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

PS.

I shot 90-odd shots with my manual Rokkor 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.2 and 85mm f2 at a family do (so wont be posting any on line) and just wanted to say... WoW. This would have been science fiction not too long ago :D I shot wide open to f4 at anything from ISO 640 to 25,600 and although a few were slightly off bang on focus either due to me rushing it a bit or subject movement (there were no "hang on a bit while I focus" requests from me) no one viewing whole images normally would be able to tell and everyone who's seen the shots so far is very happy, including me :D but I'm not sure I could do it again :D My technique was to just use peaking when shooting wide open and when shooting stopped down a bit I used peaking to get about there as if zone focusing and then called up the magnified view for a quick final tweak.

I normally use my manual lenses when out walking and shooting scenery and stuff with the odd posed shot of my GF along the way so live people shots in quickfire succession is new to me and I'm very happy. If slightly drunk :D Back when I was shooting at gigs and festivals and the like with my Nikon 35mm I couldn't have dreamed of getting results this good.
 
woof woof said:
With the MF cameras coming from Hasselblad and Fuji I wonder if Sony will also do one?
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Nothing for now, they both use Sony sensors so Sony has their paws everywhere, even the new iPhone 7.
 
moojii said:
So the choices are, for use with my a7,

Sony fe 70-200 f4 (will have to save up for a good few months)

Laea4 with Minolta 70-210 f4

Laea4 with tamron/sigma/Tokina 70-200 2.8 (if any are full frame compatible).

What would you go for and why?

Thanks.
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Also the Sony FE 70-300 G f4.5-5.6, same price ish as the FE 70-200 G f4, a bit slower but has 100mm more reach and is shorter when set to 70mm so easier to carry. I have one and love it, and it's black (y)
 
I'm still struggling to understand the real desperation for the A9 when the A7Rii bodies already deliver results that are excellent with whichever lenses are used? Ok, the buffer could be bigger but realistically, does that really justify a £3500 outlay (at least) when I don't see that many shots being shared now as it is? I've just spent the last weekend shooting a range of film cameras on the F&C meet (Film & Conventional) and found it way more enjoyable without any hint of "wish I had the newer version because i'd get 2 more megapixels and 0.1ms faster AF"..

I'll always argue that digital beats film in situations where you have to deliver, such as weddings/events so I'd always cover the ones I do with digital but for everything else I (personally) struggle to find the same interest in digital and the whole micro-upgrade dreams. Good luck to those who are holding their finger over the button waiting to click buy but will it really deliver results that are 'better' or are they just the emperors' new clothes? I'm not saying one way or another is 'right' just starting a discussion.
 
stevelmx5 said:
I'm still struggling to understand the real desperation for the A9 when the A7Rii bodies already deliver results that are excellent with whichever lenses are used? Ok, the buffer could be bigger but realistically, does that really justify a £3500 outlay (at least) when I don't see that many shots being shared now as it is? I've just spent the last weekend shooting a range of film cameras on the F&C meet (Film & Conventional) and found it way more enjoyable without any hint of "wish I had the newer version because i'd get 2 more megapixels and 0.1ms faster AF"..

I'll always argue that digital beats film in situations where you have to deliver, such as weddings/events so I'd always cover the ones I do with digital but for everything else I (personally) struggle to find the same interest in digital and the whole micro-upgrade dreams. Good luck to those who are holding their finger over the button waiting to click buy but will it really deliver results that are 'better' or are they just the emperors' new clothes? I'm not saying one way or another is 'right' just starting a discussion.
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The buffer rate is a joke on the a7r2
 
I've just done a quick Google for A7Rii buffer and the first hit was this test report on SonyAlphaRumours;

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony...ware-2-0-buffer-test-image-quality-file-size/

The summary states;

1) You get 80+ megabyte files
2) Buffer size is much less (You can shoot around 10 frames of RAW until you reach the limit on a fast card).
3) Image quality difference is only visible in extreme conditions (when you push files at +5EV). Artifacts in high contrast situation are gone.

Ok, so you get 10 shots in uncompressed RAW format before the buffer is full. I've got to ask, in what situation is that causing an issue? If you're trying to be a sports shooter you don't need to be shooting uncompressed RAW files. Most pro sports photographers will be shooting jpeg anyway so that they can get the images back to their base as quickly as possible and very few sports outlets are going to want 80Mb files. If you're shooting in a studio, is there a need to fire off 10 shots continuously? If you're shooting landscapes and hitting the buffer, you're definitely machine gunning!

