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

gman said:
I'm actually finding the small footprint of the A7V + 40mm a little more difficult to get used to than I thought I would. It doesn't quite feel natural when I go to hold the lens, if you know what I mean. Almost as if it's a little unbalanced because usually it's the lens that creates the support and not the camera, so you need something to grip.
Click to expand...

I have a cheap leatherette half-case a separate Smallrig bracket for my A7III, and they make it much more natural to handle. When I first got the camera, after a D610 it felt much better made, but very dense and slippery. The half case adds bulk and grip, and the bracket extends the body below the battery compartment and across the base.
 
gman said:
I can appreciate the caution, especially when we are carrying expensive gear around. Glasgow has turned into a bit of a hole these days and it is becoming less of a case of "good and bad parts", but more a case of "good or bad people" in any area, even the nice ones. The nicer outer suburbs here are still ok, so I can also appreciate those living in villages or places where the wider area is safe, so you can be more trusting.

I had an encounter whilst taking this photo with my son. There was a guy who was acting strangely and hovering around looking at us. He then came in close behind us, so I turned and faced up to him before he got too close, but it turned out he was just trying to get past and it was fairly tight. I think he was a little lost and was nervous to pass us so closely. I didn't say anything to him, just faced him the whole time to show I was ready and whilst it turned out to be harmless on this occasion I'll still not take the risk of being jumped from behind, especially when out with my son. It's a shame it's come to this.
Click to expand...
Ally McCoist agrees with you, gman
I visit my sister in Summerston from time to time and thankfully that seems ok in the meantime but with the way things are going, who knows what the future holds
 
ancient_mariner said:
I have a cheap leatherette half-case a separate Smallrig bracket for my A7III, and they make it much more natural to handle. When I first got the camera, after a D610 it felt much better made, but very dense and slippery. The half case adds bulk and grip, and the bracket extends the body below the battery compartment and across the base.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I can visualise what you describing, have you got a photo or something please?
 
gman said:
If you are referring to the Sony 35mm f/1.4 compared to the Sigma 35mm f/1.2, then I would probably agree. I'm sure I've read that Sony intentionally restrict AF speed on 3rd party lenses, if that's true then that, along with all that extra glass to shift, could also be something to consider.

The Sony 1.4 size doesn't look all that bad when compared below, it actually looks quite nicely proportioned, but it would have to replace my current 40mm as the focal lengths are too close. I've only just bought the 40mm, so can't help but wonder if I should have put more thought into it. f2.5 isn't too bad as the A7V seems to handle low light and higher ISO pretty good, but gaining almost 2 stops with the 35mm is rather tempting.

I'm actually finding the small footprint of the A7V + 40mm a little more difficult to get used to than I thought I would. It doesn't quite feel natural when I go to hold the lens, if you know what I mean. Almost as if it's a little unbalanced because usually it's the lens that creates the support and not the camera, so you need something to grip. But small size was the priority, so I should give it a chance, besides, the 35mm will still be around for a while.


View attachment 491939
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a lot of pros and cons both ways - as usual isn't it!

I'm sticking with what I have! If I had a 'c' series body then the 40G might be more tempting..... But then I'd have that plus the 35GM plus the Voigtlander 40/1.2 :ROFLMAO:

Oh, plus the '35mm' X100f, plus the 40mm Canonet QL17 Giii, plus the similar focal length of the 124g.....
 
mstphoto said:
Ally McCoist agrees with you, gman
I visit my sister in Summerston from time to time and thankfully that seems ok in the meantime but with the way things are going, who knows what the future holds
Click to expand...

A friend stayed there about 15 years ago, Broughton Road I think (there was a graveyard behind the garden). It seemed nice back then. We would do a drive round every year with the children in December because a lot of the houses would go crazy with the Christmas decorations in the front gardens! We went again about two years ago, but they weren't as ubiquitous that time.
 
gman said:
I'm not sure I can visualise what you describing, have you got a photo or something please?
Click to expand...

Hopefully this will work:

Amazon.com : A7R IV Case, BolinUS Handmade PU Leather Half Camera Case Bag Cover Bottom Opening Version for Sony Alpha A7R IV with Hand Strap (Coffee) : Electronics

Amazon.com : A7R IV Case, BolinUS Handmade PU Leather Half Camera Case Bag Cover Bottom Opening Version for Sony Alpha A7R IV with Hand Strap (Coffee) : Electronics
www.amazon.com

You can also look for a Smallrig L bracket.
 
Last edited:
gman said:
I'm sure I've read that Sony intentionally restrict AF speed on 3rd party lenses, if that's true then that, along with all that extra glass to shift, could also be something to consider.
Click to expand...
I’ve never seen that mentioned anywhere, the only restriction I’m aware of is frame rate, limiting frame rate to 15fps with third party glass.
 
Think I've read Sony restrict 3rd party lenses to 15fps in case/because the 3rd party lens cannot focus fast enough, can't expect Sony to test/approve 3rd party kit really. Some Sony lenses are restricted to 15fps IIRC
 
nog said:
Think I've read Sony restrict 3rd party lenses to 15fps in case/because the 3rd party lens cannot focus fast enough, can't expect Sony to test/approve 3rd party kit really. Some Sony lenses are restricted to 15fps IIRC
Click to expand...

That's really not for Sony to decide
They are artificially blocking frame rate and TC support
E-mount sigma lenses adapted to Nikon can both shoot at 30fps and with TCs.

15fps is enough for me for most things so it doesn't bother me as much
The TC thing does bother me, viltrox 2x now works with my sigma 500mm, hopefully they'll make a 1.4x
 
nog said:
Think I've read Sony restrict 3rd party lenses to 15fps in case/because the 3rd party lens cannot focus fast enough, can't expect Sony to test/approve 3rd party kit really. Some Sony lenses are restricted to 15fps IIRC
Click to expand...
I think this was disproven, apparently it's to protect sales of their own higher end lenses.
 
nog said:
Think I've read Sony restrict 3rd party lenses to 15fps in case/because the 3rd party lens cannot focus fast enough, can't expect Sony to test/approve 3rd party kit really. Some Sony lenses are restricted to 15fps IIRC
Click to expand...

Not heard about focus speed. I've heard anecdotally that IBIS tends to work better with Sony lenses though.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Hopefully this will work:

Amazon.com : A7R IV Case, BolinUS Handmade PU Leather Half Camera Case Bag Cover Bottom Opening Version for Sony Alpha A7R IV with Hand Strap (Coffee) : Electronics

Amazon.com : A7R IV Case, BolinUS Handmade PU Leather Half Camera Case Bag Cover Bottom Opening Version for Sony Alpha A7R IV with Hand Strap (Coffee) : Electronics
www.amazon.com

You can also look for a Smallrig L bracket.
Click to expand...

Ah I see, yeah that's probably not for me thanks but appreciate it.
 
nandbytes said:
That's really not for Sony to decide
They are artificially blocking frame rate and TC support
E-mount sigma lenses adapted to Nikon can both shoot at 30fps and with TCs.

15fps is enough for me for most things so it doesn't bother me as much
The TC thing does bother me, viltrox 2x now works with my sigma 500mm, hopefully they'll make a 1.4x
Click to expand...
Like you I find 15fps plenty most of the time.
Artificially blocking - while we might not like the restrictions but at the end of the day they are looking to sell their kit not sell Sigma etc. They probably have an excel sheet somewhere showing how restricting 3rd party lenses affects their bottom line. Will it change if they take over Tamron or more likely keep the restrictions with Tamron being the lower tier kit.
snerkler said:
I think this was disproven, apparently it's to protect sales of their own higher end lenses.
Click to expand...
Could well be as it was quite a while ago when I saw it
 
gman said:
A friend stayed there about 15 years ago, Broughton Road I think (there was a graveyard behind the garden). It seemed nice back then. We would do a drive round every year with the children in December because a lot of the houses would go crazy with the Christmas decorations in the front gardens! We went again about two years ago, but they weren't as ubiquitous that time.
Click to expand...
My sister lives in Lytham Drive.
We often walk the dog along her path that takes us to Broughton Road (y)
 
snerkler said:
I’ve never seen that mentioned anywhere, the only restriction I’m aware of is frame rate, limiting frame rate to 15fps with third party glass.
Click to expand...

Ah that's what it must have been. My mistake.
 
nandbytes said:
That's really not for Sony to decide
They are artificially blocking frame rate and TC support
E-mount sigma lenses adapted to Nikon can both shoot at 30fps and with TCs.

15fps is enough for me for most things so it doesn't bother me as much
The TC thing does bother me, viltrox 2x now works with my sigma 500mm, hopefully they'll make a 1.4x
Click to expand...

15fps wouldn't bother me either. To be honest, when shooting the A7V in electronic shutter mode I wish it had the option to activate a subtle shutter sound because it's easy to forget how fast 30fps goes. I should really set it to something slower, but I get FOMO that I'll miss a key frame.
 
mstphoto said:
I have one on my a1
Makes a big difference to the handling of the camera.
Click to expand...

I mind one of my dad's old film cameras had something like that. I suppose it also acts as a nice bit of protection, a little like a phone case. I'll have a think.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Hopefully this will work:

Amazon.com : A7R IV Case, BolinUS Handmade PU Leather Half Camera Case Bag Cover Bottom Opening Version for Sony Alpha A7R IV with Hand Strap (Coffee) : Electronics

Amazon.com : A7R IV Case, BolinUS Handmade PU Leather Half Camera Case Bag Cover Bottom Opening Version for Sony Alpha A7R IV with Hand Strap (Coffee) : Electronics
www.amazon.com

You can also look for a Smallrig L bracket.
Click to expand...

