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

Mr Perceptive said:
@snerkler - in all honesty, if it was me and I was going with my wife, I'd just take the A1 and GM35mm and enjoy the day
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She's used to, and expecting me to take photos ;) I do get a good balance to be fair but the 35mm wouldn't be suitable for the hill climb and rally stage (y)
JohnMcL7 said:
It's a tricky balance especially since for me it's not just carrying the weight but also how long I'll be carrying it for, some fairly lightweight setups can get surprisingly uncomfortable after carrying them all day. I bought another 150-600mm lens last year primarily for motorsport thinking I wouldn't need to carry it for long periods of time although didn't get a chance to use it, I suspect it will end up much the same as the previous one and only occasionally used since it's too bulky for me.
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This is very true. Once upon a time it was no issue, I just carried whatever gear I needed but since having fibro it's getting more and more of an issue. I used to carry the D850, 50mm f1.8, nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR II and Tamron 150-600mm around which was a total weight of 4682g and think nothing of it.

I've got plenty of time to consider it, but looking at the price of the Tamron it could be worth a punt. A1 + 35mm GM + Tamron weighing in at 1806g does sound appealing.
 
trevorbray said:
Toby. Lab coat evidence in abundance.
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I took these a while back when updating the A1 firmware as one of them deleted all of your settings and there's no way I'd remember them all ;)
 
snerkler said:
I took these a while back when updating the A1 firmware as one of them deleted all of your settings and there's no way I'd remember them all ;)
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Good idea - I'll have to do the same, some interesting differences and especially like how you have your function menu setup
 
snerkler said:
I took these a while back when updating the A1 firmware as one of them deleted all of your settings and there's no way I'd remember them all ;)
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Can you not save those settings to a SD card?
I have saved settings to an old SD card and assume those settings are saved so not bothered recording them elsewhere
 
Last part of my 300GM puzzle completed - peak design lens kit to carry and change the TCs easily.

Works mostly well, judt two irritants:
1. Connection isn't dampened in any way - they Rattle slightly when attached
2. Bizarrely, the bayonet doesn't hold the TC caps securely - they just keep rotating in the lens kit rather than locking in any way (presume connected to point 1). This is annoying because it'll mean the caps need to be carried seperately, and likely to fill with pocket dirt/lint - as will the empty slot in the PD kit

Aside from above points which I'm sure I'll cope with, it's a great solution.


IMG_9997.jpeg
 
An "urban" tractor and trailer.

The old A65 and its even older 75~300mm (silver) zoom are still a viable combination, so far as I'm concerned. A grab shot taken from the front seat of a bus on Exeter's suburban Wonford Hill...

Tractor with Manure tanker Wonford Hill Exeter A65 Long DSC00762.JPG
 
nog said:
Can you not save those settings to a SD card?
I have saved settings to an old SD card and assume those settings are saved so not bothered recording them elsewhere
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You can normally but one of the updates for the A1 changed the whole menu structure and other bits and bobs meaning you couldn’t save the settings on a card and reinstall them.
 
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The lab coat's been on again, and I've been trying to work out roughly how the DOF field would compare between using my 35mm f1.4 in crop mode vs a 45mm f1.8 in FF which of course is not easy as I don't know how much the camera to subject distance would need to change to get the same framing.

However in doing this it's brought up a discrepancy in how the effective focal length and aperture affect DOF. So in theory putting the 35mm f1.4 on a crop body should effectively be the same as using a 52.5mm f2.0 lens on FF, however when you use the online calculator the DOF is larger using a crop body and 35mm f1.4 so you won't get as much 'pop'.

Does anyone know why there's a difference please? It's not going to sway my choice of lens in any way, it's just that now I've seen this I want to know why ;)
 
How far out are the numbers you're looking at? I was comparing the two at 10ft and there's a slight difference with the DoF of one at 1.3ft and the other at 1.4ft but it's pretty close, I'm assuming the one stop difference in aperture is rounded up rather than an exact number?
 
