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

snerkler said:
I have peak design, but I don't use straps much these days as I find they impede low level and high level shooting. I tend to just have a sling bag and no strap on the actual camera.
Click to expand...
I use OpTech, mainly with the Dual Harness unless I'm just taking a few shots, when I'll use the Pro Strap + extension (so it's almost a sling strap) - I don't tend to hold the camera up high very much, and if I'm shooting low I tend to kneel, crouch or lie down, so don't have a problem with the strap getting in the way.
If I'm using a tripod I tend to keep the tripod plate on the camera (or lens, as appropriate), then unclip the strap once the camera is safely mounted on the tripod - which wouldn't be possible with that new design, as you have to remove the strap before you can mount the camera on the tripod.
I also use a monopod with my 200-600 quite a lot - and I 'll often keep the strap attached for safety.
 
I had another studio shoot yesterday and took the 20-70mm. In terms of rendering and depth I couldn't see any difference compared to a prime (shooting at f8), however it missed focus a few times and not ever shot was absolutly tack sharp. What was surprising was the Sigma 85mm DG DN also missed focus a few times, I've had it miss focus before with Betty but I just thought that was the subject rather than the lens. The studio was dark and the lens stopped down to f8 which could explain the problems, although the 50mm f1.2 never missed a beat, tack sharp on every shot.

The benefit of the zoom in the studio was noticeable so I'm pretty sure I'll look at getting the 24-70mm GM II at some point to hopefully get more consistent focussing over the 20-70mm. It's the a question of whether I get this as well as the 20-70mm or as a replacement, the weight and extra 4mm of the 20-70mm do make it a better walkabout lens. I've not got any studio shoots lined up, and certainly highly unlikely I'll do any more this year so I've got some time to ponder on this. I'm also wondering if the 85mm GM II will have better/more consisent focus.
 
The Fuji X100VI arrived today, had a quick play tonight and my initial impressions are that I like it :headbang:

Hopefully I’ll get chance to compare IQ against the RX1R before it goes back, but in terms of usability, speed of menus and changing functions etc it’s better than the RX1R. Also low light focussing is noticeably better.
 
snerkler said:
The Fuji X100VI arrived today, had a quick play tonight and my initial impressions are that I like it :headbang:

Hopefully I’ll get chance to compare IQ against the RX1R before it goes back, but in terms of usability, speed of menus and changing functions etc it’s better than the RX1R. Also low light focussing is noticeably better.
Click to expand...

D’oh !! Don’t ya just hate it when that happens. !!
 
trevorbray said:
D’oh !! Don’t ya just hate it when that happens. !!
Click to expand...
Yep :LOL:

I won’t be swapping anytime soon as it’s too big a hit on the RX1R, maybe one for the future although I’ve done the all important IQ test yet.
 
Last edited:
GreenNinja67 said:
That's good news.

They were awful and caused me to chop in my Fuji gear for another manufacturer.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that’s why I got rid of my X-T1 as well. I’ve tried the raws from most Fujis since and they’ve all had some form of artefact but from the raws I’ve tried on the X100VI they’ve been fine. I thought there was some weird rendering of trees but that was down to a setting in LR. I’m interested to see how they render fine detail in foliage and grasses, although I’m not sure I’m going to get change to see as the weather is appalling today and it’s forecast to be the same tomorrow :rolleyes:
 
So the tests are done, and we're splitting hairs in terms of IQ. Initially the Fuji files lacked the depth of the Sony ones, however lowering the black level fixed this and now I'm struggling to tell them apart. I still think the Sony files shade it by a gnats but it's extremely close.

Here's the two side by side, I've tried to match the Sony as close as I could to the Fuji Classic Chrome, I struggled to get the fence anywhere close though :thinking:


Screenshot 2025-10-14 at 19.00.54 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr


Here's 1:1's

Screenshot 2025-10-14 at 19.01.23 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr



One area where the Sony has an advantage is the depth of field, I'm surprised how much difference there is between f2 and f2.8 eq (excuse the different framing, they were shot on a tripod but I must have knocked the plate).

