Sony A7RII and Sony RX1RII Video with Sample Images

Sony A7RII (left) and Sony RX1RII (right)

I've always considered myself a fortunate soul. And here I sit at my desk in amazement and wonder, with two of the best cameras in the world. They are not rented or borrowed, they are mine. Strange that I use the possessive term, mine. I thought I had shed materialism long ago, I still think I have. But considering that it was only 7 years ago that I sold everything I owned, including my all my cameras and photography gear, and I now find myself the envy of photography enthusiasts the world over, because I the owner of these two new but already infamous camera models. All I can say it wow.

I have owned nearly every Sony camera model starting with the A33 and A35, all the way up to the A77 and A99. But once I spent time with a few of their mirrorless offerings, specifically the Sony A6000 and A7II, I knew that for me, the big and bulky DSLR's had seen their better days. I sold off my A mount cameras and most of my lenses and swtiched over completely to Sony mirrorless. Like many others, I followed online, the release of the 42mp A7RII. I watched videos and searched over and over for sample images and with each video I watched and each image I viewed, I was increasingly impressed. 

The A7II is no slouch and I suppose I don't really NEED the Sony A7RII, but I live the cliche, you only live once, might as well enjoy the finer things in life, provided they are within reach, are not illegal and the expense won't make you homeless. So I pulled the trigger and bought myself the Sony A7RII as something of a gift to myself in celebration of my reenlistment in the US Army. It helps to know I'll be gainfully employed for at least the next 3 years. It was no or perhaps never. 

The Sony A7RII is nearly identical in design, button layout, size and weight to the Sony A7II, which is a good thing, because I really like the A7II, especially when compared to the A7 and A7R (I never shot with the A7S). The body of the A7 and A7R are plastic, whereas the A7II and A7RII are made of composites, aluminum and magnesium alloy. Also, I never really like the shutter on the A7R, alas, I only kept that camera for a couple months, selling it in part to fund my new A7RII. It was a great move. The shutter on the A7RII is superior to that on the A7R, even the sound of the shutter is more pleasant. 

But this blog post is not a review, I will do a nice review write up another time, for today's entry I just wanted to share some sample photos, so let's get right to it. Here are a few sample images from the Sony A7RII, .jpg straight from the camera, no editing.

Sony A7RII with Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens

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I knew the moment I took the Sony RX1RII out of the box that it was a special camera. This weight and build of it are exquisite. It's somehow compact and svelte, yet at the same time somehow hefty. I have really been going back and forth between the Sony RX1RII and the Leica Q, as you can see, I obviously chose the former. The Sony RX1RII is priced more than a thousand dollars less than the Sony RX1RII yet packs more resolution into the sensor, the same sensor that's used in the other camera of which this post is written about, the Sony A7RII. There's no doubt the Leica Q produces phenomenal images and there is also little doubt about the quality and unique look of a Leica lens. But Zeiss is no slouch and I saw enough sample images from the RX1RII that made me feel that it is the equal of the Leica.

And here are some sample images from the amazing Sony RX1RII...

Sony RX1RII features a Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f/2 fixed lens.

Felix and Pete Go To Seoul

I recently spent the day shooting and camera gear shopping (and eating) with a new photography friend that I met through the Incheon-Songdo Photography Facebook group. Pete Nibi is a cool guy, an American living in Korea due to his spouse being stationed here with the US Army, just like me!

Pete was looking for a battery for his Fuji X-T10 and since I was going to Seoul the same day he was, I suggested we meet up, enjoy a day of shooting and I would be able to give him a personal tour of my favorite camera shopping areas.

I brought along a number of film cameras, including a few that I was shooting test rolls for the first time. The cameras in my bag this day included the Mamiya 7, Mamiya 645 1000s, Konica Minolta Auto S3, Minolta Himatic 7S (black body) and a Sony RX100 IV (the only digital camera in my bag on this particular day).

I already had a roll of Portra 400 in the Mamiya that I had to finish and as you can see below, that film was not really the best choice for shooting in bright daylight, however, the photo of the baby in the stroller was shot in a dimly lit alley and the colors came out quite nice!

The Mamiya 645 1000s always takes nice photos and this day was no exception, even with a roll of expired APX 100 black and white film.

I brought along the Minolta Auto S3 and the Minolta Himatic 7S because I had to put a test roll through each of them to make sure they were in good working order and they were. I've got so many film cameras that I want to test out before I leave Korea so that I can get them repaired BEFORE I leave because the prices for repair work here are very reasonable. I was quite pleased to see that both these cameras work great!

The last photos in the series, as you will quickly notice, are shot with the only digital camera in my bag that day, the small, yet mighty Sony RX100 IV. Very sharp, crisp, nice colors and great photos.

Thanks for a great day Pete, let's do it again and finish the way we did the first time, with a fabulous Korean BBQ dinner and soju!

Mamiya 7 with Portra 400 film

Pete

Mamiya 7 with Portra 400 in ideal lighting conditions, soft ambient daylight.

Mamiya 645 1000s with APX 100 (expired)

Mamiya 645 1000s with APX 100 (expired)

Mamiya 645 1000s with APX 100 (expired)

Mamiya 645 1000s with APX 100 (expired)

Minolta Himatic 7S Ilford HP5 400.

Minolta Auto S3 with Acros 100.

Minolta Himatic 7S Ilford HP5 400.

Minolta Auto S3 with Acros 100.

Minolta Himatic 7S Ilford HP5 400.

Minolta Himatic 7S Ilford HP5 400.

Minolta Auto S3 with Acros 100.

Minolta Auto S3 with Acros 100.

Minolta Auto S3 with Acros 100.

Minolta Auto S3 with Acros 100.

Sony RX100 IV

Reacquired the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye

At one point in the not so distant past I did have a Rokinon 8mm fisheye lens in my inventory but I sold because, well, quite frankly I hardly ever used it. This is an extremely specialized EXTREME wide angle lens and even though I will still only have the rare occasion where I might employ a lens such as this, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to replace mine when, on a photography Facebook page, one was made for sale for a GREAT price. This lens sells brand new for around $270-$280 USD.

This particular seller was asking only $160 and he ended up taking my offer at $150. I think I sold my original Rokinon for $220. The end result is I ended up with the same lens with a net of $60 USD in my pocket.

So what can this 8mm fisheye lens be used for? This lens has a few applications that are well suited for it such as architecture but it really excels when you WANT to end up with that extreme wide angle fisheye look. I also have in my kit the Sony 16mm f/2.8 fisheye but it's definitely not as extreme as this one. This lens is so wide, I can almost see my ears in the lens view when I hold it up to my eye to take the shot. I've also used this lens for funny face pictures, see the sample below.

I know that I'll still hardly ever use the lens but it was cheap and I do like to have the option of the extreme wide angle. One thing to note, this lens is made for APS-C sized sensors, so if you're using a full frame camera like the A7, you'll want to change your sensor size in the settings. The full frame equivalent is 12mm. Almost forgot to mention, this is an A Mount lens, HOWEVER, they DO make it for E Mount with a 2.8 aperture instead of 3.5 like mine, but it is more expensive.

Rokinon 8mm fisheye