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

woof woof said:
It's useful for me as you see the lens on the camera and being used and generally waved about by someone. Looking at pictures on DPR and other sites like that sometimes gives me a wrong impression of how big the kit is so seeing it in someones hands and being used in a real world way is more informative / better for me.

Looking at the stats it seems almost identical to the 55mm f1.8 and although I'd like a more compact lens that lens isn't exactly a 50mm f1.4 GM and although my A7 plus 35 or 55mm f1.8 wont fit in my Lowepro Apex 100 (the A7 and 35mm f2.8 do) in reality it'll be ok, all I need to do is use a slightly bigger bag.
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Ah yes, useful for size comparison. But not much else. Can't wait to try one. May consider dropping the Art for one if it's a lot lighter.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Anyone else using a 7 year old windows machine? Because if it can't last that long then it isn't really cheaper.
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In what sense? In hardware terms a Mac isn't much different than a PC now, you can buy lower or higher end than Apple offers, you also have the advantage of being able to replace components as and when you please easily which is less of an option with Apple.

I usually turn my old desktops into servers, I've got one going back to early 2000's although I retired it a couple of years ago. Maybe I've been lucky but I attribute it more to not buying the cheapest components.
 
simonbarker said:
In what sense? In hardware terms a Mac isn't much different than a PC now, you can buy lower or higher end than Apple offers, you also have the advantage of being able to replace components as and when you please easily which is less of an option with Apple.

I usually turn my old desktops into servers, I've got one going back to early 2000's although I retired it a couple of years ago. Maybe I've been lucky but I attribute it more to not buying the cheapest components.
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In a sense that is there anyone editing using LR in a PC dates back to when you built/bought it from 2012?

It's a very simple yes or no question really, I know there are a TONS of variables, whether the spec that you bought it in, whether you upgraded or not but without getting into all that, it's a yes or no answer i am really curious about. Basically if the argument is "a PC is cheaper" but then you end up getting a new rig every 2-3 years then in the end it really isn't.

Remove recycling, remove selling old parts to recoup, just a simple question.

Anyone using a Windows PC from 2012 as their main rig like I am with a 2012 iMac?
 
Raymond Lin said:
In a sense that is there anyone editing using LR in a PC dates back to when you built/bought it from 2012?
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My previous machine was 2011 - 2018 but what does that really tell you?

Hardware should last a very long time unless you're unlucky or buy poorly but I personally wouldn't swap platform just because another may be cheaper, I'd much rather get the OS and hardware of my preference and whatever that costs is the cost.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Anyone using a Windows PC from 2012 as their main rig like I am with a 2012 iMac?
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I'm not sure when I bought my PC, but it was Win 7, and uses an i5-760 (1st Gen i5), so probably about 2011.

Just updated to use a 1TB SSD in place of the 1Tb HDD, which speeds startup nicely.
Graphics card got an upgrade when I migrated to Win 10

Not the fastest PC, but as I don't use it for games, it is fine.
 
simonbarker said:
My previous machine was 2011 - 2018 but what does that really tell you?

Hardware should last a very long time unless you're unlucky or buy poorly but I personally wouldn't swap platform just because another may be cheaper, I'd much rather get the OS and hardware of my preference and whatever that costs is the cost.
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One person? it doesn't. However if say 1000 people answers, and say most Mac users have machines 5+ years where as most window users have a median age of 3 years then it tells you that for whatever reason, the longevity of a Mac machiner have a longer life span. I am platform agnostic having had both Windows and PC but these days more comfortable with a Mac. I also hate to relive the days when i am reformatting my Windows annually to give it a bit of life.

I often hear that people say PC is cheaper, therefore I want to gauge is it cheaper over the same period that I typically run my Mac? Because if it's 25% savings for the same spec but i am upgrading in half the time then it's not cheaper at all.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
My concern is that with an iMac, even though it cost more, i can usually get 5+ years out of it. It is currently 7 years and i don't feel the need to upgrade at the moment.

Anyone else using a 7 year old windows machine? Because if it can't last that long then it isn't really cheaper.
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You have already said it’s struggling how long has it been slow for?

If they weren’t so expensive you would have probably replaced it a while back.

The monitors I use will will probably last through 2/3 desktops.

One of the desktops I have here is about 5 years old was top spec at the time i7 32gb ram etc. Runs lightroom and photoshop great still.
 
