Sony A7II And Vintage Carl Zeiss 50mm In 2022! Is It Worth The Price.

[@patrickmckeag3215]

Great video. I bought a new A7iI in 2020. It's a great camera and was excellent value, as it only cost 1/2 the price of the a7III. I bought it partly to be able to shoot with vintage lenses. I love my a7II and have no regrets buying it. The kit lens is great for landscapes. I don't care about video, dual card slots and the bigger battery so the a7III was not worth 2X the price of the a7II for me.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment.

[@Daeva83B]

Bought mine in 2022 (it's now 2023) My first full frame camera. :) I have mixed feelings about the A7II (Full Frames in general). It's a great camera and if you know what you are doing and doing it correctly (light, composition, settings and simply knowing/understanding your own camera). Then it's an awesome camera!! I can (finally) produce amazing sharp pictures with a dynamic range, that i only could dream of before. At the same time, i'm looking at the newer version and all the improvements of those and it's something i definitely want, until i see the price tags. What i am learning now, about cameras. Is that a full frame camera is huge, heavy and it can become a very expensive hobby. So, in case some hobbyist reads this comment.. This is my warning for your decision of buying your first full frame camera. Yes, it is better then smaller sensors. But with a good apc-body and detachable lenses, how much better or worse compared to a full frame sensor is it really? It's shockingly, not that big of a difference. Plus it's smaller, lighter and less expensive. Just my few cents, for ya. Anyway, i half regret it. Because at the same time, i do enjoy the quality, clearity, dynamic range and etc, way too much. ;) Expensive hobby or not, it is the best camera that i have ever owned so far.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you so much for your comment and feedback based on your real world experiences. You bring up many great points. I'm glad that you are enjoying the benefits of the full frame camera even though it is larger and heavier. While the differences are small between apsc and full frame, they can be huge when you start printing your work large. I frequently print work at 30X45 inches or larger and at normal viewing distance the small differences really start to matter. If you do not print your work large, those differences are not exploited as much. I can tell you though with certainty, I have images in my portfolio that I shot with apcs sensor cameras that I would truly do almost anything to have had a larger format camera with me. I just couldn't afford it at the time. I remember when I switched from 35mm film to medium format (6X7) film. There is a huge difference in the results, even though sometimes it seems subtle. With anything there are tradeoffs. Size and weight are definitely considerations in that equation. Thank you again for the comment!

[@Bernard-ux2eb]

I scaled it all back recently, kept a few of the manual focus lenses I wanted and sold the rest (£9k in used Pentax out the door). Got it down to... Sony A7RIII Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/21 Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 Carl Zeiss Planar T* 1.4/85 Tomioka Cosina MC 1.2/55 Samyang AF 1.8/45 (So I have one AF lens, I love that focal length, had the Pentax FA 43mm Limited, epic lens) Done with having mountains of heavy gear. I recommend getting a pinky grip (non-battery grip), thick silicone skin and hot shoe mounted thumb rest for the Sony alpha body. Vastly improved ergonomics.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment and the tip on the pinky grip. Enjoy those lenses. Your keepers are a get set of lenses. I really love the 21 and 35 CZ's. I have used the 21 for a lot of night photography with outstanding results.

[@Bernard-ux2eb]

@@marshalljvanderhoofphoto The $10 silicone skin makes the most difference. Deeper grip and it takes all the sharp edges out. Much more comfortable. Also gives you more confidence to throw it about a bit.

[@Al_Prazolam]

Hi @@Bernard-ux2eb, I think I'll try your silicone skin idea with my a7ii. Do you recommend a particular brand, and will it work with the non-battery pinky grip you mentioned? Btw I use the same Samyang 1.8/45, it's a terrific AF lens for the money.

[@Bernard-ux2eb]

@@Al_Prazolam Look on AliExpress. $10. Make sure you get the thick one, about 2mm thick silicone. I have a MiniFocus L-bracket on with the silicon skin, works fine, in fact it tightens the whole thing up. The shutter release button works a charm too, raises it maybe 4mm to 5mm and with the hotshoe mounted thumb rest, altogether you have a completely different (and now comfortable) camera. All for small money.

[@RonaldPlett]

I have just purchased the a7r ii and with that a samyang 24mm f1.8 which was $350 usd and it can focus closer than the sony or the Viltrox and I'm very happy with my setup. Also just ordered the Viltrox 85mm f1.8 for $300

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Nice. The Samyang lenses are definitely a good option for the price. The optics are really good.

[@lucasthedukus]

Could you drop a video on your settings for the a7ii? My wife and I are new to full frame's (and digital) since we have only really shoot film for fun on our Canon AE-1's. Also any suggestions on first new glass for the a7ii to help level up my shots? Ive only ever used kit lenes.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment. I can definitely drop a video on my settings with the A7II. Thank you for the suggestion. I shot on a Canon AE1 for years, and I still have that camera. It was my dad's when I was younger. Glass ideas is very subjective. It would first and foremost depend on what type of photography you and your wife are most interested in. In general, I would say that a good 24-70 zoom is probably a great place to start. It gives you a lot of flexibility for many different types of shots from portraits to landscapes and more.

