In February, Sony announced their new "G-Master" lineup of full frame zoom lenses, with fast apertures and made specifically for their mirrorless camera options, like the popular the a7rII, or even the recently reviewed a6300. In this video review by Chelsea and Tony Northrup, they got to kick the tires of the new 24-70mm f/2.8 Sony G-Master lens, and were impressed by the results.
In many discussion groups I've been a part of, it's been interesting to see how over the last year or so, how many filmmakers and photographers have started to buy into the Sony mirrorless camera bodies. Many, if not all of them, were using (expensive) lens adapters though, and that seemed to be a deterrent to some. Now with this G-Master line of lenses, Sony appears to have an offering that should appear very familiar to those coming from a Canon/Nikon world and their 24-70/70-200 lenses as go-tos.
Given the internal stabilization, low light capabilities, and whole array of other pro features found in the camera body of the a7rII, a complementary lens option now gives Sony a great a pair of equipment to offer photographers who need to create images at a high level. For those who are already shooting with one of the Sony compact mirrorless cameras, what do you think about these new lenses? Are you currently using native E-mount lenses or an adapter with Canon/Nikon glass? Pre-orders are available now on B&H.
For more videos like this one, Chelsea and Tony regularly put out new reviews and thoughtful commentary pieces on their YouTube channel.
Mike,
One of the things that makes these full-frame mirrorless bodies so appealing vs. an equally capable full-frame dSLR is their size. I loved shooting with the a7II and Zeiss primes. However, I feel that once you start using pro-level zooms like 24-70, 70-200, etc. the weight advantage is lost. These lenses are no smaller (or lighter) than those used on dSLRs because they're designed for a full-frame sensor. In fact, I'd argue that the ergonomics of mirrorless full-frame bodies like these from Sony are a detriment, because one does in fact need a solid, robust grip to manage the weight of a 24-70 and 70-200. Wouldn't you agree?
I agree, to an extent. I find the grip adds enough to offset large lenses. And the ergo are not the only reasons that I've chosen mirrorless ...
I think the beauty of the a7 series in particular is that the camera can be both small and large. If you slap on a battery grip and a 24-70 f2.8 then its about the same size as an equivalent Canon or Nikon full frame camera, and that's what I want when I'm in the studio, or on a Professional shoot. But, I can strip all that stuff of the camera and put on a small little 35mm f2.8 and cary it around on my shoulder all day long if I want too. And since I can't afford to own two different camera systems (one big "professional" system and one small personal/travel system) the a7 series is just about ideal from a form factor standpoint.
Hey Daniel, I am in the same boat but in a worse situation and wanted to ask you what you might think, AS I posted below before seeing your post, I had all Studio broken into recently and had all my equipment stolen, 25 years of collecting lens etc. arrggg. I am a fashion photographer and director and have been using Canon since day 1 of the digital age and have had every pro camera canon makes. Recently All L II series line up and 5DMIII, But have been with the sony a7s and now a7sII and need to purchase all my equipment again and contemplating staying with one line up. Sony. For video and Photography and need to make a decision here soon as I have a lot of work coming up. Where I live there is no option to rent unfortunately. I do a lot of Fashion in Studio tethered to Capture one but also many locations shoots around the world. I was thinking about going with A7rII and all Batis lens to contemplate my video set up with the A7s. Does anybody know if tethered shooting is painfully slow with the a7rii and capture one in studio? I shoot EVERYTHING full manual and use profoto flashes. I would really appreciate any professional opinions. The reviews are kind of split but leading towards Sony, I do not shoot in extreme cold or hot situations usually. Canon Has NEVER let me down in any situation ever and is built like a tank but also the 5DMIII is almost outdated and the 5Ds is supposedly pretty crappy in low light and mainly a Studio camera? I actually hated the 5DMII for it ISO and loved the 5DMIII for it's higher ISO. I never go above 1600 and rarely above 800 ISO as I am a pixel peeper.
Thanks for any opinions anybody might have as I do not know many fashion photographers using the Sony line.
I read somewhere that you can only get 230-270 shots on one battery. Is this true? As a wedding photographer, I would loose my shit if I had to adapt to being a battery changing pro. The a7II would have to do a whole lot more than its current setup to make me consider adding it to the gear lineup.
Yes, but the grip can hold 2 batteries. That's always been the Achilles heel of mirrorless as the small batteries don't hold much. Personally I've never found it to be an issue, but then again I'm a commercial, and not a wedding, photographer.
But adding the grip adds considerably to the body size (and weight), and negates the very benefit of why many opt to go mirrorless. I personally find it much better suited as a travel camera.
If size was the only reason (and, at least for me, it's not). Size is a side effect, really. But use it for what suits you best! Or not.
Cool that it works for you guys, and the people that made the leap. I just don't see the appeal as a wedding shooter. Plus the Mark IV or X is coming out soon! :) If that delivers lackluster results, I'll wait for the next a7III to consider renting and possibly switching.
Have to agree that size is not the key advantage of mirrorless. For available light shooters the EVF is a Godsend. For those needing silence the electronic shutter is a gift.
I feel they should get bold and put a battery the size of the Canon 1D series in a mirrorless and get on with it.
Changing batteries would make you lose your shit...? Just be glad you never had to change rolls of film. Batteries are the least of my worries, sure it would be great if they lasted long time but they don;t.. they are cheap and small and I have a external pack that lasts forever if I want to use it.
Loosing my shit was a little dramatic. I shot film back in the day, and don't miss changing 120 backs. If Tyler is getting 600, and you have the grip with 2x batteries, than problem solved/ish. I just like shooting an entire wedding on one battery.
I get close to 600 images on a full battery for a shoot. Just turn it off when not in use and don't use the pre-af.
So Sony a7rii + 24-70 f2.8 G is bigger than Canon 5Dmkiii + 24-70 2.8 mkii Interesting
Sorry for the double post but looking for some professional opinions here..
I have just recently had all my equipment stolen, all Canon cameras, lens etc and was debating the option of going with all new sony equipment which I use for video. I have been using capture one since day one with Phase one P30 back and canon for the last 10 years. But I am thinking about changing to all sony for video and photos.
My main concern is being able to shoot tethered with the sony A7rII in studio and making sure my clients are happy and everything works well. I never had any problemas with Canon and images came in relatively fast and everything just works. I cannot find much information on tethering with Micro usb and the sony's not to mention the fact that the A7rII is 48 megapixels , almost double the file size of the 5DMIII. Can someone direct me to the proper information on this subject as I need to invest in all new equipment and was thinking about going with the full sony line up, A7sII for video, A7rII for photos and all the Batis lens line up..
I would really appreciate in help on this topic as I need to make a move really soon...
Thank you very much
Eric
What do you guys think? Considering I am a full fashion photographer and work both on location and studio with profoto flash equipment, and I ALWAYS work in full Manual mode on whatever camera I use. I would appreciate some advice form other professional fashion photographers who are in the same boat or have moved to sony? THANKS!!