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f/2.8 said:
You have already said it’s struggling how long has it been slow for?

If they weren’t so expensive you would have probably replaced it a while back.

The monitors I use will will probably last through 2/3 desktops.
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Not enough to slow down my work flow. When that happens I will replace it, but I think it is about 2 years away yet (when I upgrade to a high pixel body)...which will make the iMac almost 10 years old when that comes round, which is probably the life cycle of a monitor too.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
Not enough to slow down my work flow. When that happens I will replace it, but I think it is about 2 years away yet (when I upgrade to a high pixel body)...which will make the iMac almost 10 years old when that comes round, which is probably the life cycle of a monitor too.
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Even when macs where good the standard turn around time for most creatives was 3/4 years max. So surprised you would be keeping yours so long.

Me and f/1.4 used to sell that crap for a living.
 
f/2.8 said:
Even when macs where good the standard turn around time for most creatives was 3/4 years max. So surprised you would be keeping yours so long.

Me and f/1.4 used to sell that crap for a living.
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I simply can't be arsed to swap computers every 2-3 years. I see them like an appliance, if it works, leave it alone. I only upgraded my MBP last year from a 2010 base spec model, that lasted 8 years.

What it boils down to is I hear "Macs are overpriced and Windows machine is much better value for money" etc. Whilst on the surface that is 100% true on Day 1, except all the windows users that I know tend to upgrade their machine much earlier, much more frequently so their out of pocket expense ends up higher in the end.

So it is very easy to make an argument a Windows machine is better value for money, but I need to take into account its longevity too.
 
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robinsslee said:
A7RIV raw files are from 80-120mb, come on Sony gives us mRAW and sRAW option :(

Even Canon 5DsR raw is around 50mb, Sony RAW seems to take up a lot of spaces.
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Nikon have mRAW and sRAW but they aren't as good as lossless compression. I'm not sure why Sony has not been able to, or are unwilling to offer lossless compression? Sure it won't give you 50mb files, but 65-75mb would still be better than 100-120mb (guessing number here ;))
 
Raymond Lin said:
I simply can't be arsed to swap computers every 2-3 years. I see them like an appliance, if it works, leave it alone. I only upgraded my MBP last year from a 2010 base spec model, that lasted 8 years.
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My missus still uses Macs, even she upgrades every 4 years or so and she only uses hers for for farting about on the internet and the odd bit of word processing. :D
 
f/2.8 said:
My missus still uses Macs, even she upgrades every 4 years or so and she only uses hers for for farting about on the internet and the odd bit of word processing. :D
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I did get top of the range iMac when i got it, 32G of RAM, this in 2012 was a LOT.
 
simonbarker said:
I'd much rather get the OS and hardware of my preference and whatever that costs is the cost.
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This. I used to love windows, but after windows 7 it's been one of the worst OS I've used on any platform. Vista wasn't great, but 8 was a disaster and 10 isn't much better. Until they sort the OS out I won't go back to windows (y)
 
@Raymond Lin what hard drive has your mac got in it? I’ve just started using a 250tb Samsung t5 external SSD to boot my late 2012 iMac and it’s made a noticeable difference. Starts up much faster. So far LR seems to reform better but that needs more testing. For £60 I thought it was worth trying.
 
rob-nikon said:
@Raymond Lin what hard drive has your mac got in it? I’ve just started using a 250tb Samsung t5 external SSD to boot my late 2012 iMac and it’s made a noticeable difference. Starts up much faster. So far LR seems to reform better but that needs more testing. For £60 I thought it was worth trying.
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It's those Fusion drives that they don't do anymore. 128G SSD stuck on a 1TB HDD..
 
Raymond Lin said:
My concern is that with an iMac, even though it cost more, i can usually get 5+ years out of it. It is currently 7 years and i don't feel the need to upgrade at the moment.

Anyone else using a 7 year old windows machine? Because if it can't last that long then it isn't really cheaper.
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The XPS15 I'm using now is 5 years old and will last at least another couple of years. It wasn't a cheap option at the time - about £1000 from the Dell outlet, and similar spec to a Macbook costing around £1700 then. The upgrades I've made since then all relate to storage space, rather than performance (now running 1TB mSATA SSD and 2TB HDD). The QHD screen isn't shabby either.
 
