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

Kieran_89 said:
True but then I lose the option to use the 24-200 and the 180-600. :(
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there are (debatably better) alternatives on Sony for those also ;)
of course means you end up spending more money :(

Though these days I don't advice chasing gear. But its worth noting the design philosophy of brands....
Making small/light camera or lenses doesn't seem to be high up Nikon's priority
or for example making fast large f1.2 glass doesn't seem high up Sony's priority, or light teleprimes like Z400/4.5 or 600/6.3

For size I'd go with sony, and most lenses you can use easily on Nikon bodies too
 
Ok so let’s say I switch away from the Nikon Z8 and stick with one body, is the Tamron 28-200 better than the Nikon 24-200? Or is there something else I can try?

Luckily I haven’t invested a lot of money into Nikon Z so it’s easy for me to swap.

I’m also familiar with the Sony system and there’s a few GM’s I’m wanting to own again, 24/35/85.

Or I could just buy the adapter to use Sony glass on the Z8 and just stick to my original plan and pickup the A7V/RV along with the Z8.

Best of both worlds then, I get the IQ and handling from the Z8 and I also get the much lighter and discreet Sony body for when I feel like doing some street photography.
 
Kieran_89 said:
Ok so let’s say I switch away from the Nikon Z8 and stick with one body, is the Tamron 28-200 better than the Nikon 24-200? Or is there something else I can try?

Luckily I haven’t invested a lot of money into Nikon Z so it’s easy for me to swap.

I’m also familiar with the Sony system and there’s a few GM’s I’m wanting to own again, 24/35/85.

Or I could just buy the adapter to use Sony glass on the Z8 and just stick to my original plan and pickup the A7V/RV along with the Z8.

Best of both worlds then, I get the IQ and handling from the Z8 and I also get the much lighter and discreet Sony body for when I feel like doing some street photography.
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Three main options new sigma 20-200mm f3.5-6.3, new tamron 25-200mm f2.8-5.6, 28-200mm f2.8-5.6
There is a Sony 24-240mm which is quite bad.

Nikon's weak spot is 24mm especially in corners. Tamron 28-200mm was generally better in IQ than Nikon 24-200mm but didn't have that 24mm wide angle.
new Tamron 25-200mm which is better than 28-200mm will be sharper at wide angle and has f2.8 so it can stop down one stop to get advantage.

sigma 20-200mm is also sharper, not as sharp as tamron at wide end but you get 20mm end which is fair bit wider.
At long end Sigma seems sharpest of the bunch.

Tamron also has less distortion than both sigma and nikon.

While not 1st party lenses, overall tamron/sigma offerings are better than 1st party lenses from Sony (by a large margin) and nikon (by a smaller margin but in a meaningful way).

Personally i have tried 28-200mm and missed 24mm end. I had 20-70mm+tamron 50-300mm for a while. I recently got sigma 20-200mm which is now my only zoom.
My other lenses are Sony 16mm f1.8, sigma 35mm f1.2ii (replacing my 35GM which is in sales now), Samyang 85mm f1.4 ii and sigma 500mm f5.6
 
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Kieran_89 said:
Best of both worlds then, I get the IQ and handling from the Z8 and I also get the much lighter and discreet Sony body for when I feel like doing some street photography.
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I would argue the IQ of the A7RV is better than the Z8, so it's just the handling which if course is a very personal thing.
 
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nandbytes said:
Three main options new sigma 20-200mm f3.5-6.3, new tamron 25-200mm f2.8-5.6, 28-200mm f2.8-5.6
There is a Sony 24-240mm which is quite bad.

Nikon's weak spot is 24mm especially in corners. Tamron 28-200mm was generally better in IQ than Nikon 24-200mm but didn't have that 24mm wide angle.
new Tamron 25-200mm which is better than 28-200mm will be sharper at wide angle and has f2.8 so it can stop down one stop to get advantage.

sigma 20-200mm is also sharper, not as sharp as tamron at wide end but you get 20mm end which is fair bit wider.
At long end Sigma seems sharpest of the bunch.

Tamron also has less distortion than both sigma and nikon.

