Sony A7s: the game changer
Albert Pedrosa
Photo Mania
THE compact mirrorless camera is getting popular nowadays. Aside from its classic looks, it packs serious features at par with the DSLR and in some areas, even better. Manny hobbyists and professionals, too, are shifting to the smaller and lighter camera system.
Zach Arias once said that if you can produce an excellent image quality out of a cropped sensor while travelling with a lighter and smaller camera, I’d choose it over my bulky and heavy full frame cameras. I think it totally makes sense.
What if you not only have a smaller and lighter camera, but it also carries a full-frame 35mm sensor? Would that top your list? The Sony A7 series is the world’s first full-frame, mirrorless compact camera. Talk about image quality, I think that it’s uncontested that the bigger the sensor, the better.
Recently, I was lucky enough to test one of the latest Sony A7s. It’s amazing to see a compact camera with a full frame sensor, and the first thing I was looking for is the flash mount. I’ve had issues with Sony having a different mount than the rest of the other cameras. Surprisingly, they now have the standard mount.
I tried mounting my Canon flash and it works, minus the E-TTL of course, I’m also pleased that the LCD is tilts, something I really missed from my Canon 60D after shifting to full frames. It really helps in difficult angled shots.
It took me a few hours to familiarize with the buttons and wheels. There are actually three wheels or dials in this camera and a lot of customizable buttons. What I noticed when accessing the controls when shooting is the built of the dials and button. It felt really responsive and built to sustain from the constant adjustments of the photographer.
I tried it for a spin and the weight is quite significant. You can feel the weightlessness of the camera, which is packed with a full frame and magnesium weather sealed body when hung from your neck or shoulders. The EVF looks comfortable to the eye and displays the relevant information you need when adjusting on the fly.
This is a perfect camera for travel, landscape, portraits but not so much for sports. I cannot comment for video since I’m not an expert on it but I believe that it can shoot 4k with a surprisingly clean image at high ISO. I’ll do a more comprehensive review on this camera in my next column with more figures and comparisons.
Keep on shooting, everyone! See more sample photos at www.grp.ph. Check out the A7s at Colours Digital Foto at Ayala Center Cebu.