I know I'm being a bit negative but isn't there a point when the issue lies with the way the kit is being used and expected to perform? I've seen the suggestions that the A9 will have an unlimited buffer but I really don't see how that will be possible. It's not as if Sony would deliberately cripple the A7 with a tiny buffer, just so they could stick a terabyte into the A9.
 
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stevelmx5 said:
How bad is it though? How many shots can you shoot on continuous before it has to catch up?
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Its not just the buffer which is the problem, the data path is only USB 2.0 spec, this means the A7RII can only write to SD cards at around 33-36mpbs.
The general overall responsiveness of the A7RII can be improved vastly, the speed in which image reviews load, EVF black outs etc.....

Sony's direction and where they are heading is bodies with can provide high Resolution, Sensitivity and Speed, at present they haven't been able to combine all these into a single body hence why you have 3 different A7 versions, although with the A7RII they have managed to combine both high resolution and sensitivity.... I believe that now we have the A99 II which is apparently a speed monster that the A9 could be the best all-round FF mirrorless to date.

For me its not a must have but more of a desire to have the latest and greatest... in other words GAS! :D lol
 
Woofmix said:
LOL at least your honest :LOL:
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I was going to say the same thing! I understand GAS and have been there before until I realised that for 95% of subjects, you can't really take a bad photograph with any modern system. Wanting the latest shiny toy is always a reason to upgrade but I'm also genuinely interested in the expected return on results an A9 might give that the A7 series can't. The new A99ii AF speed is very good but that's using a translucent mirror along with the associated focusing hardware so unless it's incorporated into the A9 (stopping it being 'mirrorless') I'm not sure how the A9 will be better?

I guess it comes back round to there being no single perfect camera/system for all occasions. If you want high sensitivity and resolution, stick with the A7 series and accept its limitations then work around them. If you want to be a sports shooter with long lenses, stick with Canon/Nikon and a DSLR because that's what they're good at. From a purely technical point of view I'm interested in what the next Sony system may bring but I'm not expecting it to tick every box because naturally there will always be something that someone somewhere will be unhappy about otherwise nobody would buy the A10!
 
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woof woof said:
Sigma ceo says they'll make fe lenses...

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/last-sigma-ceo-says-will-make-fe-lenses/#disqus_thread

But when and what?
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I'd be very surprised that Sigma haven't already been working on the FE lenses along side the Cine lenses..... my prediction would be that they will convert their current Art line-up to FE mount with very little changes in lens design etc.
3rd party lens manufacturers know that the Sony A7 series will generate them a good level of return as Sony has aimed very high with their lenses both in terms of cost and performance.
If Sigma can released the Art lenses for the FE mount at a cheaper price than the Sony equivalents then they are onto a winner. This will also further drive A7 body sales with people who were priced out of the system due to Sony's high-end lens pricing.
 
For my tuppence worth, I got the A7R2 knowing it was both a camera I could grow and develop into (I can't say my camera is ever holding me back), as well as a downsize from a DSLR.
I have to agree the A7R3 must surely be overkill for most situations.
The latest and greatest is always nice, but I'd be interested to find people who NEED the R3 when it arrives, and couldn't find a solution for their problem using other equipment (medium format, 1Dx etc).
Wanting the latest and greatest is a different matter, and I bow to your wallet size if you can succumb to that level of GAS!
 
Durbs said:
For my tuppence worth, I got the A7R2 knowing it was both a camera I could grow and develop into (I can't say my camera is ever holding me back), as well as a downsize from a DSLR.
I have to agree the A7R3 must surely be overkill for most situations.
The latest and greatest is always nice, but I'd be interested to find people who NEED the R3 when it arrives, and couldn't find a solution for their problem using other equipment (medium format, 1Dx etc).
Wanting the latest and greatest is a different matter, and I bow to your wallet size if you can succumb to that level of GAS!
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All valid points...... I only have a few more things on my list.....

