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A7RII crop vs A6500?

Rawfa

Active member
Does anyone here own both cameras? I was thinking about selling my A7RII and getting an A6500 and I was wondering how do they compare (the A7RII in crop mode, of course). I've recently bought a Sigma 30mm 1.4 that I've tested briefly with the A7RII and my conclusions were:
- Soft image
- AF hunts and misses more than with Canon adapted lenses and more than with the FE 50mm 1.8 (which already not a super af lens)
- Unacceptable vignetting (no, I was not shooting in full frame with an aps-c lens).

After these results I was thinking that maybe the A7RII's cropped mode is not optimized to work like a "real" aps-c camera (which would be crazy from a camera this expensive). At the same time, after seeing so many really great A6500 samples and reviews I find it hard to believe that it has the same results as the A7RII crop mode. I've also read a lot of great reviews of the Sigma 30mm 1.4 and after using it with the A7RII I really don't see it.

Anyway, thoughts? (and please DO focus on the actual question instead of asking me why am I switching and so forth)
 
I used/owned both cameras and found the crop mode of the A7rii to be very similar in performance to the 6500 (except for the obvious 18mpx vs 24mpx thing). I haven't tried the 30mm Sigma, but I had the 19mm ƒ2.8 Art lens for a while and found it to be a very good performer.

As background, I recently simplified my gear and sold my A7Rii bodies. I now use an a99ii setup for my more 'serious' stuff, and the 6500 for everything else. It's a great camera and I love shooting with it.

Here's a little album with some recent shots from the a6500 - Mike's a6500 album
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Is it possible that the lens may be faulty or maybe the expectations are higher than reality? I believe the 30/1.4 is in the contemporary series versus the top of the line Art/Sport series. Is it possible that the lens is performing as designed?

My recommendation would be to try an A6500 (locally if possible) before dumping gear. You may find that moving to the A6500 may not solve your issues either and you may not want to jump into one and sell what you already own for no reason unless you're genuinely unhappy with the A7RII. Also is it possible to exchange the Sigma to ensure your copy is functioning properly? Could you post a few sample shots as well so we can possibly see the issues you're experiencing?
 

ggibson

Well-known member
Do you have the latest lens firmware for your Sigma 30/1.4? Could that be the cause of your AF complaints?

I used to shoot the cheaper Sigma 30/2.8 on my A7, and it always seemed to make more sense to continue shooting in FF mode instead of APS-C crop in order to have the most flexibility in dealing with the image circle and cropping afterwards. The vignetting differed quite a bit depending on what aperture was used.

As a side note, when shooting in APS-C crop on an FE camera, can you shoot RAW? Does it actually give you a small RAW file? I've thought about trading my A7rII down to an A6500 to lighten my camera bag, but I've moved towards just using primes and cropping aggressively.
 

Pradeep

Member
My reply does not address the OP's question directly but may help some others in a similar situation.

I have recently switched completely to Sony from Canon for all my needs including wildlife which was a big problem because of the lack of a good tele-zoom in the Sony line-up.

I have been using the A-9 with the 100-400 GM and for birds the reach is not enough, so I bought the A6500 with the hope of exploiting its crop factor and thus getting a 'reach' of 640mm at the long end of the lens.

What I realized is that while it is obviously a higher resolution file with the 6500 vs cropping into the A9 image when you want a 'frame-filling' shot, the two cameras are poles apart in terms of performance. The AF accuracy and speed is so much better that in terms of keepers, the A9 is the way to go for me. For less mobile targets the A6500 may be a better choice.

I have the A7R2 also but have not done a direct comparison between that and the A6500. For me, the subjects I shoot with the former require a high resolution file at that size - typically landscapes and such - and so I would always prefer the larger sensor and unfortunately that goes with the larger body.

Lenses usually suffer on FF sensors, especially fast ones when used wide open. Of course the top ones do great regardless of sensor size. One other possibility is a slightly soft copy of the lens.

Finally, I've realized that no matter the sensor size, I always end up cropping into the image, either because of distortion/rotation needs, for composition or to get rid of unwanted elements that could not be eliminated in-camera. This applies even to pictures of people (one genre that I studiously avoid as much as possible). So even if you have a crop-sensor camera you may still end up cropping further, since it is not always possible to get the framing/composition right at the outset. At least this is what happens to me and why I prefer FF sensors. Of course everybody has a different style.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
My reply does not address the OP's question directly but may help some others in a similar situation.

I have recently switched completely to Sony from Canon for all my needs including wildlife which was a big problem because of the lack of a good tele-zoom in the Sony line-up.

I have been using the A-9 with the 100-400 GM and for birds the reach is not enough, so I bought the A6500 with the hope of exploiting its crop factor and thus getting a 'reach' of 640mm at the long end of the lens.

What I realized is that while it is obviously a higher resolution file with the 6500 vs cropping into the A9 image when you want a 'frame-filling' shot, the two cameras are poles apart in terms of performance. The AF accuracy and speed is so much better that in terms of keepers, the A9 is the way to go for me. For less mobile targets the A6500 may be a better choice.

I have the A7R2 also but have not done a direct comparison between that and the A6500. For me, the subjects I shoot with the former require a high resolution file at that size - typically landscapes and such - and so I would always prefer the larger sensor and unfortunately that goes with the larger body.

Lenses usually suffer on FF sensors, especially fast ones when used wide open. Of course the top ones do great regardless of sensor size. One other possibility is a slightly soft copy of the lens.

Finally, I've realized that no matter the sensor size, I always end up cropping into the image, either because of distortion/rotation needs, for composition or to get rid of unwanted elements that could not be eliminated in-camera. This applies even to pictures of people (one genre that I studiously avoid as much as possible). So even if you have a crop-sensor camera you may still end up cropping further, since it is not always possible to get the framing/composition right at the outset. At least this is what happens to me and why I prefer FF sensors. Of course everybody has a different style.
Hi there thanks, having A7r, A7rII, a6300, and A9, my choice for birding and such is exclusively A9 and FE 100-400/4.5-5.6 GM OSS, including the 1.4x and 2x Teleconverters. The other cameras simply don't focus fast enough.

I also find that the a6300 works indeed quite well with the FE 70-300/4.5-5.6 G OSS. So that combination I do recommend and I find it balances quite well with a third party battery grip.
 
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