When Gear DOES Matter (My Only Problem with Sony Cameras) 

The A7C series with the Sony 2.5 lenses is so much fun. I love the 40 2.5.

I completely agree with you. Having the same camera combo as you, there is much more pleasure found taking photos with the C.

10+ years ago I switched from Nikon to Fuji because the D700 was just so big and heavy (for me) I would leave it at home. I loved the images from it but if that means nothing if it never leaves the house. That lesson has influenced every camera purchasing decision since. I bought an original X100 and rediscovered enjoyment in photography because it was small, light and fun to shoot with. Of course the autofocus was slow AF so I eventually added an X-T1 (later an X-T4) and switched the X100 for an X-E2, which was the camera I reached for first, despite the slower AF. I’ve just switched to Sony, primarily for autofocus reasons, and would not have made that change if they didn’t offer a rangefinder style full-frame option like the A7C II with the 2.8/2.5 G compact primes. All that’s missing for me is a Sony pancake with an aperture ring like the Fuji 27mm 2.8 WR. To be able to have a compact, full-frame setup that’s around 700g is 🤯 to me.

Dylan, just found your channel and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. This past week I rec'd my Sony A7C II. For many of the same reasons as you, I really enjoy it, especially it's size. It's my first full frame mirrorless camera. I won't blab on but my only real concern is the long packed menu that is so frustrating. I don't shoot video and many tutorials are loaded with video info that I'm not interested in. My new sony came with no charging cable or manual. That sucks. Anyway, I shoot a lot of low light pics and I'm ready to put this camera through the paces. Small compact lenses only! Thanks again!!

Totally agree with you. I've sold my A7III and big zooms to buy the A7CII and some light prime lenses. All due to the fun factor, which kept me away from taking all the heavy gear often enough. Keep the good videos up!

I had the first a7c and sold it primarily because of the resolution which is completely resolved by the a7CR. I love the new menus and the improved speed of operation and AF over my a7RIV. I also added the small rig baseplate for the look and functionality of the arca Swiss tripod mount, but was surprised that size and weight wise was very similar to the R4. That said, it still looks smaller and less intimidating as the larger 7 series bodies. That larger central viewfinder and bigger dials just look more like a working camera, as you said. I’m pretty happy with the new finder on the a7CR too as it is a big improvement over the a7C. And yes it’s more fun.

This is a great video and a great explanation of why great matters 🙌🏽

I agree that having a camera that motivates you to shoot is important. I never owned an A7c series but I am excited to say I will be getting the a7c ii since I lean more towards video. Lens I plan on getting is 35mm f1.8 and a zoom lens. I want only two lenses and want them compact

I wonder what ur opinion is on the rx1r line and the rumor of a mark iii in the near future, even more compact but no interchangable lens. If they use a curved sensor they may be able to shrink the lens by one third I’ve read

I’m literally comparing A7Cii & X100VI right now. Have both. Both are fun. You definitely see the advantages of the 33 MP sensor. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the noise levels between the A7Cii and R I love theA7Cii but I’m tempted by the R because it effectively gives me an extra lens for travel. However, I don’t want to have worse noise at/below ISO 6400. Thank you for your videos.

Why does the camera need to be so small? As an A7iv owner who has never used an A7C I don't need the A7iv to be any smaller. Or do ? 🤔 Or could a larger grip be useful like in Canon cameras or the new Sony A9? If I am going full frame with detachable lenses then size isn't that important. I have a Ricoh GR3 for situations where I want a smaller camera - fits right in my pocket. Its reduction in size is impactful. I take it almost everywhere. It's cool how many different options there are (as stated in the vid) for all situations. It all depends what you want and what you value. Some people like driving SUVs some like driving sports cars. Or some just take the subway haha

I 'upgraded' to the A7CR from the A7iv (and after 7 years with Fujifilm gear) for the better feel. However, it's not that much different for me from the A7iv, at least in terms of fun - it's just a little more comfortable to use. Attaching a lens with an aperture ring has a bigger impact on how fun the camera is to use, for me, and now all of my lenses have that feature.

I'm saving towards a A7C II, I have a A7S III but i definitely do want a higher megapixel but smaller form factor.