Sony A9 / A9R + A9 Grip, Batteries and xQD cards/reader.
Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM
Sony 55mm f1.4 GM
Sony 90mm f2.8 G Macro
Nissin i60a Flash

:D

I will need to off-load my Sony A7RII bits and both the Zeiss Batis 25mm (currently in classifieds) and the Sony 70-200mm f4 to put towards the A9.

I still keep thinking, if I didn't suffer from Sony GAS and did go down the Fuji XT-2 route would I have been equally as happy .... mmmmm .......

New MacBook Pro 2016 announcement next week apparently..... :D
 
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At the very end the Sony Manager says one sentence also regarding the Fujifilm X-T2, when amateurphotographer asked:

Q: Are fast-focusing mirrorless cameras like the Fujifilm X-T2 a threat to Sony Alpha 7-series customers?
A: Yes. In terms of speed we have learned a lot from Fujifilm, Canon and other competitors. There’s still a lot more to learn of course and we don’t have the same kind of weapon right now. We have to create something new.
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Mmmmmmmmm :)
 
Rizvan said:
All valid points...... I only have a few more things on my list.....

Sony A9 / A9R + A9 Grip, Batteries and xQD cards/reader.
Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM
Sony 55mm f1.4 GM
Sony 90mm f2.8 G Macro
Nissin i60a Flash

:D

I will need to off-load my Sony A7RII bits and both the Zeiss Batis 25mm (currently in classifieds) and the Sony 70-200mm f4 to put towards the A9.

I still keep thinking, if I didn't suffer from Sony GAS and did go down the Fuji XT-2 route would I have been equally as happy .... mmmmm .......

New MacBook Pro 2016 announcement next week apparently..... :D
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Well at least your list only looks a little bit longer (did I mean shorter :thinking:)
 
Durbs said:
I have to agree the A7R3 must surely be overkill for most situations.
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Personally, I'm more interested in an A73 with the BSI sensor tech from the A7R2 at a cheaper price point.

24 Mpx is plenty enough for me, so I'd be happy to stay at that resolution or take only a modest increase.
 
Rizvan said:
All valid points...... I only have a few more things on my list.....

Sony A9 / A9R + A9 Grip, Batteries and xQD cards/reader.
Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM
Sony 55mm f1.4 GM
Sony 90mm f2.8 G Macro
Nissin i60a Flash

:D

I will need to off-load my Sony A7RII bits and both the Zeiss Batis 25mm (currently in classifieds) and the Sony 70-200mm f4 to put towards the A9.

I still keep thinking, if I didn't suffer from Sony GAS and did go down the Fuji XT-2 route would I have been equally as happy .... mmmmm .......

New MacBook Pro 2016 announcement next week apparently..... :D
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Interesting point on the XT2 - Im an XT1 user and considering the change, but cant decide between A7R2 and XT2... with no previous lens investment would you still be on the A7 team?
 
Rizvan said:
I still keep thinking, if I didn't suffer from Sony GAS and did go down the Fuji XT-2 route would I have been equally as happy .... mmmmm .......
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I suspect - No. I suspect you'd be reading about A7's and Zeiss and GM lenses. And there's FF lust.

After lusting after Fuji's for ages I just came to accept that it really just starts and stops with the retro dials and after thinking about it I decided that changing the settings with the more usual little front and back dials with my index finger and thumb while the camera is to my eye is almost certainly better than doing it with the Fuji dials on the top plate. And as I've said many times with the lenses I'd use the Fuji kit would be pretty much the bulk of an A7 and I see no evidence of Fuji improving on my A7's image quality so where's the win? Plus for me there's the advantages of using old lenses on the Sony's.

If you must buy something to ease the gas have a look at the Panasonic G80 and GX80. I have the previous G7 and GX7 and they both have their charms. The G7 and G80 in particular are little sports cars whilst the RF style cameras offer a saving in bulk over the mini SLR designs when used with a compact prime and there are some really nice primes (and zooms) for MFT :D
 
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jonneymendoza said:
Mmmm new macbook pro...?
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Yes, rumors its being announced next week (Oct), my 2010 model has served me well but working with the 42mp A7RII files is proving a little too much for the 2.4Ghz i5 / 8GB RAM setup.
 
