Possible jump from Canon to Sony

[ashleykaryl]

I have been shooting with Canon for 25 years now and stuck with the 1DsII for the last decade, primarily because it still gets the job done. The combination of the 24-105L and a 100mm macro seems to cover everything I need and it's built like a tank but the weight and bulk are a pain at times.

Recently my head has been turned by Sony and in particular the A7RII. I don't know if there are any updates planned in the very near future, but it looks like it could really be the camera for all occasions. It would be interesting to hear some feedback (especially from ex Canon users) on the pros and cons of working with the A7RII.

 

[pixmedic]

its going to depend on what kind of shooting you do.
I think for most applications, mirrorless cameras have advanced enough to do just as well as a DSLR.
for portraits and weddings for instance, i think a sony A7RII would be just fine.
mirrorless lacks in AF though, so if you are shooting fast moving subjects, you will be at a disadvantage.
otherwise, I say go for it. you can get some absolutely fantastic lenses for the sony cameras.

 

[ashleykaryl]

Thanks Pixmedic. Over the years I've shot all sorts of subjects. Occasionally I'll photograph a model in movement, which might be a short run covering a few paces or hair in movement from a head turned quickly to the side. That's about it though and I have no interest in shooting sports photography.

One concern I had about 42MP is the question of precise focus. In the past I've worked with medium format digital a few times and obtaining sharp focus exactly where I wanted with shallow depth of field was a challenge to put it mildly.

Due to mirror slap I concluded medium format was impractical for many situations, however I've heard the Sony can be successfully hand held at low shutter speeds and still produce sharp results, which would be very impressive if true.

I know I could use an adaptor for my Canon lenses but ideally it would be good if I can find suitable Sony mount alternatives.

 

[The_Traveler]

I switched to the Sony to get away from large Nikons and lenses. (Also bought M4/3 system)
If you continue to shoot FF then the lenses will be the same size and the weight advantage is small.
However, if you are willing to shoot crop frame, the Sony A6500 is a dazzler.
Fastest AF in the business and a load of other features.
I have an A7 II and plan on buying an A6500 and either an A9 or an A7 R II - and maybe giving up on m4/3 so I don't have to provision two systems.

 

[ashleykaryl]

A friend of mine has a 16MP Olympus with a small sensor that I tried quickly about a year ago and I was shocked at how good the file quality was. It looked really well made and you could fit a body with three lenses in the smallest camera bag imaginable. It made the bulk of my Canon gear look absurd in comparison.

For many years I shot practically everything on a Hasselblad 6x6 and used to mask the viewfinder screen with a chinagraph pencil to obtain 645 proportions that worked perfectly for magazines and catalogues. This matches the proportions of M4/3 and no matter how hard I try I really struggle to like the elongated 35mm proportions, especially for photographing models.

My only real experience of a cropped frame was with a Canon 20D several years back and I remember the small viewfinder, but the bigger issue was difficulty in obtaining shallow depth of field when needed.

 

[The_Traveler]

A friend of mine has a 16MP Olympus with a small sensor that I tried quickly about a year ago and I was shocked at how good the file quality was. It looked really well made and you could fit a body with three lenses in the smallest camera bag imaginable. It made the bulk of my Canon gear look absurd in comparison.

For many years I shot practically everything on a Hasselblad 6x6 and used to mask the viewfinder screen with a chinagraph pencil to obtain 645 proportions that worked perfectly for magazines and catalogues. This matches the proportions of M4/3 and no matter how hard I try I really struggle to like the elongated 35mm proportions, especially for photographing models.

My only real experience of a cropped frame was with a Canon 20D several years back and I remember the small viewfinder, but the bigger issue was difficulty in obtaining shallow depth of field when needed.

Exactly my experience.
My only complaint is that the bodies are small and my fingers are big so I have problems with doing certain adjustments easily.
I could see the DOF being a real issue sometimes but I rarely shoot at the max aperture and a couple of times the DOF on a 45 mm 1.7 has been perfect for me.

I do love the IQ of a FF (I'm buying another Sony FF just for that reason) but the mobility and the inconspicuousness (is that a word?) of a m4/3 is a wonder.

Both shot with an Oly EP3 - local coffee shop and NYC subway.

 

[ashleykaryl]

The recent introduction of a full frame mirrorless medium format camera from Hasselblad was very interesting, especially with a body size that was smaller than some 35mm cameras. I'd love to see a full frame Sony with 645 file proportions and matching lenses. I am sure Sony has the ability to produce an amazing sensor around the same size as 35mm that gives the medium format cameras a real run for their money, but with better performance and a price that has professionals ditching their 35mm DSLRs in big numbers.

Your images reminded me of when I used to shoot reportage style fashion in Milan, but of course my images were very much planned.

 

[The_Traveler]

I notice that your subjects were very well groomed - and wearing the same necklace.

 

[ashleykaryl]

It's the same girl. All three images were done in less than 30 minutes. I also shot some colour images in a pool hall but I'd have to dig those out.