I recently uploaded an Instagram Story to see if anyone was interested in purchasing a Sony a7r3. While some people replied asking about the cost, a surprising number of followers just Dmed me asking why, or were just sincerely surprised that I would do such move.

I get it. The a7r3 is, hands down, one of the best cameras you can get to this day. Especially if photography is your main activity, you can’t beat it. I have used it extensively for the first six-seven months. And when I say extensively, I do mean it. From events to portraits, street, weddings (well, one. But still…). I covered many situations with it and it always worked great.

It is so incredibly fast and (for the most part) accurate, that all you need to do is tell a subject to do something and the camera will take care of everything else. In Sony’s intentions, the camera is projected to literally disappear in the hands of the user, so that all that is left to do is to unleash one’s creativity. And right there, the very strength of the camera becomes, IMO, its biggest flaw.

Sony’s concept works so great that you don’t need to do a thing. In fact, so little was my engagement that, one fine day, I realized I didn’t even want to shoot with it anymore. Which is, I believe, the most natural outcome of such a smooth shooting experience.
I had bought the A7r3 because I wanted to push more my files than what I could have possibly done with a Fujifilm XT2, my previous camera. Heck that camera wanted to be used so bad. Only the files were “delicate”. I love to shoot with deep shadows, mess with the tones, all that Photoshop goodness. I thought that a camera with a similar to the A7r3 combined with a full frame sensor were just going to be the perfect mix!

Except, photography is not just technicalities and specs. It’s also about telling a story (“also” is provoking). Back in my college days, I had been told that the company which had built and ran the school, had chosen a specific color to visually help the students relax and immerse into the studying experience. Heck it was just a detail, but it mattered. And rightly so. Everything matters; gear matters and so does the process of taking pictures. Every single step of it.
Just as much as the thought you put into a shot, your gear helps you shape the final result of that shot.

Shooting with a camera meant to disappear in your hands sounds great. In theory. And, I must admit, in certain boring work situations, it’s a godsend: focus, click: nailed, repeat.”
But when there is more to it than just “getting things done”, when such fascinating theoretical of “unleashing your creativity, we’ll take care of everything else” is put into practice well, the outcome is not so great. It’s actually quite boring.

Obviously, this is a highly personal experience and some may have a completely different user experience. I loved the Sony a7r3 to death. I think Sony has made impressive progress in the photography industry and, more than that, has forced other camera manufacturers do the same. Which is the highest goal a company can achieve: set the bar a little higher; creating a tool that makes your work a little easier. I am just not convinced it makes it a little more fun anymore. And we all know how that goes:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy