Brand change and only one lens...

[Othon A. Leon]

Dear experts, this is my first post. I'm moving from a whole Canon life, to Sony (first, I hope it's the right move). I only do photo, not video. 1. This time I want lightness. Getting old and lazy, so tired of carrying my Canon equipment around. 2. IMO, Canon is a making a mistake with the way they are managing lenses, OR I just don't like it. Two questions for you, please: 1. Is the AC7 the right choice to my purpose? And 2. If money was not an issue, what general purpose lens should I pick? Fixed or Zoom? Thank you!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Welcome!
The A7C is indeed the most compact full frame Sony you can get, but many photographers knock it for the small rangefinder style EVF, a compromise for its compactness. As someone used to the APSC lineup, I would have no problem upgrading to that camera body, but your preferences may vary.

As for lens, the full-frame users will chime in soon. I like the look of that Tamron 28-75 f2.8 G2 though.

 

[spudhead]

Dear experts, this is my first post. I'm moving from a whole Canon life, to Sony (first, I hope it's the right move). I only do photo, not video. 1. This time I want lightness. Getting old and lazy, so tired of carrying my Canon equipment around. 2. IMO, Canon is a making a mistake with the way they are managing lenses, OR I just don't like it. Two questions for you, please: 1. Is the AC7 the right choice to my purpose? And 2. If money was not an issue, what general purpose lens should I pick? Fixed or Zoom? Thank you!

First welcome and next you will need to add some detail ie what do you take photos of maybe an idea of budget would help members help you, I am not familiar with the a7c

 

[Brownie]

As with any small body, you may find that it doesn't balance well with full frame lenses. If your goal is size and weight and this is a hobby, you may want to steer toward an APS-C sensor, for which the lenses are considerably smaller.

 

[Jeff A]

Well, If I could have only one lens (OMG, what a nightmare!) I would be forced to use my FE 24-105. On the other hand, the lens that lives on my camera most of the time is my Sony 20mm Prime. I'm becoming a Prime lens lover. This article, Best Lens choices for Sony Full Frame Cameras is something you should really view. It's a bit long, but very thorough. Good luck and welcome to the Forum.

 

[Reciprocum]

Dear experts, this is my first post. I'm moving from a whole Canon life, to Sony (first, I hope it's the right move). I only do photo, not video. 1. This time I want lightness. Getting old and lazy, so tired of carrying my Canon equipment around. 2. IMO, Canon is a making a mistake with the way they are managing lenses, OR I just don't like it. Two questions for you, please: 1. Is the AC7 the right choice to my purpose? And 2. If money was not an issue, what general purpose lens should I pick? Fixed or Zoom? Thank you!

A7C is not the right choice if you plan to use flash (x-Sync speed is only 1/160s) or shoot in bright outdoors (max shutter speed 1/4000s), other than that it really is the right entry point to the Sony FE FF mount system and a notch above any APS-C body in low-light situations (the one reason that pushed me to move out of cropped sensors 3 years ago).

 

[Othon A. Leon]

As with any small body, you may find that it doesn't balance well with full frame lenses. If your goal is size and weight and this is a hobby, you may want to steer toward an APS-C sensor, for which the lenses are considerably smaller.

Like which system do you have in mind, please?

 

[Brownie]

If I were looking at APS-C as my prime shooter and I wanted a Sony, I'd look at the A6600. There are guys on here more versed than am I in the features of each. They'd be better at specific advice for each model. But if the key is size, the best way to reduce kit size is with smaller lenses, and APS-C will get you there.

 

[Othon A. Leon]

If I were looking at APS-C as my prime shooter and I wanted a Sony, I'd look at the A6600. There are guys on here more versed than am I in the features of each. They'd be better at specific advice for each model. But if the key is size, the best way to reduce kit size is with smaller lenses, and APS-C will get you there.

Great advice! I'll check that out, yes! Thanks.

 

[Othon A. Leon]

A7C is not the right choice if you plan to use flash (x-Sync speed is only 1/160s) or shoot in bright outdoors (max shutter speed 1/4000s), other than that it really is the right entry point to the Sony FE FF mount system and a notch above any APS-C body in low-light situations (the one reason that pushed me to move out of cropped sensors 3 years ago).

Very interesting, indeed. And yes, moving out of cropped sensors (I mean, other than my pocket point and shoot camera) is one of my main reasons, however the A7C is not as small as I thought (I like it, though). By the way, I don't use flash (at all). I do have it now, and still hesitant between getting married to the Sony ecosystem or sticking to the Canon's one... decisions, decisions.

 

[Othon A. Leon]

If I were looking at APS-C as my prime shooter and I wanted a Sony, I'd look at the A6600. There are guys on here more versed than am I in the features of each. They'd be better at specific advice for each model. But if the key is size, the best way to reduce kit size is with smaller lenses, and APS-C will get you there.

Thank you. I went to look at those a coupe, of days ago. Thew size is fantastic, yes.