I love the a7cii for daily carry, Especially with the compact G lenses. I still have my a7iv, but I think it's it's going to be downgraded to my video only camera. It has the weight necessary for steady footage, especially when rigged out. Thanks for the great content.

100% agree. I shoot mainly for hobby, but also some wedding work with an A7CII and A7C. I’m cool with my cameras in whatever scenario I’ve found myself in. Most of the time, I pair my A7C II up with a really small lens (Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 at the moment), but since I can slap any E Mount lenson there, there are almost no limits to what I can use it for. And I like just looking at it. So it really ticks both boxes, even if more typical professional cameras have an edge over the A7C in some ways and a more hip camera like the X100 or a Leica may have more swag, the A7C hits a good sweet spot for me.

Yes man! Agree with all that. Happy to hear your comments on this current changing situation. A7C/R lines are a refreshing minimalist move away from the more pro workhorse A73/4 line. The new Fuji X100VI is even smaller and more stylised, and I actually put in an order for one, instead of upgrading my A7C gen1. Let's see what happens. I may end up selling them both for an A7Cii haha.

Appreciate the work and effort, lovely photos and very inspiring. I purchasedan a7cr after watching your recent videos. I have a question: the camera makes a noticeable vibration and wobbling sound when turned on, is that normal? Its like a kick inside the body. Or should I get another copy?

I held off on getting a full frame camera for years because they only had "SLR" type form factors. the range finder form factor is just so much more fun for everyday shooting. Specifically about Sony, they always just felt like electronics first and cameras second.

I really agree with you. Previsouly I have owned Sony a7ii and wanted to upgrade. Went for a7c due to its performance/ratio. I did not find the reason spending +700 for the a7cii. Now I have the tamron 28-75 paired with it. While it is a great lens, I do not enjoy taking my camera outside with it. It doesn't feel well. I would prefer to carry around my camera with my sony 28mm f2. Even though I am stuck with a wide prime lens, photography ia much more enjoyable. Plus for video, the super 35mm gives this lossless x1.6 zoom.

i have the A1 …but love the 7cll much more :)

Nice dig on all the content creators “switching” to LUMIX. Like you, most people recognize that they are being paid a LOT to do so. If they were better cameras, you wouldn’t need to pay someone to switch. I do sometimes get inspired to shoot with my A7 bodies for fun. But I did just pick up the new X100VI and that’s been a joy to use so far.

Thank you for the video. I have the A7CR and A7CII but also the larger full size full frame bodies like the A1 and now the A7RV. Love that both types are available in the same mount and share many, many similar capabilities in a common mount. Also own Canon but there is no small RF mount cameras or lenses. Had Fuji for many years and there are no full frame bodies and until very recently no great AF in a medium format GFX series. Nikon, again no real small cameras either better than 24 Mpixels. I guess Sony is unique. Now if they could give us some killer lenses at f/1.8 or f/2 small primes (like the G Trio) for the compact “C” bodies it would be great. I’m willing to spend more if they are truly best in class and not full of compromises. Even though I have the 40/2.5 G, which I like, and have the 35/1.4 GM I rebought the 35/1.8 but it has no aperture ring, or other controls like Sigma’s 35/2 DG DN Contemporary. The new FE 24-50/2.8 G is interesting though. Take care.

Can you please suggest fast sdcard for sony a7cr. Suggest for budget users too

I have handled the A7C line of cameras and If I could justify purchasing a second body I would definitely go for a C. That said, I have a limited budget for photography gear, and glass has always been the priority for me. I have a decent collection of GM primes and zooms, and I have grown accustomed to the performance of these lenses. Unfortunately, all of the GM glass feels too big on the A7C series IMO. I recently purchased the 40mm F2.5 to have something more discreet and I am finding that I take my camera out in situations that I wouldn't otherwise. I definitely see the benefit of a more compact kit, but I don't think I would want to use lenses larger than the Sony compact G series or the Sigma I series with the A7C. I also don't see myself repurchasing all of my prime focal lengths in slower apertures just to have a more compact set of worse lenses. At most I would get one other compact lens. So, in my case I would be more interested in a RX1R successor than I am the A7C since I don't see myself using the ILC capabilities much on a compact daily use camera.

