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

woof woof said:
I live in east Cleveland which is in parts very working class (or very non working class these days) and even deprived and waving large kit about when there's people about isn't what I want to do as suspicion and aggression can come quickly and then there's the accusations and risk of confrontation as things ramp up. At the coast it's more acceptable to be seen with a camera but more locally much less so and even at the beach I've had a couple of issues / questions & confrontations over the years. Ditto when walking in the hills and I'd guess there's a few here who wouldn't want to take anything expensive up Eston hill with the druggies, around the camp fire larger drinkers and the balaclava off road and quad bike types.
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Lad people literally eat their babies where I live and it has never put me of carrying a camera around.

Directly facing my house is an ex I.R.A prisoner convicted of several murders, got out on the good friday agreement he regularly gets visited by his provo friends. My neighbour on one side is an ex U.D.A prisoner, having fallen out with him and his family over some car parking issues we have all out war with them on a constant basis.. The neighbour on my other side was recently imprisoned for attempting to rob the local Costa coffee with a handgun and a knife. When they raided his house they found 40 other weapons, to be fair he is in jail now.

The guy that lived facing him was a local drug dealer who owed money to the paramilitaries. His house was petrol bombed on several occasions, his cars were also set on fire a few times. On at least 5 occasions we watched the local hoods all geared up with balacalavas etc. arrive at his house and remove him from it by force all in the middle of the day. He is dead now.

Just up the street a guy has been in and out of jail a whole load of times mostly drugs related, 3 times he has been caught converting the house into a grow room. He gets a lot of strange visitors that causes lots of issues in the street.

At the bottom of the street lives a girl who while of her head on drugs reversed her car over my daughter and put her in a wheelchair for over a year. Her and her partner on an almost weekly basis have huge fights in the middle of the street with our other neighbours. They orchestrated a long campaign of harassment against us until I had no other option to step in after the police couldn't do anything.

Also at the bottom of the street is two other neighbours who for unknown reasons regularly have people coming round late at night and throwing bricks through their windows. The girl two doors up has been having the same problems recently as well

There is less than 50 houses in our street. It is never not interesting in my street,
 
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woof woof said:
I think you're being a bit harsh on the Voigtlanders, IMO. I have the Voigtlander 40mm f1,2 and it's optically good enough for me and the sample images are there to see on the usual review and blog sites (and there are comparisons to GM lenses.) The 35 and 50mm f1.2's weren't out at the time I got the 40mm but to be honest I didn't buy the 40mm f1.2 for the aperture, I'd have bought it if it'd been f2. These are good lenses. I also have the 35mm f1.4 which can have wild bokeh with complex scenes at its widest apertures and it's not at its best a MFD but stopped down a bit it's comparable to the Loxia which people seem to like very much. The 50mm f2 apo is a very good lens by just about any standards but it's f2 and MF and those things will put many off.
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No not really, I am not saying they are bad lenses just saying 35GM is optically better than majority of the f1.4 or f1.2 primes of similar focal length.
I really like the 40mm f1.2 too, kinda regret selling mine. Only sold it to buy the SE version but I couldn't get hold of one used :(

the f2 APO lenses are certainly designed to be very sharp and well corrected lenses. I hear and read they are amazing.

woof woof said:
I live in east Cleveland which is in parts very working class (or very non working class these days) and even deprived and waving large kit about when there's people about isn't what I want to do as suspicion and aggression can come quickly and then there's the accusations and risk of confrontation as things ramp up. At the coast it's more acceptable to be seen with a camera but more locally much less so and even at the beach I've had a couple of issues / questions & confrontations over the years. Ditto when walking in the hills and I'd guess there's a few here who wouldn't want to take anything expensive up Eston hill with the druggies, around the camp fire larger drinkers and the balaclava off road and quad bike types.
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Yes I remember reading of your local troubles :(
I used to live in a rough area in Liverpool, it's not nice. I remember once waiting in the local post office for 45 minutes till the kids outside disappeared for fear of getting mugged with some stamps and postal orders!
 
woof woof said:
It's just that I'm not comfortable with bigger and possibly more attention attracting kit. That's the main thing rather than bulk and weight as such but they are secondary factors as I like to have a smaller bag (less attention again) and probably with something else in it too. Maybe bulk and weight will be more of a factor as I get older but at the mo the main issue is that I don't like attracting attention.

