Sony's new full-frame cameras with compatibility of Canon, Nikon, etc. lenses!

amirm

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Normally I don't look at other brands of camera bodies than canon due to tens of thousands of dollars I have invested in lenses. But this is worth a look. The new Sony bodies, alpha 7 and 7r are 24 and 36 megapixels respectively (better than anything Canon has) at pricess that are 1/3 of canon ($1700 and $2,400). With an adapter, you can use other lenses such as Canon or Nikon! Here is a nice video review of them:

 

GaryProtein

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Jul 25, 2012
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The 7R looks like a great camera.
 

andromedaaudio

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I am also thinking about a full frame sensor camera with video function , apparently the Sony Alpha A7s is quite attractive it is more light sensitive then the previous A 7 camera ( with 12 megapixel quality) it also has higher video resolution 4 k( (3840 x 2160 pixels) Full HD- instead of 1080 -1920 ,apparently there is more to it then just more megapixels the A 7 s is also a later model and more $$$

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wM_5nROeaw

I think i read somewhere however that you lose the full frame compatability if you use other manufacturer lenses (incl adapters ), although the first video says otherwise , gonna find out about that


Handheld A 7 s video looks awesome i think , i think i ll buy one and get additional external mics , to go make movies and sound, pretty cool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwoKtpRPISw
 
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Sauerball

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Jul 30, 2013
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You can use full frame lenses from other makers with an adapter, but there may be ray angle issues with wide angle lenses. From what I've read, anything longer than a 35mm focal length should work without issue.
 

JackD201

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Apr 20, 2010
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The RX1 made me a fan. A big fan. I've got a lot of Nikon glass so an A7 would make sense for me and my aching elbows from lugging around a D700 with Battery pack!
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Does Sony have a full-frame pocket-sized camera? We just lost our little camera unfortunately, so now looking for what people consider the best little pocket-sized camera.
 

rockitman

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Sounds like a good idea, however I suspect AF and metering will suffer compared to using canon lenses on canon bodies. This is a real issue for action photography using canon's big white telephoto lenses.
 

audio.bill

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May 27, 2013
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Does Sony have a full-frame pocket-sized camera? We just lost our little camera unfortunately, so now looking for what people consider the best little pocket-sized camera.
Sony does offer two full frame "palm sized" cameras in their RX-1 and RX-1R (which is the same as the RX-1, but omits the anti-aliasing filter for an even sharper image.) They're not cheap but include a superb Carl Zeiss Sonnar f2 35mm lens. Details can be seen here, along with their smaller and more pocket sized RX-100 models, which use a smaller 1" sensor and a less expensive Zeiss zoom lens.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Sony does offer two full frame "palm sized" cameras in their RX-1 and RX-1R (which is the same as the RX-1, but omits the anti-aliasing filter for an even sharper image.) They're not cheap but include a superb Carl Zeiss Sonnar f2 35mm lens. Details can be seen here, along with their smaller and more pocket sized RX-100 models, which use a smaller 1" sensor and a less expensive Zeiss zoom lens.

Thanks! i think JackD201 has the RX1 and i remember him posting photos which looked pretty amazing. i will go back and check them out.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Sony does offer two full frame "palm sized" cameras in their RX-1 and RX-1R (which is the same as the RX-1, but omits the anti-aliasing filter for an even sharper image.) They're not cheap but include a superb Carl Zeiss Sonnar f2 35mm lens. Details can be seen here, along with their smaller and more pocket sized RX-100 models, which use a smaller 1" sensor and a less expensive Zeiss zoom lens.

How close do you think the quality of the RX100 is to the RX1? I mean for taking 'ordinary' everyday shots (indoors, nite lighting over dessert/candles, or outdoor family shots while on vacation, close up of an object like flowers or watch or something)...

The reason i ask is because it looks like (as you said), the RX1 is palm sized whereas the RX100 is truly pocket-sized which i think would suit us better since we already have a Nikon DSLR D5100 with Nikon telephoto.

Thanks for any advice.
 

audio.bill

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May 27, 2013
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The RX-1 cameras are truly professional grade products and are priced accordingly. I have read reviews that state the quality of that lens alone would equal the price of the entire camera, so that makes it seem a bit more reasonable. You can see some great examples of what it's capable of at The RX1 Files, and a very thorough review from Duncan Davidson which also has some great shots. If you search there are also many reviews of the RX100 models, and while they are still good those cameras are not in the same league as far as absolute performance as the RX1. It's all relative, so it depends how high your expectations are and what your budget will allow, but the RX1 seems to be in a class of its own. Just looking at some of DD's pictures makes me drool over the RX1 and its capabilities!
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
The RX-1 cameras are truly professional grade products and are priced accordingly. I have read reviews that state the quality of that lens alone would equal the price of the entire camera, so that makes it seem a bit more reasonable. You can see some great examples of what it's capable of at The RX1 Files, and a very thorough review from Duncan Davidson which also has some great shots. If you search there are also many reviews of the RX100 models, and while they are still good those cameras are not in the same league as far as absolute performance as the RX1. It's all relative, so it depends how high your expectations are and what your budget will allow, but the RX1 seems to be in a class of its own. Just looking at some of DD's pictures makes me drool over the RX1 and its capabilities!
How pocket size are they and I gather that is a fixed lens on the camera or can you change lenses

Seems the RX-1 is rated slightly higher than the RX-`1R
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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The RX-1 cameras are truly professional grade products and are priced accordingly. I have read reviews that state the quality of that lens alone would equal the price of the entire camera, so that makes it seem a bit more reasonable. You can see some great examples of what it's capable of at The RX1 Files, and a very thorough review from Duncan Davidson which also has some great shots. If you search there are also many reviews of the RX100 models, and while they are still good those cameras are not in the same league as far as absolute performance as the RX1. It's all relative, so it depends how high your expectations are and what your budget will allow, but the RX1 seems to be in a class of its own. Just looking at some of DD's pictures makes me drool over the RX1 and its capabilities!