Raymond Lin said:
One person? it doesn't. However if say 1000 people answers, and say most Mac users have machines 5+ years where as most window users have a median age of 3 years then it tells you that for whatever reason, the longevity of a Mac machiner have a longer life span. I am platform agnostic having had both Windows and PC but these days more comfortable with a Mac. I also hate to relive the days when i am reformatting my Windows annually to give it a bit of life.

I often hear that people say PC is cheaper, therefore I want to gauge is it cheaper over the same period that I typically run my Mac? Because if it's 25% savings for the same spec but i am upgrading in half the time then it's not cheaper at all.
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Of course, it could be because PC users will upgrade more frequently because it's cheaper to upgrade.
With a PC it's also easy to incrementally upgrade - more memory, better graphics, different monitor, SSD, additional SSD, etc.
You also have the option to build an entire PC yourself, which is not that difficult.

As for 'cheaper' - I just had a look at the prices on Apple UK, and specifically on the cost for having a 1TB SSD as the main storage (since I've just upgraded my PC to have a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD, so know the price of this).
My SSD cost just under £100 on Prime Day, typically they are £130.
To upgrade an iMAC, if the base model has a 1TB HD then it's £540 to choose SSD instead, if it has a 1TB 'Fusion' drive then the SSD is £450 extra.
That's a huge markup.
 
rob-nikon said:
@Raymond Lin what hard drive has your mac got in it? I’ve just started using a 250tb Samsung t5 external SSD to boot my late 2012 iMac and it’s made a noticeable difference. Starts up much faster. So far LR seems to reform better but that needs more testing. For £60 I thought it was worth trying.
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I actually have a 6 core i7 MBP I bought last year, I could (and should) be getting an e-GPU and a monitior which will see be through 5 years easy if I use that. Already have 512SSD inside and got a 1TB external SSD last week for on the go editing.
 
Faldrax said:
Of course, it could be because PC users will upgrade more frequently because it's cheaper to upgrade.
With a PC it's also easy to incrementally upgrade - more memory, better graphics, different monitor, SSD, additional SSD, etc.
You also have the option to build an entire PC yourself, which is not that difficult.

As for 'cheaper' - I just had a look at the prices on Apple UK, and specifically on the cost for having a 1TB SSD as the main storage (since I've just upgraded my PC to have a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD, so know the price of this).
My SSD cost just under £100 on Prime Day, typically they are £130.
To upgrade an iMAC, if the base model has a 1TB HD then it's £540 to choose SSD instead, if it has a 1TB 'Fusion' drive then the SSD is £450 extra.
That's a huge markup.
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The problem with all these "cheaper" upgrades and more frequently is it all adds up.

The only thing I put in my iMac is the RAM in day 1. left it well alone since, I find the closed box kind of liberating, stops the upgrade GAS in its tracks which saves me a ton of money in the long term.
 
Oh, and just to add, my Unibody Macbook was horribly slow for photographic work at 4 years old, and when I replaced it at 5 years it was a huge relief, even with SSD upgrades.
 
snerkler said:
This. I used to love windows, but after windows 7 it's been one of the worst OS I've used on any platform. Vista wasn't great, but 8 was a disaster and 10 isn't much better. Until they sort the OS out I won't go back to windows (y)
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There are so many reasons why I like Mac OS (ecosystem, familiarity, stability, UI, space saving, noise, style etc) and can think of only 1 reason why I should go Windows (cost)...and even with cost I can justify that with the length I use it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
There are so many reasons why I like Mac OS (ecosystem, familiarity, stability, UI, space saving, noise, style etc) and can think of only 1 reason why I should go Windows (cost)...and even with cost I can justify that with the length I use it.
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For me performance is more important than what a computer looks like which I why I stopped buying macs years ago when they became a bit crap.
 
f/2.8 said:
Even when macs where good the standard turn around time for most creatives was 3/4 years max. So surprised you would be keeping yours so long.

Me and f/1.4 used to sell that crap for a living.
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Man, I would rather blow my brains out than go back to that life LOL

Do you ever miss the social aspect? I mean the job was totally s***e but having abit more frequent social interaction with people was something I oddly missed abit
 
Raymond Lin said:
In a sense that is there anyone editing using LR in a PC dates back to when you built/bought it from 2012?

