Is it worth upgrading to the new full frame A7 from an APSC sized NEX series?

erotavlas · Nov 4, 2013

Hi I was considering this, I currently have the NEX 5N and there a few annoyances like the inability to turn the display off when shooting time lapse, small tripod mount, inability to control camera via computer or remote shutter release (although I found a way around this by creating my own infrared intervalometer) and so on.

I was wondering other than those issues I'm experiencing is there any real benefit to doing this? Or should I just wait until Sony releases the next round of APS-C sized E-Mount cameras?

Will making the jump to full frame be more costly in the long run? (I.e. mainly with respect to lenses) or is it just the cost of the body that is different?

DiskoJoe · Nov 4, 2013

The a7 is a emount full frame. Your lenses will all work with it.

You might want to check this out....\

Your ?7 and ?7R Questions Answered | Sony

Derrel · Nov 4, 2013

Speaking of time-lapse, the new Alpha 7 and Alpha 7r both use a very small,low-capacity,low-endurance battery that gives fewer than 300 shots per charge...not my idea of a good time lapse body.

The new Alpha 7 and 7r also have a REALLY LOUD shutter, as in reallllly loud. Obnoxiously loud. Would that be an issue? And what about the 7 and 7r's odd arrangement of base ISO set at 200, with a flash X-synch speed maximum of 1/160 second; wow...that sucks!!!!! If, and I stress "if" one's triggers can achieve the 1/160 theoretical X-synch maximum, these bodies are going to be royal pains in the azz for outdoor flash work of any and all kinds...both the ISO 200 baseline and the slow synch speed and total lack of electronic shutter means outdoor fill flash is gonna be shot at small apertures. Uggg.

As for Full Frame (FF) being more costly in the long run...I dunno...the new Zeiss-branded lenses like the $799 35mm f/2.8 (yes, a late 1960's economy-spec, f/2.8 35mm lens! WTF?) and the 55mm f/1.8 are pretty pricey for very modest primes. I'm not sure how many lenses, or what lenses YOU would need, so the cost picture is uncertain; we do not know for sure what Sony will price the remaining lenses at. Offsetting that is the adaptability, through adapters, of other lenses from other systems; you might be able to fill some niche gaps with off-list lenses that are available cheap, especially in normal and tele and macro lens categories, where telecentric light transmission would cause very few 'issues' with the new, very short flange to film distance that Sony has used in these new cameras. Like say, using Nikon's old 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor as a close-up lens...good macro lens, available used for $95.

I think it's a tough time right now to know exactly how the Alpha 7 system is going to eventually shape up and fill out. I watched The Camera Store's 15 minute first-look of both the 7 and 7r; they sell cameras, and they mentioned the battery and the obnoxiously loud shutter specifically. TCS videos usually gloss over weaknesses, but the battery and shutter issues were given prominent placement and "play" for a TCS video. Listen to the shutter in their video, which was shot outdoors in the woods; it is LOUD.

I thought the fact that the lower-cost, 24 MP camera having much better, and faster autofocusing was an odd decision, but as he said, that's the way Sony decided to go with these. Anyway, the A7 and A7r are sexy-looking cameras, and look like they would be fun to own. I myself like their design ethos more than I do the NEX series bodies. Check out Thom Hogan's NEW CHART on what Sony lenses fit/work with what at this URL "NEX" is Gone, so What do we Call It? | Sans Mirror ? mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras | Thom Hogan

Stevepwns · Nov 4, 2013

It has been my experience that you never buy the iteration of anything...... give them time to figure out what we don't like about them and fix the quirks. In my opinion, its not really a good time to buy anything Sony, the Alpha line will (hopefully) be next for an upgrade and the NEX line is being dropped from what I read. The new 7 series is way to young.

erotavlas · Nov 4, 2013

Stevepwns said:
It has been my experience that you never buy the iteration of anything...... give them time to figure out what we don't like about them and fix the quirks. In my opinion, its not really a good time to buy anything Sony, the Alpha line will (hopefully) be next for an upgrade and the NEX line is being dropped from what I read. The new 7 series is way to young.

maybe but someone's gotta buy and try it otherwise there won't be a second iteration

Regarding NEX I think E-mount will continue, but they are just rebranding the name.

cosmonaut · Nov 21, 2013

Well I agree with a lot of what Derrell states. With that reports are Sony is going to add 15 e mount full frame lenses next year. As far as the price of the Zeiss lenses the E mounts are far cheaper than the A or F mount ones. I have two Zeiss lenses and they are amazing lenses.
Me personally it's all about image quality so yes full frame is worth it to me. Being a landscape photographer just the added dynamic range and not having to work at keeping the highlights under control makes it all worth it. I had rather have full frame and a couple of cheap primes as to have a cropped sensor camera with a bag full of lenses.
The biggest downfalls of full frame are lens cost and no crop factor makes long range shooting for wildlife very expensive. But once you are there you are there. I wish I had bought into full frame years before I did. I regret waiting so long.
The a7/7R will have enough image quality you would never need to upgrade again. Short of greed.
if you could afford it the a99 is more versatile. Faster focus, flash photography, larger lens selection and IBIS. Also who wants to mount a huge flash on such a small camera as the a7?

Boyun · Nov 21, 2013

"worth" is quite subjective, and has many factors. A new NEX-5T kit is US$700 and a new A7 kit is US$3000, if price is not a factor (considering your net worth, and your return of investment), I will settle for a A7 or better still A7r any time.

Don't over look the EVF on the A7/A7r, although I don't have my hands on one yet.

BS87 · Nov 22, 2013

I can see a lot of people just buying an A7 body and running old lenses on it, never touching a kit lens etc. I'd probably do something silly like that and just run old FD mount lenses or ancient Nikon lenses. I'm the type of goof that would buy a 1700$ body to run old 100$ lenses on all day long. But I'm weird like that.

flying_gadget · Nov 22, 2013

BS87 said:
I can see a lot of people just buying an A7 body and running old lenses on it, never touching a kit lens etc. I'd probably do something silly like that and just run old FD mount lenses or ancient Nikon lenses. I'm the type of goof that would buy a 1700$ body to run old 100$ lenses on all day long. But I'm weird like that.

I don't think that's weird at all. A lot of NEX owners only use legacy lenses on them, I'm sure quite a few will use just legacy lenses on the new A series as well. I don't own and never will own any native lenses.

The issue I have is that with a FF, I would need to crop more than I do already on the NEX-7 and end up with a smaller res shot compared to the APS-C. I crop over 90% of the images now, with FF and it simply means more cropping out of a wider shot to start with. Maybe one day.

Danny.

BS87 · Nov 22, 2013

flying_gadget said:
BS87 said:

I can see a lot of people just buying an A7 body and running old lenses on it, never touching a kit lens etc. I'd probably do something silly like that and just run old FD mount lenses or ancient Nikon lenses. I'm the type of goof that would buy a 1700$ body to run old 100$ lenses on all day long. But I'm weird like that.

Click to expand...

I don't think that's weird at all. A lot of NEX owners only use legacy lenses on them, I'm sure quite a few will use just legacy lenses on the new A series as well. I don't own and never will own any native lenses.

The issue I have is that with a FF, I would need to crop more than I do already on the NEX-7 and end up with a smaller res shot compared to the APS-C. I crop over 90% of the images now, with FF and it simply means more cropping out of a wider shot to start with. Maybe one day.

Danny.