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

Livin The Dream said:
Looking forward to getting mine converted, superb lens. Sounds like it may not be as quick on mirrorless, but the images are worth any slight negatives.
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Might be worth holding off for a little while the rumour site has been mentioning for months that a Sony 135mm f/1.8 is on its way and seem to be suggesting it could happen this month.
 
f/2.8 said:
Might be worth holding off for a little while the rumour site has been mentioning for months that a Sony 135mm f/1.8 is on its way and seem to be suggesting it could happen this month.
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Secondhand mine will only fetch £650 and with an additional £390 to get the mount converted, will still be a better option for me I think.
 
woof woof said:
Many lenses aren't at their best at MFD and it's often best to keep a bit back from the minimum but minimum can't be all that bad that they have to stop it down automatically... surely...????
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That was a design choice they made which I think got blown out of proportion by people not using the lens but Eye AF and AF in magnified view is actually faulty and this press release doesn't even bother to mention it...

They've handled this so poorly, if you're using an R you're much better off getting a GM 24/1.4 and using it cropped instead.
 
simonbarker said:
That was a design choice they made which I think got blown out of proportion by people not using the lens but Eye AF and AF in magnified view is actually faulty and this press release doesn't even bother to mention it...

They've handled this so poorly, if you're using an R you're much better off getting a GM 24/1.4 and using it cropped instead.
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Probably better looking at 35mm than 24mm.
 
View of Canary wharf at sunrise shot using 100-400mm

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simonbarker said:
Well yes that's closer to 40mm but then it's also larger, heavier, larger MFD and then you have to hunt for a good copy.
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Or just buy a samyang or sigma. 24mm is much wider than 40mm and the extra 6cm MFD is probably made up by the longer fl.
 
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twist said:
Or just buy a samyang or sigma. 24mm is much wider than 40mm and the extra 6cm MFD is probably made up by the longer fl.
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You're missing my point, the 40/2 is attractive because it's relatively small, lightweight (it balances pretty perfectly), silent/snappy AF and has a close focus feature which makes it a fairly ideal lens for me but it's hard to appreciate the good points when it doesn't work properly.

While it's true the lenses you've suggested are closer in focal length they're still wider, nearly double the weight, physically larger and have 3 times the MFD and if those things aren't a problem for me I'd be better off with a Sony 50/1.4 instead. I don't have an R so it's probably not worth the cost of cropping but in all other aspects the GM is a pretty damn close match to the 40/2 from what I've seen and it's supposedly optically top tier which can't hurt.
 
simonbarker said:
You're missing my point, the 40/2 is attractive because it's relatively small, lightweight (it balances pretty perfectly), silent/snappy AF and has a close focus feature which makes it a fairly ideal lens for me but it's hard to appreciate the good points when it doesn't work properly.

While it's true the lenses you've suggested are closer in focal length they're still wider, nearly double the weight, physically larger and have 3 times the MFD and if those things aren't a problem for me I'd be better off with a Sony 50/1.4 instead. I don't have an R so it's probably not worth the cost of cropping but in all other aspects the GM is a pretty damn close match to the 40/2 from what I've seen and it's supposedly optically top tier which can't hurt.
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I have went down this route. I have really enjoyed using the 24GM. Though I like the look of canon RF 35mm f1.8 macro. Wish Sony would make something similar.
 
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simonbarker said:
You're missing my point, the 40/2 is attractive because it's relatively small, lightweight (it balances pretty perfectly), silent/snappy AF and has a close focus feature which makes it a fairly ideal lens for me but it's hard to appreciate the good points when it doesn't work properly.

While it's true the lenses you've suggested are closer in focal length they're still wider, nearly double the weight, physically larger and have 3 times the MFD and if those things aren't a problem for me I'd be better off with a Sony 50/1.4 instead. I don't have an R so it's probably not worth the cost of cropping but in all other aspects the GM is a pretty damn close match to the 40/2 from what I've seen and it's supposedly optically top tier which can't hurt.
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But they aren't as wide as 24mm Vs 40mm, 3 times the MFD? 24cm Vs 30cm of the sigma, that's not 3x.
 
simonbarker said:
That was a design choice they made which I think got blown out of proportion by people not using the lens but Eye AF and AF in magnified view is actually faulty and this press release doesn't even bother to mention it...

