX 7 for a very specific reason. I wanted a smaller system to travel with.

the lack of lenses is a major pain for UW. On land, I really enjoy using manual focus lenses. and its a great compensation for lack of native mount lenses. For underwater its not practical due to lack of ports and task loading.

I would love to use legacy Nikonos wide angle on a sony full frame mirrorless but I've tried the Nikonos 80mm on the nex 7. its a fun lens to use but it doesn't focus very close and I fear the resolution is not going to be great on a 36mp sensor. I think this is going to be the rub. A full frame 36mp sensor will show a lot of faults (ask D800 users) and will beg for native mount lenses that take full advantage of the resolution.

all that said, I'm likely going to be first in line to get one!

According to sonyalpharumors the A7 will have a standard E-Mount (NEX system). Existing E-Mount lenses can be used.

They will however either vignette heavily or have to be used in "crop mode" (should be around 11Mpixel as a result).

According to the rumors there will also be a new LAEA adapter allowing the use of A-Mount (Sony/Minolta) optics.

The sources state that the A7 will have on sensor phase detection so the use of SLR glass should be OK. The 2nd A7 (A7r 36MPixel) however seem to not have this feature.

If there will be an adapter allowing the use of Canon or Nikon glass (Metabones for instance) if the existing does not work - who knows.

As adapters already exist for the current E-mount line to enable the use of Canon (and Nikon) lenses, the A7 won't be a "game changer" at all. Especially if one starts using lenses that can throw an image circle large enough for a 24x36 sensor. The m43 format is great as the sensor is 1/4 the size of a FF chip, so lenses are that much smaller. But start wanting a 100mm macro or 15mm FE (our standard UW lenses), then you're no better off that using a DSLR with crippled (as per current technology) slower AF. When you start considering topside lenses like a 70-200 or more...then the camera becomes a liability than anything as it's too small a "handle" to properly stabilize the bigger lenses against one's body/face. Remember too, theoretically, FF lenses require larger elements, leading to more expensive glass.

I love my NEX-6 and my ability to use my Canon EF lenses with the Tech-Art adapter AF is still hit/miss with the on sensor phase detect. Navigating through menus can be a bit of a pain in the rear end and while soft keys are easily customized, it's not in the same league as a DSLR. Yes, it's easier on the shoulder to carry around, but when it's the "must get it shot" moment, I still reach for my 5dmk3 or 7D.

S.

Sony already have very good lens group with Alpha lens mount include Fisheyes and Macro. Only a LA-EA adaptor can fix them to the new 7R model. All the function include AF can work as well. so I think it is a good solution for the underwater photographic. Let's Just wait for the housing.

Why the 7r? Wouldn't the 7 be the more appropriate camera for underwater? As from the presentation the sensor improvements on the A7r compensate for the lower low light performance with the high resolution sensor? Why still being just almost neck to neck with the A7. The AF system on the A7 should be better though?

So as long as you don't mostly shoot architecture or landscapes the a7 should be your choice or am I wrong?

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I bought D800 the the same reason....and ending up using Nex5r for underwater. For the time being, it is very good, provided the price I paid for the whole system. Lens line up has begun to be better, and so far the 30 macro does the job for me. Using with a Subsee, I can get closer shots.

The pain comes from the AF system so I placed my order for A7, instead of the A7r, for a potential better AF system. I have had a whole set of A mount lenses on land just wonder if any one will launch a housing to be used with Adapter like LA-EA4. If I am buying anything, Nauticam will be my top choice. If I am correct, the manufacturing is undergoing already. Of course, David will confirm this.

Let us go back to the lens issue. There will be quality Zeiss FE macro lens by 2015. Samyang also annouses their lenses for FE mount so at least I can use the well known 14/2.8 underwater.

hi all,

the cameras look sexy, and their price reasonable... but the lenses!?!? The 28-70mm f/4 is almost the price of my Nikon 24--70mm f/2.8...

Aren't mirorless lenses supposed to be smaller, and then cheaper?

Aren't mirorless lenses supposed to be smaller, and then cheaper?

It all depends on the sensor size... With a full frame sensor you will need lenses that are as big and as expensive as for a SLR... It's got nothing to do with mirror or no mirror....

So yes it brings the A7 much closer to SLR size than a m4/3rd but I still hope the total package incl. a housing will still be more compact and lighter than for a FX SLR...

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It all depends on the sensor size... With a full frame sensor you will need lenses that are as big and as expensive as for a SLR... It's got nothing to do with mirror or no mirror....

 

So yes it brings the A7 much closer to SLR size than a m4/3rd but I still hope the total package incl. a housing will still be more compact and lighter than for a FX SLR...

 

 

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But for a given sensor size, I thought lenses would be smaller because the sensor is closer to the glass (thanks to the absence of mirror).

This is why Olympus micro 4/3 lenses are smaller than olympus 4/3 lenses, whereas sensor size doesn't change.

Hi,
thats true, as long as the company offers a special lens sortiment for the sensor size.
Unluckily it looks like Sony takes simply the A series lenses and offers them with an E series mount.......
If you take the 30mm macro or the 18 - 55mm zoom, the look very similar to their A series uncles......

Regards,
Wolfgang

These look like seriously fun cameras, but the question is if they are going to be a hit underwater. It will be interesting to see if any third party is going to provide any UWA or fishe eye that would be useable under water.

/O

Another thing to ask concerning any Sony camera for underwater use is whether someone makes a good TTL strobe for the model you are interested in.

Fred

One downside 1/160 max flash sync speed.

One downside 1/160 max flash sync speed.

A7R is 1/250 flash sync

http://www.photoreview.com.au/reviews/advanced-compact-cameras/interchangeable-lens/first-look-sony-ilc-a7#Full_Review

Another thing to ask concerning any Sony camera for underwater use is whether someone makes a good TTL strobe for the model you are interested in.

 

Fred

I use the Inon z240 on TTL with my Sony NEX-7. Works very well. How does TTL work if no flash on the A7?