It's a very simple yes or no question really, I know there are a TONS of variables, whether the spec that you bought it in, whether you upgraded or not but without getting into all that, it's a yes or no answer i am really curious about. Basically if the argument is "a PC is cheaper" but then you end up getting a new rig every 2-3 years then in the end it really isn't.

Remove recycling, remove selling old parts to recoup, just a simple question.

Anyone using a Windows PC from 2012 as their main rig like I am with a 2012 iMac?
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One of my laptops is around that old and running lr. Dog slow when editing 42mp files though
 
Raymond Lin said:
I simply can't be arsed to swap computers every 2-3 years. I see them like an appliance, if it works, leave it alone. I only upgraded my MBP last year from a 2010 base spec model, that lasted 8 years.

What it boils down to is I hear "Macs are overpriced and Windows machine is much better value for money" etc. Whilst on the surface that is 100% true on Day 1, except all the windows users that I know tend to upgrade their machine much earlier, much more frequently so their out of pocket expense ends up higher in the end.

So it is very easy to make an argument a Windows machine is better value for money, but I need to take into account its longevity too.
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They upload much frequently because they can lol unlike in the mac world...
 
Raymond Lin said:
There are so many reasons why I like Mac OS (ecosystem, familiarity, stability, UI, space saving, noise, style etc) and can think of only 1 reason why I should go Windows (cost)...and even with cost I can justify that with the length I use it.
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You’re right. Windows just don’t last as long running at the same speed, people can argue all they want - it’s a fact. To keep a windows machine running for years you need to keep regularly maintaining it and know what you’re doing with computers. To keep a Mac running for years you just need to use it, and that’s about it.

The thing I love about my MacBook is how portable it is, and the fact that by the time I open the lid it’s on and ready to go - that’s nearly 3 years old.

Also, people go on about specs - they mean little considering how well macs and MacBooks are optimised to the OS, you probably need a windows computer with double the specs to match the performance.
 
KitsuneAndy said:
5K is pretty pointless for photography, would much rather have colour accuracy. And a matte finish is essential for that because a gloss finish boosts contrast and saturation :)

That said, there are some good 4K monitors available for not bad prices. Dell Ultrasharp U2718Q is 4K and 99.9% sRGB with a matte finish.
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Dell ultrasharps monitors are certainly very good, but you need to get a "good copy" lol. My previous monitor was an ultrasharp (was latest at the time) but I got one that worked properly after sending back the first copy.
Might go back to these in the future. But 5K is useful for videos and also stills too tbh.

But the issue with iMac display is that it does "fake" 10-bits colour with dithering while my old monitor did full 10-bit which made it better for colour reproduction for sure.

I am not going to buy another iMac for sure but I'd like to retain the resolution hence my question :)

f/2.8 said:
Most companies that make displays have options that are better than the iMac monitor, LG, Benq are 2 of the cheaper ones.

The iMac display other than the resolution isn’t even that good and the actual spec of the machines themselves are a joke. Years behind.

Apple use to be the first choice of all creative professionals but hasn’t been for donkeys years that isn’t their market any more.
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Specs isn't everything tbh. It's still first choice among us software folks ;-)
 
F/1.4 said:
Man, I would rather blow my brains out than go back to that life LOL

Do you ever miss the social aspect? I mean the job was totally s***e but having abit more frequent social interaction with people was something I oddly missed abit
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Na, most of the staff were oddballs, goes with that sort of job I think.

I am really good friends with a lots of other photographers and there is a few I meet up with at least once a week. I am actually sitting here right now just about to tuck into what looks like a really tasty barbecue with a guy who shoots fashion and a girl who mostly shoots commercial.

Finding other photographers to bounce ideas off is good for business and will help keep you sane. :ROFLMAO:
 
Raymond Lin said:
My concern is that with an iMac, even though it cost more, i can usually get 5+ years out of it. It is currently 7 years and i don't feel the need to upgrade at the moment.

Anyone else using a 7 year old windows machine? Because if it can't last that long then it isn't really cheaper.
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I have a i7 3770k with 32GB ram, Nvidia 970 & R9 380 gpu running 4k with ssd for all the drives and it still works fine, to be honest quicker at some things than my 2018 iMac. It probably cost around £1000 to build back in the day excluding monitor, Keybord and Mouse.

