Sony It's here, Sony a7R II

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Just arrived and despite my antidepressants and anti anxiety medication I am starting to get excited.
Right now it is my only camera I have and will probably have for the news few years. Bought it off MPB used and 5 extra batteries as they are only 20 £ each (on average) and even at half life they would give me about 150 pictures per battery.

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[DM Larson]

Congratulations! Go out and enjoy.

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Very very first impressions:
*Build quality: I like it, feels very nice.
*Ergonomics: my pinky is hanging off the grip so I need an L-Bracket to have more to hold on. I'm not the biggest fan of the middle AF/MF-AEL button or C3 they are not very comfy for AF-On usage.
*EVF: Not as big as the Pany G9, with my glasses I can't see the edges all that well.
*Battery: DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN they are tiny ... I mean, GOD DAMN, I'm surprised it could ever hold 290 pictures. I'm hoping because they are so small they will charge quick-er(ish) and I absolutely need a dual charger.

 

[lucien]

Nice purchase, looking forward to some of your images

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Congrats on your new camera, and thank you for resetting my perspective on how lucky I am.

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Congrats on your new camera, and thank you for resetting my perspective on how lucky I am.

May I ask how come?

Just came back from a doggie walk for about an hour and I took the camera with me with a few primes, the Pentax M 28mm f 2.8, the Helios Auto Wide 35mm f 2.8 and the Super Travenar 200mm f 3.5. A few, and quick (but definitely not definitive) observations:
*The camera is short, a lot shorter than how my E-M1 Mark III felt and not as comfy as the Pany G9 or even the GX8 as a matter of fact.
*It will take some time to get used to the slower UI, it's not painful slow (like compact cameras of old) but it's not as snappy as any of the Micro Four Thirds I had before (of all my 12 years of using them).
*My heart did drop when I saw that High Continous was disabled with Electronic Shutter, a pain I hope to get over.
*5 FPS is not amazing for wildlife and action but it's more than 2.5 (cough Nikon Z5 Electronic Shutter) and more than 1 FPS I guess.
*The customizable buttons are enough to get me going, which I did not expect (compared to Pany G9 and GX8).
*The Mechanical Shutter tends to have a high clingy sound, very more noticeable than the softer and more dampened Micro Foud Thirds.
*While the camera doesn't ask for the FL with vintage lenses when you turn it on at least it's dead easy to assign a button and scroll through the FLs.
*Focus Peaking ... not as effective and good as Pany or Oly.
*Battery life ... about 200 pictures in 1.5 hours and got 100% down to 54%, could be worse? I'm more relieved that I spent 100 £ on 5 OEM batteries.
*Back to slowness, playback and zooming ... annoying for sure.

Time to load up the pictures and see how well IQ will go (of course I'm not going to judge the camera by vintage lenses that are not going to hold up very well against 42 MegaPickle Ricks).

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

May I ask how come?

I was starting to feel sorry for myself in that I don't have a high res camera body. I do have a choice of three very capable cameras though so there is that.

I've found it is better to accept the cameras for the way they are and adapt to them rather than complain about the way they are and get upset about it. I learned this when I got my first digital camera, a CoolPix 995. Adapting to small buttons and the overall camera itself took some time but once I did I really had fun with it.
Hope you come to enjoy your A7RII for the good camera that it is.

 

[The Electric Squirrel]

Congratulations on the new camera!

Very very first impressions:
*Build quality: I like it, feels very nice.
*Ergonomics: my pinky is hanging off the grip so I need an L-Bracket to have more to hold on. I'm not the biggest fan of the middle AF/MF-AEL button or C3 they are not very comfy for AF-On usage.

I, too, found the a7R III grip too tiny. I found a thick L-bracket for it on eBay for not much money, maybe 30€ or something, can't really remember. It's almost an inch thick, so just fat enough to make the body feel just right in the hand. It really hasn't left the camera since I got it, even when I'm not using a tripod.

Funny thing is, I don't miss that bracket with the a7C, even though it has even less of anything to grip. Go figure...

Those old film era lenses most probably aren't going to out-resolve a 42 million pickle sensor. When I switched from a 20mpix Canon EOS 6D to the 30mpix EOS R both my EF 50/1.4 and EF 85/1.8 suddenly started looking very soft. 35mm film was maybe 18mpix at best, though some rate it around 20mpix. Depending on the film used, a realistic number is anywhere between 6 and 18mpix, and anything above 12 really calling for a high resolution pro film. So the old lenses had their work cut out easier than today. That's one reason many lenses have grown in size, with 50mm lenses now weighing sometimes a full kilogram. Those older simpler designs just don't have the resolution needed.

