The Amazing Sony A1/A7/A9/APS-C & Anything else welcome Mega Thread!

snerkler said:
Just discovered this lightroom trick to intersect different masks, bit of a game changer for me that :clap: (probably want to skip the intro as he's just talking about his back operation :rolleyes:)
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For once I'm sort of up to date on something as I've been using this since I got PS2022.

It seems to do a reasonable job of selecting people, faces or skin.

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And that's the selection, not the final output :D
 
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woof woof said:
For once I'm sort of up to date on something as I've been using this since I got PS2022.

It seems to do a reasonable job of selecting people, faces or skin.

View attachment 387800

And that's the selection, not the final output :D
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It’s not the selection tool as I’ve been using that for a while, it’s the ability to intersect different masks (y)
 
snerkler said:
It’s not the selection tool as I’ve been using that for a while, it’s the ability to intersect different masks (y)
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As above. I've been using this since I got PS2022 but only for a small % of pictures but as here the skies are sometimes pretty non descript a small % can be anything with a typical sky in it :D

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Unfortunately I'm torn as applying all this possibly makes nicer looking pictures but it's not what I saw at the time.
 
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woof woof said:
As above. I've been using this since I got PS2022 but only for a small % of pictures but as here the skies are sometimes pretty non descript a small % can be anything with a typical sky in it :D

View attachment 387805

Unfortunately I'm torn as applying all this possibly makes nicer looking pictures but it's not what I saw at the time.
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It depends, sometimes it helps make it more like the eyes see but obviously this depends on the scene. I do occasionally accentuate the sky if it’s particularly bland.
 
snerkler said:
It depends, sometimes it helps make it more like the eyes see but obviously this depends on the scene. I do occasionally accentuate the sky if it’s particularly bland.
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I've been trying different things in processing recently as when out and about here the light is often pretty flat and skies can be little more than glare. In the past I tried not to let the sky blow but later decided that with some pictures the blown look was actually more accurate. What I've been trying recently is to do more in curve with a little less excess movement of the sliders and to not let the curves show blow but to still keep the more natural look. The curve v sliders thing might not matter as you get there either way but it's something to try.
 
Took a trip to Brands today in search of some GT cars. Really struggled to shoot slower than 1/125 for the most part. I'm not sure if that's down to location on the track/speed/acceleration of cars, the 135mm lens or my dodgy technique.

Brands Hatch Test Day -4 by Tim G, on Flickr

Brands Hatch Test Day -3 by Tim G, on Flickr

Brands Hatch Test Day -7 by Tim G, on Flickr

I'm tempted to buy a lens for this purpose, and thinking the Tamron 70-180 could be a good choice and may come in handy at work too.
 
woof woof said:
I've been trying different things in processing recently as when out and about here the light is often pretty flat and skies can be little more than glare. In the past I tried not to let the sky blow but later decided that with some pictures the blown look was actually more accurate. What I've been trying recently is to do more in curve with a little less excess movement of the sliders and to not let the curves show blow but to still keep the more natural look. The curve v sliders thing might not matter as you get there either way but it's something to try.
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I've tried both in the past, but I barely touch either now. The Color Fidelity profile is very good straight out the box, I've just tweaked the colours slightly.
 
T_J_G said:
Took a trip to Brands today in search of some GT cars. Really struggled to shoot slower than 1/125 for the most part. I'm not sure if that's down to location on the track/speed/acceleration of cars, the 135mm lens or my dodgy technique.

Brands Hatch Test Day -4 by Tim G, on Flickr

Brands Hatch Test Day -3 by Tim G, on Flickr

Brands Hatch Test Day -7 by Tim G, on Flickr

I'm tempted to buy a lens for this purpose, and thinking the Tamron 70-180 could be a good choice and may come in handy at work too.
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Nicely done, cars look really sharp. It is hard when the cars are accelerating or braking so there's a sudden change in speed but you get used to it with a bit of practice. That's the issue with Redgate at Donington (one of the few fence free places), they're either heavily braking coming into the corner, or giving it the beans coming out.

