Sony A7R II Review and Sample Images / August 5, 2015 by Benjamin Traves

My review of the Sony A7R II is here! (Well, a rolling review which I will be constantly updating)

So, the elephant in the room, which every review will address: It has a 42 megapixel sensor. Yes, that is a ton of pixels. Last month I tested out Phase One's newest beast (the IQ3 digital back with the new XF camera body) which has 80 megapixels. And of course Canon now has over 50 megapixels with the 5Ds/R so it's really not that crazy for Sony to go with 42 for their flagship shooter.

I am curious to see how this new A7R II compares with the Sony A7 II and Sony RX1 as well as my Canon 5D Mk III. A friend of mine has a ton of Sony gear so I should be able to test it with a wide variety of lenses to really see which ones are best for it. Honestly, there isn't much similar to this camera in terms of a fair comparison because it's just so unusual. No mirror, full frame, interchangeable lenses (and adapters for almost any other brand of lens you might want to put on it), plus it's weather sealed so you can go outside and play. Oh, and by the way, it shoots 4K video and can record it internally, unlike the A7S.

The 42 megapixel sensor is certainly interesting, though really not a huge difference in terms of image size from the previous generation of 36 megapixel sensors. I think the real key difference will be in dynamic range and low-light performance. That, and the ability to crop with an APS-C factor, which still leaves you with a very usable 18 megapixels.

** OK, so probably the most interesting thing about the new Sony A7R II that I've noticed so far is that, unlike with most other cameras, this one seems to have files that look much better on the computer than they did on the camera LCD screen. Usually, when you go out and take some pictures, you look at them on the camera and they seem great, then maybe just ok once you put them on the computer. Not so with this new Sony. It reminds me of the medium format Hasselblad and Phase One cameras I've used in the past, because on those the picture is barely even worth looking at on the rear LCD (which is why most pros shoot tethered to a laptop when using medium format digital backs like those) but once you see them on the computer the images are mind-blowing and incredibly detailed with outstanding colors and quality.

I will be working on this review and posting more text soon, but in the mean time you can check out some quick sample images below:

Pretty impressed with the little Sony/Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 and I'm looking forward to testing the new Zeiss Batis lenses soon. I'm a long-time Canon L user and the bokeh from the 50mm f/1.2 L glass is a bit smoother, although this Sony/Zeiss lens is far sharper wide open.

The colors from this sensor are phenomenal, with no adjustments needed.

I also tested the APS-C crop mode, which gives you the look of a longer lens (although it is not the same optically). Still, if you are using a fixed focal length and you don't have anything else with you (like me when I happened to see this peacock wandering around) it's nice to make the 55mm into an effective 82.5mm lens with the APS-C mode (multiply your focal length by 1.5x to figure out the conversion, i.e. a 35mm lens becomes a 52.5mm and so on).

Crop of the photo above this one. This was a "Normal" quality JPEG (I didn't remember to switch to RAW+JPEG until right after this, sadly)

And another quick crop test, this one was taken by my friend with his Sony 70-200mm f/4 (through a window, from his apartment on the 15th floor) while we were testing out the gear:

See the rectangle? That's approximately a 100% crop...

And here's the cropped image. I did not make an effort to recover the highlights. The boat is only over exposed due to the darkness of the water around it, which is most of the original image. Anyway, if this is your boat, be sure to say hi in the c… — And here's the cropped image. I did not make an effort to recover the highlights. The boat is only over exposed due to the darkness of the water around it, which is most of the original image. Anyway, if this is your boat, be sure to say hi in the comments :)

Now, for a high-ISO test... this next one is ISO 4000 at f/4.5 and 1/250th

Another shot at ISO 4000 (and keep in mind I set Noise Reduction to Low in camera and also sharpened this to +50 in Lightroom) — Another shot at ISO 4000 (and keep in mind I set Noise Reduction to Low in camera and also sharpened this to *+50* in Lightroom)

This one was shot with the relatively new Sony/Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 mounted on the Sony A7R II

The capabilities of this camera are truly astounding. I'm looking forward to doing much more shooting in the next few days, and of course I will be posting more images as well as my thoughts and impressions of this beast.

More images coming soon!

Also testing out the 4K video...

Lightroom 6 - Testing the new Panorama feature / July 28, 2015 by Benjamin Traves

This is a handheld image, no tripod, stitched together from nine (9!) separate images automatically. I selected the images in Lightroom after importing and went to "Photo Merge," then "Panorama" and I got a stitched image which I proceeded to work on like any normal photo. After the usual tweaks, I did some extra work in the form of a digital graduated neutral density filter (right half of the image with all the windows was way brighter than the kitchen area on the left). Then on to Photoshop to remove myself from a reflection in a mirror and to do a bit more dodging (brightening) until the place looked like you see above. I will post the original images soon for comparison.

