Jim Kasson: “Sony a7RIV eats stars just about like the a7RIII does”

Jim Kasson analyzed the Sony A7rIV files  and concluded:

I’m not going to bury the lead here: the Sony a7RIV eats stars just about like the a7RIII does…except that the new behavior starts at 3.2 seconds instead of 4 seconds.

Sony should really take  action and develop a special “star shooting” mode that deactivates the filtering.

On a positive note: Fixed pattern read noise is very clean. Jim Kasson writes:

These are very clean. I was afraid I’d see evidence of software designed to suppress PDAF striping.

Noise on long exposure is fine too:

It’s very clean except for the blue plane, ant it’s not bad at all.

Sony A7rIV and new accessories:
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, BuyDig, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.

Tamron 17-28mm review by Jordan Steele: “I have sold my personal Sony 16-35mm f/4 in favor of this new Tamron”

Jordan Steele from Admiringlight tested the new lens and concludes:

Pros

  • Extremely compact and lightweight lens
  • Quick and accurate autofocus in most situations
  • Very good image sharpness right from f/2.8
  • Excellent color and contrast
  • Outstanding flare performance
  • Good control of both lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberration
  • Excellent value

Cons

  • Limited zoom range
  • Bokeh is a bit rough and high contrast
  • Relies on software correction for distortion and vignetting
  • Autofocus can miss in continuous AF on distant subjects

The Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 keeps with Tamron’s full-frame mirrorless philosophy so far.  It sacrifices a bit of zoom range for compact size while keeping the optics on a high level and the lens affordable.  The 17-28mm packs a constant f/2.8 aperture into an ultra-wide lens that is smaller and lighter than Sony’s slower 16-35mm f/4, while being significantly smaller than the 16-35mm f/2.8.  Despite the small size, the lens performs very well.  It’s sharper than the 16-35mm f/4, and produces images with great clarity, good sharpness to the corners and fantastic flare performance, making it a great option for landscape photographers who want to travel light.

While the f/2.8 aperture will enable lower light usage and can provide some subject isolation, the bokeh is only average at best.  However, given the cost of this lens, at just $899, Tamron’s tradeoffs here are more than worth it.   While many will compare this lens with the 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, I think that those who are willing to shell out the astronomical $2300 for that lens will not be swayed by third-party glass.  But where Tamron will certainly succeed is in competing with the slower Sony/Zeiss 16-35mm f/4.  In this comparison, the Tamron is not only the better optic, but adds an extra stop of light while saving the buyer $400. It’s a great addition to the full-frame E-mount.  I have sold my personal Sony 16-35mm f/4 in favor of this new Tamron.  I suspect many others will do the same.

–

Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 FE:
In the USA at BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig and Adorama.
In Europe it’s available at Amazon DE, Calumet DE, WexUK, Park UK, Amazon IT, Amazon FR, Amazon ES, CameraTools NL.

Thingyfy Pinhole Pro S review by Marc Alhadeff

Marc Alhadeff tested the Thingyfy Pinhole Pro S you can buy on BHphoto:

For 80 euros the Thingyfy Pinhole pro S give a wide angle pinhole that delivers consistent and decent results

By design , there is no focusing and depth of field is infinite , you just need to take care of framing, but this is not so obvious as with a tiny hole the F stop si extremely small (F73) and there is not a lot of light hitting the sensor

Using it is quite fun and you can produce very old school vintage photo. Both colors and Black and white works nicely

With the extremely low aperture linked to a 0.14mm hole (= F73) you need a lot of sun to shoot handled and ISO is going high to extremely high and speed quite low (Sony SteadyShot stabilization will help here)

Shooting on tripod with long exposure can also be a solution

For the usage on the field , with standard settings, the visor will be often very dark and you should assign the “Bright Monitoring” function to one custom button to be able to frame and shoot at ease. This one will boost your screen and allow to “see in the dark”

It is recommended to add a protection filter on the pinhole thanks to the filter thread , this will avoid some dust hit the sensor through the hole

Reminder:

You can now preorder the world’s first Pinhole Pro X 18-36mm zoom lens on Kickstarter (Click here). The lens costs $41 and will ship out in November. You save 30% over the regular price!

Pixel Peepers en garde! Sony A7rIV files added to Dpreviews Studio Comparison Tool

Pixel Peepers can now endlessly compare and discuss  the Sony A7rIV Image Quality using the newly added files on Dpreviews Studio Comparison Tool.

One thing is dead certain: The resolution jump from the A7rIII to A7rIV is big and my laptop feels it all….yes I do own the  new A7rIV :)

Sony A7rIV and new accessories  (Focuscamera corrected)::
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, BuyDig, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.

New A6600-A6100 tests and first images of the Silver and White A6100 editions

Getnavi.jp and Fengniao shared these first images of the Silver and White Sony A6100 edition. They will be available in Asia only for now.

First Impressions Sony A6100 by ThePhoBlographer.

Preorders:
Sony A6600 at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
Sony A6100  at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
E 16-55mm F2.8 G at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.
E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama , FocusCamera. In EU at Calumet DE, Park UK, WexUK.

I got the new A7rIV and this what it feels like…

I will not go into the technical specs and will share the first impressions feelings I had when I unboxed the A7rIV the very first day.

Note:  I owned all A7r cameras so far. This is the difference between my  “Old” A7rIII and A7rIV:

What’s good:
1) The first  things I noticed is the tactile feeling. Buttons feel better, the camera body looks like it’s better built too.
2) Opening the side doors (battery and connection) feels WAY more solid than before. They are no more flimsy and they feel pleasantly “dumped” probably because of the extra weathersealing. This is probably the best first impression point I had
3) Yes my mid sized hand fits much better on t he larger grip. Also my fingers are no more squeezed between the lens and the grip.
4) EVF is great but somehow I feel I still need  and even bigger resolution for my manual focus shooting. The EVF jump form the A7rII to A7rIII felt bigger  than the one from the A7rIII to the A7rIV.

What’s not so good:
1) That damn screen should really have gotten more resolution and grown up touchscreen functions
2) That new top rear dial position look off the place, doesn’t feel good to rotate and it also not as easy to rotate as it was before.
3) The grip still looks like as it was glued afterwards on the body. A more harmonic design would be appreciated on the next A7rV :)

Will try to post some images samples soon too!

Sony A7rIV and new accessories:
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, BuyDig, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.