New A7II Users Reports

[jonoslack]

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

Good detective work David - I'll check mine.
Are you assessing whether IBIS has set in by the noise? or by the fact of it 'stillling' longer focal length lenses when half pressing the shutter.

I was shooting with the 90 macro elmar M today, and I couldn't hear the IBIS connecting - but I was getting good hand held shutter speeds, so I have to assume that it was working (but I fitted it after the FE55).

All the best

 

[Viramati]

Hi Jono
see added text of email above (hey it takes me back to the Beta testing issue with the last leica M firmware update and the line in the blue skies)
No I can hear it whirring but you can certainly see the image still jiggling about and you can't see that sort of sleigh 'floating' effect when it is kicked in

 

[ceklund]

Does the shutter button have any kind of half stop feel for focus lock?
I am pleased it feels less spongy, seems they took that fix onboard.

So far I am in, but in Australia we seem to be getting stock in 2015.

I may not be understanding the question, however, I feel a distinct half stop feel for focus lock on the shutter button. I have not used any of the earlier A7 cameras, but to me the shutter is firm and feels very good. The sound is interesting and I am getting used to that.

Chuck

 

[Viramati]

I may start a new thread on the IBIS issue as it may get a little lost in here!!

 

[k-hawinkler]

Thanks David.

Good idea! One quick point.
Even when IBIS isn't active, the same machinery still has to hold the sensor in place.
Is that the whirring sound you hear?

 

[Viramati]

Thanks David.

Good idea! One quick point.
Even when IBIS isn't active, the same machinery still has to hold the sensor in place.
Is that the whirring sound you hear?

Well I presume so though oddly you hear it when IBIS is both on or off

 

[k-hawinkler]

Well I presume so though oddly you hear it when IBIS is both on or off

You should.
IBIS has to hold the sensor in place, even when image stabilization is not active.
That's what I think.

 

[jonoslack]

K-H, David
Right - I've swapped lenses - 24-70, 55, 135 M, 80-200 R etc. etc. sometimes with the camera turned on, sometimes off. I certainly can't always hear the IBIS (but then I'm pretty deaf). However - it has always worked - tough to see with a half press on 50mm lenses, but easy on 135 and 200 - and as far as I can see it's working consistently.

Which doesn't mean it isn't firmware - it just means we have something else set differently so that it doesn't happen with me. Have you tried a factory reset and then see? I'm pretty much on factory settings except that.

1. I've turned off manual focus assist (zoom in? paff)
2. I've turned off focus peaking (because it's easier to focus without it)
3. I've put C4 (the dustbin) to focal length selection for IBIS.

I'll move this to your other thread if you start it

all the best

 

[Viramati]

this is all very strange as this is the 2nd camera and I am having the same issue as with the first!! my setting are similar to yours. it also follows this pattern with either adaptor the Voigtlander one in chrome on the sony mount side and the cheap 'Kiwi' one is black!!

Jono did you try taking any shots with the 24-70 before swapping back

 

[Paratom]

....
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

Hi Matt,
I have images from m43 at comparable focal length with much better corners.
I am not sure those samples are really representative.
The A7II images with the 16-35 do look good in this sample.

 

[Annna T]

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:

i had the same difficulties with the Sony manual at the beginning. It is almost useless. But I found this book quit good :


THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SONY'S ALPHA 7 AND 7R MIRRORLESS CAMERAS

“PROFESSIONAL INSIGHTS FOR THE EXPERIENCED SHOOTER”

Version 1.01

ISBN TBD

Published by The Friedman Archives Press

Copyright © 2014 Gary L. Friedman All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced either in print or in any digital format without express written permission. Contact the author at [email protected]

I ordered from his website and you can get either a PDF or other formats compatible with tablets and/or reader. May be it has been published fin a Kindle version by now too.

It is dedicated to the first two A7 but it could be a good start nevertheless if you want to enter in the Sony logic.

You can get it here from his website

he has also explained the A7II focusing in a video, you will find the links on his blog or his website.

 

[MGrayson]

Hi Paratom,

Now that Capture One 8.1 is out, I reprocessed all the shots there. The lens corrections include sharpness falloff, so that improved the corners a bit. The Oly/Panasonic looks better, but still lags the rest of the pack.

I really did want to find a sharp wide landscape lens for m43. I just never came across one. I have landscapes I'm quite happy with taken with the 45/1.8 and 75/1.8, but now I'm getting :OT:

Best,

Matt

 

[Annna T]

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.

Sorry to hear that the problem isn't solved. May be that you could try a further experiment : when using a lens with OSS (24-70 or 16-35mm) dig in the menu and disable IBIS/OSS before shutting down the camera to change lenses. Then when the legacy lens is mounted, set the IBIS on again. May be it should work too ?

