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New A7II Users Reports
- Thread starter Guy Mancuso
- Start date
Well it is quite easy to see if it is working with the longer lenses as with a half press of the shutter release you can see the image get steadier and stop jiggling about. at the moment I can have the IBIS on and off and nothing changesDavid, how do you determine the IBIS is not working, while you still hear the click and the whirring noise? Not that I don't believe you, but then I can test when I get an a7II (won't be too long I think, gear lust is currently in high gear)
MGrayson
Subscriber and Workshop Member
Confused Rant:
How long before this interface starts to make some sense? The more I read and experiment, the more confusing it gets. Actual camera operation bears little resemblance to the manual and help pages.
OK, I KNOW that this is my unfamiliarity, and that in six months it will all be second nature, but it truly feels like a bad practical joke. Random rectangles appear and disappear in the viewfinder - and not just the AF-C flock of tiny squares, Sometimes they are large rectangles off to the side - did the camera think it saw a face?, sometimes smaller nested rectangles. It feels haunted.
Frequently the lens refocusses when no buttons are pushed but the camera is just re-aimed. :wtf: Why would it EVER do that? Sometimes manual override works, other times it is ignored. Sometimes focus peaking is on, sometimes off. It's especially weird when focus peaking is on but MF is ignored. You can't move the helpful shimmer... so it's Not. Very. Helpful. :loco: Of course, these things should be settable, but I have no idea which settings changed their behavior!
The focus by wire sensitivities are insanely jumpy - turn a bit too fast, and you have to go slowly back for what feels like a full revolution of the focus ring.
The optical system is great, and that's the whole point. The other stuff will work itself out ... if I don't throw the camera out a window first.
I feel better now, thanks.
--Matt :banghead:
How long before this interface starts to make some sense? The more I read and experiment, the more confusing it gets. Actual camera operation bears little resemblance to the manual and help pages.
OK, I KNOW that this is my unfamiliarity, and that in six months it will all be second nature, but it truly feels like a bad practical joke. Random rectangles appear and disappear in the viewfinder - and not just the AF-C flock of tiny squares, Sometimes they are large rectangles off to the side - did the camera think it saw a face?, sometimes smaller nested rectangles. It feels haunted.
Frequently the lens refocusses when no buttons are pushed but the camera is just re-aimed. :wtf: Why would it EVER do that? Sometimes manual override works, other times it is ignored. Sometimes focus peaking is on, sometimes off. It's especially weird when focus peaking is on but MF is ignored. You can't move the helpful shimmer... so it's Not. Very. Helpful. :loco: Of course, these things should be settable, but I have no idea which settings changed their behavior!
The focus by wire sensitivities are insanely jumpy - turn a bit too fast, and you have to go slowly back for what feels like a full revolution of the focus ring.
The optical system is great, and that's the whole point. The other stuff will work itself out ... if I don't throw the camera out a window first.
I feel better now, thanks.
--Matt :banghead:
Lens refocussing on it's own is feature called "pre-AF". You can disable it on the menu. You cannot manually override AF in AF-S mode with native E Mount lens unless the focus mode is set to DMF; DMF behaves like AF-S, but after lock it will instantly show peaking and you have option to instantly override focus. Peaking can also appear to be on/off due to changes in contrast of the scene.
IMO the best way to use these cameras in pure AF-S mode is actually to put them into back-button AF. Configure the AF/MF button to do "AF/MF toggle hold" and put the camera into MF mode. Now the AF/MF button will autofocus and when you release you are back to MF with peaking etc.
Focus by wire takes getting used to as it is non-linear, the faster you turn same "angle" of MF ring the more the focus changes. It will never match MF fell of a modern Zeiss, but best thing about it is that you can get really slow moving focus when being careful regardless of focus distance; I had a Zeiss Makro Planar 50/2 that was a pain to manually focus on longer distances due to tiny touch in focus changes focus a lot and I actually prefer the FE 55/1.8 over the Makro Planar for portrait and longer distances.
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
I turn focus wire off , it's just to jumpy for me. I use the camera mostly in manual mode with the rear button for Afs. Nice thing is you still get focus peaking and I set my magnifier to the C1 button. No question these cams menu systems are confusing as hell. I also live and die with the Fn button as I load all 12 buttons up with a certain function so it's very easy to hit the Fn find what your after and dive in fast.
