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

What are you limiting if you just use fast normal SD cards rather than UHS-II ones in the A7iii?
 
Wayne Els said:
OK so what's the best 35mm for use with a FF Sony? Ideally small and fast. Thanks in advance for the worldly wisdom. ;)
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Small and fast don't really go together until any compact f1.8 arrives, if ever, and I'm beginning to doubt we'll ever get one. Until then we have the two AF f2.8's from Sony and Samyang and the MF Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 which I have and like very much. The bokeh will divide opinion at f1.4-2 or so and the extreme corners are never excellent but it is still IMO a very good lens if you have time to MF. The build and use are absolutely top class and you get electronic communication with the body. There's the rather more expensive Zeiss Loxia f2 too.

If you're interested in the Voigtlander there's a nice review here...

https://admiringlight.com/blog/review-voigtlander-35mm-f1-4-nokton-classic-e-mount/
 
I've been impressed with the Sony 85mm f1.8 so I thought I'd take a look at DXO and it's nice to see the lens getting a good score...

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Ratings

I was surprised to see the Sigma 85mm f1.4 topping the charts ahead of the more expensive Zeiss Otus 55 and 85mm's. That's something for the Otus fanboys to suck up :D

An interesting top 10 including -
3 Sony,
2 Sigma,
5 Zeiss.
 
Just flicking through the settings on my A7iii and noticed an option under af called af drive speed. Mine is set to medium. Does anyone set it to its fastest? I'm assuming it will result in faster af?
 
Andy82 said:
Just flicking through the settings on my A7iii and noticed an option under af called af drive speed. Mine is set to medium. Does anyone set it to its fastest? I'm assuming it will result in faster af?
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That`s just shooting speed- shots per second
 
nog said:
That`s just shooting speed- shots per second
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But it's under af. Not.under shooting options. I've seen the option for continuous shooting. You can set it to low medium and high for higher fps. But this is deep in the settings referring to af.
 
Andy82 said:
Just flicking through the settings on my A7iii and noticed an option under af called af drive speed. Mine is set to medium. Does anyone set it to its fastest? I'm assuming it will result in faster af?
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Hi+ is 10fps (the EVF won’t be live)
Hi is 8fps
 
Andy82 said:
Just flicking through the settings on my A7iii and noticed an option under af called af drive speed. Mine is set to medium. Does anyone set it to its fastest? I'm assuming it will result in faster af?
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On the older Sony's (A-Mount), the AF drive speed related to how quickly the camera would drive the lens AF motors (and was important on the A900 with older Sigma lenses, as high speed could break the internal lens AF gearing...)
Slower AF speed was more precise, higher AF speed moved faster but with less fine control, so could result in overshoot and hunting.

I don't know what it's effect is on the e-mount cameras.
 
Faldrax said:
On the older Sony's (A-Mount), the AF drive speed related to how quickly the camera would drive the lens AF motors (and was important on the A900 with older Sigma lenses, as high speed could break the internal lens AF gearing...)
Slower AF speed was more precise, higher AF speed moved faster but with less fine control, so could result in overshoot and hunting.

I don't know what it's effect is on the e-mount cameras.
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Thanks. I will probably just leave it as it is then.
 
T_J_G said:
That's actually not a bad price. Considering my Nikon mount is worth £400 and a new FE one is £650
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Yep very surprised/impressed by that. I bought the 35 and 85 in EF mount recently and they were not far off that much less than the FE mount versions, factor in the cost of the MC-11 and it's pretty competitive really.

That said, it's not going to be any smaller overall and I'm perfectly happy with them via the MC-11.
 
twist said:
Better AF
Better battery life
More lenses
Dual card slots
Faster real FPS
Bigger buffer
Open 3rd party lens and adapted support
A real battery grip!

Looks like more than just better af to me.
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AF will most definitely eventually get fixed
dont care
dont care
I am sure this will increase too
D5/500 clears instantly, with XQD in future it'll beat sony
better adapter support on nikon
meh

Nikon has better apps, better touch screen and better IQ with ISO64 option.
For first attempt its pretty good. I see them overtaking sony by next gen if sony don't do something.
 
nandbytes said:
For first attempt its pretty good. I see them overtaking sony by next gen if sony don't do something.
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urmrmmr :D Nikon and Canon have a history of replacing their cameras every 3 years with incremental updates, versus Sony's 3 month technological advancements... can't see Sony sitting on their laurels

I see Jonney beating Mo Farah in a sprint if Mo Farah sleeps it out...
 
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nandbytes said:
AF will most definitely eventually get fixed
dont care
dont care
I am sure this will increase too
D5/500 clears instantly, with XQD in future it'll beat sony
better adapter support on nikon
meh

Nikon has better apps, better touch screen and better IQ with ISO64 option.
For first attempt its pretty good. I see them overtaking sony by next gen if sony don't do something.
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Well, you might not care, and meh but it doesn't mean it is not relevant.

