Sony I miss a viewfinder

KevJake

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Location
Dorset UK
Name
Kev
Hi All...

I'm off to Jersey (UK), for a short vacation soon and have found myself checking out the Sony A7R along with the Fuji X-T1. Each time trying to match the bodies with a stellar 35mm prime realizing what I'm trying to achieve each time is the same as what I have in the RX1 but with the advantage of a viewfinder.

So have decided to order the Sony EVF for my next trip, I've read a lot of reviews and opinions etc but would like to hear from long term users of the duo. How they've got on with the EVF? Did it add a awkward bulk to the user experience? did you find it a delicate appendage to the camera? Was it a overall improvement etc and will it cure my G.A.S? lol

Thanks...Kev
 
I wouldn't call it delicate, but it is a bit awkward. I think you can adapt and over come this, though... it really is a great view (with a bit tighter sweet spot than the A7/R)!
 
Without the EVF or a lens hood or a grip, the camera feels really small, almost like a point and shoot but for the bulk of the lens. With the EVF it feels like a bit more of a camera - far from DSLR size, but something you know you have in your hand. I personally enjoy the RX1 more with the EVF and a grip (Fotodiox in my case) and with a lens hood for protection so I can walk around without the cap on. At that point, it feels kind of like an EM5 or G5 or something with a small to medium sized prime lens. I don't think it feels unwieldy or delicate or in any way bad, but it does change the remarkably casual look and feel of the camera into something more business-like, for lack of a better way to say it. I'd say get it - it's such an amazing little camera you may as well use it to it's fullest. And unlike the A7 or XT1, it can be there when you want it, even it that's almost always, but come off for those occasions when the smaller form factor might matter.

And remember, a lot of people who have had GAS chase them away from the RX1 later come back to it because it's such a wonderful little camera. I don't feel the XT1 is in it's class (no matter how good the 23mm f1.4 is - and it's REALLY good!). And while the A7 is closer (at least sharing the awesome sensor) I think it's a generation or two and another couple of really good lenses away from really coming into it's own.

-Ray
 
honestly, this camera is for s#%t without the vf and grip. these totally, and i mean totally, transform the user experience from c%#p to awesome. and get the hood, ditch the stupid lens cover. it almost doesnt fit, and certainly aint worth the thought trouble when youre 'in the groove'. it actually prevents 'in the groove'.

theres more to a camera than resolution, mps etc. really. REALLY. sony gets end results but cant grasp the 'in between'. victor borge once said its not how you play the piano, its how you deal with the 'spaces in between' the notes. or some such thing.
 
Hmmmmm.... the grip is nice, but i never found it necessary. Same for the viewfinder.... it is exceptional, but for me and my big nose, it got in the way so I only used it when I needed it. I ended up selling the viewfinder before the camera.

And the lens cover....... the big, beautiful heavy tank of lens cap......LOVED it.......makes me wanna re-get the camera again, frankly.

So it's definitely different strokes for different folks. The camera is so great, there is no way to mess it up. Just my 2 cents.
 
I have a filter and hood and never used the lens cap again, also have the evf and it's a Godsend however, there's a fractional delay when puting your eye to it that I find irritating. The eye sensor is very sensitive and if your eye isn't glued to the evf, it goes black and then there's that slight delay before it light up again. Depends how you use your camera. I sold a perfectly good Ricoh GR simply because it didn't offer a decent evf and without it I really was just pointing and praying :)
 
to expand on my kinda tongue in cheek flippant post, well im just one of those people who finds no enjoyment from using a camera w/o a vf, and i'd much rather be able to wrap my fimgers around something than feel a no resistance, what do they call it, 'soap bar'. and while the cap is indeed a pleasing first rate heavy feel, i simply cannot find an easy way to just snap it on without a whole bunch of playing around. personal differences aside, and while none of them are necessarily necessary, these three items really do transform the experience.
 
It's kind of funny the way my use of the RX1 has changed since I started shooting with a D610. For most of a year and a half, the RX1 was kind of my main camera - it and the Coolpix A. When I went shooting I had one or both of those and only occasionally something longer or wider also. Since the Coolpix just is what it is and shoots like it shoots (which is wonderful, but it's not the kind of camera you raise to your eye or are necessarily deliberate with), the RX1 was sort of my "proper" camera. And I pretty much always shot it with the EVF, hood, grip and wore it on some sort of over the shoulder strap. And it felt like a fairly typical mirrorless camera (tiny DSLR simulator) but with stunning results.

