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

woof woof said:
What? No 28mm setting?

:D

I've no doubt it's a nice lens but being physically shortest at 50mm and extending to 24mm seems rather odd to me. As I included the 28-70mm kit lens above I'll add that that lenses in / out action through the zoom range also seems odd.

I always feel a bit uncomfortable with zooms though. I have some free time tomorrow and was thinking of going out with a camera and if I do I doubt I'll be taking a zoom. I do get the flexibility they offer but I think I'm happier with a fixed length lens.
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28mm only available on the premium ££ GM version :p :ROFLMAO:
 
Related to the macro suggestions above, does anyone have particular recommendations for a lens for copy work, that’s otherwise interesting/useful? I’ve got some prints of my late father’s work I’m looking to try get good digital versions of (roughly A4). Plan is a kinda DIY copy stand made with some clamps.

Suspect I could get by ok with a zoom and good lighting…but maybe someone’s done similar and has a recommendation?
 
LeeRatters said:
28mm only available on the premium ££ GM version :p :ROFLMAO:
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I have the council house f2. At f5.

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f5.6.

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Oh, I found this one earlier. I remember the day, we were off to pick brambles and just by coincidence I had a home made apple and bramble pie today :D

A7 and Sony 35mm f1.8. Mrs WW in the dappled.

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BTW. The council tarmacked that path, the vandals. It is less messy on muddy days but they've ruined the character and they also slashed and smashed many of the trees and bushes and widened the path. It's nothing like what it was now.
 
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the_accidental said:
Related to the macro suggestions above, does anyone have particular recommendations for a lens for copy work, that’s otherwise interesting/useful? I’ve got some prints of my late father’s work I’m looking to try get good digital versions of (roughly A4). Plan is a kinda DIY copy stand made with some clamps.

Suspect I could get by ok with a zoom and good lighting…but maybe someone’s done similar and has a recommendation?
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I've copied a lot of photographs and I don't think macro matters here although you may need a close focusing lens, I suppose my advice is to think about the space you'll be taking the pictures in as that will likely influence the focal length. My usual recommendation for "macro" is a long lens but here long could work against you and what you really want is I suppose rather a lens which will allow you to frame the shot and have good performance across the frame and into the corners.
 
My current thinking is print on the floor, camera on tripod facing down. I can use a mirror to get the camera perfectly square against the floor then swap in the print. I have a flash/umbrella I can use for nice soft white light.

That does limit my maximum working distance though, but I do have access to a fairly large tripod - I can maybe get the camera about 1.5-2m up.

As well as the larger prints, I have an instax back on a hasselbald and although it’s kinda not the point, I do plan to digitise those also. They won’t scan right because of the transparent film on them but should photo ok. Much smaller scale though - 6x6cm.

I guess I will start with what I have and see where it’s deficient, but if anyone has good experience with maybe some shortish MF macro lenses on A7 series cameras they might be fun for other stuff too.
 
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That sounds a lot more scientific than my method :D My method lead to being off centre and rotation and cropping post capture but you should have less of that. I'm sure you'll make a good job of it.

As you mentioned "interesting" above one lens that springs to mind is the Voigtlander 50mm f2 apo in Sony mount. It's beautifully made and quite small and the image quality is nice and the colours out of it do IMO look nice. I don't know if 50mm will suit you though. That'd be my first thing to decide, the focal length or range. A zoom might suit you here otherwise you'll be repositioning the camera with each different sized subject.
 
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I thought about that and experimented a little - it’s hard to get things consistently flat/square without needing to adjust the camera for every shot. There are maybe 100 prints to do, which might be ok, but I don’t know how many instax shots as I’m still creating those.

Food for thought, maybe I’ll come back with more specific focal length queries once I have some more idea.
 
the_accidental said:
Related to the macro suggestions above, does anyone have particular recommendations for a lens for copy work, that’s otherwise interesting/useful? I’ve got some prints of my late father’s work I’m looking to try get good digital versions of (roughly A4). Plan is a kinda DIY copy stand made with some clamps.

