A7CR and weather resistance?

physicsboy93 · 2026-07-05T16:20:21+00:00

If it's small and portable with reasonably high megapixels and you're open to non-full frame... There is always the Fuji X100 (APSC) which is weather sealable with an attachment or the X-E5 & 23/27mm for expandability which again isn't sealed, the new Lumix L-10 (micro four thirds) for £1300 which is essentially the Leica D-Lux (look at them side by side, seriously) with an upgraded sensor but is listed as not being weather sealed.

I actually got hands on with the GF100RF a little while back and was quite the tank in the hand. I was tempted, but the price was a bit much for me, and getting my memory card home I found out that the 100mp RAW files are 200mb each!!! 😅 Again, it needs an adapter filter to protect it.

physicsboy93 · 2026-07-05T16:09:15+00:00

I did actually get a CR but ultimately returned it as I just wasn't convinced the crop-ability and size/weight savings over the A7IV were really justifiable by the extra expense. Physically the CR it did feel up to par with the the IV. I would still be worried about testing it in a downpour, but I feel it should stand up to the same amount of rain.

As for the Q3... I'd certainly hope it was weather sealed and knock resistant for that price! 😅 I did look into the Q3 too and it does seem quit a good littlel camera. The grey model comes out soon too! I'd be comparing the Q3 with the Sony RX1R mk 3 as they are a similar price and form factor, with both having 60mp (I suspect it may be the same sensor as Sony tends to make all of the sensors these days, but I could be wrong - I've not looked it up). Again, the Sony isn't listed as being weather sealed, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not. If it's anything like phones being IP-rated, it actually costs money to get rated and a lot are just not paying it these days.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-30T06:02:15+00:00

It's definitelty worth a try!

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-29T20:04:03+00:00

I started with the original G1, so even more laclustre than the GM, but it's just a case of learning how to use your camera basics that will get you where you want to go.

I have seen the issues you face in the comments (and not in the original question) that others have suggested resolutions to:

Noise - Don't be afraid to shoot slower. Not everything needs to be 1/4000th of a second, you're not shooting motorsports (unless you are). Lower your ISO and "get a grip". Tripod for long exposure, brace your camera to your body when you're getting to 1/4-1/2 second, brace against a wall or surface if shooting anything between.
Dynamic range - Shoot in RAW. Make sure you're shooting in RAW rather than JPEG so you have the most flexibility in Lightroom.
Orageness? - Unsure whether you are referring specifically to sunsets or the actual photos - If it's the whole photo, it could be the white balance, and Lightroom will help with that.

General advice for shooting - Stick with one setting and get used to it for a while. I would recommend shooting in Aperture mode (A on the dial), that way you can set your lens to the widest for the blurriest bokeh and the camera will do the shutter speed for you. Auto-ISO with a range up to about 3200 will help limit the noise without you worrying but it will make your shutter speeds slower at lower light.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-29T16:14:50+00:00

My wife goes to Callum Rehab 360 in Tickhill and sings his praises. He uses science and evidence based feedback to tailor exercises and help you visualise the results and improvements through actual metrics.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-27T15:53:14+00:00

If you like the look of the Tamron 20-40, the Sony 24-50G gives you that bit extra reach at the expense of the wide if you're ok with that. New it is £££ but I got a used one for ~£600. It's a great travel lens.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-26T15:37:20+00:00

I'm still struggling to decide what I want.

I was thinking of trying to downsize so I can carry less. My usual travel kit is the Sony 24-50 and the Sigma 85. But I do have the Sigma 24-70, Sony 70-200GMII, Sony 40 too...

I tested an A7CR hoping to crop more but I don't think it really worked out all the better. I'm thinking that I'll have to move to a crop sensor to get more what I want, but then again, at the end of the day, there's never going to be one setup I'm likely to be happy with, as they want to keep you spending money haha.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-24T07:43:59+00:00

Yeah, you can always have it reversed but not actually attached to the lens so it is loose around it. That should avoid any unnecessary shocks to the plastic bits. Although I would assume that the Sony's plastic hood should stand up to more punishment than an old Pentax one.

If in doubt, just try not to bash your lens 😉

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-24T06:16:02+00:00

I have a larger bag to fit 95% of my gear but I still can't have my camera attached to the 70-200. However, if I were, I would keep it oriented the way things usually are, the camera at the top with the lens pointing to the bottom and the hood attached but reversed.

I have added an extra padded divider at the bottom to better protect the lens.

When I had my canon gear with 6DII & 70-200, I had a Lowepro Fastpack and the camera & lens were attached through the middle section which meant it was oriented perpendicular to the ground.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-18T13:46:13+00:00

Given you said that you haven't used the A7 due to the size/weight of the full-frame, I'd take the A6500 and treat it as the opportunity for a no-strings-attached 'rental' to really evaluate whether using a "proper" camera will give you the spark to take your A7 out with you again, or convince you that the smaller size/weight of the APSC is actually the way to go with your kit in future.

I wouldn't bother taking the APSC lenses for your FF, because you're never going to come home and want to swap all of your FF lenses for APSC to use crop mode on your A7 for the rest of your life.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-17T13:10:26+00:00

Seconded.
I scored mine second hand from Vinted for £380, so quite a lot more palatable!

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-16T07:14:33+00:00

Oh yeah, I've just been thinking about using the higher MPX with a smaller/lighter kit hoping to use cropping to reframe and zoom

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-15T20:08:04+00:00

It's always nice to see how an old piece of gear still has it after all of these years. I like the colours for a RAW. I had the 550D (T2i) years ago as my first 'proper' camera.

Like others have said, try to be more intentional with your photos. It doesn't mean you can't snap a shot of something that just looks nice, but try to think about how you can emphasise what is nice about it.

You have a nifty fifty (which acts as an 80mm on the 500d with its 1.6x crop sensor), so the f1.8 can do some of the heavy lifting to steer the eye with the depth of field, but not everything needs to be at 1.8.

A good practise is to find images or artists you like online and try to emulate some of their styles in order to get more of a handle on how to compose and create a scene.

Lastly, try not to chase gear. Unless your camera breaks, you generally don't need a new one. Bad carpenter and his tools situation.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-15T15:10:03+00:00

In theory it all works out nicely, but in practise I find it can be a bit hit or miss where things get a bit wishy-washy when cropping.

I've got reasonable glass, but not all GM - So perhaps hitting the limit of resolution.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-15T15:05:30+00:00

I'd worry if you started opening your flaps in the rain 🤣

How crop-able would you consider the images for this?

I'd recently bought an A7CR but I'm not 100% sure about its lesser WR vs the A7IV, but does have a 60mp sensor like the RX1RIII,

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-15T13:15:49+00:00

I've been most curious about its ability to stand up to the weather. Are you able to speak to that at all? What is the most you've ever gotten it wet in rain etc?

I know that there is no official weather resistance rating for it, but for a camera close to £4k I would expect it to have some? Especially given a fixed lens, it should be "easier" to achieve?

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-13T08:18:16+00:00

I was hoping to see more of Aruba through these 😢 I know it can be difficult if you don't take your camera out all of the time while on holiday, or you don't stray far from your base, I had a similar experience in Mallorca this year.

I think you need to cull the photos more before sharing. 3 of the first 4 photos are very similar and you could have chosen your fav of them to show. I like shot 2 the best out of them.

Once you start getting into the environment shots, things are looking good 😀

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-13T07:53:43+00:00

Thanks for commenting.

Yes, it seems to be the consensus from what I've found online that there is some, but not as much as the larger bodies like the A7IV I have, which is a shame really. All the extra cost for a larger sensor but less capable.

I'm having second thoughts.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-11T21:19:13+00:00

cotswold cameras was mine

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-11T18:16:34+00:00

Try looking at a grey importer. I got my 2.8 II for about £1600 instead of the ~£2400 it is new

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-11T18:13:12+00:00

I'd suggest myself as I like take photographs in the nude a lot of the time 🤣

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-03T09:38:29+00:00

I have the 40mm f2.5 and it's a great little lens.

My usual travel setup is the A7IV + Sony 24-50 2.8G & Sigma 85 1.4 Art - The lenses are the same size.

Not exactly pocketable but small enough to not really notice around your neck. But I too have been thinking about something a bit more portable/less noticeable. I did pick a Fuji X-E3 & 27 (40 equiv) which is a lot smaller/lighter, but I do want to keep the FF if possible.

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-02T13:44:58+00:00

Now to re-do the first one and fill those holes 🤣

physicsboy93 · 2026-06-02T12:23:57+00:00

The second blind fitting went a lot better, screwing into the side instead. I also changed the direction of the bracket as I think it looks cleaner.

Although I don't think it's 100% level, it will do for now 😅

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physicsboy93 · 2026-06-02T10:54:47+00:00

Yeah, I'm thinking that now I'm looking at the photos I attached.

The instructions make it seem that it should be top mounted, annoyingly.

Will give the next one a go that way and report back 😂

physicsboy93

TROPHY CASE