If you're not on the budget I'd recommend the 70-200mm f2.8 GM II over the Tamron as it's got OSS, focus limiter, and better built (I can't remember if the Tamron has weather sealing?). But if you don't want to spend the crazy money they're asking for 70-200mm f2.8's these days the Tamron is still a very nice lens.
 
snerkler said:
Nicely done, cars look really sharp. It is hard when the cars are accelerating or braking so there's a sudden change in speed but you get used to it with a bit of practice. That's the issue with Redgate at Donington (one of the few fence free places), they're either heavily braking coming into the corner, or giving it the beans coming out.

If you're not on the budget I'd recommend the 70-200mm f2.8 GM II over the Tamron as it's got OSS, focus limiter, and better built (I can't remember if the Tamron has weather sealing?). But if you don't want to spend the crazy money they're asking for 70-200mm f2.8's these days the Tamron is still a very nice lens.
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Thank you, this was right after Druids so cars are full chat to the next corner. I don't want to spend more than £1000, and I wonder if a 100-400 would be more useful for this type of stuff but then I couldn't use it for work. These were all at 135mm
 
T_J_G said:
Thank you, this was right after Druids so cars are full chat to the next corner. I don't want to spend more than £1000, and I wonder if a 100-400 would be more useful for this type of stuff but then I couldn't use it for work. These were all at 135mm
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I almost made a wrong reply then, as I thought you meant Druids at Oulton Park but then saw you were at Brands. I actually took my favourite shot from the exit of Druids at Oulton Park


P6302247-Edit-Edit by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr


I'd say that I use my 100-400mm more than 70-200mm at race circuits, but it's a close call. If the 100-400mm had a wider aperture to disguise shooting through a fence at shorter distances I'd probably use it exclusively, but in the 100-200mm range the 2.8 of the 70-200mm definitely comes in handy to 'hide' the fence. This is where I had issues with the Tamron not having a focus limiter, it would sometimes focus on the catch fencing and so I ended up prefocussing.
 
snerkler said:
I almost made a wrong reply then, as I thought you meant Druids at Oulton Park but then saw you were at Brands. I actually took my favourite shot from the exit of Druids at Oulton Park


P6302247-Edit-Edit by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr


I'd say that I use my 100-400mm more than 70-200mm at race circuits, but it's a close call. If the 100-400mm had a wider aperture to disguise shooting through a fence at shorter distances I'd probably use it exclusively, but in the 100-200mm range the 2.8 of the 70-200mm definitely comes in handy to 'hide' the fence. This is where I had issues with the Tamron not having a focus limiter, it would sometimes focus on the catch fencing and so I ended up prefocussing.
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So I need both then :ROFLMAO: the part I shot at Brands doesn't have fences.
 
T_J_G said:
the part I shot at Brands doesn't have fences.
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Well I assume you intend to shoot from more than one place eventually ;) :p

I used to just shoot primarily with a 70-200mm before I moved to Sony and just cropped if I needed to. If you get a 70-200mm you can always add a TC, unfortunately you can't do this with the Tamron. There was a Sigma 70-200mm in the pipelines but apparently they've been having some teething problems and there's no news at the moment when/if it will be released.
 
So whilst we’re showing a few motorsport images, what’s the favoured a/f tracking settings on the a7iii for motorsports I’ve always used a flexible spot placed it where I want it but do people prefer the zone focus thing on the a7’s ?
 
andybod said:
So whilst we’re showing a few motorsport images, what’s the favoured a/f tracking settings on the a7iii for motorsports I’ve always used a flexible spot placed it where I want it but do people prefer the zone focus thing on the a7’s ?
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Flexible spot for me, having the AF square fixed to one spot allows me to track more accurately, if I keep that square on the same part of the car throughout the pan it’s got a good chance of being sharp.
 
