A new Sony A7 contender?
We now have to deal with a new scenario: The Sony A7 series is no more the very top end in the mirrorless system camera business. With the new Hasselblad X1D there is now an expensive but still not crazy expensive “PRO” option. So let’s check out how the Hasselblad compares against the current best A7 camera, the Sony A7rII.
First a camera size comparison (images via Camerasize):
As you see the Hasselblad camera is bigger but not my that much!
And here is the sensor size comparison (Thanks Paul for sending this):
The X1D sensor size is roughly twice as big as the FF sensor. The real advanatge is that given the same number of pixels on both sensors the pixel size is double the size on the medium format sensor.
Features the Hasselblad X1D has and the Sony should add to the third generation A7 cameras
1) Dual SD card. I think the next generation of A7 series should have this too! The Sony A9 is rumored to have a dual XQD card support 2) USB 3.0. This is also something Sony definitely has to add-on the new A7 series 3) 16bit RAW. Not a big deal for 95% of the photographers out there. But PRO’s would certainly love to have that feature on Sony cameras too. 4) Touchscreen. really Sony…it’s time to add this!
More size comparisons and X1D introduction videos:
On the video above Chris Niccolls teaches you how to shoot macros. And he is using the superb Sony 90mm FE macro lens for his tutorial. I know Sony makes a lot of buzz around their GM and Zeiss lenses. But the Sony 90mm FE is a real gem of the current E-mount lens line!
Sony’s 18-105 f/4 did the business for me at a recent presidential campaign rally, but when I used it to shoot my latest review (first time I’ve ever used it for this purpose: a tightly controlled, familiar environment), I noticed significant pincushion distortion. Whaaat?
With my a6300 [B&H|Amazon] mounted on the gimbal I was reviewing a few days ago, I decided I’d use the Sony FS5 [B&H|Amazon] loaner I have on hand with the PZ for the talking head portion of the review. That’s when I was astonished to see what I can only call severe pincushion distortion, something I hadn’t experienced with Sony’s E 50mm f/1.8.
Seeing the Problem for the First Time
I decided to shoot a different subject to replicate the issue (an incredibly photogenic mid-century garage door which looks like it hasn’t been painted since 1954 – I think maybe that’s right) and compare the result with Sony’s 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS [B&H|Amazon].
Results
Even if it’s 60+ years old, I’m telling you: the garage door doesn’t look like this. It’s square.
Yes, in this day and age it’s often the case that lens imperfections can be corrected in-camera through software, but the PZ didn’t give me that option when I mounted it on the a6300 (the E 50mm f/1.8 did). If the FS5 has lens compensation, I couldn’t find it. In this quick test it was therefore native lens performance vs. native lens performance, 18-105 vs 90.
Would you expect to see differences?
Of COURSE!
The 90 is a macro, after all, and it is an optimized single focal length lens twice the price of the 18-105. Again, to my eye, the 90 exhibited absolutely no distortion. On the other hand, to the 18-105’s credit, there was little to set them apart for center sharpness.
I just didn’t expect to see this much curvature.
Takeway
Sony’s E PZ 18-105mm f/4 has a much more useful zoom range for APS-C and Super35 cameras than another Sony lens I do love, the FE PZ 28-135mm f/4. It’s also much lighter, much less conspicuous, and 1/4 the price of its much bigger brother. In a live, fast-moving event, I didn’t even see this imperfection and hope it’s a copy-to-copy variation. I suspect it is not. I do have a note into Sony about it.
Even so, I’ll keep my “it does the business for live events” recommendation for the 18-105 because out in the real world of people, I didn’t notice the distortion at all.Still, I also wanted to share with you this new learning — and maintain my “I’m a prime kinda guy” bias.
Oh – one other thing: even though the Sony 90mm f/2.8 G Macro OSS is magnificent, sliding the focusing ring into manual focus mode doesn’t change the fact that it’s fly-by-wire with a very short throw. It isn’t an alternative to Veydra’s silky smooth 85mm T2.2 Mini Prime in E-mount [B&H|Amazon] — though on the flip side, the Sony doesn’t have the minor-but-visible-without-pixel-peeping lateral chromatic aberration I saw. Again, I hope this was the result of copy-to-copy variation, but without additional samples, I can’t tell.
Closing Thoughts
Fascinating. With Sony’s current line-up, their absolutely best glass (e.g., FE G-Master series, 90mm f/2.8 Macro, FE 28mm f/2.0) is optimized for their full frame cameras rather than their more expensive dedicated video cams.
And their best sensors are in their hybrid cameras (the a7 series and the a6300).
Gawd, I’d love to be a fly on the wall of their product roadmap and long-term strategy sessions. I think lighter weight, high-quality crop sensor primes would sell like hotcakes, but maybe that’s not the goal.
How well does a Sony mirrorless camera take an African safari? How does it handle the dust? What about using it for wildlife? People and landscapes? Matt Granger and Jonathan Stewart discussed the pros and cons of the Sony mirrorless system when compared to the top of the line from Nikon.
Their answers in short:
We need a bigger Sony A9 body (with bigger battery)
Bullet proof autofocus system to not miss any shot
No interface lag
The question is if Sony thinks that wildlife and sport photography are important for their business right now. It’s a real small niche and it’s hard to win over professional Canon and Nikon photographers!
Photozone posted the full Sony 90mm FE lens review on the NEX-7:
“The Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 G OSS macro performed great on the Sony A7R II already so it doesn’t come as a surprise that it is even a bit better on an 24mp APS-C camera.Of course, our “highly recommended” mark remains intact in the APS-C scope. Sony is on quite a run really. Both Canon and Nikon should be scared by now …“
90mm FE lens at [shopcountry 48071].
Side note: Nice to see the NEX-7 again. Why not make a new version of it Sony? :)
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US reader save $150 on the Sony 90mm FE lens sold by BestBuy (Click here). It’s Open Box (perfect condtiion and 1 year Sony US warranty)