JohnMcL7 said:
How far out are the numbers you're looking at? I was comparing the two at 10ft and there's a slight difference with the DoF of one at 1.3ft and the other at 1.4ft but it's pretty close, I'm assuming the one stop difference in aperture is rounded up rather than an exact number?
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Yeah it's only a small difference in terms of the actual DOF but I wonder how much effect it has on the overall bokeh, fall off etc etc :thinking:

Screenshot 2025-02-19 at 19.20.16.jpg
 
Nicely done toby …
 
Update on my lens situation .last night I bought a Tamron 50-400 for my a6700 .it should be here tomorrow ,but will need a firmware update,…. with that and hospital appointments combined it will slow things down a tad .. I will hopefully be up and running by the weekend
 
the black fox said:
Update on my lens situation .last night I bought a Tamron 50-400 for my a6700 .it should be here tomorrow ,but will need a firmware update,…. with that and hospital appointments combined it will slow things down a tad .. I will hopefully be up and running by the weekend
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I thought you’d discounted the Tamron due to its weight? What made you reconsider?

It is a great lens, think you’ll enjoy it
 
Tricky01 said:
I thought you’d discounted the Tamron due to its weight? What made you reconsider?

It is a great lens, think you’ll enjoy it
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Had more time to watch reviews this week and weighed up all the options . The bit of extra reach , the close up ability and usb updating finally swayed it
 
gutted lens arrived in as new condition , but will not work in A/F
 
Won’t work autofocus? Did you try a firmware update?

At least one of my lenses needed an update for AF to work on a modern body (A7Cii, same gen as a 6700)
 
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Nope not willing to take a chance with a e.bay purchase , already sent it back anyway . Lesson learned Sony for Sony
 
the black fox said:
Nope not willing to take a chance with a e.bay purchase , already sent it back anyway . Lesson learned Sony for Sony
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It will deffo have needed a firmware update. Pretty much every third party lens will need a firmware update to function properly with any of the newer bodies from the A7CII onwards if the lens predates the body. Sony lenses will need updated to latest firmware to perform at their best with the newer bodies as well.

Probably jumped the gun a bit there.
 
may well have done but not worth the chance sorry, there is no mention in the updates re only working in MF
 
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snerkler said:
Yeah it's only a small difference in terms of the actual DOF but I wonder how much effect it has on the overall bokeh, fall off etc etc :thinking:

View attachment 446038
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Toby, this is your problem:-

1740068585364.png

That's quite a difference, one that almost certainly will introduce wrong gear selection remorse

If you were truly happy with taking just the GM35mm for static shots, you wouldn't have even started comparisons..................
 
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the black fox said:
That’s very kind of you Andrew I will probably take you up on that , hopefully going to try a 200-600 on weds to see if I can handle it . What days are you available
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How’d it go with the 200-600 Jeff ?
 
the black fox said:
Nope not willing to take a chance with a e.bay purchase , already sent it back anyway . Lesson learned Sony for Sony
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Most third party lenses work well with Sony as unlike other brands Sony have opened up their e-mount to third party so there's no need to reverse engineer lenses anymore. I wouldn't shy away from third party (y)
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Toby, this is your problem:-

View attachment 446095

That's quite a difference, one that almost certainly will introduce wrong gear selection remorse

If you were truly happy with taking just the GM35mm for static shots, you wouldn't have even started comparisons..................
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Well after getting this in my inbox today I think it's a case of sod the weight, I want the best pictures ;)

Screenshot 2025-02-20 at 19.01.33.jpg
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Don’t forget the weight of some ear defenders for your wife!!!!
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She likes the noise ;)

Besides, I have an abundance of ear plugs for riding my motorbike (y)
 
Sony 16G specs leak

Sony 16mm f/1.8 G lens specs! | sonyalpharumors

Approximate size comparison between the Sony 20mm f/1.8 G, the Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 and the Sony 16mm f/1.8 G Two sources gave me more info on the new Sony 16mm lens! Sony 16mm f/1.8 G lens specs: 11 aperture blades 15 lens elements in 12 groups (including AA, ED and super ED glass) aperture ring
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

