Sony A7r Review

Go see the full Sony A7r Review here on the site!

The Scoop on the Sony A7R Camera

I got a sneak preview of the whole new Sony camera system. Here’s what you need to know. I’m not gonna take eight paragraphs to tell you the basics. You’re smart; here are the key factors about the new Sony A7R: Full-Frame, 36 Megapixels, Weather-sealed, Crazy autofocus tricks, Much improved noise-reduction, Built-in WIFI and NFC, Improved-everything-else.

Check Amazon to see if it’s available or perhaps try B&H Photo.

Eye AF — one of the coolest new features? Yes!

Eye-based Autofocus. What does this mean? It’s an extension of the face-recognition system that Sony already uses that will automatically focus on the eye. So when you have your sweet f/1.8 lens on there, it will just grip onto the closest eye it can find and nail it right away. Awesome! Even better, the viewfinder shows the appropriate background blurriness (bokeh) because you’re actually seeing what is on the sensor. If you’ve never looked through one of new electronic viewfinders, you don’t know what you’re missing.

The smarts of the AF system are view their upgraded BIONZ-X image processing engine (I think they wanted to call it the BIONZ-A, but that sounds confusingly like Beyoncé). The autofocus is 40% faster than the NEX-7. It’s not as good as the Nikon D4, for example, but it can do things with computational prediction that DSLRs cannot do such as the above eye-tracking. This is the kind of innovation we get with mirrorless systems combined with fast processors and clever software.

Just like the Nikon D800E, the A7R has no low-pass filter for increased sharpness. They showed me some side-by-side images with the D800E and I was convinced that the chipset (the aforementioned confusingly named Beyoncé chip) was able to do a sharpness interpretation that is superior. This will be an interesting aspect for my friend Gordon Laing to test over at Camera Labs; he rules the world with his OCD side-by-side tests.

Auto-Bracketing Updates

There are two items of consequence. One of them is that the IR wireless remote is now decoupled from the other shooting modes. If you don’t know what I’m talking about — on the NEX, there was a problem where you could either do IR or Auto-bracketing but not both. Anyway, that’s fixed. The other item of consequence is you can do 3 or 5 shots in your Auto-bracket. Strangely, you can step by up to 3 EV stops when shooting 3 photos, but when shooting 5 photos, the most you can step by is 0.7 EV. Inscrutable! And why can’t you do 7 or 9 stops? Isn’t it just software… oh, camera-makers, you slay me.

There are “apps” on the phone and you can add more. I hope there is an auto-bracketing app. But if the apps are as poorly executed as they were on the NEX-6, of which I have a haunting feeling, then I will just save us all time and slash my wrists right now.

Weather Sealed

“We poured a glass of water on it!” the Sony guys told me. I guess that is a way they test these things — I don’t know. But they said it has the same weather sealing as the D800, which is probably good enough, I figure. The lenses are weather-sealed too. That’s good news… finally.

Lenses, Let’s talk lenses

Oh, we’re talking lenses? Oh yes, I came up with that heading. Well this discussion is almost over because there are only five lenses at launch. Sad emoticon. But, you can use the other 21 lenses from the full-frame Sony Alpha system with an adapter, so that is cool. Let’s say there are 26 lenses, okay? Well, that is how I am gonna think about it because the 5 new lenses aren’t quite enough for me.

Here are the five that are available at launch: 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6, 24-70mm constant f/4, 70-200 constant f/4, 55mm f/1.8, 35mm f/2.8. I really want a wide-angle zoom… but it looks like that won’t come out until the middle of 2014. In the meantime, I’ll just have to use an adapter and select from a few of those other 21 Full-Frame lenses from the Sony Alpha system.

You can get adapters to use ANY lens, really. Leica, Canon, Nikon, etc., etc. It’s a pretty cool idea to use these camera smarts on your other full-frame lenses you’ve been collecting your whole life.

How big is it?

