Rx1r2

[Annna T]

No worries, we just reached Godfrey's usual stress level whenever people get carryed away by a new toy.
One needs somebody who cools down consumers to relativize their wettest dreams. It wan't help though

I would probably buy this camera and the A7rII as well and oh not to forget the new A7s and all the new Sony's, Milvius's, Otus's and Batis's
lenses if money was growing on my back but unfortunatly it isn't. I congratulate everybody who does.
Leica isn't in my dreams, thank god.

Pricewise Sony is upgrading itself direction Leica, justifyed by the fact that they are a lot more innovating as the rest.

I think that he is trying to convince himself as much as the others. Didn't he get an A7 for his Leica R lenses for a while ? He succumbs to GAS just as much as others here. And GAS can be very contagious in those forums.

 

[Annna T]

Face recognition, eye based focus setting ... "Just push the button and the camera gets it all right for you!" (...from the Sony website)

How involving. What glorious Photography...!
I'll pass. Sorry, no interest...

G

You have (or had ?) the same thing on the OM-D E-M1.

 

[Vivek]

thats ok, but we both love making images so I enjoy your posts and images nonetheless.
These discussions here are just banter. In the end I think any of us could use most cameras but when you have choice we like to talk.

Not for bragging rights but in reality, it is a very useful tool to me. A hacked Sony A7- shoots only in Ultraviolet.

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

 

[GrahamWelland]

Like Jerome I use the EVF and it's the weak spot on the RX1R and vulnerable even compared to the pop up flash.

That said, zero failures. The rubber eyepiece however is easy to lose but that just takes buying a couple of spares.

My RX1R II is pseudo justified by being able to consolidate my A7II, A7s and RX1R towards the new v2. It seems like a good clean up exercise and the same sensor and better lens than my A7R II and the 35/2.8 (great lens btw - almost glued to my A7s as a go anywhere outfit).

- - - Updated - - -

 

[peterb]

I think the most expensive part of this camera is the 60" wide swath Epson Designjet Z6800 printer you'll need for it.

 

[algrove]

I'm glad this thread has got past a brief snarky stage and has become peaceful again. It's actually caused me to reflect on what I expect from a camera!

Because of its technical innovations – slight to some, more important to others – those who've posted here have naturally focused on the camera's electronic features like autofocus, EVF, presence/absence of image stabilization, etc. But while the tech specifications look promising, it still matters a lot to me how a camera feels in my hands. The 'RX2' would have to pass a feeling/fondling test. The sensor in my A7rII really impresses me and makes me interested in the new Sony as a constant-companion or carry-around camera to match my larger one. But I'd have to handle one to know.

I've felt really really just right with only two cameras, M4 and Rollei TLR. These seemed custom-made (in their different ways) to match my eyes, hands, body, and points-of-view. The M4 in particular came to feel like a material extension of my body and vision.

Turning to digital, I tried DSLRs and regarded them as functional but overbearing, looking and feeling like military-grade weaponry. Then everything changed when a friend suggested we have lunch so she could show me her new discovery, an M8. She predicted this would be the most expensive lunch I'd ever eaten. She was right – I handled it and bonded.

The M8/M9/MM/M-E have felt to me like slightly paunchy versions of a perfect camera, perhaps because of years of muscle-memory about how to hold and use them and how to focus via rangefinder. And I've persisted with them beyond the point, perhaps, of financial sense and practicality, largely because they've felt right to me. I've recently tried other cameras (X100s and A7), but I couldn't get a feel for them. I fired the Fuji in happy little bursts but felt like I was blowing my sense of care and discipline. The A7 seemed good enough as long as I was deluded into thinking it would work well with most Leica lenses. But it never felt right to me.

Now I'm using the A7rII for landscapes, on a tripod with L-bracket, MATE, and WATE, and a couple of other lenses. Thus encumbered, I suppose no camera feels too awkward, and what I love are the files. This is why I'd be interested in pairing it with an RX2. But the latter will have to fit my body, hand, and eye, well enough for me to stop missing Leicas.

Maybe everyone else was assuming that these factors of feeling and bonding were part of the picture, but only those who've been using RX1s would know about these matters ahead of time.

Kirk

PS, Whoops, while I was writing this Guy and others got upset, above and below. Or was the ban tongue-in-cheek? I rather like Sonyista – it has a prettier sound than Leicaphile.

Please reconsider exiling Godfrey – he's already bowed out of this thread, and his posts and images are always interesting.