Thank you...that helps. I think the RX1 is a great camera but its too big to fit in a shirt pocket, and for quality shots, we have our Nikon DSLR so that's plenty of camera for amateurs for us.

I think we are looking at the RX100, as vs the Canon Ixus 265 or even the Panasonic LF1, which are rated well in DPreview. The RX100 seems to be consistently their favorite overall compact camera, and the Panasonic/Canons consistently their favorite affordable pocket camera.

Thanks again for the advice.
 

audio.bill

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May 27, 2013
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They are all fixed lenses, the RX-1 is a fixed focal length of 35mm, while the smaller RX-100 models use zoom lenses in more compromised designs. The RX-1 would be a bit difficult to actually fit in most pockets due to the depth of its lens. Two other very well reviewed cameras that are pocket sized would be the Fuju X100S and their newer and improved X100T, which both have an excellent fixed 23mm f2.0 lens. They use an APS-C sized sensor of Fuji's custom design which gets stunning results, but still not quite at the level of the Sony RX-1 cameras. There's no free lunch here, just like with most high end audio gear.
 

Mosin

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Mar 11, 2012
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The A7S is out now with improvements over the A7 and A7R. For one thing, it has a metal lens mount. I am surprised that they put plastic lens mounts on the other two, but they did.
 

Sauerball

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The A7S is out now with improvements over the A7 and A7R. For one thing, it has a metal lens mount. I am surprised that they put plastic lens mounts on the other two, but they did.

There are rumors of a A9 coming in 2015 as well . . . the S is a low-light champ and ideal for video work.
 

Sauerball

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]I think we are looking at the RX100, as vs the Canon Ixus 265 or even the Panasonic LF1, which are rated well in DPreview. The RX100 seems to be consistently their favorite overall compact camera, and the Panasonic/Canons consistently their favorite affordable pocket camera.

Having both an RX1 and an RX100, I'll offer my two cents. The RX1 is sublime. It won't fit in your pocket and has only so so autofocus, but there's really nothing like it for the size. The lens is fantastic. The add on electronic viewfinder is also world class. It's an amazing piece of kit. But it's not what you want.

We have the third gen RX100 with the built-in view finder and the "selfie" flip around LCD panel. My eight-year old has gotten pretty good with it. It is a great camera, really up to whether you like the controls or not.

BTW, if you don't care about the viewfinder or the selfie LCD, Sony still sells the first and second gen RX100 for a lot less dough.

I would consider the Panny Lx100 and the Ricoh GR as well if you're looking for something great that will fit in your pocket. Deciding factors for me would be which controls work best for you and quality/focal length range of the lens.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Having both an RX1 and an RX100, I'll offer my two cents. The RX1 is sublime. It won't fit in your pocket and has only so so autofocus, but there's really nothing like it for the size. The lens is fantastic. The add on electronic viewfinder is also world class. It's an amazing piece of kit. But it's not what you want.

We have the third gen RX100 with the built-in view finder and the "selfie" flip around LCD panel. My eight-year old has gotten pretty good with it. It is a great camera, really up to whether you like the controls or not.

BTW, if you don't care about the viewfinder or the selfie LCD, Sony still sells the first and second gen RX100 for a lot less dough.

I would consider the Panny Lx100 and the Ricoh GR as well if you're looking for something great that will fit in your pocket. Deciding factors for me would be which controls work best for you and quality/focal length range of the lens.

Fantastic advice, and after a lot of reading, i am inclined to agree. We are early stage enthusiasts...thats about it. We have a DSLR with a nice Nikon zoom lens which is plenty...this little camera is mainly for my wife who loves to have it with her when we go out to dinner, take a weekend day out or travel.

Now, if this is our priority...what do you suggest?

1. Quality of image for 'unzoomed' indoor and outdoor shots (candlelight dinners, nightscape shot while traveling, some outdoor landscape shots)

2. Lots of auto pre-settings for amateurs (food, candlelight, backlighting, outdoor, indoor, pets, etc)
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
14,377
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Having both an RX1 and an RX100, I'll offer my two cents. The RX1 is sublime. It won't fit in your pocket and has only so so autofocus, but there's really nothing like it for the size. The lens is fantastic. The add on electronic viewfinder is also world class. It's an amazing piece of kit. But it's not what you want.

We have the third gen RX100 with the built-in view finder and the "selfie" flip around LCD panel. My eight-year old has gotten pretty good with it. It is a great camera, really up to whether you like the controls or not.

BTW, if you don't care about the viewfinder or the selfie LCD, Sony still sells the first and second gen RX100 for a lot less dough.

I would consider the Panny Lx100 and the Ricoh GR as well if you're looking for something great that will fit in your pocket. Deciding factors for me would be which controls work best for you and quality/focal length range of the lens.

I went to dpreview.com and think i answered my own questions. For us, the original RX100 seems like plenty of camera...among the best images, competitive with the newer generations at [now] half the price, and it has a slew of auto features.
 

Sauerball

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Jul 30, 2013
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I went to dpreview.com and think i answered my own questions. For us, the original RX100 seems like plenty of camera...among the best images, competitive with the newer generations at [now] half the price, and it has a slew of auto features.

I think you'll be happy with it. I hesitate to recommend any one particular model. Cameras are almost as much of an individual preference as loudspeakers (and may have even more zealous fanbois).
 

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