Has anyone left Canon for Sony? I could use some advice.

[joezl]

I use a Canon 5D2. I usually use it on a tripod set to iso 100 and stitch exposures using a tilt and shift lens. I produce large prints (24 x 30 and larger). Stitching isn't always an option so I was hoping to eventually purchase a Medium Format system but I don't think that is going to be possible ($$$). Instead, I'm considering purchasing a high pixel count FF body (in lieu of a MF system). I'm tired of hoping that Canon will announce a new high resolution FF camera so I'm considering a Sony A7r body. I would keep my Canon and Zeiss lenses and use them via a Metabones adapter. Has anyone out there done this? If so, I'd like to know how it's working out for you.

[BernardLanguillier]

I know 2 close friends having done exactly that.

They seem very happy, have not experienced the problems reported by some with the a7r in terms of raw compression artifacts/shutter induced vibrations. They also seem very impressed by the low ISO image quality compared to their 5DII and 7D.

The 5DII owner had tried the D800 two years ago. He loved the image quality, but not the live view.

Cheers,
Bernard

[MrSmith]

Shot for the first time with mine in the studio today. I use the 90tse a lot and the 24. Menus are a bit all over the place but I have sorted all the custom buttons out and have it working how I like. I use the sony app to fire the camera into the capture folder of a capture one session 
I was about to pull the trigger on a h4d40 or leaf credo but with a house purchase imminent spending 10k to gain next to nothing seemed a bit pointless, the only plus point I could see was client perception of a MFD but with an adapter and a tilt/shift lens the sony looks a bit odd and not like a normal camera.
 The files look great though I'm going to work on them properly tomorrow. For me if the lenses are good then I don't really see any differences. The MFD 'look' people go on about means nothing to me when you can shoot with less depth of field with the fast lenses and also have more when you need it when shooting still life, I shot 10x8, 5x4, 6x6 and have used done a lot of retouching on p45 files so am familiar with formats other than 35mm and feel the gap is not worth the money.
The only camera I have seen that produces files that are giving results outside my terms of reference are those of the sigma DP Merrill's, if there was a MFD version I feel the results would be worth putting up with the foibles but I don't feel that way about current MFD systems I have tried, they are all flawed in some way.
I'll continue to use the 5dIII for some things where the AF and ease of handling are needed, it's a great camera that I like using, I wasn't a fan of the d800 and didn't want to change to a nikon system as the equivalent lenses I use were not good enough and the ergonomics seemed badly thought out.

[pikeys]

I use a Canon 5D2. I usually use it on a tripod set to iso 100 and stitch exposures using a tilt and shift lens. I produce large prints (24 x 30 and larger). Stitching isn't always an option so I was hoping to eventually purchase a Medium Format system but I don't think that is going to be possible ($$$). Instead, I'm considering purchasing a high pixel count FF body (in lieu of a MF system). I'm tired of hoping that Canon will announce a new high resolution FF camera so I'm considering a Sony A7r body. I would keep my Canon and Zeiss lenses and use them via a Metabones adapter. Has anyone out there done this? If so, I'd like to know how it's working out for you.

I'm in the same boat as you--5D2,zeiss & leica lenses.
My close friend just got the Sony,and he loves it,with the exception of the menu set up
After he had it 1 month,I asked him.."is there a big difference between the 5D2 & the new Sony"?...his answer was yes
Then 4 weeks went by ,& I asked him the same question  ,..answer--"kind off,somewhat"
My feeling now is,unless there is a major,night & day increase in image quality...I'll stay put.

