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.

 

[geoawelch]

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.

Thanks Chris,

That was my thinking with the A6700.

My debate now with myself is whether to use the 100-400 or 70-350 (APS-C) for birds. As I mentioned at the beginning I owned the 100-400 and 200-600 before and just don’t want to tote the larger lens around. I’ve heard from a few folks that the 70-350 is actually quite a capable lens and know of a couple of folks using it as a “light” option on FF cameras.

Cheers,

George

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks Chris,

That was my thinking with the A6700.

My debate now with myself is whether to use the 100-400 or 70-350 (APS-C) for birds. As I mentioned at the beginning I owned the 100-400 and 200-600 before and just don’t want to tote the larger lens around. I’ve heard from a few folks that the 70-350 is actually quite a capable lens and know of a couple of folks using it as a “light” option on FF cameras.

Cheers,

George

If you get the A7CR and use the 70-350 in crop mode, I believe you still get the same megapixels as the A6700, so I really don't see a down side.

 

[WeeMalky]

Hi George I have an A7c11 great small camera I have a couple of small lenses that I use with it and also the Tamron 28-200mm which works fine this image was taken with the Sony 35mm f1.8 while I was out for a quick walk one evening.

• ILCE-7CM2
• FE 35mm F1.8
• 35.0 mm
• ƒ/1.8
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 400

 

[geoawelch]

Hi George I have an A7c11 great small camera I have a couple of small lenses that I use with it and also the Tamron 28-200mm which works fine this image was taken with the Sony 35mm f1.8 while I was out for a quick walk one evening.View attachment 67895

That’s a beautiful sunset evening. Some folks diss the 35 1.8 but I remember it being an excellent lens.

I like the sensor size of the A7CII. Did you give any thought to the A7CR?

Cheers,

George

 

[Slug]

I use Sony A6700 with Sony 100-400 G master quite regularly and find them a good pair and work well with birds including in flight. Also use Sony A1 with 200-600 and find it pretty heavy to lump around. The 6700 is more portable and the only down side for me is the smaller viewfinder.

 

[WeeMalky]

That’s a beautiful sunset evening. Some folks diss the 35 1.8 but I remember it being an excellent lens.

I like the sensor size of the A7CII. Did you give any thought to the A7CR?

Cheers,

George

I did George but as I already have the A1 & A9. not at the moment not to say that I won't in the future and I ain't getting any younger. I have a friend who has one. One of the lucky guys who has a lot of equipment he finds it very good if you do purchase one let us know how you get on

 

[geoawelch]

I use Sony A6700 with Sony 100-400 G master quite regularly and find them a good pair and work well with birds including in flight. Also use Sony A1 with 200-600 and find it pretty heavy to lump around. The 6700 is more portable and the only down side for me is the smaller viewfinder.

Thanks Greg

 

[DaveC Oz]

I have the A7CR and love it, I also have an A6600, while not an A6700 the A6600 is similar in spec. I like the APSC for the lightness of the camera and lens combo. The crop sensor adds to the reach of the lenses too. On the other hand the A7CR gives me significantly more cropping power, and wider FOV for my wide lenses. I have occasionally used my 70-350 lens in crop mode on the CR but usually stick to my full frame kit.

 

[geoawelch]

I have the A7CR and love it, I also have an A6600, while not an A6700 the A6600 is similar in spec. I like the APSC for the lightness of the camera and lens combo. The crop sensor adds to the reach of the lenses too. On the other hand the A7CR gives me significantly more cropping power, and wider FOV for my wide lenses. I have occasionally used my 70-350 lens in crop mode on the CR but usually stick to my full frame kit.

Thanks Dave

Are these your main cameras?

I like the idea of a smaller kit, especially in retirement.

Cheers,

George

 

[DaveC Oz]

Thanks Dave

Are these your main cameras?

I like the idea of a smaller kit, especially in retirement.

Cheers,

George

These are my only cameras, I upgraded to the A6600 from an A6000 which my daughter now has. The A7CR was a memorial gift to myself from my inheritance after my mother died. I haven't owned a full sized body to compare, but I was already used to the smaller body. The CR is nice but my PC struggles with the file size.

 

[geoawelch]

These are my only cameras, I upgraded to the A6600 from an A6000 which my daughter now has. The A7CR was a memorial gift to myself from my inheritance after my mother died. I haven't owned a full sized body to compare, but I was already used to the smaller body. The CR is nice but my PC struggles with the file size.

I had the Z9 previous to the OM I have now. The Z9 files were large as well so I feel your pain.

That’s why one of the debates is CR vs CII for the smaller file size

 

[alexpler]

I have the old A7C and I'd say the CII or 6700 sees perfect for your hiking and family pictures, not so sure about birds. I'd consider the A7CR for that, as you could crop in case of need.

Sometimes I wish for a full tactile screen or a second wheel, both issues have been corrected in newer models so I'm not surprised of their raising popularity.

As you can see I mostly use it for travel and street, and when combined with a light lens it's convenient and discreet. You can carry your gear all day or pack it in your cabin bag when flying.

 

[geoawelch]

I have the old A7C and I'd say the CII or 6700 sees perfect for your hiking and family pictures, not so sure about birds. I'd consider the A7CR for that, as you could crop in case of need.

Sometimes I wish for a full tactile screen or a second wheel, both issues have been corrected in newer models so I'm not surprised of their raising popularity.

As you can see I mostly use it for travel and street, and when combined with a light lens it's convenient and discreet. You can carry your gear all day or pack it in your cabin bag when flying.

Thanks for the reply

While I liked the A7CR for the brief time I had it I really like the A7RV for my use case paired with the Sigma 500 5.6

 

[davidzvi]

Interesting thread. I went from Nikon DSLRs to others* before moving to the A7CR. It's been about a year with the A7CR and still getting used to it. Oddly from what I was expecting, images out of the Sony seem to take more work than the others.

But to return to the topic, I don't miss the "full-size" camera. I would not have switched to Sony if it were not for that A7C series. While I had E-M1 and OM-1 series cameras, I preferred the Pen F and E-P7 cameras for every day.

* Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji, Nikon Z - Each multiple times