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Congratulations on the new camera!



I, too, found the a7R III grip too tiny. I found a thick L-bracket for it on eBay for not much money, maybe 30€ or something, can't really remember. It's almost an inch thick, so just fat enough to make the body feel just right in the hand. It really hasn't left the camera since I got it, even when I'm not using a tripod.

Funny thing is, I don't miss that bracket with the a7C, even though it has even less of anything to grip. Go figure...

Those old film era lenses most probably aren't going to out-resolve a 42 million pickle sensor. When I switched from a 20mpix Canon EOS 6D to the 30mpix EOS R both my EF 50/1.4 and EF 85/1.8 suddenly started looking very soft. 35mm film was maybe 18mpix at best, though some rate it around 20mpix. Depending on the film used, a realistic number is anywhere between 6 and 18mpix, and anything above 12 really calling for a high resolution pro film. So the old lenses had their work cut out easier than today. That's one reason many lenses have grown in size, with 50mm lenses now weighing sometimes a full kilogram. Those older simpler designs just don't have the resolution needed.

Thank you, I have ordered a cheap L bracket. I found the Sony a7C quite a bit more comfortable as well, though I did add this and it made a huge difference for me:

I recognize that most film glass is not designed or meant to resolve such high density and resolution sensors, excep maybe Medium Format and Large Format. Originally I thought about staying closer to 24 MegaPickle Ricks or even just 12. Trying to find a balance between cost, features, image quality didn't give me a lot of options. IBIS, Electronic Shutter, IQ, compatibility with film/vintage lenses, and under 1.000 £, that left me with Sony a7R II.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Have you had any problems with your adapters not working with the A7RII?
I realize you haven't had it very long but was just wondering.

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Have you had any problems with your adapters not working with the A7RII?
I realize you haven't had it very long but was just wondering.

I've only tried the Pentax K and M42 adapters from K&F Concept (I have a weak spot for the orange ring and the solid build quality feel to them) and I haven't had any issues with them. Are you asking for any specific kinds of issues, so I know what to look for?

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Samples from a few images I made today, they are edited so they don't show the SooC quality of the lenses themselves. Artistically they are not the best images, the light was flatter than Flat Earthers theory, nor is the composition in most of them. I can be very surprised by the amount of data/detail is there when using very small apertures and I get the focus perfectly.

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The very first picture I made, and the realization that playback is very slow.

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The only more English weather than this is rain so thin and dense that even your armpits and asshole are going for a swim.

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Playing with minimum focus distance on the SMC Pentax-M 28mm f 2.8 ... I wish it was a bit closer because it looks pretty sweet.

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I wasn't very impressed by the preview of the file on the camera but after edit, it looks pretty awesome.

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I shouldn't be surprised by the amount of chromatic aberration but still can't feel a bit disappointed at times, especially when I get a cool image/moment.

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Just playing with perspective compression.

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I love this so much, playing with wide-open wide-angle and just a pinch of background blur.

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I is very happy with the performance at the minimum focus distance of SMC Pentax-M 28mm f 2.8.

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I was trying to focus on the small little nug on the tree trunk but I still miss it with focus magnification and focus peaking.

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Originally Nuggie was supposed to run towards me down this path but at 5 FPS I didn't get enough chance to get a sharp/in-focus image so I kept the one after she jumped on my head and I was still holding the shutter button.

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I was curious to see if I can get details on the little bugs on the flower even though the lens wouldn't let me get closer than this.

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And it did ... even after very heavy cropping, there are still so many details there. Out of the 3 lenses I used today the SMC Pentax-M 28mm f 2.8 is my absolute favourite and holds up very well to 42 MegaPickle Ricks.

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Very beautiful greens and gorgeous yellows.

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Even at f 8 the performance at the corners is not like modern lenses or even kit lenses capabilities.

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This one impressed me even more than I thought, at an 800-meter distance and f 5.6 there are still enough details to see the warnings on the tower.

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Well past a mile away distance there's still enough details to see the women in good detail and what kind of dog they are walking.

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The worst aspect of the Super Travenar 200mm f 3.5 is the purple and green fringing, it's just so crazy I wouldn't use it on high contrast and bright backgrounds.

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Ducks out in the field.

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Very heavy ducking crop.

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Even with Automatic Chromatic Aberration correction and Eyedrop manual and Brush with +100 Defringe still doesn't fix it.

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

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The shadow recovery was awesome.

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Spring is here ... and painterly magical.

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The same place but farther in the distance focused to keep the feeling of the forest location, awesome perspective compression.