They've handled this so poorly, if you're using an R you're much better off getting a GM 24/1.4 and using it cropped instead.
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I didn't know about the faults, the stopping down at MFD is what caught my eye and I do wonder how bad the IQ is wide open. Unless it's absolutely terrible I'd have preferred they left it to the intelligence of users to understand that MFD often isn't where you're going to get the best image quality. Maybe they could have a menu option to enable or disable MFD stop down and left it to users to chose.

The lens could interest me at some point as I'd love a close focusing lens in that sort of range. I did buy the Sony 50mm macro but although the image quality was good the focus was all over the place so it went back and I never bought another.
 
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nandbytes said:
Must say it looks rather awesome and best one of all the recent FF mirrorless releases. But it's also huge and heavy. It's not for be but the specs look good
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Yup. Same here. I just can't see myself being interested in a larger and heavier system but I'll read the specs and reviews with interest.
 
woof woof said:
Yup. Same here. I just can't see myself being interested in a larger and heavier system but I'll read the specs and reviews with interest.
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I think the most interesting part will be the AF performance tests. I am skeptical how well Panasonic's contrast detection will work for tracking. It fairly decent on m43 but the smaller sensor is more forgiving.
But the rumours says they have implemented machine learning for humans, birds etc. So perhaps they have an ace up their sleeve here. I wonder if Sony realised they'd be doing this and hence announced a similar firmware update of their to make sure they are still seen as class leading in this area
 
nandbytes said:
I think the most interesting part will be the AF performance tests. I am skeptical how well Panasonic's contrast detection will work for tracking. It fairly decent on m43 but the smaller sensor is more forgiving.
But the rumours says they have implemented machine learning for humans, birds etc. So perhaps they have an ace up their sleeve here. I wonder if Sony realised they'd be doing this and hence announced a similar firmware update of their to make sure they are still seen as class leading in this area
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It will be interesting, the Leica SL was okay so an updated version of that may be as good as canons offering. 6fps caf so not blazing.
 
T_J_G said:
Couple from a few minutes ago, messing around
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These are gorgeous, lovely light and framing. Really nice depth to them as well, what lens are you using?
 
nandbytes said:
I think the most interesting part will be the AF performance tests. I am skeptical how well Panasonic's contrast detection will work for tracking. It fairly decent on m43 but the smaller sensor is more forgiving.
But the rumours says they have implemented machine learning for humans, birds etc. So perhaps they have an ace up their sleeve here. I wonder if Sony realised they'd be doing this and hence announced a similar firmware update of their to make sure they are still seen as class leading in this area
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I love the look of this camera, I really do. Quality glass coming too. Like you, reservations about the af u till real world tests come in.
 
twist said:
£2800 for a M43 camera, what the hell is going on

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/olympus-om-d-e-m1x-digital-camera-body-1687525/
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They obviously think there's a market for it and maybe there is. I'm sure there are people who'll want a ruggedly built Oly with very good weather sealing and image quality which is lets be honest good for the vast majority of people as long as they can resist pixel peeping at ISO 25,600 at 200% or only want the tip of an eyelash in the depth of field. Have to remember that a lot of top end / pro sales are really to people who aren't pros and just have a lot of money to spend on stuff they want… a bit like many of us really.

They may not sell these by the boat load but I think some will sell... how many and if it's worthwhile only Oly will know.
 
woof woof said:
They obviously think there's a market for it and maybe there is. I'm sure there are people who'll want a ruggedly built Oly with very good weather sealing and image quality which is lets be honest good for the vast majority of people as long as they can resist pixel peeping at ISO 25,600 at 200% or only want the tip of an eyelash in the depth of field. Have to remember that a lot of top end / pro sales are really to people who aren't pros and just have a lot of money to spend on stuff they want… a bit like many of us really.
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I don't see it selling well with all the competition at that price. Hi ISO is going to be important to people using this kind of camera... so is AF and Im not sure not will be as good as other offerings there either. You don't need to shoot as ISO25600 at 200% view to notice a M43 sensor isn't as good as a APSC or FF.
 
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woof woof said:
They obviously think there's a market for it and maybe there is. I'm sure there are people who'll want a ruggedly built Oly with very good weather sealing and image quality which is lets be honest good for the vast majority of people as long as they can resist pixel peeping at ISO 25,600 at 200% or only want the tip of an eyelash in the depth of field. Have to remember that a lot of top end / pro sales are really to people who aren't pros and just have a lot of money to spend on stuff they want… a bit like many of us really.

