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

[f/2.8]

That too! and "how many photos have you taken?"

Forgot about that one.

 

[Deleted member 66768]

On my last couple of orders they have been sent to an address in England then sent on to me via R.M.S.D.

Don't imagine there is any chance that it might turn up as it will go the address in England first then be relabelled and sent on again. You would imagine when it gets to England they will just send it back as it has been refunded.

Did a wedding last week with Josh he was saying you are working for him this Friday.

This Saturday I'm out shooting with him I believe man. Done loads of video gigs with Clive at Pigment lately man, handy wee earner for a days work if you're not booked!

Aye was thinking that, would be funny AF if it turned up though lol You keeping well yourself ? This August for me is gonna be insane man have 10+ booked in

 

[nandbytes]

Panasonic S1 review by dpreview - https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dc-s1-review

 

[nandbytes]

Trying out the 1.4x TC with the 100-400mm I picked up from this forum recently

The IQ does not seem to be effected much but f8 is certainly a bit limiting. I can see the attraction in 200-600mm if one can put up with the size.

 

[f/2.8]

This Saturday I'm out shooting with him I believe man. Done loads of video gigs with Clive at Pigment lately man, handy wee earner for a days work if you're not booked!

Aye was thinking that, would be funny AF if it turned up though lol You keeping well yourself ? This August for me is gonna be insane man have 10+ booked in

Yea I am good, just about to shoot off to Spain on hols with the kids before it all properly kicks off. Josh at Nuke is a good lad even if he only looks about 12.

I told him you will give him a good slagging for shooting mft.

 

[Deleted member 66768]

Yea I am good, just about to shoot off to Spain on hols with the kids before it all properly kicks off. Josh at Nuke is a good lad even if he only looks about 12.

I told him you will give him a good slagging for shooting mft.

Lmao

 

[Cagey75]

That too! and "how many photos have you taken?"

Even worse "Can I see them all?" Or "Just the ones I'm in"

 

[f/2.8]

Even worse "Can I see them all?" Or "Just the ones I'm in"

When I get asked how many photos have you have taken, if it’s a young person I just say 10 but don’t worry I got plenty on my phone. If it’s an old person I say, Jesus just realised I forgot to put the film in and rush off.

Always gets a few laughs.

 

[Cagey75]

When I get asked how many photos have you have taken, if it’s a young person I just say 10 but don’t worry I got plenty on my phone. If it’s an old person I say, Jesus just realised I forgot to put the film in and rush off.

Always gets a few laughs.

I must remember those even though i don't do weddings, I am still that guy that gets asked to parties with the 'bring your camera' end-line

 

[NewBeetle]

Ordered the A6400 off e-infin which arrived then a day later ordered the Sigma 16 1.4 for it. The tracking info never updated and I pestered them about it a few times. They said it may be lost in transit and refunded me straight away. Also said theres a possibility that it may still arrive... anyone ever had anything not turn up from e-infin? I've ordered so many times from them and never ever had a problem.

No they've got a 100% record with me.

 

[puggie]

Anyone care to recommend longer lenses for an A7? I currently shoot the kit lens, or converted primes (Contax 35mm f2 planar, Canon 50mm F1.2 rf, voigtlander 15mm rf). I bought a Canon fd 200mm f2.8 but find the shallow dof hard to focus, especially for motorsports stuff. So I'm looking for an AF replacement without breaking the bank, my thoughts were:

Sony 24-240mm travel zoom
Cheapish, and would replace the kit zoom.

Something else 70-200 f4 ish.

I'm not looking high end I'm just a casual snapper, the kit zoom has seen me fine for a while, I occasional want faster but that I can usually do with a converted prime.

Any suggestions, I'd like to not run too far over £500 and s/h is fine/preferable.

Tganks

 

[NewBeetle]

I bought a Canon 70-200L f/4 to use on my A7 III. I'm very happy with it though not sure the AF tracking would be up to motorsports to be honest. It can track birds in flight, though usually not a whole burst will be tack sharp.

