tashley
Subscriber Member
I picked up my Z7 today with the 24-70 zoom, fairly aware that some reviews have been very positive indeed and that others have noticed some flies in the ointment.n I loved my D800 and D810 and was really looking forward to something like that but with the latest sensor, mirrorless and a really small form factor - hopefully to displace a lot of other kit I currently have and cover many different bases.
Bear in mind that I've had a vast, truly vast, number of cameras and lenses. Currently using an A7RIII, a Phase IQ3 100, a Leica CL and a Hassy X1D - and that's not the lot by any means. So I am generally used to knowing after my first walk with a new camera if it is going to cut the mustard.
At first sight the Z7 is just nasty.
I think (and I could be wrong, that's what a lot of eliminative testing is for) that it's a combination of a poorly QCd lens and a lot of shutter slap. It really is very hard to tell without doing a full barrel load of tests. But I shot my usual casual aperture series of a distant hillside and the results were very poor. This is a scene that I've shot every camera/lens combination I've ever owned on, and I know what to expect. Today's results were grim.
Now I know everyone will demand to see examples and will want to drill into the minutiae of methodology etc, but in my experience, this camera/lens combination is clearly flawed and so my question here is:
1) Has anyone else had what looks like really pronounced shutter slap (think A7RI or worse) causing obvious image degradation? (I shot in regular shutter mode)
2) Has anyone else found the lens to be far weaker than most reviews would suggest
3) Has anyone had really strong violet/purple fringing, much more than the reviews would suggest?
I am tempted just to return the thing but curious to know what others have found.
Thanks
ps here's a link to some shots that show what I mean. Shot RAW and developed in LR with sharpening set to 60/0.7/70/20 and clarity and vibrance to +10 each. That's my baseline for this sort of sensor. Exported at 92% quality jpeg full size, so they can be downloaded and peeped if anyone's planning a quiet night in...
Zenfolio is processing the shots post upload right now so it might be a few minutes before they can be downloaded.
https://tashley1.zenfolio.com/p406314791
Bear in mind that I've had a vast, truly vast, number of cameras and lenses. Currently using an A7RIII, a Phase IQ3 100, a Leica CL and a Hassy X1D - and that's not the lot by any means. So I am generally used to knowing after my first walk with a new camera if it is going to cut the mustard.
At first sight the Z7 is just nasty.
I think (and I could be wrong, that's what a lot of eliminative testing is for) that it's a combination of a poorly QCd lens and a lot of shutter slap. It really is very hard to tell without doing a full barrel load of tests. But I shot my usual casual aperture series of a distant hillside and the results were very poor. This is a scene that I've shot every camera/lens combination I've ever owned on, and I know what to expect. Today's results were grim.
Now I know everyone will demand to see examples and will want to drill into the minutiae of methodology etc, but in my experience, this camera/lens combination is clearly flawed and so my question here is:
1) Has anyone else had what looks like really pronounced shutter slap (think A7RI or worse) causing obvious image degradation? (I shot in regular shutter mode)
2) Has anyone else found the lens to be far weaker than most reviews would suggest
3) Has anyone had really strong violet/purple fringing, much more than the reviews would suggest?
I am tempted just to return the thing but curious to know what others have found.
Thanks
ps here's a link to some shots that show what I mean. Shot RAW and developed in LR with sharpening set to 60/0.7/70/20 and clarity and vibrance to +10 each. That's my baseline for this sort of sensor. Exported at 92% quality jpeg full size, so they can be downloaded and peeped if anyone's planning a quiet night in...
Zenfolio is processing the shots post upload right now so it might be a few minutes before they can be downloaded.
https://tashley1.zenfolio.com/p406314791
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