While not 1st party lenses, overall tamron/sigma offerings are better than 1st party lenses from Sony (by a large margin) and nikon (by a smaller margin but in a meaningful way).

Personally i have tried 28-200mm and missed 24mm end. I had 20-70mm+tamron 50-300mm for a while. I recently got sigma 20-200mm which is now my only zoom.
My other lenses are Sony 16mm f1.8, sigma 35mm f1.2ii (replacing my 35GM which is in sales now), Samyang 85mm f1.4 ii and sigma 500mm f5.6
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I’ve used the Sony 24-240 and wasn’t impressed so that’s out, I’ll have to look into the Sigma and Tamron versions and see which I prefer.

I do like the look of the Sigma 20-200 though, could be the winner.
 
snerkler said:
I would argue the IQ of the A7RV is better than the Z8, so it's just the handling which if course is a very personal thing.
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Once you get into the higher MP though, 45>61 unless you’re printing massive I personally can’t see much of a difference between the two.

I really do love the Z8 though and I don’t feel like I want to give it up in place of one Sony body.

We’re 3 years old now with the Sony A7Rv, are we likely to see a new body in 2026 or will it be 2027?
 
Kieran_89 said:
Once you get into the higher MP though, 45>61 unless you’re printing massive I personally can’t see much of a difference between the two.

I really do love the Z8 though and I don’t feel like I want to give it up in place of one Sony body.

We’re 3 years old now with the Sony A7Rv, are we likely to see a new body in 2026 or will it be 2027?
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SAR are saying an 80% chance of an A7R VI in 2026.

Don't Nikon do a smaller body so you can stick with one system?
 
A Z7 III sized Z8 (even without the speed and no advancements on the sensor), would be a dream for me, as I think the original Z6 / Z7 bodies were / are some of the nicest and most ergonomic cameras I've ever owned - the perfect size and weight as well (and much more travel friendly than my Z8).
 
Sootchucker said:
A Z7 III sized Z8 (even without the speed and no advancements on the sensor), would be a dream for me, as I think the original Z6 / Z7 bodies were / are some of the nicest and most ergonomic cameras I've ever owned - the perfect size and weight as well (and much more travel friendly than my Z8).
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I tbought the Z7 was a really nice camera ergonomically, like you say probably the best I've had.
 
Sootchucker said:
A Z7 III sized Z8 (even without the speed and no advancements on the sensor), would be a dream for me, as I think the original Z6 / Z7 bodies were / are some of the nicest and most ergonomic cameras I've ever owned - the perfect size and weight as well (and much more travel friendly than my Z8).
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Z7 was super nice to use and I agree with @snerkler probably the best
Z8 is just big and IMO for no good reason. It's big for the sake of being big.
 
nandbytes said:
Z7 was super nice to use and I agree with @snerkler probably the best
Z8 is just big and IMO for no good reason. It's big for the sake of being big.
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It's not even nice big imo, just feels clumpy. At least some of the bigger DSLR's still felt nice to use, but the Z8 seems to be lacking that for me.
 
Kieran_89 said:
Once you get into the higher MP though, 45>61 unless you’re printing massive I personally can’t see much of a difference between the two.

I really do love the Z8 though and I don’t feel like I want to give it up in place of one Sony body.

We’re 3 years old now with the Sony A7Rv, are we likely to see a new body in 2026 or will it be 2027?
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Generally speaking I'm pretty happy with 33mp. More is nicer but not a need.

The main benefit of the Z8 is the high megapixels stacked sensor at a good price, so you have the high FPS and blackout free shooting.
Both of which aren't all that useful for landscapes.
May be just stick with Nikon and get a Z7ii?
 
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nandbytes said:
Generally speaking I'm pretty happy with 33mp. More is nicer but not a need.

The main benefit of the Z8 is the high megapixels stacked sensor at a good price, so you have the high FPS and blackout free shooting.
Both of which aren't all that useful for landscapes.
May be just stick with Nikon and get a Z7ii?
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I actually thought about the Z7ii, I had the original Z7 and found it great to use, lovely sharp image and the feel of the camera really suited me as I have larger hands than average.

