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

Another day and another pouring down :( Oh well, hopefully the biblical rain we've had recently makes the talk of a hosepipe ban look a bit silly :D No picture taking today though.
 
woof woof said:
Another day and another pouring down :( Oh well, hopefully the biblical rain we've had recently makes the talk of a hosepipe ban look a bit silly :D No picture taking today though.
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On that subject I think I might head up to the reservoirs tomorrow morning see what they look like see about some photos.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
Cheers Alan.

First time I've felt like taking the camera out since losing my dog.

Rather therapeutic.
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Yup. Getting outside has helped me a lot o matter what the weather. We had quite a laugh getting soaked.
 
I came across a post by our very own Sony owning Chroma Steve in another thread and he's about to launch a M39 fit 24mm f11.

There's a piece on DPR about it...

www.dpreview.com

Chroma Cameras unveils new 24mm lens for Leica M39 screw mount that weighs only 16g

Chroma Cameras, makers of unique analog cameras and accessories, has announced its first lens, a super-compact, extremely lightweight 24mm F11 prime for M39 mount.
www.dpreview.com www.dpreview.com

As I have a soft spot for fixed focus kit going back to my days with a Kodak Instamatic 36 this interests me. The Kodak was 43mm though but even so I can see myself having a lot of fun with a fixed focus 24mm on my A7 or MFT kit.
 
I'm looking for a Protective Skin for my 200-600. I've got a LensCoat on it at the moment which I find a bit thick so I want the stick on type. I've seen some nice ones on youtube videos but I can't find any apart from 1 which I don't like.

Any ideas where I can get them from?
 
Jase said:
I'm looking for a Protective Skin for my 200-600. I've got a LensCoat on it at the moment which I find a bit thick so I want the stick on type. I've seen some nice ones on youtube videos but I can't find any apart from 1 which I don't like.

Any ideas where I can get them from?
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Ignore I found them :)
 
Jase said:
I'm looking for a Protective Skin for my 200-600. I've got a LensCoat on it at the moment which I find a bit thick so I want the stick on type. I've seen some nice ones on youtube videos but I can't find any apart from 1 which I don't like.

Any ideas where I can get them from?
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Alphagvrd are the ones most quoted in other places. Fairly pricy but expect highest quality. Haven't used them myself:

alphagvrd.com

SONY FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G Lens Skin

LifeGuard Skin Sony Alpha Camera Protection and Lens Skin Protection 200-600. Life+Guard Design US Headquarters.
alphagvrd.com alphagvrd.com

I've actually used this seller on eBay. Obviously not sure how they compare to Alphagvrd, but have seemed fine to me. Have done my A7iv, A7c and a few lenses now:
www.ebay.co.uk

Protective Guard Wrap Skin Sticker for Sony FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3G OSS Lens | eBay

Lens are not included, included only Protective Lens Guard Wrap Skin. Pattern available: Brushed Steel, Green Camouflage, Green Digital Snake Skin, Green Forest Camouflage, Military Camouflage, Red Digital Snake Skin, White Camouflage, Brushed Steel Soft Triangles, Brushed Steel Camouflage...
www.ebay.co.uk
 
Went on a Wild West Photography Session day yesterday, didn't know what I was going to make of it as I've never done anything like this before, however I ended up really enjoying it.

I was disappointed in the performance of the eye-af, definitely struggled with the low brimmed hats and dark scenes. The Sony 35mm f1.8 performed the best, Sigma 85mm DG DN second and Samyang 50mm f1.4 FE II last. I do now agree with Tommy f2.8 that the Samyang struggles in a real world environment. That being said, I reverted to 'oldschool' AF usage and all was good.

Here's a few examples with many more on Flickr

1.

A9_04986 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

2.

A9_05065 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

3.

A9_05248 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

4.

A9_05380 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

5.

A9_05762 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

6.

A9_06005 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

7.

A9_06236 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

8.

A9_05551 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
 
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snerkler said:
Samyang 50mm f1.4 FE II last. I do now agree with Tommy f2.8 that the Samyang struggles in a real world environment. That being said, I reverted to 'oldschool' AF usage and all was good.
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Maybe sample variation? It's known to be a bit iffy with Samyang lenses although I think they've tightened up massively in that regard with their new AF lenses.