Interesting review, it's not making me want to rush out and swap my Samyang for the GM tbh. Yes the GM is sharper wide open (more obvious in the corners) but I'm not sure it renders as nicely, especially with the bokeh balls at the edges. The guys point out the cats eye bokeh balls on the GM at close focus distance but seems to think they look the same when focussed further away but to me the cats eye bokeh balls of the GM seem more pronounced.

The little difference in sharpness can be recovered in post (I don't concern myself with the edge on a lens like this as the subject is usually more central), so it's down to the rendering. I'll have to see more sample pics, but at the moment I can't see myself being tempted by the GM, which is a good thing :LOL:

View: https://youtu.be/tNlVoSbdJIY
 
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woof woof said:
I see on the Pergear website the TTArtisan 50mm f2 is listed for £56 but I don't know what shipping charges may be added if you get that far in the process. I paid £79 at Amazon with no charges.

On the rumor site...

Just announced: New TTartisan 27mm f/2.8 APS-C Autofocus E-mount Lens – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com
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Ordered my Pergear 35mm yesterday, delivery is £5 or £12 for express delivery.
If ordering from pergear and in no rush it's worth adding the lens to basket and filling out the delivery details including email and then exit the site, The next day you will receive an email saying you "forgot" something and giving a code for 5% off. If you are really tight like me follow the link back to basket and apply the code then exit again. The next day the code offered will be for 6% off :D Every little helps as they say. Not sure if it's worth waiting any longer but that's the point I completed my purchase.

I also ordered the 50mm f2 from Amazon @£79, maybe I'll cancel that and order from Pergear.
 
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T_J_G said:
Took a trip to Brands today in search of some GT cars. Really struggled to shoot slower than 1/125 for the most part. I'm not sure if that's down to location on the track/speed/acceleration of cars, the 135mm lens or my dodgy technique.

Brands Hatch Test Day -4 by Tim G, on Flickr

Brands Hatch Test Day -3 by Tim G, on Flickr

Brands Hatch Test Day -7 by Tim G, on Flickr

I'm tempted to buy a lens for this purpose, and thinking the Tamron 70-180 could be a good choice and may come in handy at work too.
Click to expand...

I have the Tamron 70-180 which I use for my sons football and karting events. It’s up there with the best zooms on image quality but loses out without an image stabiliser, which helps when panning on slower shutter speeds.
‘I’m buying a Sony 200-600 for the added reach and that stabiliser.
 
Barrysprout said:
Ordered my Pergear 35mm yesterday, delivery is £5 or £12 for express delivery.
If ordering from pergear and in no rush it's worth adding the lens to basket and filling out the delivery details including email and then exit the site, The next day you will receive an email saying you "forgot" something and giving a code for 5% off. If you are really tight like me follow the link back to basket and apply the code then exit again. The next day the code offered will be for 6% off :D Every little helps as they say. Not sure if it's worth waiting any longer but that's the point I completed my purchase.

I also ordered the 50mm f2 from Amazon @£79, maybe I'll cancel that and order from Pergear.
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You're getting both? I hope you'll be happy with them.

I ordered from Amazon just for the easy return if things go wrong. Peace of mind was worth the extra few £ to me, but nothing went wrong and both lenses were keepers.

I haven't used the 50mm f2 much as I don't have much time for photography these days and the Syoptic 50mm f1.1 and Pergear 35mm f1.4 have been picked instead. I will try and use the 50mm f2 a bit.

Oh. One more thing. The Pergear comes with a hood and as both the 35mm f1.4 and 50mm f2 have a 43mm thread the hood should fit both. I also bought a 43-67mm step up ring so I could use my 67mm close up filters with both. They work well on the Pergear, can't remember if I tried them on the 50mm f2 or not but the worst that can happen is some vignetting. EDIT... Actually I remembered that have used the 50mm f2 with my close up lenses and they work well and that's nice as the 50mm f2 has quite a long MFD.

My compact kit now consists of...

Sony 35mm f2.8.
Voigtlander 35mm f1.4.
Pergear 35mm f1.4.
TTartisan 50mm f2.
Sony 28-60mm.

:D

The Voigtlander does have at least one advantage over the Pergear as it has straight blades so you get sunstars. It might be a touch shaper at f1.4 too.

