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A7s!

Rawfa

Active member
Awesome display of low light performance. This camera would kill at weddings and concerts. I'll eventually get this camera when the price drops, but at the moment I keep thinking if the A99II will follow a similar route....since it's the top of the line for Sony I would think 12mp could be a risky move, but you never know. I would also bet that it will do in camera 4K, it will have an advanced in body image stabilization and ultra fast AF.
 

dwbell

New member
Received my A7S yesterday. Compliments my A7R for which I tested, then sold 3 Leica digital M bodies and 3 M lenses.

Quick summary of my findings so far.

Used to the A7R (have Zeiss 35 and 55 - desperately waiting for an 85 or 135 to be released) so the addition was an easy move 'fingers'-wise. Although trying to match the settings to my quite customised A7R you need to watch out for the slightly different menu structure. There are additional options for better video of course but also things like the custom button set up are listed in a different order, which seems strange. I'd like a bit more uniformity from Sony here.

IQ is outstanding. I've done ISO sweeps up and down the range to find my comfort limit and have settled on 25600 as my max. A very small amount of work in LR can have this file looking superb. My A7R is limited to 6400, at the point ISO starts flashing in the viewfinder (I shoot auto ISO, Manual shutter, Manual aperture - which is why the Leica forum hated me!) I switch to the A7S.

Silent shooting is insane. I've turned all beeps etc off and enabled silent shooting and people literally have no idea if I'm even shooting or just framing / playing with the menu's. If subjects *know* I'm shooting them it's very off putting as they are expecting a release noise, and it ruins the interaction between me and the subject due to it's absence, I have silent off for this.

The small MP count is not an issue for me. It's still very "big" 1:1 on my 27" iMac and the quality is there. It's a very clean file, not like the "bitty" A7R file. I have always loved the image quality I got from the Canon 300D and the plastic 50 f/1.8. This feeling is back now with the A7S, must be a size of pixel thing.

So I now have a fantastic compliment AND back up to the A7R for travel. Each can do what the other does well enough should one go down or get stollen. But when they need to "do their thing" they are both in a class of their own in my opinion. Dawn to dusk the A7R is giving me outstanding resolution, DR and clarity, switching out in the hotel room before going out again after dusk and the A7S is just rocking the night light and dim interiors.

I'm one lens away from being totally complete.

I've got head shots on my drive from the last 4 days of shooting Phase One IQ250 with Peter Hurley in a studio. Together with test ambient head shots from the A7S - once I've unpacked (we're renovating) I intend to print them on the Epson and see just where the differences lie in the real deal.
 

Rawfa

Active member
Is anyone using the A7S with the LA-EA4? I was wondering how does this combo fare in low light....
 

Rawfa

Active member
Hey, this last post was my 2k post! Aren't I supposed to become an ultra mega supercalifragilisticexpialidocious senior member? :D
 

jonoslack

Active member
(I shoot auto ISO, Manual shutter, Manual aperture - which is why the Leica forum hated me!)
Not this bit of the Leica forum - I fought tooth and nail to get auto ISO to work in manual mode with the M - now it does, that's how I like to shoot too.

Silent shooting is insane. I've turned all beeps etc off and enabled silent shooting and people literally have no idea if I'm even shooting or just framing / playing with the menu's. If subjects *know* I'm shooting them it's very off putting as they are expecting a release noise, and it ruins the interaction between me and the subject due to it's absence, I have silent off for this.
I keep teetering on the brink of this camera - and your post makes it worse. I couldn't be doing with the clatter of the shutter on the A7r, but I can't quite bring myself to opt for 12mp. What I'd really like is this camera with slightly worse ISO and 24mp . . . then my FE lenses would be out of retirement!
 
M

mjr

Guest
Has anyone got any thoughts on the advantages of the 12mp sensor over a down res'd 24 or 36mp file? I can see the other advantages, silent shutter for one but when looking at image quality, are there any real improvements over the A or the R?
 

dwbell

New member
Not this bit of the Leica forum - I fought tooth and nail to get auto ISO to work in manual mode with the M - now it does, that's how I like to shoot too.