 

[Cagey75]

Anyone care to recommend longer lenses for an A7? I currently shoot the kit lens, or converted primes (Contax 35mm f2 planar, Canon 50mm F1.2 rf, voigtlander 15mm rf). I bought a Canon fd 200mm f2.8 but find the shallow dof hard to focus, especially for motorsports stuff. So I'm looking for an AF replacement without breaking the bank, my thoughts were:

Sony 24-240mm travel zoom
Cheapish, and would replace the kit zoom.

Something else 70-200 f4 ish.

I'm not looking high end I'm just a casual snapper, the kit zoom has seen me fine for a while, I occasional want faster but that I can usually do with a converted prime.

Any suggestions, I'd like to not run too far over £500 and s/h is fine/preferable.

Tganks

The Canon FD 200 2.8 is well known for being soft until stopped down to about 5.6, otherwise it would fetch a lot more money than it does. I'd sell that and put the cash toward the Canon 70-200 F4, or the 200mm 2.8 L USM II - which can be had for less than £400 from the likes of MPB often. You will need the Sigma MC-11 adapter too, seen them go on here for not much more than £120

 

[nandbytes]

Anyone care to recommend longer lenses for an A7? I currently shoot the kit lens, or converted primes (Contax 35mm f2 planar, Canon 50mm F1.2 rf, voigtlander 15mm rf). I bought a Canon fd 200mm f2.8 but find the shallow dof hard to focus, especially for motorsports stuff. So I'm looking for an AF replacement without breaking the bank, my thoughts were:

Sony 24-240mm travel zoom
Cheapish, and would replace the kit zoom.

Something else 70-200 f4 ish.

I'm not looking high end I'm just a casual snapper, the kit zoom has seen me fine for a while, I occasional want faster but that I can usually do with a converted prime.

Any suggestions, I'd like to not run too far over £500 and s/h is fine/preferable.

Tganks

with some looking and patience you can grab a 70-200mm f4 for £750. There isn't really a cheaper native option.

Since you are still using the original A7 for cheap usable AF option your best bet is LA-EA4+a-mount glass. LA-EA4 will cost you £150-200 for remaining £300-350 you could grab - sony G 70-300mm, tamron 70-300mm, minolta 100-300mm APO, minolta 200mm f2.8 (with some luck), minolta 100-400mm

 

[nandbytes]

if any one has spare change a Sony 500mm f4 is selling on amazon warehouse - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0077N7IWQ
You might even be able to claim the £800 cashback

but remember its an a-mount lens.

 

[LeeRatters]

That too! and "how many photos have you taken?"

I think the photographer at the wedding we attended on Saturday took 241,573 images

 

[T_J_G]

“Corrr I bet that’s worth a few bob, bet it takes lovely pictures...”

 

[puggie]

The sigma mc-11 looks worth a punt. With the bonus that I have an 85mm F1.8ef mount somewhere. And the Canon 70-200mm f4 should sort me for a longer lens. Thanks.

 

[simonbarker]

“Corrr I bet that’s worth a few bob, bet it takes lovely pictures...”

Well you never know, they might have been talking about the photographer.

On the other hand, I'm always caught off guard when I ask a professional photographer what they shoot and they tell me a brand name.

 

[nandbytes]

The sigma mc-11 looks worth a punt. With the bonus that I have an 85mm F1.8ef mount somewhere. And the Canon 70-200mm f4 should sort me for a longer lens. Thanks.

If you still have the original A7 mc-11 is no good.

 

[JJ!]

I have done 3 weddings. Fair play to people who do it full time. It’s definitely not for me!

 

[jonneymendoza]

I want to try out doing weddings. Whats the best way to go about doing it?

Charge for peanuts for first wedding?

 

[f/2.8]

I want to try out doing weddings. Whats the best way to go about doing it?

Charge for peanuts for first wedding?

Depends on the reason you want to do it, which one of these it?

You just want to photograph one, because you think you are missing out?

You think it's potentially a good creative outlet?

You want to make some spare cash?

You want a new career?

Each has a different answer.

 

[jonneymendoza]

Depends on the reason you want to do it, which one of these it?

You just want to photograph one, because you think you are missing out?

You think it's potentially a good creative outlet?

You want to make some spare cash?

You want a new career?

Each has a different answer.

Spare cash and creativity

 

[Cagey75]

I want to try out doing weddings. Whats the best way to go about doing it?

