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

I'm sure you know it's not reeeeaaallly like that.

If you're at all interested I'm sure there'll be a blog or three about the place.

It's not just great for travel and photography, it's great for single men too as very attractive women flock to you. As my ex said, "Russian women dress like prostitutes and have no style, Kazakh women have class. I have to say that both styles work for me.
 
stevelmx5 said:
Cheers for the heads up. I've been toying with getting an original A7 again to use alongside my RX1 with manual glass for a little more flexibility when needed. I've just picked up the "Excellent" condition one on their site for £370 (y)
Click to expand...

how are you finding the RX1? I am still toying with the idea of going for the RX1RII on their website....
 
nandbytes said:
how are you finding the RX1? I am still toying with the idea of going for the RX1RII on their website....
Click to expand...

I'm really enjoying it, and have considered an upgrade to the RX1Rii for the integrated EVF that keeps the hotshoe free for a small flash if needed. The AF isn't as bad as I expected, more A7i than A7iii but certainly good enough for most 'normal' situations, even in lower light where the A7i struggles.

I was concerned that the fixed 35mm might annoy me too but I'm finding it a really nice focal length (I've always used longer lenses as walkabout like a 50mm) and the camera itself is amazingly tiny for the quality it delivers.
 
Last edited:
IMG_0031.JPG

I took the RX1 to see the Mighty Reds come home last Sunday. I had to boost the shadows massively due to pointing up at the sky for the shot but the detail was there, even as a jpeg.

IMG_0041.JPG

Less shadow boosting and the colours out of camera are much better than the A7i.
 
woof woof said:
I'm sure you know it's not reeeeaaallly like that.

If you're at all interested I'm sure there'll be a blog or three about the place.

It's not just great for travel and photography, it's great for single men too as very attractive women flock to you. As my ex said, "Russian women dress like prostitutes and have no style, Kazakh women have class. I have to say that both styles work for me.
Click to expand...

No it was a good shout, am doing a bit if research online on it. (y)
 
IMG_0018.JPG

My dad and my son cheering them on.

The RX1 feels like a massively capable yet tiny point and shoot. I’ve got the EVF which I use in most situations, but also find the rear screen is bright enough in general. I can understand some of the frustrations, especially compared to newer systems, with things like the menu being a little long-winded and there being no C-AF (on the mk1), but the results are worth the little bit of extra effort.
 
stevelmx5 said:
The RX1 feels like a massively capable yet tiny point and shoot. I’ve got the EVF which I use in most situations, but also find the rear screen is bright enough in general. I can understand some of the frustrations, especially compared to newer systems, with things like the menu being a little long-winded and there being no C-AF (on the mk1), but the results are worth the little bit of extra effort.
Click to expand...

I am trying to decide between RX1RII, GR III, LX100 II and X100F. Tough choice....
 
Last edited:
stevelmx5 said:
It’s a tough choice for the wallet :0)

From a sensor point of view, I’d probably go with FF if the wallet can stretch to it. I haven’t used the other two cameras but would guess that their AF may be faster than the RX1rii.
Click to expand...
Funnily enough I think RX1Rii has the best AF of the lot since it's as good as A7RII. But AF isn't a massive factor in this decision.

RX1RII lacks any kind of stabilization which lx100ii and GR iii have.
 
nandbytes said:
Funnily enough I think RX1Rii has the best AF of the lot since it's as good as A7RII. But AF isn't a massive factor in this decision.

RX1RII lacks any kind of stabilization which lx100ii and GR iii have.
Click to expand...

Fair point, I forgot that it's basically an A7Rii in a tiny body. With regards to stabilisation, do you need it for a 35/2 prime?
 
I also have a Fuji and a set of 23/35/50 1.4 primes. The alternative is X-T3 for the cost of £1k or even an X-T2 and put a prime I already have on it. The resulting bokeh should not be much different to a 35/2.0. 1.4 x.1.5 = 2.1.

It would be better bokeh than a 35 with a 2.8 lens. All the other Sony A73 advantages aside.
 
Last edited:
nandbytes said:
I am trying to decide between RX1RII, GR III, LX100 II and X100F. Tough choice....
Click to expand...

