I picked up my first SLR – a Canon Rebel 300v– in 2003 and have shot Canon ever since. I was originally shopping for a Nikon F65 but only Canons were in stock and just like that, my relationship with Canon started. It is a friendship that has remained strong for twelve years now… Until last month when Sony walked into the picture.

I love shooting Canon and have never seen the need or had the desire to change. I avoid the Canon vs Nikon debate because at the end of the day, when it comes to creating beautiful imagery, passion is more important than equipment. And it is this passion that got me a call from Sony Kenya, and an invite to test drive the A7s.

I’ve been in the market for an upgrade and had seen all the buzz Sony have created with their growing line of mirrorless cameras. Getting to test one was going to be a chance to see if it was all hype, or if Sony was a worthy upgrade.

I picked up the A7s, complete with a 35mm f/2.8 lens and it’s first impressions had me raising my eyebrows. It’s solid build told me this wasn’t an el-cheapo. It was small in the palm of my hand, didn’t shout ‘professional photographer!!!’ and had a retro look that immediately started growing on me. I quickly familiarised myself with the controls and an hour or so after picking it up, it was hanging on one shoulder, my 6-year-old Canon 7D on the other, as I covered an event at the Kenya National Theatre.

At the end of the night, I regretted shooting with the A7s. I found it slow and hard to use especially since the dials were in places that my fingers weren’t accustomed to. With the Canon, I didn’t have to remove my eye from the viewfinder to adjust settings but with the Sony, I kept changing ISO instead of aperture and vice versa. And because capturing moments was key in this assignment, many were missed as I fumbled looking for the correct dial. The A7s it didn’t produce images that I was proud enough of to share with client. So I packed it up to give it back to Sony with a ‘thanks but no thanks’ note. I felt that they should stick to TVs, stereos and phones, and leave photography to Canon and Nikon.

Before returning it, I decided to give it one more try, this time at the #JadudiReturns media briefing. Still, I carried my 7D with me to be sure I got the images I wanted, reluctantly using the A7s as a second camera. This second chance is where the A7s began to shine, it’s low light performance coming in handy especially since we weren’t allowed to use flashes during the briefing.

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 2000

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 2500

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 1600

After looking at the images I had captured, I decided to hold on to the A7s for a little longer. I was quickly adjusting to the different dials layout, and loved the NFC feature which I used to transfer images I’d just shot to my cellphone for quick sharing.

A couple of days later, I was asked to take some shots at Gearbox for an ARK project and with a smile bright and wide across my face, rocked into Gearbox with the A7s. I still shot on the 7D using a 100mm macro most of the time but regularly called on my new friend to help me in situations like the ones below.

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 640

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 640

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

By now, the A7s was becoming a key member of my camera kit, being called upon whenever I was on assignment.

35mm. 1/500sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 400

35mm. 1/200sec at f/8, ISO 100

35mm. 1/500sec at f/4.0, ISO 100

The image above is of Nairobi’s Uhuru Highway and the Kidero Grass everyone was making fun of in July.

When capturing Jadudi’s appearance on #TheTrend, there was a crew shooting behind the scenes in Canon 5 and 7Ds. They did not give me a second glance when I removed the A7s. They must have thought I was Jadudi’s cousin and wondered how I go access to the broadcasting floor with my toy of a camera.

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 250

That’s one of the things I love about the A7s. It isn’t imposing like a D-SLR, making it ideal for documentary photography because to those I’m photographing, I’ll be an everyday person taking photos, and not professional photographer. This helps them be more natural when the camera is pointed towards them.

Having been accustomed to shooting with chunky D-SLRs, shooting with the smaller A7s took some getting used to. It could have felt better in my hands if it had the grip. And with battery level dropping quite fast in comparison to Canons because of the power hungry LCD, the extra battery slot in the grip should have taken the constant worry of being able to shoot a whole day on a single charge. This made the A7s like a smartphone, needing charge at the end of every day. It’s battery has a 380 CIPA rating while the 7D’s is 800.

The A7s’ tilting LCD came in handy when shooting lower and higher above normal view. I however wished it would have also folded out like the one in my 60D to make it more versatile.

The ultimate test came when I embarked on a #OnetouchLive expedition to Ngare Ndare Forest in early October, and shot exclusively with the Sony A7s. I’ll let the images speak for themselves.

35mm. 1/500sec at f/6.3, ISO 100

35mm. 1/60sec at f/5.6, ISO 160

35mm. 1/125sec at f/5.0, ISO 100

35mm. 1/1000sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

35mm. 1/1250sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

35mm. 1/1000sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

35mm. 1/500sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 5000

35mm. 1/15sec at f/4.0, ISO 125

35mm. 1/640sec at f/4.0, ISO 125

35mm. 1/2000sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

35mm. 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 10000

Yes, ISO 10,000!!

What Sony have done with the A7s and their line of full-frame mirrorless cameras is troubled the waters Canon and Nikon had been relaxing in, with a wave of game-changing cameras. I’m sure it isn’t business as usual for the two imaging giants which is great for photographers worldwide, as we’re already getting more bang for buck in their latest cameras. The Sonys may not match the top of the range Canons and Nikons on specs like frame burst rates and lens options but they make one think twice when seeking to upgrade.

And with adapters that will allow me to use my Canon lenses on the Sony A7RII readily available, there’s no solid reason why I wouldn’t make the big switch from Canon.