NIKON D7100 (70mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO3200)

Maybe the most exiting camera of the year. Maybe? No, I think this is the most exiting camera of the year.

Let’s go 3 years back for a moment. Sony just released the NEX 5. An ultra compact camera with an APS-C sized sensor. I was amazed! I always used small cameras beside my SLRs and later DSLRs but was never happy with digital compacts. The NEX 5 changed everything! What a camera! In 2010 the NEX 5 was my most used camera.

Last year Sony introduced the RX100. A compact camera with a 1 inch sensor. The one Nikon uses in their Nikon 1 system just with 20MP instead of 10MP.  Then they introduced the RX1. A compact camera with a full frame sensor and a built in f2/35mm Zeiss lens.

And now the A7R. They did it again! When Sony bought Minolta I didn’t expect a lot but now they are really pushing the envelope. They release new products at an impressive pace. I think the A7 is a game changer like the NEX 5 was 3 years ago. A full frame sensor in a truly compact camera body. I have big hands but I’m not a giant but look how tiny the A7R looks in my hands. And unlike the RX100 or the R1X it feels great in hand. It has a nice substantial grip and built quality is very impressive. It feels like it is carved out of a solid piece of steel. It even feels more solid and well made than my Fuji XP1. Did I really say that? Maybe it is because of the combination of less volume same weight.

The viewfinder is an EVF. It’s a very good one, much better than the ones in my Fuji’s but I still prefer a bright optical viewfinder. The sensor seems to be very impressive. I still doubt that I need 36MP but a couple of years ago I thought 4MP is more than enough, today I know it’s not.

It’s small, it’s built quality is excellent, the EVF is one of the best of it’s kind. The sensor is impressive and to get better IQ you need to switch to digital medium format. Even the price is low compared to competition. Everything perfect than?

Not exactly! Here are the not so nice points:

1. Autofocus: I tried it only indoors but I wasn’t impressed. There was some hunting where my Canon 6D would just lock on. Of course there is face detection and all the modern stuff but I think that AF is not the strong point of the A7 cameras.

2. Shutter noise: Just like with the NEX 5 – I have no idea where this massive sound comes  from. It has no mirror! The A7R is really loud and the shutter sound is rather long. It is louder than my Canon 6D. Strange new world!

3. Ergonomics: It’s small and as a consequence it doesn’t handle as good as a DSLR or as my Fuji XP1. I can imagine that shooting it all day long can give me cramps. It’s still a lot better than Sony’s RX and most of the other mirror less cameras.

But none of the above is a real show stopper. Here comes the show stopper!

The Lenses. Or better the lack of. Again just like with the NEX 5 there are not enough lenses. There is a rather slow and a little expensive 2.8/35mm lens which is still the most attractive lens that is available for the camera today. I appreciate the weight of just 130g but I still think a f2/35 would have been a better solution. As it is now the Fuji X series with the 1.4/23mm lens will give a shallower depth of field when shot wide open and it has a 2 stop advantage over the Zeiss lens. I doubt that the low light performance of the A7R will be 2 stops better than Fuji’s. There is an 1.8/55mm lens that costs 1.000 Euro and there is a cheap and slow 28-70mm zoom from Sony that is only available in a kit with the A7. It seems that even Sony is not so sure about it’s quality if combined with the more demanding A7R.

There will be a constant 4/24-70 lens from Zeiss and a constant 4/70-200 lens. Both will have images stabilization the tele zoom even comes with focus limiter! The standard zoom looks great and the tele zoom looks gorgeous too but it weighs 840g and as a result the A7R with the tele zoom is just 200g lighter than the Canon 6D with the 4/70-200 IS! Not that much of a difference.

A Sony sales guy told me that Sony plans to release 15 lenses within the next 2 years. I ask if there is a roadmap but it seems there is none. What’s badly needed are some nice primes, maybe even some pancakes and most of all a high quality wide angle prime or a super wide angle zoom.

Sony has a bad reputation when it comes to lenses. If you look at their NEX line – there are more camera bodies than lenses! I hope that Sony is more serious about the lenses this time and that they find a good balance regarding performance, weight and price. If they do this can be the start of a great system where compactness doesn’t mean any compromises regarding image quality.

I know that there are tons of posts that claim that even m43 is perfect today but I don’t buy it. A bigger sensor will always be better. Sony managed to put a full frame sensor which is 4 times bigger than a m43 sensor in a camera the same size than the latest Olympus top model. This is a great achievement and something that should not be ignored by Canon and Nikon.

But now Sony needs to build up a good lens selection too. The current lenses offer no depth of field advantage over Fuji’s X-line and there won’t be any real low light advantage too. The only advantage the system already offers today is it’s massive resolution. And of course let’s not forget the value for money. Considering that the prices will come down within the next months the “bang for the buck” is hard to beat. Compared to the A7 Sony’s own RX1’s looks even more overpriced now.

Buy or not to buy? That is the question.

If you are already happy with the 2.8/35 and the upcoming Zeiss zooms there is no reason to hold back. If you are deciding for your first “big” camera system it is more tricky. All three other options: current APS-C mirror less cameras, m43 and of course DSLRs offer far more choice. Of course it is a new system and every system needs some time to grow but I think Sony should provide a lens road map like Fuji did for their X system. But that’s a dangerous thing. As soon as you provide a road map you need to deliver but a road map would help to see if Sony is serious this time.

I have a Fuji X system and a Canon full frame camera. While the A7R looks very tempting I see no reason to get one. Now! If Sony can provide a full system the A7R could replace both. Used with small primes it has the potential to replace my Fuji X for traveling light and combined with the zooms and a good and fast portrait lens it could replace my Canon DSLR. I don’t shoot action. My main subjects are landscape, travel and portrait photography. I have no need for a fast auto focus or a fast frame rates. And I’m willing to spend some money if the quality is there. Looks like I’m the perfect customer for Sony. To make me switch they just need to introduce something like a 2.8/20mm, a 1.4/85mm and maybe a smaller and lighter tele zoom to keep the system as light as possible.

Without doubt the Sony A7’s are the most attractive newcomers in 2013. The other very attractive newcomer in 2013 comes from another big electronics company: Panasonic! The GM1. But that’s another story/post. Canon and Nikon should start to bring some innovations if they want to stay on top of the game.