I can never resist a good Steve Huff camera test. This is a man with enthusiasm writ large and I often wonder how he manages to keep so cheery and positive about any task in hand. If he doesn’t like something, of course he will say so. But Wow! if he likes a camera or lens get ready for the superlatives. So it is with the new shoot-in-a-coal-hole Sony A7s, the crazy camera that turns ISO sensitivities into lottery wins. This is the camera that can shoot up to 400,000 ISO, although Steve reminds us that only around 102,000 of this is actually usable. But what the heck, 102k? I can still remember the Leica M9 that got in a hissy fit at 1600 ISO.
Steve has produced some excellent work from the A7s which is now his new best friend, his all-time greatest. Steve, I know, has his critics. But his enthusiasm is infectious and I respect his conclusions. It’s almost impossible to read his A7s review and not want to place an order immediately.
The arrival of the A7s, with its retro-sounding 12MP sensor, quiet shutter and unfeasibly low-light performance comes at a sensitive time for me. After months of testing other cameras I returned this week to the Sony A7r which I have now had for over six months. I have been trying it out with the most unlikely of lenses, the Leica 28-70mm Vario-Elmar-R, and managing to rekindle my enthusiasm along the way. It really is a lovely camera and so small for a full-frame sensor. Steve’s reception of the A7s has done nothing to dampen my ardour—on the contrary it has created a spark of lust that could end in an upgrade. Get thee behind me, Huff.
Only problem with Sony is that things move at blitzkrieg pace. No sooner have you paid the credit card bill than there’s a better model on the dealer’s shelf. I suppose this is the penalty we pay for the benefits of modern technology.
