Best picture quality on the market! With Distance! ***** Last Update 02.08.2014

Background:
I persevered with the Nikon D90 five years and was so far very satisfied, but it was time for something new. This time it should be a full-size and of course I have my first look around in Niko stock. Had the D600 chosen, but then more and more reports came from the sensor problem with oil and dust. The D610 has me then already no longer interested because they are not the changes of (almost simultaneously published) D5300, built-in WiFi and GPS brought. Then I put on the D800E my focus. Sony would not have sparked between them, it would probably now have this camera. What immediately aroused my interest was the size of Sony. The D800 (s) is indeed quite a chunk and it has not happened to have just once.

Why I bought the A7mitR and not A7ohneR?
At first I was really more on the A7. Experience shows that it is indeed so that more pixels with a higher image noise goes hand in hand. But then appeared and hot the first tests on the Internet that the A7R the noise almost as under control as has the A7. Furthermore, it was reported that the phase AF 117 is installed by means of only the measurement points in the A7 hardly brings advantages. And then was even published on the website of Chip magazine that A7R has outclassed the D800E in terms of image quality and can be compared with medium format cameras ... As the decision was then dropped.

The camera get:
I had pre-ordered the camera and thus get at publication. Of course, you want to get started right away, but since you will be thwarted quickly. The battery has been almost empty and must be loaded and camera should be made to the camera. I've then ordered the same (about 3 hours) an external charger and a spare battery at the Internet during eeeeewig long charging time. Who wants to put the same lot should do before.

Lenses:
To start was really just a FE-Mount for A7R on the market: the 35mm f2.8 Zeiss. But I did not. In my opinion, would have to be much cheaper, or at least a f1.X
Did then bought a Kipon NIK-NEX adapter, which I can use two of my Nikon lenses. The Nikkor 50mm F1.4D and Tokina Macro 100 F2.8D. Both full-size are appropriate and have an aperture ring and work splendidly on the Sony. Nevertheless me what was missing in the WW area so I trusted the recommendation of Steve Huff and 35mm F1.2 II bought the Voigtlander Nokton a Kipon L / M-NEX adapter. A really good decision. The part is outstanding even at F1.2 knackscharf and F2.
By my decision to take these lenses I have of course a few drawbacks, but which do not affect the image quality. Iris and focus must be adjusted manually. The camera does not know what is mounted on a lens and thus also makes the automatic timer sometimes errors. Currently, I imagine most of all (focus, aperture, shutter speed, ISO) manually. Sometimes I let the camera shutter speed or ISO.
As soon as the Zeiss FE 24-70 F4 is on the market, I'll be looking at the time.
***** Update 30/01/2014: Now have the Sonnar T * 55mm F1.8 ZA FE and that's amazing !!! If yes compared in certain tests already with the 4 times as expensive Otus. Even openly ultra sharp from corner to corner. The only thing you could bemägeln is that there is a F1.8 and F1.4 is no halt, but in practice that does not bother most.

The camera body, processing and use
The processing is very valuable and when you take the camera in hand everyone is immediately clear that this is not a "Billigcam". Can you argue about the look, but I find them very beautiful. Ok the hump where the electric viewfinder's inside, you might ne ... it's okay. The flap for the battery pack now makes me not give the impression of "unbreakable", but otherwise the processing is top. The rotating wheels have a pleasant resistance and the foldable display has already proven its usefulness repeatedly demonstrated. For the display, I had still the same to buy me a stick-on protection.
The service I find excellent and the three programmable keys and dial it's really easy with the shortcuts to make the correct setting. Nevertheless, a few things that did not like me:
- If you want to zoom into the photo with the image reproduction, you have to press the C2 key. Then you jump immediately to 100% view. With 36MP and a very fast lens (F1.2) one is very likely in a blurred area.
- The trigger has actually no tactile feedback. I've currently no AF lens, but I think if you want only times anfokusieren what with half the button is pressed, it is often a photo shoot as you want.
- The Video button is on an impractical position.

The Photos,
the camera delivers are terrific. Really, this focus I have not seen before. One can at Flickr or 500px and other sites already view many sample images, in some cases in full resolution. This camera focus again newly defined. Of course they can not do magic. If you set the focus next or the exposure time selected is too long or else somehow the picture is messed up just crap. But you can make incredibly sharp pictures and quality as it is to leave the camera at a very, very good. Have these images much less to do in Photoshop as before with the Nikon. Do I need the 36MP? No, probably not, but good to know in 95% of cases that they have been. It's like with an AMG-Mercedes. The never needs 500ps almost, but now and then just make fun. What you should know that even the JPG files Schell exceed the 20MB when the whole photo is sharp (F8 +) The RAWs even greater. Since then an older computer has with his work.
The noise performance is also very good, though not the best. But to ISO6400, you can use the photos easily. Ok, I'm on the subject of noise very picky and stay with a maximum of 3200. But with the ISO3200 Nokton and one still comes in very dark situations useful results.