I like the the look of the GR III, I've nearly bought both previous models a few times too.
 
NewBeetle said:
I like the the look of the GR III, I've nearly bought both previous models a few times too.
Click to expand...
The latest one is really really small, fits in shirt pocket, has stabilization and a decently implemented touch screen. The main down side is it's "only" f2.8 on aps-c.
 
Last edited:
nandbytes said:
The latest one is really really small, fits in shirt pocket, has stabilization and a decently implemented touch screen. The main down side is it's "only" f2.8 on aps-c.
Click to expand...

Yeah looks good, the lack of EVF puts me off as I shoot through EVF at least 90% of the time and hardly ever compose or shoot using a screen.
 
stevelmx5 said:
View attachment 247025

I took the RX1 to see the Mighty Reds come home last Sunday. I had to boost the shadows massively due to pointing up at the sky for the shot but the detail was there, even as a jpeg.

View attachment 247027

Less shadow boosting and the colours out of camera are much better than the A7i.
Click to expand...
I'd have loved to have gone to this myself but I didn't think for a second that they'd be doing the parade the day after so didn't even look into it. It wasn't until LFC were posting photos on twitter that I realised it was happening :facepalm:

Looked a great occasion. I'm thrilled with the win, and it feels very different to the last few times we won major trophies. This time it feels as though this is a springboard to more success whereas before it felt more like we punched above our weight. Fingers crossed :)


Sorry, we can get back to photography now ;)
 
footman said:
That's a dilemma I frequently find myself in. In my Canon days I always had a 70-200 F4 but looking back I realise I only gave it much use when shooting the youth academy games for my local league football club, that was every week in the season. They've closed that academy so these days I really only do wildlife, family portraits and general stuff when I get out and about. ATM I have the 35mm F2.8, 24-70GM, the Sigma Art 135mm 1.8 and the 100-400GM in my bag to use with my A7R3.
Every time I see a Sony 70-200 F4 come up for sale I'm so tempted but with using the 100-400 for wildlife and the other lenses for all else I just can't justify getting the 70-200, I know it will gather dust.
As far as using the the A7R3 vs the A6300 don't forget the pixel density the crop sensor offers when cropping, the downside being coping with high ISO in the light in the UK, but then of course the FF sensor offers higher resolution.
Click to expand...
With Nikon I found the 70-200 very useful as I was unlikely to want cart a 200-400 f4 or 300 f2.8 around for landscapes. Now those have been replaced with the lighter 100-400 there is less need for a 70-200 as the 100-400 is an option, although it’s double the weight of the 70-200 f4 it isn’t that big or heavy that it can’t be used where I used to use the 70-200. To be honest the 100-400 isn’t much bigger than a 70-200 f2.8.




f/2.8 said:
I have an A6400 but bought it for different reasons. I wanted a smaller, cheaper camera for family holidays etc. as I prefer not to risk my work stuff for this just because of the hassle, if it was stolen or damaged.

I have A7III's for work and had planned on using one of those for dedicated photo trips.

Since buying the A6400 though my mind has changed and it will be used for all of my photos trips and my family hols and when I am shooting something for myself it is often the camera I reach for first. The a.f on the A6400 is just superb, I had an A9 on loan for a month or so some time ago and in my personal opinion I would say the A6400 is better. That was before the recent A9 firmware update though. The A9 with the new firmware update is probably better, but I haven't used one. A.F performance is better than my A7III's and I am very happy with those. The smaller camera and smaller A.P.S.C lenses are great for travelling, I mostly use mine with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. The longest lens I have used with the A6400 is my 70-200 f/4 and it works great although the ergonomics of using a small body on a longer lens took a little getting used too.

The main disadvantages for me with the A6400, I already knew about before I bought it. It only has one control wheel and it doesn't have a joystick which I personally prefer to using the touchscreen or the buttons on the back to move the focus point. It doesn't have ibis either but I haven't really noticed that as being a problem. It also only has the one card slot although for my personal stuff I am not concerned about that. It also has the older, smaller battery which I was very concerned about before I bought it. Although I haven't actually found that to be much of an issue, battery life is better than I thought it would be.

