Moving from Canon 6D MkII to the Sony a7R III

[Citysnaps]

For Citysnaps: something which you'll soon be seeing and working with in your own eager hands. My A7R V and 35mm f/1.4 GM combo send greetings!

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Obviously not meant to be professional-level product shots, but I was fooling around with something else this afternoon and thought, hey, wouldn't it be fun to shoot a few images of the A7R V and the 35mm f/1.4 GM together to share with Cityscapes?! The shots were all shot on my deck with not-great natural light and the A1 did the honors with the 35mm f/1.8mm..... Enjoy!

Nice... thanks!

While I'm waiting for my camera and lens I've been poking around online learn about the camera and all the menus, functions, features, setting it up, etc.

I'd also like to determine if I can transfer image files between the A7RV and my Mac via WiFi. I know I can move a memory card between the two, and also transfer via USB-C cable (where the camera looks like another disk on my Mac's display -> that's my goal).

But how about WiFi? There seems to be some confusion on that (likely my understanding); using a couple of Sony utility programs for the Mac - Imaging Edge Remote app, and another Sony app called PlayMemories Home (which is apparently obsolete now).

It seems the above two programs are image organizing and lite processing apps - which I don't need. I just want to send a bunch of image files from camera to Mac via WiFi.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Clix Pix]

Glad you enjoyed the photos! Obviously you already know what both the camera body and the lens look like and probably have seen photos of the two together, but it was kind of fun playing around with doing some shots this afternoon.

I have never attempted to transfer image files via WiFi, so can't help you there. PlayMemories is indeed history, and I'm not sure but I think Imaging Edge is also obsolete now. There's some new software that Sony has introduced but I haven't paid that much attention so I don't even recall the name of it or what its purpose is. Presumably one of its features would be to assist in camera images-to-WiFi transfers. ??

Yes, with regard to the old-fashioned way, definitely no problems with using a card reader to transfer image files from the memory card to the computer, or with using the provided USB-C cable to do the same thing. My preference is using the Sony MRW 02 dual card reader (CFExpress Type A / SD since I still also have cameras which use SD cards) but we all have our own ways of doing things.

 

[Citysnaps]

Glad you enjoyed the photos! Obviously you already know what both the camera body and the lens look like and probably have seen photos of the two together, but it was kind of fun playing around with doing some shots this afternoon.

I have never attempted to transfer image files via WiFi, so can't help you there. PlayMemories is indeed history, and I'm not sure but I think Imaging Edge is also obsolete now. There's some new software that Sony has introduced but I haven't paid that much attention so I don't even recall the name of it or what its purpose is. Presumably one of its features would be to assist in camera images-to-WiFi transfers. ??

Yes, with regard to the old-fashioned way, definitely no problems with using a card reader to transfer image files from the memory card to the computer, or with using the provided USB-C cable to do the same thing. My preference is using the Sony MRW 02 dual card reader (CFExpress Type A / SD since I still also have cameras which use SD cards) but we all have our own ways of doing things.

From your photos it looks like the camera body might be a little bit smaller than my 6D, but with a deeper grip. If so, that would be a plus. I think the Sony 35mm lens is a bit smaller and probably lighter weight than my Canon 35mm - another plus if true. So thanks again for the pix!

I'm getting my Canon 6D and lenses ready to sell to KEH and wanted to test everything to make sure they still work. Unfortunately the battery that's been in my 6D unused for around 10 years, not surprisingly won't charge, and I can't find my spares (which would likely not charge as well). So I bought an inexpensive off-brand battery just so I could test my camera and lenses before I ship them off. That worked out well. I'll stick with Sony batteries for the A7RV.

 

[Clix Pix]

Take a look here:

Compare camera dimensions side by side

camerasize.com

 

[Citysnaps]

That page is a nice find. And indeed the A7RV is smaller.

From measuring the thickness of my 6D's grip and that being the same number as what they reported as 6D thickness, it appears that's what they consider "thickness," rather than the thickness of the body excluding the grip.

Some handwaving: Since the A7RV was reported as having a deeper grip than the previous A7, that would suggest the overall thickness is possibly less than the 6D.

Anyway... Overall I'm pleased!

 

[mollyc]

FedEx willing I should be getting the A7RV and 35mm/1.4 on Tuesday.

did it come today?

 

[Citysnaps]

did it come today?

Yes, about an hour ago. The body is indeed a little smaller and lighter in weight. The lens is a bit lighter and a little smaller in diameter.

Overall a nice plus.

 

[Citysnaps]

did it come today?

I take it a printed manual doesn't come in the box?

 

[mollyc]

I take it a printed manual doesn't come in the box?

i don’t shoot sony but my last couple of cameras haven’t had one.

 

[Clix Pix]

I take it a printed manual doesn't come in the box?

Alas, the days of printed manuals are long gone...... Sony, and I assume probably all or most of the other camera manufacturers simply put a printed one-or-two-page sheet with very basic startup info in the box, and they include the link to the website for the more detailed information in their Help Guide. It's really rather annoying but after a while one gets used to this, and truly it does make more sense, as how many of us ever pored over the printed manual in the past? Maybe we looked through it initially and then put the printed manual in a drawer somewhere as we got to know the camera. An advantage, too, of having the info online is that it is easy to quickly type in a specific item about which one wants more info and that comes up readily for further reading.

