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

meduk1 said:
Got my new A73 over the weekend. Still getting used to it but so far very impressed with it, especially the auto focus eye settings. A lot more keepers than I was previously getting.

I have the 24-105 with it which is my go-to lens for most situations. I would like one additional lens, something faster and lighter for mainly indoor portrait shots of the kids. the 85 1.8 seems to get a lot of good feedback on here and elsewhere, anything else to look at?
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The 85 may be to tight indoors, 35 or 55 could be better. Use your zoom to check.
 
meduk1 said:
Got my new A73 over the weekend. Still getting used to it but so far very impressed with it, especially the auto focus eye settings. A lot more keepers than I was previously getting.

I have the 24-105 with it which is my go-to lens for most situations. I would like one additional lens, something faster and lighter for mainly indoor portrait shots of the kids. the 85 1.8 seems to get a lot of good feedback on here and elsewhere, anything else to look at?
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FE 85 f/1.8 is superb for the money but likely to be too long indoors probably better of with the 55mm for that. The 85mm is great for outdoor portraits though.
 
Yeah the 35, 55 and 85 all get very good reviews. Having a look through my typical portrait shots and there's a decent variety at at all 3 groupings, but 85 (ish) comes out on top, probably due to taking photos of kids so typically trying to do it from a bit of distance. Will give it some thought.
 
meduk1 said:
Yeah the 35, 55 and 85 all get very good reviews. Having a look through my typical portrait shots and there's a decent variety at at all 3 groupings, but 85 (ish) comes out on top, probably due to taking photos of kids so typically trying to do it from a bit of distance. Will give it some thought.
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I should point out, that's my kids I'm taking about. Came across a bit creepy when I re-read it!
 
addicknchips said:
i read previously that the latest fw updates on the newer cameras was causing issue with 3rd party batteries. is this still the case?
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My third party battery now gives a warning a minute or so after turning it on saying its not a genuine battery then you lose the remaining power % information, you still get the battery icon with the bars in though that decreases with usage
 
meduk1 said:
Got my new A73 over the weekend. Still getting used to it but so far very impressed with it, especially the auto focus eye settings. A lot more keepers than I was previously getting.

I have the 24-105 with it which is my go-to lens for most situations. I would like one additional lens, something faster and lighter for mainly indoor portrait shots of the kids. the 85 1.8 seems to get a lot of good feedback on here and elsewhere, anything else to look at?
Click to expand...

Eye detect is something I do keep thinking about as face detect has really impressed me and has enabled me to take pictures I could have really only taken before by using the lens in manual focus, or a manual lens, and zone focusing at f5.6-8 but with face detect I can do it at wider apertures and focus rather than rely on DoF.

PS.
On the 85mm f1.8.
If I have one complaint it's the bokeh. I think it's ok but a little on the wild side for a modern 85mm for me.
 
woof woof said:
Eye detect is something I do keep thinking about as face detect has really impressed me and has enabled me to take pictures I could have really only taken before by using the lens in manual focus, or a manual lens, and zone focusing at f5.6-8 but with face detect I can do it at wider apertures and focus rather than rely on DoF.

PS.
On the 85mm f1.8.
If I have one complaint it's the bokeh. I think it's ok but a little on the wild side for a modern 85mm for me.
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That's the biggest difference between the 85G.M and the FE85, bokeh is much nicer on the G.M. Then again though you have to weigh up the cost difference, the size difference and the weight difference.

I love the 85G.M and it is perfect for work but would have kept the FE85 if I was just shooting stuff for myself. Much lighter lens and quicker a.f, the bokeh is a bit busy but I would have been happy to live with it.
 
Admiring Light has a review of the Sigma 135mm f1.8...

https://admiringlight.com/blog/review-sigma-135mm-f-1-8-dg-hsm-art-sony-e-mount/

"The Sigma 135mm f/1.8 Art is a lens that not everyone will take to, as the medium telephoto length works well for many and not so well for others, but if you like this focal length, you really can’t do much better. The lens has simply exceptional sharpness, beautiful bokeh, extremely low aberrations across the board and a fairly reasonable price for that level of performance at $1,399. It is a rather large and heavy beast, which is par for the course for Sigma’s Art series, but if you can deal with the weight, you’ll be rewarded with truly stunning image quality.