I wasn’t into street photography when I had the Z7 but I feel like it could be ok to carry around with me, I can the get the adapter to use Sony glass too.
 
So, we're moving so it's a good time to get rid of things surplus to requirements / things I don't use a lot.

The original A7 I bought from @woof woof is one of those items if I'm honest I'll use very rarely so If there's any interest I'll put it up in the classifieds for what I paid for it (£150 incl. delivery).

Exactly the same condition (actually better as I've cleaned the sensor) as when I bought it.

I actually have 7 batteries for this I think and a USB charger which didn't come with the kit so the total I'll probably want for this is £200 delivered. It's all boxed and comes with a (rather ropey) half leather brown case which I really like).

Let me know if anyone is interested and wants some photos put up in the classified ad when / if I advertise it.
 
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GreenNinja67 said:
So, we're moving so it's a good time to get rid of things surplus to requirements / things I don't use a lot.

The original A7 I bought from @woof woof is one of those items if I'm honest I'll use very rarely so If there's any interest I'll put it up in the classifieds for what I paid for it (£150 incl. delivery).

Exactly the same condition (actually better as I've cleaned the sensor) as when I bought it.

I actually have 7 batteries for this I think and a USB charger which didn't come with the kit so the total I'll probably want for this is £200 delivered. It's all boxed and comes with a (rather ropey) half leather brown case which I really like).

Let me know if anyone is interested and wants some photos put up in the classified ad when / if I advertise it.
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I'm pretty sure I cleaned the sensor using the minimum aperture the lens would go to before I shipped it.
 
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Just got my hands on the A7RV and A7V, disliked them both, felt off in my hands, too small, screen looked poor, didn’t feel any lighter in my hand compared to the Z8.
 
Snow! Mrs WW wanted to go for a walk and took about a million pictures and vids.

A7III and Sony 35mm f1.8.

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I know that the A7III is a massive step up from the A7 but after getting used to the A7cII I get frustrated with the A7III's eye detect as it's not as good as the A7cII's. The A7cII locks onto the eye when the eye and face are much smaller in the screen and I do miss that ability when using the A7III.
 
Kieran_89 said:
Just got my hands on the A7RV and A7V, disliked them both, felt off in my hands, too small, screen looked poor, didn’t feel any lighter in my hand compared to the Z8.
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That’s why it’s important to try them for ourselves. I was going to buy the A7cR but it didnt feel any lighter to hold than the A7RV. And I can’t believe that anyone likes the ergonomics of the Z8 but you and many others do.

I find it odd that I prefer smaller bodies even though I have large hands.
 
snerkler said:
That’s why it’s important to try them for ourselves. I was going to buy the A7cR but it didnt feel any lighter to hold than the A7RV. And I can’t believe that anyone likes the ergonomics of the Z8 but you and many others do.

I find it odd that I prefer smaller bodies even though I have large hands.
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For many like myself, it’s just that familiar DSLR body you get with the Z8 which most people grew up with from the early days of photography.

I also tried the Z6iii and Z5ii, both of those were also too small but did feel ok in the hands.
 
Kieran_89 said:
For many like myself, it’s just that familiar DSLR body you get with the Z8 which most people grew up with from the early days of photography.
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Depends on how early you want to go ;)
DSLRs were large compared to the SLRs before them. The current mirrorless cameras are about the size of SLR cameras i grew up with.
 
snerkler said:
That’s why it’s important to try them for ourselves. I was going to buy the A7cR but it didnt feel any lighter to hold than the A7RV. And I can’t believe that anyone likes the ergonomics of the Z8 but you and many others do.

I find it odd that I prefer smaller bodies even though I have large hands.
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I definitely feel the difference between A7C series and normal A7 series
My missus will use A7cr but she won't put up with size is A7RV

It's all a bit subjective but it's good we all have options we can like and use :D
 
Kieran_89 said:
For many like myself, it’s just that familiar DSLR body you get with the Z8 which most people grew up with from the early days of photography.

