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I just lately rented the Sony a7R V for testing, having shot Nikon for round 15 years however not completely offered on their strategy to mirrorless. My expertise shocked me. I’ve briefly examined cameras from different manufacturers earlier than, however the a7R V was the primary time I’ve shot extensively with something apart from Nikon.
I examined the a7R V at an fascinating time. By way of NPS, I only recently rented out Nikon’s newest and biggest: the Z9, Z 24-70mm f/2.8, and Z 100-400mm, with the intent to improve my Nikon Z6 / Z7 package a technique or one other (extra on that in a second). My testing of the a7R V can also be taking place just some weeks away from the supposed announcement of Nikon’s subsequent main digital camera mannequin, the Z8, with fundamental specs simply beginning to leak.
Total, this backdrop has actually put me in a contemplative temper – fascinated about what I’m in search of in a system, and even when Nikon continues to be assembly my wants. Each main digital camera system right this moment may be very competent, after all. However from a enterprise standpoint, the a7R V struck me as a reasonably compelling improve path after I finally change from the Z6 and Z7. Right here’s why.
What I’m Trying For
I’m at present capturing with a Nikon Z6 and Z7, together with the Z 24-70mm f/4, Z 14-30mm f/4, Z 105mm f/2.8 macro, and a smattering of older F-mount lenses. My niches as an expert photographer are actual property, business pictures, videography, and typically panorama/journey work.
On the subject of cameras and digital camera manufacturers, there are a variety of issues that matter to me: model innovation, digital camera customization, lens lineup, picture high quality, video high quality, and portability/comfort. I’m going to interrupt them down point-by-point as a result of that is the framework that I used whereas testing the a7R V.
1. Innovation
A profitable digital camera firm is continually innovating, breaking new floor and developing with genuinely helpful options. I felt that the Nikon Z9 did this in various areas, like the dearth of a mechanical shutter curtain, the excessive effectivity RAW choices, and many others., that made it a really revolutionary digital camera for wildlife pictures. Nevertheless, I’ve been much less impressed by Nikon’s improvements in cameras apart from the Z9, as even the Z6 II and Z7 II felt extra like iterations over the Z6 and Z7.
When testing the a7R V, I used to be struck by the multitude of improvements it supplied. Having simply come from testing the Z9, I used to be shocked to see so many options that I favored concerning the Z9 rolled up right into a smaller physique at a considerably cheaper price level ($3900 vs $5500). A multi-angle rear display, staggeringly good autofocus efficiency, a plethora of customizable buttons, and extra – it felt like a pro-level physique, with out the burden or value penalty. Another improvements like high-res sensor-shift mode have but to make it into any Nikon digital camera but, though possibly that can change with the Z8.
2. Customization
One criticism I had seen repeatedly leveled on the Sony our bodies has to do with the menus. Whereas they’re a bit extra complicated, I discovered that the newer menu within the a7R V was higher than outdated Sony cameras I’ve examined prior to now. It’s nonetheless extra complicated than the Nikon or Canon menus I’ve used, however partly that’s as a result of there’s a better diploma of customization out there.
As a straightforward instance, contemplate bracketing. My Nikon Z7 permits for toggling bracketing on, with 3 and 5 photographs at .3, .7, 1 or 2 stops of distinction. In the meantime, the a7R V permits for single or steady bracketing, at .3 and .5 cease intervals all through the vary, with the choice for enabling the self timer, all from 1 button press. Why can’t I set a 1.5 cease bracket on the Z7? Why do I have to dedicate a separate button simply to shoot a bracketed burst? My Nikon cameras needs to be able to it, however the software program prevents it.
That diploma of customization continues throughout the buttons on the a7R V, that are extra quite a few than on most cameras of this measurement. For the rear thumb space, you get two dials, 3 buttons, an AF joystick, a mini-menu, the 4-way buttons on the primary dial, and two extra buttons beneath that. Sony managed to suit each extra buttons, and buttons in additional usable positions, in a digital camera about the identical measurement because the Z7.
For some individuals’s work, this many customizable buttons might be a headache and an inconvenience reasonably than a assist. However I discovered that whereas switching between numerous genres, it sped up my workflow within the discipline. For my business work, it was good to spend much less time coming into the digital camera menu, and the identical needs to be true for video work as properly.
3. Lens Lineup and Third-Get together Lenses
Interchangeable lens cameras are nothing with out the appropriate lenses. To me, the present state of affairs with Nikon and third occasion lens producers feels messy and awkward – much more so with Canon, which makes me much less prone to contemplate them if I resolve to leap manufacturers from Nikon. Plainly each Nikon and Canon are attempting to maintain a decent lock on their mirrorless lens mounts. Nikon is doing a bit higher than Canon right here, however I can’t assist however really feel irritated to see rebranded Tamron lenses with the Z badge, for a premium value over the unique Tamron lenses.