I had a brown half case om my A7 thinking it would cover the blebbing of whatever they cover the cameras with. I thought it looked quite nice but they do increase the size of the cameras slightly.
 
I wont get one but sometimes something like this really appeals :D

New Sony RX10V reviews | sonyalpharumors

Sony RX10V at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, Fotokoch, FotoErhardt, Calumet, Leistenscheider, Clifton, WexUK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR-zUl7AA1Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LjluHn9l6Y
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

I have a camcorder with a really long zoom on it and it was fun on days out. I haven't used it for years and don't know if it still works.
 
A little further in process. The scale is tipping more and more towards Sony.

Lenses I’m thinking about the 100-400 for my wildlife adventures.

Which lenses do you recommend for like landscape ?
 
MittyKitty said:
A little further in process. The scale is tipping more and more towards Sony.

Lenses I’m thinking about the 100-400 for my wildlife adventures.

Which lenses do you recommend for like landscape ?
Click to expand...

You can use anything for landscape so I suppose one of the first things to decide is what focal length or range attracts you most? I like primes but there's no denying that zooms give you flexibility.

Any idea what you think you might want? Prime or zoom and if zoom what focal range? Another consideration is the aperture but unless you really like limited depth landscapes taken with wide apertures the aperture might not matter.
 
gman said:
15fps wouldn't bother me either. To be honest, when shooting the A7V in electronic shutter mode I wish it had the option to activate a subtle shutter sound because it's easy to forget how fast 30fps goes. I should really set it to something slower, but I get FOMO that I'll miss a key frame.
Click to expand...
I don't know why Sony don't add shutter sound to every camera when using the electronic shutter, I have the option on my A1 and surely it's not hard to add to them all?
MittyKitty said:
A little further in process. The scale is tipping more and more towards Sony.

Lenses I’m thinking about the 100-400 for my wildlife adventures.

Which lenses do you recommend for like landscape ?
Click to expand...
I have the 100-400mm GM and whilst it's an older lens it's still superb, sharp, renders well and very fast AF.

For landscape I use the 16-35mm F4 ZA which has bene excellent for me. It's slightly weaker at 35mm f4 but at f8 it's plenty sharp enough for me. Of course if you want the best there's the 16-35mm GM II.

If you don't want to go as wide as 16mm then the 20-70mm is excellent, sharp and makes a good general purpose lens.
 
woof woof said:
You can use anything for landscape so I suppose one of the first things to decide is what focal length or range attracts you most? I like primes but there's no denying that zooms give you flexibility.

Any idea what you think you might want? Prime or zoom and if zoom what focal range? Another consideration is the aperture but unless you really like limited depth landscapes taken with wide apertures the aperture might not matter.
Click to expand...
At the moment (Fuji ) I have a 16-80 for this (and some primes ) but the 16-80 is a nice lens. Would not mind slightly more
 
The sheer number of lens offerings is one of the best and worst things about the Sony system. On the one hand there is something for everyone - various choices of size/weight/quality/aperture/price. On the other hand, paralysis by analysis is a much bigger problem than on other mounts in my experience.
 
MittyKitty said:
At the moment (Fuji ) I have a 16-80 for this (and some primes ) but the 16-80 is a nice lens. Would not mind slightly more
Click to expand...
16-80mm is the same field of view as 24-120mm on Full Frame, AFAIK you can't get a 24-120mm for Sony but you can get the 24-105mm.
MittyKitty said:
I also heard about the tamron versions. Are they any good ? I don’t know anything about third party lenses yet for Sony. I am reading this Thread but so much info :-)
Click to expand...
Both Tamron and Sigma make excellent lenses for e-mount. Tamron do a 28-75mm f2.8 and 17-28mm f2.8.

Sigma do a 16-28mm f2.8, 24-70mm f2.8 (gen I and II), a 28-70mm f2.8 and a 28-105mm f2.8. When looking at Sigma make sure its the DG lens and not DC as DC is designed for th APS-C bodies.

Tamron lenses don't have aperture rings, some Sigma do and some Sigma don't
 
MittyKitty said:
Also I found the 24-105 from Sony recommended

So many choices
Click to expand...
It's a very good lens but fairly unremakable. It does everything it should, and sharpness is great but there's no standout character to it. To be fair though, you could say the smae about most f4 short zooms, the 20-70mm is no different. I prefer the 20-70mm over the 24-105mm simply because the extra 4mm at the short end is more useful, and I can crop if I want more reach. 4mm doesn't sound a lot, but at the wide angle end of the spectrum 4mm makes a big difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top