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

The rumor site reports that the A7c evf is fixed and not a pop up. YaY!...

www.sonyalpharumors.com

RUMOR correction: Seems like the Sony A7c EVF is fixed and not pop-up. Price is 2.100 Euro! - sonyalpharumors

It looks like there was a misunderstanding with a source. He said the A7c has no popup Flash but instead a popup EVF. The corrected himself. Yes there is no pop-up Flash but the EVF is fixed! And one more new info: The exact price of the body is 2.100 Euro! Updated Sony A7c specs:…
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

No built in flash though so that limits social snapshot use.

I think it is a PITA that for some uses another camera with flash is needed just for that reason. This is one area in which my MFT cameras are still useful as they have a built in and tiltable flash.

PS.
And I do hope this has front and back dials near the top of the camera like an A7 for aperture and shutter control or even just one that's clickable between the two / exposure compensation. That would be an improvement over the A6xxx design, IMO.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
it’s much better than your Canon in tracking and sports that’s for sure, I’ve had two 5D3 (and mk2 and mk4), the A7III has a better AF than all the 5Ds’ that I’ve had.
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Thanks to everyone who has fed back on the performance of the A7iii for sports and also feedback on grey importing. I think its the A7iii I shall go with. The A7R3 is the same as the A7iii isnt it, just higher resolution as I understand?

I have been looking into the lens situation a little over the weekend. What do we think about the Tamron holy trinity? I notice Sigma arent quite there with theirs yet as they are missing the 70-200 at present, from what I can tell thats due any time? If you were buying now, would you guys go Tamron or Sigma, or something totally different? Also, I see Sigma just released the 85 1.4 DG DN, which I like the look of, but notice the Sony 85mm 1.8 gets fantastic reviews, do you guys have experience of either?

Lastly, do we think Sigma might release a 34mm F1.4 DG DN, or not as they have their 1.2 version out already? Again, Sony have a 35mm F1.8 which again gets great reviews so wondering the same here as I am with the 85mm question above.

I am very interested to hear your thoughts and experiences.
 
I have the Sony 85mm f1.8. It's relatively small and light, it focuses relatively quickly and it's sharp from wide open. The only downsides I can see are that it isn't f1.4 :D there's some ca in some situations and the bokeh can with some subjects be a little cats eye and rough.

Maybe you could take a look at the Sony 35mm f1.8? I have one and I feel pretty much the same as I do about the 85mm except for the cats eye effect which the 35 doesn't really do. It is worth noting that it focuses quite close too and that can come in handy.
 
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antc said:
Thanks to everyone who has fed back on the performance of the A7iii for sports and also feedback on grey importing. I think its the A7iii I shall go with. The A7R3 is the same as the A7iii isnt it, just higher resolution as I understand?

I have been looking into the lens situation a little over the weekend. What do we think about the Tamron holy trinity? I notice Sigma arent quite there with theirs yet as they are missing the 70-200 at present, from what I can tell thats due any time? If you were buying now, would you guys go Tamron or Sigma, or something totally different? Also, I see Sigma just released the 85 1.4 DG DN, which I like the look of, but notice the Sony 85mm 1.8 gets fantastic reviews, do you guys have experience of either?

Lastly, do we think Sigma might release a 34mm F1.4 DG DN, or not as they have their 1.2 version out already? Again, Sony have a 35mm F1.8 which again gets great reviews so wondering the same here as I am with the 85mm question above.

I am very interested to hear your thoughts and experiences.
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The R3 don't have the same AF as the A73, it has less points and less coverage. It's technically inferior. It's still good but it's not as good.

As for the holy zoom trinity, I have a Tamron 17-28/2.8, Sigma 24-70/2.8 and Sony 70-200/2,8. Just because when I bought each of them, they were what was out at the time. It's all much of muchness but the Tamron generally speaking is the cheapest. The Sony isn't necessarily the best in everything but I bought the Sony before the Tamron was released. I thought the Sigma 24-70 is very bit as good as the GM for like 40% less. I got the Tamron over the others incl the 12-24 because i wanted to use filters.
 
Our first pepper flower. We have lots of buds but I think this is the first flower.

A7 and Nippon Kogaku 50mm f1.4 + No.4 close up filter.

7rSnlOi.jpg


100% from that. Maybe this wont survive the posting process but it's sharp.

I8sxDIt.jpg


We have ever more tomatoes. They're getting quite big but none have started to go red yet.

fIuKvCZ.jpg


What a lovely old lens this is, it's a bit heavy though.
 
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woof woof said:
Our first pepper flower. We have lots of buds but I think this is the first flower.

A7 and Nippon Kogaku 50mm f1.4 + No.4 close up filter.

7rSnlOi.jpg


100% from that. Maybe this wont survive the posting process but it's sharp.

I8sxDIt.jpg


We have ever more tomatoes. They're getting quite big but none have started to go red yet.

fIuKvCZ.jpg


What a lovely old lens this is, it's a bit heavy though.
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Very nice set of shots Alan, particularly liking #1.

