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

OK, a little bit of fun really, but I have been considering for a while now buying a fixed lens compact like the X100 VI , but then I got to thinking, I already had the Sony A6700 and the small 24mm F2.8 prime (yes I know it gives up a stop to the other two), but it still gives me an approx 36mm FF FOV, and then fit it with a Hauge Square lens hood, and voila - my small carry camera :)





OK, maybe I'm stretching it a bit comparing this to the Fuji camera, but this has cost me no extra. Yes, I'm giving up in the MP area (26 vs 40), and yes, it's certainly not as small and pocketable as the X100 VI but surprisingly the combo is only just over 130g heavier, however the A6700 has great image quality, a UHS-II card slot, and (for me at least), absolutely superb video performance with oversampled un-cropped 4K up to 60P, and even 4K 120 with a crop, and absolutely amazing AF performance (with the dedicated AI chip) borrowed from it's FF cousins. In fact if I had the tiny Sony 20mm F2.8 pancake lens, then it would be even smaller and lighter (in fact the combo would only give up 41g to the Fuji !

As I also own the Sony 40mm F2.5 prime, maybe one day I'll purchase a Sony A7CR and use that lens with it and have a FF sensor with 60mp (like the RX1R III) for only a small weight and size penalty.
 
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Is the A6700 much of any smaller than an A7C?
 
robj20 said:
Is the A6700 much of any smaller than an A7C?
Click to expand...
No, almost identical in size, but waaayyy better Video performance. Obviously the A7C (and A7C II), have other advantages obviously. But as I say, I already owned the A6700.
 
Sootchucker said:
OK, a little bit of fun really, but I have been considering for a while now buying a fixed lens compact like the X100 VI , but then I got to thinking, I already had the Sony A6700 and the small 24mm F2.8 prime (yes I know it gives up a stop to the other two), but it still gives me an approx 36mm FF FOV, and then fit it with a Hauge Square lens hood, and voila - my small carry camera :)
Click to expand...
I was in a similar boat, wanting to replace my failing Nikon Coolpix A. I picked up an A6400 with a 20mm lens. Not quite as compact as the Nikon but much better focusing and the flippy screen is a bonus as it can double as my fishing camera for self-takes to replace my also-failing Nikon P7800. :)
 
Sootchucker said:
OK, a little bit of fun really, but I have been considering for a while now buying a fixed lens compact like the X100 VI , but then I got to thinking, I already had the Sony A6700 and the small 24mm F2.8 prime (yes I know it gives up a stop to the other two), but it still gives me an approx 36mm FF FOV, and then fit it with a Hauge Square lens hood, and voila - my small carry camera :)
Click to expand...

Do you really need the lens hood?

I normally don't use them and with modern lenses I find that there are hardly ever any issues.
 
Exactly it just looks Cool and an eBay bargain for £12 delivered (I think they are usually around the £45 mark ?)
 
woof woof said:
Do you really need the lens hood?

I normally don't use them and with modern lenses I find that there are hardly ever any issues.
Click to expand...
Only lens good I use is the 35f2.8 because the lens cap doesn't fit without it. Everything else I don't bother.
 
Meh. Looking at me you'd never guess but I'm not really interested in looking cool :LOL: I know that's hard to believe.

The negative thing about lens hoods is that they add bulk and can make it more awkward to get the kit in and out of bags. Other than that they do their job and potentially protect the lens from frontal impact but I mostly don't bother with them unless absolutely necessary because of the added bulk. I've even taken the 40mm f2.5's hood off.

Film era lenses can be another issue but I find that modern lenses are a lot more resistant to flare but even when affected sometimes just a slight change in angle can make a difference. I have a load of cheap metal vented hoods that I used to carry about when using film era lenses but mostly I find I don't need them with modern lenses.

www.ebay.co.uk

49mm Metal Tilted Vented Lens Hood for Cameras & Lenses 49mm Thread - UK SELLER | eBay UK

All lenses with 49mm filter thread. Thread: 49mm. Just screw the base of the hood onto your lens 49mm filter thread or onto a filter if fitted. The main function of the lens hood is to shade the lens from stray light, improving your contrast and image quality.
www.ebay.co.uk
 
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robj20 said:
Only lens good I use is the 35f2.8 because the lens cap doesn't fit without it. Everything else I don't bother.
Click to expand...

Yes. That's the only one I use because it's so small it doesn't really make any practical difference to handling and getting it in and out of bags. The 40mm f2.5 hood is bigger so I mostly leave it off.
 
