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

I wonder what the Sigma 45mm f2.8 will be like. I suppose it could be a really compact lens but if not I wonder if it'll get any interest at all as there's the Samyang f1.8.

PS.
Maybe it's a macro?
 
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@robinsslee - Got a reply from Mayfield lavender and it seems we have to pay the £100 since they need to hire someone to look after us out of hours. :(
 
woof woof said:
I wonder what the Sigma 45mm f2.8 will be like. I suppose it could be a really compact lens but if not I wonder if it'll get any interest at all as there's the Samyang f1.8.

PS.
Maybe it's a macro?
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True but I imagine sigma lens will have better AF regardless.
 
Apart from being either very compact or a macro I think f2.8 primes become hard to justify as you can get a far more versatile f2.8 zoom.

It does seem to be an odd choice if it's not a macro and it seems a slightly odd choice even if it is.

PS.
One month toady we're off to Singapore so the chances of me getting an AF 35mm f1.8 before I go seem slim... I'll have to slum it with the 35mm f2.8 :D which is justifiable as it's very compact :D
 
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robinsslee said:
Well, here's a few of poppies.

A9 + Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II

View attachment 248840View attachment 248839View attachment 248841
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Lovely shots there :)

nandbytes said:
I need to find a place to shoot the milky way myself. Really hard being in London lol.
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Ideally you'd want to head somewhere a little rural south of the M25 but tha depends where exactly you are I suppose.

We've only gone local to the Mendips which is Bortle 4 I think but it is only about half hours drive. South coast (Dorset) is popular & that's about 1hr 30mins away.
 
nandbytes said:
I'd like to do Tuesday to avoid crowds if possible but then it impacts work next day :(
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The problem with trying to preempt everyone is that everyone ends up thinking the same ;) It’s possible many photographers will think exactly the same and Tuesday will be busy because of it. Which ever day has the best forecast will get the most photographers. I could see Fridays being busy for normal people/families but that said they have the weekend to visit too so maybe it won’t be busy especially if photographers are thinking Tuesday will be the quiet day to visit and avoid Fridays.
 
Cagey75 said:
Be glad that they charge a fee, otherwise it could very well be a nightmare:
https://qz.com/quartzy/1580867/all-the-tourist-destinations-ruined-by-instagram-this-year/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/califo...und-of-tourists-trampling-flowers-11553447888
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...se-chaos-lake-elsinore-poppy-apocalypse-vgtrn

I'd much rather pay the fee than suffer that [see the image in the second link] - and have the place to myself.
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The same happens every year at the Dockey Wood during the Bluebells. There are always a few photographers trampling through the bluebells to get a better view. They started to encircle the bluebells with twig walls to stop people walking through them but it’s not stopped people. It’s not only landscape photographers, portrait photographers are exactly the same. They walk over the twig walls to sit children amongst the bluebells to get the shot they have come for having no regard they are damaging the very reason they are there
 
footman said:
Seriously thinking about getting the A7II today as a second body, the current deal looks too good to miss particularly if I can chop in a lens I never use.
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Sounds like you are in a similar predicament as me. Have you thought about an A6400 as a second body? That’s what I’m thinking of rather than a mk2 or mk1 A7 or A7r. It gives some good benefits over a A7i or A7ii and there is much in them cost wise.

footman said:
True but cost is a major factor here, I can get the A7II for £700 after Sony cashback and I'm already committed to the 200-600 when it arrives on these shores although the 100-400 will almost certainly go.
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An A6400 would effectively make your 100-400 a 150-600 f4-f5.6 (the 200-600 would be a 300-900mm lens).
 
rob-nikon said:
The same happens every year at the Dockey Wood during the Bluebells. There are always a few photographers trampling through the bluebells to get a better view. They started to encircle the bluebells with twig walls to stop people walking through them but it’s not stopped people. It’s not only landscape photographers, portrait photographers are exactly the same. They walk over the twig walls to sit children amongst the bluebells to get the shot they have come for having no regard they are damaging the very reason they are there
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You would think pro photographers would have a bit more sense, I mean as you say they went there for the beauty of the landscape, and then proceed to ruin it - makes no sense. But it's mostly tourists or local families I see do this mostly at nice locations - like allowing their kids to pull the flowers to use as weapons or run through them with a stick or plastic sword chopping wildly
 
rob-nikon said:
Sounds like you are in a similar predicament as me. Have you thought about an A6400 as a second body? That’s what I’m thinking of rather than a mk2 or mk1 A7 or A7r. It gives some good benefits over a A7i or A7ii and there is much in them cost wise.


