Sony a7 full frame mirrorless digital camera with 28-70mm lens
Since this camera has been available for many years and has been reviewed down to the last screw, I am writing a review that specifically refers to my personal experience...
09/09/2021
Since this camera has been available for many years and has been reviewed down to the last screw, I am writing a review that specifically refers to my personal experience with this camera. I hope such a review gives you an idea of what it is like to live with this camera on a daily basis. What I write may or may not apply to how others might use this camera, but I hope it helps people's overall understanding of what they are buying.1. Why I chose this camera. After using Nikon APS-C system cameras for ten years, I found myself hitting system performance barriers with higher frequency as I grew as a photographer. Most often the problem I faced was the limited dynamic range. After reviewing numerous sample images, reviews and tests of the Sony a7 series, Pentax K-1 and Nikon and Canon full frame cameras, I chose the a7 for its combination of excellent sensor, a compact body and a 2017, a very reasonable price. Having used a Samsung NX300 as a secondary camera for a few years, mirrorless cameras weren't entirely foreign to me, so the switch from SLR to mirrorless wasn't something I was afraid of.2. Operation and use of the camera.a. Image quality: When I got the a7 in my hands, its tiny size (much smaller than my APS-C Nikon D7000, and barely larger than the Samsung NX300) was a revelation. The camera reminded me a lot of the Nikon FM-10 and Olympus OM-2000 cameras in size. The image quality I got from the camera was better than I could have imagined - I almost never had files with popped highlights, and so much data in the raw files for play with.b. Getting started: After ten years of using the Nikon interface, the transition to Sony's multi-page tab system was, and after a few months of using the camera, still is quite frustrating. Another frustration I have with the camera is the inability to move the spot metering area with the focus point. The a7's layout and interface appear to be optimized for the use of matrix metering and auto focus point detection, with the photographer using the exposure compensation dial to make adjustments. It's the complete opposite of my shooting style - I like to use the spot meter to check light levels in different parts of my frame and then decide which exposure to set depending on the end result I want to achieve . Being unable to move the spot metering area means I have to point my camera in different directions to meter different parts of the scene before finalizing the framing. It's not that bad when I'm hand-holding the camera, but it's extremely annoying when I have the camera on a tripod. It's not that I'm specifically wary of Sony's Matrix Metering - I'm wary of any Matrix Metering. It's just that I like to know exactly how my exposure is going to affect the image I'm taking. Since it's impossible to know exactly how the matrix metering algorithm will calculate an exposure, I only use it if I'm extremely rushed. In such cases, I shoot in program mode with matrix metering to simply make a documentary recording of what is in front of me (like when Joe Biden got into a car 20 feet away from me). c. Build quality: After getting used to Nikons build quality, the Sony feels a little finicky, especially the USB, HDMI and audio port doors. My camera and lens combination has the now infamous a7 lens mount wobble. At first I found this terribly disconcerting, but after using the camera extensively for a few months I found that it had no effect on the structural integrity of the camera or the camera. lens (accidentally dropping the camera from an 8-10" height on a hard floor broke my UV filter, but didn't make the lens mount wobble worse). I also didn't encounter any light leaking through the frame, especially wide open at the 28mm end of the zoom range. focal lengths - far more than I've seen in kit zooms from Nikon and Canon I did some tests comparing the fringes with and without a filter, and found that wasn't my filter which was causing the problem. I don't know if these corner sharpness and f ranges are due to this camera's sensor being less forgiving of ts lens flaws, or if it's just a poorly designed lens, but as a combination this pair of lenses photo has image quality issues. However, vignetting was not a problem.3. Conclusion. Despite the issues I have with this camera, the value for money it gives you in 2017 is, in my opinion, worth the trouble.