Interesting that many of you don't use lens hoods. They are a necessary evil for us.

The G.M lenses in particular have really ugly flare and hoods are most definitely needed to try and minimise that especially when shooting into the sun. Then because of all the drunken idiots at weddings they are needed to help protect the lens as well.
 
I always use lens hoods as protection for the front element, I’m surprised people don’t tbh.
 
LeeRatters said:
I usually have one on the X100f. The Sony stuff I do if needed (busy areas, rain, etc) and don't if it might give a chance of camera shake. They are usually with me, on the lenses though.
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The only time I've had hoods impact things like camera shake is with the 100-400mm and it's windy as the hood is like a kite and catches the wind, in these situations I do occasionally take the hood off if I'm trying to do slow shutter panning.
 
I generally don't use a hood, but instead replace the lens cap almost immediately after taking a picture. Even at events, if the camera isn't at my eye then the lens is capped.
 
snerkler said:
The only time I've had hoods impact things like camera shake is with the 100-400mm and it's windy as the hood is like a kite and catches the wind, in these situations I do occasionally take the hood off if I'm trying to do slow shutter panning.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I've had the same with night sky shooting before too. The other week with the comet in fact lol
 
ancient_mariner said:
I generally don't use a hood, but instead replace the lens cap almost immediately after taking a picture. Even at events, if the camera isn't at my eye then the lens is capped.
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We use hoods on everything but lens caps only before we start work and after. They usually live in the camera bags.
 
Sootchucker said:
OK, a little bit of fun really, but I have been considering for a while now buying a fixed lens compact like the X100 VI , but then I got to thinking, I already had the Sony A6700 and the small 24mm F2.8 prime (yes I know it gives up a stop to the other two), but it still gives me an approx 36mm FF FOV, and then fit it with a Hauge Square lens hood, and voila - my small carry camera :)





OK, maybe I'm stretching it a bit comparing this to the Fuji camera, but this has cost me no extra. Yes, I'm giving up in the MP area (26 vs 40), and yes, it's certainly not as small and pocketable as the X100 VI but surprisingly the combo is only just over 130g heavier, however the A6700 has great image quality, a UHS-II card slot, and (for me at least), absolutely superb video performance with oversampled un-cropped 4K up to 60P, and even 4K 120 with a crop, and absolutely amazing AF performance (with the dedicated AI chip) borrowed from it's FF cousins. In fact if I had the tiny Sony 20mm F2.8 pancake lens, then it would be even smaller and lighter (in fact the combo would only give up 41g to the Fuji !

As I also own the Sony 40mm F2.5 prime, maybe one day I'll purchase a Sony A7CR and use that lens with it and have a FF sensor with 60mp (like the RX1R III) for only a small weight and size penalty.
Click to expand...

I use a A6400 and Viltrox 23mm 1.7 for my family/holiday camera and it's a pretty neat setup
 
f/2.8 said:
We use hoods on everything but lens caps only before we start work and after. They usually live in the camera bags.
Click to expand...

I suspect that, in a wedding situation where my job depended on getting the shot every time, possibly with little notice, then the cap would be in the bag, hood on and camera left powered up all the time (my camera is always off as soon as I've taken the shot(s) too).
 
ancient_mariner said:
I suspect that, in a wedding situation where my job depended on getting the shot every time, possibly with little notice, then the cap would be in the bag, hood on and camera left powered up all the time (my camera is always off as soon as I've taken the shot(s) too).
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My camera tends to get turned off between shots when out and about but the lens cap doesn’t go back on until I’ve finished for the day and/or having a break for lunch. Unless I’ve taken more than one lens out and whichever I’m not using has the lens cap on.
 
This is my version of the small Sony setup (A6400 + 20mm) but it didn't kill the GAS for a X100... It's still a great little option and my go to for situations where I want something a little less precious (canoeing/beach):

 
Gold said:
This is my version of the small Sony setup (A6400 + 20mm) but it didn't kill the GAS for a X100... It's still a great little option and my go to for situations where I want something a little less precious (canoeing/beach):

Click to expand...
Which strap is that?
 
I missed this coming out...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwqmkH4exEw


The AF looks sloooooow, maybe it'd be quicker to MF with this lens. I haven't used my Sony 55mmm f1.8 for ages but it's always on my mind that I'd rather have a 50mm but as I have the 40mm f2.5 now maybe if I bought this 50mm it wouldn't get much use. I've just looked in my favourites folder and there's only 8 Sony 55mm f1.8 pictures in it.