Good luck with your decision,
Mike

[Dennishh]

Hi joezl,
Personally I left Canon long time ago and went to the D800e but recently have added a Sony A7r that is working out really well. One of the features of the Canon then I miss the most was the ability to use my Zork shift adapter for doing multiple stitches at very high resolution. In the interim I had used the Nikon system by stitching multiple exposures using nodal point settings with 35mm 1.4 which works great in almost all cases. The Zork shift adapter is really fantastic using the Pentax 35mm Fa lens and the 120mm macro. If you're going to be using the A7r with tilt shift lenses and the meta-bones adapter there are issues with internal reflections that some people are having problems with and others not. From what I have heard there is a new adapter coming from Novoflex that is supposed to solve lots of these problems. I am finding the A7r to be a much easier and better platform for stitching than the Canon ever was.

[Manoli]

I would keep my Canon and Zeiss lenses and use them via a Metabones adapter. Has anyone out there done this? If so, I'd like to know how it's working out for you.

Graham Clark has started a blog, made a video report and commented in several threads on exactly that. He's also using Canon. You may want to check it out ... http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=87616.0

[Manoli]

Also this - deals with wide-angles and stitching.

http://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2014/02/wideangle-options-sony-a7r/

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1247661  - start at approx. page 95-100

http://www.arthurdomagala.com/blog/2014/01/the-sony-a7r-dealing-with-an-existential-camera-crisis/

http://community.sony.com/t5/Alpha-NEX-Cameras/A7-A7R-Light-leaks/m-p/254835#U254835

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1278639

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1247655

[joezl]

Thank you all for your (very quick) replies. After reviewing the suggested links I think I will just stand pat for now. There clearly is increased resolution with the A7r but not as much as I anticipated (of course this is based on viewing jpg's on the internet, prints might show significantly different results). Using my Ts-e lenses on the 5D2 to stitch yields me an equivalent 46 x 36mm 40Mp file which, numerically, is better than the A7r. So, I'll wait to see what Canon does for a while longer. Another wrinkle is Sony's penchant for changing lens mounts, menus and models. I'd like to see if they decide to settle on something and stay with it long term.
I should mention that I also have a Sigma Dp2m. The files I get from it are deeper than my Canon files both in resolution and color. The files remind me of Velvia film. Trouble is the Sigma is a bit of a pain to work with. I HATE being limited to the lcd and the Sigma optical finders are next to useless if you wear eyeglasses, which I do.
I don't miss film but I miss using my 4x5, my Mamiya 7 and my Contax G2. It all made sense and I could forget about equipment and concentrate on the task at hand.

[CptZar]

Actually if you use TS lenses, the EVF and focus peaking will be very helpful when using tilt. Changing the plane of focus and getting the image sharp from close distance to infinity is  quite easy. With an OVF and only live view as a help the matter becomes very difficult. With larger FLs almost impossible.

An yes, I sold my Canon 5DMIII for a Sony A7r.

 

[shadowblade]

For landscape, cityscape and architectural photography, I've replaced my 5D2 bodies with A7r bodies and couldn't be happier (I still use Canon bodies for wildlife/action photography).

The resolution gain is great and the DR gain more so. But the biggest gain is the lack of pattern noise at low ISO - it makes post-processing and making large print so much easier.

I still haven't used AF on the camera, outside of testing that it works (it's slow but extremely accurate, and you can AF anywhere in the frame) - manual focus is very fast with focus peaking and, with Live View zoomed in, very accurate. Focusing tilted, shifted lenses in low-light conditions is no longer a problem.

[Vladimirovich]

Using my Ts-e lenses on the 5D2 to stitch yields me an equivalent 46 x 36mm 40Mp file which, numerically, is better than the A7r.

you can do superresolution and end up w/ 24x36mm 144mp shot from A7r w/o any stitching ... www.photoacute.com

[mhospelt]

that's exactly my opinion too..

[bdp]

I own a 5DII and bought an A7r with 35, 55, grip etc but sold it all after two months. I think for your type of work you may like the Sony, but for mine (people, handheld) I needed fast autofocus and I couldn't get used to an EVF and that long slow shutter that blacked out the viewfinder for way too long with each exposure. However the image quality of the Sony was excellent, and that 55mm lens is truly awesome considering its size and price. Back to the 5DII for me for now.