Kirk
Had an A7R for a few weeks and sent it back. I bought it because I had earlier "bonded" with my RX-1, but only after combining it with the RRS grip which helped a lot for walking around with it. The same for my M where I like the feel of using a grip with it.

We are all different, but some have found the added grip gives it a "cozier" feel in the hand. Something to consider if getting and RX-1-any model.

 

[ohnri]

Louis, I will add to that the possibility to flash synch to 1/2000s. More than the presence of the EVF, I am glad that the hideous pop up flash is gone.

Oh, I had not really realized that.

I use built in fill flash often whenever I am lucky enough to have it on a camera.

Pity that Sony seems to be moving away from that direction.

My Samsung NX1 has a tasty pop up flash which I use to great effect.

Not that such a small thing would stop me from using as fine a machine as the RX1r2.

And I do have a Sony flash which is only about twice the size of the whole camera.

-Bill

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Nissin I40 is a nice little flash that works really nice. Should fit this camera pretty well. I do like the pop up kind too. It's actually useful

 

[bipbip]

My justified fear is about the EVF and the tilt-screen.

With regard to the tilt-screen I wouldn't worry too much. I've used an a6000 almost every day for a year and a half and mostly flipping the screen down for shooting à la TLR and flipping it back up to put the camera back in my jacket pocket and nothing adverse has ever happened to it.

 

[Chris C]

We are all quite different...

I'm not ---- [variation on an old Monty Python joke].

............. Chris

 

[biglouis]

I'm not ---- [variation on an old Monty Python joke].

............. Chris

Oh, no. Here we go with the Life of Brian jokes...

 

[k-hawinkler]

After reading this article http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/sony-cyber-shot-rx1r-2/ I have the question what are the inherent advantages of the Rx1r2 with its builtin lens versus the ILC A7r2. For the Rx1r2 the article lists:

• Alignment precision down to the micron level for lens and sensor
• Fixed 35mm F2 Zeiss Sonnar T* lens, delivers sharper images, from the center and out to the corners.
• In-lens shutter rather than focal plane shutter
• 1/2000-sec flash synch speed
• Significant reduction in overall body size
• Optical variable low-pass filter

On the downside it lists:

• No IBIS
• No 4K video

Lucille certainly made a convincing case for the Rx1r/2 earlier in this thread.
On the other hand the A7r2 enables use of rangefinder lenses, in particular when it's modified by Kolari.

I guess this is an apples and oranges comparison.
The two systems seem to serve quite different purposes.
However, they overlap for 35 mm focal length.

So, my question then is which 35 mm IC lens would compete IQ-wise with the fixed 35mm F2 Zeiss Sonnar T*?
For native FE and AF there seems to be only one, the Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens.

I wonder though how images shot with those two lenses compare?

 

[algrove]

K-H
Perhaps a stupid question, but was does Kolari do for you and did you have something done to a brand new camera? If so, why?

To me the form factor is just wonderful with the Rx-1 I have. The new pop up EVF does worry me too. I have never had a single problem with the clip on EVF. All that said, just not having to worry about carrying an external EVF (I forget to pack them from time to time) might be a good reason to get the new model, not to mention all the obvious other positives for getting it. On the downside no IBIS with 42MP worries me as I am no longer a steady shooter.

 

[k-hawinkler]

K-H
Perhaps a stupid question, but was does Kolari do for you and did you have something done to a brand new camera? If so, why?

To me the form factor is just wonderful with the Rx-1 I have. The new pop up EVF does worry me too. I have never had a single problem with the clip on EVF. All that said, just not having to worry about carrying an external EVF (I forget to pack them from time to time) might be a good reason to get the new model, not to mention all the obvious other positives for getting it. On the downside no IBIS with 42MP worries me as I am no longer a steady shooter.

Thanks Lou, please have a look here. Kolari Mod's Improvements: A Summary of Tests - FM Forums
In short, Kolari replaces the sensor cover glass with a thinner coated one so that rangefinder lenses work better on A7/s/r/2 cameras.
So far I have not had any of my A7r/2 cameras modified - but I am thinking about it.
An open question is, for example, how much would native FE lenses suffer through such a modification, for example the Batis 25/2.

 

[pegelli]

On the downside no IBIS with 42MP worries me as I am no longer a steady shooter.