Looks pretty small and light. @snerkler might be the small UWA you were looking for?
If it turns out to be at least as good as viltrox I own, will definitely swap...
 
the black fox said:
Not yet tried Trevor. Hopefully Saturday afternoon
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My recommendations for the 6700 would be either the Sony 70-350 or Sigma 100-400.
I have both the Sigma and the 200-600 but it's the Sigma I use most.
For the money, its an incredible lens and nowhere near as heavy as the 200-600.
I did a comparison with the Sigma and Sony 100-400 and couldn't see a lot of difference in IQ.
The Sony focussed closer and probably better built but wasn't worth over double the cost.
You'll see the IQ of the Sigma on my Flickr photostream but those were taken on the a1
 
mstphoto said:
My recommendations for the 6700 would be either the Sony 70-350 or Sigma 100-400.
I have both the Sigma and the 200-600 but it's the Sigma I use most.
For the money, its an incredible lens and nowhere near as heavy as the 200-600.
I did a comparison with the Sigma and Sony 100-400 and couldn't see a lot of difference in IQ.
The Sony focussed closer and probably better built but wasn't worth over double the cost.
You'll see the IQ of the Sigma on my Flickr photostream but those were taken on the a1
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After yesterday’s debacle with the Tamron lens mike I came to a conclusion last night that I’m chasing a dream that doesn’t exist , so have decided to stick with Olympus and return the Sony items while I have time .
 
nandbytes said:
Sony 16G specs leak

Sony 16mm f/1.8 G lens specs! | sonyalpharumors

Approximate size comparison between the Sony 20mm f/1.8 G, the Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 and the Sony 16mm f/1.8 G Two sources gave me more info on the new Sony 16mm lens! Sony 16mm f/1.8 G lens specs: 11 aperture blades 15 lens elements in 12 groups (including AA, ED and super ED glass) aperture ring
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

Looks pretty small and light. @snerkler might be the small UWA you were looking for?
If it turns out to be at least as good as viltrox I own, will definitely swap...
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Could well be (y)
 
the black fox said:
After yesterday’s debacle with the Tamron lens mike I came to a conclusion last night that I’m chasing a dream that doesn’t exist , so have decided to stick with Olympus and return the Sony items while I have time .
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That's such a shame it didn't work out for you, Jeff
I had the a6600 with the 70-350 and found it to be an amazing combination.
The only reason I sold them was that all my work colleagues had a whip round and bought me the a7c when I retired.
I've often been tempted to move back to the a6700 + 70-350
Maybe some day ;)
 
went through all the variables mike I am pretty sure the 200-600 would have been a step to far , any of the 100-400 lenses would only have given me 600mm effective reach @ F6.3 . whereas my standard Olympus walkabout hand holdable rig of OM1 +300 F4 +1.4 tc gives me a effective 840mm reach at F5.6 also with Birds Eye i.d .no brainer really
 
Well I took all my kit (except my RX10iv !) to Wex today which will just about give me enough for the A6700 and 70-350 :D

Will probably purchase from Cotswold Cameras but am planning to have a hunt about this weekend.

Longer term I'll likely get a 10-20 for landscapes and stick a Raynox on for macro work - I may even sell the RX10 one day but only once I'm sure :LOL:
 
dibbly dobbler said:
Well I took all my kit (except my RX10iv !) to Wex today which will just about give me enough for the A6700 and 70-350 :D

Will probably purchase from Cotswold Cameras but am planning to have a hunt about this weekend.

Longer term I'll likely get a 10-20 for landscapes and stick a Raynox on for macro work - I may even sell the RX10 one day but only once I'm sure :LOL:
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You should get 10-20% more selling through here vs. WEX (or let someone save a lot versus buying from Wex) - worth putting a few bits up on the classifieds
 
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