George.
 
Hi, question for those who shoot small birds with the A9 and 200-600mm lens. I have only just moved over from Canon and finding difficult to get focus on small birds amongst tree branches, what focusing mode do you use for this situation? Many thanks. Russ
 
"It Made Explore"
Just a simple Snapograph taken at Dungeness Romney Marsh Kent UK of one of the many discarded boats amongst many other things scattered about the beach that have just been discarded and left behind.
I've deliberately gone for a slightly higher contrast gritty look to this snap to emphasise the decay etc.
I'm also working on a personal project called Things Left Behind and this will be one of the shots included.

RX10M4, 1/800th F5.6, ISO-100, Bit Of Fill Flash, Tripod.
Discarded Boat (1)-03456 by G.K.Jnr., on Flickr

:ty: for looking., (y):sony:

George.
 
russellsnr said:
Hi, question for those who shoot small birds with the A9 and 200-600mm lens. I have only just moved over from Canon and finding difficult to get focus on small birds amongst tree branches, what focusing mode do you use for this situation? Many thanks. Russ
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Well at 600mm on my A7iii I use the smallest single focus point with continuous AF. Different lens and body but the same should apply.
 
I know this is not the right thread but have you seen this offer? Seems too good to be true but it's on the Olympus website, buy an EM1-II for £1099 and get a lens worth £1099 for free :eek:

OM SYSTEM Cameras, Lenses, Audio & Binoculars

shop.olympus.eu shop.olympus.eu


I'm thinking I could buy this and then sell them both on for a profit.
 
snerkler said:
I know this is not the right thread but have you seen this offer? Seems too good to be true but it's on the Olympus website, buy an EM1-II for £1099 and get a lens worth £1099 for free :eek:

OM SYSTEM Cameras, Lenses, Audio & Binoculars

shop.olympus.eu shop.olympus.eu


I'm thinking I could buy this and then sell them both on for a profit.
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they are literally giving them away.

But you will only make money if you can sell them at 50% each (averaged out). Seeing that they are now out of the game, it is a gamble, unless you can find trade in for that price to guarantee the profit.
 
ancient_mariner said:
There may be, if rendering is more important than sharpness.
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Always (y). I never spent long enough with a-mount to learn about the lenses properly, although I did always like the 16-50mm f2.8.
 
nandbytes said:
LA-EA5 is announced :banana:

Sony officially announces the new LA-EA5 adapter! – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com
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Just had an email on this - I'd given up hope of this ever appearing!

Interestingly the Sony UK page for it states

The LA-EA5 supports all A-mount lenses, including models such as the Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA and Planar T* 85mm F1.4 ZA that do not have internal motors.
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With a footnote
STF lenses are manual focus only. Teleconverters are not supported.
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So no mention of only Sony lenses (or even Sony / Minolta) - suggests that 3rd party lenses may well work as well!
 
snerkler said:
Are there any A-mount lenses worth getting over e-mount if you haven't already got them?
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Depends on how much you value rendering over sharpness in some cases.
Minolta 35mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.4 are very nice lenses. These are sharp in center but corners don't become fully sharp till f2.8. but that may not be able issue for some. They are pretty small but the rendering and colours are very nice.

The Sony/Minolta 50mm f1.4 also has a wonderful rendering wide open while it's not sharp.

The Minolta 200mm f2.8 is still the sharpest in its class.

Sony/Minolta reflex 500mm f8 might be an interesting lens to adapt too. Not amazingly sharp but it's sharp enough and very light.
 
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snerkler said:
Are there any A-mount lenses worth getting over e-mount if you haven't already got them?
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I suspect the GM lenses will be better than adapted A-Mount, simply because they are the latest designs.
That said, if you consider you can buy a s/h A-Mount 'G' lens for a lot less than a GM, so if you want a good 16-35 f/2.8 for occasional use, the A-Mount Zeiss 16-35 f/2.8 + LEA5 is goign to set you back a lot less than a new 16-35 f/2,8 GM, for example.
 
What it does mean is that switching to E-Mount is now a more realistic option for me.
With a bag full of A-Mount glass, getting a single adapter which provides full functionality for all my lenses, rather than paying for 2 adapters (one of which has very limited functionality) is both cheaper (probably a saving of ~ £120, assuming the LEA5 is a similar price to the LEA4) and better.

The only issue is compatibility - at the bottom of Gustav's article on testing it is the note;

As of Sept. 2020, focal plane phase-detection is supported for SSM/SAM lenses on the α7 III, α7R III, α7R IV, α6100, α6400, α6600, α9, α9 II, and α7S III. Focal plane phase-detection is supported for lenses that do not have internal focus motors on the α7R IV and α6600.
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snerkler said:
Always (y). I never spent long enough with a-mount to learn about the lenses properly, although I did always like the 16-50mm f2.8.
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I’ve got that lens, great bit of kit buts it’s only apsc, though on an A74 that’s still what 26mp?
 