I also tried the Z6iii and Z5ii, both of those were also too small but did feel ok in the hands.
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Granted it's a while since I had my D750 and D850 but I didn't find the Z8 anywhere near as nice as those to handle. That being said I did quickly use someone else's D750 last year and I did think it didn't feel as nice as I remember. I wonder if some of it's a case of familiarity, but then I ran the EM1-II alongside the D750, and then D850 and it didn't make me dislke the Nikon DSLRs. Who knows :thinking: :LOL:
 
nandbytes said:
I definitely feel the difference between A7C series and normal A7 series
My missus will use A7cr but she won't put up with size is A7RV

It's all a bit subjective but it's good we all have options we can like and use :D
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Yeah I literally had them side by side and went from one to the other and I couldn't decide whether the A7cR was lighter so in the end I thought if I'm struggling to tell that much then the weight difference isn't enough to make it a factor in the purchase (y).
 
nandbytes said:
Depends on how early you want to go ;)
DSLRs were large compared to the SLRs before them. The current mirrorless cameras are about the size of SLR cameras i grew up with.
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I’m 36 now so not that early.. :p

I’d still like another body though but it’s not likely to be a Sony.
 
The Sony 40mm f2.5 is IMO a very good lens but having used the Sony f1.8 today I soooo want a 35mm f1.8 or f2 the same size and build as the 40mm :D

There's the TTA 40mm f2 but it doesn't seem as good with not so good resistance to flare, poor corners and some pretty epic vignetting plus some reviewers are reporting relatively slow AF and other are not so that's confusing,

phillipreeve.net

REVIEW: TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2 - phillipreeve.net

TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2, a popular focal length with a bright aperture and an ace up its sleeve: a dedicated aperture ring
phillipreeve.net phillipreeve.net

One more happy in the snow Mrs WW shot before bed...

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Or maybe two :D

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Kieran_89 said:
I’m 36 now so not that early.. :p

I’d still like another body though but it’s not likely to be a Sony.
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Same age as me then ;)
Still have my dad's yashica and couple lenses.

I agree that it's probably not a great idea continuously chasing another brand. They'll out do each other at various points.

Though I think you might be in the minority that likes or wants to put up with larger bodies. Time will tell but if larger bodies sell less or rather smaller bodies sell more, manufacturers will naturally follow the money.
 
woof woof said:
The Sony 40mm f2.5 is IMO a very good lens but having used the Sony f1.8 today I soooo want a 35mm f1.8 or f2 the same size and build as the 40mm :D

There's the TTA 40mm f2 but it doesn't seem as good with not so good resistance to flare, poor corners and some pretty epic vignetting plus some reviewers are reporting relatively slow AF and other are not so that's confusing,

phillipreeve.net

REVIEW: TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2 - phillipreeve.net

TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2, a popular focal length with a bright aperture and an ace up its sleeve: a dedicated aperture ring
phillipreeve.net phillipreeve.net

One more happy in the snow Mrs WW shot before bed...

View attachment 471518

Or maybe two :D

View attachment 471519
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Nice. No snow here in London
 
nandbytes said:
Same age as me then ;)
Still have my dad's yashica and couple lenses.

I agree that it's probably not a great idea continuously chasing another brand. They'll out do each other at various points.

Though I think you might be in the minority that likes or wants to put up with larger bodies. Time will tell but if larger bodies sell less or rather smaller bodies sell more, manufacturers will naturally follow the money.
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The problem with the chasing is ££££ plus I don't think you'll ever be happy - because you'll always think there is something bigger & better (which there may well be) - the one advantage we have these days is the adaption of lenses though I guess.

I know I have reasonably sized Sony kit, but carrying the X100f for general days out & street photography can't be beat imo Of all the people I know & shoot with, none of them use full frame or big kit for street stuff (afaik) - Actually, one person carries a FF for asked posed portraits.
 
We had a thin layer new years morning too, but no more, although in the valley here it's quite cold so nothing has thawed since.
 
Kieran_89 said:
I’m 36 now so not that early.. :p

I’d still like another body though but it’s not likely to be a Sony.
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36 is a distant memory for me :runaway:
 
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