Thoughts on a7rII/a7s replacement for stills and video?

[The Chris]

I'm having a little crisis of faith, I shoot with the a7rII, a7s and a5100, lots of stills and video, mostly events, a little corporate with the occasional ENG job - for the most part I love the IQ of my kit except for the 24/30p motion at times, I just don't like shooting anymore unless I have to. So I'm thinking about replacing my Sony kit with something else, but the question becomes what direction to go. 4K is really handy for a one man band, so a 4K capable body is a must. 16mp doesn't cut it so I can't go all in with m43. The NX1 is dead so that's a non-starter too. If I liquidate my kit I have about $8000 and most of my video is shot on the Tokina Angineux 28-70 lens that I'll be keeping. I've kind of hit analysts paralysis trying to think of options that cover all bases so I'm hoping another perspective can help. Thanks in advance. 

[kidzrevil]

 Funny, the only alternative I can see to the nx1 IS the sony a7rii or a7sii. I think we may have hit the ceiling with these cameras 

[mercer]

1 hour ago, The Chris said:

I'm having a little crisis of faith, I shoot with the a7rII, a7s and a5100, lots of stills and video, mostly events, a little corporate with the occasional ENG job - for the most part I love the IQ of my kit except for the 24/30p motion at times, I just don't like shooting anymore unless I have to. So I'm thinking about replacing my Sony kit with something else, but the question becomes what direction to go. 4K is really handy for a one man band, so a 4K capable body is a must. 16mp doesn't cut it so I can't go all in with m43. The NX1 is dead so that's a non-starter too. If I liquidate my kit I have about $8000 and most of my video is shot on the Tokina Angineux 28-70 lens that I'll be keeping. I've kind of hit analysts paralysis trying to think of options that cover all bases so I'm hoping another perspective can help. Thanks in advance. 

How about the D500? That Nikon Flat profile is awesome.

I love my G7 but I also need 60p for an upcoming project I am working on, so that's why I ordered the BMMCC today. I am very excited to shoot natively in ProRes or Raw without any picture profiles to worry about or convoluted menus to navigate. 

[xenogears]

Or a Sony FS5 for video and a6300 for photo 

[TheRenaissanceMan]

1DC/1DX II?

[gethin]

i went through this a few years ago and the conclusion i came to is that I didn't want to compromise stills quality for convenience.  I ended up going for the nikon d800, and gh2 for video & speedbooster.  I ended up swapping the gh2 for d5300.  Yup its a pain in the bum having 2 big cameras. I can't imagine a better compromise though than the a7r2. Very similar stills to the d800/810 (both in dynamic range and "feel").  you say you dont like shooting unless you have to - whats the problem? Usability? Image quality? ...?

[richg101]

tbh for general video use your a7s and a7rii are gonna be hard to beat.  I'd suggest rigging the cameras to add weight and maybe length too - this will drastically affect the motion of the cameras.  the a7rii with the ibis set correctly for the focal length you;re using and some added weight will help motion a great deal.

here is a pic of my a7rii in a birdcage and a chunk of aluminium billet as a riser - perfect height for a 15mm rail mount I made.

 

for out and out stills image quality..  you're not gonna be able to improve on the a7rii.  it is single handedly the best stills camera (other than modern phase one MF cameras) currently available.    

[joema]

8 hours ago, The Chris said:

....I shoot with the a7rII, a7s and a5100, lots of stills and video, mostly events, a little corporate with the occasional ENG job - for the most part I love the IQ of my kit except for the 24/30p motion at times, I just don't like shooting anymore unless I have to. So I'm thinking about replacing my Sony kit with something else...

What exactly is the problem? we shoot lots of 4K content with the GH4, A7RII, DVX200 and various other cameras. In Super35 mode I don't have any issues with the A7RII video image quality. The new Sony 24-70 f/2.8 G-Master lens is very nice, although I use the 28-135 f/4 cinema lens a lot due to the motorized zoom. The camera needs several refinements, including fast switching in/out of Super35 mode, about 3x the writing rate to SD (needed for raw stills), etc. but it's pretty good as is. The ability to use Canon L lenses on the Sony E-mount cameras via Metabones adapters is handy.

[User]

1DX I I

Stills & 4k video (60p) encoded to lusciously fat codec. No screwball menues or buggy battey issues. Great choice of native glass. DPAF. Grab a couple of Little Darlin's and run for the next 5 years easily. I for one am sick of the time it takes to build a new camera set up every few years. This camera could keep the wolves away... for a while.

Oh and I think it's pretty normal to have times when we are not so excited about lensing. I guess it's all about what is motivating. See this as an opportunity to explore other creative ventures.

[kidzrevil]

@richg101 have you tried the a7sii ? How is it in comparison to the a7rii

[The Chris]

Thanks for the replies guys. It may just be a case of the grass always being greener and some mild burnout. I think I may just take some time for more creative stuff, work on my admittedly bad grading and skills and maybe shuffle my lens lineup a bit for some fresh options. I've been wanting to some sightseeing around my state (Florida), and I've been thinking about doing a "Beaches in 4k" or something along those lines - which would be a great time for both photos and video as we're talking lots of golden hour shooting. I cook, so maybe something like a food blog is in order as well. Time to shake off the rust and get that moving. But I do think some changes to my kit are in order and I'm not using the A7s much these days, maybe its time to shift it and try a Fuji or one of those GX85's for fun. 

[Oliver Daniel]

2 minutes ago, The Chris said:

Thanks for the replies guys. It may just be a case of the grass always being greener and some mild burnout. I think I may just take some time for more creative stuff, work on my admittedly bad grading and skills and maybe shuffle my lens lineup a bit for some fresh options. I've been wanting to some sightseeing around my state (Florida), and I've been thinking about doing a "Beaches in 4k" or something along those lines - which would be a great time for both photos and video as we're talking lots of golden hour shooting. I cook, so maybe something like a food blog is in order as well. Time to shake off the rust and get that moving.

More people looking for that better image should focus on other things.

I'd stick with your current gear and pay attention to other areas... lighting, composition, grading, ideas, style, feel. 

As this sounds like a business choice, ultimately the purchase needs to increase your ROI. If your current gear is fine for your business purpose, stick with it. Get something later when there is a demand. 

If it's an emotional thing, you need to have the disposable income to feed it. A lot of the time, my emotional relationship with certain cameras doesn't necessarily mean they are the right cameras for the business. That's why i haven't got a Digital Bolex. I can't justify the purchase at the moment when I have other more important business priorities. 

If it's just too overpowering, I'd sell the lot and go for a 1DX ii. Great stills, great video. Done!

[richg101]

8 hours ago, kidzrevil said:

@richg101 have you tried the a7sii ? How is it in comparison to the a7rii

IMO it's dependent on whether you;re willing to invest in a speed booster ultra for the a7rii.  if you can handle the extra $500, the a7rii wins for both video and stills unless you;re shooting 6400iso and higher all the time..

12mpx isn;t quite enough for still photography IMO.  it's ok for shallow dof stuff, but when you want a wide shot with everything in focus I find the 42mpx makes for way more pleasing images - particularly landscapes.  I had an a7sii temporarily and decided the low light advantage and s-log3 wasn;t worth getting rid of the a7rii.  I'm a still photography hobbyist who earns money from selling tifs for prints, and sometimes do wedding stuff, product photography etc.  and for this the a7rii is king.  the fact that the s35mm mode on the a7rii is one of the best internal 4k recording images available is a bonus for when I need to shoot video for the day job

 

[gethin]

the timelapse app is fun, have a play with that