 

[Othon A. Leon]

Well, If I could have only one lens (OMG, what a nightmare!) I would be forced to use my FE 24-105. On the other hand, the lens that lives on my camera most of the time is my Sony 20mm Prime. I'm becoming a Prime lens lover. This article, Best Lens choices for Sony Full Frame Cameras is something you should really view. It's a bit long, but very thorough. Good luck and welcome to the Forum.

Thank you! I'll read it right away...

 

[Reciprocum]

Sony RX1R is also a rarely mentioned option for those who seek max IQ with min clutter

The best full-frame compact cameras in 2024: a short list, but a great one!

These pocket-size cameras boast a full-frame sensor so there's no need to compromise on size or quality

www.digitalcameraworld.com

 

[Othon A. Leon]

Sony RX1R is also a rarely mentioned option for those who seek max IQ with min clutter

The best full-frame compact cameras in 2024: a short list, but a great one!

These pocket-size cameras boast a full-frame sensor so there's no need to compromise on size or quality

www.digitalcameraworld.com

This list is a beauty. Thanks very much for suggesting it! I love the Q2 and the Sony, you are right. I wonder if the price of the Leicas is worth it? What do you think?

 

[Reciprocum]

This list is a beauty. Thanks very much for suggesting it! I love the Q2 and the Sony, you are right. I wonder if the price of the Leicas is worth it? What do you think?

With the wider and faster 28mm f1.7 optics the Q2 seems to be the more versatile option, although for the price I would definitively go with an ILC kit instead.

 

[Brownie]

This list is a beauty. Thanks very much for suggesting it! I love the Q2 and the Sony, you are right. I wonder if the price of the Leicas is worth it? What do you think?

If you want to be able to change lenses, pass on the RX. It's a FF Point-n-Shoot. The lens is fixed.

 

[MichaelInOr]

Dear experts, this is my first post. I'm moving from a whole Canon life, to Sony (first, I hope it's the right move). I only do photo, not video. 1. This time I want lightness. Getting old and lazy, so tired of carrying my Canon equipment around. 2. IMO, Canon is a making a mistake with the way they are managing lenses, OR I just don't like it. Two questions for you, please: 1. Is the AC7 the right choice to my purpose? And 2. If money was not an issue, what general purpose lens should I pick? Fixed or Zoom? Thank you!

NOPE! The A7C would DEFINITELY not be my first choice for a compact take anywhere camera that has the capability of giving you results far superior to a cell phone!

1) The A7C body is compact but full frame lenses are big and heavy. If you want compact and light weight look at APS or M4/3 systems.
2) If you want a small take anywhere package for quick candid shots I would highly recommend getting a body with a built in flash. I can't count the number of candid shots I have missed or have turned out sub par due to not being able to flip up the built in flash for an instant touch of fill flash. I carry a little Metz compact flash with me for such situations but pulling out, mounting and activating the hotshoe flash is not compatible with fleeting candid moments. The Sony A6600 does not have a built in flash either so I would rule it out too. The 6500 and 6400 have built in flashes.
3) Eye autofocus. This has been a game changer for me. I get photos with much more punch with perfectly focused eyes instantly without having to focus then reframe.
4) REAL TIME eye autofocus tracking while shooting multiple frames. For me this is a way over hyped worthless feature for the way "I" shoot. In the year I have owned my A7RIV I have never come close to any situation where I have needed to pop off 20 frames while the subject is running at me in a zig-zag pattern. If this is a situation that is frequent to your style of shooting then by all means get the best continuous eye AF that you can find... but first ask yourself if this is relevant to your style of shooting (do you plan on shooting a lot of sports?)
5) Lens ecosystem. I don't need a system that has every imaginable lens available for it all I need is the lenses I will buy and use. If you are a pro and frequently rent special lenses for special event the lens ecosystem should be of concern to you.... if not just make sure the lenses you will actually purchase and use are available.
6) Full frame. What are you shooting and in what situations do you think full frame will be more of an advantage that will overcome the size and weight penalty?
7) How do you view your photos? Do you ever print your photos? If so then how big do you usually print?

You really need to analyze the type of photography you do. If you can share more information about how you shoot we can make better recommendations for cameras to consider. If your primary goal is a general purpose camera with capabilities over the typical cell phone the A7C is not the body I would purchase or the system I would invest in. I would seriously look at the M4/3 systems (of which I am very ignorant). The Sony RX100 is another camera capable of results far superior to any cell phone with an incredible lens engineered to mesh perfectly with the rest of the camera. I can almost guarantee you that you will have a RX100 on you in places that you would never consider carrying a full frame camera!

An A7 III in your pocket: Sony's RX100 VI rocks AF with eye-tracking and a crazy 24-200mm zoom

Sony shoehorns a 24-200mm zoom lens into the compact RX100 Mark VI form factor. See our Sony RX100 VI review for all the details!

www.imaging-resource.com