Now I have the same sensor in the D610 for that kind of "proper" camera look and feel and self-perception (which seems to matter, whether it should or not). That camera pretty much REQUIRES shooting through the OVF, a full strap, and it comes with a hell of a grip built in. So with that role covered, the RX1 has taken on a different role. And now I have a wrist strap on it and often take it out without ANYTHING on it but the lens hood (so I can carry it around without having to constantly remove and replace the cap. I love the cap, but lens caps were given to us by a kind and loving god only to be used before and after shooting, not between shots! And the camera still produces the same stunning results, but my shooting experience and attitude has changed quite a bit with it since the big man (D610) joined the band (hey, I'm on the Joisey Shore for five weeks - Bruce references just insert themselves - I'm powerless against them!). It's a much more whimsical and relaxed type of shooting. I rather like this change. The big Nikon is not just an amazing camera in it's own right - it's also exposed another really nice side of the RX1, one I'd pretty much ignored up until now...

By all means, if you like shooting with a viewfinder, get the stinking EVF - DON'T get rid of the camera over it! But remember, it's not the ONLY way to shoot with this little guy...

-Ray
 
thats certainly a good point. the rx1 is my 'main squeeze' so to speak, my go to. i,m a 35mm fov guy, so that fits me perfectly. i,m also a cropper, and rhe IQ is so stunning i can easily crop to portrait FOV without noticeable resolution loss, so i feel like ive got a zoom too. and as opposed to my now-gone x100, i wanted something more substantial (see nice big lens and really right stuff grip) as my main camera.

for those times i dont want to carry over the shoulder i just got a leica c 112--thats pocketable with a vf! so yeah, i guess how you use a tool in your arsenal will shape its shape. on the other hand some folks just really like a vf. ):
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys, really appreciated!

Ray I hear you, I've read a few forums about folk returning to the RX1 after GAS and must say I never considered parting with it myself. But keeping and financing another system would be a huge indulgence for me. Especially when the fix is a fraction of the cost considering the lens, sensor of the RX1 works for me so well anyways.

I've not looked at the grip before so will check that out thanks. Amazon UK have the Fotodiox for a fair price.

I have a after market circular lens hood that incidentally fits into the Sony LCJ-RXBC case without having to take it off. They must of made that bloody expensive case! to accommodate their own lens hood too. Nice compact case though for taking out say in the evening when you don't want to be bogged down with a bag.

I received the EVF today, my thoughts...

Well made, nice case, clicks into position securely, can't see me knocking it off unless I deserved it. Smaller than I imagined. Looks Good! What the hell to do with these little plastic blanks lol!

Nice clear view with all the info there, it does kind of flicker a little Christilou I agree but not always which is weird. The eye sensor seems to work ok with me so far.

It defiantly helps to completes this little camera though.

Funny thing though now that I have it I know it won't always be on the camera. When I'm out and about doing my stuff I'll have it in my bag and use it a lot but when lower key situations call for it the RX1 will remain small and forgettable as it were.

So kind of a good set up for me, I'll test it out in the next couple of weeks, thanks again for all your thoughts!

PS rbelyell I know what you mean about the lens cap! I didn't want to loose the metal cap when out and about so bought the Sony ALC-F49 from Amazon for a few quid. Works a treat and works much better than the original. One push and click and its secure every time, no more catching the lip wrong and trying again. It's always on the lens now with a spare in my bag just in case.
 
good luck! an often overlooked feature of the evf is its articulating, and in bright sun or when needing to be discreet (like street shooting) using it as a waist level finder is awesome.
 
A7 & 2.8 35mm & 1.8 55mm about USD 3k, weather sealing and EVF included. RX1 & EVF About USD 3k. With EVF the RX1 is as "bulky" as the A7 & 35mm.
 
The EVF is a must-have, in my opinion. It is a bit goofy sitting up there (oh how I wish it was built in), but having it saved my ass on our recent trip to France, when the main LCD died. I could still take photos, and actually learned to enjoy NOT having the LCD to check every shot. It was somewhat liberating. Almost like shooting film again!
 
good luck! an often overlooked feature of the evf is its articulating, and in bright sun or when needing to be discreet (like street shooting) using it as a waist level finder is awesome.

Exactly this. I loooove the articulating viewfinder. It is just so incognito, most of the time people have no idea you're taking a photo - I find this super useful with friends, as they're always on the lookout for me to take a picture... and even after all these years of reinforcing the opposite, they always want to strike a pose lol
 
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