This is not a review, but just some comments on the new Sony a7r for close-up work. Keep in mind that for my work with close-up and macro photography (and stacking focus) I need a somewhat robust camera. This is not that.
I know that many of you will make this camera work for you and that my view is a case of the glass half-empty, rather than half-full. I am probably on the wrong side of history, but here are my thoughts.
First, I do want to thank Sony for doing what neither Nikon or Canon has bothered to do, which is give us a peek at the future, even though it pains me to say that the Sony a7r is not quite up to the standards I need. I wish it were!
In the past I have avoided EVFs, but I love this EVF and the ability to magnify focus and actually SEE what I am focusing on. This is definitely better than the viewfinder on my Nikon D800E. No doubt. However, if I am honest with myself, the fact of the adapter (Novoflex) for my Nikon mount lenses, coupled with something like the new Zeiss Otus 55mm lens, makes the whole contraption unstable and very difficult for my work.
The body of the a7r is quite small for the heavy lenses I tend to use, so the whole thing trembles like a leaf on a tree from the slightest vibration, and I am using the Swiss Arca Cube on a strong RRS tripod. In addition, I have the Sony a7r mounted on a RSS MPR-CL II Rail (a nodal slide), which is part of their panorama kit. This allows me to mount the camera and the new Zeiss Otus f/1.4 APO using the Novoflex adapter and support the end of the lens (the lens barrel does not move) on the rail with a wedge of foam to help dampen vibrations.
Even so, stabilizing such a setup it is a major problem. And of course there is the shutter-shake problem that Lloyd Chambers correctly pointed out. It is a shaky business with this camera, which is just what I don't need for fine close-up work like stacking focus.
In other words, the a7r is possibly useable for my work, but barely, and I have to ask myself. Shouldn't I expect a camera to work for me, instead of vice-versa, my having to struggle to make a camera like the a7r useable for the kind of photography I do. Sure, I can patch something together to make the a7r work, but why bother? This is what is called the bleeding edge and I have been there, done that.
Until now, I have gone along with the drift that cameras will get smaller and better, but with the a7r I realize that I need a strong and large body just to support the great lenses I like to use. Simple physics intervenes and weight matters too.
The overriding best feature of the a7r (for me) is the EVF and the ability to magnify focus and clearly see where things are at, both before and after a shot. Single shots with the Nikon D800E viewfinder are harder to see, but for focus stacking it does not really matter, since exact focus is not required because that is what we are creating, so it is not so important where we start focusing with a stack. Exact focus comes into play more with the single-shot scenario, and this is where the a7r shines.
The two new cameras that were interesting enough for me to buy and try recently are the a7r and the Sigma Merrill DP3. Both are fascinating, but fall short of prime time IMO. All of these "almost" great camera are interesting glimpses at the future, and I hope Nikon and Canon are watching since (as I see it) both of those companies have been AWOL from the future for some time now.
And how Sony managed to forgot the need for an electronic first-curtain shutter for those of us who are used to Mirror UP is beyond me. What were they thinking? The shutter shake of the a7r makes it very difficult to use. They tell me that perhaps there can be a firmware fix for this shutter problem, but even if that happens, this camera remains but a glimpse at what is sure to come, like these great features in a pro-body.
What I really want is a Nikon pro body, but with the Sony EVF and LCD, and while we are at it, please throw in a Foveon sensor or several removable sensors. Might as well make it 54 MP or higher too.
So my guess is that I am returning the Sony A7r, because in my work process is king, and there is too much jury-rigging required with this camera to make if function well. Yes, I could make it work, but I would rather wait until it is done right. However, I really want a pristine EVF now that I have played with the a7r!
I know. Cameras are getting smaller and lighter and the huge DSLRs are being looked at as dinosaurs, but this little wake-up call for me, using the Sony a74, the Sigma Merril DP3, and the Nikon V1, remind me that what I really want is a solid camera body not just something I can hold in the palm of my hand.