Suspect I could get by ok with a zoom and good lighting…but maybe someone’s done similar and has a recommendation?
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I did this with a 50mm lens, but they were 6" x 4" and 7" x 5" prints rather than 6cm x 6cm that you mentioned above and I don't think the 50mm would focus close enough for that. I'm not sure 6cm x 6cm prints will blow up to A4 though as you can't create detail that isn't there obviously, and I'm not sure how well something like gigpixel would work.

I assume you don't have the negatives?
 
No negatives on the 6x6 as they’re instax prints straight out the camera. Not too bothered about being able to print them large, more to have a backup/archive.

It’s possible we might yet find the negatives, for the larger prints, but I’m not sure he kept them. The prints we have were AFAIK all created for various exhibitions of his work (mostly before I was born). If I do find those I might get them professionally scanned for the best ones.
 
I take quite a few photos of postcards. I do what a poster above does - put the camera on the tripod, use a 50mm lens (macro or otherwise) pointing straight down. It's really useful to mark out on the backing pad where to align the photos so they are all on the same place - helps greatly with later processing. The main problem is the shiny-ness of gloss photos, and those which warp slightly. Both difficult to counter and can take a bit of playing around.

Very helpful to use tethering if possible - because that helps see precisely what is being captured and how well it fits and is aligned.
 
Marking the alignment and using tethering are great tips, thankyou.

I’m hoping to deal with the gloss by using my flash and umbrella, so I can move the light source around to get any reflection off the print.

Which reminds me of another A7 related query - is everyone just on wireless triggers now? I had no luck looking for a decent length flash cord to fit. I have some basic wireless triggers that are ok, but a cord would mean two fewer (different) batteries to manage.
 
YaY! It's stopped raining and the sun is out :D but I'm busy all day.

Hope people have time to get out with a camera today.
 
LeeRatters said:
Test drive of the Escort with it's fixed rear wheel cylinder, sorted water pump issue & new 4 pot front calipers..... :)

Well, that's the plan :) Not driven it since about October.....
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A day spent realising how late you can brake is a good one - just don’t overdo it.

On one of my TVRs, I had ex-Nissan touring car discs and callipers from the Ford RS200 Grp B car, when you hit the brakes hard you had to wipe your internal organs off the dashboard :ROFLMAO:
 
LeeRatters said:
Test drive of the Escort with it's fixed rear wheel cylinder, sorted water pump issue & new 4 pot front calipers..... :)

Well, that's the plan :) Not driven it since about October.....
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I plan to get my MX5 out this summer. When Mrs WW returns to the UK she may want a car and that means the MX5 will have to go so I better make the lost of it.
 
woof woof said:
YaY! It's stopped raining and the sun is out :D but I'm busy all day.

Hope people have time to get out with a camera today.
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Working this morning and then a wedding reception this afternoon :(
 
Mr Perceptive said:
A day spent realising how late you can brake is a good one - just don’t overdo it.

On one of my TVRs, I had ex-Nissan touring car discs and callipers from the Ford RS200 Grp B car, when you hit the brakes hard you had to wipe your internal organs off the dashboard :ROFLMAO:
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I'm expecting the brakes to still be rubbish compared to modern servo'd stuff...... Just not as rubbish as they were before :ROFLMAO:
 
woof woof said:
I plan to get my MX5 out this summer. When Mrs WW returns to the UK she may want a car and that means the MX5 will have to go so I better make the lost of it.
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That'll be sad Alan with the work you've recently had done.

This (MOT) year was the one to use it more & it's sat since October not even seeing daylight :(

MOT in 4 months again. See if I can get into triple figures for the mileage :ROFLMAO:
 
LeeRatters said:
That'll be sad Alan with the work you've recently had done.