Charge for peanuts for first wedding?

Any friends throwing their life away anytime soon? Surprised you haven't been asked to do one by now, everyone with decent camera gear gets asked at some point. Not everyone should agree to do it though! Seen some right mess ups. I've been asked to do weddings since I was only using bridge cameras, I had the sense to say no though, only caved in when I had much better gear and like you, wanted to give it a shot.

 

[jonneymendoza]

Any friends throwing their life away anytime soon? Surprised you haven't been asked to do one by now, everyone with decent camera gear gets asked at some point. Not everyone should agree to do it though! Seen some right mess ups. I've been asked to do weddings since I was only using bridge cameras, I had the sense to say no though, only caved in when I had much better gear and like you, wanted to give it a shot.

I've done a couple like this. My cousins wedding and a mates wedding.

 

[Cagey75]

I've done a couple like this. My cousins wedding and a mates wedding.

You have at least some experience then, which is useful. Maybe put together some of the better images you have from those and put an ad out on FB? one of your local photography groups maybe?

 

[f/2.8]

Spare cash and creativity

Okay then.

It will be difficult to book any wedding even for very little money without some sort of wedding portfolio, not impossible but difficult. I have seen people struggle to get weddings even when they are offering to work for free.

Your best option would be try and get some second shooting gigs. This will allow you too to get the experience of working at a wedding, see how everything works and hopefully get some cash or images for your portfolio. Most photographers that use a second will give the second the option of either working for free and being able to use to some of the images or getting paid, usually not both. If you go the route of working for free so that you can use some of the images for advertising bear in mind you might not be allowed to use them for several months or at least until after the couple has received the photos. Quite a few will ask you to wait until 6 months after the couple have received them, but not all.

I have seen lots of posts on here over the years saying how difficult it is to get second shooting gigs but to be honest that is nonsense, it is very easy to get second gigs if you go about it the right way. Firstly, don't reach out to local photographers in your area by email, complete waste of time. I get 5/6 emails like that every month and they go straight in the bin once I realise what they are. Someone who is actually a member here emailed me looking to second shoot a while back. Not sure if they realised who I was on here or not.

You need to try and make friends with a few wedding photographers, so you need to hang out where they do. The easiest way to do that will be to attend a few wedding photography workshops. Seek out the guys and girls who are full time, show a genuine interest in what they do, get as much info on how they do things as you can look them up online etc. Don't mention during the workshop that you are looking to second shoot. Once you have all the info you need phone them, don't contact by email, social media etc. Just ring them and say Hi, I met you at such and such workshop, love your work blah, blah, blah, looking to get some experience, happy to come without a camera and hold bags etc for a couple of wedding if you let me shoot later on. Whatever it takes really. Better to pick those whose style you actually like. Also better to do this with photographers who aren't in your local area and won't see you as competition. Once you have some images you can use join the thousands of second shooter groups on Facebook post in each of them with images explaining you want more second gigs. Reply to all the wanted ads on there looking for seconds. Don't bother with those until you have some wedding images first you will be wasting your time.

Once you have say 10 weddings under your belt that you can use images from set up a website and social media etc. At that point if you are cheap enough you should at least be able to book a few weddings yourself quite easily enough to give you a little spare cash anyway. Don't use images taken at workshops, that is just a s*** show.

If you want to actually have a proper business though the approach from then on is very different.

You may want to have a think about what your expectations of shooting a wedding are. Shooting very cheap or free weddings 99 times in 100 is going to be a complete waste of time for building a portfolio and will lack any sort of creativity. Cheap weddings, will be in crap venues, with couples who don't value photography. You will get very little creative engagement from those sort of weddings. Those type of weddings will involve working all day for couples who treat you like crap and are very demanding in terms of making you do what they want rather than giving you the freedom to do what you want to do. You only get that freedom from couples when you are able to prove what you are capable of from your portfolio. More expensive weddings will be at much better venues, with couples who aren't booking you just because they feel they have to have a wedding photographer. I have done really cheap weddings and the vast majority of the day in every case has been taken up shooting endless amounts of awful group photos. Thank God I don't have to do that crap any more.

