Monday, August 10, 2015

The A7r II

I am still waiting for news about the A99 II, to be announced next month if the rumors are correct. However, the release of the A7r II is a real game changer, and I am seriously tempted to buy one along with the LA-EA4 converter. It will be seriously expensive, but this is the first time that I am tempted to cross over to e-mount territory.
Here are the reasons:
1. 5-Axis stabilization - I've been doing a fair bit of hand held video and this could be really useful for me, eliminating the cumbersome use of tripods and monopods.
2. Eye tracking focus - I seriously would use this feature. As time goes by I find myself using more closed shutters, going up to 4.0 and even 5.0 with my 50mm 1.4 lens, for anything but studio or studio-like work where I have time to re-check photos and move a model. But with good eye tracking focus I could try going back to 2.8 or even lower and create some stunning well focused photos even in demanding environments.
3. Shoot at near darkness - SLTs are not known for their ability to shoot at high ISOs. It seems that the A7rII creates really nice photos at ISO 6400 with barely any noise and has workable noise up to double that. The A99 has noticeable noise at ISO 1600 and gets really funky at 6400.
4. More pixels - This will be quite useful for printing and for crops.

So, if the A99 does not have ALL of these which I really like and could boost my work, why should I spend all that money on it when I can get one mirrorless future proof camera that already has all I want and need?

I will keep you updated as to my decision in the upcoming month. I might wait to April (my birthday to make a final decision). Then again, I might not.

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