This (MOT) year was the one to use it more & it's sat since October not even seeing daylight :(

MOT in 4 months again. See if I can get into triple figures for the mileage :ROFLMAO:
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Most I've ever done in a private car is over 100k in my Lotus Elan SE. That was when I used it for company driving too. I just about lived in a car back then. These days I'm lucky if I do over 100 miles a year in the MX5 but when it's gone it's gone and I know I'll never have another.

We'll see how it goes. Mrs WW is driving in Thailand and it's terrifying her, she's had a couple of near misses with Kamikaze two wheel riders so there is a chance she'll forget all about getting a car when she gets back. It's a shame she wont drive my Evoque as I bought it partly thinking she would as she left her XTrail in Thailand and that car can't be any smaller than the Evoque. In fact the Nissan is bigger, I like this comparison thingy...

www.carsized.com

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2018-2023 vs. Nissan X-Trail 2013-2021

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque SUV 2018-2023 vs. Nissan X-Trail SUV 2013-2021. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.
www.carsized.com www.carsized.com

It was sunny this morning and I'm back home with an hour to spare but of course the weather has closed in and there's no sky and the light is dead. I'll have to wait for another day to play with my new photography related toy.
 
Pulled the trigger on the A9 iii from Panamoz along with grip and also a second hand Sony HVL-F60RM2 Flash so I can easily try out the fast shutter speed flash capabilities without tinkering with delay times. For my use which is mainly sport it seems like a very good option. I will also use it for events I photograph and for birds when I can get close to the target. The smaller file size will actually be a bonus for sending over FTP
 
wookie6262 said:
Pulled the trigger on the A9 iii from Panamoz along with grip and also a second hand Sony HVL-F60RM2 Flash so I can easily try out the fast shutter speed flash capabilities without tinkering with delay times. For my use which is mainly sport it seems like a very good option. I will also use it for events I photograph and for birds when I can get close to the target. The smaller file size will actually be a bonus for sending over FTP
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Nice :cool:
 
woof woof said:
Most I've ever done in a private car is over 100k in my Lotus Elan SE. That was when I used it for company driving too. I just about lived in a car back then. These days I'm lucky if I do over 100 miles a year in the MX5 but when it's gone it's gone and I know I'll never have another.

We'll see how it goes. Mrs WW is driving in Thailand and it's terrifying her, she's had a couple of near misses with Kamikaze two wheel riders so there is a chance she'll forget all about getting a car when she gets back. It's a shame she wont drive my Evoque as I bought it partly thinking she would as she left her XTrail in Thailand and that car can't be any smaller than the Evoque. In fact the Nissan is bigger, I like this comparison thingy...

www.carsized.com

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2018-2023 vs. Nissan X-Trail 2013-2021

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque SUV 2018-2023 vs. Nissan X-Trail SUV 2013-2021. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.
www.carsized.com www.carsized.com

It was sunny this morning and I'm back home with an hour to spare but of course the weather has closed in and there's no sky and the light is dead. I'll have to wait for another day to play with my new photography related toy.
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I checked the mileage today. It was exactly 100 miles since the MOT :)
 
I've recently picked up an A7RIV and was thinking that maybe my 28-200 Tamron is not the best to pair with it.
My thought was to trade it against a 70-180 f2.8
Not sure if I need to spend the extra for the G2 or get the original.

Anyone compared the two?
 
Barrysprout said:
I've recently picked up an A7RIV and was thinking that maybe my 28-200 Tamron is not the best to pair with it.
My thought was to trade it against a 70-180 f2.8
Not sure if I need to spend the extra for the G2 or get the original.

Anyone compared the two?
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Dustin Abbott has. The G2 is much improved.
 
Barrysprout said:
I've recently picked up an A7RIV and was thinking that maybe my 28-200 Tamron is not the best to pair with it.
My thought was to trade it against a 70-180 f2.8
Not sure if I need to spend the extra for the G2 or get the original.

