Yeah, I'm on the verge of giving this camera a spin.
-Dave-
The only things that half interested me in the A7 (not the R) was it partially tethered and I like the A mount Zeiss glass I used on my FS 100 video camera. (underscore used, past tence).
Ok, I'll admit the ability of full 35mm frame I thought might produce a better file and a contact told me the A7 will tether, so it got my attention, until I tested it against the olympus em-5 then the em-1.
I can use any camera I want and honestly, except in extreme situations 15mp vs. 20 something is almost imperceptial to me.
The Sony had possiblities, if I can leave the Canons at home. We travel so much, every case is $150 a trip, multiply that out in a year and the camera costs start to shrink.
The things that bothered me wasn't just the shutter noise, the area of focus coverage with the A mount lenses, the build quality (A7). It was just the overall feel and the look of the evf. It looked like video where the em-1 looks like film.
I can make the leap from optical finder to "digital film", polaroid to "film", camera rear lcd to " digital film", even a crappy powerbook screen to " digital film", but looking though that finder with jagged lines just was too much.
I'm not knocking anyone that uses or bought a sony, but once I put the new olympus em-1 next to the Sony the em1 is one of those cameras that feels expensive and shoots right.
The closest I can compare it to is a Leica, but I'm sure Leicaphiles would take exception.
So I bought the em-1 and honestly love it except the damn thing doesn't tether and if any human can explain how to actually wi-fi tether with the olympus wi-fi "system" I owe them dinner.
I even set it up using those flaky eye-fi cards and shot a hundred frames coming in at about 12 to 15 seconds a jpeg until it just quit receiving. Don't know why, don't know if anyone knows why, but I'll try it again if I get the time.
Honestly though if you shoot with clients you have to tether. and when it comes to tethering only the 1ds 3 with usb, the 1dx with ethernet hooked to dpp is the most rock solid, second would be my phase backs on an older computer that takes fw 400. The Canons and the phase are the only tethering I've done where it's solid and you can see an image on the lcd and the computer at the same time.
Even the Leica S2 which I really want is reported to have slow tethering. I'll test it fully but hasn't any of these companies heard of usb 3, or ethernet, or some connection that's stable.
And that's the kicker with the Olympus. To me it's a complete professional camera, shoots a great file (though I believe the em-5 shoots a prettier file than the em-1), focuses like no camera made but you really have to wonder how much more would it have cost olympus to just make a usb connection to a computer?
Now in regards to all the noise we hear on this forum about Canon, I've never been in love with Canon and owned about every professional still digital camera they make.
This forum seems to want to roll them over and stick a fork in em, but before anyone does that they need to look at the complete Canon line up.
They make a professional series of cameras from video to still, shoot pretty skin tones, are the only company that has a professional still camera that shoots a 4k video file (all though it's $18,000) and has a lens line up in Canon and PL mount that combined, nobody gets close to.
I'll bet dollars to donuts that more professional photographs, still and motion are shot with Canon than any other brand and once again keep in mind this isn't a brand that I'm in love with, I just think they're good, stable and logical cameras.
In regards to Sony, they should own the world, they know how to innovate but they do just flaky stuff that makes no sense (see fs 700 video camera).
I just feel Sony covers so many segments that I get the feeling that they're so busy covering territory they have issues making any one segment really, really great, they just get close enough and move on, but that's my take. If I'm wrong, they improve the camera, I'll take a deeper look.
But the final note is with all camera sales taking a hit I strongly suggest anyone that makes a camera that takes a 9 grand spend in bodies and lenses needs to really give some deep thought into how to make it as best as possible, not just try to cover market share.
Olympus should also adopt this policy, because other than tethering and video, the olympus really is there.
IMO
BC