Screenshot 2025-10-14 at 19.03.12 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr



Lightroom's blur function can make DOF similar though.

Screenshot 2025-10-14 at 19.16.04 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
mstphoto said:
Me neither, Malc.
There's rumours of a Tamron 25-200 coming soon.
That extra width would be nice ;)
Also, the Sigma 20-200 may be good :thinking: but in the meantime, I'm more than happy with the 28-200
Click to expand...
Saw the 25-200 on Sony Rumours over on Fæcesbook yesterday, must admit an extra 3mm doesn't do it for me, and the aperture range is the same as the 28-200, I was hoping for something like 20-200 and f/2.8 -4
 
saltireblue said:
This is my daily go-to choice also. Never lets me down!
Click to expand...
I just couldn't get on with the 28-200. Not wide enough.
I have the 20-70 f4 now, but now I'm missing the long end, bit tempted by the Tamron 70-180 G2 especially it being f2.8, but the Sony 70-200 f4 ii being a half decent macro is appealing as well.
 
Last edited:
robj20 said:
I just couldn't get on with the 28-200. Not wide enough.
I have the 20-70 f4 now, but now I'm missing the long end, bit tempted by the Tamron 70-180 G2 especially it being f2.8, but the Sony 70-200 f4 ii being a half decent macro is appealing as well.
Click to expand...
I've often been tempted to trade my 24-105 for the 20-70.
I can change my settings to Crop Mode to get to 105mm on my a1 and a7cii.
Perhaps someday soon ;)
 
Unless I’m going crazy and they’ve never been available, have all grey market sellers stopped selling Sigma lenses?
 
Kieran_89 said:
Unless I’m going crazy and they’ve never been available, have all grey market sellers stopped selling Sigma lenses?
Click to expand...

Panamoz stopped selling Sigma lenses donkeys years ago when their was a lot of problems with front and back focusing on the O.G Art series lenses because of the amount of returns.

E-inifin stopped selling them into the U.K after getting a cease and desist court order from Sigma U.K a couple of years ago. You can still buy from them front their U.S, E.U and AUS website front ends though.

I don't think Cotswold ever sold them.

Hdew still sell Sigma stuff.

Not sure about any of the others.
 
f/2.8 said:
Panamoz stopped selling Sigma lenses donkeys years ago when their was a lot of problems with front and back focusing on the O.G Art series lenses because of the amount of returns.

E-inifin stopped selling them into the U.K after getting a cease and desist court order from Sigma U.K a couple of years ago. You can still buy from them front their U.S, E.U and AUS website front ends though.

I don't think Cotswold ever sold them.

Hdew still sell Sigma stuff.

Not sure about any of the others.
Click to expand...
That's interesting that Sigma launched a court order, on this basis it's odd that other manufacturers don't do the same if it's supposedly as 'dodgy' as others make out. I for one am glad they don't ;)

Interestingly Cotswolds have pre-orders for the sigma 200mm f2 but no other sigma lenses.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Fixed that for you :ROFLMAO:

But that aside - hang out the bunting, @snerkler has found a Fuji camera that passes the lab coat test

(Only the Leica to try now…….:))
Click to expand...
On reflection today the Sony images are a bit nicer, I can't quite put my finger on it but they just render nicer imo. I think the Fuji do look slightly flatter in all honesty, but it's minor and it does seem that Fuji and/or processes have got to the point that artefacts are a thing of the past. I have to say that grass still looks ever so slightly mushier on the Fuji but I'm nit picking ;)
 
snerkler said:
One area where the Sony has an advantage is the depth of field, I'm surprised how much difference there is between f2 and f2.8 eq (excuse the different framing, they were shot on a tripod but I must have knocked the plate).
Click to expand...

