Sony Reviews

First Impressions of the Sony a6300

15/02/2016 By Mathieu 20 Comments

Along with the new G Master lenses, we got the chance to see the Sony a6300 at the recent European Press Event in Amsterdam. Unfortunately it was only a pre-production model so we couldn’t take any pictures with it. However you can check out some official image samples on our Mirrorless Curation blog.

I won’t make this article too long since there are only a few things I was able to check out. Sony asked us not to leave the conference room with the camera so as you can imagine, testing was quite limited. I summarised all my thoughts in the hands-on video below. Further down, I’ll share the most interesting aspects of this camera.

The Sony A7r II In-Depth Review, Chapter II: The image quality “champion”

30/11/2015 By Mathieu 17 Comments

Last weekend I was invited by the Cambrian Photography store in Colwyn Bay to hold a 60 minute seminar about mirrorless cameras for their annual Winter Show. During my presentation I touched upon sensor specifications, emphasising that despite the difference in size and megapixel count, I’ve managed to achieve great results with all the cameras I’ve reviewed on MirrorLessons. I truly believe that today’s sensors are all capable of delivering excellent results, regardless of whether we are talking about 1-inch, Micro Four Thirds, APS-C or full-frame.

Of course, new technology always generates excitement: a new sensor with more megapixels or better low-light performance is always attractive on paper, even though it won’t necessarily improve our photography. Plus, when everyone is talking about a new technological development, it becomes more difficult to ignore.

Since its announcement in June, there has been an impressive amount of coverage about the Sony A7r mark II. I am guilty as charged as well since this article is the 9th I’ve published about the A7r II and is part of a long and in-depth review of the camera. Competitors have sat down in front of their computer to express their opinions, and heck, even Patrick from Fujirumors wrote a piece about this camera!

Celebrating Halloween with a true low-light “beast” – The Sony A7s II review

11/11/2015 By Mathieu 6 Comments

Testing a camera in the right environment and on the right occasion can definitely help you carry out a more complete analysis, even if you don’t spend that much time with it. This is what happened over this year’s Halloween weekend here in Wales. Given the great low-light capabilities of the first Sony A7s, there couldn’t have been a better chance to review its successor, the Sony A7s II!

Sony A7r II: compressed vs. uncompressed Raw and a firmware wish list

19/10/2015 By Mathieu 17 Comments

Today Sony released firmware update 2.0 for the Sony A7r mark II. It allows users to select the uncompressed Raw format, an option already available on the A7s II and RX1r II. The update (hopefully) brings to an end the long debate about the Sony A7 series having only a lossy compressed Raw file. There have been reports and discussions about artefacts you can get with these files but I have been testing A7 cameras since they were first released in late 2013 and in the real-world I have never found this to be a real issue. However I will always support a solution that gives more choice to the customer and satisfies the most demanding of users.

The Sony A7r II Review, Chapter I: The autofocus test

29/09/2015 By Mathieu 19 Comments

Cover photo shot with the A7r II and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 C

More than a month has gone by since I started using the A7r II intensively. My review is still a “work in progress” because there is a lot to say about this camera. Given the interest in and enthusiasm for Sony’s new flagship model, I decided to take my time to gather as much information as possible. I also decided to split my findings into several articles rather than publishing only one so as to avoid making the article too long.