[osv]

So let me get this straight...

These adapters (non aperture on adapter) can use MF A lenses, using the Aperture control on the lens itself.

These adapters (aperture control) can use a lens like the 35mm 2.4 (no aperture control), with the adapter manually changing the aperture.
-if yes: How do you know what Aperture you are at?

you calculate the aperture, based on exposure, then mark it on the adapter ring... it's fairly simple, and if if you do it right, there is no question what aperture you are using.

plus, it's a clickless aperture control, which is preferred if you are shooting video... without any electrical communication, you'd be relying on the wysiwg evf and/or the live histogram for exposure, which works pretty well... you can't do reliable exposure on the fly with an ovf camera... ovf displays are stone-age technology.

i wouldn't be looking at any ff body with the idea that all ff lens that you own now will work perfectly on ff, because if you are a pixel-peeper, you'll be severely disappointed... the cheap 35/2.4, for instance, that is such a cool bargain, shows significant field curvature even on a crop sensor, see the heie review: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/290043-da-3...ew-posted.html

flip side to that is that you can shoot any lens that's ever been made on an e-mount camera, so you can cherry-pick the best glass from all manufacturer's lineups.

[edgedemon]

At the risk of feeling really disloyal, I might be going for a A7 seeing as they are just so cheap now.
Im in the market for a zoom lens, and if I go for the 16-85, that will be around the 500 mark. If Im spending that, I could get an a7 + kit zoom for 800.
Im actually tempted by this as I could use some of my manual glass as well on it using an adapter.


How have my fellow Pentaxians found actually using the a7 after the nice ergonomics that we have become accustomed to.

[clackers]

.


How have my fellow Pentaxians found actually using the a7 after the nice ergonomics that we have become accustomed to.

Pretty bad, IMHO.

The A7 II is larger and I'm sure better to handle but a different league price wise.

[osv]

At the risk of feeling really disloyal, I might be going for a A7 seeing as they are just so cheap now.

camera bodies come and go, but good glass is forever, so you'll still be loyal to the great pentax lenses that you have.

How have my fellow Pentaxians found actually using the a7 after the nice ergonomics that we have become accustomed to.

my old k10d feels like i'm holding a brick in my hand, the only thing that i miss about it is the shutter button.

i've never been able to discern where the half-press af function would be on my a7r shutter? it must be there because people don't complain about it, but the shutter feels cheap.

the location of the video record button is under the palm of your hand, imagine what it would be like if that was the shutter button... major ergonomic faux pas, that really brings the suck.

the other big problem is the hard eyecup around the evf, i stretched a bigger soft nikon eyecup around it, because it blocks out more light.

if you are buying your a7 from b&h, click thru to the site from any one of the b&h links here.

[Mikesul]

My experience is with the A7ii. This is more expensive than the A7 is right now but it is a significantly better camera. The grip and SR make it feel much like a K-3. I am really in a quandary. I love Pentax lenses and ergonomics but the A7II is just a wonderful camera. I am not sure that for most shots there is much difference between the pictures if produces and the ones I get from my K-3 and K-3ii but the very usable Live View and excellent EVF make it very tempting. I will have to make a choice between systems soon since it is insane to have both but the decision will be hard. I will probably stay with Pentax because I have so many fine k-mount lenses and, especially, out of sentiment after using Pentax equipment for almost 40 years. It would be easier to decide if we had better information on specs, price and release date for the Pentax FF. By the way, I much prefer the EVF despite a few limitations. It has made my manual lenses sing again they way they did with the MX. It is so much easier to focus quickly and accurately with the EVF than even with a Katzeye screen. My M*300 almost rivals my DA*300 when it is on the A7ii because it focuses so quickly and accurately. Sony equipment is not inexpensive and it looks like that is the direction they are headed with most of their new lenses. None of those lenses are better, in any significant way, than their Pentax equivalents.

[edgedemon]

My experience is with the A7ii. This is more expensive than the A7 is right now but it is a significantly better camera. The grip and SR make it feel much like a K-3. I am really in a quandary. I love Pentax lenses and ergonomics but the A7II is just a wonderful camera. I am not sure that for most shots there is much difference between the pictures if produces and the ones I get from my K-3 and K-3ii but the very usable Live View and excellent EVF make it very tempting. I will have to make a choice between systems soon since it is insane to have both but the decision will be hard. I will probably stay with Pentax because I have so many fine k-mount lenses and, especially, out of sentiment after using Pentax equipment for almost 40 years. It would be easier to decide if we had better information on specs, price and release date for the Pentax FF. By the way, I much prefer the EVF despite a few limitations. It has made my manual lenses sing again they way they did with the MX. It is so much easier to focus quickly and accurately with the EVF than even with a Katzeye screen. My M*300 almost rivals my DA*300 when it is on the A7ii because it focuses so quickly and accurately. Sony equipment is not inexpensive and it looks like that is the direction they are headed with most of their new lenses. None of those lenses are better, in any significant way, than their Pentax equivalents.