Holding up both the NEX-7 and the A7r side-by-side, there is hardly any difference! I’d say the A7r is about 10% bigger… but nothing even close to the size of a Nikon D800 or much less a Nikon D4. All the lenses are nice and tiny too, again, only a bit bigger than the NEX-7 lenses. This goes right in line with the trend of lessening my load when I travel!

Am I switching?

Yes! Absolutely! I consider this a major upgrade from my NEX-7. Now I get: Full-frame, 36 megapixels, Better Autofocus (including the cool new Eye AF!), better EVF, better noise-reduction, hands-free auto-bracketing, and weather-sealing. That’s a pretty solid list I say! Plus, I get all the OTHER things that originally made me switch from Nikon to the Sony in the first place: 5-6x smaller than the D800, lighter, focus peaking for consistently sharper shots, and a smart EVF to give me important real-time information about the shot.

The only thing I’m giving up are my wide-angle lens that I love (I hope I can find a Sony Alpha one that I like… I dunno… I’m a babe in the woods on that). The other thing that I am giving up a bit is the new A7r only does 4 FPS, which is quite a bit slower. This isn’t a huge thing, since I mostly shoot travel and landscape shots, but it will be a bit slower when grabbing photos of people in motion, where I prefer more FPS.

I’ve thought about getting a Metabones so I can use my Nikon 14-24mm lens, but that lens has been sitting with Nikon Professional Services in Australia for over four months. I’m not sure I’ll ever see it again. She used to send me letters… but now I never hear from her any more…

Another new RX camera too?

Yeah – it is pretty interesting. I wasn’t so into the RX-1 because it did not have interchangeable lenses. Well, the new RX-10 (just announced and available in a few weeks) still doesn’t have interchangeable lenses BUT BUT BUT BUT it has a 28-200mm at a constant f/2.8. INTERESTING, eh? And it is much cheaper at just $1,299. That’s quite a machine… and 20 megapixels too.

You’ll never be able to shoot ultra-wide or do hardcore African animal photography with it to see zebras a mile away, but not everyone needs that. I’m considering adding that as a mid-range option in our camera recommendations. I haven’t actually played with the thing yet, but it is a very compelling idea that nobody else is doing. Sony makes a point that a lot of people buy a DSLR and never change the lens. I bet that is true… so, they designed this camera with that idea in mind.

More coverage coming soon

My friend Karen Hutton (whom many of you may know has twice been on the cover of Downward Dog Magazine) is getting to play with the new gear soon and will be taking a ton of photos. She’ll post her story here to StuckInCustoms.com — thanks again Karen, and thanks for making millions of people jealous! 🙂

Other Resources

– Sony NEX-7 Review – recently updated after my switch from Nikon
– Camera Recommendations – good, better, and best (will likely change when the above cameras are available)
– Free HDR Tutorial – a fun guide if you want to make your photos prettier
– Lightroom Presets and other tools – check my fun online stor

Benedict Cumbarbatch-athon

So, ever since I started recently watching the BBC Sherlock, I’ve become a huge fan of Benedict Cumberbatch. Either you know who I’m talking about or you don’t! If you haven’t seen this amazing series, I cannot recommend it any more. I’ve since been watching more his work. Of course he was in the new Star Trek, but many people know that. Two other great recommendations are a Vincent Van Gogh series from BBC called “Painted with Words” and another is Stephen Hawking BBC movie. I’m now kind of hoping that Benedict appears in every show I watch!

How to shoot out of a helicopter

I’m not at all an expert on this, but I have taken a lot of photos out of choppers, including the one below.

The two most important things to keep in mind seem to be shutter speed and window glare. Experiment with the lighting conditions before you get into the chopper and set your camera into Aperture priority (or Manual if you wanna go mega hardcore). Get the F-Stop nice and low since everything you’ll be shooting is far away and you won’t have any focus problems. Also, get your ISO around 100, but you may need to increase that if you feel your shutter speed is dragging a little. If it is super-bright, you may not want to be at the lowest F-Stop, because then everything will be blown out.

When I was doing this shoot below, I felt like the shutter was dragging a little bit, so I kept increasing the ISO. When you are in Aperture Priority, doubling the ISO makes your shutter speed drop in half.

The last thing to keep in mind is the glare. You want to minimize this of course, and it is very hard when the chopper is always turning this way and that. Just be mindful of it and get very close to the glass to minimize the effect. You can fix some of it in post, if it is not too terrible!

Google Drive Woes

Anyone else out there use Google Drive? I’m having a pickle of a problem where I’m getting duplicate folders… I can’t figure it out. I only have one folder on my computer, but inside the web interface I have duplicates. It’s so confusing and it gives me a headache whenever I try to work out what is happening and then reverse-engineer the whole thing so everything is synced. Maybe I am alone with this problem!

Help with Leica Lenses from savvy People out there!

Okay, so I want to start getting some Leica lenses, but I have never felt as clueless as I do when I go Leica lens shopping. I know that there are many very intelligent and practiced Leica experts and collectors out there. I respect you greatly! Maybe I can just have a small iceberg of your knowledge from the wide and deep glacier. I need some advice:

1) What are the first four lenses I should get?
2) There are so many different prices even for the same lens – how do I know if I’m paying for quality or a collector’s item? (I’m more interested in quality of course!)
3) Where is the best place to buy them online?

I think I’d like a good wide-angle lens and then two good ones for portraits/people/things and then maybe a good telephoto lens too. Thank you in advance!

HDR Tutorial eBook

Grab the Introduction to HDR eBook here! This is a very well put together version of the HDR Tutorial here on the site. It also includes RAW files so you can follow along! Here is a little preview below:

How much longer will they last?

Almost two years ago I wrote an article that said DSLRs are a dying breed, and many people thought I was crazy. Let’s be honest. Many still do.

Three months ago I permanently shelved my Nikon DSLR system and switched to the 6x-smaller Sony NEX system. See Hello Sony. Goodbye Nikon. (many sample photos there too!)

Even though this data is anecdotal, I can also be very objective and tell you that the camera doesn’t matter (with certain exceptions). For example, if you’re doing hardcore animal or bird photography, then you’ll probably want to keep around those specialized DSLR systems. But that is the whole point of this piece – that use cases for giant camera bodies and glass will become increasingly marginalized to the point where Nikon and Canon are on the edge rather than the hump of the bell curve.

I have a very good friend that is high-placed in the industry — I won’t repeat his name — but he had the lovely prescient quote: “Nikon and Canon will become like Lionel trains – for collectors.”

The Camera doesn’t matter

So, I see you’re sitting there saying, “Trey, the camera doesn’t matter!” Yes, I’m here to tell you the camera doesn’t matter — I agree! And, assuming you’ll be buying more camera equipment in the next five years, then why, pray tell, do you think that you’ll continue buying giant DSLRs? You’ll have ever-increasing superior choices that enable you to a) buy a much smaller camera that has superior performance and b) spend a fraction of the same amount.

And you can look at me and a few other pros that have made the switch. I don’t compromise on quality. Sony didn’t pay me to switch or sponsor me or anything. They even offered to send me unlimited cameras and lenses and I told them no. So that’s not what drove my decision – I simply want the best. When I travel around to awesome locations, I only want to use the best because I may never get back there again. My Sony cameras are a mere fraction of the size and a mere fraction of the cost. Look, you can easily spend $4,000+ on a big DSLR system, but my little NEX was only about $1,000. I can also buy all the lenses I need for a song too.

Furthermore, who knows what Sony will announce next? It’s just 2013… this is the most exciting time ever in the history of camera technology.

Look at the scary numbers

Okay, so let’s say you don’t like my anecdotal extrapolations. Let’s look at some of the actual numbers. Nikon makes 78% its profit from Camera sales. Yearly sales of DSLRs have dropped 10.9% percent (according to IDC’s Christopher Chute research director of worldwide digital imaging). Canon’s in the same boat, but at least they make printers and have other businesses to fall back on. But their DSLR line is in the same boat as Nikon. And to think, the DSLR market used to be one that was growing by double digits for the last ten years.

Even scarier, the rate of market decline is accelerating each quarter.

