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Three weeks without a proper camera and I was pretty lost. Yesterday the A7RII arrived and the key question is was it worth the wait? After shooting this morning as I do before dawn in low light at high ISOs, getting home uploading the images into Lightroom - at first I was pretty dismayed. There did seem to be more noise. Then my brain kicked into reason - I don't normally shoot at high ISO's and these were deliberately taken at 640 - 1250 to see what the latest fuss was about on the web. Now, having uploaded them to my site and evaluated the end-result I am happy. Three jumps forward - one sideways step is how I sum it up. 1. Focus IS better - until you hit low light or the long zoom on a telephoto. 2. Stabilisation has been achieved - it's in camera and that is a huge advantage. I shot handheld at 1/6th. 3. 4k is worth the $4k. The video features are fantastic - and they are in-camera. 4. Noise at high ISOs is about the same as the A7R to my eye. The last point is a sideways step in my opinion and yes I think the pre-release hype from Sony was to make much of the camera's weakest point. It does have high ISO noise - despite the new design. NOTE: I did not have long exposure NR on - which I always did on the A7R and maybe when I set that to ON - my results will be better. I was just hoping to do away with that as it makes long exposures - so slow. Here are my initial shots: Pacific Basin - shot at 160mm in low light, auto-focus with the LA-EA3 and Sony 70 - 400mm, hand held at 1/10th and ISO 1250. Walking the dog: shot handheld at 1/6th Slippin' into silk: 30 seconds at ISO 640. All have been sharpened and had noise reduction applied - this is a normal part of my workflow and I have applied it so I can compare to my 5D3 and A7R images.

Earlier in the week I spent a day in the north of Tasmania this week at Launceston. I have previously posted shots from the other end of the beautiful Cataract Gorge. This is the City end featuring the ornate King's Bridge on a misty morning under a Crescent Moon. Sony A7Rii | 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II | Lee 0.6 Soft Grad ND 0.5sec | f5.6 | 70mm | ISO 50 1/320th | f4.5 | 150mm | ISO 100 Meanwhile earlier today in Constitution Dock . . . Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA 1/20th | f11 | 55mm | ISO 100 1/20th | f11 | 55mm | ISO 100

Its been pretty wintery in Hobart recently - coldest winter in over 65 years. So I have not been out enough. Today was better so I ventured out for a shot in the harbour. Sony A7Rii Emmalisa: 1/60th | ISO50 | f4 | 21mm Earlier in the week it was nice to escape the cold in Sydney - even if only travelling for 1 night on a work assignment. Sunrise reflection: 1/1000th | f18| 55mm | ISO50