Sony has a new revolutionary camera

I finally got my hands on the much anticipated and newly released full-frame Sony A7r camera!



I'll spare you all the specifics as if you are reading this you already are well aware of this 36 MP full frame powerhouse and revolutionary camera. I, along with many other landscape photographer's have been waiting patiently for this camera. It's small, light and boasts a HUGE full-frame sensor. It offers FANTASTIC resolution and the ability for huge prints without any print enlargement and modification. You can go 24x36" without any issue at all.

So why did I return the Sony A7r, a camera that I've been wanting for the better part of a year? Here's my list of issues with this camera (in order of importance):

1) Red dot flare issue - The camera, as do many mirror-less camera's coming out, suffers from a horrible red dot flare issue. If you include the sun in your composition, there seems to be a reflection from the rear lens element reflecting onto the sensor due to very short distance between the two. The resulting flare becomes increasingly more visible the higher the f-stop is. It's still present with wider apertures, but not as apparent, but disrupts color and clarity. This is a huge issue for landscape photographer's as sunrise and sunset are primary shooting times, and will affect depth-of-field aperture settings to minimize flare. Typically, a coating can be applied to alleviate this, but there is a definite issue with the A7r. Note: I have not seen if this is an issue with the A7, but I'll assume it is.

2) No battery charger! Seriously Sony...I just paid $2,300 and no battery charger. They supply a wall receptacle to USB, hence you have to charge the battery inside the camera. There's no excuse for this one!

3) Short battery life...which makes #2 above even more important!

4) Lack of lenses (I knew this before buying it), but I can see using an adapter and having to manually focusing getting really old.

5) There is shutter vibration issue (this is becoming well documented now), particularly when shooting with telephoto lens focal lengths. I rarely ever shoot this type of lens as I much prefer wide angle or ultra wide angle lenses. Which leads me to #6...

6) No native ultra wide angle lens (preferably a prime lens) is due out for quite some time. While when I purchased the camera I was willing to wait, but with the above issues noted, I've decided to return the camera until these issues are addressed and an amazing prime ultra wide angle Zeiss lens is released and tests well.

I still think this camera will be my next camera and kudos to Sony for the design, however, it's going back for now.