First thoughts on the Sony A7RII 42.4mp digital camera

A little while back I began performing tests with a Sony A7 series cameras in anticipation of the A7RII, which everyone knew would be announced soon, and probably in June. Turns out the rumor mill was right. Yesterday, Sony announced the new A7RII, but instead of a 36mp sensor or an anticipated 50mp sensor it will have a 42.4mp sensor. Sony has been ahead of the pack with sensor development in their A7 series, and undoubtedly this new one will be a top-of-the-line winner. Sorry, Canon. I know you announced a new 50mp sensor, but Canon sensor track record hasn't been in the same league with Sony So, yes, I'm betting on the Sony sensor here. Plus, the A7RII will accept Canon lenses -- along with the lenses of many other manufactures --  with AF to boot.

In my first report on the Sony A7 series cameras, I was critical of the fact that the camera came out with no solid lens support. On top of that, I was skeptical of a full-frame mirrorless camera in general. I always thought that it would take a typically large full-frame lens to cover the full frame senso thus defeating its purpose. Sony fooled me. Apparently, all along their strategy had been to make the A7 series adaptable to the vast lineup of high quality lenses from other manufactures -- an idea smartly echoing back to the old Alpa 35mm cameras.

I wouldn't need an A7 with a 24mp sensor because I already have that file size with my Leica M 240, but a larger sensor -- particularly with Sony quality -- such as that in the new 42.4mp of the A7RII, is another story entirely.

When I began my recent tests with the A7 cameras, it was to determine how smoothly it worked with Leica M-mount lenses. Why? Because every time I am surprised by the sharpness of one of my older photos and I check to see what camera was used, it always turns out to have been taken with a Leica lens. I am sold on Leica optics. Yes, the lenses are ridiculously expensive, but when sharpness matters above all else, and the inconvenience of manual focus can be tolerated, for me Leica wins every time. At present I am planning a series of super-high resolution images of New York City, and Leitz lenses are one of the top runners in my tests. If I can marry the optics with a camera like this new Sony A7RII, it might be a marriage made in heaven. We'll see.

Of course, this is just my reason for wanting an A7RII camera, but there are many new ground-breaking innovations that may move this camera to be leader of the mirrorless pack.

The α7R II has the first  35 mm full-frame CMOS image sensor with back-illuminated structure. This delivers a 42.4 megapixel resolution, plus expanded sensitivity and extra-low noise performance. On top of that the new architecture speeds readout resulting faster AF performance and continuous shooting rate of 5fps, quite fast for a sensor producing 42.4mp images.  Sony A7 cameras are already the lowest in noise at high ISO's. This sensor will be even better.

The XGA OLED viewfinder advances the optical finder another notch, especially when coupled with the world's highest mirrorless magnification of 0.78x. 

I have a feeling the A7RII is going to appeal big time with film makers. The thing all videographers have been lusting for, 4K, is not only here, it can record at 4K resolution in a 35mm full-frame format also. Plus it can do so in a camera body that can accept almost any form of quality optics. 

There are 399 focal plane phase-detection AF points covering 45% of the image area. This is coupled with 25-point contrast-detection AF coverage for very impressive AF capabilities.

The A7RII will have 5-point image stabilization built right into the camera. This system is built to compensate for five types of camera motion that generally occur in handheld shooting and will be magnified by the high res 42.4 high res sensor. 

Hmmm...I wonder what this will look like with a Leica M lens on it?

The list of ingredients in this camera is impressive, but I will say what I always say: Without quality and convenient lens support even the best camera is worthless. The A7 series has been around long enough to have established the lens support it needs. Interestingly, this came from a wise Sony strategy of creating an open architecture making it convenient to adapt other manufacturer's lenses. This still leaves one big problem. Mirrorless is expected to be a small, convenient format. Full frame mirrorless cameras negate this feature by requiring super-sized optics -- unless the optics are M-Leica in size, which takes me to my main reason for looking to this camera as a high res vehicle to very small, very high quality Leica lenses. 

That said, I may be one of the first photographers picking up one of the first A7RII cameras when they become available in August. I have been burned by this eagerness in the past with problematic first editions. So I'll be going into this with fingers crossed. 

Tha A7RII is expected to be out in August and sell for $3199. Check back here for leads on early offers and ordering information. 

Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD lens -- a hands on review

My favorite full frame lens for shooting lifestyle is an 85mm wide aperture. On a Fuji X camera this translates to the 56mm f/1.2.  A main reason for this choice is that I want to keep the background very soft so it doesn't interfere with the main subject, while at the same time retaining some story-telling detail in the out-of-focus area. I am often afraid of using full frame lenses at a full aperture of f/1.4, since it often means sacrificing some detail in the focused area. The Fuji 56mm lens is different. I find I can use it at f/1.2 with no loss in sharpness in my main subject.