Nikon shares are down 33% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Interesting that people outside of the camera industry see this trend better than those of us in it.

Shooting with the NEX system in Tokyo So, while I’m here in Japan, the executive teams at Nikon and Canon are continuing to bury their heads in the sand. I have wondered why Sony seems to be so much more on the ball and making such interesting cameras and systems. I think it is because they have a younger management team. Also, I notice they are much more engaged with social media. I know this Sony guy here in New Zealand named Tim Barlow that totally gets social media and how it is tied into product development, marketing, and the photography community as a whole. I never really got that feeling from Nikon or Canon.

Don’t feel threatened

I notice that when I write these “Death knell of the DSLR” articles that people come out with pitchforks. Hey man, I’m not telling you that you have to get rid of your camera — I’m here with good news! Since you’ll undoubtedly be buying more equipment for the next X years (you will concede this, yes), you’ll be able to upgrade in every possible way that matters: smaller size, more flexibility, better software, lower cost. Every single trend line points to this.

The current DSLR system you have will serve you very well. In fact, you can of course make the argument that you’ll never need anything else for the rest of your life! But com’on… let’s be honest… most people that are into digital photography also enjoy buying new stuff every few years. Just keep an open mind…

I know I’m pretty much alone in these thoughts. I go set up my tripod in a popular spot and I’m surrounded by 20 other dudes with DSLRs. They look at me at my little camera and scoff. Whenever people give me those wonderfully condescending looks, I take solace in the lucid truth of their own insecurity. Furthermore, for years, photographers have been brainwashed and told that the only way to take a professional photo is to use a DSLR. That’s rubbish. And I’ll Hemingway fight anyone that wants to fight about it.

So many options with smaller, mirrorless cameras!

There is an amazing community around these mirrorless cameras now – and we are all so excited it is crazy. Have you seen all the vim and vigor around the micro-four thirds cameras like the Olympus OMD and the Panasonic Lumix? Those are also awesome cameras and they can do some things no DSLR could dream of. They even have one feature that I wish my Sony had! I was with my friend Gage here in New Zealand when he came over for a week’s photo adventure, and he showed me this feature that blew my mind! We were shooting some fire dancers, and he opened up the shutter and showed me the photo developing on the sensor as time moved forward. I saw the light trails building section by section! He can just stop it whenever he wants. And this is just one of a thousand different cool things this new technology brings.

Soon, DSLRS will go the way of the Blackberry.

There is so much disruption in this space. Another reason for the decline in DSLRs is the rise in mobile phone cameras. Androids and iPhones now come with some amazing little sensors and great software. Many people who once opted for a DSLR are now happy with their mobile phone cameras. I think that these mirrorless systems are still vastly superior to mobile phone cameras, but this delta may decrease over time as well.

Nikon and Canon have released mirrorless systems but they have been generally considered quite weak. I don’t know if this is because of a generally bad design ethic and lack of innovation, or if they were worried about creating a mirrorless system that could cannibalize their sacred cash cow. I worry it is the latter.

More on the switch away from DSLRs I sat down with Frederick Van Johnson from This Week in Photography to go through all the various reasons and dispel misconceptions. He asked a ton of different questions and we got into the meat of it all. “‘To take an interesting photo, some may choose to carry around a lot of metal and glass and mirrors and silicon. I choose to carry around less metal and glass and silicon. Oh, and no mirrors.’ – Me, quoting myself.” – Trey Ratcliff

Small cameras on a client job?

Heck yeah! In fact, regular readers know that I don’t do client work — I’ve been a professional photographer for a long time, but I’ve always said no to client work. There is nothing wrong with it of course, but I instead prefer to take whatever creative photos I want, own all the rights, then license them out later. Clients will hire you based on the quality of your portfolio, not the size of your camera. Or, at least, they should (and increasingly will).

However, I have made ONE exception! Air New Zealand came to me with an incredible situation. So I said yes! This is my new home-country and I think it’s gonna be an awesome shoot. In a few days, I’m headed up there with my little Sony NEX cameras. I’m sure the crew and the 20+ people on the ground there will be aghast! I love it. I’m just gonna own it and blast in there with all my chakras pointing forwards.