Ben

[bcooter]

I own a 5DII and bought an A7r with 35, 55, grip etc but sold it all after two months. I think for your type of work you may like the Sony, but for mine (people, handheld) I needed fast autofocus and I couldn't get used to an EVF and that long slow shutter that blacked out the viewfinder for way too long with each exposure. However the image quality of the Sony was excellent, and that 55mm lens is truly awesome considering its size and price. Back to the 5DII for me for now.

Ben

Truly don't think there is a more versatile camera than a 5d2 (the 5d3 to me looks too plastic smooth), but It hurts my eyes to look at it, makes my life easy to shoot with it other than that tiny usb tethering connection.

Then again I'd pick it any day over any canon I've owned and I've tried for three years to be Canon free.

IMO

BC

[MrSmith]

mine is never likely to leave the tripod or be used with AF.
and i haven't left canon as the 5dIII is far too versatile to dump as there are occasions where i need reliable fast AF. if/when canon release a high MP camera i'll look at the options and maybe sell the A7r or keep it as a spare or maybe just buy the one zoom and use it as a easy to cary travel camera.
either way buying the A7r made sense regarding the lenses i use and financially especially as it was a refurb and only £1k with the vat off, for the way i work it was a no brainer business transaction.

[rainer_v]

i left the canons behind when the d800e came out, but didnt sold the lenses, esp. the 17&24tse and the zoerk with pentax 645 lenses was a too handy architecture setup, so i still hoped for a better canon to come out. i added a lot of nikon lenses , some havent been very good as their shift lenses and some others. finally i used the nikon mostly  for aereal shooting with a set of voightländer lenses. now i sold all the nikon stuff and some of the  Canon and voightlaenderlenses which i didnt used and bought two a7r, one with battery grip. adapted the canon and pentax shifts and bought sony/zeiss/contax 35/45/55/90 lenses for aereal and a olympus 50/1.2 om for other stuff ...

 this is a real great and very versatile setup now! by far he best 35mm set i ever had ... at least for landscape/architecture and aerial shooting.

[Harold Clark]

i left the canons behind when the d800e came out, but didnt sold the lenses, esp. the 17&24tse and the zoerk with pentax 645 lenses was a too handy architecture setup, so i still hoped for a better canon to come out. i added a lot of nikon lenses , some havent been very good as their shift lenses and some others. finally i used the nikon mostly  for aereal shooting with a set of voightländer lenses. now i sold all the nikon stuff and some of the  Canon and voightlaenderlenses which i didnt used and bought two a7r, one with battery grip. adapted the canon and pentax shifts and bought sony/zeiss/contax 35/45/55/90 lenses for aereal and a olympus 50/1.2 om for other stuff ...

 this is a real great and very versatile setup now! by far he best 35mm set i ever had ... at least for landscape/architecture and aerial shooting.

Rainer, do you find that you are using the Sony sometimes instead of your Sinar for architecture?

[Jason Denning]

The A7 is much better for blackout and matches (and maybe quicker) than dslrs since it has an electronic shutter.

I own a 5DII and bought an A7r with 35, 55, grip etc but sold it all after two months. I think for your type of work you may like the Sony, but for mine (people, handheld) I needed fast autofocus and I couldn't get used to an EVF and that long slow shutter that blacked out the viewfinder for way too long with each exposure. However the image quality of the Sony was excellent, and that 55mm lens is truly awesome considering its size and price. Back to the 5DII for me for now.

Ben

[powerslave12r]

Actually if you use TS lenses, the EVF and focus peaking will be very helpful when using tilt. Changing the plane of focus and getting the image sharp from close distance to infinity is  quite easy. With an OVF and only live view as a help the matter becomes very difficult. With larger FLs almost impossible.

An yes, I sold my Canon 5DMIII for a Sony A7r.

 

The focus peaking can be achieved by using Magic Lantern.