First Test Video with Sony A7R from Luke Holley on Vimeo.

Wilson: I have written a review of A7r with 3 Canon lenses, 2 ZE Zeiss lenses, Zenitar Fish eye, Leica Noctilux, 2 VM lenses and a hasselblad medium format lens. Tho it’s in Chinese, I think it might be useful for everyone just to look at the photos. Below is the link to my blog post and my Flickr.
http://teenymylife.blogspot.hk/2014/01/sony-a7r.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/i-loved-yesterday/”

Thodiris: “I did some portraits with the Sony A7r, the Carl Zeiss 35mm/f2.8 and the Minolta MD 50mm/f1.4 – you can see them here: http://thodorismarkou.com/blog/2014/01/samira-meets-the-sony-a7r-portraits/”

George: “Some thoughts about the A7+ AF adapter + Contax lenses on my blog http://www.photosynthesis.gr/photoblog/?p=1170”

Eddy: “I was in ‘Val di Sole’ last week… :-) Once again for a week on snowshoes. I had the A7R with me (with the LA-EA4 + 24mm f2 CZ). I’ve put up a short review at Dyxum: http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/a7r-one-week-in-the-cold-snow_topic104112_post1246150.html#1246150. And the complete series of pictures is here: http://www.thelightpoet.be/2014/01/snowshoes-new-year-2014/”

Carl: “So I just managed to sell my old 5d, and ordered my A7r. And I am very excited. But what things should I get for it? I am not talking straight photography stuff, like tripods and lenses. For example the battery ”only” last 300 photos roughly for it. Now that is fine for most daytime photographers, but for travelers that is close to nothing (especially with memory cards of today). So I have been trying to google myself through the information web to find basically nothing. Like most people know batteries has Volt and mAh. Volt is the charge out rate if I am not mistaking, and mAh is the longevity. But this is not always the same. I could get more photos with my 7,2V 2000 mAh after market batteries for my 5d, but filming was much better on the 7,4V 1600 mAh. Well that is just one thing, but we’ll worth posting if anyone actually know which or what battery to pick to prefer.”

Desy: “Here is a styled maternity shoot I did for the Sony A7! Used the Zeiss 35mm 2.8 and the 55mm 1.8! http://desycheng.com/love1/2014/1/5/parker-mackenzie”

Javier: “Hola te pongo enlace a un video casero hecho integro con sony A7 y zeiss 35 mm, solo con el microfono del cuerpo de la cámara (algnas tomas con mucho viento y no entra el ruido al micro!). Un video informal pero con una gran cálidad y fluidez de trabajo. Para trabajos familiares pero con resultados profesionales. En clave de humor: http://youtu.be/HKt3M0nZHTA”

Ron: “Thought your readers might be interested to see what the Sony A7 can do with recording live music. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Z4RxzRdr1lLfzQVh6V4SRy5SK0d4Ifp“

David: “I played around with the MD Rokkor 28/2.8 on the Sony Alpha, here is a mini review: http://davidtanzer.net/md_rokkor_28_alpha_7”

Rawfa: “I’ve contributed with a music video shot with the A7 a while ago and now I’ve just posted a very very quick comparison between the Sony A7 with a regular Pentax PK adapter on full frame mode and the Sony A7 with a Lens Turbo (the “generic” speed booster) on APS-C mode. Here you go http://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/49901-sony-a7-vs-lens-turbo-speed-booster.html#post562816”

Brian: “I’ve put together a pretty thorough guide to lens mount adapter for Sony A7 and A7R here: http://briansmith.com/sony-a7-a7r-lens-mount-adapters/”

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Specs and Store Links in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Store Links in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

Sony A7R from Cutting Edge on Vimeo.

One months ago I posted the A7r video you see here on top. Well, in the meantime it became pretty viral and I repost it because some of you may didn’t watch it :)

And here are the many new A7-A7r tests and news:
The A7r is camera of the year at Photographyblog.
The Sony Timelaps APP now added support for the A7-A7r!
Sony Alpha 7R (A7R) Review at WhatdigitalCamera.
A73 Landscape Photography review by James Grant.
A73 review at RonMartBlog.
Test Sony A7 : optique 28-70 mm, raw et balance des blancs (Focus Numerique).
A7r review at Cnet.
English A7r review by SLRclub.
A7 first impressions at Bestmirrorlesscamerareviews.
German A7r review at Die Welt.
Next German A7-A7r test at Colorfoto.

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Specs and Store Links in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Store Links in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,  WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony  DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

DxOmark tested the 24-70mm Sigma lens for Sony and writes:

Over image quality is good and both sharpness and uniformity are good when stopped down a little but the Sigma has high levels of chromatic aberration, particularly at the shorter focal lengths. Given the performance and the inclusion of an ultrasonic type AF motor, it’s fairly priced at $899, but still somewhat overshadowed by the better corrected and more accessibly priced Tamron.