Be prepared to hate images shot as a second later on though, once I started shooting my own weddings and developed my own way of doing things I deleted all of those images from weddings I had seconded from my website and social media as they really didn't fit with the way I like to do things. Cringe even think about them now.

I fell into weddings by accident I had no intention of shooting them. Everything even just that @F/1.4 told me about them put me off completely. Many years ago I helped a guy I know with a glamour photography workshop. At the workshop I got friendly with a wedding photographer who was based over 50 miles from where I am. She worked with her husband at the time. During the workshop she asked me if she could come to some glamour/fashion shoots which is what I was mainly shooting at the time, that actually never happened but when her husband was struggling to get time off work for a wedding she had a few weeks later she got in touch with me. I then shot some weddings with her, I wasn't allowed to use the images because she paid me for the first few. After that when she had nicer venues and couples I shot a couple for free so I could use the images. Over a 3/4 month period I shot about 25 weddings for her in total and had images from 10 weddings to set up my own website etc. as eventually once she learned to trust me she allowed me to use images as well as paying me.

If I was starting now I would do things very differently but that is because I would be coming at it form a business point of view rather than than just dipping my toes as I did then. No point going into how to do that though if you are just looking to earn some beer tokens to supplement your income.

 

[Deleted member 66768]

Okay then.

It will be difficult to book any wedding even for very little money without some sort of wedding portfolio, not impossible but difficult. I have seen people struggle to get weddings even when they are offering to work for free.

Your best option would be try and get some second shooting gigs. This will allow you too to get the experience of working at a wedding, see how everything works and hopefully get some cash or images for your portfolio. Most photographers that use a second will give the second the option of either working for free and being able to use to some of the images or getting paid, usually not both. If you go the route of working for free so that you can use some of the images for advertising bear in mind you might not be allowed to use them for several months or at least until after the couple has received the photos. Quite a few will ask you to wait until 6 months after the couple have received them, but not all.

I have seen lots of posts on here over the years saying how difficult it is to get second shooting gigs but to be honest that is nonsense, it is very easy to get second gigs if you go about it the right way. Firstly, don't reach out to local photographers in your area by email, complete waste of time. I get 5/6 emails like that every month and they go straight in the bin once I realise what they are. Someone who is actually a member here emailed me looking to second shoot a while back. Not sure if they realised who I was on here or not.

You need to try and make friends with a few wedding photographers, so you need to hang out where they do. The easiest way to do that will be to attend a few wedding photography workshops. Seek out the guys and girls who are full time, show a genuine interest in what they do, get as much info on how they do things as you can look them up online etc. Don't mention during the workshop that you are looking to second shoot. Once you have all the info you need phone them, don't contact by email, social media etc. Just ring them and say Hi, I met you at such and such workshop, love your work blah, blah, blah, looking to get some experience, happy to come without a camera and hold bags etc for a couple of wedding if you let me shoot later on. Whatever it takes really. Better to pick those whose style you actually like. Also better to do this with photographers who aren't in your local area and won't see you as competition. Once you have some images you can use join the thousands of second shooter groups on Facebook post in each of them with images explaining you want more second gigs. Reply to all the wanted ads on there looking for seconds. Don't bother with those until you have some wedding images first you will be wasting your time.

Once you have say 10 weddings under your belt that you can use images from set up a website and social media etc. At that point if you are cheap enough you should at least be able to book a few weddings yourself quite easily enough to give you a little spare cash anyway. Don't use images taken at workshops, that is just a s*** show.

If you want to actually have a proper business though the approach from then on is very different.

You may want to have a think about what your expectations of shooting a wedding are. Shooting very cheap or free weddings 99 times in 100 is going to be a complete waste of time for building a portfolio and will lack any sort of creativity. Cheap weddings, will be in crap venues, with couples who don't value photography. You will get very little creative engagement from those sort of weddings. Those type of weddings will involve working all day for couples who treat you like crap and are very demanding in terms of making you do what they want rather than giving you the freedom to do what you want to do. You only get that freedom from couples when you are able to prove what you are capable of from your portfolio. More expensive weddings will be at much better venues, with couples who aren't booking you just because they feel they have to have a wedding photographer. I have done really cheap weddings and the vast majority of the day in every case has been taken up shooting endless amounts of awful group photos. Thank God I don't have to do that crap any more.