20% off everything at Camera Centre on eBay with code POCKET20 (max discount £75)

Makes the 24-105 f/4 G refurb £724

www.ebay.co.uk

Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS Lens for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS Lens at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk
 
Tkenny said:
I’ve got that lens, great bit of kit buts it’s only apsc, though on an A74 that’s still what 26mp?
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Yep, but I do have the 24-70mm f4 already so it's not a lens I'd be looking at tbh. I'd be more interested in whether there's any nice cheap primes.
 
The rumor site says that the A7c could come with a collapsible kit zoom.

RUMOR: New Sony A7c: yes it has a 24MP sensor and comes with a new compact pancake zoom kit lens – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

That's nice, but I'd rather have a range of compact primes even if making them compact impinged on some areas of image quality but that could be ok as if they're sharp in the central area but less good in the corners that could be acceptable. I wouldn't like to see less good focus systems though, no more 50mm f1.8 or f2.8 macros please.
 
This isn't Sony elated but may be worth a read. Ming Thein, Full Circle.

blog.mingthein.com

Full circle

1/11/20: Final update to the recommended gear list Almost 20 years ago to the day, a teenager made an unwise camera choice* to record what he was experiencing in case he might later forget. In real…
blog.mingthein.com blog.mingthein.com

"If things are starting to take on a tone of finality, that’s because this is the point at which I confirm the suspicions you’ve been having: MT the writer and mingthein.com are both going into retirement. Between the demands of my ‘other’ job, not being able to travel, and trying not to repeat myself – I’ve run out of things to say."
 
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Not necessarily Sony but this guy could do with some help as he's had no replies...

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Please help find a camera

Hi all, hoping you can help. I'm not a photographer, and sorry to say, it's not something i'm really likely to get into....well, maybe but time is against me there! I do however play piano, and i'd like to record some pieces, which means a camera, now I've looked at webcams etc but the...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk
 
As it's quiet in here.

A7 and Nippon Kogaku 50mm f1.4 at f1.4, with a cheap K&F Concept adaptor. This is a portrait crop from a landscape picture. I preset the approximate distance and walked up to her and said "Are you ready to go?" She wasn't :D I had to fine tune the focus as quick as I could until it peaked on her eyes but all in all it was quite a quick grab shot, not as fast as AF and face / eye detect but quite quick for MF.

6sqldzH.jpg


This lens is AFAIK an early 50mm f1.4, mid 60's to mid 70's I think. It's relatively soft at f1.4 and there's glow and blooming and doubtless other things to highlight but it's ok if you don't expect Sigma Art levels of performance. Stopping down improves performance.

Could this be someones only 50mm f1.4 lens? Maybe. And with a close up filter you can take close up pictures too :D
 
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snerkler said:
Yep, but I do have the 24-70mm f4 already so it's not a lens I'd be looking at tbh. I'd be more interested in whether there's any nice cheap primes.
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In that case it wouldn’t be worth the outlay especially given the loss of MP. If it’s primes then as said, the Minolta 50 1.4 seems to be a good reviewed lens, I. Keeping an eye out for one round the £100 mark. I had the 50mm 1.7 which was Pretty good, only cost me £35 and I stupidly sold on for £85 many years back. It was a good example I had, no fungus, scratches etc.. There is an Autofocus Minolta 135mm F2.8 which can be had for around £120-£150 on ebay and this is a mini review. It’s no comparison against a 135mm Sony Fe but then it’s not £1200.

Minolta AF 135mm F/2.8 review

Minolta AF 135mm F/2.8 review. Tests include light fall-off, sharpness, distortion, reproduction ratio, focusing speed and accuracy, and much more.
kurtmunger.com
 
ancient_mariner said:
Never wanted that, but I do have the 16-80, though it's not as good as the 24-105.
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I got mine with an A77 way back in 2012/13 and it’s been pretty decent, good servant and I would say worth the £150 they typically go for now; with the 16mm being welcome on APSc. I’m debating either a Tamron F2.8 28-75 or the Sony 24-105 grey import in E-mount.
 
Tkenny said:
In that case it wouldn’t be worth the outlay especially given the loss of MP. If it’s primes then as said, the Minolta 50 1.4 seems to be a good reviewed lens, I. Keeping an eye out for one round the £100 mark. I had the 50mm 1.7 which was Pretty good, only cost me £35 and I stupidly sold on for £85 many years back. It was a good example I had, no fungus, scratches etc.. There is an Autofocus Minolta 135mm F2.8 which can be had for around £120-£150 on ebay and this is a mini review. It’s no comparison against a 135mm Sony Fe but then it’s not £1200.

Minolta AF 135mm F/2.8 review

Minolta AF 135mm F/2.8 review. Tests include light fall-off, sharpness, distortion, reproduction ratio, focusing speed and accuracy, and much more.
kurtmunger.com
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Pentax SMC primes are also worth a look.

I have the 50mm f1.7 & 28mm f2.8 with the 50mm being superb (especially with manual tubes for macro)


[url=https://flic.kr/p/2hPMNPq]Forest Fungi by Terence Rees, on Flickr[/URL]
 
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