For me differences become obvious at something around f2.2-f2.5 but if we're looking at bokeh balls every decimal point of an f stop probably makes some difference. I wish the Sony f2.5 and f2.8 primes could be a little wider and the closer we get to f2 the fewer complaints I'd have.

snerkler said:
On reflection today the Sony images are a bit nicer, I can't quite put my finger on it but they just render nicer imo. I think the Fuji do look slightly flatter in all honesty, but it's minor and it does seem that Fuji and/or processes have got to the point that artefacts are a thing of the past. I have to say that grass still looks ever so slightly mushier on the Fuji but I'm nit picking ;)
Click to expand...

Can you see yourself keeping the Fuji? I haven't tried the newer ones but I always thought my S and F were closer to MFT than FF. For me Fuji makes the most sense as a combination of small size, retro handling and film effects but the further away from any of these the less sense Fuji make for me when the A7c range is there but the Fuji X100's are significantly thinner. I'd still rather use my GX80 than a X100 range camera for speed and AF accuracy and consistency. The A7cII has been a bit of a revelation for me even if it is heavier and fatter than the GX80.
 
snerkler said:
That's interesting that Sigma launched a court order, on this basis it's odd that other manufacturers don't do the same if it's supposedly as 'dodgy' as others make out. I for one am glad they don't ;)

Interestingly Cotswolds have pre-orders for the sigma 200mm f2 but no other sigma lenses.
Click to expand...
If you message e-infin they can set up any of the sigma lenses up as a special order as long as it is being advertised on e.u website etc. Guess that is how they get around it.
 
snerkler said:
On reflection today the Sony images are a bit nicer, I can't quite put my finger on it but they just render nicer imo. I think the Fuji do look slightly flatter in all honesty, but it's minor and it does seem that Fuji and/or processes have got to the point that artefacts are a thing of the past. I have to say that grass still looks ever so slightly mushier on the Fuji but I'm nit picking ;)
Click to expand...

I'm not surprised, there has to be an FF advantage :)
 
woof woof said:
Can you see yourself keeping the Fuji? I haven't tried the newer ones but I always thought my S and F were closer to MFT than FF. For me Fuji makes the most sense as a combination of small size, retro handling and film effects but the further away from any of these the less sense Fuji make for me when the A7c range is there but the Fuji X100's are significantly thinner. I'd still rather use my GX80 than a X100 range camera for speed and AF accuracy and consistency. The A7cII has been a bit of a revelation for me even if it is heavier and fatter than the GX80.
Click to expand...
I just got the Fuji on a free trial so it was never going to be a keeper, however I've always been curious and if I absolutely fell in love with it I'd have contemplated swapping the RX1R for one. However knowing me I'd likely always be questioning the IQ, plus the trade in quotes I've been getting on the RX1R II have been nothing short of insulting. Also, it slightly irks me that the silver of the lens doesn't match the silver of the body (obviously because the lens is plastic), I don't think my OCD could cope :runaway: :ROFLMAO:

I do wish the RX1R II had more modern electronics though, it can be painfully slow to review images etc. In an ideal world it would also have a joystick and and AF-ON button for BBF but it's perfectly useable and the image quality is stunning. I still find it baffling the mark III doesn't have a tilt screen, if it did I'd seriously contemplate upgrading the Mark II in a couple of years when the Mark III price is more sensible (probably grey), but the lack ot tilt screen is a deal breaker I think, I've used it a lot on the Mark II.
 
snerkler said:
I just got the Fuji on a free trial so it was never going to be a keeper, however I've always been curious and if I absolutely fell in love with it I'd have contemplated swapping the RX1R for one. However knowing me I'd likely always be questioning the IQ, plus the trade in quotes I've been getting on the RX1R II have been nothing short of insulting. Also, it slightly irks me that the silver of the lens doesn't match the silver of the body (obviously because the lens is plastic), I don't think my OCD could cope :runaway: :ROFLMAO:

I do wish the RX1R II had more modern electronics though, it can be painfully slow to review images etc. In an ideal world it would also have a joystick and and AF-ON button for BBF but it's perfectly useable and the image quality is stunning. I still find it baffling the mark III doesn't have a tilt screen, if it did I'd seriously contemplate upgrading the Mark II in a couple of years when the Mark III price is more sensible (probably grey), but the lack ot tilt screen is a deal breaker I think, I've used it a lot on the Mark II.
Click to expand...

