Sony A7 for $912 or Sony A7II for $1425

memetph · Joined: 01 Dec 2013 Posts: 942 Location: Poland

Well, with legacy lenses , the Sony is a clear winner.
I have no problem with the A7�s ergonomy and the A7 is more comparable to a legacy SLR. It is lighter too.
I am not happy that they decided to make so many changes like those 2 buttons on the top. Having both bodies could be confusing.
The stabilization is a great plus for the II , I recognized.

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

reading reviews about online camera shops in Australia give reason for concerns, most seem to sell items without having them in stock. delivery is uncertain, correspondence unreliable.
if it finally would arrive in perfect order I am fine..

memetph · Joined: 01 Dec 2013 Posts: 942 Location: Poland

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

It sounds like a good deal,you are so lucky with the exchange rate in your favour Cool

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

memetph · Joined: 01 Dec 2013 Posts: 942 Location: Poland

Servus Kuuan,
According to what I read on other forums, the AF with EOS lens can be very slow or even uneffective with some lenses.
My feeling is that then buying an EOS lens could be a bet.

Guat net goat. na kloaa!

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

A sad reflection of our sales techniques. I am glad you got in early Cool

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 2877

Sadly, no such sales technique here in Europe, so we have to pay around 1050 Euros for body only regardless whether before or after Dec. 29 Wink

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Steve Huff about the A7 II:
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2014/12/27/the-sony-a7ii-real-world-camera-review-my-camera-of-the-year-2014/

"I will go ahead and say it�I have been reviewing cameras for 7 years. This Sony A7II is the most versatile, fantastic, useful and all around best priced for what you get camera I have ever reviewed. Bam!" Wink

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 2877

Steve Huff is at his best in used car salesman role. Even here, the cheapest A7 body only I see is around 950 Euro, the cheapest A7 II is 1700 Euros. So that's around 750 Euros for IBIS and slightly better button placement. So one can argue "fantastic", "versatile" and "useful", but "best priced" is BAMM indeed ... as in facepalm BAMM Laughing

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Yes, but it is interesting how he put the A7S above the A7/A7R. And then puts the A7 II before the A7S Wink

And there is more than IBIS and buttons who is different. A7 II is a completly new camera, very different from A7.

- Better screen (higher res, and tilts better)
- Better grip
- Better AF
- Better app support
- Better finish
- Better mount (stronger)
- Better IQ (colors and more pop)
- Better video (XAVC S Video and S-Log2)
- More quiet shutter
- Faster startup

So there is alot more than buttons and IBIS... And the buttons are not slightly better, they are much better combined with the bigger grip (I couldn`t use the A7R without the $300 batterygrip). So is the A7 II worth the extra 750 euro? I think so, but if you don`t like spending that much or can`t, buy the A7 which is a great camera for less.

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

If I had bought the A7II instead of the A7, both with kit lens for the price of the sale expired 2 days ago, the Mark II would have cost me 450 to 500 usd more. I am sure that it's improvements are real, but some comments in videos pointing out the difference in size and weight made me think that the smaller A7 might fit me even better. It was the special sale that made me 'rush' buying my first FF, the cheaper option felt smarter, arguably it wasn't Wink

For now just hoping that I shall receive it!

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

received a mail from the store saying that the regret to inform me that they are temporarily out of stock of my ordered camera, and that, because of "Sony delay", yeah their wording tries to blame Sony Wink

, they expect to get new cameras between middle and end of January only, and that it will ship thereafter. Now, what a surprise Wink

They ask me to either accept the 'back order' or to 'cancel' it. I answered, that, to accept the backorder, I'd need them to give me a definite last day of shipment and a guarantee that I still could cancel and get full money back in case that it won't be met.

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 2877

padam · Joined: 09 Oct 2012 Posts: 175 Location: Hungary

The A7 II might become dated in a few months already because the "old" sensor. It is some kind of a "semi-transitional" model before the new stuff comes out.

The D750 has a new 24MP Sony sensor which has better video and lower noise, they should have put that in there. Just adding a better video codec will not make a big difference if it is still line-skipping. Maybe they feared it could make it closer to the A7s.

Right now I am more inclined to save up for the A7s (there should be a price drop on this one as well soon) because it has the silent shutter, and at night it has a cleaner viewfinder image with better AF. I am mostly trying to capture moments though were higher shutter speeds or more DOF at closer distances are preferable. For landscapes the A7 II is a clear improvement.

One thing I fear though is reliability issues with the Steadyshot (they are known to fail on the sturdier A-mount cameras as well although only after a fair amount of time). One probably needs to treat this carefully I really don't think it would survive the amount of abuse that a DSLR can easily take and the repair bill could be big.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

Sad to hear that Kuuan,I hope it works out in your favour which ever way it turns out. I just don't trust the online sales practices over here.

memetph · Joined: 01 Dec 2013 Posts: 942 Location: Poland

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

long due update about my online purchase at camerastore.com.au

soon after buying and paying for a Sony A7 with bundled kit lens on December 28th 2014 I had received a note saying that they are out of stock and that they shall be delivered between middle and end of January.

By the end of January I had not received any further notice nor the items bought, I then had contacted asking for an update on delivery dates.
It has been a long process, but after many emails during which a refund had been offered repeatedly which I repeatedly had not accepted, and quite a few calls finally a camera had arrived but not the lens! The camera obviously had been handled before, the factory seal on the box had been broken. After a few more calls and mails it was agreed that I'd return the camera in exchange for a factory sealed one which was promised to me on phone ( I recorded these calls ) would be sent to me within 24 hours of receiving the back camera and it was promised that the lens will follow before the end of the month, exact dates were given.

Once the camera was back at the store I received an email confirming the safe arrival and that it had been 'that' good that it immediately was sold to another customer. I was then prompted to accept a refund.

In my answer again I made clear, as I had done numerous times before, that I did not want to cancel my order, no refund. Soon an email from paypal notified me of money having been sent to me by a 'Daimond Nominees', earlier I had noted that the person I had correspondence with sometimes wrote an email using a 'camerastore' email, at other times a 'Daimondscamera' email.

Once again I wrote to camerastore that I did not intend to cancel my order, that I won't accept a refund but that I want the camera as bought!
The same person I have been dealing with, the only person which seems to be reachable by any email and telephone number given by 'camerastore', than called me and said that he has done everything he could and that he is not able to supply the items bought any time soon. After me confirming once again that I still want the items as bought he went on, knowing that my time in Australia is limited, promising that he would notify me when they arrive and could be sent to me, and continued that from now on he won't answer any email or call from me..

hm..
well, if I had known earlier I better had kept the camera, hoping to get a lens any time later. As it is I filed a complaint with an 'Australian Consumer Commission' but from what I read at their site the only help that most likely I shall receive is a reference to layers that I could use to file a case against the shop.

now accepting the paypal payment would be the easiest way out. However I hate being taken for a ride like this and would hate to back down.

any recommendation? any Australian that could advice me which was the best course of action? Is there any counsel in Australia helping consumers in such a case?

cheers,
andreas