I was invited to a Sony event yesterday. During this event I spent about two to three hours with the Sony rep. I also tested the new Sony A7R II with my Canon gear. Given that the old A7R was really terrible at auto focusing with the Metabones adapters, I really wanted to see if this new camera lives up to the hype. How did things work out?

          First I tested the camera with my older Canon 70-200mm F4 L (non stabilized). The lens was mated to the camera with a FotodioX adapter rather than a Metabones adapter. Having seen the previous A7R and Metabones adapter in action with Canon lenses, I was expecting a small to reasonable improvement. The manufacturer claims a 40% improvement in auto focus speed, but 40% better than pathetic (with the adapter) is still not going to be good enough.

          My socks are blown off. I will have to go an buy a new pair of socks. The auto focus was very fast indeed. There was no hunting at proper focusing distances, even while photographing the darkest parts of the store. The only time I experienced focus hunting was when I was attempting to focus on an object that was too close (probably due to the lens' minimum focusing distance). The camera and lens combo worked perfectly.

          This is really good news on two fronts. Firstly, it worked so well that I bought the camera on the spot (I did first study the various reviews that are already out, including a mini image review from a good friend and veteran pro Don Smith). Secondly, I did not have to buy the Metabones adapter. This adapter is super expensive. I bought the FotodioX adapter right then and there as well. It works like a dream and is just $109.00 (a real bargain when compared to the Metabones). I did not bother to test the Metabones adapter even though there was one for me to test. I was so impressed with the FotodioX's results that that was it.

          I will be spending more time this weekend to do further testing. Perhaps I will post another blog on the topic by Sunday night.

          Enjoy your photography ...