The autofocus is only average, but it gets the job done, and the lens works very well with Sony’s EyeAF capabilities. There really isn’t much more to say: it’s one of the best lenses I’ve ever had the pleasure to use."

Well... That's nice :D
 
Thon Hogan says...

"The holiday sales have started. B&H has the previous generation A7 (A7m2) on sale with a mediocre lens..." (

It's the 28-70mm f3.5-5.6.

This lens seems to take a bashing from some but I've always thought it was actually quite good for what it is, a relatively cheap standard range variable aperture "kit lens."

To me it seems to be well made, enough, it's quite compact and light and IMO it's good enough for adequate or even good sharpness across the frame from wide open. I have no real complaints and to call it mediocre seems a little harsh to me especially if judged against some of the truly mediocre or even poor reasonably priced variable aperture stuff Canikon have pumped out over the years.
 
tattywelshie said:
Hi folks! I'm thinking about making the leap from Canon over to the A73. Now, my question is, what's Sony like when using the Sigma converter so I can keep my Canon lenses? Any decrease in image quality or autofocus?
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Depends on the lenses
 
tattywelshie said:
Hi folks! I'm thinking about making the leap from Canon over to the A73. Now, my question is, what's Sony like when using the Sigma converter so I can keep my Canon lenses? Any decrease in image quality or autofocus?
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Image quality should be fine but you will notice a difference in AF performance, it varies a lot by lens.

Best case scenario it's almost native performance but worst case it'll be slow and clearly less decisive, no real problem for static subjects though.
 
simonbarker said:
Image quality should be fine but you will notice a difference in AF performance, it varies a lot by lens.

Best case scenario it's almost native performance but worst case it'll be slow and clearly less decisive, no real problem for static subjects though.
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Hi, thanks for that, ah, well I'm a wedding photographer so need the AF to be top notch, looks like I'll have to invest in a couple of lenses :)
 
woof woof said:
Admiring Light has a review of the Sigma 135mm f1.8...

https://admiringlight.com/blog/review-sigma-135mm-f-1-8-dg-hsm-art-sony-e-mount/

"The Sigma 135mm f/1.8 Art is a lens that not everyone will take to, as the medium telephoto length works well for many and not so well for others, but if you like this focal length, you really can’t do much better. The lens has simply exceptional sharpness, beautiful bokeh, extremely low aberrations across the board and a fairly reasonable price for that level of performance at $1,399. It is a rather large and heavy beast, which is par for the course for Sigma’s Art series, but if you can deal with the weight, you’ll be rewarded with truly stunning image quality.

The autofocus is only average, but it gets the job done, and the lens works very well with Sony’s EyeAF capabilities. There really isn’t much more to say: it’s one of the best lenses I’ve ever had the pleasure to use."

Well... That's nice :D
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I’m going to get my Nikon versions mount changed. Absolutely love the lens, it’s a stunner. On the Nikon the af was very quick, hope that doesn’t change.
 
I'm looking at making the move to FF mirrorless, inparticular the Sony range of mirrorless. I've poured over countless reviews and online articles for all the recent releases, I am currently shooting with a Nikon D3300 and having had a look at the Z range I am still of the opinion the Sony range are more advanced (I kind of expected more from Nikon moving into the mirrorless market).

My budget just about stretches to an A7iii but could comfortably afford an A7rii however I'm not sure whether or not I need the 42mp, or the file sizes for that matter!!

I just wondered on opinions of owners what their thoughts were? Pro's and Con's to both? I mainly shoot real estate/architecture images but don't mind the occasional portrait either (something the EyeAF would help out with a great deal on a Sony!).

I thought about starting a new thread for this but thought better to post somewhere the owners actually frequent!!
 