I have taken it to 2 weddings with me, the first time I hated using it, I found it slower to use in terms of being able to change settings etc. Since then and after getting to know the camera a bit better I have taken it to another wedding mainly just to use with my 70-200 f/4 for an outdoor ceremony where I wanted to stay a bit more out of the way and it worked great. Due to the single card slot though it wouldn't be something I would use on a regular basis.

I am very happy with mine. If I woke up tomorrow morning and decided to stop photography as a career. I would happily sell of all of my A7III's and associated bits and be quite happy with just the A6400, my A.P.S.C lenses and my 70-200 f/4.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. The A6400 does sound like a good camera. It’s good it will offer something over the A7R3 too (better AF and crop factor) and in its own right will potentially be a camera I will reach for over the A7r3 in some situations. I’m starting to think if I do go for A6xxx it’s the one to go for as 8fps with silent shutter and great AF with animal eye AF should really help. For what I’m thinking of using it for silent shutter, fast FPS and animal eye AF should really help. My normal set up is manual focus and hope the animal is in the plane of focus when the shutter fires...... then watch it run off after the first short burst of the shutter. Normally this results in out of focus images and probably only one where it’s not started to run off. It’s very much hit and hope. Hopefully silent shutter means it wont be disturbed by the camera shutter going off and animal eye AF means the camera can focus on the animal as it moves around. The A6400 even sounds like it would be better than the A7r3 in certain situations especially with wildlife.

nandbytes said:
Even for holidays especially once in a lifetime kind I'd really want dual SD card slots.
Click to expand...
To be honest single card slot doesn’t bother me too much. I can see your point and why it does bother people but how many have two card slots then always kept both cards in the camera? To me the camera is probably more likely to get stolen and dropped off a cliff or into a lake losing both cards than the memory card corrupted. You can always backup to another device for the second copy if that helps.
 
rob-nikon said:
To be honest single card slot doesn’t bother me too much. I can see your point and why it does bother people but how many have two card slots then always kept both cards in the camera? To me the camera is probably more likely to get stolen and dropped off a cliff or into a lake losing both cards than the memory card corrupted. You can always backup to another device for the second copy if that helps.
Click to expand...

As I explained in previous post
"I too did not have dual card for a while and things were just fine. never had issues.
On A7RIII while I had dual card slots I wasn't really using it. Until recently when I took the card out after shooting and plugged it into the computer and it just wouldn't read. Then plugged it into the camera and it didn't read it either. The card worked again after formatting it and I have no idea why. Luckily it only had shots of items I wanted to put on ebay, so I reshot them which isn't a big deal apart from being time consuming and annoying.
If this could happen again then backing up every night doesn't really protect me adequately."
 
ukaskew said:
So the a7III and 70-200 2.8 GM (+ 1.4 TC) is a formidable combo as far as AF is concerned. Anyone who has seen puffins knows how ridiculously quick these things are, hit rate was impressive to say the least.

Skomer by Chris Harrison, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Great catch...is that a dust bunny I see...?
 
ukaskew said:
So the a7III and 70-200 2.8 GM (+ 1.4 TC) is a formidable combo as far as AF is concerned. Anyone who has seen puffins knows how ridiculously quick these things are, hit rate was impressive to say the least.

Skomer by Chris Harrison, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Ah so you made it to Skomer too, was there 2.5 weeks ago

You seem have better luck with the light and bokeh than me :(

#1
47986532181_44b1124157_b.jpg


#2
47986485073_5acff5f564_b.jpg


#3
47986486853_a4eaeea585_b.jpg


#4
47986482203_e75ba0f143_b.jpg


#5
47986488498_21b74ed390_b.jpg


#6
47986490088_2a7b922a6b_b.jpg


#7
47986539786_59ef3bb673_b.jpg
 
snerkler said:
I'd have loved to have gone to this myself but I didn't think for a second that they'd be doing the parade the day after so didn't even look into it. It wasn't until LFC were posting photos on twitter that I realised it was happening :facepalm:

Looked a great occasion. I'm thrilled with the win, and it feels very different to the last few times we won major trophies. This time it feels as though this is a springboard to more success whereas before it felt more like we punched above our weight. Fingers crossed [emoji4]


Sorry, we can get back to photography now ;)
Click to expand...

