A7RII game plan

[rhern213]

Re: A7rIi game plan

My current Sony line-up is the A7R, 24-70, 35 2.8, 55 1.8, 100-300 Contax.

I hated that I was thinking of replacing my 100-300 Contax because it was very difficult to get sharp images at the long end.

Boy am I happy now about IBIS, I can keep my Contax! It's so good and arguably my favorite lens, outside of the Phase 150 D .

So needless to say I'll be getting the A7R2 right away, and as soon as it's in my hands I'll sell the A7R.

My decision is going to be with the wides, I'm thinking of getting the Batis 25 and replace the 24-70 for the 28-70 for when my Fiance wants to photograph the dog . I'm not a big fan of the 16-35, so maybe I'll also consider other brands if the AF will work well.

I really like the 35 2.8, the compact size for me is a big plus, but if it has too much trouble with the higher resolution then I'll swap it for the 1.4.

My other decision is going to be evaluating if the Batis 85 will get any real use. Then I'll have to think between that and the 55 1.8.

I need to keep in mind the Sony is still my secondary camera, as my primary is the DF+/IQ180, so I can't go too crazy. For a while I was thinking if the A7R2 or the A9 was 50+ MP I could let go of the IQ180, but from first impressions it seems as though it will be staying a bit longer. We'll see.

 

[biglouis]

Re: A7rIi game plan

I'm definitely not buying now, or this year.

It is a fantastic camera body and I hope it stimulates a lot of demand from professionals who in turn benefit developments by Sony for the rest of us but I get such good results from the A7R I can't see upgrading yet.

I will invest in some additional FE glass, though.

LouisB

 

[k-hawinkler]

Re: A7rIi game plan

Interesting thread.

I've already placed an order for the A7RII with my dealer. I am leaving for a tour of Iceland on August 28th and would love to have it with me.

Going to sell the current A7R shortly.

I have the 16-35/4, 24-70/4, 35/2.8 and the 55/1.8

Of these, the performance of the 24-70 is lackluster the others I am quite happy with. Would love to get the Batis 25 for night photography as the 16-35/4 may be too slow (or so I am told). I have used the Nikon 14-24/2.8 with a double adapter on my A7R and the results were great but it was a very fiddly setup, with no idea of the aperture and of course manual focusing.

There is a real need for a sharp, fast and ultrawide zoom in the Canon/Sony lineup. The new 11-24 from Canon is f4 and despite rave reviews wouldn't work for night imaging.

The other dilemma I would eventually face then is what about my newly acquired Pentax 645Z? I love the IQ and the MF dynamics of the camera, the lenses are another matter and to get the best is not cheap. Difficult to justify building up both the Sony and the Pentax systems unless I can do away with the Canon bodies.

The one critical factor in my case would be how good the new A7RII performs with adapted Canon lenses, AF wise. If it does as good as they say it will then it would be a huge relief, for I can slowly transfer some of my work to the Sony.

Eventually, there will come a day when the Sony systems will be just as good in AF as the Canon/Nikon are today and perhaps with an equally impressive lens selection.

I believe it is not that far off.

Pradeep

That doesn't have to be fiddly if you use the camera light meter to adjust the aperture of a Nikkor G lens. By counting factors of 2 in exposure time changes while adjusting the lens aperture one can get exactly the desired aperture I find.

 

[Hausen]

Re: A7rIi game plan

My current kit, all of about 3 months, is the A7r + 24,45,90 Canon TS-Es. Also I have the Zeiss 15 2.8 for when I want really wide. Have recently sold my 903SWC so the funds await the release of the A7rII. Think I may also sell my RX-1 and keep my A7r.

 

[ohnri]

Re: A7rIi game plan

My Samung NX1 has pro level AF when fitted with the latest firmware.

It also shoots 15fps and a high quality 4K video.

But the lens selection is lacking.

