Out with the a7r5 and (it doesn’t matter which) lens the other day, I had a bird I’d never seen before right in front of me, about 20 meters away, in an open meadow. The shot below was what I got AFTER I managed to wake the camera, AFTER I managed to get focus to rack, AFTER I had focused on something near the same focal plane other than the bird, and AFTER I had put the focus brackets on the bird, which was close to being in focus.

A previous blog entry explained my reasons for returning to Sony. And for those reasons, the glass as well as the excellent a7cII and a7c served me well and reliably during a time when a lot of reach was not necessary. Unfortunately the rest of the world’s birds generally require more reach.

After South America, back in the “rest of the world,” when I got a tiny image of a kingfisher, I started thinking of more reach. The next day I saw what appeared to be a good deal on an a7r5, and got all giddy over the megapixel reach.

Over time, the camera has, for my purposes, exhibited the most maddening autofocus I’ve seen in any camera. Slow wake time, repeated wandering of the focus brackets when I already have them on the target, hideously sluggish spot metering, and AF’s outright refusal to budge have cost me what should have been numerous good shots.

I can’t recall ever having been so eager to dump an entire system. Sony will soon join Nikon on my “never again” list. That’s assuming I can get through the next couple of days without spiking the setup in frustration.

What’s next? At least one Leica body, but thought processes are still ongoing. The Canon 200-800mm caught my eye, with some impressive sample photos of my critter friends. But its dimensions rule it out. Too, one of my favorite reviewers mentioned some blooming that occurs with the lens when bright points of light are in the frame. I noticed this also when shooting waterfowl in Cairns with the RF 100-400mm a couple of years ago, but I wouldn’t rule out a return for that capable, travel-friendly lens.

For the moment, the trusty 180/2X will probably see some duty once I’m back in the ant farm in a few days, as I sort things out. My hands are far from the quickest focus system I’ve ever used, but they are damned sure the most reliable.

Sony a7r5/70-200mm f2.8 GM II/2X . . .