I have already posted a full hands-on review of the Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens. Since it is the same lens used to create the APD model, I will spend my time here in discussing the only difference between the two models, the effects of the apodization filter, and refer the reader to the other review for a fuller explanation of the similarities the two lenses share. 

The profile of the APD version of the 56mm f/1.2 lens is identical to that of the standard R version. Looking pretty nice here on an X-Pro1. 

The only way to tell the two lenses apart from the their profile is the writing on the lens barrel. The new APD adjusted aperture markings are in red below the actual diaphragm markings, and the lens is marked with a red "APD" next to its size. 

The newer iteration of this lens, the APD model, is the exact same lens as the R model, except for the inclusion of a special apodization filter inside of it next to the diaphragm. They probably would not have done this had they not started with such a good lens. 

The main reason this lens works well with a softening filter is that it remains optically sharp at f/1.2 where it is focused. I regularly use my standard 56mm R lens wide open at f/1.2 even when photographing close-up portraits. The APD filter performs its magic with a wide open aperture. To help maintain f/1.2, even in bright light, the lens comes with its own 3-stop ND filter. A red scale beneath the white aperture ring indicates the effective aperture value caused by the APD filter as it relates to depth of field. 

The background blurs gradually melt into one another creating a softer transition than a standard aperture lens. The sample images below tell the story better than words. 

The softer bokeh effect caused by the APD lens is due to the graduated neutral density of the apodizaiton filter along the edges when the lens is used at it wider apertures. This effect gradually diminishes as the lens is stopped down and disappears totally by f/5.6 at which point it behaves like the regular 56mm R version. 

The shape of the aperture will be echoed in the out-of-focus blurs. If the aperture were star-shaped, the blurs would also assume the star shape. Because the aperture is made up of individual metal blades that form a circle the shape of the blurs are circular when the aperture is wide open.  As the aperture closed the shape becomes typically six, seven, or eight sided depending upon the number of aperture blades.

The out-of-focus blurs with the APD lens are smoother in their transition, but they are also smaller because at f/1.2 the APD is actually f/1.7 due to the addition of the darkening caused by the ND softening area around the aperture, and f/1.7 is almost a full stop closed down from f/1.2. That is going to affect both the exposure and the size of the out-of-focus blurs.

Note the differences in the sizes of the out-of-focus blurred shapes. The apodization filter inside the 56mm APD lens causes the aperture to be smaller (f/1.7 instead of f/1.2) resulting in smaller shapes to the blurs. On the other hand, the blur shapes from the standard lens have a harder edge to them, while those taken with the APD version have a much softer transition at the edge. This is what this filter is all about. Note also how both images are tack sharp on the model's face even with the wide open aperture.   Download a high res version of this image here.

In the photo below with the aperture stopped down to f/2.8 the blurs take on a seven-sided shape because the Fuji 56mm lenses have a seven-sided aperture.

This file shows the bokeh effect at f/2.8. Download a high res version here.

Both images shot wide open at f/1.2. Compare the softness of the blurred circles caused the by the apodization filter in the left image with the harder edge of the blurred lights with the standard aperture lens on the right.    Download the high res version here.

This lens works particularly well for portraiture when we want a sharpness to the face but a high degree of softness in the background to minimize distracting details.

Even in very close the lens is very sharp at full aperture. In this photo the model's eyelids and eye lashes are completely sharp as the rest of the image drifts off into a soft blur. 

Moving in tight while still at f/1.2 the lens shows off its abilities to juxtapose sharp detail with soft bokeh backgrounds. 

The wide open aperture of this lens completely blurred the very distracting background in this close-up, candid snapshot, while leaving the girl's face very sharp. 

Lens used at f/1.4. 

Working at f/1.2, even pulled back to include more of the subject, keeps the background soft enough not to interfere with the subject, but with enough detail to tell the story. The lens maintains sharp detail in the subject even with this wide open aperture. The ability to maintain focus while moving along with the model and  the model moving directly towards the camera is always difficult, especially at f/1.2. For these walking shots I had the X-T1 set to face recognition mode, and it seemed a good job of returning mostly in-focus results. 

Conclusion:

This specialized lens is not for everyone. It performs its best magic when used wide open and when the background is mottled with light. The standard R lens will still provide a very soft bokeh effect but the transition edges will be a little harder edged.  If you require a sharp lens that can maintain an ultra smooth transition in the out-of-focus area, then spending an extra $500 for the APD version might be worth it to you. One trade-off is that it does lose almost a full stop of light wide open.

I think the image samples above tell the story better than words. If this ultra-smooth blurring effect is important to you, then this lens may be for you. Otherwise, the standard R lens still does a magnificent job of creating pleasing softness while remaining super sharp at wide open apertures.

The price of the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 APD lens has recently been reduced to $1374.60, but is still $500 more that the standard R version, which has received a similar price reduction.

