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Even the ranks of Fujifilm's lineup of excellent XF lenses has its shining stars. Perhaps this year's brightest is the long-awaited 23mm/1.4R fast wide-angle. Though many users have contributed personal usage reports, news from the top of the English-speaking camera world is always welcome.
via @DPReview's growing XF 23 F1.4 R review
“It seems EVF is accepted now by OVF loyalists...”
Misguided as the above OP is, the question is interesting. Modern EVFs are getting better. What holds them back is resolution in comparison to OVFs is contrast, update speed, lag, and the constant necessity to switch on and off. In my words, the EVF introduces layers of psychotic breaks between the image and the photographer, from which all but the most kludgy optical solutions are free.
Interestingly, the DPReview OP links to the following unrelated Soundimageplus article to prove his or her assumptions.
“I walk around with this thing and have to do a double take when I realise that it’s got a sensor the same size as the D800E I used for over a year. The EVF is beautiful to work with and the ergonomics are very photographer friendly.”
The Sony a7r's EVF is large, bright, and contrasty. Like all EVFs, however, it is prone to lag, to high amounts of noise, not to mention pixelation when juxtaposed to even a cheap OVF. The latter makes no adjustments for your eyes while the former attempts to mimic the eye by normalising the output between dark and light scenes. Thus your eye must adjust to not only ambient light changes, but also to EVF normalisation.
Those among other reasons are why I prefer to use the a7r for the steady and slow rhythm of still life and engagement photography, two genres to which the EVF is suited. In fact, the a7r is a far better still life camera than is my D800. Via the use of adapters, it will completely replace the D800 for the smattering of fair-weather landscape photography I do.
It is a fine photo-recording machine. However, I am quite firm in my opinion that it is neither ergonomically nor haptically a well designed camera. Sony is the harbinger of things to come, not the Messiah.
Perhaps to the fast-travelling internet it is. Here, the world is riddled with choice-funnelling, anchor-less arguments, and provocative lead-in statements.
In the logical fallacy-loving internet, yes, the EVF may well be accepted by OVF loyalists. Here in the real world, it is extremely useful for certain types of photography. But then, so is the OVF. And neither can replace the other.
Enthusiasts are great accessorisers. Camera dweebs get this thing called GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). Saying, “sorry about your wallet” is a right of passage at head-fi. As both an audiophile and a photophile, I suffer from GAS and a lost wallet. But don’t take my word for it.
Read moreDPReview reader, Horshack, tested Nikon's Df, D800, and Canon's 6D at ISO speeds from 3.200 to 102.400. The output of each camera was down-sampled to 8MP. The results are both surprising and not. It is clear, however, that Nikon's files are friendly to heavy digital pushing than are Canon's files.
When asked why he chose to test ISO speeds of up to 102.400, Horshack explained that it:
“illustrates the thermal noise issues with the active electronics on the Exmor chips pretty clearly. It would be very interesting to compare the images after performing a proper black-frame subtraction on the D800 files. It is possible to mitigate that noise, and even though it takes some extra work, the results can be very nice.
For obvious reasons, I think LENR should be an option for D600/D800 users full time.”
The below image represents what each camera is capable of at ISO 100 with a five-stop digital push.
DPReview forum member, viking79, has put up a photo-rich thread at DPReview comparing the Sony a7r to the Olympus OM SLR. As you can see, today's benchmark-creating 'small' is larger than yesteryear's compact. And with an NEX-OM adapter attached, the a7r becomes larger still.
The idea of the big-ass SLR is a myth.
While I dislike the Sony a7r for anything but work, I realise that it is a revolutionary product. It is redefining the expectations of photographers, who, for the last 18 years or so - and with the notable exception of cameras such as Nikon's FM3A - have expected quality 35mm interchangeable lens cameras to be huge. This was only exacerbated when cameras went digital. In fact, today, many Nikonians think the Df is small. It is not.
While the a7r isn't 'small' by comparisons to history, it is the first full-frame digital camera whose dimensions compare somewhat favourably to classical cameras. Of course, the OM is much better made than the a7r is, and has a much better finder, but at least the a7r points toward a smaller, brighter future.
The talented Alexey Kljatov's snowflake macro work is perfect for the holidays. It is also wonderfully economic and open-source. Alexey has documented the process and gear necessary in case you are keen on trying your hand at snowflake macro.
via DPReview
If it weren't for Nikon, I'd probably still be stuck on cheap wine, Ikea cheese, and awkward, purple-lipped hangovers. But thanks to the wonders of the D800's ridiculous live view system and a jumpy exposure dial, I’ve been rammed into the wonderful world of the single malt scotch. I owe you one, Nikon.