I think they obsessed on keeping the size down. I don't know how many mm's a tilting screen would add but I think for Sony any added thickness was too much.

With the A7c range being small I struggle to see the point of APS-C now for primes in the 24 to 50mm range. MFT can still offer some real savings in bulk and weight but only with second hand kit as they've stopped making the GM and GX ranges.

I've never been particularly interested in cameras but that's spreading to lenses now and I'm getting to the point that I can't be bothered trying new kit. I've been thinking for a while that I want to get back to something more like the simplicity I had with my film era fixed lens compacts but trying to keep the IQ of Sony FF. The Panasonic GM5 with 20mm was very nice but with limitations, the GX80 and 14mm is nice but with limitations, the A7cII and 40mm is very nice and although it's bigger and heavier than those MFT cameras the biggest annoyance so far is the articulating screen. It is the way forward for me though despite that. I'll have to think if I want to sell the a7III.

On trading and selling stuff.

I'm thinking about selling my Voigtlander lenses. I've used Ffordes a couple of times and the experience was really only tolerable and I did sell one Voigtlander to Wex and the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Can anyone recommend anyone to sell my Voigtlanders to other than Ffordes or Wex?
 
woof woof said:
I think they obsessed on keeping the size down. I don't know how many mm's a tilting screen would add but I think for Sony any added thickness was too much.

With the A7c range being small I struggle to see the point of APS-C now for primes in the 24 to 50mm range. MFT can still offer some real savings in bulk and weight but only with second hand kit as they've stopped making the GM and GX ranges.

I've never been particularly interested in cameras but that's spreading to lenses now and I'm getting to the point that I can't be bothered trying new kit. I've been thinking for a while that I want to get back to something more like the simplicity I had with my film era fixed lens compacts but trying to keep the IQ of Sony FF. The Panasonic GM5 with 20mm was very nice but with limitations, the GX80 and 14mm is nice but with limitations, the A7cII and 40mm is very nice and although it's bigger and heavier than those MFT cameras the biggest annoyance so far is the articulating screen. It is the way forward for me though despite that. I'll have to think if I want to sell the a7III.

On trading and selling stuff.

I'm thinking about selling my Voigtlander lenses. I've used Ffordes a couple of times and the experience was really only tolerable and I did sell one Voigtlander to Wex and the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Can anyone recommend anyone to sell my Voigtlanders to other than Ffordes or Wex?
Click to expand...
I don't think the lack of tilt screen is due to size, I think it's because it would interfere with the eye cup on the new VF, but I could be wrong.

I still like trying new gear, but I'm getting more picky. I think we're spoilt with how good gear is these days that 'we' pick at the slightest thing :oops: :$
 
Last edited:
snerkler said:
I don't think the lack of tilt screen is due to size, I think it's because it would interfere with the eye cup on the new VF, but I could be wrong.

I still like trying new gear, I'm getting more picky. I think we're spoilt with how good gear is these days that 'we' pick at the slightest thing :oops: :$
Click to expand...

When I was looking after my mam I had my interest in film era lenses for when I couldn't get out too much but now that I'm (sadly) not a carer any more I'm not spending hours researching and looking for lenses for a hobby. I haven't lost interest in photography just maybe lost a bit of interest in the kit. Good luck to those who are interested in the kit and have time and enthusiasm for it. I can see the appeal.
 
woof woof said:
When I was looking after my mam I had my interest in film era lenses for when I couldn't get out too much but now that I'm (sadly) not a carer any more I'm not spending hours researching and looking for lenses for a hobby. I haven't lost interest in photography just maybe lost a bit of interest in the kit. Good luck to those who are interested in the kit and have time and enthusiasm for it. I can see the appeal.
Click to expand...
Sometimes gear keeps me interested in photography and vice versa.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top