Sigma’s current announcement of three Nikon Z APS-C lenses encapsulates what I’m speaking about. Are these three lenses actually Sigma’s precedence to get in entrance of Z customers? To me, it reads like Nikon is just leasing the mount to lenses that received’t compete with its 1st-party choices. Both method, it leaves the lens lineup for Nikon Z mount feeling missing, significantly in case your wants don’t align with Nikon’s particular course. Nikon has been filling out their lineup fairly properly, however there are nonetheless many niches the place third-party lenses would make it a extra aggressive system (tilt-shift lenses, longer macro lenses, a 200-600mm sort lens, a light-weight telephoto zoom, and many others. – the checklist goes on.)
In the meantime, Sony’s E-Mount presents much more choices. It’s been round for longer and is broadly supported by nearly each third-party lens firm. I’m not saying that each Sony E lens is a winner, and my years of expertise with Nikon have given me nice confidence within the high quality of their lenses. However there are lenses for the E mount that I feel we won’t see for the Z mount for years, if ever.
For instance, a 12mm lens fits my actual property pictures wants completely, which is feasible with Sony’s 12-24mm and never with any Nikon Z lens. Past that, the Sony 20-70mm f/4 is a extra helpful business lens than the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4, since I don’t want to modify lenses when capturing wide-angles. And Nikon nonetheless doesn’t have a 70-200mm f/4, so I’ve had to make use of my 105mm f/2.8 macro as double-duty for longer focal lengths.
Lenses are a really private resolution, however utilizing the a7R V, it was good to make use of some cheap Sigma lenses that may have price $2500+ for the Nikon Z equal. And I like how Sony’s native lenses match my skilled wants higher, particularly the 12-24mm for actual property pictures and the 20-70mm for business work.
4. Picture High quality
After some in depth capturing classes with the Sony a7R V, together with panorama, wildlife, and business topics, I used to be very impressed with the picture high quality. Photographs have been sharp, with nice dynamic vary, and processed equally to my Nikon recordsdata. Given Nikon and Sony’s lengthy operating sensor relationship, this isn’t a lot of a shock – I wouldn’t give both firm a transparent benefit right here. Nonetheless, it was good to see I may simply decide up and shoot, with out having to regulate any components of my method.
Talking of method, significantly for animals, I used to be amazed after I examined out the Nikon Z9. It grabbed the attention of each animal within the viewfinder, locked on, and wouldn’t let go. It was by far the standout side of my time with the Z9, and I used to be lacking it probably the most when switching again to my Z6 and Z7.
I discovered that the a7R V supplied roughly the identical uncanny degree of monitoring as this. At one level, I used to be photographing a black-colored bear within the contrasty mid-day solar, and whereas I couldn’t even see his eye, the digital camera may. In one other state of affairs, it grabbed deal with a flamingo who was head down within the water, gracefully transitioning to go after which eye AF because it returned upright.
Once more, I do know that Nikon additionally has this potential, as a result of we’ve seen it within the Z9. We’ll most likely see it within the Z8 as properly. However by way of cameras that exist already, it was fairly thrilling to see the extent of efficiency of the Z9 in a smaller, inexpensive digital camera. It positively gave me some pause.
5. Video High quality
One factor I haven’t a lot time to do with the a7R V but is to shoot video, so I’ll restrict my feedback to acknowledging the specs. The Sony a7R V is likely one of the extra spectacular video-oriented cameras right this moment – not fairly on the degree of the Nikon Z9’s RAW video capabilities, however nonetheless loads spectacular. The 8K, in-camera 10-bit, HLG, SLG, and many others., options are loads for my business wants.
My Nikon Z6 and Z7 aren’t horrible by way of video, however some purchasers are already inquiring about higher-than-4K footage, which is one cause why I started my new digital camera search within the first place. The upcoming Nikon Z8 may be the reply relying on the value and measurement of the digital camera, however the a7R V additionally clears the bar.
6. Portability and Comfort
As beforehand talked about, I used to be impressed by the efficiency of the Z9 total, and even the value could be workable as a enterprise expense. Nevertheless, the physique simply didn’t work for me. Whereas I had beforehand shot on a D3s, I’m not normally a wildlife photographer, and I don’t want the scale and weight penalty that comes together with an built-in grip. Half the rationale I switched to mirrorless within the first place was the scale financial savings, and I don’t need to backtrack in that division.
