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

woof woof said:
Is this a good time to say that I got set of 6 x desert, tea spoons, forks and knives from a Pound shop?

Anyway.

I got up 6am to an almost cloudless blue sky. We had breakfast and washed up and I took Mrs WW to school (she goes to a class three days a week) and it was lovely so I thought I'd take my A7 and 45mm f2 out to photograph some nearby bluebells but in the course of the 15 minute drive home the conditions changed to no direct light, dead flat light, wet in the air and chilly so there's just no point stepping out of the door. Oh well...
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Ooh noes bendy forks etc.
 
PauBass said:
For those of you that shoot weddings:
I have mainly been a full manual shooter but I'm considering trying Aperture Priority and Auto ISO.

Anyone here shooting this way tha can offer some advice please?
For those of you that so no shoot this way, what are your go to settings instead, please?
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Like anything else it depends on what you want to achieve and the lighting conditions. There is no one size fits all setting that can be used for something as diverse as a wedding.

I mainly shoot in aperture mode with auto ISO and use exposure compensation and that works for 70% of the day and is an advantage in terms of speed etc. but I will jump into manual when I need too.
 
I'm pretty sure I miss shots sometimes because I have become completely reliant on shooting fully manual. I really want to make a conscious decision to try out Aperture and Shutter Priorities to see how I get on. Next time I go out with the camera I'm leaving it in Aperture and see how I do.
 
f/2.8 said:
Like anything else it depends on what you want to achieve and the lighting conditions. There is no one size fits all setting that can be used for something as diverse as a wedding.

I mainly shoot in aperture mode with auto ISO and use exposure compensation and that works for 70% of the day and is an advantage in terms of speed etc. but I will jump into manual when I need too.
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I know what you mean, thanks for the advice...I just thought it would be good to hear other people's experiences as I have always gone manual.

Have you limited the Auto ISO? I was thinking 100 to 12800...and what about the minimum shutter? 125 seems slow so 250?

NewBeetle said:
I'm pretty sure I miss shots sometimes because I have become completely reliant on shooting fully manual. I really want to make a conscious decision to try out Aperture and Shutter Priorities to see how I get on. Next time I go out with the camera I'm leaving it in Aperture and see how I do.
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Yep, that's my aim too.
 
NewBeetle said:
I'm pretty sure I miss shots sometimes because I have become completely reliant on shooting fully manual. I really want to make a conscious decision to try out Aperture and Shutter Priorities to see how I get on. Next time I go out with the camera I'm leaving it in Aperture and see how I do.
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Manual certainly has its place for locking down exposure etc but for speed, there’s no beating AP. I used to shoot similar, but too many times you’d turnaround to something happening in a different direction and I couldn’t drop the shutter quick enough.

Only thing I don’t like in manual on the A73 is the fact I can’t have the exposure meter displayed at the bottom of the image. I don’t like the +/- 2 figure, just have got used to having 5 stops to scroll through as a visual from dslr.
One of the other advantages with these cameras I’ve found in shooting aperture against the dslr’s previously, is that the metering is far better. For most scenes I had -0.7 dialled in, when that isn’t the case now. The exp comp button is easily placed too and I’ve got used to the metering and using that generally.
 
PauBass said:
I know what you mean, thanks for the advice...I just thought it would be good to hear other people's experiences as I have always gone manual.

Have you limited the Auto ISO? I was thinking 100 to 12800...and what about the minimum shutter? 125 seems slow so 250?
.
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Yes, pretty much that, in terms of shutter speed it depends on the lens.
 
I don't see the point in setting a limit to the ISO, not if the shutter speed is a factor or even the aperture for that matter and what are you going to do if you hit the max, stop shooting, under expose or compromise on your shutter/aperture. If it comes to a choice I think it's best to shoot regardless of the ISO rather than not shoot at all.
 
PauBass said:
For those of you that shoot weddings:
I have mainly been a full manual shooter but I'm considering trying Aperture Priority and Auto ISO.

Anyone here shooting this way that can offer some advice please?
For those of you that do no shoot this way, what are your go to settings instead, please?
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Aperture priority, min shutter set to 1/250 and auto iso


Much easier with the mirrorless as what you see is what you get
 
woof woof said:
I don't see the point in setting a limit to the ISO, not if the shutter speed is a factor or even the aperture for that matter and what are you going to do if you hit the max, stop shooting, under expose or compromise on your shutter/aperture. If it comes to a choice I think it's best to shoot regardless of the ISO rather than not shoot at all.
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get a tripod out ;)
 
nandbytes said:
the A7 series has it too... a waste of space for me but apparently others like it.
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Same here, I never made much use of it because I mostly shoot in manual. The XH1 got rid of it in favor of a top LCD, not sure how useful this is either but I think I'd prefer it
 
I tend to shoot 'manual' mode a lot but with auto ISO, this way I have control over both shutter and aperture but don't have to waste time adjusting settings for the exposure for each shot. Obviously this only works if you know you're not going to go below base ISO with the shutter and aperture you've selected.
 
Was writing up my own mental wish list this morning, be interested to hear others. Currently have a A7Riii, Sony 85mm 1.4 and Sigma 35mm 1.4. Also currently have a Canon 7Dii for sale.

Wish List (Sony)
50mm 1.4
A9ii(when its unveiled) x 2
400mm 2.8
70-200 2.8
24-70 2.8

Wish List (Others)
Leica M10P
Leica 24mm 1.4
Godox AD200 Pro x2

To explain the penchant for sports style stuff. I was predominantly shooting sports before getting rid of my Canon gear, I'm now doing more events/portraits etc but the itch will never truly go away I don't think.

In case there is any doubt, this is very much a wish list. The only purchases on the horizon are the 50mm and the lighting set up.
 
woof woof said:
I don't see the point in setting a limit to the ISO, not if the shutter speed is a factor or even the aperture for that matter and what are you going to do if you hit the max, stop shooting, under expose or compromise on your shutter/aperture. If it comes to a choice I think it's best to shoot regardless of the ISO rather than not shoot at all.
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It doesn’t work like that. When the iso tops out, the min set shutter will drop below the min set, where there’s no room elsewhere. The whole reasoning for shooting in this manner is for speed and to ensure handheld / people freezing properties for shooting, er, people - in the main.

For those that have time or non-moving subjects, then manual works just fine. Each to their own but there is this concept where people think that by shooting manual they have reached the panacea of their photographic ability. Fact is, that if they are using (probably) the cameras meter to determine the exposure, then they’re not strictly shooting manually. Semi-auto modes are just quicker, and that can be the difference between getting something, than not, for everyone. There’s plenty of event photographers that will have a quick custom mode to shoot in P mode for say, walking out of a dark church into bright sunlight. Faffing with manual settings in that situation is time consuming.
 
Livin The Dream said:
It doesn’t work like that. When the iso tops out, the min set shutter will drop below the min set, where there’s no room elsewhere. The whole reasoning for shooting in this manner is for speed and to ensure handheld / people freezing properties for shooting, er, people - in the main.

For those that have time or non-moving subjects, then manual works just fine. Each to their own but there is this concept where people think that by shooting manual they have reached the panacea of their photographic ability. Fact is, that if they are using (probably) the cameras meter to determine the exposure, then they’re not strictly shooting manually. Semi-auto modes are just quicker, and that can be the difference between getting something, than not, for everyone. There’s plenty of event photographers that will have a quick custom mode to shoot in P mode for say, walking out of a dark church into bright sunlight. Faffing with manual settings in that situation is time consuming.
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This!
 
Livin The Dream said:
there is this concept where people think that by shooting manual they have reached the panacea of their photographic ability.
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This is just not the case whatsoever, I don't know where this idea comes from but I see it all the time as soon as someone mentions manual mode. I shoot M because it's how I learned, it's what I'm used to, I actually find it less fiddly than semi-auto modes. It's that simple, use whatever mode suits you but I don't see any of them being any different to the other. The only time anyone actually mentions they shoot manual is when discussions like this come up about Auto ISO ...
 
The old adage of what settings or what camera/lens/tripod/light shaping tool etc is irrelevant when you’re looking at someone’s work... unless you’ve just bought your first camera [emoji16]
 
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Cagey75 said:
This is just not the case whatsoever, I don't know where this idea comes from but I see it all the time as soon as someone mentions manual mode. I shoot M because it's how I learned, it's what I'm used to, I actually find it less fiddly than semi-auto modes. It's that simple, use whatever mode suits you but I don't see any of them being any different to the other. The only time anyone actually mentions they shoot manual is when discussions like this come up about Auto ISO ...
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We’ll have to agree to disagree Keith on this point. If you spend time (you probably don’t and i don’t blame you) frequenting any popular fb pages, you do see this recommendation of shooting people manually and spot metering for the skin far too often. That’s great if you have time on your hands and you know what you’re doing, but it’s not the quickest route to the same end result in most cases. I have seen many newcomers being coaxed into moving up to manual mode as though it’s the holy grail. I’m not saying that how you shoot is wrong, if it works for you, then that’s all that matters. There’s always more than one way to skin a cat and semi auto modes will get the job done too, in most cases.
 
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Livin The Dream said:
We’ll have to agree to disagree Keith on this point. If you spend time (you probably don’t and i don’t blame you) frequenting any popular fb pages, you do see this recommendation of shooting people manually and spot metering for the skin far too often. That’s great if you have time on your hands and you know what you’re doing, but it’s not the quickest route to the same end result in most cases. I have seen many newcomers being coaxed into moving up to manual mode as though it’s the holy grail. I’m not saying that how you shoot is wrong, if it works for you, then that’s all that matters. There’s always more than one way to skin a cat and semi auto modes will get the job done too, in most cases.
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I tend to avoid FB groups like the plague! There's A-holes everywhere, but it doesn't mean everyone thinks like that. Honestly, the only reason, well 2 reasons, I use M is because no kidding, I find I have to think more on what's happening when I use other modes. I often switch to Aperture priority too, as I like to shoot wide open with my lenses mostly. The other reason is when using off camera flash, my Yongnuo is manual only, and I really only use it when shooting macro - and manual mode works best there too
 
Cagey75 said:
I tend to avoid FB groups like the plague! There's A-holes everywhere, but it doesn't mean everyone thinks like that. Honestly, the only reason, well 2 reasons, I use M is because no kidding, I find I have to think more on what's happening when I use other modes. I often switch to Aperture priority too, as I like to shoot wide open with my lenses mostly. The other reason is when using off camera flash, my Yongnuo is manual only, and I really only use it when shooting macro - and manual mode works best there too
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I prefer manual for most flash work too. If you shoot wide most of the time, as I do, then you could be missing a trick in aperture with auto iso set. You shouldn't have to think as much, as you've determined your aperture and min shutter, the camera does the rest. It's my lazy, go-to mode, but then it frees you up to think about the finer things, such as comp and lighting.

Flash is a different beast as you well know, but doesn't need to be over complicated either. When I first moved over to Sony, I was on occasion using my Nikon Godox flash in manual and chimping it a bit. Working out your rough working distances and power isn't too difficult to do when you're used to flash for general things.

I feel for the newbies on said pages, that are clearly struggling to master the basic concepts, when they are told that working in manual is the done thing. As we know, it doesn't matter a jot how you get there, providing you can repeat it and gain some consistency. If you want to make the process unnecessarily laborious, then whatever. Some people like to use large format cameras from by-gone era's because they enjoy the whole process and potential output, each to their own.
 
Livin The Dream said:
I prefer manual for most flash work too. If you shoot wide most of the time, as I do, then you could be missing a trick in aperture with auto iso set. You shouldn't have to think as much, as you've determined your aperture and min shutter, the camera does the rest. It's my lazy, go-to mode, but then it frees you up to think about the finer things, such as comp and lighting.

Flash is a different beast as you well know, but doesn't need to be over complicated either. When I first moved over to Sony, I was on occasion using my Nikon Godox flash in manual and chimping it a bit. Working out your rough working distances and power isn't too difficult to do when you're used to flash for general things.

I feel for the newbies on said pages, that are clearly struggling to master the basic concepts, when they are told that working in manual is the done thing. As we know, it doesn't matter a jot how you get there, providing you can repeat it and gain some consistency. If you want to make the process unnecessarily laborious, then whatever. Some people like to use large format cameras from by-gone era's because they enjoy the whole process and potential output, each to their own.
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I should probably try get more in tune with other modes, stuck in my ways perhaps. For flash I simply set the ISO to 100/200, set the aperture and SS I want and simply adjust power on the flash as I go from there. I do mostly use it for macro so would be working at much smaller apertures, F8+ but even shooting wider apertures for say an event or group shots I do pretty much the same thing.

I joined some FB groups and only ever posted to give tips to newcomers, but seen some right a-holes in them, let them know it too! and quickly lost interest with all the bickering - it's a shame there's so many trolls because groups like that should be all about helping people out. There's no point to joining them just to slag off this or that make or model, it's really pathetic.
 
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Cagey75 said:
I should probably try get more in tune with other modes, stuck in my ways perhaps. For flash I simply set the ISO to 100/200, set the aperture and SS I want and simply adjust power on the flash as I go from there. I do mostly use it for macro so would be working at much smaller apertures, F8+ but even shooting wider apertures for say an event or group shots I do pretty much the same thing.

I joined some FB groups and only ever posted to give tips to newcomers, but seen some right a-holes in them, let them know it too! and quickly lost interest with all the bickering - it's a shame there's so many trolls because groups like that should be all about helping people out. There's no point to joining them just to slag off this or that make or model, it's really pathetic.
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It’s refreshing to see someone state that they could be stuck in their ways, we all are with certain things.

I tend to use flash indoors with low ambient so normally an iso of somewhere around 640-1600 but that’s the bit I tend to chimp. Get the power of the flash to within a stop then chimp the iso on camera, especially if OCF. That’s the beauty of digital huh. In time, we get a feel for parameters based on light levels and therefore it’s fine tuning.
 
Riz_Guru said:
Yeah but nothing which couldn’t have been shot with my iPhone XR :D lol
Been busy working on my movie room :eek:
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You are truly the tech GAS god lol.

What's next after you finish with your movie room to watch 360p videos on YouTube which was better on your XR ;)
 
nandbytes said:
You are truly the tech GAS god lol.

What's next after you finish with your movie room to watch 360p videos on YouTube which was better on your XR ;)
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After the movie room it’s onto getting the kitchen, utility, w/c, en-suite and bathrooms tiled... then it’s external home improvements etc.
Next year a EV .... :)
If I have any money after all that I might get a Sony A9 II lol. :D
 
Riz_Guru said:
After the movie room it’s onto getting the kitchen, utility, w/c, en-suite and bathrooms tiled... then it’s external home improvements etc.
Next year a EV .... :)
If I have any money after all that I might get a Sony A9 II lol. :D
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No 135mm G.M on the horizon then?
 
f/2.8 said:
No 135mm G.M on the horizon then?
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I was close to getting one but in reality I don’t need it.
I’d like a 50mm GM, will most likely sell my A9 & A7III to put towards a A9 II if it’s really a big step forwards.
 
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