If I was going for another machine, then I would be building pc as the iMacs just aren’t value for money at this time. They are still good machines but for me not the top dog anymore and windows 10 is better than Mac OS I’m my opinion.
 
Mac is still first choice among professional creatives. OSX and IOS get more performance out of less ram and a slower clock speed processor. Look at the A11 and A12 chips, miles ahead of SD.
 
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twist said:
Mac is still first choice among professional creatives. OSX and IOS get more performance out of less ram and a slower clock speed processor. Look at the A11 and A12 chips, miles ahead of SD.
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Is it though? Many professional creatives will be using Adobe software which runs identical on both computer platforms. I bet if they are buying with their own cash then it’s not as cut and shut as we would believe, though when prominent YouTube channels are sponsored by various vendors it’s hard to know. If you look at ijustine she has many macs, surface pros, surface studios, Tony & Chelsea use PC, Jared Polin uses both, Peter McKinnon uses Mac but I think the bottom line is, both are very good systems with good and negative points and if expense is no issue then a PC will be fastest due to the amount of configuration available.
 
f/2.8 said:
Na, most of the staff were oddballs, goes with that sort of job I think.

I am really good friends with a lots of other photographers and there is a few I meet up with at least once a week. I am actually sitting here right now just about to tuck into what looks like a really tasty barbecue with a guy who shoots fashion and a girl who mostly shoots commercial.

Finding other photographers to bounce ideas off is good for business and will help keep you sane. :ROFLMAO:
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Aye man I'm good mates with quite a few. Darragh at Forever Endeavour and Clive at Pigmint are good mates. A few togs too but more community with the video guys I've found

Some of the higher tier video guys blow most togs out of the water skill wise I reckon man. Michael Toman from Story of eve is incredible
 
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twist said:
Mac is still first choice among professional creatives. OSX and IOS get more performance out of less ram and a slower clock speed processor. Look at the A11 and A12 chips, miles ahead of SD.
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Sorry but you are wrong.

In the last 2/3 years 3 of the biggest b2b Apple resellers in the u.k went out of business purely because of the massive drop in clients from the creative industries which they absolutely relied upon.

Apple themselves in the last 2 years have been completely fazing out their b2b staff in their retail shops as they are no longer economically viable due mainly to the loss of business from the creative industry.

Apple still do well with education, school's & universities etc due to the huge discounts they offer at that level. Their core business isn't macs though, for education it is iPad. I have a mate who works for Apple at a reasonably high level within the U.K he does nothing but complain about how this part of their business has suffered over the last few years.

When I say loss of business from creatives I am not talking about some guy that shoots the odd wedding or portrait and his home computer. I am talking about design engineers, graphics design agencies, Architects, basically any larger business that has a design element and that is using software like Quark as an example. Way back in the day this sort of software ran quicker on Macs but that isn't the case any more. Macs are also no where near as stable as they used to be. For business users once they realised this have switched over to Windows based workstations in their droves. Partly it is a cost consideration but their is a spec issue as well, the cost of maintaining macs in a business environment is also an expensive problem.

I also have another friend who is suffering but in a much smaller scale, he owns a company that provides software solutions for Apple and they are also an authorised hardware reseller. A few years ago he had 80 staff, their software is predominantly aimed at the creative industries. They are really struggling within the last 2 years his staff numbers have dropped from 80 too 12 and he is struggling to keep the doors open. The market for Apple in the creative industry has dropped dramatically over the last few years, especially in the last 2 years.

Apple is absolutely not a first choice any more for the creative industry.
 
F/1.4 said:
Aye man I'm good mates with quite a few. Darragh at Forever Endeavour and Clive at Pigmint are good mates. A few togs too but more community with the video guys I've found

Some of the higher tier video guys blow most togs out of the water skill wise I reckon man. Michael Toman from Story of eve is incredible
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Yeah, I know Darragh we have done a couple of weddings with him, he is dead on. Did he teall you about the time we got talking about cameras and nearly missed the first dance?

The guy we know best from the video guys though is married to the girl that runs 4ever, he is really sound. Don't really know many of the others that well we only seem them at weddings maybe a few times a year.

Most of the photographers I am friendly with aren't wedding togs although some of them shoot the odd wedding, they are guys I worked with on commercial stuff. Although I have a couple of other wedding togs that I have run into over the last wee while who are looking to meet up for a chat once all this years madness is over.
 
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