There are a couple of eBooks available for the A7R V --and I have found them helpful as well, either when initially setting up my new A7R V (or other model) and later when I've forgotten how to do something and just want to quickly find an answer. Friedman Archives Guide to Sony's A7R V is one, and I know I've got another but can't recall the name of it just now. Also, Mark Galer, well-respected in the Sony community, offers a lot of valuable information and tips in videos online, too.

 

[Citysnaps]

There are a couple of eBooks available for the A7R V --and I have found them helpful as well, either when initially setting up my new A7R V (or other model) and later when I've forgotten how to do something and just want to quickly find an answer. Friedman Archives Guide to Sony's A7R V is one, and I know I've got another but can't recall the name of it just now. Also, Mark Galer, well-respected in the Sony community, offers a lot of valuable information and tips in videos online, too.

Thanks for the heads-up. I scanned the QR code on the sheet in the box and have the manual on my phone. Just need to move it over to my other devices. And I'll check out the sources you mentioned above.

I just started charging the battery, so I'll probably be good to start setting up the camera later tonight - at least enough for now to make sure the camera and lens basically work. And then tomorrow I'll dig deeper on refining the settings and learning more about the camera while making a few photos.

 

[Clix Pix]

So, Citysnaps, how are things going with you and your shiny new Sony A7R V and 35mm f/1.4?

 

[Citysnaps]

So, Citysnaps, how are things going with you and your shiny new Sony A7R V and 35mm f/1.4?

So far I've been spending time learning about the cam and setting it up. Yesterday I received another lens from B&H, a14mm f/1.8 GM. I've always wanted to shoot more wide angle, especially with crowds.

We'll be going up to San Francisco later today to get used to the camera/lenses. Here's a few snaps from screwing around with the 14mm in the house this morning.

 

[Clix Pix]

Very nice!!!! I've heard that the 14mm f/1.8 lens is a gem, and from these photos it looks as though it's just right in terms of no distortion and so on!

Have fun in SF shooting with your new gear!

 

[Citysnaps]

Very nice!!!! I've heard that the 14mm f/1.8 lens is a gem, and from these photos it looks as though it's just right in terms of no distortion and so on!

Have fun in SF shooting with your new gear!

Thanx... It turns out something came up yesterday, so we're heading up to SF a little later today.

Question,.. I notice previewing (hitting the spacebar on my M2 MBP or MacStudio) my Sony .ARW files take a chunk of time for them to open - which is likely due to the large number of pixels. I've been shooting in Lossless Compressed RAW (large) - which still produces files around 70 MB. From poking around online a bit some people convert their .ARWs to .DNG before processing in LR. Another option is trying Lossless Compressed (medium or small)

Spacebar-previewing delay isn't a huge deal - more out of curiosity, while recognizing I've never had a camera with this much resolution. I'll play around with some options when I get back later today.

Any thoughts or wisdom on the above?

 

[Clix Pix]

I shoot Uncompressed RAW and my files are 6,335 x 9,504.....so pretty large! Not a LR or PS user here. I use DXO PhotoLab 6 (haven't gotten around to updating to v.7 yet) and I take the images into that, edit them and convert the finished product to .jpg at that time. I don't print my images and I usually just share with family and friends or in a few forums online so no need for various formats or sizes. That said, there have been a few times when I've done a TIFF for one reason or another.

When previewing a large folder of freshly-shot ARW files I don't use the "Preview" feature in my Macs, instead I take them into Narrative Select (a program similar to Photo Mechanic) for quick reviewing and culling prior to taking them into DXO Photolab 6. If it's just a few images I will just look at them in DXO right from the get-go.

 

[Cmaier]

Thanx... It turns out something came up yesterday, so we're heading up to SF a little later today.

Question,.. I notice previewing (hitting the spacebar on my M2 MBP or MacStudio) my Sony .ARW files take a chunk of time for them to open - which is likely due to the large number of pixels. I've been shooting in Lossless Compressed RAW (large) - which still produces files around 70 MB. From poking around online a bit some people convert their .ARWs to .DNG before processing in LR. Another option is trying Lossless Compressed (medium or small)

Spacebar-previewing delay isn't a huge deal - more out of curiosity, while recognizing I've never had a camera with this much resolution. I'll play around with some options when I get back later today.

Any thoughts or wisdom on the above?

I shoot JPG+RAW, and usually only spacebar-preview the jpgs. Once I’ve identified the image I am looking for, I open the RAW version in photoshop or whatever.

 

[Nycturne]

Very nice!!!! I've heard that the 14mm f/1.8 lens is a gem, and from these photos it looks as though it's just right in terms of no distortion and so on!

Have fun in SF shooting with your new gear!

One thing to keep in mind with Sony’s lens designs is that they have a tendency to accept some distortion to keep the size/weight low. It’s a lot easier to correct barrel distortion with lens profiles than coma/etc. One rather extreme example of this is the 28mm F/2.

So if the level of distortion prior to corrections from the lens profile is important, just make sure to compare the RAW without the profile applied. That said, it does seem like the 14mm 1.8 is really good for being this wide.

 

[Clix Pix]

Yes, DXO PhotoLab does provide Lens profiles in their editing software, and automatically applies it when I open a given RAW image to begin editing.

 

[Clix Pix]

I meant to add in my other posts that my current machine (purchased about a year ago now) for doing image processing is an M1 Mac Pro Max with 64 GB RAM and 4 TB storage, as my previous 2018 Intel MBP with 32 GB RAM and 2 TB Ram was starting to struggle a bit.