Digging deep into the Sony A7rV AI Subject Recognition

Most of the camera reviewers did not have enough time to explore this subject recognition in any depth during the initial review period.
This video tutorial sets out to explain how to navigate the myriad of Sony settings for AI Subject recognition. This will allow A7RV owners to further understand the camera’s AI Subject Recognition and help them to optimise the settings to suit their own photographic workflows.

Sony A7rV store links:
In US at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, FocusCamera, BeachCamera, Buydig.
In EU at Fotokoch, Amazon EU, FotoErhardt, Calumet DE, WexUK. ParkCameras UK.
In Australia at CameraPro, Camerahouse, Sony.

Tokina 11-18mm E lens review at Lenstip

Tokina 11-18mm lens is at BHphoto. Adorama.

Lenstip tested the Tokina lens and concluded:

Pros:

  • excellent image quality in the frame centre,
  • sensible image quality on the edge of the frame,
  • practically zero longitudinal chromatic aberration,
  • sensible distortion correction,
  • slight astigmatism,
  • silent, quick, and accurate autofocus.

Cons:

  • terrible performance against bright light.

I like many aspects of the Tokina ATX-M 11–18 mm f/2.8 E. First of all it is very sharp in the frame centre. At the shorter end of the focal spectrum it allows you to get images of very good quality across the frame.

Additionally, it corrects distortion and vignetting with the help of optics – a rare thing nowadays. I am very happy Tokina constructors didn’t pin that task on a camera software even though it made their work much more difficult. They managed to construct a lens that is sharp and completely able to correct most of optical aberrations in a right way and they should be praised for it.

Still, not all aberrations are corrected that well. The lens fell short of it when it comes to lateral chromatic aberration – perhaps the situation is not as bad as it used to be but still it can’t be called good either. Perormance against bright light is a very painful slip-up – years have passed and Tokina still can’t show us wide angle instruments which would be efficient in that area.

Tamron 20-40mm FE review by SonyAlphaBlog: “ideal only if you really need the variability of a zoom”

The lens at BHphoto. Adorama. Amazon US&EU. FotoKoch.

SonyAlphaBlog tested the Tamron 20-40mm FE lens and concluded:

The Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD (999 euros) , is proposing a usual zoom range that will suit vlogger , and photographer who mix street and architecture/landcsape and a tiny bit of portraits. It will also be an ideal complement to a Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD

Its performances are very good overall with very good sharpness especially at 20mm but nothing excellent neither specially in the corners that are a little bit weak at 40mm wide open. For best results across the frame you will need to close down to F5.6 . Bokeh is very good, as well as color rendering and smoothness of background blur

The images are automatically corrected in Lightroom for distortion and vignetting. Resistance flare is a bit average

In term of competition there is no direct equivalent the best replacement are either

The Tamron 20-40 will be ideal only if you really need the variability of a zoom , a F2.8 and this specific focal range and will be more at ease on a A7IV (33Mpix) than on a A7RV (61Mpix)