I will pre-order the A7Rii and hope for an announcement of a pro level wide angle Samsung lens before I have to actually choose.

I am considering either the RX100 or RX10 as a backup travel camera as well.

Each generation of new gear brings me closer to selling my D4, D800 and many lenses as I find Nikon to be approaching irrelevance for my uses.

BTW, as I sit in the airport I have my NX1, a pair of 'S' lenses and my Nikon 1 AW camera with me. Last year I packed a Sony A7 and the year before that an Olympus EM5 and prior to that a Leica M9.

-Bill

 

[Vivek]

Re: A7rIi game plan

I have a suggestion for the bank...

That is a Dutch bank! BTW, most of food industry will be out of business in the U.S. if that goes under!

 

[davidstock]

I'm gonna wait a few months on the A7RII. Seems like so many new cameras have an unexpected "gotcha" problem or two that nobody figures out until after release. Overheating, shutter issues, cover glass problems, loose dials, viewfinder issues, whatever. I'm tired of being a beta tester for rushed products.

When I feel more secure about what exactly I'm getting, and when the mania cools off, I'll probably go ahead and buy. I really want what Sony is promising with this body. Probably the A7II will stay with me as a backup/walkaround camera. Meanwhile, I'll be trying to recover financially from Batis and/or 90mm macro purchases....

 

[tcdeveau]

I plan on ordering one at some point and sending my current A7R for IR conversion. It will be awhile though, maybe not until next year. I'll be keeping an eye on reviews and real world experiences 'til then.

 

[JMaher]

I plan on waiting on a few reviews but the odds are good I will order.

I may, or maybe will not, keep my A7II.

Will keep the 35 2.8, and 55 1.8

Will order the 85 1.8 and maybe the 25. Will sell my 85 2.8.

Will keep my Minolta 200 2.8. May sell my other Minolta lenses and look at native alternatives.

Jim

 

[DennisHHH]

The A7r2 is a no-brainer but because of its delayed shipping date I might hold off till next spring. Winter months for me means less shooting time. If the job comes up later in the year will definitely buy it then. I'm still concerned that Sony might introduce the A9 so waiting might be beneficial. Hopefully there will be some kind of the price drop in six months.

 

[mazor]

hmm game plan for me is to wait to see some actual reviews for this new a7rii. It is tempting to preorder, and the new features are amazing, but the cost is high, and one really needs to see what it can do before diving in. Also it is not quite the perfect camera, as it may be possible they have not addressed the lossy 14bit RaW issue. I know it seems like a small issue, but it still puts a small con in the myriad of excellent new features.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Interesting on SAR the votes are to buy pretty much immediately. But here it seems not the case. I guess its easy in a poll to just hit the radio button but here we explain what we are doing and first it makes it far more interesting but a more accurate count.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

hmm game plan for me is to wait to see some actual reviews for this new a7rii. It is tempting to preorder, and the new features are amazing, but the cost is high, and one really needs to see what it can do before diving in. Also it is not quite the perfect camera, as it may be possible they have not addressed the lossy 14bit RaW issue. I know it seems like a small issue, but it still puts a small con in the myriad of excellent new features.

Well the A7r had that issue too so its not bugging me as its been reported they are working on a firmware to correct it but also after further reading on my end I have noticed you really need to be pushing the file kind of hard for it to show and I have yet to see it in my work. Not saying its not there but you gotta look for it. Its also a internet blow out issue as its not explained very well to folks.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Agree we are far more serious buyers too. I of course already started knitting my new Ski mask for my banking purposes. I am doing hot red and white this time. Figure I will stand out in the crowd better. ROTFLMAO

 

[Paul_Kerfoot]