Actually... I saw two blokes with DSLR's and large lenses yesterday, I think they must have been shooting birds at the coast and on the way back to the car we saw a woman with a DSLR and a largish lens, possibly a standard range zoom. It's unusual to see people with large camera and lens combinations.

PS.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by pop. If it's subject isolation then I'm mostly happy with f2-ish and wider. If it's bokeh balls then longer focal lengths and wide apertures are the answer. If it's colour and contrast other thing come into play.
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It's not unusual for me to see people with large kit combos, but then that's because I go to places where you'd expect them such as wildlife parks, race tracks etc.

With regards to pop it's a very subjective thing that I see and a quality I find hard to describe. I guess it's a combo of DOF, micro contrast, light etc etc. but it's where the object in the photo literally looks like you could reach it and pick it up if that makes sense? A number of samyang lenses have this characteristics, as do legacy Leica lenses.

With regards to the area you're from, I would say where I live is very much a working class area too and whilst there are some neighbourhoods that I wouldn't walk around flashing fancy gear, on the whole it's not an issue. I don't know if that's naivety, the fact that I'm 6'4" or just that people are just plain friendly 'up north'. I understand though that you've had different experience, especially with your wife, and can completely understand why you feel the way you do.
 
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nandbytes said:
No not really, I am not saying they are bad lenses just saying 35GM is optically better than majority of the f1.4 or f1.2 primes of similar focal length.
I really like the 40mm f1.2 too, kinda regret selling mine. Only sold it to buy the SE version but I couldn't get hold of one used :(

the f2 APO lenses are certainly designed to be very sharp and well corrected lenses. I hear and read they are amazing.



Yes I remember reading of your local troubles :(
I used to live in a rough area in Liverpool, it's not nice. I remember once waiting in the local post office for 45 minutes till the kids outside disappeared for fear of getting mugged with some stamps and postal orders!
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Check out the reviews on Fred Miranda.
 
f/2.8 said:
Lad people literally eat their babies where I live and it has never put me of carrying a camera around.
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We can all make our own decisions. It's what we're comfortable with but also the end result we're happy with. I'm only average size but reasonably fit and sporty and I think the overall persona isn't of a victim and of course an air of confidence and some choice base anglo saxon when appropriate can go a long way. I've never been assaulted when out with a camera, I have been called a p****, I've been accused of taking pictures of people, asked if I'm from the council, asked for money, watched, followed, etc... nothing too much but I don't want to go the extra yard and stand more chance of standing out.

All I want is a picture that looks ok on screen with the possibility of an occasional print to a max of A3 and that isn't very often, not even once a year. f1.x pictures are a minority of what I take, the majority will be f5.6/f8. With those things in mind the dynamic range of the camera and unobtrusive packaging is more important to me than ultimate pixel peeping sharpness into the corners and the smoothest bokeh/biggest bokeh balls in class. A 35mm f1.4 would increase my enjoyment of this hobby because just like anyone else I like to look closely at the loveliness but a Sony f1.8, f2.8 or even the likes of the Pergear will get me most of the way there without the bulk, weight and possible attention issues and I'd take the smaller kit out more often than the f1.x GM.
 
Barrysprout said:
Thanks very much for taking the time to do that Alan, much appreciated. Think I’ll maybe order one for a play.
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If you get one I hope you enjoy it.

You could also take a look at the TTArtisan 50mm f2. A snip at £79. It's teeny tiny.


The issues with the above are poor corners and vignetting at wide aperture when focusing at a distance. Other than that IMO it has good contrast and colour and is sharp enough. There is susceptibility to flare but that can often be changed by small changes in direction/position and flare is one of the reasons I bought it.
 
snerkler said:
With regards to the area you're from, I would say where I live is very much a working class area too and whilst there are some neighbourhoods that I wouldn't walk around flashing fancy gear, on the whole it's not an issue. I don't know if that's naivety, the fact that I'm 6'4" or just that people are just plain friendly 'up north'. I understand though that you've had different experience, especially with your wife, and can completely understand why you feel the way you do.
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I'm not really worried for myself but as I get older that could change.

