by Zack Schnepf

In my opinion, the Sony a7r is the most exciting camera to come out since the Canon 5D Mark I. It’s affordable, full frame, mirrorless, compact, has interchangeable lenses, and delivers the same image quality as the Nikon D800e. It can’t compete in all areas though. It definitely has pros and cons, but for my style of shooting I think it’s going to be a game changer. My hope is it can take over as my main landscape camera.

I’ve always been intrigued by mirrorless camera systems. From the beginning I could see the potential of this format. With the new Sony a7 and a7r, I feel like the potential has been realized. In my opinion, this camera offers many benefits over DSLRs. Lets talk about the good points of this camera:
1. Size and weight. I’ll be able to shave several pounds from my pack compared to my current setup.
2. Amazing image quality, comparable with the Nikon D800e
3. Full frame
4. Manual controls
5. Good ergonomics and controls
6. Easy recharging over USB (easy charging in the car, or on my laptop).
7. 1080p/60fps video
8. Price $2300 (pretty affordable considering what you get)

There are several areas where this camera doesn’t fair as well, and I have several concerns that I’ll be testing when I get this camera in my hands. lets talk about the bad points of this camera.
1. Slow auto focus (not as important for me, I rarely use auto focus at all).
2. Very limited set of dedicated lenses available this year.
3. No built in timelapse function.
4. No built in image stabilization.

I’m going to run the Sony a7r next to my Canon 5D Mark II this year and see how it compares. Because of the sparse offering of lenses available right now, I’ll be using this adapter for my Canon lenses: http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB-EF-E-BM3

Eventually, I’d like a full set of dedicated FE lenses covering the common focal lengths. In my next blog I review how it stacks up in real world scenarios. I’ll be testing how the raw files hold up under my post processing workflow, and how the camera performs in challenging conditions, including some cold, winter shooting, as well as some astrophotography. For more information there are several early previews and reviews. I found this one particularly informative: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Sony_Alpha_A7r/

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