If you are planning on purchasing this camera or lens, you can help support this site at no extra cost to you by purchasing from one of our affiliate sellers listed below -- and thanks for your support.

The Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD lens is available for ordering at:   BH-photo  Adorama  Amazon

If  you are content without the extra softness offered by the APD filter, the standard R model is now available at a 15% discount for $840.80:

The Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens is available for ordering at:   BH-photo  Adorama  Amazon

Photographing the D-Day invasion

Today is the seventy-first anniversary of the D-Day landing. In honor of the many photographers who have put themselves in harms way in order to bring the truth about war to the world,  I thought it appropriate to reprint this blog post I did a year ago on Robert Capa.

Robert Capa, who changed his name from Endre Friedman, was a Hugarian war photographer. He covered five wars including the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War in Vieetnam, where he died May 25th, 1954 by stepping on a land mine. In 1947, along with David "Chim" Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and William Vandivert, he co-founded the international photographers cooperative  agency, Magnum Photos, in Paris. 

Robert Capa went ashore with one of the first assault waves to land on Omaha beach, and recorded the soldiers landing there. On overly enthusiastic darkroom technician ruined most of the film by overheating them while the film was drying. All that was salvaged were eleven grainy, high-contrast images. Nonetheless, the darkroom accident lent the photos a moody air that made them instant icons of the moment. The surviving photos became known as the magnificent eleven and can be seen here.

A photo of Robert Capa with his Contax II.

A question many photographers have, myself included, is what camera Capa used for this event. From the research I have done and photos I have seen of Capa in that era and during the Spanish cival war, it is most likely he was using a Contax II camera. For lenses, I'm guessing he would have had the photo-journalist's favorite arsenal including a 5cm f/1.5 Zeiss Sonnar, 3.5cm f/2.8 Zeiss Biogon, and 13.5cm f/4 Zeiss Sonnar. He probably didn't need a light meter for shooting black and white, but could have had a Zeiss Helios meter like the one in the photo below.

A typical WWII photo-journalist's outfit for a Contax II camera might include 3.5cm, 5cm, and 13.5cm lenses like those pictured above.  The small light meter off to the right is a Zeiss Helios.

One of Capa's surviving photos taken with a Contax II camera on D-Day.

Capa had a saying: "If your photos aren't good enough, you aren't close enough". He was definitely close enough on D-Day.

First day on the job for my Fuji X100T

Nothing like trial by fire. I added my new X100T as an extra body along with my X-T1. With the weather finally clearing up, we headed off to the park for a lifestyle shoot with one  model. I was curious to see how the shorter 23mm lens on the X100T would influence my shooting style during the day. Normally, I photograph lifestyle with my 56mm and 35mm lenses, and outdoors include the 50-140mm f/2.8 zoom for the longer shots.  Lately, I have begun to prefer moving in close with a shorter lens to give the photos more close-in, candid feel.

In one of my upcoming posts I will be showing many of these same scenes done with the 56mm f/1.2 APD lens.

We shot around this fruit stand before going into the park. I recorded this scene with both the 56mm f/1.2 lens on an X-T1 and here with the 23mm f/2 lens of the X100T. The wider lens integrates the foreground scene more with the environment. 

I like working with models on slightly overcast days. It gives me the opportunity to blast out the sky and fill it later with one of the sunny flares I discussed in a prior post. 

... and the rain continues for another day

The rain continued for another day so we postponed a lifestyle shoot we had planned for the park. Tomorrow may be the only good day for the whole week. We also had to cancel some helicopter aerials we had planned for later in the week. With all this rain the colors in the park should be quite lush for my shoot.  I will also be finishing up my tests of the Fuji 56mm f/2 APD lens for my review of it later this week.

On my way to the photo lab to approve another print I am having enlarged I picked up a couple of abstract photos of rain falling in a street puddle and overflowing the sidewalk. I used my new Fuji X100T, which is small enough to tuck in a jacket pocket to protect it from the rain.

I have several custom settings for my Fuji X cameras so I can quickly set them for whatever the scene requires. For this series I wanted contrast in the black and white so my settings boosted the high and low tones by 1, and increased the sharpness by 1 also. I also add 1 to the noise level when I want more of a film quality to the images.

The Fuji X100T after the rain

Rain came down heavily last night making it difficult, if not impossible, to get a taxi in New York in the evening. It continued through the night and into the morning until about noon today when there was a break in the downpour. I used the opportunity to walk over to the photo lab where I am having a large print make. Naturally, I took a Fuji camera with me, but this time it was the new X100T I picked up after doing my review of one last week. I also tucked a TCL-X100 --having taken advantage of the special sale I mentioned in yesterday's blog post -- in a pocket of my vest.

Some of these images were taken late last night. The others on my trip past Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building on my way to the lab. My favorite feature of the X100T is being able to get in close at f/2, and with the TCL-X100 it gets even tighter.

The Empire State Building enshrouded with rain clouds.