Have sony left behind the small form factor FF mirrorless idea?

[materialvision]

This question came up in a discussion I had recently, and I thought the forum might have some thoughts. First Sony increased the size of the a7 bodies from gen 1 to 2, and now they seem to for the most part release large lenses to compete with DSLRs. For me the small and lightweight system was why I got into the A7 series in the first place. Still very happy with the A7sii and 55 fe lens but would love to see more lenses from sony in that size range.

[Golem]

Sony is simply going with the flow. It doesn't matter what you

personally prefer or that everyone you know agrees with you. 

  

One reason you personally don't matter, as no one individual

[with their compadres] matters, is that the flow goes not only

ever onward, but does so in a "5 steps forward 3 steps back"

kinda line-dance motion. This is due to attempts to innovate,

to one-up the competition, and then over-correction when an

innovation inevitably gets a rocky welcome. 

  

One of the line-dance routines is gear that grows in capability

and also in size. Consumers accept the creeping increase in

size cuz it's so gradual, and then one of the innovations that

inevitably pops up [when technology allows it] it a distinctive

reduction in size. Then the cycle begins again. 

 

Sony doesn't make the decision that you seem to think that

they are free to make. It can really appear that companies

make their own decisions, but thaz PR. Marketing watches

trends, tries to be first outa the gate with whatever appears

to be the NBT, and then releases their attempt, announcing

that it's the result of their own inspirational genius.

[LCT]

Problem with A7 cameras is their short lens register causing light rays to hit sensors in a steep angle with associated smearing and/or color shift issues. Only ways to avoid that are to use thinner sensor stacks causing other problems (moiré) and telecentric lenses which are taller than symetrical ones a-la-Leica, although some Leica lenses are rather symmetrical but it is another story. For instance the Sonnar FE 55/1.8 you consider a small lens is significantly taller than both Summicron 50/2 and Summilux 50/1.4 M lenses, even when the latters are mounted on an M-to-FE adapter.

[Golem]

Problem with A7 cameras is their short lens register causing light rays to hit sensors

in a steep angle with associated smearing and/or color shift issues. Only ways to

avoid that are to use thinner sensor stacks causing other problems (moiré) and tele-

centric lenses which are taller than symetrical ones a-la-Leica, although some Leica

lenses are rather symmetrical but it is another story. For instance the Sonnar FE

55/1.8 you consider a small lens is significantly taller than both Summicron 50/2 and

Summilux 50/1.4 M lenses, even when the latters are mounted on an M-to-FE adapter.

  

+1  

  

Consider that the Sonnar is not getting the outstanding reviews that the 55

Distagon gets. The Distagon may be relatively huge, but thaz the Distagon

formula. "Distance" is in its name, referring to flange distance. Distagons

were developed as retrofocus wide angles to allow for moving SLR mirrors.

That was during the film era. Today, the moving mirror is gone but we have

a new reason to distance the lens from the image receptor. With thick filter

packs on our sensors and considering the design of the micro lens array on

the sensor, you want the image to arrive from a distance, to get the bundles

of light rays streaming closer to parallel, and therefore NOT at troublesome

angles to the corners of the sensor.

  

In interchangeable lens cameras, sensor design defies compact lens design.

In a fixed lens camera, the sensor pack and lens can be specially designed

to work together, as a team, without requiring distance as described above.