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RX1 (r?) as silent companion

nostatic

nostatic

New member
Ok, I'm in with the A7. There are times where I need a really quiet (as in silent) shutter - e.g. when I'm shooting while another video shoot is taking place. The Panny GM1/GX7 can be silent up to iso 3200 but I've been a bit spoiled by the Sony files at this point. Another option would be X100S but not sure I like the ergos.

I'd love to have an A7 with silent shutter - which seems like what the RX1/r is (with fixed 35mm). I can live with the 35mm gov as I can crop if need be.

So crazy idea? I'd love to go RX1r and get an "A7r lite" but seems that used RX1s can be had under $2K. Begins to become a reasonable alternative to going with a cheaper APS-C alternative.

Or am I missing another large sensor silent shooter? (Ricoh comes to mind)
 
P

petetsai

Member
I used my RX1 as a production camera specifically because of its stealth. I had an assignment in China for 3 weeks and it was perfect for the studio meet and greets, and then to shoot production stills during and as a wrap up. Silent and fast with the f2 lens that it worked perfectly and never distracted the photographer or clients.

I'm taking mine to fashion week for one last shoot and then selling it if you are in the market. I just have too many bodies right now although I really like that lens and leaf shutter combination.
 
K

kienchil

New member
Don't forget the NEX 7, with a Metabones speedbooster you can use all your A7 lenses (apart from the FE lenses) at their correct FL. It's not silent but much quieter then the A7. Alot cheaper than an RX1R as well.
 
nostatic

nostatic

New member
Well, I'm nothing if not compulsive. Couldn't pass up a used one at BH for $1800. I was pondering the XT1 as second cam/system (knowing I'd end up spending another $1K+ for some glass) but at $100 more for FF with no AA and totally silent - much easier to rationalize. And I won't be tempted to buy more lenses for it :D
 
M

Mark Gowin

Member
You won't be disappointed. I regret selling my RX1 after I bought the A7R. I seriously considered returning the FE 35mm lens I got for the A7R and repurchasing a used RX1.
 
nostatic

nostatic

New member
I love the files I've seen come out of the A7R, but I just don't like the shutter sound/feel. The A7 I actually like - the electronic first curtain makes a huge difference to me. Silly little thing, but I've been called worse. The second cam really needs to be silent and I was ready to go u4/3 to get that but now have been spoiled with the A7 files so hard to make that change. This kills two birds with one stone - dead quiet shutter and sensor with no AA.

Life is an experiment...
 
douglasf13

douglasf13

New member
nostatic said:
I love the files I've seen come out of the A7R, but I just don't like the shutter sound/feel. The A7 I actually like - the electronic first curtain makes a huge difference to me. Silly little thing, but I've been called worse. The second cam really needs to be silent and I was ready to go u4/3 to get that but now have been spoiled with the A7 files so hard to make that change. This kills two birds with one stone - dead quiet shutter and sensor with no AA.

Life is an experiment...
Click to expand...
I don't think it's a silly reason to choose the A7 over the A7R, at all. The shutter feel of my NEX-5 compared to my later NEX cameras is comparatively awful, because the NEX-5 had that double-clunk shutter without the electronic first curtain shutter. The shutter feel of the RX1 is super quick and fantastic.

I love shooting my RX1 with an OVF in the hotshoe, so much so that I've sold the rest of my digital cameras, and I even returned the EVF that I originally bought for the RX1. Now that prices are dropping, I may have to buy a backup soon, since I can really see shooting this camera for years to come.
 
losta

losta

New member
I've kept my RX1 and prefer the 35 on the RX1 to the FE35 2.8 on either the a7 or a7r. The RX1 and RX1r are still THE stealthy Sony cameras.
 
douglasf13

douglasf13

New member
fotografz said:
What is the sync speed on the RX1-R?

Is there a PC outlet?

- Marc
Click to expand...
As far as I know, you can sync at any shutter speed, but you can't use all shutter speeds with all apertures, just like with regular exposures, so I believe it is 1/2000 at f/2, 1/3200 at f/4, and 1/4000 at f/5.6 and narrower.

You will need a PC connector for the flash shoe.
 
S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
Anyone here shot a wedding with the RX1? I almost always shoot weddings with mostly 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm... and am wondering if an A7R/55mm and RX1r might be a nice combo for the majority of the wedding (non-fast action moments). Pull out my canon for the fast stuff but travel light the rest of the time.
 
nostatic

nostatic

New member
The brown truck showed up and I've done some quick and dirty testing. The AF is noisier than the A7 with 35/2.8, but I assume it is moving a lot more glass. That said, it is pretty quick and seems accurate. A little grainy feel on the MF ring but it is a used camera, and I've felt new lenses that were worse.

Image quality - holy crap. It is pretty spectacular. A bit sharper and more defined than the A7/35 combo. And the shutter is totally silent. Video looks good as well, with quick AF. I prefer the handling of the A7 due to the shape, and AF on the A7 is quick and silent. But for those times when I can't really afford to have a shutter sound going off...

The only downside is that the files from my RX100ii are looking pretty pale by comparison. No hiding place from physics...
 
douglasf13

douglasf13

New member
nostatic said:
The brown truck showed up and I've done some quick and dirty testing. The AF is noisier than the A7 with 35/2.8, but I assume it is moving a lot more glass. That said, it is pretty quick and seems accurate. A little grainy feel on the MF ring but it is a used camera, and I've felt new lenses that were worse.

Image quality - holy crap. It is pretty spectacular. A bit sharper and more defined than the A7/35 combo. And the shutter is totally silent. Video looks good as well, with quick AF. I prefer the handling of the A7 due to the shape, and AF on the A7 is quick and silent. But for those times when I can't really afford to have a shutter sound going off...

The only downside is that the files from my RX100ii are looking pretty pale by comparison. No hiding place from physics...
Click to expand...
Yeah, the RX1 not only has pretty large elements to deal with, plus, the camera has a floating element, so the AF motor needs to deal with 2 moving parts. When the camera came out, Sony engineers said that this was one of the difficult things to get around when building a camera so small.

As far as the handling goes, you might want to add a half-case, or maybe one of the add-on grips from Really Right Stuff or Fotodiox.
 
nostatic

nostatic

New member
So far I'm really impressed with this beast. fwiw the AF seems pretty darn good in low light. It isn't lightning quick like the 6D, but it is accurate. This was a dark corner of the room, and it locked every time

 
douglasf13

douglasf13

New member
Yep, I wouldn't call the AF fast, but I find it very accurate, and it almost always locks on, so it isn't a terrible trade off.
 
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