I say this whenever then a7c line is talked about, what Sony is really missing is compact high quality prime/pancake lenses. If they had more lenses degsined for the a7c with some of the retro styling it would be perfect

If Sony ever made a compact 35mm lens. Even f/3.5 or f/4, that would be a game changer for you. Love your channel! PS im a fuji shooter.

To me, the additional 28% weight of the A7 IV is actually the most noticeable difference between the two in terms of handling even though the grip is better on the A7 IV (and yes I've held both in my hands)

Dope vid bro, agree with all of your points!

I find this interesting because I'm the opposite. I have an A6600 and an A7Rii, and after getting the A7Rii, I almost never use my A6600. I hate the tiny view finder. The A6600 has a much better grip than the A7C series. I can see why you would like lighter lenses, but you can put the lens on the other camera.

Fuji & Leica Q = fixed lens cameras vs, Sony & Nikon interchangeable! Unless all you shoot is Street Photography, the interchangeable focal lengths are much more to one’s advantage.

I really need to buy A7C II and check if I will like it. I was using Fuji X-E3 with primes for 6 years and I jumped to Canon R8. I love Canon colours, nice grip, menus, great lcd, fantastic autofocus but I don't like form factor. I miss rangefinder style body and aperture rings. Canon plastic body and lenses are also really bad experience. I am just afraid that with Sony their poor lcd and poor colours will ruin the experience but I need to test that myself. Fuji really has no good rangefinder options now apart from X100VI but I want to change lenses.

I want a Nikon ZF with the aperture ring using the 24mm F2.8 Sony lens and the 40mm Sony.

I think Sony would reengineer the a7c body with an option of add on grip. (People who want to use a 250 gram lens don’t require a heavy grip to balance). Others can use their hefty 50 f1.2 with an added grip. Introduce some (Voigtlander inspired) new f2 light weight compact primes 24,35,50 f2’s. LENS WITH CHARACTER. It will change the game. I am using a7c with 50f2.5 setup and what I am missing from my old fujifilm xt30 (35mmf2) is the character and the feel.

Did you ever ask yourself why there is a hump on the camera? Mirrorless is digital, getting its image from the sensor, not a mirror and prism. I see this move to the A7C as a logical step to make a camera more compact. As it gains in popularity, hopefully we will see slightly larger versions with full size HDMI ports and two memory slots. That would probably round things up to what people say is the 'professional' level. Also, why not discuss the history of Nikon right after WW2 and Nikon and Canon started coping German rangefinder cameras. The follow the evolution to the use of the prism to give us the incredible SLR, the Nikon F, the world changer. Nikon did not invent the SLR, that came from Russia or German. Now things have changed dramatically and the digital revolution in cameras has come. Do we need the hump? That is the question. For some I can see the need as they are left eye dominant and the EVF is on the left side of the body. We are at a point with the more things change, the more they stay the same. With the aps-c cameras, we get great camera bodies with very light and smaller lenses. That's a big plus. We saw with the Sony a6000 years ago, the creation of a great, cute, small and very capable camera. Today we have the a6700, one of the best cameras made, in my opinion. I found it far more desirable to shoot with than the A74. Hope this revolution continues.

For paid jobs I use my A7RV or A7iii. For everything else I use my Fuji X100V or Ricoh GR3

Switched from Sony for a few reasons. Their philosophy on small cameras. Which I wouldn't have a problem it they had larger alternatives. The other reason was their lcd screens were not great, no matter what the specs said. I switched over Nikon and now I currently own the Z8 and ZF and will get the Z6III when its release. I really enjoy the larger body size of the Z8 which is absolutely perfect for my usage and ZF is not comfortable at all but I still enjoy using it more that most of my Sony bodies.

Why oh why you compare sizes with additional plate on A7CR??

"does it inspire you to take vids?" is a GREAT question

Of course it matters, which is why none of those people are using an iphone 1 as their main camera. What they mean is if it doesn't matter to them, it shouldn't matter to me, and to that i say pisss off. As for Sony, most of their stuff has VERY slow rolling shutter and problematic jpeg colors.

I recently bought a Sony nex 5 because my Sony a7 iv is just to big to have fun shooting with it.

I bought the X100VI because I know I can ‘try’ it for free to very little $. I can sell it at break even right now after using it for a few thousand shots.

Alternative answer : Take a A6700 ☺

This is why we buy Lumix. They are the people's camera

Yeah, form factor matters