They may not sell these by the boat load but I think some will sell... how many and if it's worthwhile only Oly will know.
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Currently my mate is in Iceland using an a7r3. Still doing well out there
 
twist said:
I don't see it selling well with all the competition at that price. Hi ISO is going to be important to people using this kind of camera... so is AF and Im not sure not will be as good as other offerings there either. You don't need to shoot as ISO25600 at 200% view to notice a M43 sensor isn't as good as a APSC or FF.
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It all hangs on expectations and usage.

As you may know MFT is capable of good whole image picture quality, arguably better than anything you could ever get from 35mm film, even for quite large prints. Many people wont be printing very high ISO shots to A2 or cropping like mad and printing large. For whole pictures viewed normally even very high ISO's MFT may be ok for many if not for enthusiasts who can't resist pixel peeping at 200%.

I'm sure they'll find buyers but how many...
 
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jonneymendoza said:
Currently my mate is in Iceland using an a7r3. Still doing well out there
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And as I previously posted my A7 has survived everything I've put it through in northern England and Thailand. Seen that vid of the Oly submerged in water? Some people will buy into that sort of ruggedness and physical performance.
 
woof woof said:
It all hangs on expectations and usage.

As you may know MFT is capable of good whole image picture quality, arguably better than anything you could ever get from 35mm film, even for quite large prints. Many people wont be printing very high ISO shots to A2 or cropping like mad and printing large. For whole pictures viewed normally even very high ISO's MFT may be ok for many if not for enthusiasts who can't resist pixel peeping at 200%.

I'm sure they'll find buyers but how many...
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But 35mm film cameras are not where the bar is set, Id give more credit to people who buy these action cameras and say they will be demanding of both sensor and AF performance. Will it be better than a D500 in AF? Doubt it. Its also a stop worse in ISO performance (even at lower ISO) so thats 2 stops worse than an A9 or current FF, thats a lot when you're shooting sport.
 
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nandbytes said:
It came out at nearly $3000. You didn't expect it to be £2K did you? :p

TBH when E-M1ii came out for nearly £2K I thought it was too much.
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Nope, Im familiar with how we get ripped off ;)

Yeah, thought the same, to much money for what it is.
 
nandbytes said:
Didn't @dancook sell his Leica SL gear for Sony A9 since he felt it wasn't up to shooting weddings?
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He did but I think it had more to do with system as a whole, lenses, cost, flexibility, accessories etc. I think the SL is easily capable of shooting weddings, most cameras are... but everyone expected the AF to be a lot worse than it turned out to be as it was an early attempt for Leica. I don't think CDAF will be as good as PDAF but Panasonics latest gen AF may be alright. Will be interesting to see as the rest of the spec is good.
 
twist said:
But 35mm film cameras are not where the bar is set, Id give more credit to people who buy these action cameras and say they will be demanding of both sensor and AF performance. Will it be better than a D500 in AF? Doubt it. Its also a stop worse in ISO performance (even at lower ISO) so thats 2 stops worse than an A9, thats a lot when you're shooting sport.
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The point was that many pros and enthusiasts managed with 35mm and MFT is arguably better. Yes a modern FF camera will put you in pixel peeping heaven but how much quality is really required, if we're being honest? And will a D500 or A9 survive what this Oly can? Maybe not and that in itself could be enough of a selling point.

I'm sure Oly have done their market research. If they've got this wrong it'll sink without trace but I doubt they've tooled up to knock these out like Nissan Micras. If these sell they'll probably sell in small numbers to enthusiasts who want one because they want one and maybe also to those who see something in the spec they need, very niche.
 
woof woof said:
The point was that many pros and enthusiasts managed with 35mm and MFT is arguably better. Yes a modern FF camera will put you in pixel peeping heaven but how much quality is really required, if we're being honest? And will a D500 or A9 survive what this Oly can? Maybe not and that in itself could be enough of a selling point.

I'm sure Oly have done their market research. If they've got this wrong it'll sink without trace but I doubt they've tooled up to knock these out like Nissan Micras. If these sell they'll probably sell in small numbers to enthusiasts who want one because they want one and maybe also to those who see something in the spec they need, very niche.
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They managed with 35mm film and MF because at the time there was nothing else. The market has changed and so have expectations. I think the price is going to need to come down a whole lot.
 
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