Read moreIn order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Fujifilm X-Pro 1
I'm a Fujifilm X-Pro 1 user. I'm also a Canon P and Olympus Trip 35 user. The Olumpus really is small. The Canon is about the same size as the Fujifilm. Today's Fujifilm X supporter loves to hate SLR cameras.
"Smaller is better" and "SLRs are big" and "prisms suck" and "humping sucks" and so on are slung around at Fujifilm fan sites.
I wonder if that crowd have ever used an SLR from, say, the 1970's or 80's. The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 happens to be the same size as my Nikon FE, a regular-sized SLR camera. In fact, it is an SLR camera that was never considered that compact or small. People who valued compact cameras turned it down in favour of other cameras, like the Nikon EM.
Today's 'compact' is pretty much yesterday's 'normal'. Reminds me of cars. Yeah, there are few things to get out of the way. First, the mounting flanges between SLRs and other cameras are quite different. Today's mirrorless cameras typically sport flanges with fillm-to metal distances that measure in the teens and low twenties (mm). And SLR humps do stick up a bit. But the FE's shoulder height is lower than the X-Pro 1's even with buttons sprigging from the top. Minus the mounting flange, the body is also thinner. If the FE had as chintzy a viewfinder as the D5000 or X-Pro 1, it could be much smaller again. But it wasn't built to be tiny. It was built to do the majority of what Nikon's professional line could do, but in a more manageable package.
Kind of like the Nikon Df... except that the Df is a monster.
In order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Fujifilm X-Pro 1, Nikon D5000
So what do Fujifilm fans mean when they think 'SLR'? The above image illustrates exactly what they think. They think small SLRs are like the above D5000. Forgetful brains think today's SLR epitomises the SLR en total. Even Nikon's smallest contemporary D3x00 is bigger than the FE and X-Pro 1.
The D800 is the FE's market equivalent: same juxtaposition to the top models, similar build quality, and on and on. It is of course, much, much larger. The trend to biggun up started after Japanese makers started dumping electronics into every nook and cranny they could. The more the merrier. The more complicated the better. The thicker the manual the better.
Today's SLRs aren't merely huge. They are confoundingly difficult to use. Simple people like me prefer simple devices. That is why I find the Leica M9 so refreshing to shoot. It is pure shooting: few and simple controls; only the necessities made it in. Everything else is out. Shoot and shoot again. It's a pleasure.
Fujifilm's X-Pro 1 harnesses some of that classic look. But its soul is something else. Its soul is crammed as much as is possible with electronic everything. It is nearly as complicated to operate as a contemporary SLR. And like car windows that go down only when you've got the key in, that all-electronic interfaces can be ridiculously obtuse. I love the X-Pro 1 but mainly as an idea or signpost. I hope that cameras will become simple and compact again, with focus on the OVF and precise lens action, not gizmos upon gizmos and a thirty-layered system menu.
The X-Pro 1's electronics slow it down. For everything beside the advancing of film, it takes longer to frame, focus, and shoot a single image than the Nikon FE or Canon P. Or, than any other mechanical 35mm film camera, ever. it is also much larger than most consumer SLR cameras were prior to their Japanification.
In order, from left to right: Fujifilm X-Pro 1, Leica M9. (NOTE: with the same Leica lens mounted, the X-Pro 1 and its adapter are larger than the M9. The combo is not, however, heavier than the Leica.)
But I love the X-Pro 1. I do. (And I must continue to remind myself of that as again that magnification function fails to trigger, as the camera again stalls, as again I'm met with an almost unusably choppy EVF.) It's the only non-Leica digital camera that is remotely fun to use. If only it had a good EVF or picture-in-picture focus assist functionality from the OVF, it would rock. That is, if it didn't stall, or go mum when I'm trying to magnify the view. If only it was better, I could imagine that with a good 35mm lens on its front it would sort of disappear. But it doesn't.
And this isn't the article for that. This article is just a size comparison between it and some favourites and the awful Nikon D5000.
BTW, these quick photos were taken with the not-at-all-fun-to-shoot-with Sony a7r. It takes lovely images. Everything else is completely Japanified.
In order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Leica M9
Three Guys With Cameras has a well thought-out essay about Nikon's soon to be released Df digital SLR. Each 'Guy' raises plaudits and concerns with the new camera. Plusses amount to the use of the D4 sensor. Essential caveats are that the Df sacrifices ergonomic functionality for both manual and automatic lens shooters. Each Guy notes that it is much larger and more complicated than the film cameras it attempts to emulate on the outside.
The Guys are polite in dishing out their conclusion, that the Df is a Frankenstein's monster attempt to hit all market points with one product.