Re: A7rIi game plan

I'm buying , I figured that out in about 5 minutes reading the feature sets. My game plan on how and what goes and stays is a moving target. The 35mm stays for sure. I want the 85 no doubt about it. I do want the 25 but to do that the 16-35 goes and I lose my extreme wide angle. Than if I did that I would want one of several choices Tri-elmar or Leica 18 if it works or go back to the 17mm TSE which I'm leaning towards. The Loxia 50 I love but I'm not the biggest 50mm fan either, so that carries a question mark and so does my Minolta 200mm as I don't think given its a screw drive lens the Lae3 adapter would give me more AF points. This is still unclear to me if it would work. If not than obvious choice would be maybe a Canon 200 2.8 or the 70-200 F4 zoom. I'm undecided here. I'm also undecided on my Sigma 24-70 A mount as I may want to get canons 24-70 2.8 if the metabones works as promised for PR crap. Backup camera might just be a A6000 as it would be emergency mode. The A7II is going on the block for funding reasons. Problem here is needing to raise a lot of cash within this time frame. It's actually a good time because I do a really big gig and I sell a lot of prints

Hi Guy

I understand funding constraints (retired and on a fixed income). Why don't you rent the body & required lens while you make the transition. if you feel compelled to buy something, get some good glass first. That will give you a chance to try the camera before you buy (avoiding beta tester risk). It just may not turn out as good all the mania would indicate. Also the thing ain't cheap. Remember, the second mouse gets the cheese.

Paul

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Well I already gave up my A7r for house repairs and I already got the go ahead for this. But not those Batis lenses. I figure I should be fine plus I get at least a 14 day return too but I may not sell my A7II before hand. I can use that sale after the new camera to get a lens. Just have to work the Peter, Paul and Mary triangle. Steal from Peter give to Paul and pay back Mary. LOL Or something like that.

 

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Right now I am condidering the A7rII, my game plan right now is:

- Keep existing a-mount lenses with adapter
- Add a Batis 1.8/85, as this focal length is a bit lacking in my setup
- Add a Mirex/Hartblei adapter so I can use my existing Hasselblad lenses with T/ S
- Add a Canon 3.5/24 TS with a Canon adapter

But this is a significant outlay, so I may need to wait.

Best regards
Erik

Well we have till June 17 to order and August 20th to ship to our doors. I thought it would be interesting to see what folks game plan maybe. Are we selling current models for it or not buying it???

Are we working our lens system around in FE mounts , possible buying more Canon glass. Or staying pat till you see what works or not. In the meantime the 2 Batis lenses will come on the market what are you doing there. Buying, hiding, trading.

Let's also say for fun if you need two bodies what would be the best combination.

Are you buying for video or stills.

Let's hear your thought process on this whole matter . Let's also hear your concerns and exuberance for it or not.

Make it fun, we have not spent a dime YET. Oh and what bank will you need my rented ski mask for. LOL

 

[jaree]

I will buy it same time next year when it is 50% off the retail $$.

 

[ShooterSteve]

I'm planning on ordering the A7R2 on the 17th. I've been shooting with the A7R and am very hooked on it for many reasons. I'll finally sell my Nikon D800E with a few lenses but keep all my Canon lenses which work well on the A7, (and bodies for other work). I will then slowly start adding Sony, Zeiss, E mount glass as needed. I am also keeping my Leica R lens set, which are fantastic on the A7!

 

[Tim]

The A7rII is a bit rich for me, by that I mean for the price/IQ compared to the old models I doubt my images are worth it. I can stretch to it but I can't justify it for my images.

So I am hoping that maybe the A7r will drop substantially. This could be wishful thinking because it occupies a different price point so there may be no drop or little. I'm not so keen on used bodies, however I am sure some bargains will pop up.

Lens wise I have become a minimalist. I'd stick to either the 50 or 35 in Sony or Loxia and add a 21mm. I don't use a lot more and have other cameras like a GR that will cover 28mm.

What I am worried about is I will fall in love with the new A7rII's sensor rendering. To me this is one of the main points. How good IS that sensor?

But right now I am keeping an eye on the old model bargain clearout prices. We've even had a Fuji XT1 cashback going here.