I've shot 15 weddings this year with an all Samyang line-up (18mm 2.8, 35mm 1.4 II, 50mm 1.4 II, 85mm 1.4, 135mm 1.8), yesterdays being by some margin the darkest of the lot (speeches didn't start till 8.45, in a largely unlit barn!) and my hit rate has been exceptional, rarely more than a handful of OOF shots out of 2-3000 shots a day, even when rattling off at a high FPS for things like confetti shots.

The weakest one is probably the 85mm, I'll be replacing that with the version II soon, the 135mm 1.8 is like magic, really struggle to tell the difference using that compared to Gm lenses I've used before.
 
ukaskew said:
Maybe sample variation? It's known to be a bit iffy with Samyang lenses although I think they've tightened up massively in that regard with their new AF lenses.

I've shot 15 weddings this year with an all Samyang line-up (18mm 2.8, 35mm 1.4 II, 50mm 1.4 II, 85mm 1.4, 135mm 1.8), yesterdays being by some margin the darkest of the lot (speeches didn't start till 8.45, in a largely unlit barn!) and my hit rate has been exceptional, rarely more than a handful of OOF shots out of 2-3000 shots a day, even when rattling off at a high FPS for things like confetti shots.

The weakest one is probably the 85mm, I'll be replacing that with the version II soon, the 135mm 1.8 is like magic, really struggle to tell the difference using that compared to Gm lenses I've used before.
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Tbh I’ve not had issues before but half the time it want even recognising the eyes, but they all struggled so just assume it was something with the environment and/or hats. I did check I’d turned eye-AF on and set to human ;)
 
snerkler said:
I was disappointed in the performance of the eye-af, definitely struggled with the low brimmed hats and dark scenes. The Sony 35mm f1.8 performed the best, Sigma 85mm DG DN second and Samyang 50mm f1.4 FE II last. I do now agree with Tommy f2.8 that the Samyang struggles in a real world environment. That being said, I reverted to 'oldschool' AF usage and all was good.
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Like with most things you pay for what you get.

Samyangs will be grand for most amateurs.
 
ukaskew said:
Maybe sample variation? It's known to be a bit iffy with Samyang lenses although I think they've tightened up massively in that regard with their new AF lenses.

I've shot 15 weddings this year with an all Samyang line-up (18mm 2.8, 35mm 1.4 II, 50mm 1.4 II, 85mm 1.4, 135mm 1.8), yesterdays being by some margin the darkest of the lot (speeches didn't start till 8.45, in a largely unlit barn!) and my hit rate has been exceptional, rarely more than a handful of OOF shots out of 2-3000 shots a day, even when rattling off at a high FPS for things like confetti shots.

The weakest one is probably the 85mm, I'll be replacing that with the version II soon, the 135mm 1.8 is like magic, really struggle to tell the difference using that compared to Gm lenses I've used before.
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I know a lot of wedding photographers your the only one I have ever seen say they were happy with Samyang eye a.f performance. Maybe you have been incredibly lucky with getting good copies. Or maybe it isn’t as big an issue if you have only shot 15 weddings this year.


To be fair @f/1.4 has shot 70 odd weddings this year ao far and swears the 135mm is very good.

I see no reason to risk them.
 
snerkler said:
Went on a Wild West Photography Session day yesterday, didn't know what to make of it as I've never done anything like this before and Wild West is not really my thing, however I ended up really enjoying it.

I was disappointed in the performance of the eye-af, definitely struggled with the low brimmed hats and dark scenes. The Sony 35mm f1.8 performed the best, Sigma 85mm DG DN second and Samyang 50mm f1.4 FE II last. I do now agree with Tommy f2.8 that the Samyang struggles in a real world environment. That being said, I reverted to 'oldschool' AF usage and all was good.

Here's a few examples with many more on Flickr

1.

A9_04986 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

2.

A9_05065 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

3.

A9_05248 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

4.

A9_05380 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

5.

A9_05762 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

6.

A9_06005 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

7.

A9_06236 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

8.

A9_05551 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
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Well done, 3&6 are my picks
 
snerkler said:
Went on a Wild West Photography Session day yesterday, didn't know what to make of it as I've never done anything like this before and Wild West is not really my thing, however I ended up really enjoying it.

I was disappointed in the performance of the eye-af, definitely struggled with the low brimmed hats and dark scenes. The Sony 35mm f1.8 performed the best, Sigma 85mm DG DN second and Samyang 50mm f1.4 FE II last. I do now agree with Tommy f2.8 that the Samyang struggles in a real world environment. That being said, I reverted to 'oldschool' AF usage and all was good.

Here's a few examples with many more on Flickr

1.

A9_04986 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

2.

A9_05065 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

3.

A9_05248 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

4.

A9_05380 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

5.

A9_05762 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

6.

A9_06005 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

7.

A9_06236 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

8.

A9_05551 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
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Those look great. Where/what was it, I’ve never heard of photography shoots/sessions like that?
 
mike_6480 said:
Alphagvrd are the ones most quoted in other places. Fairly pricy but expect highest quality. Haven't used them myself:

alphagvrd.com

SONY FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G Lens Skin

LifeGuard Skin Sony Alpha Camera Protection and Lens Skin Protection 200-600. Life+Guard Design US Headquarters.
alphagvrd.com alphagvrd.com

I've actually used this seller on eBay. Obviously not sure how they compare to Alphagvrd, but have seemed fine to me. Have done my A7iv, A7c and a few lenses now:
www.ebay.co.uk

Protective Guard Wrap Skin Sticker for Sony FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3G OSS Lens | eBay

Lens are not included, included only Protective Lens Guard Wrap Skin. Pattern available: Brushed Steel, Green Camouflage, Green Digital Snake Skin, Green Forest Camouflage, Military Camouflage, Red Digital Snake Skin, White Camouflage, Brushed Steel Soft Triangles, Brushed Steel Camouflage...
www.ebay.co.uk
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Thanks for that, it was the alphagvrd I was looking for but the others you linked look pretty much the same, cheers
 
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Jase said:
Those look great. Where/what was it, I’ve never heard of photography shoots/sessions like that?
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Thanks very much. It was at Whiteoak Springs Wild West Town near Derby, organised by this company

Home

Home
sessiondays.co.uk sessiondays.co.uk
 
A couple more edits I've done this morning. Also, I did a quick test regarding the issues I had with eye-AF and I'm 99% sure it was the low brimmed hats causing the issue as I tried this morning using my wife as a test subject. With no hat on eye-AF worked as expected, with a baseball hat on sat quite low it couldn't find the eyes. If she lifted the brim of the cap a bit if could find the eyes again (y)


A9_04910-Edit by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

A9_04956 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

A9_06659 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
 
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f/2.8 said:
I know a lot of wedding photographers your the only one I have ever seen say they were happy with Samyang eye a.f performance. Maybe you have been incredibly lucky with getting good copies. Or maybe it isn’t as big an issue if you have only shot 15 weddings this year.


To be fair @f/1.4 has shot 70 odd weddings this year ao far and swears the 135mm is very good.

I see no reason to risk them.
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To be fair though I think the 135 is a Samyang exception, they’re by and large absolute muck lenses. I only use the 135 a tiny amount so it may have issues I’ve not seen. No doubt it’ll be swapped out to the GM again as I can’t be dealing with council house primes lol
 
f/1.4 said:
they’re by and large absolute muck lenses.
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Strong words, but I pretty much agree.

The only one of their a.f lenses I thought was okay was the 45mm f/1.8, not that it was great but the a.f was at least reasonably reliable and for the money was decent enough value.

Just my personal opinion of course, but the rest of them are pretty much useless for anyone that relies on them for work though. I dare say if you are just using them for things for yourself, were you don't have to have guaranteed performance and it doesn't really matter to anyone else, they fill a hole for those on a limited budget. As long as they don't mind them giving every photo you take of a person a free sun tan. Yeah you can edit out the uber strong warmth they produce to a certain extent but it's an awful lot of extra work. They are all basically one step above the crap that Yongnuo and Meike etc. produce.
 
f/2.8 said:
Strong words, but I pretty much agree.

The only one of their a.f lenses I thought was okay was the 45mm f/1.8, not that it was great but the a.f was at least reasonably reliable and for the money was decent enough value.

Just my personal opinion of course, but the rest of them are pretty much useless for anyone that relies on them for work though. I dare say if you are just using them for things for yourself, were you don't have to have guaranteed performance and it doesn't really matter to anyone else, they fill a hole for those on a limited budget. As long as they don't mind them giving every photo you take of a person a free sun tan. Yeah you can edit out the uber strong warmth they produce to a certain extent but it's an awful lot of extra work. They are all basically one step above the crap that Yongnuo and Meike etc. produce.
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To be fair when I stopped using eye AF then it nailed focus, and as mentioned above Ive figured out it was the low brim of the hats causing issues. I’ve not had any issue with orange skin either.

All that being said, as I’ve already mentioned I wouldn’t trust them for paid work either.
 
snerkler said:
To be fair when I stopped using eye AF then it nailed focus, and as mentioned above Ive figured out it was the low brim of the hats causing issues. I’ve not had any issue with orange skin either.

All that being said, as I’ve already mentioned I wouldn’t trust them for paid work either.
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Their 135 is the only one worth buying, the rest are garbage. I got it on a whim as my 135GM needed sent back and they didn’t have a replacement.

Will probably change it out to be fair
 
snerkler said:
To be fair when I stopped using eye AF then it nailed focus, and as mentioned above Ive figured out it was the low brim of the hats causing issues. I’ve not had any issue with orange skin either.

All that being said, as I’ve already mentioned I wouldn’t trust them for paid work either.
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Yeah work vs hobby use will be different for most people.

Have often wondered what I would have kit wise if it was just for hobby use and have said on here before that I would probably be happy with APSC stuff, I had a lot of love for the A6400 and Sigma prime trinity when I used that as a holiday camera.

When photography was just a hobby though I had fairly decent full frame kit and even then I always wanted to have the best possible gear. So maybe I couldn't live with just APSC kit.

Thinking about it probably couldn't go back to mech shutter use either so would probably have to have A9 series camera or an A1 and for me it would probably then seem a bit silly to be using the "council house primes" so would probably end up with G.M lenses anyway. :D Then I would be like gonna need to earn some money here to pay for all this crap so would probably have to no longer be a hobby again.

The circle of life. :D

f/1.4 said:
Their 135 is the only one worth buying, the rest are garbage. I got it on a whim as my 135GM needed sent back and they didn’t have a replacement.

Will probably change it out to be fair
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Doesn't it have a bit of a rep for slow a.f?
 
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f/2.8 said:
Yeah work vs hobby use will be different for most people.

Have often wondered what I would have kit wise if it was just for hobby use and have said on here before that I would probably be happy with APSC stuff, I had a lot of love for the A6400 and Sigma prime trinity when I used that as a holiday camera.

When photography was just a hobby though I had fairly decent full frame kit and even then I always wanted to have the best possible gear. So maybe I couldn't live with just APSC kit.

Thinking about it probably couldn't go back to mech shutter use either so would probably have to have A9 series camera or an A1 and for me it would probably then seem a bit silly to be using the "council house primes" so would probably end up with G.M lenses anyway. :D Then I would be like gonna need to earn some money here to pay for all this crap so would probably have to no longer be a hobby again.

The circle of life. :D



Doesn't it have a bit of a rep for slow a.f?
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From my usage it actually seems really fast but I’m largely shooting static people.

As I say, no doubt being a Samyang there will be an issue somewhere, worst lenses outside of Meike and Yongnuo lol
 
Looking for some
advice - A9 vs A7IV autofocus performance for Wedding Photography, which is best?
 
gilbouk said:
Looking for some
advice - A9 vs A7IV autofocus performance for Wedding Photography, which is best?
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The A7IV is the better of the two for portrait AF. I use one alongside an A1 and its very good! My wife shoots with an A9 and A7SIII and she says regularly how the SIII has much better AF
 
gilbouk said:
Looking for some
advice - A9 vs A7IV autofocus performance for Wedding Photography, which is best?
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Outside of that there's many things the A9 does significantly better - full electronic shutter with essentially no penalty / proper silent shooting which can be nice to have a lot of time during a wedding day (ceremony / first looks etc) The buffer seems to be better too and having 20fps can be great for confetti shots etc
 
f/1.4 said:
Outside of that there's many things the A9 does significantly better - full electronic shutter with essentially no penalty / proper silent shooting which can be nice to have a lot of time during a wedding day (ceremony / first looks etc) The buffer seems to be better too and having 20fps can be great for confetti shots etc
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The main reason for my consideration with moving to Sony is AF - although eh R6 is good for single subjects Eye AF, as soon as you have multiple subjects in the frame - it's as good as useless if you want to select which subject the eye AF sticks too. Slightly squinty eyes and it's away off into the background selecting a random subject. There's not much point using eye AF in those situations when you can't control it. I'm also keen to acquire nice native glass for which RF glass is eye watering-ly expensive. The 50mm f/1.8 RF is also very poor - soft and unreliable sharpness due to poor AF lock on. I just need to try and decide where I want to start my Sony journey. A1 is outside my budget at the moment, but perhaps a A7IV or a A9II with a A7III as backup
 
gilbouk said:
The main reason for my consideration with moving to Sony is AF - although eh R6 is good for single subjects Eye AF, as soon as you have multiple subjects in the frame - it's as good as useless if you want to select which subject the eye AF sticks too. Slightly squinty eyes and it's away off into the background selecting a random subject. There's not much point using eye AF in those situations when you can't control it. I'm also keen to acquire nice native glass for which RF glass is eye watering-ly expensive. The 50mm f/1.8 RF is also very poor - soft and unreliable sharpness due to poor AF lock on. I just need to try and decide where I want to start my Sony journey. A1 is outside my budget at the moment, but perhaps a A7IV or a A9II with a A7III as backup
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I actually can't even remember seeing out of focus images across any of our cameras. The AF is astonishingly accurate! Few things you're going to notice - the screens are absolutely crap on them / jpeg previews from raws are woeful and the ergonomics are probably not as good for most people. The options with glass though is by far the best out there on mirrorless! If you need any other help / advice feel free to ask!
 
f/1.4 said:
The A7IV is the better of the two for portrait AF. I use one alongside an A1 and its very good! My wife shoots with an A9 and A7SIII and she says regularly how the SIII has much better AF
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Wow, that's surprising.
gilbouk said:
The main reason for my consideration with moving to Sony is AF - although eh R6 is good for single subjects Eye AF, as soon as you have multiple subjects in the frame - it's as good as useless if you want to select which subject the eye AF sticks too. Slightly squinty eyes and it's away off into the background selecting a random subject. There's not much point using eye AF in those situations when you can't control it. I'm also keen to acquire nice native glass for which RF glass is eye watering-ly expensive. The 50mm f/1.8 RF is also very poor - soft and unreliable sharpness due to poor AF lock on. I just need to try and decide where I want to start my Sony journey. A1 is outside my budget at the moment, but perhaps a A7IV or a A9II with a A7III as backup
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As you may have read above I encountered a scenario where eye-AF didn't work, and that's people wearing hats with low brims. I don't know if that's the same for Canon and Nikon though, I'd imagine it would be.
f/1.4 said:
I actually can't even remember seeing out of focus images across any of our cameras. The AF is astonishingly accurate! Few things you're going to notice - the screens are absolutely crap on them / jpeg previews from raws are woeful and the ergonomics are probably not as good for most people. The options with glass though is by far the best out there on mirrorless! If you need any other help / advice feel free to ask!
Click to expand...
I was amazed that they didn't improve the screen for the A1, a £6.5k camera should have something better.
 
gilbouk said:
Looking for some
advice - A9 vs A7IV autofocus performance for Wedding Photography, which is best?
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We have both camera's as well but I disagree with @f/1.4

For me the A9 has better a.f especially in situations like confetti run, bride coming up the aisle both going back down the aisle etc. The A7IV is no slouch though and there isn't too much in it to be fair. My missus also agree's.

I also prefer the A9 because of the electronic shutter, A7IV electronic shutter is basically useless because of banding. I also really dislike the flippy screen on the A7IV.

I wouldn't buy an A9 now though, if I needed to buy now I would probably buy an A9II or the A1, If budget is an issue the A7IV is grand.

A.F performance will also be very different depending on what lenses you are using, if you are using o.e.m glass and you are struggling with a.f you either have faulty equipment or it's your fault, because it just shouldn't happen. If you are using third party glass and in particular the much weaker preforming lenses like Samyang your gonna be in for a lot of butt hurt in terms of a.f.
 
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