The new Sony 50 Megapixel CMOS sensor is not going to be used by Hasselblad only. Also Phase One launched the new IQ250 Digital Back featuring exactly the same sensor. And Luminous Landscape (Click here) is the first website showing first image samples taken with the new Sony medium format sensor! They had no time to make a full Image Quality test but so far they say:

While this is in no way conclusive at this point, we must say that for ISO 6400 we are seeing some very impressive results compared to what is seen with older backs.

UPDATE: Some more image smaples at Pdnonline.

This is the interview with Phase One that talks about the sensor:

PhaseOne-IQ250-SkypeInterview from The Luminous Landscape on Vimeo.

This is juts me dreaming, but I want a $6,000 mirrorless camera with that sensor! A sort of digital [shoplink 24155 ebay]Mamiya 7[/shoplink]!

Dpreview is certainly (still) the most famous camera review site. But some of their Sony A7 conclusions lead to a big discussion among SAR readers. And today DPreview (Click here) also explained in a new article some of the problems they had with thrid part lenses.

Well, not everyone agrees with Dpreview conclusions. A detailed critic of the Dpreview test has been posted by SoundImagesPlus (Click here). He writes that at least two “cons” listed by Dpreview are not correct:

1) Dpreview says: “Tools for shooting with third party lenses need improvement” SoundImagesPlus writes:

I really don’t understand the third party lenses quibble. One button press to bring up a magnified view and focus peaking. Both work really well and I haven’t used anything that’s any better than this. Their comments – ‘With so many adapters available, the a7 is a very attractive option for owners of third-party lenses (which is discussed in more depth in this article). While Sony has provided tools for focusing these old lenses – such as magnified view and focus peaking – they don’t work as well as we’d hoped.’ really don’t make any sense to me. The whole method works fine for me, it’s quick, accurate and reliable. What’s their problem?

SAR note: I own the [shoplink 22851 ebay]Canon 55mm f/1.2 FD[/shoplink] and am absolutely satisfied with how it works on the Sony A7r. Completely agree with SoundImagesPlus on that point!

2) Dpreview says: “JPEG quality disappointing compared to peers – crude sharpening, over-aggressive processing and occasional posterization.” and “The areas that need the most improvement are related to JPEG image quality. While we recognize that some a7 shooters will be using Raw exclusively, those who are shooting JPEGs will see smudged details and strange artifacts, which are amplified if you edit and re-save them.”

SoundimagesPlus answer: “Quite simply having minutely examined the jpgs. from my A7 and A7r, I have no idea what they are writing about. Plus they give an example from one of their test shots, which try as I might I just cannot see. In fact I take the complete opposite position to them. I think the jpgs. from these two cameras are the best I’ve ever seen“

SAR note: I am not a professional reviewer. But from my short experience with the Sony A7-A7r JPEG engine is quite a lot better than the NEX-7 engine (I owned the camera before). And I see no major difference with the Nikon D800 shots (my company owns the camera and I did some basic testings with it). That said other reviewers wrote exactly the opposite of Dpreview claiming the Sony JPEG look quite goo. Example: DSLRmagazine (google translated article), Focus Numerique (google translation here) or Cameralabs: “the out-of-camera JPEGs from the A7 looked comfortably superior to the 5D3. In the 20-24 Megapixel class, I’d say the A7 is an excellent performer.“.

Overall I found many of the Dpreview critics correct although most of them are very insignificant for the kind of shooting I do (Example: missing built-in Flash is not a problem for me!). But the two points mentioned here in these post really go against the personal experience I had with the A7-A7r.

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Specs and Store Links in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Store Links in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,  WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony  DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

Dpreview (Click here) posted the full Sony A7 review. The camera earned the Silver award. The reason why it didn’t earn the maximum Gold Award is:

While it has done a remarkable job creating these two cameras, we feel that some refinements are necessary in order to make them more competitive with the likes of the Canon EOS 6D and Nikon D610.
The areas that need the most improvement are related to JPEG image quality. While we recognize that some a7 shooters will be using Raw exclusively, those who are shooting JPEGs will see smudged details and strange artifacts, which are amplified if you edit and re-save them. Regardless of the file format you’re using, the Auto ISO feature needs to be more intelligent, to avoid blurry photos due to the camera’s love for the 1/60 sec shutter speed. Startup time, buffer clearing, and battery life were also a bit disappointing. We’re hoping that a firmware upgrade can address at least some of these issues.

Yes, the A7-A7r are not perfect camera. But they are a game changing news in the photo market. And as a personal note, I own the A7r. And for the kind of photography I do these are amazing tools!

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Specs and Store Links in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Store Links in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,  WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony  DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.