The A7 is a Game Changer. A landmark camera
The Sony A7 and A7R are in a class of their own (the only full-frame sensors currently shoe-horned into a mirrorless interchangeable lens portable camera). The sensor, however, will probably take out the best full-frame sensor specs when tested against its Nikon and Canon DSLR rivals. At half the weight and only two-thirds of the cost of a Nikon D800E this is going to make a lot of people think long and hard about what they are prepared to lug around.
I simply can’t pack a DSLR body, three lenses and a laptop and board a plane with the equipment as carry-on luggage without developing a cold sweat that somebody is going to notice that I am well over. With the equivalent Sony system (when the 70 to 200 f/4 G lens becomes available next year) I will not only be able to come in under the 7 Kilogram limit but also pack a change of underwear as well!!
I used a Sony A7 pre-release version of the camera (thanks to Sony Australia) last weekend on a rainforest shoot and its highly customisable user interface (more custom buttons than you can poke a stick at) and class leading EVF (electronic viewfinder) makes this a compelling camera to want to own. Working with an EVF will not be to everybody’s liking (at first) but once you have been sucked in by the focus peaking (for fast manual focus), live depth of field preview, magnified focus assist and live histogram there is no going back.
This camera is the proverbial ‘cat amongst the pidgeons’. All change!
Mark