Be prepared to hate images shot as a second later on though, once I started shooting my own weddings and developed my own way of doing things I deleted all of those images from weddings I had seconded from my website and social media as they really didn't fit with the way I like to do things. Cringe even think about them now.

I fell into weddings by accident I had no intention of shooting them. Everything even just that @F/1.4 told me about them put me off completely. Many years ago I helped a guy I know with a glamour photography workshop. At the workshop I got friendly with a wedding photographer who was based over 50 miles from where I am. She worked with her husband at the time. During the workshop she asked me if she could come to some glamour/fashion shoots which is what I was mainly shooting at the time, that actually never happened but when her husband was struggling to get time off work for a wedding she had a few weeks later she got in touch with me. I then shot some weddings with her, I wasn't allowed to use the images because she paid me for the first few. After that when she had nicer venues and couples I shot a couple for free so I could use the images. Over a 3/4 month period I shot about 25 weddings for her in total and had images from 10 weddings to set up my own website etc. as eventually once she learned to trust me she allowed me to use images as well as paying me.

If I was starting now I would do things very differently but that is because I would be coming at it form a business point of view rather than than just dipping my toes as I did then. No point going into how to do that though if you are just looking to earn some beer tokens to supplement your income.

Well said man. Couldn't agree more on the cheap wedding front, I didn't really mind too much doing them when I used to work in that s***hole Currys Rebranded and changed alot of things and the weddings now are generally all really nice people/venues and like you say - couples that value the work way more!

 

[Raymond Lin]

It's kind of counter-intuitive that the more expensive the wedding, the "easier" the job is. From venue to location, to decor, to even how photogenic the guests and dare I say it, the couples are. Almost every time you raise the camera to your eye there is a shot to be had. From the listed building they are in or a random antique painting on the wall.

People who pay the least can have as much, and often more expectations than the ones that pay the most. Market segment really doesn't correlate with both quality of work or amount of work required so if your portfolio justifies it, make yourself worthwhile.

Shooting 50x £300 weddings or 10x £1500 weddings? We all know what we all prefer and the person who can decide that is you, especially if you have an alternate income to keep you going.

 

[f/2.8]

Well said man. Couldn't agree more on the cheap wedding front, I didn't really mind too much doing them when I used to work in that s***hole Currys Rebranded and changed alot of things and the weddings now are generally all really nice people/venues and like you say - couples that value the work way more!

There is also cheap and then there is cheap.

I thought you where still in Currys to be honest.

My first wedding on my own I charged £450 for all day.

A friend of the wife is getting married next year and asked about us shooting her wedding, we offered her a really good price because we know her. We where still too expensive and we are pretty cheapish anyway, even without the discount we offered. She ended up booking another fella who is doing it for £200. Only found out the other day it's a dude I went to school with. £200 and he has promised her he will stay with her from getting ready until 11.00 p.m. This isn't even his first wedding, he has done about 100 or so. She also said he was happy to do all the family photos she wanted, where as I had said we wouldn't. The wedding isn't for more than a year and she already has a list of over 60 family photos she wants taken.

 

[Raymond Lin]

There is also cheap and then there is cheap.

I thought you where still in Currys to be honest.

My first wedding on my own I charged £450 for all day.

A friend of the wife is getting married next year and asked about us shooting her wedding, we offered her a really good price because we know her. We where still too expensive and we are pretty cheapish anyway, even without the discount we offered. She ended up booking another fella who is doing it for £200. Only found out the other day it's a dude I went to school with. £200 and he has promised her he will stay with her from getting ready until 11.00 p.m. This isn't even his first wedding, he has done about 100 or so. She also said he was happy to do all the family photos she wanted, where as I had said we wouldn't. The wedding isn't for more than a year and she already has a list of over 60 family photos she wants taken.

60?!?!

I simply tell them that it takes about 4-5mins to do each one because people just disappear, a dozen photos will take about an hour. Do you really want to stand on the spot for like 5 hours for photos?

 

[JJ!]

I want to try out doing weddings. Whats the best way to go about doing it?

Charge for peanuts for first wedding?

I did my first for a friend. I made it pretty clear that I was not a pro and they were not expecting anything special and there was no charge. They did however give me £200 for my troubles which was not expected.

