Sony A7R IV in for Repair of Lens Mount / Sensor Parallelism Problem
Related: digital sensor, focus skew, lens mount, lens mount / sensor parallelism, quality control, Sony, Sony A7R, Sony A7R II, Sony A7R III, Sony A7R IV, Sony FE, Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM, Sony Lenses, Sony mirrorless
See Update on Sony A7R IV Lens Mount / Sensor Parallelism.
Many thanks to B&H Photo for expediting a Sony A7R IV to me, due October 13. With it, I can verify the 5 lenses that all appear to be “swung” on my Sony A7R IV, which is in for evaluation at Sony Pro Services. Please give B&H your business using any links from this site—they really make my work possible here! Don’t forget to use the B&H Payboo card to save sales tax in states like California. See also Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM Shootout @ 12mm vs Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G: Big Tree at Creek Bend.
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As per Big Tree at Bend in Alpine Creek, I was seeing a left/right focusing skew. I took the better part of a day with five lenses, and found that all five were focusing further away on the left than the right. Including two samples of the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM.
That’s strong evidence that the Sony A7R IV was/is the problem.
So it seems that I might have unfairly blamed Sony for a bad lens when it appears to be a lens mount / sensor parallelism issue. Well, it’s hard to be sure of such things, particularly with the jaw-dropping peripheral forward focus shift involved (confirmed across 4 lens samples now, two with me, and two from users—and the latter seem to be free of the symmetry issue I am seeing).
Accordingly, I’ve sent my Sony A7R IV in for repair via Sony Pro Support, which I highly recommend based on two prior experiences. This is the very same A7R IV that it needed an entirely new sensor module earlier this year (brand-new).
UPDATE Oct 13: Sony tells me that the entire shutter and sensor assembly and main circuit board will be replaced. I’m skeptical as to how well this will play out, Sony repair center in LA tells me that they will reassess the camera after replacement. Fortunately, B&H Photo is generously loaning me a new Sony A7R IV, so I can get going with that—please give them your business by clicking through any link or ad on this site—thanks!
BUT, is it even POSSIBLE to get a properly aligned Sony A7R IV?
I cannot share a lot of what I know (requests from those who have informed me), but here is a good article on the subject:
Your Cameras and Lenses are Crooked and How to Adjust Them
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