It's that time of year when Sony release a new A7 body. We have the A7, A7S, A7R, A7II, and now, the A7RII! First thing's first, they are all very capable cameras. Buy one, and you can take fantastic images. Whether you enjoy using one or not really comes down to personal preference. They are no Leica, they aren't a big "pro" DSLR... they are a new type of camera carving out a niche in the clustered world of interchangeable lens cameras.
The new A7RII looks stupendous. Bettering my A7R in every single way except for one of the most important to me; size. The physical dimensions of my old Canon DSLR were often cited as one of the main reasons for rarely using the damn thing (though in truth, it was also because of the naff kit lens, and more crucially, I was a less capable photographer). I rarely took the camera anywhere with me. If the Sony A-series are going to be getting larger (to cram in fantastic features) then that's fine, but I won't be ordering one any time soon. The A7II is an interesting candidate - less purple casting on Leica-M mount glass, in-body image stabilization, and a larger grip, all make for a better camera experience, probably. My question is... will I take better photos with a new camera?
Probably not. There might be a few more "keepers", but I don't feel that my cameras really limit me at all at the moment. It really is the other way around - I have so much to learn and getting quality images out of the A7R has become second nature.
Shutter-shock is not something I have ever noticed with the A7R. I am either lucky, or simply do not look for it by chance when it does indeed exist. I know that I avoid it easily, as any time I do look at 100% (such as in my "prints", in the menus above) the images are ridiculously sharp.
But, new gear is always nice. Typically I find that lenses offer the most flexibility and diversity in the image creation process, but cameras and their sensors play a crucial role. More crucial though, is how the photographer gets on with the camera. Providing photographers with a way to take photos that renders camera usage transparent, is surely the ultimate goal of any camera manufacturer? No? Well it damn well should be.