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

some quick samples with the samyang 18mm. nothing special, just taken while walking the dog.(full size)

have uploaded the one of the houses at f2.8 and f10 all given a quick edit and used the sayang 21mm profile as LR classic doesn't have one for the 18mm.

as I said before centre sharpness seems very good but does fall of a lot towards the edges.
focus seems good using AF... though how do you manual focus to infinity without any markings, as I know one end isn't actually always infinity focus.
might not be the best lens but for the price I cant complain. paying £20 a month for a year on it.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/168092028@N03/albums/72157712877730661" title="samyang 18mm"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49456427431_cb7cb83fce_k.jpg" width="1365" height="2048" alt="samyang 18mm"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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pmac said:
some quick samples with the samyang 18mm. nothing special, just taken while walking the dog.(full size)

have uploaded the one of the houses at f2.8 and f10 all given a quick edit and used the sayang 21mm profile as LR classic doesn't have one for the 18mm.

as I said before centre sharpness seems very good but does fall of a lot towards the edges.
focus seems good using AF... though how do you manual focus to infinity without any markings, as I know one end isn't actually always infinity focus.
might not be the best lens but for the price I cant complain. paying £20 a month for a year on it.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/168092028@N03/albums/72157712877730661" title="samyang 18mm"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49456427431_cb7cb83fce_k.jpg" width="1365" height="2048" alt="samyang 18mm"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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sharpness still fall off in the corners above f6.3?
 
nandbytes said:
Yep this.

Tbh even if the cost was slightly more, nothing beats the feeling of going through the process end to end and doing it all yourself.
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Sorry fellas but disagree. If you print lots yourself it’s possibly worth the hassle, but it’s a process you either enjoy doing or not. Maintaining printers is expensive even with cheap tank systems.

@twist how much is it to refill your system? Most of the high-end consumer printers need regular use too, so definitely something for those that use weekly.
 
Livin The Dream said:
Sorry fellas but disagree. If you print lots yourself it’s possibly worth the hassle, but it’s a process you either enjoy doing or not. Maintaining printers is expensive even with cheap tank systems.

@twist how much is it to refill your system? Most of the high-end consumer printers need regular use too, so definitely something for those that use weekly.
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Of course only you can decide if it's for you or not.
I print once a month or so. May be few more times when I need to make prints for someone else. This is the reason I went with dye based printer instead of pigment ink printer as the latter clogs more easily
 
Livin The Dream said:
Sorry fellas but disagree. If you print lots yourself it’s possibly worth the hassle, but it’s a process you either enjoy doing or not. Maintaining printers is expensive even with cheap tank systems.

@twist how much is it to refill your system? Most of the high-end consumer printers need regular use too, so definitely something for those that use weekly.
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Is it? I think I worked it out at like 26 or 36p per a3 on cheap gloss, anything up to £1 on fine art vs £5 on the same stock fom dscl. Maintenance? You mean cleaning the head after 6 months under a tap? Takes some time if the head clogs, but not expensive, maybe 30 mins maintenance.
 
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I'm guessing that with printing you could say that there are four considerations - convenience, cost, quality of results, and environmental auditing.

I doubt if that last will be popular on here, though, since generally speaking, consumerism is rampant on these forums.

And no, I'm not Greta Whatsername.

If all you think about is the price per print at the point of consumption, then you might only be seeing the tip of the iceberg. Remember the Titanic?
 
droj said:
I'm guessing that with printing you could say that there are four considerations - convenience, cost, quality of results, and environmental auditing.

I doubt if that last will be popular on here, though, since generally speaking, consumerism is rampant on these forums.

And no, I'm not Greta Whatsername.

If all you think about is the price per print at the point of consumption, then you might only be seeing the tip of the iceberg. Remember the Titanic?
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Errr you're printing at home or getting someone else to do the same printing, factor in the carbon footprint of it being done elsewhere and shipped to your home over the lifetime of x prints. Don't you shoot film?
 
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I don't print my own because

1 - quality
2 - I hardly print
3 - size - I never ever print 6x4, it is too small, 7x5 is a better size but not sensor size. A4 is the largest but what do I do with it? When I print, it is A2 and up.

Cost isn't a consideration, quality is No. 1, if i can print better at home than a commercial machine then I would get one just got the occasional print even if it cost more.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I don't print my own because

1 - quality
2 - I hardly print
3 - size - I never ever print 6x4, it is too small, 7x5 is a better size but not sensor size. A4 is the largest but what do I do with it? When I print, it is A2 and up.

Cost isn't a consideration, quality is No. 1, if i can print better at home than a commercial machine then I would get one just got the occasional print even if it cost more.
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Have you used a pro inkjet to know what the quality is like?
 
twist said:
Errr you're printing at home or getting someone else to do the same printing, factor in the carbon footprint of it being done elsewhere and shipped to your home over the lifetime of x prints.
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Your machinery & consumables arrive on your doorstep somehow even if every print doesn't - but the postie / courier is on his / her rounds anyway, so that discounts the process in that quarter. I'm thinking more about the relative audit of embedded energy / material in a commercially-sized printer & its daily energy consumption for any given print, vs a home machine, along with lifespan / likelihood of being recycled. And to include energy usage & ink waste from cleaning cycles, cost of leaving it switched on to preclude those, environmental costs arising from ink packaging in smaller sizes for smaller machines, etc etc.

I don't suppose anyone's about to run an audit, but scale is commonly much more efficient.

The immediately-perceived cost per print doesn't seriously at this point in time include a full environmental weighting. Fact.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
That isn't the bar i set, the bar is "can a home printer better a commercial one?"
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The question should be can *you* get better results out of printing at home than sending it off to someone else.

Printer is just a tool just like a camera. Just because someone owns a A9II doesn't automatically make them better than you at taking pictures does it?
 
I print at home but the number has dropped in the last year or so. Mainly I do it to be in control of quality and timescales but there are times when I think of my printer (Epson R2880) as a high maintenance Italian lover and by that I mean I often think it's more expensive and more trouble than it's worth.

Who reminded me I had a high maintenance Italian GF?

Please let me forget the whole thing.

On the subject of hateful hardware.
I once took something out into the garden and took an axe to it. It was a wonderful experience, I can recommend it.
 
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AndrewSt said:
Anyone using an A6400? Thoughts vs other mirrorless options such as x-t3?
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I’m not using an A6400 but I’ve heard and read good things about it so far. I’m tempted to pick one up at some point as I’d like to do more remote wide angle wildlife stuff. Using my main camera its a bit not hit and miss, and doesn’t feel like the best use of a single camera as I’m missing other shots whilst doing so.
 
Raymond Lin said:
That isn't the bar i set, the bar is "can a home printer better a commercial one?"
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I can’t see how it can. How can a consumer £500 printer match a Fuji frontier machine that is many ‘000s and calibrated regularly.

Calibrating decent home printers is a PITA. Understand if speed and convenience is needed but that’s about all. Anyway, not for me as I don’t print enough.
 
Livin The Dream said:
I can’t see how it can. How can a consumer £500 printer match a Fuji frontier machine that is many ‘000s and calibrated regularly.

Calibrating decent home printers is a PITA. Understand if speed and convenience is needed but that’s about all.
For small prints, there is minimal difference, but large prints on decent paper? Anyway, not for me as I don’t print enough.
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My concern with printing out is, if you have a really good photo, once it's out there, like it or not, you can't be sure it won't be shared.
 
Livin The Dream said:
I can’t see how it can. How can a consumer £500 printer match a Fuji frontier machine that is many ‘000s and calibrated regularly.

Calibrating decent home printers is a PITA. Understand if speed and convenience is needed but that’s about all.
For small prints, there is minimal difference, but large prints on decent paper? Anyway, not for me as I don’t print enough.
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For me it's not about money, it not about the speed and convenience either (actually it's more inconvenient). It's about getting the results I want and above all three experience of doing it myself. Even with all the softproofing etc it's not easy to get a print that looks like you want it to.

I have stuff printed by the Fuji printer you mentioned and my £150 consumer printer. Honestly can't tell the difference up A3+ size (never printed larger). In fact I prefer my prints because they look exactly as I want them to rather than a very close approximation.

Where things might make a difference is longevity but so far no problems.

I personally value the experience and feeling of doing it all myself end to end. I understand that's not something everyone cares about.
 
nandbytes said:
The question should be can *you* get better results out of printing at home than sending it off to someone else.

Printer is just a tool just like a camera. Just because someone owns a A9II doesn't automatically make them better than you at taking pictures does it?
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if the subject is the same thing and they have all the tools, lighting then why would I bother?

the enjoyment isn’t pressing the print button on the mouse or track pad, or is it listening to that print head going back and forth?

In this instance, it’s not like you have an A9II, they don’t run a little Canon. We all know that, why are you making a comparison knowing to be false?

My only concern is quality, and there is no way I can match it at home, that is besides the other points of I can mix and match print size and paper type. To do that at home I will have to buy a stack of various paper. You can’t really get one sheet either.
 
Raymond Lin said:
if the subject is the same thing and they have all the tools, lighting then why would I bother?

the enjoyment isn’t pressing the print button on the mouse or track pad, or is it listening to that print head going back and forth?

In this instance, it’s not like you have an A9II, they don’t run a little Canon. We all know that, why are you making a comparison knowing to be false?

My only concern is quality, and there is no way I can match it at home, that is besides the other points of I can mix and match print size and paper type. To do that at home I will have to buy a stack of various paper. You can’t really get one sheet either.
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I print all my work up to a3 size. I i will show u lot a pic later
 
Raymond Lin said:
if the subject is the same thing and they have all the tools, lighting then why would I bother?

the enjoyment isn’t pressing the print button on the mouse or track pad, or is it listening to that print head going back and forth?

In this instance, it’s not like you have an A9II, they don’t run a little Canon. We all know that, why are you making a comparison knowing to be false?

My only concern is quality, and there is no way I can match it at home, that is besides the other points of I can mix and match print size and paper type. To do that at home I will have to buy a stack of various paper. You can’t really get one sheet either.
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I get equal quality or better for the prints up to A3+ size. If you are talking bigger prints then it's not something I can comment about.

You don't know what I do and don't own. And besides the point wasn't about me owning or not owning A9II.

Printing is not just pressing the print button just as taking pictures is not just pressing the shutter button, any trained monkey could do that.

First you say it's not about finance then you complain about having to keep a stack of paper. If you have the money to afford various paper then what's the issue?
 
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I have a Canon Pro 10s its pretty good quality for a home printer, but if its for client work or for something that really matters I will go to Loxley etc.

For family snaps from holidays, photo trips etc I usually just buy a lay flat album. Try to do one for every dedicated photo trip and do one at the end of every year with photos taken of the kids throughout the year, our family holidays etc.

When my Dad died I realised just how important photos are when we realised we had very few photos of him.

I find the lay flat albums pretty good from most of the printing companies, even the cheaper ones like photo box etc. and for me they look so much better than anything I could do at home.
 
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nandbytes said:
I get equal quality or better for the prints up to A3+ size. If you are talking bigger prints then it's not something I can comment about.

You have no idea what I do and don't own. And besides the point wasn't about me owning or not owning A9II.

Printing is not just pressing the print button just as taking pictures is not just pressing the shutter button, any trained monkey could do that.

First you say it's not about finance then you complain about having to keep a stack of paper. If you have the money to afford various paper then what's the issue?
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These guys think of home printing as their parents inkjet onto cheap copier paper.
 
f/2.8 said:
I have a Canon Pro 10s its pretty good quality for a home printer, but if its for client work or for something that really matters I will go to Loxley etc.

For family snaps from holidays, photo trips etc I usually just buy a lay flat album. Try to do one for every dedicated photo trip and do one at the end of every year with photos taken of the kids throughout the year, our family holidays etc.

When my Dad died I realised just how important photos are when we realised we had very photos of him.

I find the lay flat albums pretty good from most of the printing companies, even the cheaper ones like photo box etc. and for me they look so much better than anything I could do at home.
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Yeah, the photo books are great, can't match the Canon Pros for quality but they are nice to have around, I tend to print to frame, otherwise books, can't be bothered to do albums.
 
I recently got a A9ii and I am very happy with it but I have come across a few of little quirks which I could do with some advice on.

I use back button focus on my Canon gear which still allows me to manually focus the lens, even when the lens is switched to AF, pressing the shutter button only meters, switches IS on and does the shutter. With the Sony the focus ring of the lens (200-600mm) does not adjust the focus with the lens switched to AF, it seems to only allow this when the lens is in MF. Is there a way of over riding this so I can manually focus even when the lens is switched to AF. I find it very useful for birds in deep bushes and when doing dragonflies in flight in the summer even though I do hope the A9ii will stand a chance of obtaining focus on these sort of subjects.

I also noticed yesterday when I went out I did not have a card in slot 1 and even though I selected slot 2 on the camera it would not take pictures I just got a warning no card in slot 1. So I had to move the card to slot 1. Is there a way of overcoming this other than actually moving the card. Not a big deal but it just seemed odd as Canon will just use the slot 2 card if no card in 1

Last thing on my Canon I had also set up the * or metering button to add +1 EV, because it was so close to the back AF button I could press both together allowing for an instant change for birds in flight. Has anybody set their Sony up to give a button a similar sort of use? So giving +1EV or +2EV for birds against a bright sky.

Any help appreciated
 
PINNACLE said:
I recently got a A9ii and I am very happy with it but I have come across a few of little quirks which I could do with some advice on.

I use back button focus on my Canon gear which still allows me to manually focus the lens, even when the lens is switched to AF, pressing the shutter button only meters, switches IS on and does the shutter. With the Sony the focus ring of the lens (200-600mm) does not adjust the focus with the lens switched to AF, it seems to only allow this when the lens is in MF. Is there a way of over riding this so I can manually focus even when the lens is switched to AF. I find it very useful for birds in deep bushes and when doing dragonflies in flight in the summer even though I do hope the A9ii will stand a chance of obtaining focus on these sort of subjects.

I also noticed yesterday when I went out I did not have a card in slot 1 and even though I selected slot 2 on the camera it would not take pictures I just got a warning no card in slot 1. So I had to move the card to slot 1. Is there a way of overcoming this other than actually moving the card. Not a big deal but it just seemed odd as Canon will just use the slot 2 card if no card in 1

Last thing on my Canon I had also set up the * or metering button to add +1 EV, because it was so close to the back AF button I could press both together allowing for an instant change for birds in flight. Has anybody set their Sony up to give a button a similar sort of use? So giving +1EV or +2EV for birds against a bright sky.

Any help appreciated
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1) Change focus mode to DMF, top dial on the left.
2) Press FN, bottom right is the card, click it, change it.
3) Nope
 
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Has anyone got any links to good setup guides for the A9?

I took down all my custom button setting for the A7R iii but as the A9 has the dedicated focus mode and frame rate in the extra button on the top left some of my custom buttons will be different.
 
twist said:
1) Change focus mode to DMF, top dial on the left.
2) Press FN, bottom right is the card, click it, change it.
3) Nope
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Thanks for the response
DMF still does not allow manual focus of this lens 200-600 if switched to AF on the lens. I just tried my 70-200 and it will manual focus when in AF on the lens even in AF-C
2 Thanks that works.
3 I have found out how to bring up exp comp in the view finder, not quite as quick but doable whilst tracking.
 
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