“Nikon could have made a very nice retro-ish camera but I guess they lost focus somewhere and made a frankenstein-esque hybrid of a D600 and a FA. This is not the “Digital FM2″ that people are lusting after, but overall, I think it’s still a nice camera to use, with reasonably good looks to boot (I personally prefer the black version.) However, at this price point, I’d rather pay for a D800.”
I tend to agree, though with more vociferation. I had considered selling my D800 for the Df back when the only thing known about it was that it would be a digital FM. Instead, I purchased a Sony a7r and Novoflex adapter.
Note: Ω's full review of the Sony ILCE-7r (a7r) is now up
In addition to the most amazing audiophile portable audio player ever (review and pictures coming soon) my pre-ordered Sony Alpha α7r hit my doorstep this evening. It came in a big box. It came COD and it packs a USB cable. There's even a wall wart, some literature and a strap. It didn't come with a battery charger. What?
Nope, you have to shell out 59$ for one. And the bad news is that you will need one. Battery life is atrocious. After taking 10 exposures (and probably 10-15 minutes of poking around menus), battery life dropped from 100% to 75%. Naturally I was using live view the entire time. But even the D800's battery-hogging live view would last at least several dozen exposures before draining by the same amount.
Extra batteries are required. Battery chargers are required.
Otherwise, it’s a snazzy-looking piece of kit, but not as coherently snazzy as Fuji’s X-Pro 1. So far, I have shot only one frame with the a7r. I'm a manual reader, and mine's in Japanese, so it will take a bit longer than normal. So far, the interface is confusing.
All I know how to do is set ISO, RAW/JPEG, and shutter speed. Of course, as a still life audio photographer, I don't need much more than that. I can tell you that the hot shoe syncs just fine with my Flashwaves III wireless transmitter. My profoto Pro-B’s worked perfectly. And the camera doesn't seem to jump too much when shooting. But it is loud, and until I figure out how to keep it from going: kabbup bup bup kaboop, I will obviously have to keep my ears plugged with something sweet.
Equally as obvious, I will need to bone up on WB.
What is to be sure is that next to the Nikon D800, it is a LOT less sturdy. The side latches are as cheap and flimsy as a Nikon D5000's; the card door is a pull out plastic affair. I see no weather gaskets around any hinge or door. This is NOT a weatherproof camera. It is NOT a weather resistant camera - at least as is dictated by current market standards set by Nikon, Pentax, and Olympus.
But this bad boy will replace my D800. I need a more agile camera, a camera that can stretch on long bellows without weighing the skeleton down too much. I need a camera that doesn't have a big arse flash sticking out that interferes with bellows or T/S lenses. Naturally, I need a camera with good image quality. So far, the single frame I shot indicates that that won't be a problem.
What I'm not keen on so far is the complicated control scheme. But then again, I'm a simpler man than most. My needs are like 1/10th of yours. And in the following week or two, I will report on how they are fed by the a7r. I will be shooting several small review projects for ohm. That should get me boned up enough for two largish shoots for Mac Audio and Headphone Book (I'm a geek photographer) come December.
In the mean time, I will mount the a7r to Nikkor Ai/S lenses via Novoflex’ excellent NEX-F mount adapter and ASTAT tripod ring mount. I don’t expect I’ll use the camera much whilst out and about. Why? Because I don’t shoot Sony style. Whilst out and about, I'm pretty set in my ways. Either a rangefinder or a real SLR. Nothing else- at least not yet.
Currently I shoot with a Fuji X-Pro 1, which typically is screwed around the tiny Canon 35/2 LTM (M39) lens. I came to 35mm photography from a Nikon FE, and then a Canon P. The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 is a camera so half-arsed that it is tiring to find new derogatory puns that fit it. But without dishing out for a Leica M, it is as close to the simplicity of a physically controlled camera as is available. Shame, really.
The good news is that Sony are not trying to be anything- at least not that I can tell. The a7r is the first interchangeable lens 35mm equivalent 'full frame' camera that is the same size as medium-sized SLRs of yesteryear. I hope that smaller cameras with full frame sensors and traditional layouts come out so that I can replace my half-arsed Fuji. If it be Sony, so be it.
I am planning to purchase Voigtlander's VM-E helicoid mount in order that I can use my LTM (M39) and M lenses on the a7r, just for fun. Since early this year, I have used a Hawk's Factory helicoid adapter on my X-Pro 1. Amazing. Mostly. Its most serious problem is that it is machined quite cheaply from soft aluminium. Actually that would be its second worst offence. Its first is that the tube through which the lens projects an image is reflective. That surface both exacerbates existing lens flare and creates its own. Voigtlander should be made better.
Note: Ω's full review of the Sony ILCE-7r (a7r) is now up
Tsukuba, Japan