How can you also say "don't care" about more lenses and then put "better adapter support for Nikon". You either care about lenses or you don't.

The point of a large buffer isn't that it clears it instantly. For example if you are shooting the 100m sprint, you would burst the whole thing, if your camera runs out after 2 seconds….instantly still mean you will lose the next 2 second of the race, and then runs out again. Whereas the A9 for example can go on the full 10 second. (as can the Canon 1Dx etc). Sure, this is a very specific example but "clears instantly" isn't the point.

As for "overtaking sony by next gen if sony don't do something."

Hmmmmmm….base on Sony's recent history between each of their bodies, you really think that's going to happen? Sony don't do anything?
 
nandbytes said:
AF will most definitely eventually get fixed
dont care
dont care
I am sure this will increase too
D5/500 clears instantly, with XQD in future it'll beat sony
better adapter support on nikon
meh

Nikon has better apps, better touch screen and better IQ with ISO64 option.
For first attempt its pretty good. I see them overtaking sony by next gen if sony don't do something.
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What are you smoking bro ?
 
Raymond Lin said:
Well, you might not care, and meh but it doesn't mean it is not relevant.

How can you also say "don't care" about more lenses and then put "better adapter support for Nikon". You either care about lenses or you don't.

The point of a large buffer isn't that it clears it instantly. For example if you are shooting the 100m sprint, you would burst the whole thing, if your camera runs out after 2 seconds….instantly still mean you will lose the next 2 second of the race, and then runs out again. Whereas the A9 for example can go on the full 10 second. (as can the Canon 1Dx etc). Sure, this is a very specific example but "clears instantly" isn't the point.

As for "overtaking sony by next gen if sony don't do something."

Hmmmmmm….base on Sony's recent history between each of their bodies, you really think that's going to happen? Sony don't do anything?
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Don't care might not have been the best words, basically meant to say it'll get better.

I never said point of large buffer is that it clear instantly. i said point of XQD is that it clear instantly. The speed at which buffer clears on sony has always been woeful.

Yes I really think its going to happen unless they start providing a better photographic experience. What sony had going for it so far is great sensor with EVF and more recently great AF.
Nikon already have sony beat on IQ and EVF. They will provide equally good AF sooner or later. They also have more useful features like focus stacking, time lapse, etc which sony just ignores.
 
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dancook said:
urmrmmr :D Nikon and Canon have a history of replacing their cameras every 3 years with incremental updates, versus Sony's 3 month technological advancements... can't see Sony sitting on their laurels

I see Jonney beating Mo Farah in a sprint if Mo Farah sleeps it out...
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We'll see. I hope they do something as it'd save me having to jump ship.

I know exactly what I want and nikon is heading in that direction sony isn't.
 
nandbytes said:
Don't care might have been the best words, basically meant to say it'll get better.

I never said point of large buffer is that it clear instantly. i said point of XQD is that it clear instantly. The speed at which buffer clears on sony has always been woeful.

Yes I really think its going to happen unless do start providing a better photographic experience. What sony had going for it so far is great sensor with EVF and more recently great AF.
Nikon already have sony beat on IQ and EVF. They will provide equally good AF sooner or later. They also have more useful features like focus stacking, time lapse, etc which sony just ignores.
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It's not instantly, because if it clears instantly then it would never hit a wall, the buffer will never be full because the card is writing faster than you can throw photos at it. The fact that it will hit that wall means the card can't keep up the amount of data pushing through by the camera.

You don't know Nikon has Sony beat on IQ and EVF, you are guessing, I am sure it will be great but to be honest, for "enthusiast", a word that seemingly the Nikon supports seems to love so much at the moment….even the X-Pro 1 colour is good enough. So The Z6 have the best colour in the world isn't going to a game changer, it won't even push the envelope much if at all.

And I am going to play the "don't care" card on focus stacking, time lapse etc. :p

Because you did :D
 
nandbytes said:
We'll see. I hope they do something as it'd save me having to jump ship.

I know exactly what I want and nikon is heading in that direction sony isn't.
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Well someone's gotta buy the Nikon, I'm ok because the A9 meets my needs and beyond for professional use.

It's understandable because for personal use I would not have bought the Sony, stuck with leica and hasselblad for handling and IQ.
 
Raymond Lin said:
It's not instantly, because if it clears instantly then it would never hit a wall, the buffer will never be full because the card is writing faster than you can throw photos at it. The fact that it will hit that wall means the card can't keep up the amount of data pushing through by the camera.

You don't know Nikon has Sony beat on IQ and EVF, you are guessing, I am sure it will be great but to be honest, for "enthusiast", a word that seemingly the Nikon supports seems to love so much at the moment….even the X-Pro 1 colour is good enough. So The Z6 have the best colour in the world isn't going to a game changer, it won't even push the envelope much if at all.

And I am going to play the "don't care" card on focus stacking, time lapse etc. :p

Because you did :D
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Nikon D850 has sony beat at IQ. It provides ISO 64 with higher dynamic range. Not that sony is bad or limiting by any means. Z7 seems to be exactly the same sensor.
EVF as pointed out by dpreview doesn't lose resolution while shooting unlike Sony. so its better.
As I said in the other thread enthusiasts like me who bought first and second gen A7 are the reason you have such a great 3rd gen A7 for your professional use. If sony depended on pros make it a success I think they'd been long dead like samsung.

Sure you can play the don't care card :D if everyone cared about what I cared about we'd have a IBIS-less original A7 sized sony bodies still :D
but pros like you probably don't play a huge initial role in making the system a success ;)
 
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nandbytes said:
Nikon D850 has sony beat at IQ. It provides ISO 64 with higher dynamic range. Not that sony is bad or limiting by any means. Z7 seems to be exactly the same sensor.
EVF as pointed out by dpreview doesn't lose resolution while shooting unlike Sony. so its better.
As I said in the other thread enthusiasts like me who bought first and second gen A7 are the reason you have such a great 3rd gen A7 for your professional use. If sony depended on pros make it a success I think they'd been long dead like samsung.

Sure you can play the don't care card :D
but pros like you probably don't play a huge initial role in making the system a success ;)
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I am not saying Nikon's Zed won't sell well, no one is arguing Nikon don't have great record of their sensor. However the difference between the sensors from Nikon to Sony is tiny compare say other aspects, things where helps, like AF.

As for the argument of buying first gen stuff to make their next body better, true, that's right. However, this is 2018, Nikon has seen Sony's growth pain and what their customers moaned about. Yet they didn't think the same criticism will apply to them?

That's the weird part.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I am not saying Nikon's Zed won't sell well, no one is arguing Nikon don't have great record of their sensor. However the difference between the sensors from Nikon to Sony is tiny compare say other aspects, things where helps, like AF.

As for the argument of buying first gen stuff to make their next body better, true, that's right. However, this is 2018, Nikon has seen Sony's growth pain and what their customers moaned about. Yet they didn't think the same criticism will apply to them?

That's the weird part.
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hmmm... I am still unsure who they intend to sell this to tbh.
Its too expensive to take a punt like I did with original A7. At the moment its too expensive to switch from sony.

seems like they are targeting mostly nikon users who already own nikon glass. But this will only cannibalise on their DSLR sales with no real increase in net gains.
I get the feeling they are simply trying to plug the holes in their leaky bucket to stop people leaving their FF for Sonys. The patch won't stay very long unless they start matching or beating sony.
Conversely sony's head start won't be of much use if they let nikon beat them in terms of features and support.
 
nandbytes said:
hmmm... I am still unsure who they intend to sell this to tbh.
Its too expensive to take a punt like I did with original A7. At the moment its too expensive to switch from sony.

seems like they are targeting mostly nikon users who already own nikon glass. But this will only cannibalise on their DSLR sales with no real increase in net gains.
I get the feeling they are simply trying to plug the holes in their leaky bucket to stop people leaving their FF for Sonys. The patch won't stay very long unless they start matching or beating sony.
Conversely sony's head start won't be of much use if they let nikon beat them in terms of features and support.
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You keep saying Nikon "matching or beating Sony".

What evidence do you see that gives you this will happen in the next 3, or 5 years? Because from where i am sitting, I don't see it.

Nikon has a history of releasing bodies at this price point even 3 to 4 years. It will be 2012/2013 before it's replacement will come.

Sony has a recent history of releasing a new body every year. A9 and A7R3 in 2017, A73 this year and probably A7S3 later on. Even with a 3 year cycle, the replacement A9 will be out in 18 months' time. The Nikon don't match the A9 now, do you think it will match the A9mk2? do you think it will beat the A9mk2?

If Nikon hasn't learn from all the criticism Sony users gave in the A7 and A72 released for battery life etc, they repeated the same mistakes. What makes you think they will learn from this Zed?

From the evidence so far, it will take some miracle for Nikon to match Sony, I don't see it for at least 2 generations…that is like 6 or even 8 years away.
 
Aaaaannnnyyyway.

Sorry to talk about a Sony in the Sony thread :D but I'm sooooo impressed with the 85mm f1.8 :D At f1.8 it's razor sharp to the point of being unflattering for portraits :D

I'm still coming to terms with face detect and getting the odd OOF shot and today I was trying to see how much of a face it needs.

A7 and 85mm at f1.8 and the usual model :D

1-DSC01571.jpg

1-DSC01573.jpg

1-DSC01589.jpg

I'd like to give eye detect a go now :D
 
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Raymond Lin said:
You keep saying Nikon "matching or beating Sony".

What evidence do you see that gives you this will happen in the next 3, or 5 years? Because from where i am sitting, I don't see it.

Nikon has a history of releasing bodies at this price point even 3 to 4 years. It will be 2012/2013 before it's replacement will come.

Sony has a recent history of releasing a new body every year. A9 and A7R3 in 2017, A73 this year and probably A7S3 later on. Even with a 3 year cycle, the replacement A9 will be out in 18 months' time. The Nikon don't match the A9 now, do you think it will match the A9mk2? do you think it will beat the A9mk2?

If Nikon hasn't learn from all the criticism Sony users gave in the A7 and A72 released for battery life etc, they repeated the same mistakes. What makes you think they will learn from this Zed?

From the evidence so far, it will take some miracle for Nikon to match Sony, I don't see it for at least 2 generations…that is like 6 or even 8 years away.
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A9 is something not many people buy or Sony sells many off. It's a very specialised body and I'll leave it out for now since Nikon has nothing that directly compares.

Before A7 Sony also had history of long breaks between releases. There is nothing saying Nikon will keep to their old time table. Based on history until very recently Nikon very tightly hung on to their F-mount. Sony on other hand bought a-mount and not long after introduced e-mount. So history doesn't necessarily repeat all the time, if it did how would anything new happen ;)

On thier first try I'd say they beat Sony 2nd Gen bodies but didn't quite make as far as 3rd Gen. So unless Sony is careful on thier next try Nikon will match them or take over.
Sony might have worked on few criticisms from gen 1 and 2 but not all of them. They can't even fix something as simple as the silly star eater issue or provide lossless compression which Nikon quickly fixes yeons ago. At current rate they'll overtake Sony.
Sony has really great tech but it's still unpolished with very silly issues lingering over 3 generations.
 
Sure there is nothing saying Nikon will keep to their old time table. I can also say there is nothing saying Sony won't release a new body every 3 days….come on….the whole point of debate is using existing evidence, not "taking a wild guess". You are pretty much assuming things so out of the ordinary to bend it so you think Nikon will pull something out of the bag, when what you have seen in front of you suggest nothing of the sort, not for a few years. Not in the current lens road map, not in their history of releasing bodies, not in the competition's recent progress and how fast it has been. There is Zilch, nada, bugger all to suggest Nikon will all of the sudden blow everyone away (….beside the point that Nikon is a small company compare to Sony and Canon. ) at it's current rate of progress, they need to at least catch up first. The Zed isn't even out yet and you are thinking about the 2nd or 3rd gen? And assuming the competition will just wait and not do anything?


Look at what has happened, not "nothing saying".

And you can't assume Nikon will someone polish a turd to world beating to No.1 in the market and at the same time assume the competition won't….when in the contrary you have seen how far Sony has come in the past 5 years…are you all of the sudden now assume they stop the minute one of the biggest competitors steps into the ring? Or do you think they will push harder now to stay ahead?
 
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nandbytes said:
Nikon already have sony beat on IQ and EVF. They will provide equally good AF sooner or later. They also have more useful features like focus stacking, time lapse, etc which sony just ignores.
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How do you know Nikon have Sony beat with IQ and EVF with these new cameras? Until tests are done with images as to which has better IQ, or are they equal, then nobody knows yet.

Some say the Nikon EVF is better, but then some were meh! That one at least may need to reported on by users who have both Sony's and Nikon's, and the a consensus amongst a number of users, or you see for themselves. What they did say was the Sony's only have their EVF at full quality during playback, which I hadn't heard before/

How to you know Nikon will match or better the Sony AF? They have had years to study what Sony have done and have arguably not matched, or maybe equalled the version II Sony's, although again this will be assessed after testing.

They are playing catch up, and to expect them to get this fixed quickly (if it needs fixing) via an update goes against their history. They have fixed bugs, though not that quickly. but nothing leads me to think that they can quickly overall the AF implementation in either or both usability and speed quickly via firmware. Nikon has in the past made huge improvements on the next model, and that could take years. And over all this time Sony would you think, be making improvements which Nikon will also have to match or surpass. I like your optimism, but question your realism.
 
nandbytes said:
AF will most definitely eventually get fixed
dont care
dont care
I am sure this will increase too
D5/500 clears instantly, with XQD in future it'll beat sony
better adapter support on nikon
meh

Nikon has better apps, better touch screen and better IQ with ISO64 option.
For first attempt its pretty good. I see them overtaking sony by next gen if sony don't do something.
Click to expand...

Yawn.... 3 years later and a big IF. Any of the big 3 could have the best camera by then.... But guess what, it's still 2018 these cameras have just been released and the Sony's are better.

Sell all your gear and buy the zeeeeee7 if you're so confident.
 
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