[@nocommentnoname1111]

Actually, this is a great combo for togs. I still have my a7 with the Zeiss.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment and your experience.

[@StarchildJohn]

Very good Video, good content and good presentation. Just one thing, you talk very slowly, 1.5x Speed feels natural to me. But else, great video.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the feedback, it is very helpful! Glad you found the content good.

[@4sapphireb]

As of 4 years ago the sensor has tapped out for photography. If you don’t need to shoot 1000 frames a second then this era is perfect.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment! Totally agree, and the A7II still shoots 5 frames per second which is pretty good for older technology.

[@sgpork]

well. image quality hasnt change much for the last 10 years or more. the only thing that changs is af speed and buffer of camera.. I have been using the a7rii for 7 years ( since launch till date i still have it) and just got the a7rv too. for still and landscape. both still do the job.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment and your experience. Totally agree with you that image quality really hasn't changed much over the last few years in digital cameras. The tech around that has improved like af, etc, but if you are using vintage lenses that does not matter that much. When I was assisting with a photographer, about 15 years ago, he said then that any of his digital cameras produced great images, and it was more about setting up the shot than the gear. He shot architecture interiors and exteriors. That always stuck with me. He had been shooting photog professionally since 1971.

[@creationd6097]

Very valuable video ❤

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you!

[@foodtravelentertainment4671]

Good Knoeledg Sony a7II Thanks for You

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thanks for watching

[@jingkoypanganiban2429]

I saw this camera a7ii sale €800 is it good for the price 2022 because I'm planning to buy it; I'm new photography and doing it for hobby portrait photography , so is this camera a7ii €800 is good for the price to buy, any suggestions please 🤔

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the question. I don't follow the euro prices as much as US pricing, but the A7ii is a great camera for someone getting started in photography. It has a lot of great features for it's price. Hope that is helpful.

[@prasenjitgautam]

Hey man, I bought mine last month and trust me it's a great camera for photography, with a 50mm f1.8 which costs like 200-230 pounds, the combination is crazy good.

[@prasenjitgautam]

Also another thing to note down is, if you're planning it for videography, which you didn't mention, I guess it is good to go with a7ii as I've been using it mainly for portraits. But for videography, nada.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

@@prasenjitgautam Totally agree. This is a great stills camera. The video specs are limited, not terrible, but there are better video cameras available in the the same price range.

[@joe-en5vh]

@@marshalljvanderhoofphoto what would you recommend?

[@kylesteinhauser2535]

How much is the lens?

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the question. I purchased mine years ago, but a quick search on the internet, I found a price range between $150 all the way to $800. Be leery of what buying one too cheap since it's used and you don't want to buy someone else's problems. That said $200 to $300 would probably get you a really nice good condition lens. If you wait and hunt and search you could probably find one for a little less than that.

[@kylesteinhauser2535]

@@marshalljvanderhoofphoto Thank you Marshall!

[@manjeetkahlon2839]

Bro a7s2 is good for photograohy...lowlight excilent image quality.. i want faimly photography.. i want lowlight photography camera.. please sugest me a7s2..a7ii .a7r2..... or any another camera in 2022... i want buy used camera 2hand market.. my budght 1300 usa dollor...

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment. For your budget should get any of those cameras and a couple lenses. The A7 S II is really the best low light camera of the bunch, but for family photography, the A7 II is probably the best happy medium. Any of the 3 would work great.

[@manjeetkahlon2839]

@@marshalljvanderhoofphoto i want faimly photography in lowlight and daylight..which body best for me in lowlight excilent imgae quality...if you were in my place what camera would you use? A7sii is good for photography stuning reuslt in raw format

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

@@manjeetkahlon2839 if it were me I would use the A7 II. I think it is great balance. It is really good in low light, but probably not quite as good as the A7S II. The A7 II has more pixels and will give more detail in your day time shots, but not as much quite as the A7r II. The A7 II's features takes from both the A7 sII and the A7r II and does many things well instead of just doing one thing outstanding. Using the A7 II regularly, I think it is a very versatile camera, that for the price has great features and provides amazing images.

[@renashbellrn]

A7c makes more sense

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for the comment. The A7c is a great little camera with a ton of features, but it is also 2X the price of the A7 II. Mostly comes down to your budget at that point I think.

[@svcreation9979]

Show motion

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Soon

[@Juventinos]

no way. it was a dud when i came out, it's still a dud now. legendary my arse, the A7 is a better camera than this one, and that's a dud as well.

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Thank you for your input.

[@grahamtv8207]

the quality of this video makes me want to never buy a sony camera

[@marshalljvanderhoofphoto]

Sorry that you feel that way.

[@PLANETWATERMELON]

@@marshalljvanderhoofphototroll!!! Ignore them.