Bottom line: The new Panorama feature in Adobe Lightroom is awesome and worked great in this scenario. I only had a 35mm lens with me, and I managed to stitch together an ultrawide shot from what is hardly considered a wide-angle lens.

Leica Q - Review of the Leica Q (typ 116) - Image Samples and Hands-On First Impressions / June 13, 2015 by Benjamin Traves

The new Leica Q (product image via Leica Camera)

The new Leica Q is here, and I am planning on taking it out for a thorough evaluation this weekend... Sample images will be posted right here soon, as well as my impressions of the camera and how it works. The first image above is from Leica Camera, the rest are my own and may not be used or reproduced without my written permission. The Leica Q was borrowed from Leica Store Miami for this review, but all opinions expressed here are my own and I am not paid or endorsed by anyone to write this review.

The Leica Q has a 28mm fixed lens with 3 aspherical elements, f/1.7 lens, full-frame sensor, and a very nice built-in EVF (electronic viewfinder). Those are the most important specs, but I will elaborate in my review when I finish it.

The Q uses an existing battery from the V-LUX so you won't have trouble finding extras once you get the camera. Leica accessories are notoriously hard to come by, even months after a new camera comes out. At least you'll have a battery, but don't hold your breath for the half case, grip, or other add-ons. The grip is very nice, by the way, and I've been using it most of the time.

I will also include a comparison to other cameras, both from Leica and from other camera brands (looking at you, Sony RX1/R)

Below is the first sample image I'm posting from the Leica Q, and I think it speaks volumes about the capabilities of this camera. Very little was done to this file in Lightroom 6, honestly I spent about 30-45 seconds on it. I have personally shot with the new Monochrom, and the original Monochrom (one of my favorite cameras of all time in terms of image quality), and I think this file looks pretty good considering it's a conversion from color rather than a b&w raw file like the Monochroms produce.

Leica Q raw file converted to b&w in Lightroom 6 - Image ©2015, Benjamin Traves

This is a jpeg of the same image above, unprocessed and straight from the camera.

Above is the jpeg straight out of the camera (SOOC) for those of you interested in that. I always shoot raw (which is DNG format for most Leica cameras) but it is interesting to note that the Q, unlike the M and S, only offers RAW + JPEG mode, no mode with only DNG files, so if you are a raw shooter, you will get some bonus jpegs in there as well. No way to change that yet, but maybe a firmware update in the future will allow it (I'm just speculating about that, no idea if they will or not). Doesn't really bother me, but worth noting. In Lightroom, when you import you can just select the DNG files.

I found myself converting many of these test shots to black & white, and I definitely think the Q sensor is great for B&W.

And the lens can get quite close to your subject (especially compared with Leica M lenses which are generally 2.5-3 ft. minimum focus distance)

This was taken by my friend when I handed him the camera to have a look at it. He likes the macro mode. Raw file processed in Lightroom. This was shot handheld at 1/40th of a second, f/2.8 and ISO 400.

** This is a "rolling review" so I'll be adding new thoughts / impressions / opinions and of course more images as soon as I have time.

Lots of image samples coming soon...

Here are some low-light test images...

First one is at 12,500 ISO, with very minimal noise reduction done in Lightroom:

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Below are some "mobile uploads" via WiFi which is built into the Leica Q

All images below are jpeg transferred directly from the camera to my iPhone, processed in VSCO Cam and uploaded to my blog post, also from the phone.

Leica Q transfer via Wifi to my iPhone, then used VSCO Cam app and posted it to my blog from my phone... While eating amazing gelato from the new place next door.

Leica Q test image... Sent via Wifi to my iPhone and edited with VSCO Cam app, then posted from phone.

Apple Watch Review and Photos / April 25, 2015 by Benjamin Traves

The Apple Watches have arrived. Full review coming soon, but for now enjoy the first photos I took. This is the 38mm Sport version of the Apple Watch. Be sure to check back soon for more!

* Thank you Leica Store Miami for the cameras I used to take all of these photos and video clips.

This is a rolling review, meaning I will be adding my thoughts and updating all the time. I've had my watch for about a week now and what I find most interesting is that it feels like I've always had it, meaning it is so intuitive and seamlessly blends with my daily life that it doesn't feel at all out of place. I know it's new, but it's also very familiar and I really feel like I've worn it for years. I'll go into the technical details later, but for now I think my first impressions are more useful to anyone considering the Apple Watch.

More words soon, but for now, enjoy the photos!

Here's a slideshow with some of my first images of the brand new Apple Watch Sport:

Below is a 4K video clip which I shot on the Leica D-LUX (typ 109) - I will have a more complete video review in Ultra High Definition (4K) coming very soon, so be sure to follow my YouTube channel (or Vimeo) and stay in the loop!

Be sure to set the resolution to the highest possible before watching the video: