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

The starting price isn't that much different without tax, it's $100 cheaper in the US.

£1399 without tax is £1165. US is $1099.

Then you add 8% if you are in New York City and 20% here.

It does mean if you import it, it will be cheaper anyhow.
 
Raymond Lin said:
The starting price isn't that much different without tax, it's $100 cheaper in the US.

£1399 without tax is £1165. US is $1099.

Then you add 8% if you are in New York City and 20% here.

It does mean if you import it, it will be cheaper anyhow.
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Many times before I have noticed that it's actually cheaper to order from US with the shipping charges+ import duty than it was to buy here.
Of course you don't get any local warranty this way.
 
nandbytes said:
Many times before I have noticed that it's actually cheaper to order from US with the shipping charges+ import duty than it was to buy here.
Of course you don't get any local warranty this way.
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Always wondered but why do you get no warranty because of where you purchased it. Makes zero sense.
 
snerkler said:
I didn't realise there was so little in it tbh. If weight's not an issue then go for the GM. There is always the Sony Zeiss f4 which is much cheaper and somewhere in between weight wise. I really like mine.

Of course there's the rumour that there'll be a 16-35mm f2.8 GM II will be announced in Feb which if true I'd expect to be lighter than the Mark I.
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Ive been looking at that older Zeiss, for what i need it seems like a no brainer, ive also been toying with the Laowa 10-18mm found 1 for 400 ish, maybe a fun lens to play with

The new Sony PZ is good, but i dont need PowerZoom and quality wise yes it better, but for me i can manage that ..... prefer to get 2 lens over 1 .... mmm decisions

Anybody ever used that Laowa 10-18mm ?
 
nandbytes said:
Many times before I have noticed that it's actually cheaper to order from US with the shipping charges+ import duty than it was to buy here.
Of course you don't get any local warranty this way.
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I bought 2 Tiffen filters from B&H this month. It's £130 on Amazon/Wex.


Or $50 + $10 tax and $10 shipping from the States.


Guess which one I went for? (Actually it just dropped in price, I paid $70 + tax and shipping 2 weeks ago....but it is still like £40 cheaper even then)
 
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robj20 said:
Always wondered but why do you get no warranty because of where you purchased it. Makes zero sense.
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No idea.
Wex once told me they offer less money for grey imports because camera/lens may have "suffered damage" in transit as the transit will not been up to the quality standards of the manufacturer.
May be this is the reason?
 
Raymond Lin said:
I bought 2 Tiffen filters from B&H this month. It's £130 on Amazon/Wex.


Or $50 + $10 tax and $10 shipping from the States.


Guess which one I went for? (Actually it just dropped in price, I paid $70 + tax and shipping 2 weeks ago....but it is still like £40 cheaper even then)
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Funnily enough I've been looking at them myself.
Have you received them yet?
 
nandbytes said:
No idea.
Wex once told me they offer less money for grey imports because camera/lens may have "suffered damage" in transit as the transit will not been up to the quality standards of the manufacturer.
May be this is the reason?
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You mean the same transit that it went through from the Japanese factory to Wex? :ROFLMAO:
 
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nandbytes said:
Funnily enough I've been looking at them myself.
Have you received them yet?
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Yup

BQ9pBCa.jpg


Got the 77mm earlier this week. I ordered another 49mm for my X100 now, which will live on it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
You mean the same transit that it went through from the Japanese factory to Wex?
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It's a b******t reason but it's a reason to lower the trade in price.

A person trading in the camera/lens could have travelled with it in any fashion and in worst conditions than grey importing.
 
nandbytes said:
Funnily enough I've been looking at them myself.
Have you received them yet?
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If you are hesitating....I would just get the 77mm from B&H now, I bet if you sell it to LCE used you will get what you paid for it. UK price is £130. You can opt to pay VAT on check out which is under £10 so even those people who go "you should pay VAT!" can shut up lol

p.s. I chose to pay the VAT rather than roll the dice.
 
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robj20 said:
Always wondered but why do you get no warranty because of where you purchased it. Makes zero sense.
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Makes no sense to me either. IIRC Nikon's lenses used to be worldwide warranty, not sure if that's still the case?
 
nandbytes said:
No idea.
Wex once told me they offer less money for grey imports because camera/lens may have "suffered damage" in transit as the transit will not been up to the quality standards of the manufacturer.
May be this is the reason?
Click to expand...
No, that's rubbish the manufacturer's box is the only box required.
 
Raymond Lin said:
If you are hesitating....I would just get the 77mm from B&H now, I bet if you sell it to LCE used you will get what you paid for it. UK price is £130. You can opt to pay VAT on check out which is under £10 so even those people who go "you should pay VAT!" can shut up lol

p.s. I chose to pay the VAT rather than roll the dice.
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I bought a lens hood from them a few years ago, even with the postage and duty it was about £20 cheaper than UK price and arrived in about a week
 
Mike.P said:
Sell the 24-105mm & 24-70mm f/4's and you won't be that far out :)
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I don't have the 24-105mm anymore. The 20-70mm would ideally replace the 16-35mm and 24-70mm, I just need to do some 'research' to see how much I use 16mm and how different it is to 20mm.
 
snerkler said:
I don't have the 24-105mm anymore. The 20-70mm would ideally replace the 16-35mm and 24-70mm, I just need to do some 'research' to see how much I use 16mm and how different it is to 20mm.
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I thought I remembered a comparison tool so I Googled and there is one...

Focal Length Comparison Tool

A simple and easy to use tool for a visual comparison of the focal length and the angle of view of two camera lenses.
morn91.github.io
 
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snerkler said:
I don't have the 24-105mm anymore. The 20-70mm would ideally replace the 16-35mm and 24-70mm, I just need to do some 'research' to see how much I use 16mm and how different it is to 20mm.
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Mmm, I have my Canon 16-35mm f/4 and for how little I use that sort of lens it makes no sense for me to get anything else. I also have the 20mm Sony and have never used it :rolleyes:

All I want is something like a 500mm f/5.6 that takes both converters.
 
woof woof said:
I thought I remembered a comparison tool so I Googled and there is one...

Focal Length Comparison Tool

A simple and easy to use tool for a visual comparison of the focal length and the angle of view of two camera lenses.
morn91.github.io
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I've used those but it's difficult to compare to the 'real world'
Mike.P said:
Mmm, I have my Canon 16-35mm f/4 and for how little I use that sort of lens it makes no sense for me to get anything else. I also have the 20mm Sony and have never used it :rolleyes:

All I want is something like a 500mm f/5.6 that takes both converters.
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I've thought about getting it and then then Samyang 18mm f2.8 'just in case', but tbh until the price comes down considerably I'll still with what I have (y)
 
snerkler said:
I've used those but it's difficult to compare to the 'real world'
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What you'll need to do is sort through your pictures and see what pictures you like and at what focal length and also when and where they were taken.

As I keep saying, my most used lens used to be my Sigma 12-24mm but these days I seem happy with 35 and 12 to 35 is a massive difference. My point being that what you like may evolve and change with time and when and where you go places and photograph what?

Good luck making the decision.
 
nandbytes said:
It's a b******t reason but it's a reason to lower the trade in price.

A person trading in the camera/lens could have travelled with it in any fashion and in worst conditions than grey importing.
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Weird one maybe different stores operate differently. I have traded in about 35-40k worth of gear to Wex over the last few years, and they haven’t asked once if it was grey import or not.
 
f/2.8 said:
Weird one maybe different stores operate differently. I have traded in about 35-40k worth of gear to Wex over the last few years, and they haven’t asked once if it was grey import or not.
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I tend to use Park and MPB, however MPB try to pull fast ones, with comments like moisture etc, Park have been great, pay what they quote most of the time....
 
f/2.8 said:
Weird one maybe different stores operate differently. I have traded in about 35-40k worth of gear to Wex over the last few years, and they haven’t asked once if it was grey import or not.
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Branches in Norwich and London will reduce the price of gear if they find out if a camera/lens is grey. I don't know about other braches.
I don't think they can tell if a lens is grey or not but they seem to be able to with the camera.

The claimed my old A7RIV was grey (I bought it used on ebay, not sure if it was or not). Since I had traded a fair amount with the Norwich branch the manager decided to give me their "non-grey" price but normally they wouldn't.
 
woof woof said:
What you'll need to do is sort through your pictures and see what pictures you like and at what focal length and also when and where they were taken.

As I keep saying, my most used lens used to be my Sigma 12-24mm but these days I seem happy with 35 and 12 to 35 is a massive difference. My point being that what you like may evolve and change with time and when and where you go places and photograph what?

Good luck making the decision.
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There's surprisingly more difference than you realise at the wide end. When I go away we usually go in the cathedrals and other buildings like most tourists and as such like a wide lens for indoors. Just done this quick test of what was my man's cave and is now becoming my wife's office (work in progress hence the mess) and there's a noticeable difference from 16mm to 18mm and then again from 18mm to 20mm. The difference between 16mm and 20mm is pretty big :oops: :$ Might be better sticking with the 16-35mm and 24-70mm after all.

16mm > 18mm
Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 17.16.47 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

18mm > 20mm
Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 17.17.03 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

16mm >20mm

Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 17.17.18 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
 
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Yup. Every mm matters at the wide end.

I keep thinking and wishing I had more time and opportunity for this hobby. As it is I keep wondering if it's worthwhile buying anything but then I think "You can't take it with you" but even so I doubt I'll get a zoom.
 
nandbytes said:
Branches in Norwich and London will reduce the price of gear if they find out if a camera/lens is grey. I don't know about other braches.
I don't think they can tell if a lens is grey or not but they seem to be able to with the camera.

The claimed my old A7RIV was grey (I bought it used on ebay, not sure if it was or not). Since I had traded a fair amount with the Norwich branch the manager decided to give me their "non-grey" price but normally they wouldn't.
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I think they just check the language options U.K bodies have more options than Grey bodies.

Never even had my local WEX ask the question.

Impossible to tell with me lenses, Sony can’t even tell themselves.
 
snerkler said:
B&H listing it as $1098 but I’m not sure whether this is pre tax or not.

If it was £895 uk I’d be pre-ordering ;)
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I would assume it's pre-tax, it usually is with US prices even in stores which I found a bit off as I thought I was being overcharged on items when I first travelled there.
 
Well... here's something I didn't expect...

The rumor site says that Sony will shortly announce a 50mm f1.4 GM...

Sony will soon announce the new 50mm f/1.4 GM lens! – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

Anyone interested or is it f1.2 or go home? :D

I wonder why there's still no top end 28mm? Looking at other places people do seem to want one but it seems to have fallen off the bottom of Sony's Things To Do list.
 
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woof woof said:
Well... here's something I didn't expect...

The rumor site says that Sony will shortly announce a 50mm f1.4 GM...

Sony will soon announce the new 50mm f/1.4 GM lens! – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

Anyone interested or is it f1.2 or go home? :D

I wonder why there's still no top end 28mm? Looking at other places people do seem to want one but it seems to have fallen off the bottom of Sony's Things To Do list.
Click to expand...
Seems odd, especially when the 50mm f1.8 is in desperate need of an update.
 
snerkler said:
Seems odd, especially when the 50mm f1.8 is in desperate need of an update.
Click to expand...

And maybe the 50mm f2.8 macro too. The one I had had a completely unreliable focus system and was easily the worst AF lens I've ever owned or used and it went straight back.
 
woof woof said:
Well... here's something I didn't expect...

The rumor site says that Sony will shortly announce a 50mm f1.4 GM...

Sony will soon announce the new 50mm f/1.4 GM lens! – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

Anyone interested or is it f1.2 or go home? :D

I wonder why there's still no top end 28mm? Looking at other places people do seem to want one but it seems to have fallen off the bottom of Sony's Things To Do list.
Click to expand...

I'd love the 1.2GM but this 1.4 may fit the bill nicely
 
I’ve had the Zeiss 1.4 for years and very happy with it. It’s temping to get the 1.2 but not for new price. The Zeiss has little to no CA, good colours, sharp, I don’t have any complaints about it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I’ve had the Zeiss 1.4 for years and very happy with it. It’s temping to get the 1.2 but not for new price. The Zeiss has little to no CA, good colours, sharp, I don’t have any complaints about it.
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AF is a wee bit slow compared to latest GM lenses Inc. 50/1.2GM
 
Looking at the PZ 16-35mm and new 20-70mm it is evident that Sony are relying on software corrections to correct distortion in a bid to make smaller lighter lenses, does anyone know if the corrected images show the proper focal length or whether there’ll be a certain amount of cropping of the image.

For example if shooting at 20mm on the 20-70mm will the corrected image show the full 20mm fov and therefore the uncorrected images could show an image slightly wider than 20mm, or is the uncorrected image a 20mm fov and therefore the corrected image is going to be narrower such as 21mm or 22mm fov?
 
snerkler said:
Looking at the PZ 16-35mm and new 20-70mm it is evident that Sony are relying on software corrections to correct distortion in a bid to make smaller lighter lenses, does anyone know if the corrected images show the proper focal length or whether there’ll be a certain amount of cropping of the image.

For example if shooting at 20mm on the 20-70mm will the corrected image show the full 20mm fov and therefore the uncorrected images could show an image slightly wider than 20mm, or is the uncorrected image a 20mm fov and therefore the corrected image is going to be narrower such as 21mm or 22mm fov?
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I cannot comment on these specific lenses but generally speaking Sony lenses have been known to be wider. For example the Sony 16-50mm APS-C was closer to 14mm without corrections.
The 20G is closer to 19mm, Alyn has shown that in his review:
alynwallacephotography.com

Sony 20mm f/1.8 G Astrophotography Review + RAW Downloads — Alyn Wallace Photography

The Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM very quickly became my favourite lens of all time and is still in my opinion, the best lens ever made for landscape astrophotography. But I appreciate that a lot of people find the 24mm focal length quite restricting and tight and would prefer something a little wider. When
alynwallacephotography.com alynwallacephotography.com

I am sure there are a few other examples too.
So I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 
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