Shuttergeräusch
Yes it is very noisy. I have plenty of time specially still looked on the net, why you even still needs a shutter, but is way it is. It is very noisy and when you think you can make the camera a secret snapshot, without which it will notice the photographed, a lesson is taught here quickly.
Still, I find the Shuttergeräusch rather than to cool, the camera is something independent. "Separate the man from the boys!"

Accumulator
The battery is small and thus it is a faster way out of steam. So can not be compared with a DSLR battery. But because he is so small is the second battery definitely still space even in the tightest jeans. Absolutely 1-2 Extra Batteries + buy an external charger.

Electrical viewfinder and Peak Focusing
I'm really of the EMC Electric viewfinder (not the rear display) confident and can actually see only advantages. He's very, very sharp. He's very bright. You can display a live histogram, or elec. Spirit level. The brightness adapts depending on the selected exposure. Then you can still activate Peak Focosing. Then the areas in the viewfinder (or on the screen) are specially marked, are the focus (are sharp). This works quite well for the manual focus, yet one can not blindly rely on it, it should be seen only as a special little help.

For those who have to decide yet A7 or A7R:
If you're fairly reasonable and not constantly making prints in DIN A2 with 300dpi, you should perhaps better fetch the A7ohneR. Then prefer to invest the money saved in lenses. That makes more sense. But reason has never been my strong point, and even if you usually do not need, it's great is 36MP and to have the best image quality in the market. "With full trousers is good stink!"

Conclusion:
I would do it again. The camera is pleasantly surprised by the size and power of the best pictures on the market. The thin original lens selection interfere, but this is changing (albeit slowly). With adapters you can but I think almost every mount full-frame lens. You have to think twice about whether you want to take on the with the manual focus. My wife finds it stupid and does not come with cope, but she's not as interested in photography as I did. The camera is not perfect and clear Nikon Df is better noise performance, but as one would again compare apples and oranges. I think Sony has put together a great package and is once again a pioneer in innovations which cameras are concerned. Nikon and Canon have long mainly rest on your laurels. That should be punished. The Sensible accesses to the A7, for the other, there's the A7R.

*****
Update 24.12 .:
So I got the Cam now shot a month and about 2000 photos and am of memorable with my A7R. Against no camera in the world I want to replace, at least until the next Sony Pops on the market (? A9R?) Comes.
Through the manual focus you need maybe a little longer, maybe even less effort pictures, but you do this is also equal more Gedankten over the photo. But by the way, continue the test:

Sony PlayMemories app:
Since today I have a new phone and this time (before Win8 Phone) also charged an Android and now I never imagined the PlayMemories Mobile app. Works quite well but is still expandable. Very good, I find that the photos can be downloaded directly to the phone. Is also quite comfortable. Once you have connected to, you can browse through on your cell phone through the photos (the preview is a little blurry, but clearly visible) marked the ones you want and press the end of the copy button. Flott be copied the photos and you can adjust the same in any social network. You can let transfer the photos in original size, 2M or VGA. Am now once stayed with the basic setting 2M.
Making the photos is also quite fun with the app. It has Live View on the phone and can then pull the trigger if necessary. The photo can then be downloaded directly to the phone. But for a lightning quick snapshot the whole thing a little bit too slow. But still a nice-to-have.

The vibrations caused by the shutter
... And related blurred photos have now been demonstrated several times, but only in a particular situation. A detailed description can be found since Saturday (21:12.) On Sonyalpharumors (dot) com. To put it short times together: highest probability of this problem is at focal lengths above 150mm, portrait mode, exposure time to 1 / 100s and when the lens (not the camera) was mounted on a tripod. That is until now been proven only with adapted lenses (there are really no message for the cam), but surely that's a point that you should know before buying.
It is expected that Sony can fix this with a software update. A delay of 2 / 10s should help, so read on SAR. As a temporary solution, they had a weight mounted to the tripod socket of the camera. The vibrations had also prevented.
And even if I myself can not reproduce this error (made a few attempts at 100mm), I would nevertheless like to point out. Point deduction's not first.