I turn all that pre- focus stuff off. Matt when these focus boxes are changing its in AFC and what it is doing is tracking something. If you have AF lock on. The initial focus point will set the AFC and as subject or you move as your half pressed it will follow it all over the place. Done well it works very nicely but need to understand how it works.
I turn all that pre- focus stuff off. Matt when these focus boxes are changing its in AFC and what it is doing is tracking something. If you have AF lock on. The initial focus point will set the AFC and as subject or you move as your half pressed it will follow it all over the place. Done well it works very nicely but need to understand how it works.
Well-configured Fn menu (for one's presonal shooting style) is make or break for these cameras. I practically never ever enter the obfuscated Menu unless I'm formatting a card or turning Live View Setting effect on/off.
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Exactly the trick is to stay far away from jumping into the menu system when shooting. I do wish there was a function setting for formatting, APS crop. That would keep me totally out of the menu pretty much.
Sony needs a real photographer standing over these firmware folks. I would be smacking them around. Lol
Sony needs a real photographer standing over these firmware folks. I would be smacking them around. Lol
MGrayson
Subscriber and Workshop Member
It now feels like a camera! Thanks again... On to the next problem:
Please tell me that the Capture One Sony options are confusing as hell. Do I want to
a) Ignore C1 for Sony for now. I'm using Lightroom for playing around.
b) Download Capture One Express (for Sony) - what a name! - and run it in parallel with my existing C1.
c) Somehow combine the two into C1 Pro (for Sony). Is anyone doing this?
--Matt
Please tell me that the Capture One Sony options are confusing as hell. Do I want to
a) Ignore C1 for Sony for now. I'm using Lightroom for playing around.
b) Download Capture One Express (for Sony) - what a name! - and run it in parallel with my existing C1.
c) Somehow combine the two into C1 Pro (for Sony). Is anyone doing this?
--Matt
k-hawinkler
Well-known member
Some good news. a7ii vs a7 - Rangefinder Lens Performance - FM Forums
MGrayson
Subscriber and Workshop Member
Is that a camera function or only on certain lenses? I can't find it in the labyrinth of menus or by searching the Help website.
Thanks,
Matt
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
I believe its only on FE native lenses but I have not tried it with anything but them. See what others say here.
mbroomfield
New member
Was the problem just one adapter or a number of different ones?
The reason I ask is that I have a couple of lenses that were adapted to EOS when I was using the 1ds cameras that refused to work with a metabones EF-Sony adapter. I realized that the lens mount used for the mod was very wide and was shorting contacts on the adapter (no damage luckily).
If this problem crops up again on the new body try taping some thin tape to the spot on the adapter that would end up over the camera body contacts.
Voigtlander close focus adaptor and a chinese adaptor
MGrayson
Subscriber and Workshop Member
All shots are with the camera tilted so that the horizon runs from the upper left corner to the lower right. I then rotated the crops back. All processing was done in Capture One Pro v8.1, as it just now supports the A7II files. Default sharpening with lens corrections.
Here's the diagonal of a 28mm FoV shot. The buildings are just about a half-mile away (800m):
First the Olympus E-M5 with Panasonic 12-35/2.8 at 14mm, f5.6
It looks like the corner of a good zoom. Unfortunately, I've found nothing really better at this FoV in the m43 system. The 12-40 and the 12 prime may be, but I haven't seen a good example.
Let's raise the bar. Here's the Leica M9 with 28 Summicron at f/8.
Even higher, here's a SK35XL on a Phase IQ140 back. Also f/8.
Sorry, I don't have an IQ280 with Rodie 40 on hand, so that's as far as I can go.
And here's the A7II with the 16-35/4 zoom(!) at 28mm, f/8:
I'm impressed. Looking at the small group of antennae on the upper left of Mt. Sinai (the big black building, for those not familiar with NYC hospitals), it seems comparable to the Leica/28 Cron!
--Matt
Here's the diagonal of a 28mm FoV shot. The buildings are just about a half-mile away (800m):
First the Olympus E-M5 with Panasonic 12-35/2.8 at 14mm, f5.6
It looks like the corner of a good zoom. Unfortunately, I've found nothing really better at this FoV in the m43 system. The 12-40 and the 12 prime may be, but I haven't seen a good example.
Let's raise the bar. Here's the Leica M9 with 28 Summicron at f/8.
Even higher, here's a SK35XL on a Phase IQ140 back. Also f/8.