Daniel_Paul said:
I'm looking at making the move to FF mirrorless, inparticular the Sony range of mirrorless. I've poured over countless reviews and online articles for all the recent releases, I am currently shooting with a Nikon D3300 and having had a look at the Z range I am still of the opinion the Sony range are more advanced (I kind of expected more from Nikon moving into the mirrorless market).

My budget just about stretches to an A7iii but could comfortably afford an A7rii however I'm not sure whether or not I need the 42mp, or the file sizes for that matter!!

I just wondered on opinions of owners what their thoughts were? Pro's and Con's to both? I mainly shoot real estate/architecture images but don't mind the occasional portrait either (something the EyeAF would help out with a great deal on a Sony!).

I thought about starting a new thread for this but thought better to post somewhere the owners actually frequent!!
Click to expand...

MK3 is better in every way except resolution and price.
 
Classifieds is dead as hector here now but will ask in here as I reckon this thread gets more traffic than the entire classifieds. After a Sony 85 1.8 purely for video if anyone has one they wanna sell
 
F/1.4 said:
Classifieds is dead as hector here now but will ask in here as I reckon this thread gets more traffic than the entire classifieds. After a Sony 85 1.8 purely for video if anyone has one they wanna sell
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I bought mine grey from E-Infin as the brand new price was around what they go for used.
 
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F/1.4 said:
Classifieds is dead as hector here now but will ask in here as I reckon this thread gets more traffic than the entire classifieds. After a Sony 85 1.8 purely for video if anyone has one they wanna sell
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Isn’t it! Not like it used to be.
 
Daniel_Paul said:
I'm looking at making the move to FF mirrorless, inparticular the Sony range of mirrorless. I've poured over countless reviews and online articles for all the recent releases, I am currently shooting with a Nikon D3300 and having had a look at the Z range I am still of the opinion the Sony range are more advanced (I kind of expected more from Nikon moving into the mirrorless market).

My budget just about stretches to an A7iii but could comfortably afford an A7rii however I'm not sure whether or not I need the 42mp, or the file sizes for that matter!!

I just wondered on opinions of owners what their thoughts were? Pro's and Con's to both? I mainly shoot real estate/architecture images but don't mind the occasional portrait either (something the EyeAF would help out with a great deal on a Sony!).

I thought about starting a new thread for this but thought better to post somewhere the owners actually frequent!!
Click to expand...

As other suggested - move to Sony - you will not regret it (well, coming from a fanboy)
And yes, Sony A7 III will do all your requirements.

Me personally use A7R II and last few days I was looking more and more about A7 III and probably will order it very soon and may be the Tamron 28-75 as well.

Anyway - don't think about it too much - life is short anyway - enjoy it! :)
 
Daniel_Paul said:
I'm looking at making the move to FF mirrorless, inparticular the Sony range of mirrorless. I've poured over countless reviews and online articles for all the recent releases, I am currently shooting with a Nikon D3300 and having had a look at the Z range I am still of the opinion the Sony range are more advanced (I kind of expected more from Nikon moving into the mirrorless market).

My budget just about stretches to an A7iii but could comfortably afford an A7rii however I'm not sure whether or not I need the 42mp, or the file sizes for that matter!!

I just wondered on opinions of owners what their thoughts were? Pro's and Con's to both? I mainly shoot real estate/architecture images but don't mind the occasional portrait either (something the EyeAF would help out with a great deal on a Sony!).

I thought about starting a new thread for this but thought better to post somewhere the owners actually frequent!!
Click to expand...

I use both side by side for weddings so I can probably help.

The r2 files mean there’s lots of scope for cropping when you’re editing and still getting excellent images. The 7iii has much better af, much faster frame rate, continuous silent shooting, bigger dynamic range and anti flicker. They’re both extremely capable, I suppose if the resolution isn’t an issue then it’s a choice between second generation and more money for glass or third generation and less money in your wallet!

