Sony A7R vs. Nikon D800E IQ

[ShooterSteve]

Opinions wanted please...

I've been loving my A7R which i purchased after a quick test with my Canon TS-E lenses. I had been using a D800E with the Nikon 24 Shift and the Nikon 14-24 for my work up to that point. The Canon lenses and the friendliness of the Sony digital viewfinder, tilting screen are just wonderful for architecture and landscapes. My question is this: everyone criticizes the Sony for having a compressed raw file and limited bit depth compared with the Nikon. But in my last few months of shooting I have not seen any issues in the images.

I am set to unload my Nikon kit this week and invest in more Sony gear, but before I do I thought I'd get some opinions from the experts here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[k-hawinkler]

If star trails is your thing you are definitely better off with the D800/E.
I recently saw a detailed writeup on that.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Steve I think the complaints are over rated to some degree . You really have to push a file very hard for it to show. I have yet to see the issue in my work. But I expect Sony to do a firmware fix on it. Frankly would not surprise me there would a option to use it or not on the production model of the A7rII. It's a PR issue and they don't want that hanging around, it hurts sales.

 

[Vivek]

Oddly both K-H and Guy are correct. Only you can decide if it is right for you or not.

In my case, ditching Nikon for mirrorless (first m43rds and then Sony) was easy for my requirements- live view, the ability to shoot in UV and IR with liveview. If it were not for that, I would have played wait and see and would have never left Nikon.

 

[iiiNelson]

I think the compressed RAW thing is exaggerated like the shutter shock thing. Sure it affects SOME but not all. As for which is "better" that is subjective. I think Canon has better T/S lenses and I think that there are some great FE lenses out or soon to be released if you have the money to afford them.

 

[pegelli]

There's some more explanation about the lossy compression methodology here on Luminous Landscape. How it affects you is difficult to say, but it provides some background and might help test if you can see it in your photos.

 

[ShooterSteve]

Well for the past few months and ten plus shoots with it, I've yet to see an issue. After using the D800E for the past year and a half, I've noticed no difference or problems between the two. Same software, same lighting, etc. Just wanted some objective feedback. Thanks. It seems to agree with my observations. I heard about the star trail thing, but that's not an issue for me. I'm hoping the new one does away with the compressed raw but no word so far. It seems very very silly for Sony to not fix that issue with a firmware upgrade in our A7R. But I don't think we will ever understand their logic. Just glad they're making such great cameras.