Anyone compared the two?
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G2 is a fair bit better especially on a high res body.
The original 70-180mm wasn't a huge lot better than 28-200mm. Kinda tells you how good 28-200mm but at the same time tell you orginal 70-180mm could be better.
 
Barrysprout said:
I've recently picked up an A7RIV and was thinking that maybe my 28-200 Tamron is not the best to pair with it.
My thought was to trade it against a 70-180 f2.8
Not sure if I need to spend the extra for the G2 or get the original.

Anyone compared the two?
Click to expand...

I have the original 70-180 I don’t use it much but have never thought it was a poor lens. it’s actually a bit sharper than the 70-200 G.M.

Haven’t used the new one but would assume it’s a bit better.
 
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trevorbray said:
Dustin Abbott has. The G2 is much improved.
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My only problem with that is that he seems to think everything he gets sent is the greatest. :D

nandbytes said:
G2 is a fair bit better especially on a high res body.
The original 70-180mm wasn't a huge lot better than 28-200mm. Kinda tells you how good 28-200mm but at the same time tell you orginal 70-180mm could be better.
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f/2.8 said:
I have the original 70-180 I don’t use it much but have never thought it was a poor lens. it’s actually a bit sharper than the 70-200 G.M.

Haven’t used the new one but would assume it’s a bit better.
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It's the "bit" that makes me pause in my decision. I'm strictly hobbyist and don't aspire to be any more so saving a "chunk" might be better than gaining a "bit" in quality.

To be honest the images from the 28-200 look fine even on the high res sensor but it would be nice to have f2.8 at longer lengths.
 
Barrysprout said:
My only problem with that is that he seems to think everything he gets sent is the greatest. :D





It's the "bit" that makes me pause in my decision. I'm strictly hobbyist and don't aspire to be any more so saving a "chunk" might be better than gaining a "bit" in quality.

To be honest the images from the 28-200 look fine even on the high res sensor but it would be nice to have f2.8 at longer lengths.
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I had the original 70-180mm f2.8 lens and never had an issue with sharpness. The new one is sharper though, and apparently has nicer bokeh (obviously subjective). The G2 also has VC which could be useful, although bizarrely no dedicated VC switch and has to be assigned to the function button via the Tamron dock.
 
To throw a curve ball I was debating similar and got the Samyang 35-150. I’m very pleased with the images and the f2 to 2.8 is very nice (often to trying to capture my son in motion).

I don’t miss anything at the wide end as my personal preference is more tele, and I have some primes if I need them.

Chunky thing though, I also got a foot for the lens as it’s a bit unbalanced on my A7. Feels better on a tripod and also gives me somewhere better to have a strap without stressing the mount so much.
 
the_accidental said:
To throw a curve ball I was debating similar and got the Samyang 35-150. I’m very pleased with the images and the f2 to 2.8 is very nice (often to trying to capture my son in motion).

I don’t miss anything at the wide end as my personal preference is more tele, and I have some primes if I need them.

Chunky thing though, I also got a foot for the lens as it’s a bit unbalanced on my A7. Feels better on a tripod and also gives me somewhere better to have a strap without stressing the mount so much.
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Dropping from 200mm down to 180mm would be less of a problem than dropping to 150mm. But I'd rule out the Samyang because of the 50% weight increase and larger filter size.
 
f/2.8 said:
I have the original 70-180 I don’t use it much but have never thought it was a poor lens. it’s actually a bit sharper than the 70-200 G.M.

Haven’t used the new one but would assume it’s a bit better.
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snerkler said:
I had the original 70-180mm f2.8 lens and never had an issue with sharpness. The new one is sharper though, and apparently has nicer bokeh (obviously subjective). The G2 also has VC which could be useful, although bizarrely no dedicated VC switch and has to be assigned to the function button via the Tamron dock.
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I've also never took an image with the 70-180/2.8 & had a 'lens' issue. User maybe...... :ROFLMAO: but can't fault the lens at all. That's on the A7 [usually] but also gets used on the A7Riii too.

Sigle shots, panoramic, landscape, close ups..... - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ratters445/albums/72177720297294348/
 
Barrysprout said:
These are close to the type of shots I would use the lens for. I say close... what I mean is mine would be poorly executed shots in an effort to be like these,
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I'll take that compliment :)

But I'm sure yours will be just as good!! It's also a nice lens to manual focus too. Much nicer than the GM lenses that I have.
 
An evening trip to Saltburn. A7 and Sony 40mm f2.5. Pictures at middling apertures, f5.6/f8 and one at f2.5. Sorry about so many pictures. I'm just testing it out to see how I feel. "I always feel like somebody's watching me. And I have no privacy. Oh Oh."

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Colour and texture.

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Patriotic Tower.

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If only they were open.

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Station.

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Bikes at f2.5.

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I think it's a really good lens. Performance across the frame and into the extreme corners seems to be good and there doesn't seem to be any visible vignetting or distortion after applying the profile in PS2023. Colour and contrast seem to be punchy. The build is nice and the aperture action is nice and the markings line up when going both ways which is more than the aperture markings on my Sony 20mm f1.8 manage. The lens seems to be silent in operation and of course it doesn't extend, the manual focus action is ok too and I've enjoyed using it as a manual lens. The MFD is pretty nice and it'll focus a bit closer in MF. End stops would be wonderful but it doesn't have any. What a shame.

I have had a 40mm lens before and a 45mm too and my first camera was 43mm so I thought I'd give this one a go. I don't know if this can depose 35mm as my most used focal length as using it it does feel a little tighter but obviously not 50mm tight. I can't really critisise the sharpness, performance across the frame or colour and contrast though and the bokeh does seem to be nice. I should have taken a 35mm too to shoot some more scenic shots and see how I feel about the difference going from 35 to 40mm and I think I will do that in the coming days.

So that's the 24mm f2.8 and 40mm f2.5 little G's I have now. In the past I used to like to take a 24 and a 50mm out as a pair so I thought these two G's might be nice as a pair. I'll see how I feel when I'm more used to it.
 
woof woof said:
An evening trip to Saltburn. A7 and Sony 40mm f2.5. Pictures at middling apertures, f5.6/f8 and one at f2.5. Sorry about so many pictures. I'm just testing it out to see how I feel. "I always feel like somebody's watching me. And I have no privacy. Oh Oh."

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Colour and texture.

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Patriotic Tower.

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If only they were open.

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Station.

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Bikes at f2.5.

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I think it's a really good lens. Performance across the frame and into the extreme corners seems to be good and there doesn't seem to be any visible vignetting or distortion after applying the profile in PS2023. Colour and contrast seem to be punchy. The build is nice and the aperture action is nice and the markings line up when going both ways which is more than the aperture markings on my Sony 20mm f1.8 manage. The lens seems to be silent in operation and of course it doesn't extend, the manual focus action is ok too and I've enjoyed using it as a manual lens. The MFD is pretty nice and it'll focus a bit closer in MF. End stops would be wonderful but it doesn't have any. What a shame.

I have had a 40mm lens before and a 45mm too and my first camera was 43mm so I thought I'd give this one a go. I don't know if this can depose 35mm as my most used focal length as using it it does feel a little tighter but obviously not 50mm tight. I can't really critisise the sharpness, performance across the frame or colour and contrast though and the bokeh does seem to be nice. I should have taken a 35mm too to shoot some more scenic shots and see how I feel about the difference going from 35 to 40mm and I think I will do that in the coming days.

So that's the 24mm f2.8 and 40mm f2.5 little G's I have now. In the past I used to like to take a 24 and a 50mm out as a pair so I thought these two G's might be nice as a pair. I'll see how I feel when I'm more used to it.
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From what I've read & seen, it's a cracking little lens. Certainly something I would go for if I weren't in the 35GM camp that's for sure!

Nice photos too btw :)
 
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