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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand here she comes ... and how hard it was to catch the focus with manual focus lens at 200mm.

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I got lucky to be graced by a Red Woodpecker.

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Heavy crop and plenty of fringing to go around.

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And I am more than sure now that my first focus to get a native lens is a telephoto because most of everything would be better for wildlife.

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But up close seems to work decently though.

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And still managed to get enough details on the bricks of the church more than half an hour's walk away.

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First time trying the Helios Auto Wide Angle 35mm f 2.8, the only lens I am worried about because it has a significant build-up of fungus in it.

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At f 5.6 the sharpness in the centre is good.

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At f 2.8 it does have a softness to it, I wonder if in direct sunlight there would be highlight bloom.

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The same subject, at f 4 the sharpness is improved with pretty ok global clarity except for extreme corners.

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The edges are quite blurry and it looks, to me, as it might be field curvature. Also, the lens has very heavy vignetting on the edges.

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It can certainly give a character/personality to this lens, maybe a bit Low-Fy aspect.

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I didn't have many expectations to get details back on the crow, if it was longer FL it might have worked.

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I do like this one quite a bit.

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There's still some flare reaction in the lens but not sure why as the lens has a built-in lens hood.

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These 2 images are the only ones that I passed through Topaz DeNoise AI. I am noticing that at high ISO the files (at 1:1) is not all that much different the Micro Four Thirds doesn't look all that dissimilar for noise and detail level.

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It might be controversial, that's not what I am trying to do or be, but the noise doesn't seem to be as good as the Sony a7C (the only other camera I have used besides Micro Four Thirds), though the sensor still has some advantages from 42 Million Pickle Ricks screaming at you so you can downsize them, a bit better DR.

 

[lucien]

Nice set, I know what 42 million pickle means but what is 'ricks' not up to speed on current terms

 

[DeeJayK]

- K

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

Nice set, I know what 42 million pickle means but what is 'ricks' not up to speed on current terms

You will need to watch Rick and Morty to get you up to speed .

 

[lucien]

how do you know I would like it? I quit at the simpsons? Did they get better or more raunchy

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

A few of my favorites from the last few days:

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My neighbour's little fluffer through the hole in our fence (she is so lovely and always asking for head rubs and cuddles).

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My little angel ... and my new phone wallpaper.

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I love the colour gradation in skies so much, this is very late in the evening.

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To be honest, I am seeing less and less difference in noise look and quantity at high ISO between the Sony a7R II and Panasonic G9 BUT still has the benefits of 2x the raw information and more dynamic range recoverability.

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Testing out the Petri MC 135mm f 3.5 (Pentax K) lens yesterday, a few stellar images but on average is an uninteresting and below average lens.

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With very high CA, soft output wider than f 8 and maybe f 5.6 I don't think I will be keeping this lens for long.

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One of the more outstanding images just because I love the overall output and look of the image.

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I missed the focus on the flowers but I kept the image because I love the look of it still.

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One of the outstanding results again, shoot with the sunrise on my left side, direct light and stop down to f 5.6.

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The stairs to the top of the hill.

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Just something that grab my attention, a woodpile stacked on a wall.

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I can always rely on my favourite lens to get some magical results.

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LOOOOOOOTs of shadow recovery, I was so happy I underexpose to keep some blue in the sky knowing that the shadows can be pushed quite hard with these Sony cameras.

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This was a bit of a heartbreak for me (I am hypersensitive and empathic to pain, suffering and especially towards animals), took me a while to realise that this little sparrow has its left foot missing.

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It reminded me of an accident I had with my new beloved adoptee I brought home a few weeks ago (I've been wanting to share about them for a while now but it's been difficult).

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One of my Lovebirds (Chu is his name) got bit by my dog and after a vet examination we were worried about a broken leg, it's not broken and he has been mending for the last few weeks (with help from medication). I can only hope that this little Sparrow will be able to stay safe with such a difficult disability.

 

[L0n3Gr3yW0lf]

how do you know I would like it? I quit at the simpsons? Did they get better or more raunchy

I don't know about The Simpsons, I haven't watched them since I was a kid. But Rick and Morty are quite funny and it is quite raunchy too though, more fart jokes than a beans afterparty, more ass jokes than a 9-year-old's standup intro, and more swearing than the most racist granny you can imagine. But I love it for the Sci-Fi, absurdity, hypocrisy and the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously at all ... it's an Adult Swim TV Show afterall.

(In case I made you curious)

 

[agentlossing]

I highly recommend The Great North for an animated show with some original humor, and not too raunchy (adult jokes but still a great air of innocence). Not much if any swearing.