Sorry, I don't have an IQ280 with Rodie 40 on hand, so that's as far as I can go.
And here's the A7II with the 16-35/4 zoom(!) at 28mm, f/8:
I'm impressed. Looking at the small group of antennae on the upper left of Mt. Sinai (the big black building, for those not familiar with NYC hospitals), it seems comparable to the Leica/28 Cron!
--Matt
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Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Looks pretty dang good. How you doing with the menus. Im running out of town here for the weekend.
Ok Guys so have got the new body and it is still doing it What I have figured out is that if I change from either FE24-70 or the 16-35 to an adapted lens IBIS won't click in. If I change from either the FE55 or 35 it will, so I am thinking there is a firmware bug. what maybe happening is that the camera doesn't seem to register when a non electronic lens is attached after a OSS lens has been attached. I would suggest others if possible try to replicate this. I have contacted Sony UK about it.Here is the text of the email
Dear Nick
Here is a summary of the issue as far as I see it
I bought the ILCE-7M2 last Friday the 12-12-14 and noticed on Sunday that at times that the IBIS feature stopped working when using a manual lens with an adaptor (voigtlander close focus adaptor or non specific Chines adaptor) with leica Rangefinder lenses. I noticed again yesterday that the IBIS had stopped working in these circumstances and thinking it maybe a camera issue my dealer (London Camera exchange in London) replaced it with a new camera. Unfortunately the issue is still there and I have narrowed down to when it is happening.
First scenario IBIS doesn't work with adapted lens
1. I have been using the 'FE24-70 OSS' or 'FE16-35 OSS’ and switch to a manual lens with adaptor
2. I turn on the camera and hear click and if I hold camera near to my ear I can hear a slight whirring
3. I dial in the correct focal length for the lens
4 On half press of shutter release the image doesn’t stabilise
5. I can turn IBIS on and off and there is no difference
Second Scenario IBIS works with adapted lens
1. I have been using the ‘FE55/f1.8’ or 'FE35/f2.8’
2. I turn on the camera and hear click and if I hold camera near to my ear I can hear a slight whirring
3. I dial in the correct focal length for the lens
4 On half press of shutter release the image does stabilise and behaves as I would expect
I am shooting RAW without jpeg and with batteries that are fully charged. All other functions appear normal
What appears to me to be happing is that when a lens that is not electronically in contact with the camera is used after the use of and OSS (Optical Steady Shot) lens for some reason the camera won’t activate the IBIS mechanism even though it sounds like is functioning. When using an adopted lens after using a Sony FE non OSS lens IBIS seems to activate.
It would appear that this maybe be a software bug as I am having the same issue even on the 2nd camera.
Dear Nick
Here is a summary of the issue as far as I see it
I bought the ILCE-7M2 last Friday the 12-12-14 and noticed on Sunday that at times that the IBIS feature stopped working when using a manual lens with an adaptor (voigtlander close focus adaptor or non specific Chines adaptor) with leica Rangefinder lenses. I noticed again yesterday that the IBIS had stopped working in these circumstances and thinking it maybe a camera issue my dealer (London Camera exchange in London) replaced it with a new camera. Unfortunately the issue is still there and I have narrowed down to when it is happening.
First scenario IBIS doesn't work with adapted lens
1. I have been using the 'FE24-70 OSS' or 'FE16-35 OSS’ and switch to a manual lens with adaptor
2. I turn on the camera and hear click and if I hold camera near to my ear I can hear a slight whirring
3. I dial in the correct focal length for the lens
4 On half press of shutter release the image doesn’t stabilise
5. I can turn IBIS on and off and there is no difference
Second Scenario IBIS works with adapted lens
1. I have been using the ‘FE55/f1.8’ or 'FE35/f2.8’
2. I turn on the camera and hear click and if I hold camera near to my ear I can hear a slight whirring
3. I dial in the correct focal length for the lens
4 On half press of shutter release the image does stabilise and behaves as I would expect
I am shooting RAW without jpeg and with batteries that are fully charged. All other functions appear normal
What appears to me to be happing is that when a lens that is not electronically in contact with the camera is used after the use of and OSS (Optical Steady Shot) lens for some reason the camera won’t activate the IBIS mechanism even though it sounds like is functioning. When using an adopted lens after using a Sony FE non OSS lens IBIS seems to activate.
It would appear that this maybe be a software bug as I am having the same issue even on the 2nd camera.
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