Tre Fratelli – a date with the Sony Alpha 7R II

Every now and then I get the question from you by mail or here on the blog in the comment columns, with what we photograph it. Since spring 2014 we have mainly been on the road with the Canon 5d Mark III and the Sony RX100 is usually included as a second camera. In the meantime, I have become friends with the large body of the Canon 5d. For my little hands, however, it is always a challenge and so we have toyed with the idea of buying a system camera as a supplement from time to time. Already last fall it became clear that Sony is making a lot of gains and will soon launch great products. And now it’s here – the new Sony Alpha 7R II. In terms of shape, it is smaller, lighter and more manageable than the Canon. In terms of performance, it’s a powerful device that can definitely keep up with the Canon.

On Wednesday we were able to pick it up at the photo shop and yesterday we used the last warm summer evening to familiarize ourselves with the camera and the also new Sony Zeiss lens (35mm f 1.4).

We stopped for a bite to eat in the really cozy Wipikinger neighborhood restaurant Tre Fratelli. With its spacious garden terrace, it is the ideal place to spend a relaxing evening. We started with bullheart tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and a fresh Muotathal goat cheese cake. For the main course, I ordered a portion of homemade ravioli with seasonal filling (supposedly chanterelles – I had the impression that it was ricotta…) and the friend ordered a steak from Pata-Negra Iberico with spaetzle. The princely Thursday evening meal was rounded off with a chocolate cake and panna cotta, for which we waited 45 minutes. As a reconciliation, the chocolate cake was removed from the bill. Sympa!

The following pictures show a first impression of the combination Sony Alpha 7R II / Sony Zeiss lens (35mm f 1.4). We used the complete silent shutter mode. Quite practical for taking inconspicuous photos but a bit unusual for taking pictures – in the first attempt I had pulled the trigger three times because I thought the shutter release was crazy. Another practical feature is that you can put the focus points at the very edge. And finally, we have a camera with a swivel display again. This makes it much easier for me to take pictures from strange angles (e.g. a plate from above).

There are minus points for the battery. Since Sony uses the same small battery on all A7 cameras, it’s common knowledge that a charge doesn’t give much. However, it is still astonishing that the charge is only 60% after this photo use of about three hours. Thus, carrying a second/third battery is virtually mandatory (two batteries were included with the camera).

We also tried the image transmission via wifi and the camera control with the PlayMemories mobile app. It allows me to control and trigger the camera settings, focus point, and shutter button on my smartphone (Android device). The images taken in this way are automatically saved in small resolution in .jpg format. If the wifi is not actively used, it is recommended to turn on the airplane mode – otherwise the battery will drain even faster.