Has anyone got one of these 50mm f2's, tried one or been tempted? £190 on Amazon so if anyone wants one they could have it tomorrow :D £124.39 on Aliexpress and £139 on ebay.
 
woof woof said:
The AF looks sloooooow,
Click to expand...

It looks significantly better than the Sony 50 f1.8, and appears to actually offer accurate focusing, unlike that model. I like the small size too, which would make it good for a low-weight walkabout use.
 
woof woof said:
I missed this coming out...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwqmkH4exEw


The AF looks sloooooow, maybe it'd be quicker to MF with this lens. I haven't used my Sony 55mmm f1.8 for ages but it's always on my mind that I'd rather have a 50mm but as I have the 40mm f2.5 now maybe if I bought this 50mm it wouldn't get much use. I've just looked in my favourites folder and there's only 8 Sony 55mm f1.8 pictures in it.

Has anyone got one of these 50mm f2's, tried one or been tempted? £190 on Amazon so if anyone wants one they could have it tomorrow :D £124.39 on Aliexpress and £139 on ebay.
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I’ve had one since just after they were released.
It’s a great lens to be fair. Small, light , very sharp and cheap.
Minimum focus distance is the only down side.
AF hasn’t been an issue for me, it does hunt occasionally in low light very high contrast/ backlight. But not noticeably worse than any other third party lens I’ve used .
I’m after a 50/1.2 but I’m tempted to keep this also just for a very lightweight set up.
I think I posted images before but here are another few .
https://flic.kr/p/2rDJKTN
View: https://flic.kr/p/2rDJKTN

https://flic.kr/p/2rDKVYs

For some reason only one has posted to the thread. The others you need to click
 
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If I didn't have the Sony 35mm f2.8 and 40mm f2.5 I'd probably give this a try.
 
ancient_mariner said:
It looks significantly better than the Sony 50 f1.8, and appears to actually offer accurate focusing, unlike that model. I like the small size too, which would make it good for a low-weight walkabout use.
Click to expand...
Its the huge downside to the Sony 50 f1.8, i find it really frustrating the AF is so bad its basically a MF lens to me.
I'm a little tempted by the Sony 50 f2.5 at £370.
The Viltrox does look good though i imagine the Sony will be better though with everything except light gathering, i have really come to like the aperture rings as well.
 
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A7V rumours have people crying DOA! already.

100% Confirmed: Sony A7V Launching Early December with 33MP Sensor and New Leaked Images! | sonyalpharumors

https://youtu.be/Oq0XvHnHuWc The past horse I got some additional info: Now I am 100% certain the Sony A7V will be announced in very early December (Dec 5?) 100% confirmed the sensor is 33MP (unclear if same or updated version of the Sony A7IV sensor) Improved EVF (unclear about resolution) I...
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

Does it have the do everything articulating and tilting screen? I can't tell.

DOA or massive seller I almost certainly wont be in the market and if it is the same 33mp chip there will be lots of complaints. Is Sony still pushing the boundaries or have they run out of steam or is the cripple hammer in play? They do seem to have lost the excitement factor for some people.

I do like the A7cII but I don't think I'll love it like the A7 as the issues do annoy me, articulating screen that can not be tilted and a max 1/4,000 mechanical shutter speed with no automatic switching to the electronic shutter, I still can't really believe that. I can live with all the other niggles but those two annoy me.

Anyway. Is there anyone who can't wait to get an A7V?

Other news... Off to Thailand on Wednesday. Mrs WW has lots planned. We have a couple of nights in Whitby when we get back so we'll go from being rather warm to not being too warm at all PDQ. I'm hoping to get a Moo Deng shirt in Thailand :D Mrs WW is hoping to get the trousers.
 
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woof woof said:
A7V rumours have people crying DOA! already.

100% Confirmed: Sony A7V Launching Early December with 33MP Sensor and New Leaked Images! | sonyalpharumors

https://youtu.be/Oq0XvHnHuWc The past horse I got some additional info: Now I am 100% certain the Sony A7V will be announced in very early December (Dec 5?) 100% confirmed the sensor is 33MP (unclear if same or updated version of the Sony A7IV sensor) Improved EVF (unclear about resolution) I...
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

Does it have the do everything articulating and tilting screen? I can't tell.