I quite like this picture. Pergear 35mm f1.4. Taken with the camera held low down focussing on the back screen. Beauty under a bench...

iJhMePB.jpg


100%.

hg8oWAH.jpg
 
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SDK^ said:
I have the Tamron 70-180 which I use for my sons football and karting events. It’s up there with the best zooms on image quality but loses out without an image stabiliser, which helps when panning on slower shutter speeds.
‘I’m buying a Sony 200-600 for the added reach and that stabiliser.
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Yep, it’s pretty much on par in sharpness with the GM 2 at the short end and only just loses out at the long end.
 
snerkler said:
Interesting review, it's not making me want to rush out and swap my Samyang for the GM tbh. Yes the GM is sharper wide open (more obvious in the corners) but I'm not sure it renders as nicely, especially with the bokeh balls at the edges. The guys point out the cats eye bokeh balls on the GM at close focus distance but seems to think they look the same when focussed further away but to me the cats eye bokeh balls of the GM seem more pronounced.

The little difference in sharpness can be recovered in post (I don't concern myself with the edge on a lens like this as the subject is usually more central), so it's down to the rendering. I'll have to see more sample pics, but at the moment I can't see myself being tempted by the GM, which is a good thing :LOL:

View: https://youtu.be/tNlVoSbdJIY
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Interesting vid, thanks
As a new user of Sony I’m keen to understand the general performance of autofocus on 3rd party lenses vs official Sony gear - it looks like if split seconds matter, Sony way to go but generally speaking the differences are so small that it won’t matter most of the time
 
doctorjuggles said:
Interesting vid, thanks
As a new user of Sony I’m keen to understand the general performance of autofocus on 3rd party lenses vs official Sony gear - it looks like if split seconds matter, Sony way to go but generally speaking the differences are so small that it won’t matter most of the time
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It depends on the Sony lens, generally GM lenses have the best AF systems for a given age, but a lot of third party lenses have plenty fast enough AF thanks to Sony opening up their mount to third parties.

Samyang have generally had relatively weak AF systems but they are getting their act together and on the whole the FE II ones seem very good. I’ve seen some mention that eye af on the 50mm FE II sometimes focussed on eyelashes rather than the IRIS but I’ve not seen this. I think most of these complaints have been using the A7IV which had reported issues with eye AF (not sure if this has been fixed now) so maybe it was the camera rather than the lens.
 
LeeRatters said:
@woof woof Alan, do you use any generic hoods at all on any of your manual lenses? I'm thinking more like the slotted vintage style ones........
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Yes, the black metal slotted ones for RF lenses, I have a lot of these in different sizes probably fitting the vast majority of my lenses. I also have a couple of solid unvented ones. I don't tend to use them as these days I've embraced flare :D and even if not embracing flare the worst effects can often be reduced or eliminated without a hood by changing angle or position just slightly. I've always just bought cheap ones off ebay.
 
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woof woof said:
Yes, the black metal slotted ones for RF lenses, I have a lot of these in different sizes probably fitting the vast majority of my lenses. I also have a couple of solid unvented ones. I don't tend to use them as these days I've embraced flare :D and even if not embracing flare the worst effects can often be reduced or eliminated without a hood by changing angle or position just slightly. I've always just bought cheap ones off ebay.
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(y)

I was looking at the cheap ones from eBay :) I had a proper one with the old Voigtlander 40/1.4 Classic M I had but as all my lenses bar the CV40/1.2 are 67mm filters I have a permanent step ring on the 40mm. Obviously this means I can't use the genuine hood for it! I like to use a hood mainly when it's on the PD capture clip and then just leave the cap off.
 
Just out of interest, with these hoods a centre pinch lens cap may well fit inside and be useable. I have centre pinch lens caps for most of my film era lenses and some of the modern ones too as I find them easier to use and more secure plus if I lose one (I haven't yet) it doesn't matter. I keep the original lens caps in a tin for refitting if I sell a lens.
 
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