It was a bit of a late decision to go, but awesome :0)

I watched the game with my wife/son and he wanted to go over on Sunday as he wasn’t born the last time we brought the European Cup home. Looking at the trains/ferry, it looked like it would be chaos, so we decided to give it a miss and went up to Chester Zoo for a few hours instead. We only ended up in Liverpool because my brother decided in the afternoon to drive over so it was hard to resist :0)
 
nandbytes said:
As I explained in previous post
"I too did not have dual card for a while and things were just fine. never had issues.
On A7RIII while I had dual card slots I wasn't really using it. Until recently when I took the card out after shooting and plugged it into the computer and it just wouldn't read. Then plugged it into the camera and it didn't read it either. The card worked again after formatting it and I have no idea why. Luckily it only had shots of items I wanted to put on ebay, so I reshot them which isn't a big deal apart from being time consuming and annoying.
If this could happen again then backing up every night doesn't really protect me adequately."
Click to expand...
If you have read my backup system info on my website you will know I have multiple copies of backups of everything. If you have two slots it’s definitely worth using the backup function. Card failures unfortunately do happen like you found out but it’s not the only way to lose data. I’ve had a card fail before, I lost about half a day of photos from a day at BWC. That card went straight into the bin after trying to rescue the files. I would never trust a card that’s failed again. Most SD cards are pretty cheap (unless it’s a UHS-II card) that’s its not worth the risk.

One of the reasons I’m not so worried about a card failure is it’s likely if I get a A6400 I will be shooting using two cameras so it probably wouldn’t be everything lost if the A6400 card failed.
 
rob-nikon said:
If you have read my backup system info on my website you will know I have multiple copies of backups of everything. If you have two slots it’s definitely worth using the backup function. Card failures unfortunately do happen like you found out but it’s not the only way to lose data. I’ve had a card fail before, I lost about half a day of photos from a day at BWC. That card went straight into the bin after trying to rescue the files. I would never trust a card that’s failed again. Most SD cards are pretty cheap (unless it’s a UHS-II card) that’s its not worth the risk.

One of the reasons I’m not so worried about a card failure is it’s likely if I get a A6400 I will be shooting using two cameras so it probably wouldn’t be everything lost if the A6400 card failed.
Click to expand...
Yep using UHS-II cards
Please do link me to your website blog post it's very informative to see others' Idea for backups.
 
Last edited:
nandbytes said:
Yep using UHS-II cards
Please do link me to your website blog post it's very informative to see others' Idea for backups.
Click to expand...
Out of interest did you try some recovery software when you had your card failure? I've heard that for some people the cards can't be read or show no data but have been able to repair or recover the photos using recovery software.
 
a friend has a sony a6000 with 16-50,he said hes looking at 18-105,opinions and is there anything else similar or better for the money,i will advise him to go S/h if poss
 
nandbytes said:
Yep using UHS-II cards
Please do link me to your website blog post it's very informative to see others' Idea for backups.
Click to expand...
They are definitely harder to throw away.

A link to the post can be found below:
https://spark.adobe.com/page/Os6kX8G8QcZoA/

The link is available via my website too but the content is held on adobes spark website. I probably need to update it now I’m using Sony as the UHS-II and UHS-I card slots pose a quandary regarding high speed write speed performance.
 
Mmm so there will be 2 new lenses next week the 200-600 and a fast telephoto prime.

Lots of people saying it will be a 100mm f/1.4.

Would seem a strange choice but who knows.

Maybe it will be a 200mm f/2 :cool:

My money is on a 500mm or 600mm in prep for the olympics.
 
Last edited:
snerkler said:
Out of interest did you try some recovery software when you had your card failure? I've heard that for some people the cards can't be read or show no data but have been able to repair or recover the photos using recovery software.
Click to expand...
I did not tbh and I probably should have. I became more anxious about losing an expensive new UHS-II card than the data which I could recreate.
Now that I think about it, I might claim under warranty and see if they'll replace it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top