DOA or massive seller I almost certainly wont be in the market and if it is the same 33mp chip there will be lots of complaints. Is Sony still pushing the boundaries or have they run out of steam or is the cripple hammer in play? They do seem to have lost the excitement factor for some people.

I do like the A7cII but I don't think I'll love it like the A7 as the issues do annoy me, articulating screen that can not be tilted and a max 1/4,000 mechanical shutter speed with no automatic switching to the electronic shutter, I still can't really believe that. I can live with all the other niggles but those two annoy me.

Anyway. Is there anyone who can't wait to get an A7V?

Other news... Off to Thailand on Wednesday. Mrs WW has lots planned. We have a couple of nights in Whitby when we get back so we'll go from being rather warm to not being too warm at all PDQ. I'm hoping to get a Moo Deng shirt in Thailand :D Mrs WW is hoping to get the trousers.
Click to expand...
They really have to do something with this camera, the a7iv offers little over the 7iii except resolution and if this is another minor update it’s a bad look for Sony.

The 6dmk3 specs seem very impressive and unusually uncrippled from canon.
Offerings from canon and Nikon all seem to be offering much more for the money. It does feel like now they had so many buy into the system they have given up.

The rumoured specs really sound like a joke in 2025
Same senor would be a total joke.
15fps, when both the competitors do 40/120 is even worse.
Cropped 4k video‍♂️ or maybe we would get lucky and get un cropped finally.
Years after when everyone else is now offering 4k 120 uncropped or 6k open gate.
I probably would use half off these anyway but similarly wouldn’t buy a camera in this age that couldn’t compete with the competition. That’s exactly why the a7iii did so well as nothing matched it for performance or price.

Unless you want to spend unthinkable money on a pro body as an amateur I see no reason to ever change from my a7iii, probably why they still produce it.
It seem all Sony has going for it now in the amateur segment is third party glass.

I’m sure I read canon is back to making huge gains in the Asian market and on trip to China this summer there were a lot more canons out in the street again compared to the few years before, when nearly everything I saw was Sony.
 
pmac said:
They really have to do something with this camera, the a7iv offers little over the 7iii except resolution and if this is another minor update it’s a bad look for Sony.

The 6dmk3 specs seem very impressive and unusually uncrippled from canon.
Offerings from canon and Nikon all seem to be offering much more for the money. It does feel like now they had so many buy into the system they have given up.

The rumoured specs really sound like a joke in 2025
Same senor would be a total joke.
15fps, when both the competitors do 40/120 is even worse.
Cropped 4k video‍♂️ or maybe we would get lucky and get un cropped finally.
Years after when everyone else is now offering 4k 120 uncropped or 6k open gate.
I probably would use half off these anyway but similarly wouldn’t buy a camera in this age that couldn’t compete with the competition. That’s exactly why the a7iii did so well as nothing matched it for performance or price.

Unless you want to spend unthinkable money on a pro body as an amateur I see no reason to ever change from my a7iii, probably why they still produce it.
It seem all Sony has going for it now in the amateur segment is third party glass.

I’m sure I read canon is back to making huge gains in the Asian market and on trip to China this summer there were a lot more canons out in the street again compared to the few years before, when nearly everything I saw was Sony.
Click to expand...

The A7IV offers a lot more over the A7III than just resolution. The a.f is vastly superior, colour science is much improved, better evf, better ergonomics, CF-A card support and a ton of other stuff.

It would be a surprise if there is not something unexpected in the A7V but even if there is not, they will still sell them by the bucket load by simply adding the new rear screen and a.f etc.

I personally wouldn’t swap out our A7IV’s for another non stacked sensor body but that’s just manly because the A7IV’s will still do what we need them too fine. If the A7V has a stacked sensor I would prob upgrade our A7IV’s but that’s seems unlikely based on the rumours.

I have zero interest in video so the stuff people seem upset about already before they even have confirmed specs for this body don’t interest me at all.
 
pmac said:
They really have to do something with this camera, the a7iv offers little over the 7iii except resolution and if this is another minor update it’s a bad look for Sony.
Click to expand...

I noticed a jump in IQ from the A7 to the A7III and I'm sure there's another jump from the A7III to the A7cII.

I haven't really looked too deeply but apart from a jump in resolution which I'm sure is there if you go looking for it I'm sure that raws straight from the camera do look better but again this may be a difference that you really have to look for and after processing there might not be too much of a difference for all I know.