In my mind the amount of camera shake visible will only depend on the output size (screen or print) and not on the amount of MP's of the sensor. You might be able to see more shake when pixel peeping at 1:1 but I don't think that's very relevant for the quality of the final output.

As a general comment, seeing Ron Pfister's excellent shots with the RX100M3 in the "Fun with Sony" thread I would much rather have that in my back-pocket to take anywhere vs. a slightly larger fixed focal length camera like the RX1rII. I know this is a very personal preference, but I think most of the comments in this thread are that way

 

[Lucille]

After reading this article http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/sony-cyber-shot-rx1r-2/ I have the question what are the inherent advantages of the Rx1r2 with its builtin lens versus the ILC A7r2. For the Rx1r2 the article lists:

• Alignment precision down to the micron level for lens and sensor
• Fixed 35mm F2 Zeiss Sonnar T* lens, delivers sharper images, from the center and out to the corners.
• In-lens shutter rather than focal plane shutter
• 1/2000-sec flash synch speed
• Significant reduction in overall body size
• Optical variable low-pass filter

On the downside it lists:

• No IBIS
• No 4K video

Lucille certainly made a convincing case for the Rx1r/2 earlier in this thread.
On the other hand the A7r2 enables use of rangefinder lenses, in particular when it's modified by Kolari.

I guess this is an apples and oranges comparison.
The two systems seem to serve quite different purposes.
However, they overlap for 35 mm focal length.

So, my question then is which 35 mm IC lens would compete IQ-wise with the fixed 35mm F2 Zeiss Sonnar T*?
For native FE and AF there seems to be only one, the Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens.

I wonder though how images shot with those two lenses compare?

I don't own the Zeiss FE 35mm f/1.4, but I do own the Zeiss 35 f/2.8 and I think that lens sucks. Yes you can get a good image, but the RX1 destroys it. I bought this lens when I 1st got my A7 as I adore 35mm, it didn;t take long out all to figure out this lens didn't suit me at all, in fact my is for sale. Others may love it, I find it lifeless, boring at any aperture or setting.


I ranted about it here and also loaded some images using it, so nobody could say I have a bad copy.

https://www.talkemount.com/threads/14131/

 

[iiiNelson]

I don't own the Zeiss FE 35mm f/1.4, but I do own the Zeiss 35 f/2.8 and I think that lens sucks. Yes you can get a good image, but the RX1 destroys it. I bought this lens when I 1st got my A7 as I adore 35mm, it didn;t take long out all to figure out this lens didn't suit me at all, in fact my is for sale. Others may love it, I find it lifeless, boring at any aperture or setting.


I ranted about it here and also loaded some images using it, so nobody could say I have a bad copy.

https://www.talkemount.com/threads/14131/

The 35/1.4 Distagon is much better optically than the 35/2.8. Completely different leagues IMO.

 

[raist3d]

Just to pitch my vote in - maybe again-

I *LOVE* The R1R MKII has a retractable EVF along with tillable LCD. I shoot a lot from looking an LCD and I want the option to make the camera more pocketable for storage. To me hiding/popping out the EVF works for that intent.

The thing I am hoping Sony does is ability to use the smart tele converter (found the specific feature finally) shooting in RAW. That they show a 50mm and 70mm equivalent live view for composition even if they capture the entire RAW.

So far from what I have gathered the R1's out there do this only in JPEG mode only, not even RAW+JPEG. This for me would be a deal breaker because I would be shooting a lot at 50mm equivalent also.

Crossing my fingers.

- Ricardo

 

[Matthew Runkel]

To the list of advantages K-H posted, I would add that the whole design of a lens can be very different when it is the only lens the imaging system will use. The RX-1 lens has a huge rear element sitting very close to the sensor, no doubt with good reason.

 

[ohnri]

I just handled a Sony Rx1r2.

The pop up EVF seemed quite sturdy enough to me and appears to be a massive improvement over the clip on EVF for the RX1.

I wonder more about whether it is a conduit to dust entry than its mechanical stability.

The AF was also much improved.

Not easy to not buy.

The new A7s2 is also super. It feels like the other Mark 2 models. A very solid, nice body that is packing a ton of technology.

I looked at the 55/1.8 and Loxia 50 2.0 and the Rokinon 50/1.5

The MF on the Loxia is crazy. Smooth like melted butter and easy as summer heat.

The 55 works with the great AF but is more clinical.

The Rokinon is inexpensive, video centric and seemed like an awfully good value.

An embarrassment of riches.

-Bill