Sony A7C R People who currently have A7CR/A7CII/A6700 as main camera...

[geoawelch]

Hi folks,

As the subject line says, for people using these as your main camera, I would like to know what your likes/dislikes are for the specific cameras and if you miss anything from a "full size" camera.

I'm contemplating a change to either an A7CR and A7CII/A6700 as backup.

My photography interests are birding (mostly perched birds, BIF is not a huge interest), landscapes, family photography. The goal of the small cameras and hopefully smaller lenses is to lighten the load both for hiking and airplane travel.

I know the benefits of full size cameras, etc for bird photography so please don't veer off the thread and direct me there.

All my past Sony experience has been with A1/A9/A7RIV and 200-600, 100-400, various other primes. I no longer have any of that Sony equipment.

I appreciate your thoughts.

George

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

My only previous cameras were the A6000 and A6400, so I don't have the full frame experience you requested, but I DO use the A6700 as my main (only) camera. I use mine for taking pictures of family, vacations, and occasional flowers.

Likes:

• The A7CR/CII/6700 body is larger than the previous APSCs, but still "small" compared to the full frame line-up
• Weight is low and it fits great in a backpack or sling bag for any travel requirements (helpful that the EVF doesn't protrude upwards)
• The grip is now more ergonomic as it is deeper to accommodate the Z battery
• Customizable control dial at fingertip is a first for this size of camera body and really helps
• Autofocus and performance in general is very snappy.

Dislikes:

• Your pinky finger will still hunt for a place to grip; usually it rests curled up under the battery door.
  • Accessories help: The A7CR has that grip extender from Sony and 3rd party brackets (such as the smallrig I have on my A6700) give your little finger somewhere to rest.
• The EVF and back screen are not up to par when compared to the full frame camera bodies. Its not even close. The EVF is smaller and less resolution, and the back screen just has less resolution. Its most noticeable when manually focusing and using focus peaking.
• No joystick... well I have heard from many reviews that people don't like the control wheel and lack of dedicated joystick on the back of the camera, but I have never had one so I can't empathize.
• No second card slot... again, doesn't bother me since I'm used to that and I am no professional.

I don't know if any of that helps, but I still love my camera. Do I still wish for more megapixels and better screens? hell yeah, but I'm ok with the performance of this camera considering the compact size of the body and most of the lenses I carry.

 

[geoawelch]

Thanks Chris,

Yes, it does help. More megapixels are definitely a blessing and a curse.

The 33 mp of the ACII A7IV would be my ideal.

I’m strongly considering a A7CR/A6700 pairing as I like having a backup camera.

Thanks for your comments.

George

PS - I see you’re in FL. Hope you and your family are safe.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks Chris,

Yes, it does help. More megapixels are definitely a blessing and a curse.

The 33 mp of the ACII A7IV would be my ideal.

I’m strongly considering a A7CR/A6700 pairing as I like having a backup camera.

Thanks for your comments.

George

PS - I see you’re in FL. Hope you and your family are safe.

Many thanks George, we're prepared as much as possible.

I wrestled with the choice over A7CII or A6700 (A7CR was never in my budget). It came down to my existing collection of APSC glass, it would be too much money to start from scratch. If I had to do it all over, and I didn't have any lenses, I'd go with the A7CII and start my collection of FE lenses.

Your approach of having the A6700 as a backup is good since you can use full frame lenses on the APSC platform. If you do a A7CII/R combo with the a6700, you will also have the exact same layout and ergonomics in your backup camera, muscle memory will make switching between bodies pretty easy. If you do this, I would look forward to your comparison between the two.