X-T1 vs Sony A7 original

[benjaminthomson]

I've been doing a fair few tests the last few days as I work out which direction to go in for my professional work as far as investing further in a system (not a brand loyalist at all but I love pretty much everything about the X-series). I've always assumed the Sony A7 series had better image quality, but wanted to be sure rather than go on gut feeling before I invest in a bunch more lenses (obviously prefer the feel and ergonomics of the Fujis).

 

These results are obviously subjective to my workflow. I use lightroom, it's perfect for me and not interested in any other raw converters. VSCO is also a big part of my workflow.

 

The results:

 

Sony wins

• Detail, thanks to the extra megapixels and lightroom still having the 'waxing' issue with Fuji raw files for fine details like brickwork etc.

• Highlight roll-off - something extremely important to me for subtle changes in skintone that tend to sit near the top of the histogram.

• Colour Depth, it's a subtle difference but noticeable in the red channel and skintones again.

• Iso, both are pretty shithouse from 3200 and up from my point of view, but that's all I really need anyway. The Sony has a slight edge in the mid-isos from 1250 - 2000. Hard to explain, but the Sony seems to cope in poor, flat light better in my experience, whilst the Fujis really need good light to shine (not always available on quick location shoots).

 

Fuji wins

Dynamic Range by a solid margin - you really have to push your luck to get either of these cameras to blow out highlights or clip shadows, but for me, the x-t1 had an edge, at any iso (see top windows in screenshot).

 

 

Obviously there are a whole new generation of Sony A7s that probably kill the X-T1 for dynamic range, but the value plus the lack of native lenses available means I'll be keeping my X-T1 for work stuff as well as play for at least another year. I could still be tempted by the cropability of the Sonys though. Looking forward to the improvements that the next gen of X-Series bring too.

 

Also worth mentioning that you can buy the 56 and 90mm for the price of the batis 85mm if you shop around.

 

In conclusion, all I've really learnt is that no camera or system is perfect and if you're looking over the fence, you're just distracting yourself from taking great photos.

 

 

[Merde]

Sony wins

• Detail, thanks to the extra megapixels and lightroom still having the 'waxing' issue with Fuji raw files for fine details like brickwork etc.

 

You might just switch to CaptureOne to fix that issue.

[benjaminthomson]

You might just switch to CaptureOne to fix that issue.

 

I don't really enjoy using CaptureOne, as stated earlier in the post I also like to use VSCO as a starting point. In general though, if I have to process 100 odd photos for a shoot, I personally find Lightroom a lot more faster and intuitive. I sometimes use CaptureOne if I'm working on one hero image and really need to avoid the waxing artefacts. 

[milandro]

 

In conclusion, all I've really learnt is that no camera or system is perfect and if you're looking over the fence, you're just distracting yourself from taking great photos.

 

 

 

 

words of wisdom, can we make of these words alone a sticky? 

[r_kt]

I sold my A7.  I bought it on a whim when it was on sale a few months back. I would like to have kept it for video purposes, but couldn't support a third camera just for ad hoc video.

 

I got rid of it for pure size of the sony system and the portfolio of glass on XF vs FE.  14, 23, 35, 56, 90...it's hard to beat those on any system. Sony will be upping it's game in 2016 though.  I also like the Fuji JPEGs better.  It's a dream to shoot SOOC JPEGs and just be done for the most part.

 

My workflow is Iridient Developer>TIFF>Lightroom w/ VSCO

 

and yes to this:

 

...

 

In conclusion, all I've really learnt is that no camera or system is perfect and if you're looking over the fence, you're just distracting yourself from taking great photos.

 

 

[darknj]

Before getting the X-T1, I was considering the Sony A7 series too, but at the time the mix of lack of lenses and the outrageous prices for them along kinda medium level of IQ kept me from getting into the eco-system.

 

Later on, we got more lenses, even more pricier but there was a good reason for them to be and the camera bodies also got MUCH better.

 

If I didn't got into Fuji and was still looking for something for myself, Sony might have won me over. I still keep an eye on the system just for curiosity sake and hope that I won't get a case of nasty GAS one day.

[immo_p]

I see the pictures of both constantly, since I use X-T1 and my girlfriend has the A7 (1st gen)...my impressions:

 

Both have their strong pros and cons and the images have a different character, not only due to the different sensor sizes.

 

- Sony tends to look a bit warmer.

- I disagree in regards to the ISO performance - noise is already more visible at lower ISO and looks less "elegant" than in Fuji.

- I agree with the highlight rolloff performance and level of detail of the Sony, plus RAWs need very little sharpening in comparison.

- Also, the Sony looks a bit more balanced in terms of exposure without manual adjustments.

 

- The Fuji excels with better usability, lots of dynamic range and room for shadow/highlight recovery, way better AF performance and a great low ISO performance. I can still live with ISO 6400 results.

- Still have the feeling the Fuji needs more light/ higher ISO to achieve a similar shutter speed in identical conditions (see your pic, I'm sure there is a scientific explanation...sensor size? Lens diameter?).

- Colors and skin tones feel a bit colder by default, even with identical WB.

- I need to be more disciplined not to overexpose bright areas with my XT-1

- Great JPGs, if WB is correct.

 

Both are great...just need a different treatment/approach. For me personally, the Fuji is simply more intuitive to shoot and I love the results. Will be interesting how the new generations (A7 II and X-Pro II) perform in comparison.

[benjaminthomson]

I see the pictures of both constantly, since I use X-T1 and my girlfriend has the A7 (1st gen)...my impressions:

 

Both have their strong pros and cons and the images have a different character, not only due to the different sensor sizes.

 

- Sony tends to look a bit warmer.

- I disagree in regards to the ISO performance - noise is already more visible at lower ISO and looks less "elegant" than in Fuji.

- I agree with the highlight rolloff performance and level of detail of the Sony, plus RAWs need very little sharpening in comparison.

- Also, the Sony looks a bit more balanced in terms of exposure without manual adjustments.

 

- The Fuji excels with better usability, lots of dynamic range and room for shadow/highlight recovery, way better AF performance and a great low ISO performance. I can still live with ISO 6400 results.

- Still have the feeling the Fuji needs more light/ higher ISO to achieve a similar shutter speed in identical conditions (see your pic, I'm sure there is a scientific explanation...sensor size? Lens diameter?).

- Colors and skin tones feel a bit colder by default, even with identical WB.

- I need to be more disciplined not to overexpose bright areas with my XT-1

- Great JPGs, if WB is correct.

 

Both are great...just need a different treatment/approach. For me personally, the Fuji is simply more intuitive to shoot and I love the results. Will be interesting how the new generations (A7 II and X-Pro II) perform in comparison.

100% agree with most of what you're saying. I ended up buying the 55mm 1.8 for Sony as a Christmas treat and was blown away. But the a7 is not a fast or intuitive camera, especially when trying to change AF points on the fly.

 

Right now I'm thinking I might keep my xt1 and 16-55 for run and fun editorial type stuff but use my A7 for slower work like environmental portraits / headshots etc. Just waiting to see if they release a prime between 100 and 135, not a huge fan of how heavy the 90 2.8 is.

[avontime]

I agree with you in many moments. i also had the Sony A7s and other objectives E-mount system. The Sony A7 and my Fuji Xt-1 not bad cameras, but AF The Fuji XT-1 work better then sony A7 series  (especially after XT-1 Firmware 4.20 )

[zedd137]

I have been using both for some time and finally sold the A7, mainly because the X-T1 is much more fun to use, but also because of Fujis fine lenses. IQ may be a little bit better with Sony, but only by a very small margin.