I keep teetering on the brink of this camera - and your post makes it worse. I couldn't be doing with the clatter of the shutter on the A7r, but I can't quite bring myself to opt for 12mp. What I'd really like is this camera with slightly worse ISO and 24mp . . . then my FE lenses would be out of retirement!
Yeah, I just never fit in with the Leica crowd at all. Did the "New firmware coming" actually happen then? Good for them. I got bored waiting and being fed nothing in the meantime other than self righteous beta tester apologist rhetoric. But again, not you Jono.

I have a 4.5m X 2.5m backlit print on the wall at the office. It was shot on a 5D MkII and you cannot view it from closer than about 5m. It looks awesome! I need to print the A7S files at my various sizes (I top out at around A2 normal) and see how it looks in the flesh. Luckily I don't have paying clients who demand for whatever reason any specific resolution. So my requirements differ from many.

Table-top tripod, screen off, smile/face detect on medium, 35mm lens at ear height, then just talk to them about life and love. Is it "photography"? Not to some people, but the subject forgets we're shooting and the images are pure gold emotion and the viewer has no clue how it was achieved, nor do they ever care in my experience - other than in that other certain forum..... ;-)

All the best to you Jono.
 

Steve P.

New member
I keep teetering on the brink of this camera -
Been wondering when you'd show up!:D I'm in the same boat. I'd like more MPs but if, and it's still a big if, this sensor plays nice with my ZM25 and VM 15, then it could prove tough to resist. (Always assuming Photokina doesn't throw any surprises into the mix).
 

dwbell

New member
Has anyone got any thoughts on the advantages of the 12mp sensor over a down res'd 24 or 36mp file? I can see the other advantages, silent shutter for one but when looking at image quality, are there any real improvements over the A or the R?
It's something I would be interested in seeing, but renovations at home mean it's not practical right now. However, much like the famed shoot base ISO and push in post ideology, or even to some extent shoot way to the right and pull in post, it's just not something I'm comfortable exercising in the field. I don't know why, but shooting >6400 on the A7R knowing it looks like crap and then downsizing in post and noise removing just seems too much for me, when compared to shooting a better low light body. I feel the same about 2x2 stitched mega rez images, I could shoot a grid of them on my iPhone and work them in post to an impressive final MP shot, but I'd rather rent a MF back and the right lens. Same goes for using one studio head, doing one shot key, one fill, one hair, one background and blending in screen mode in post and so on. All technically possible but I just can't practically bring myself to "do it".
 
Has anyone got any thoughts on the advantages of the 12mp sensor over a down res'd 24 or 36mp file? I can see the other advantages, silent shutter for one but when looking at image quality, are there any real improvements over the A or the R?
The biggest advantage for my work is the AF speed in low light. It is just automatic - deadly accurate and no fuss.
 
Took the A7s out today to my son's LAX tournament just for kicks. Really didn't think it would replace the 24mp A7 since I occasionally crop on these type of action shots.

A few observations:

1. AF with the LAEA-4 and Minolta High Speed APO 200mm/2.8 in CAF appeared to be more accurate on the 7s than on the 7. Tons of keepers.

2. Images appear sharper than similar shots taken on the A7

3. CA is much improved when shooting wide open on the 7s, compared to the 7. It really is minimal and restricted to a reddish CA as opposed to the blue /magentas that were predominant on the A7. Today's shoot was extremely bright and extremely high contrast - very pleased with the result.

Here is one example. I did not bother correcting the minor red CA on the defenders stick head.


 
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kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
Chad: I love the Nick Cave set; very nice. And I really like the processing of the image of the girl—care to share a rough insight into the way you approach this?
 
Thanks all.

Kit - as a "rough" overview, I use VSCO as a base for my edits but have built an extensive library of custom presets off of the VSCO product. I'll usually work up a preset and then save it as a lens and camera combination description so I can quickly go back and see what filters work best for the combo I am using.

Some of my filters are tailored for a natural look, some like this one, for a more dramatic render.

I'm definitely not an OOC guy ;)
 
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