The a7R V particularly is barely larger than my Z6 and Z7, however to not the diploma that I discovered myself treating it any in another way. My preliminary testing was achieved with Sony’s 24-70 f/2.8, which was surprisingly compact for a f/2.8 zoom with such good efficiency. My Sony 20-70mm f/4 rental additionally arrived proper as I used to be placing this text collectively, and I’m much more impressed by this compact combo.
When it comes to comfort, the a7R V additionally impressed me. As I discussed earlier, Sony makes nice use of the house on the again of the digital camera, squeezing in various helpful buttons. There’s additionally the comfort of the reminiscence playing cards, which I didn’t notice that I might discover so helpful when testing the a7R V. I don’t significantly just like the CFExpress setup utilized by the Nikon Z our bodies, and one of many main causes I’m planning to modify from my Z6 and Z7 is that I’m uninterested in the one card slot. By comparability, the a7R V’s card slots supported each the high-performance CFExpress Kind A playing cards, and customary SD playing cards that yow will discover in a gasoline station.
Add it collectively, and I discovered the a7R V’s steadiness of portability and options to be very nice – like mixing the most effective elements of the Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z9. I’m keen to attend a bit to see what Nikon releases on this area of interest, if something, however possibly you may see why the a7R V struck me as a viable improve path from my present setup. Which brings me to…
The Future
Nikon has been in an odd place for the prosumer / transportable professional marketplace for some time. The Z7 actually wasn’t the total embodiment of the D850, and whereas the Nikon Z7 II improved in some significant areas (like twin card slots – fairly important for skilled photographers) it didn’t basically change a lot.
Just a few years in the past, I expressed disappointment that Nikon was prioritizing particular editions, totally different colorways, and successfully duplicating lens choices over filling the numerous lacking holes of their lineup. For instance, there’s nonetheless a complete of simply three telephoto zooms out there: an affordable 24-200mm f/4-6.3 superzoom, and two pro-level, cumbersome choices within the 70-200mm f/2.8 and 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. If you happen to want something apart from that, hopefully you’ve received these FTZ adapters helpful!
In the meantime, the expansive measurement of the Z mount and shallow flange depth was speculated to allow thrilling new lens potentialities, but on the vast angle, issues are fairly milquetoast. Nikon’s optical high quality is beautiful, however with just some exceptions, their optical creativity wants work. Want one thing wider than 14mm? Desire a 14mm f/1.8? How about one thing quicker than f/1.8 in any respect?
As a substitute of any of these, Nikon is providing a 28mm f/2.8 (in two types!), a 26mm, a 24mm, and shortly one other 24mm (DX). Contemplating that in addition they have a ton of zooms that cowl the 24mm vary, shouldn’t Nikon have targeted their consideration elsewhere? The 26mm f/2.8 and 28mm f/2.8 duality is particularly unusual to see. In the meantime, the 200-600mm lens (or something prefer it) is nowhere to be seen. Once I take into consideration the long run, I don’t have the boldness that Nikon’s lens choices might be significantly rational, and I can’t depend on third events to fill the gaps.
Ultimately, any interchangeable lens digital camera is just nearly as good because the ecosystem round it. Even when the Nikon Z8 solves lots of the issues and acts as a real Sony a7R / Canon EOS R5 competitor, it’s nonetheless a query concerning the lens lineup technique. And don’t get me began on Nikon Z DX (though Sony has loads of work to do with their APS-C cameras, too – that is one space the place Canon is clearly forward with the EOS R7).
I say this as somebody who loves Nikon and desires them to succeed, nevertheless it was shocking to me that utilizing the a7R V actually crystalized the failings that I’ve been coping with, but struggled to place to phrases, with my Nikon Z package. Nikon positively has some high-end niches that they’re chasing with cameras just like the Z9, their unbelievable f/2.8 zoom trio, and drool-worthy lenses just like the Z 400mm f/2.8 TC. They’re additionally chasing a marriage pictures area of interest with lenses just like the 85mm f/1.2, and (upcoming) 35mm f/1.2. However the additional you stray from these archetypes, the much less clear Nikon’s ecosystem turns into.
I’ve had an ideal run with Nikon, spanning over a decade, however utilizing the a7R V made me take into consideration extra than simply the a7R V. Now that I’m on the cusp of upgrading my cameras a technique or one other, I’m questioning if it’s time to make a full leap – most likely to Sony, possibly to Canon. Even now, I’m unsure if I’m prepared to interrupt issues off and absolutely change; I nonetheless have to do extra severe considering. However I can say that for the primary time, I at present have a full set of non-Nikon gear sitting in my cart at B&H, and that Purchase Now button is trying higher and higher.
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