 

[Viramati]

Sorry to hear that the problem isn't solved. May be that you could try a further experiment : when using a lens with OSS (24-70 or 16-35mm) dig in the menu and disable IBIS/OSS before shutting down the camera to change lenses. Then when the legacy lens is mounted, set the IBIS on again. May be it should work too ?

Have already tried this but it didn't make any difference

 

[Annna T]

Hi Paratom,

Now that Capture One 8.1 is out, I reprocessed all the shots there. The lens corrections include sharpness falloff, so that improved the corners a bit. The Oly/Panasonic looks better, but still lags the rest of the pack.

I really did want to find a sharp wide landscape lens for m43. I just never came across one. I have landscapes I'm quite happy with taken with the 45/1.8 and 75/1.8, but now I'm getting :OT:

Best,

Matt

I have the 12-40mm F2.8 and it is a stunning zoom, the corners are better than with the 12mm F2.8; I compared the DXO results of both the Panasonic and the Olympus zooms and went for the M.Zuiko, because while being slightly less sharp in the center, it was better in the corners and offer more uniformity.For me that lens is in the same class as the 75mm. Sorry To be OT.

 

[jonoslack]

this is all very strange as this is the 2nd camera and I am having the same issue as with the first!! my setting are similar to yours. it also follows this pattern with either adaptor the Voigtlander one in chrome on the sony mount side and the cheap 'Kiwi' one is black!!

Jono did you try taking any shots with the 24-70 before swapping back

Hi David
As a serial victim (and perpetrator) of software bugs, I suspect that if it were universal then they would have found it - which does suggest we're doing something different (and yes, I did take some shots with the 24-70). Trouble is, in 8million 263,000 menu options it's tough to find the one which is different. Of course I'll try again, but there isn't a point where I've seriously thought mine wasn't working (although there have been many points where I haven't heard it).

 

[MGrayson]

:facesmack:.. gonna be hard to sneak in another m43 lens after just getting an A7II and two zooms. And I was thinking about the Sony 55/1.8 and 70-200/4, too...

One thing I'm sure of, after trying several lenses via adapters - I want to stay with native glass. It's a neat trick to shoot a Canon 85/1.2L with the A7II via metabones, but I'd never trust the setup. I'm not even sure about the A-mount 85/1.4 now, and I'd love a low f-number 85.

 

[jonoslack]

:facesmack:.. gonna be hard to sneak in another m43 lens after just getting an A7II and two zooms. And I was thinking about the Sony 55/1.8 and 70-200/4, too...

One thing I'm sure of, after trying several lenses via adapters - I want to stay with native glass. It's a neat trick to shoot a Canon 85/1.2L with the A7II via metabones, but I'd never trust the setup. I'm not even sure about the A-mount 85/1.4 now, and I'd love a low f-number 85.

Hi Matt
Well, I'm going to answer a few of your emails (probably pointlessly). I made a decision, and put the manual back in the box when the camera arrived (together with everything else except the battery). I'm sure there's good stuff in there, but I'd rather go to sleep over a good novel. When it does unexpected things I just bang it on the ground and carry on

µ43 - I'm with Annna - the 12-40 seems to me to be probably the best zoom lens I've ever owned - pretty much without compromise . . . BUT having said that, I did some country brick wall tests comparing the 12-40 on the E-M1 with the 24-70 on the A7ii - I was really surprised that, although the 12-40 did win in the corners, it was pretty marginal, but across the frame I liked the Sony images. better . . . which is, quite frankly, why I'm still here .

Native lenses - couldn't agree more - for 80% of the time, but I was having a lot of fun shooting some of the R lenses, and the Noctilux is quite good too . The 55 is a lovely lens though, and somehow I'm much more impressed with the 24-70 f4 than I was on either the A7 or the A7r (go figure).

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Hi Paratom,

Now that Capture One 8.1 is out, I reprocessed all the shots there. The lens corrections include sharpness falloff, so that improved the corners a bit. The Oly/Panasonic looks better, but still lags the rest of the pack.

I really did want to find a sharp wide landscape lens for m43. I just never came across one. I have landscapes I'm quite happy with taken with the 45/1.8 and 75/1.8, but now I'm getting :OT:

Best,

Matt

Did that come out today. Yahoo

 

[scho]

Just received my A7II. I had hoped that the lens focal length for 3rd party manual focus lenses set in the steady shot settings would transfer to exif, but unfortunately this does not happen. Only when I'm using the phigment adapter with my M lenses can I get focal length recorded (as well as shooting aperture). Good item for a firmware update.