I've no idea what the competition is doing and how Sony compare.
 
woof woof said:
I noticed a jump in IQ from the A7 to the A7III and I'm sure there's another jump from the A7III to the A7cII.

I haven't really looked too deeply but apart from a jump in resolution which I'm sure is there if you go looking for it I'm sure that raws straight from the camera do look better but again this may be a difference that you really have to look for and after processing there might not be too much of a difference for all I know.

I've no idea what the competition is doing and how Sony compare.
Click to expand...
IQ i.e. dynamic range and ISO performance has pretty much plateaued since gen3. There's minor improvements because of newer processors.

Mid range Canon bodies i.e. R5/6 are really good these days. They are better than Sony's offerings at this point, and there is nothing on Sony that competes.
If you want R5ii equivalent the only option is to buy A1ii at this point which costs like £2k more.

The lens selection on Sony is still a lot better. But how things have changed, once up on a time canon had the lenses and Sony had the bodies :D
 
pmac said:
They really have to do something with this camera, the a7iv offers little over the 7iii except resolution and if this is another minor update it’s a bad look for Sony.

The 6dmk3 specs seem very impressive and unusually uncrippled from canon.
Offerings from canon and Nikon all seem to be offering much more for the money. It does feel like now they had so many buy into the system they have given up.

The rumoured specs really sound like a joke in 2025
Same senor would be a total joke.
15fps, when both the competitors do 40/120 is even worse.
Cropped 4k video‍♂️ or maybe we would get lucky and get un cropped finally.
Years after when everyone else is now offering 4k 120 uncropped or 6k open gate.
I probably would use half off these anyway but similarly wouldn’t buy a camera in this age that couldn’t compete with the competition. That’s exactly why the a7iii did so well as nothing matched it for performance or price.

Unless you want to spend unthinkable money on a pro body as an amateur I see no reason to ever change from my a7iii, probably why they still produce it.
It seem all Sony has going for it now in the amateur segment is third party glass.

I’m sure I read canon is back to making huge gains in the Asian market and on trip to China this summer there were a lot more canons out in the street again compared to the few years before, when nearly everything I saw was Sony.
Click to expand...
Whilst the R6 III specs look very good indeed there are some drawbacks. Yes it can shoot at 40fps in electronic shutter and whilst the sensor readout is faster than before it's still going to suffer rolling shutter, which then begs the question when are you going to use 40fps? High frame rates are usually reserved for sports and wildlife and you certainly don't want rolling shutter for these, as a result you'll likely be shooting mechanical shutter.

Video I can't comment on as it doesn't interest me, however if you get rolling shutter with stills I can only assume the same is true with video.

Now I don't expect the Sony A7V to have a fast sensor readout either, but I can't help feel that Canon are chasing numbers to 'wow' people when in real life they're not going to be as useful as they seem. That being said, it's Canon so it will appeal to the masses.

The A7V will sell well, Sony know what they're doing and they will do what it takes to make it just better enough to make people want it over the A7IV. I don't ever think they'll sell better than Canon now that the market has caught up.
 
nandbytes said:
IQ i.e. dynamic range and ISO performance has pretty much plateaued since gen3. There's minor improvements because of newer processors.

Mid range Canon bodies i.e. R5/6 are really good these days. They are better than Sony's offerings at this point, and there is nothing on Sony that competes.
If you want R5ii equivalent the only option is to buy A1ii at this point which costs like £2k more.

The lens selection on Sony is still a lot better. But how things have changed, once up on a time canon had the lenses and Sony had the bodies :D
Click to expand...

I haven't spent time analysing but for me there is a move forward from the A7III to the A7cII but what is causing it I don't know. It could be a mix of things but for me it is visible if I go looking for it.
 
woof woof said:
I haven't spent time analysing but for me there is a move forward from the A7III to the A7cII but what is causing it I don't know. It could be a mix of things but for me it is visible if I go looking for it.
Click to expand...
I think generally there'll always be minor improvements as they'll improve the processing to help reduce noise, improve DR and colours etc. How perceivable these will be is anyone's guess and the differences won't be blatantly obvious.

I do think we've hit a plateau with the current sensors, I can't see any major improvements except computational. I think the next step for Sony will be to improve the global shutter to try and get noise, DR etc to match the current stacked sensors. If and when we'll see a revolutionary step in sensor design such as organic sensors I've not idea, I think it's fair to day not anytime soon.
 
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