Thank you Mike, that is really helpful and is exactly what I wanted to hear as a long time LBA sufferer, Im looking forward to buying something that will enable me to use all the glass I own...

[Rupert]

I have been tempted by the Sony A7 line for some time.....although I'm certain I will not succumb. I am not skilled enough to take advantage of what I already have most of the time...and am too lazy to make myself learn more.

However...this is a nice thread with some very good and interesting information....thank you guys for what you have posted...and done it all in a gentlemanly and businesslike manner! Very refreshing to see that!

Regards from an old squirrel shooter!

[rawr]

As an aside, I was using my K-3 with manual Pentax glass (A 35-105) the other day for an evening gig, using just the viewfinder to [attempt] focus, and for the whole shoot totally forgot that the K-3 had pretty decent focus peaking in LiveView, so I struggled with the optical viewfinder.

I was kicking myself while I was shooting for not bringing my NEX-F3 (w. external EVF) and a K adapter, and taking advantage of the excellent NEX focus peaking to help me focus. But when i got home and practised a bit with the K-3's LiveView and the same lens, I was reminded how it actually works OK, and while the NEX would have been a tad better for the task, the K-3 focus peaking could have done a creditable job.

The biggest problem with focus peaking on either the K-3 or the NEX is the horrible degradation of the screen image/EVF when the light gets really low. Which is when you need the focus peaking the most as a manual focus aid. The focus peaking outline becomes almost impossible to see due to digital screen noise on my NEX or the K-3. Are the EVF's in the A7's any better?

[osv]

the external evf for the nex-f3 and the a7 series evf both have the same 2359K dots resolution spec?

not sure what would be different between these evf's, but the ff a7 cameras should be better in low-light, and therefore feed a cleaner signal to the evf?

i can get clean focus peaking at iso25,600, in both the evf and the lcd, but of course evf is the way to go... i have focus peaking set at the lowest setting, with the evf set for b&w.

[rawr]

the external evf for the nex-f3 and the a7 series evf both have the same 2359K dots resolution spec?

Yes, it's the same EVF. 2,539,296 dots, XGA OLED etc. (What I like about it over a built-in EVF like the A6000, A7 etc is that I can tilt it up 90 degrees, which is sometimes handy).

You are probably right that a cleaner feed to the EVF may be possible from a larger sensor, just as it would be to the sensor. I'll have to check out a A7 one day at a store.

[Sliver-Surfer]

this one was brought up about 2 1/4 steps iso 500 taken with Vivitar Series 1 70-250mm 3.5 on th A7 . you can see there is a fair amount of color noise in the darkest areas. but not too bad for 2.25 steps

[Sliver-Surfer]

here's some earlier that morning with K5 2.8/100mm macro iso 400 pushed 2 1/4 for comparison
I think pentax pushes better.

[Sliver-Surfer]

Finally here are 2 with no exposure changes and both at 1000 iso First one the k5 with Pentax-f 2.8 100mm Macro second one the A7 with Vivitar series 1 70-210mm 3.5 22xxxxx. You can see without being pushed the A7 wins on the noise and posterization and sharpness not to mention the K5 has a $400 lens and the A7 has a lens that can be had for less than $100.

[stillshot2]

but not too bad for 2.25 steps

Thanks for the samples! I don't think I have ever pushed more than 1.5 stops in post process, so I may be ok with the a7 since it already looks great at iso 1000. I rarely if ever find a situation where I had to go over iso 3200.

I have really been eyeing the a7 these days to go along with my K30 because I keep remembering the good things about my efv based Sony a55, such as the flip screen and the focus zoom function. I once used the a55 in a concert setting similar to the photos seen above, and with a fast prime attached I was able to get many crisp shots manually focusing despite the low light levels. From what I have seen demoing an a7 in a dimly lit local store the a7 has significant less evf noise during live view playback.

I really miss a flip screen due to the fact you can hold the camera waist level and look down on it like a TLR camera, and see exactly what your exposure will be. It seems like an "amateurish" way to hold a camera but I have gotten some incredible shots due to the subject not being nervous or even realizing I am getting ready to take their photo. And the perspective of the camera held at my waist is more pleasing most of the time, especially when taking photos of children (probably because I am a tall guy). It is nice to not have to take a knee to get down to their level. Don't get me wrong pentaprism viewfinders are great and have their advantages, but for some reason holding a camera up to your face can really make some people nervous! I felt like my efv Sony a55 and my DSLR Sony a330 camera combo I used in the past really complimented each other. For now I will await the release of the Pentax full frame before I jump aboard the a7 wagon, but if new a7 drops to super low prices this upcoming holiday season I may not be able to resist!

[Sliver-Surfer]

I also used 2 flashes on PIXEL KING wireless triggers bounced off some big silver pillers at the sidestage for contrast control on the A7 shots to fill in shadows but not remove the ambient lighting.