I’ll have a film crew also coming to record a behind-the-scenes of this whole shoot, so you can see what it’s like. I’ll get that up here on the blog ASAP, but I think the whole thing will be a lot of fun and hopefully continue to dispel all the irrational fears people have about smaller cameras. You can look for that new video here on my YouTube channel too (subscribe for free).

Sony NEX-7 Review

If you want to find out more about this camera I’m using, see the full-on Sony NEX-7 Review here on the site. Enjoy!

Unsolicited Jet Lag Advice

This gentleman gave a comment here that I did not want to go unnoticed! It was so strange… and I have not actually tried this yet. Has anyone tried this trick? I’ll paste it here:

David Stickney
Yesterday 7:11 AM

+Trey Ratcliff the vodka jet lag remedy works like a charm. The shot before you go to bed produce enough lactic acids in your blood as an entire day’s muscle usage. The vitamin c help kick start the liver and the extra water and salt help with the metabolism. Getting outside while the sun is still coming up resets the Circadian rhythm of your sleep cycle and get your penal glands set to the time.

Try it next time, I used to take 2-3 days to get into a new location using this method the next full day I feel adjusted.

the science behind it is pretty well documented http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_response_curve

Questions about switching from Nikon to Sony – Jump to the answer!

I’m not going to embed the video here, because the Q&A Interface won’t work right, so Go Watch The Video Here.

After you press click on the link above and press play, , you can click on the questions on the right to jump forward to the answer! Actually, this is REALLY COOL that you can do this… this Q&A layer on top of YouTube is really slick!

If you want to know more, go ready my Sony NEX-7 Review.

Some of you may have already seen some of this, but if not, once inside, here are some of the questions & answers you can jump to!

– How are you able to get the quality of images you are getting with such a tiny camera?

– What was the impetus behind you deciding to try switching to the NEX?

– Why go with the NEX / APS-C size sensor? Why not go down to the Micro Four Thirds format with a slightly smaller sensor but with a better lens selection?

– What about photographers with clients? Is the perception of carrying a big camera vs small camera an issue?

– Bokeh…Talk about the differences there.

– What are the quality trade-offs?

– Durability…what are some of the differences there?

– I’ve noticed a different look to your edits since you’ve started using the mirrorless system. Is this intended or just the way your photos have come naturally?

– Did you find yourself shooting more with the NEX once the firmware update for auto bracketing was released?

– Trey, in your article, you stated you use the NEX6 for day to day and the NEX7 for your epic landscapes. Do you find the NEX7’s slow focus the cause for that?

– How do you carry your gear?

– Going back to your Nikons, with companies releasing adapters for lenses for other brands, do you see yourself grabbing a Nikon to NEX speedbooster to use your lenses on your NEX system?

– In your article you mentioned apps on the Sony. Do the new Android cameras like the recently announced Samsung NX1000 excite you in that department?

– Parting thoughts. Regarding advanced amateur photographers, what would you advise them if they’ve already spent thousands on DSLR gear or not , should they switch to mirrorless?

and lastly but not leastly:

– What would you rather photograph – Tennis or Water Polo?

Getting Light Trails

I’ve recently changed how I get light trails. It’s a minor change, but I’ve had more success with it. I used to take a series of bracketed photos when cars go by and just hope for the best. This actually worked quite a bit, but sometimes the very short and very long exposures in a bracket would be useless. The short one would be too dark and the long one would be too bright. Anyway, now I turn off the autobracketing and switch over to manual.

It honestly takes a lot of guesswork, but I usually get my f-stop quite low and my ISO around 100 or 200. I play with these so that my exposure is at least 5 seconds. Sometimes 5 seconds is all you need for a car going by. But if I want a lot of cars and need 20 or 30 seconds, I’ll keep moving the f-stop to a higher and higher number to balance. It’s actually kind of fun to guess and then experiment with different settings. You can simply press play after you shoot to see if you guessed right, then make the adjustments accordingly.