When I was younger and dafter I'd take on anyone but those were different times. These days you're likely to be attacked from behind or by a group and weapons are a real issue and a real worry. Back when I was young weapons were just about unheard of but having said that someone once broke a rounders bat over my head in an attack from behind. There were punch ups but it stopped when people said they'd had enough and going further would ruin your reputation and you'd be pretty much ostracised. It was all rather civilised and chivalrous really. It wasn't until I moved to Leeds at 21 that weapons came into play and were known to be routinely carried.
 
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f/2.8 said:
If anyone is needing v90 cards, these are very reasonably priced today, if you can make do with 128gb cards.

Have some of these myself and have always found them reliable and fast.


There is also an extra £5 discount if you top up £60 gift voucher and use that to purchase, but that is account specefic and may not be available to everyone.





View attachment 387683
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Just ordered a couple of these, I'm blaming you if they're not good :p
 
From the rumor site.

I've never heard of him but here he is...

Ah, is it him from the DPR video reviews? I think it is so I have heard of him :D


Don't bother. It's all talk :D
 
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I see in the classified section Jon is looking for a p/x on his A7iv for A9. Seems the A7iv doesn’t have a silent electronic shutter. That surprised me, thought it would’ve had one.
Anyone care to enlighten me?
 
trevorbray said:
I see in the classified section Jon is looking for a p/x on his A7iv for A9. Seems the A7iv doesn’t have a silent electronic shutter. That surprised me, thought it would’ve had one.
Anyone care to enlighten me?
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A7iv does have silent shutter, but it doesn't have the fast sensor readout of the A9, A9ii and A1, so can suffer from rolling shutter when in silent mode.
 
I’ve seen several rumours on the Nikon Z8 and they all seem to be comparing it to the A7R V for some reason, looks like it’s more similar to the A1 to me :thinking:
 
addicknchips said:
I’m looking to part exchange my Sony a74 for a Sony a9. Purely down to wanting the silent electronic shutter.

My was a uk purchase in 2022 and in mint condition, boxed. Looking for an a9 in similar condition plus money my way.

Thanks.
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Faldrax said:
A7iv does have silent shutter, but it doesn't have the fast sensor readout of the A9, A9ii and A1, so can suffer from rolling shutter when in silent mode.
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Is yours faulty Jon ?
Seems it does have Silent electronic shutter.
 
Ive been using my A7iv in silent shutter for wild and rugby/football and not had any rolling shutter.
 
snerkler said:
Nikon folk seem to prefer bigger bodies by the looks of things.
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nikon is also not selling as many bodies as Sony, they are certainly not inspriring me to switch with these unnecessarily large bodies
(not saying I represent all of Sony or nikon's potential buyers but just speaking for myself)

they seems to be undercutting everyone on the price though.....
 
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snerkler said:
Had a go at some extreme processing, probably a bit marmite.


A1_06764 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

A1_06687 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
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Love the second one, not sure on thye first (personal view, don't like the way the tyres/lower part of car merges into tarmac) - would be great to see #14 the reflection Porsche done in the style of the second one
 
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snerkler said:
Had a go at some extreme processing, probably a bit marmite.


A1_06687 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
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This one is superb - it could easily be a magazine cover, or page in a Porsche brochure.

Like others, not so keen on the one with multiple cars, it looks a bit like a composite of some car shots on a black background (rather than a shot from a race) to me.
I'm also not convinced by the version with the reflections - I think it's because they cut off at the front - so my eye sees something 'missing'.
 
Icee said:
Ive been using my A7iv in silent shutter for wild and rugby/football and not had any rolling shutter.
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Have you used it under floodlights or with any LED boards? If so you should be able to see the banding, I still get it on some LED boards on my A1.
 
Faldrax said:
This one is superb - it could easily be a magazine cover, or page in a Porsche brochure.

Like others, not so keen on the one with multiple cars, it looks a bit like a composite of some car shots on a black background (rather than a shot from a race) to me.
I'm also not convinced by the version with the reflections - I think it's because they cut off at the front - so my eye sees something 'missing'.
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Thanks appreciate the kind words. I'm with you on the one with reflections, unfortunately there's no track boundary line in those pics because of the grass so there is no definitive line, and my photoshop skills aren't good enough to fake one ;)
 
Lens arrived, not decided on an adaptor yet though....

MtXz0Cj.jpg
 
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