I only did anither couple as favours - but its not something I particularly enjoyed doing!

 

[f/2.8]

60?!?!

I simply tell them that it takes about 4-5mins to do each one because people just disappear, a dozen photos will take about an hour. Do you really want to stand on the spot for like 5 hours for photos?

I am brutally honest and say they can have 8 photos max because family photos bore me.

I am going through a bit of a stage at the minute, my missus says. I am nearly turning away as many couples as I am booking because I am being a bit hyper critical with everything. Anything that sounds a pain I am knocking back. It makes such a huge difference to how much I enjoy my work.

Just in the last few weeks I have booked a couple who changed all of their times including the ceremony time to suit me and another who changed who was performing the ceremony to suit me. If they hadn't of done I wouldn't have taken their booking.

Life is too short, I do this because I enjoy it. If I am not enjoying it I might as well get a normal job.

 

[Deleted member 66768]

There is also cheap and then there is cheap.

I thought you where still in Currys to be honest.

My first wedding on my own I charged £450 for all day.

A friend of the wife is getting married next year and asked about us shooting her wedding, we offered her a really good price because we know her. We where still too expensive and we are pretty cheapish anyway, even without the discount we offered. She ended up booking another fella who is doing it for £200. Only found out the other day it's a dude I went to school with. £200 and he has promised her he will stay with her from getting ready until 11.00 p.m. This isn't even his first wedding, he has done about 100 or so. She also said he was happy to do all the family photos she wanted, where as I had said we wouldn't. The wedding isn't for more than a year and she already has a list of over 60 family photos she wants taken.

No man, out of that s***hole lol. Was impossible to do both with the volume of weddings I was getting, hated the place with a passion too.

That's absolutely bonkers doing a wedding that cheap, must be a total header the tog.

 

[f/2.8]

No man, out of that s***hole lol. Was impossible to do both with the volume of weddings I was getting, hated the place with a passion too.

That's absolutely bonkers doing a wedding that cheap, must be a total header the tog.

Glad you managed to escape.

He is actually a dead on guy I went to primary school and secondary school with him. His stuff isn’t great though, he isn’t as good as the aul fella you used to work with but has a similar style. To be fair he works full time as well and he is good craic.

We will be invited to the wedding and will go if we haven’t work booked. Might be fun to hang over his shoulder taking photos with my phone all day.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I am brutally honest and say they can have 8 photos max because family photos bore me.

I am going through a bit of a stage at the minute, my missus says. I am nearly turning away as many couples as I am booking because I am being a bit hyper critical with everything. Anything that sounds a pain I am knocking back. It makes such a huge difference to how much I enjoy my work.

Just in the last few weeks I have booked a couple who changed all of their times including the ceremony time to suit me and another who changed who was performing the ceremony to suit me. If they hadn't of done I wouldn't have taken their booking.

Life is too short, I do this because I enjoy it. If I am not enjoying it I might as well get a normal job.

Generally I am pretty easy going, I am happy to shoot up to a dozen of formals, but any more than that i warn them due to the severe lack of time and how much it takes in % over their day. They normally realise that reality and reduce the list.

 

[f/2.8]

Generally I am pretty easy going, I am happy to shoot up to a dozen of formals, but any more than that i warn them due to the severe lack of time and how much it takes in % over their day. They normally realise that reality and reduce the list.

Sounds sensible. If you have a bad feeling run a mile.

I think part of is a bit of laziness on my part. We are lucky enough to be in a position where we have no issues booking enough work to get by. So I can be a lot more strict in terms of what I will and won’t book.

Took a long time to get to that point. Always used to think it was nuts when I heard about experienced people turning away work but I can understand why they did now and am loving it.

 

[Deleted member 66768]

Glad you managed to escape.

He is actually a dead on guy I went to primary school and secondary school with him. His stuff isn’t great though, he isn’t as good as the aul fella you used to work with but has a similar style. To be fair he works full time as well and he is good craic.

We will be invited to the wedding and will go if we haven’t work booked. Might be fun to hang over his shoulder taking photos with my phone all day.

Lmao

 

[Raymond Lin]

Anyway, bought that 90mm when ebay had 10% off the other week.