a77ii, a99 or A7

[eriksalpha55]

Hi all:  Brand new to the forum!  

 

I am a pretty good photographer and have been using a Sony a55 for a while.  It's been nice buying Minolta lenses, and the Zeiss lenses I've been fortunate to use are incredible.

 

I have been wanting to upgrade my body though.

 

I really like the a77ii.  I like the a99, but I'm not a (have to use full frame) kinda shooter.

 

My concern is, is Sony  (or other companies) still making lenses for crop SLT camera's?  It seems there are more lenses for E-mount, for the A7 series (I'm not into NEX), than the alpha series already has.  I'd like to keep the lenses I have but I know I can at least get an adapter for the A7 series.  Will it be worth it to upgrade to a a77ii?  I know the a77ii is much less expensive than the a99 or the a7 series... but I won't mind if that's the direction they're heading.

[Guest Peter Kelly]

The good thing about APS-C cameras is that full frame lenses work just as well, if not better (sometimes...), whereas you can't go the other way around. That means there is already a large range readily available for the A77ii, much larger than the E mount, because it goes back to include all the Minolta and third party A mount lenses.

 

The only question facing you is how much you are prepared to spend, as you can find loads of bargains on Ebay, all the way up to the 500mm f4 at about £12000!

 

In your position you just need to be honest with yourself and realistic. If you won't be pushing the limits by shooting fast sports in low light, for example then there is almost too much to choose from of excellent glass.

And the simple truth is they will be available long after you and I are pushing up the daisies, even if Sony was not to make any more from tomorrow.

[Colorado]

Sounds like for you the A77 II would be the lowest cost, then A99 being the next highest and finally the A7 (This is due to the cost of adaptors and or new E-mount glass) Out of the three the A77 will auto focus the best while being the worst as far as ISO performance. I could go on and on but instead follow Peters advice and look at how you do and will use your hardware, honestly then make your purchase.

 

 

Peter Kelly -"The good thing about APS-C cameras is that full frame lenses work just as well, if not better (sometimes...)"

This is really not the case. While FF lenses do work on APS-C sensors, IQ always suffers. This is something you need to consider.

[Gilgenberg]

Colorado: "This is really not the case. While FF lenses do work on APS-C sensors, IQ always suffers. This is something you need to consider. "

 

I would say it depend´s !

 

I have some FF lenses that are much better on APS-C than on Full Frame, depend´s on the resolution power of the lens and the corner performance.

 

I think it is a better upgrade from A55 to a FF Body A99 or A7,it also depend´s what you are looking for, what do you like should be better?

 

I don´t think IQ from A77 is much better than from A55 but maybe AF performance, if you look for AF performance go for the A77II

 

A7 is quite cheap now and you can adapt your Minolta Lenses, the character of the lens shines definitely more on FF, can be good can be worse,

and you can hold your A55

[Golem]

IIRC an a55 has IBIS.

 

If so, is losing IBIS OK ?

[Zé De Boni]

It is nice to see how people in this forum is willing to help newbies. Answers come quick with well balanced arguments.

This time, however, I find a bit premature to discuss the upgrade options with so few elements.

Eriksalpha55, you said you is a "pretty good photographer", which is a subjective description. Some people may post images, which is helpful to access what kind of use they make with their cameras. It would be much better to know what kind(s) of photography you do, not only the subjects as the approach. And as you are satisfied with your lenses, you should list what you have today, to receive less generic suggestions.

 

A7 is quite cheap now and you can adapt your Minolta Lenses, the character of the lens shines definitely more on FF, can be good can be worse,

and you can hold your A55

 

There are different kinds of Minolta lenses, some are not full frame. Most of them use the screwdrive autofocus, meaning that you need the LAEA-4 to have autofocus in the A7 series.
Many of these adapted lenses miss the technological advances of the new cameras, as 4D focus tracking. Fitting a translucent mirror adapter in a mirrorless camera is quite a weird improvisation.  Once you are used to the silent and quick focus of the new Emount lenses you want to get rid of the old-fashioned lenses (unless manual focus is your standard, then you just need the LAEA-3).

In my personal tests, three lenses that I still use in the A99 gave bad results in the A7RII: ZA 85mm f/1.4, ZA135mm f/1.8 and Minolta HS 200mm f/2.8. Wide open they are unusable and at f/8 they are just as sharp as the FE Zoom 70-700 f/4. That may be controversial, but as I said, it is just my practical experience.

So, if you say you do a great job with the A55, then the A77II will be a good upgrade, while keeping all your other pieces of equipment. If all your own favorite lenses are full frame, then the A99 will be a much higher leap. Both options mean expending less and may serve you for a long time. I can assure that, as you are now using a camera that I have discarded 5 years ago, so it means that you do not need to be ahead the competition showing off the latest release.

About your main concern, you will still find new APSC A-mount lenses for a long time. Later, they will be rare, but there will be tons bargains of used lenses from people that are changing platforms.

 

 

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[Austerror]

I use an A99 also. It is an awesome camera.

 

However, it is a little pricey and there might be a replacement in the next few months maybe... So now may not be the best time to buy.

 

Full frame lenses on APS-C bodies work great.  I've not seen any evidence that they don't work just as well as on a FF camera AFTER you calibrate your auto focus.

 

I have a bunch of Minolta FF lenses.  I was using them on my Nex-7 with the LA-EA2.  ALL of these A mount lenses needed focus calibrating. Before doing this the results were rubbish. After calibrating the results were excellent. Some lenses were more difficult to calibrate than others.

 

The A99 always provides superior results vs the Nex-7, but that is down to sensor difference, not lens problems.  It is also possible the A99 looks better because of dynamic range and better metering, rather than sharpness. Generally speaking, FF extreme corners are always going to look worse than APS-C corners on a FF lens.  How much worse depends on the lens.  I've not noticed it myself, but I don't magnify to 2000% to compare.

 

As an example, my Minolta 80-200/2.8HS required a -13 micro adjust as I recall.

 

Thus I would not be afraid of using FF lenses on an APS-C camera body.  They are, however, mostly larger and heavier.

 

Anyway, if you have loads of cash, I vote get the A99.  Being able to use a 28-70 zoom and have the 28 end be 'wide' is awesome. It even works with the Xi lens series of power zooms from Minolta (may not be a good thing). I'll be using my A99 until it falls apart. I was also thinking of purchasing an Xi zoom, because they are $50 or less and why not for that price?

[phillipsr]

Hello everyone ,

I have enjoyed reading your recent posts. The A99 is a great camera as well as the A77 ii . I have a Minolta 28 - 105 and a 100 - 200 F4.5 that I would like to sell if anyone is interested. they are in good condition.

Thanks , Rob