Since I like to read the reviews at myself I write now also times a +/- list:
+ Outstanding image quality
+ Noise at par with the competition
+ Light weight
+ Small size
+ Robust magnesium housing
+ Very sharp and very bright electronic viewfinder
+ Tiltable display
+ Buttons and dials can be configured
+ Good speed and perfect shooting modes (High Contrast BW, Micro, ...)
+ App controllable with Live View
+ NFC transmission
+ Focus Peaking function
+ Live histogram and level faded
+ 1080p video with 50 frames
+ With adapters can probably be installed virtually any lens.

o very loud shutter

- No internal flash
- Autofocus in low light
- Due to the small size, the battery power is low about 300 trips.
- Charger is not included
- Installed a GPS
(- Vibrations from the shutter)

*****
Update 30.12 .:

RAW
One thing first: I am not a fan of RAW files and its handling and with Sony itself is not going to change that. Sony has also re-cook their own thing and comes with .arw files here. My Photoshop CS5 can nix begin. My version can not be updatet also because ... (you know). So then I got the "Image Data Converter Ver. 4" of the Sony-page downloaded and thus it's off quite well. The program can .arw files develop (similar to Adobe CameraRaw) and then by means of a button send up the menu bar at the installed Photoshop. What bothers me about the thing that my laptop (Win7Pro 64Bit / 6GB RAM / i7 2,67GHz / NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M / 256GB SSD) is already properly breathe on, fans to stop and the mouse jerky only delayed across the screen. Whether it is now in the program, the file format, the 36MP or to my (admittedly not quite new) computer I can now lack comparisons to say. Probably all three. In Photoshop fix everything goes as always, a little bit slower compared to 12MP photos of Nikon. When Image Data Converter you have to have at hand several commemorative seconds already applies to each setting. This is not a permanent solution and, actually, not even conceivable as a temporary solution. Will probably get me the current Lightroom.

SD or Sony Memory Stick Duo
It's all "or" not "and". I was hoping you could (like the Nikon D7100) inserting two cards, one used for JPG and the other for RAW. Do not go, only one slot.

Manual lenses
Okay, this is really meant not to the camera, but maybe it uses one or the other wants to work with adapters.
As already mentioned, I use currently no original lens. Iris and focus I need to adjust the lens so always manually. Focusing doing very well at all, only when Nikkor the focus ring to my mind is a bit too easy.
What I do not like so much the aperture rings on Nikkor and the Tokina. The dazzling array of both follows the whole stop increments, ie the Nikkor 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 and the Tokina 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22 32. By contrast, the Voigtlander 35mm, which as a pure manual lens has been developed and can be adjusted even half stops: 1.2 1.4 1.7 2 2.4 2.8 3.3 4 4.8 5.6 6.7 8 9.5 11 16 22. We can already alone on the list of what kind of a difference.
Quite frankly already enough the whole f-stops, but sometimes you wish for but a finer adjustment. Meanwhile, I'm really very successful to set the focus manually and work a lot with open aperture. Am already thinking on whether I ever have to do a so light weak zoom lens. Well, for the holidays makes it then again sense.

*****
Update 1/30/2014:

RAW 2
Now have the Adobe Lightroom 5.3, which knows how to deal with the files of .arw A7R. Also runs smoothly on my machine, and thus how it should be.

Back to AF
Now that the Sony Zeiss Sonnar T * 55mm F1.8 ZA FE has achieved excellent results in different test, I could not resist my lens to buy. Already the first test still in business dispelled the concerns that you have an unusable AF in low light conditions the camera. Also A7R can Indoor quickly find their focus. With useful light autofocus is very fast. Ok, it happens sometimes that the focus is pumping in low light conditions and can not find anything, but the camera just has a contrast AF and when the focus field no contrast is (blue sky, as wall, dark room,) it gets hard. I have to admit now that competitors (Canon, Nikon, ...) is better.
The camera provides many settings for AF: field, field, Center, Spot. Also can be facial, Smile, and actively eggs eye focusing. I like the CMF mode very well. At half-pressing automatically focuses and by rotating the focus ring, the area of ​​the AF has chosen represented using the Magnifier and it can be readjusted. So for example, when at maximum aperture of AF focuses on the tip of the nose, the same can quickly check / correct and put the focus on the eyes.
What I do not like so much, if you want to move the focus area, you can do this with the directional pad or with the dials, but the setting is much too accurate. It seems that for every pixel that you want to move the focus area that needs to be pressed once. This sucks and is way too slow. Half or even entire focal field width per click would make more sense and speed things up. One or the other might want to take this opportunity a touch screen where the desired range can be easily clicked, but I'm glad that Sony has waived. I'm not a fan of touch screens in cameras.

Unleashes flashes
Just In Time Goes inexpensive with the Yongnuo RF-602 / N and YN-560 Mark III. Have three of these flashes made me tried and it works. INFO: The YN-560 Mark III have the receiver already integrated and must only be set on the transmitter RF602 (default: RF603).

*****
Update 08/02/2014:
I still have a few photos drangehängt. These are JPG directly from the camera, no editing of the image quality, only smaller (Amazon does not more than 625px edge length to) and a 100% crop top stapled that you can see anything at all. Nevertheless, for an accurate assessment should be regarded at flickr or similar photos in full resolution.
If one intends to find the RAWs and then developed in Lightroom photos look the same course again ne corner better. Will slowly to LR-Fan. I did not use it as long as the program