An A6400 would effectively make your 100-400 a 150-600 f4-f5.6 (the 200-600 would be a 300-900mm lens).
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Can the 200600 take the 1.4tc? If so = 1260mm
 
rob-nikon said:
The problem with trying to preempt everyone is that everyone ends up thinking the same ;) It’s possible many photographers will think exactly the same and Tuesday will be busy because of it. Which ever day has the best forecast will get the most photographers. I could see Fridays being busy for normal people/families but that said they have the weekend to visit too so maybe it won’t be busy especially if photographers are thinking Tuesday will be the quiet day to visit and avoid Fridays.
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Ah but what if everyone thinks the same then they decide Friday is better and go on Friday instead :D
There'd be no end to the circular logic ;)

I guess the best time to go would be when the weather is nice but other photographers will want to go too. So you need to find a day that's been rubbish most of the morning and clears up for the sunset :D
 
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Cagey75 said:
You would think pro photographers would have a bit more sense, I mean as you say they went there for the beauty of the landscape, and then proceed to ruin it - makes no sense. But it's mostly tourists or local families I see do this mostly at nice locations - like allowing their kids to pull the flowers to use as weapons or run through them with a stick or plastic sword chopping wildly
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There are a few ‘pro’ photographers that do it but it’s often photographers taking portraits of the family that do it. During the main day time hours they have set up an entry fee to stop all of the damage caused by those visitors (and to get extra income in too).
 
LeeRatters said:
Ideally you'd want to head somewhere a little rural south of the M25 but tha depends where exactly you are I suppose.

We've only gone local to the Mendips which is Bortle 4 I think but it is only about half hours drive. South coast (Dorset) is popular & that's about 1hr 30mins away.
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Southwest London. I haven't found anywhere that's less than hour drive but I might have missed something
 
rob-nikon said:
Possibly a bit too unwieldily as it would need a fast shutter to freeze just the camera movement. With it being f8 that could be hard to get unless the light is very good.
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I’d imagine the stabilisation system is very good, I’m guessing maybe 5 stops. Not impossible though, see lots of stuff shot at f8, the Sony’s hi iso is also very good.
 
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twist said:
I’d imagine the stabilisation system is very good, I’m guessing maybe 5 stops. Not impossible though, see lots of stuff shot at f8, the Sony’s hi iso is also very good.
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I don’t think I could do f8 at the times I try to get out at. I’m already struggling near sunrise at f5.6. I’m often ISO3200-6400 at this point and struggling to get near 1/500. A couple of hours later and things are better. As the light get stronger I can usually get down to ISO1250/1600 but once it’s up in the sky and really bright I’m off home unless I can find some nice dappled shade.
 
rob-nikon said:
I don’t think I could do f8 at the times I try to get out at. I’m already struggling near sunrise at f5.6. I’m often ISO3200-6400 at this point and struggling to get near 1/500. A couple of hours later and things are better. As the light get stronger I can usually get down to ISO1250/1600 but once it’s up in the sky and really bright I’m off home unless I can find some nice dappled shade.
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Peoples cases will be different, it’s not hard to achieve f8 at 1/500 on a decent day though. It’s not something people will use in dim light but the fact it’s possible and an option is pretty awesome.
 
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twist said:
Not unusable at all with good light.

The 200-600mm + 2x TC on the A9 offer full AF performance with little to no observable degradation of AF speed. Here I was handholding a full-frame lens at 1200mm while tracking and capturing birds in flight. That is bonkers!

https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/sony/fe-200-600mm-f5.6-6.3-g-oss/review/
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen those numbers (f/13, 1/1000s, ISO 500) when I’ve been out. That looks like good light if you’re get f13 and 1/1000 at only ISO500.
 
nandbytes said:
Indeed, it's on the borderline for being too far and close enough to drive for a quick photo session. I wouldn't drive that far just to investigate though.
I drove previous day for sunset, slept in car, went back for sunrise and drove back. Was back home around 8am.
The drive isn't too bad. Just over two hours in the morning and just under 3 hours previous day thanks to a crash on M25.

The private ones are hard to get access to sometimes. Let us know if you have any luck in future :)

There is also a place near Brighton where I have seen pictures from previously. I could go investigate next year. Just didn't get the time this year.

I am just really surprised how under advertised these are. Probably a good thing though for us photographers :D

Do you know of any lavender fields that lets public access at sunset and sunrise?
The one near my place (just 20 minutes drive) doesn't give access at these times, just 9-5pm
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There’s some lavender fields in the Cotswolds, however another big drive..
 
twist said:
Peoples cases will be different, it’s not hard to achieve f8 at 1/500 on a decent day though. It’s not something people will use in dim light but the fact it’s possible and an option is pretty awesome.
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I guess it all depends what times you’re out. If it’s out in the daytime it’s not as hard as early on. I’m usually a up to 2hrs after sunrise and 2hrs before sunset type so light levels aren’t high but you’re more likely to get the atmosphere. Teleconverters with these types of lenses aren’t for me.
 
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