I find the r2 a little frustrating at times but I’ve also shot some weddings where I’ve used that more than the 7iii but that’s usually because I only use primes and at busy weddings you make a choice of which lens is on which body and you can get stuck for a while.
 
dizzy said:
I use both side by side for weddings so I can probably help.

The r2 files mean there’s lots of scope for cropping when you’re editing and still getting excellent images. The 7iii has much better af, much faster frame rate, continuous silent shooting, bigger dynamic range and anti flicker. They’re both extremely capable, I suppose if the resolution isn’t an issue then it’s a choice between second generation and more money for glass or third generation and less money in your wallet!

I find the r2 a little frustrating at times but I’ve also shot some weddings where I’ve used that more than the 7iii but that’s usually because I only use primes and at busy weddings you make a choice of which lens is on which body and you can get stuck for a while.
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Interesting thoughts as I'd wondered what a A7III and A7RII combo would be like.
 
F/1.4 said:
Classifieds is dead as hector here now but will ask in here as I reckon this thread gets more traffic than the entire classifieds. After a Sony 85 1.8 purely for video if anyone has one they wanna sell
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Might as well open your window and shout, I want to buy an 85mm lens out the window as use the classifieds, you will have just as much luck.

Anyway, stop being so tight and just buy a new one.

Why have these got so popular for video all of a sudden seen a lot of them around recently?

The video guy at our wedding on Saturday shot the whole day apart from the speeches on an FE85.
 
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f/2.8 said:
Might as well open your window and shout, I want to buy an 85mm lens out the window as use the classifieds, you will have just as much luck.

Anyway, stop being so tight and just buy a new one.

Why have these got so popular for video all of a sudden seen a lot of them around recently?

The video guy at our wedding on Saturday shot the whole day apart from the speeches on an FE85.
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Smaller, lighter and the video AF is amazing on it lad. I shot a wedding film at castle Leslie the other week and lugged around a tonne of gear and I'll never make that mistake again lol

Just gonna buy from e infinity perhaps.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Part of me wished i kept it for its size :p
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Me too I sold it again a few weeks later.

F/1.4 said:
Smaller, lighter and the video AF is amazing on it lad. I shot a wedding film at castle Leslie the other week and lugged around a tonne of gear and I'll never make that mistake again lol

Just gonna buy from e infinity perhaps.
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The guy at our wedding on Saturday works for one of the really hipster type video places I see a lot on Instagram.

All he brought with him was an FE85 and a Samyang 35. He had a Canon something or other set up as a remote camera at times with a 50mm.
 
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photosample said:
As other suggested - move to Sony - you will not regret it (well, coming from a fanboy)
And yes, Sony A7 III will do all your requirements.

Me personally use A7R II and last few days I was looking more and more about A7 III and probably will order it very soon and may be the Tamron 28-75 as well.

Anyway - don't think about it too much - life is short anyway - enjoy it! :)
Click to expand...

dizzy said:
I use both side by side for weddings so I can probably help.

The r2 files mean there’s lots of scope for cropping when you’re editing and still getting excellent images. The 7iii has much better af, much faster frame rate, continuous silent shooting, bigger dynamic range and anti flicker. They’re both extremely capable, I suppose if the resolution isn’t an issue then it’s a choice between second generation and more money for glass or third generation and less money in your wallet!

I find the r2 a little frustrating at times but I’ve also shot some weddings where I’ve used that more than the 7iii but that’s usually because I only use primes and at busy weddings you make a choice of which lens is on which body and you can get stuck for a while.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much, both useful pieces of advice! Might have to hold out for the A7iii then (I kind of knew that would be the case!).
 
I’m looking for a light and cheap zoom lens to go with the 24mm Samyang that I’m also looking for - is the 28-70 worth a punt ?

Thanks :)
 
justa1972 said:
I’m looking for a light and cheap zoom lens to go with the 24mm Samyang that I’m also looking for - is the 28-70 worth a punt ?

Thanks :)
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Used mine for a bit and seems pretty good for a kit lens, better than the normal Nikon/Canon versions IMO.

I'm getting a cheap and cheerful 50 1.8!
 
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