Mat0tam said:
Interesting point on the XT2 - I'm an XT1 user and considering the change, but cant decide between A7R2 and XT2... with no previous lens investment would you still be on the A7 team?
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Hi,

to be honest, I probably would still be in the Sony team because of it being 35mm Full-Frame and the high quality of lenses on offer.
I originally bought the Sony A7 over the XT-1 because at the time the A7 body was only around £200 in price and having a FF sensor has advantages... however the FE glass isn't cheap so you need to have your eyes open walking into the FE system as isn't cheap.
I think what people have to consider is that Sony came to the interchangeable mirrorless party after the Fuji X series so Fuji had a head start in developing and maturing into a very good system, the Fujinon lenses are great too. vs price.
The Sony FE mirrorless system has come on a very long way since 2013 and still has things to improve.
 
The Sony FE 70-200m f2.8 G Master is having production delays, if you order today expect a 3 month delay :o
 
Another little cut and paste from Luminous Landscape...

"It was obvious that Sony, who introduced seven new cameras this year, isn’t about to slow down. Sony remains committed to the marketplace, and is on the cusp of delivering a camera line that professionals will have to take seriously. The next few years are going to be really interesting."

I wonder if the guys at LL have some inside knowledge? Time will tell...
 
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woof woof said:
Another little cut and paste fro Luminous Landscape...

"It was obvious that Sony, who introduced seven new cameras this year, isn’t about to slow down. Sony remains committed to the marketplace, and is on the cusp of delivering a camera line that professionals will have to take seriously. The next few years are going to be really interesting."

I wonder if the guys at LL have some inside knowledge? Time will tell...
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Perhaps, I do believe a high-end A9 series is on the way as the G Master lens series has been designed for higher megapixel bodies, even higher than the A7RII..... the rumors on the internet and talking to my camera dealership + Sony rep, they are also certain that a A9 pro body is on the way.
Companies like Fuji with their XT-2 have now got the speed (AF) where it needs to be to really rival DSLR's, this where Sony needs to hit the mark with the A9 otherwise it won't be enough of a leap from existing offerings.
Sony has listed to their Professional Photographer user base in the past and put quite a lot of those requested features into the A7RII so surely AF (speed), buffer, menu GUI, dual card slots, weather sealing etc are all values which Sony are aware of and something they need to address for the Sony A9.

I hope it matches or beats the Fuji XT-2 for SPEED :D
 
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I think there's been so much chatter about a camera above the A7 series that it'd be a shock if it doesn't materialise but when and what will it be are the questions. Hopefully the recent lens releases give a hint to a top end high resolution camera.

I can't see myself ever going for such a high end camera as an A9 or even the A7rII but I could well be tempted to a minor little upgrade in the future as although I'm mostly happy with my A7 I also own Panasonic MFT cameras and the speed they operate at is way beyond my A7. If Sony bring out an A7III or IV that could match the speed of operation and responsiveness of my Panasonic G7 I'd possibly be tempted.
 
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From the rumour site.....

"Additional info on the Kimio Maki interview: We have to create a new E-mount camera to match the X-T2 autofocus speed.

Autofocus speed and reliability is certainly one of the key aspects for a camera success. And Sony manager Kimio Maki confirmed the next E-mount cameras will have to increase the performance in that aspect. Amateur Photographer asked him:

Are fast-focusing mirrorless cameras like the Fujifilm X-T2 a threat to Sony Alpha 7-series customers?

Kimio Maki Answer: Yes. In terms of speed we have learned a lot from Fujifilm, Canon and other competitors. There’s still a lot more to learn of course and we don’t have the same kind of weapon right now. We have to create something new."

Mmmmm the challenge is set, Sony need to beat the Fuji XT-2


:D
 
Rizvan said:
From the rumour site.....

"Additional info on the Kimio Maki interview: We have to create a new E-mount camera to match the X-T2 autofocus speed.

Autofocus speed and reliability is certainly one of the key aspects for a camera success. And Sony manager Kimio Maki confirmed the next E-mount cameras will have to increase the performance in that aspect. Amateur Photographer asked him:

Are fast-focusing mirrorless cameras like the Fujifilm X-T2 a threat to Sony Alpha 7-series customers?

Kimio Maki Answer: Yes. In terms of speed we have learned a lot from Fujifilm, Canon and other competitors. There’s still a lot more to learn of course and we don’t have the same kind of weapon right now. We have to create something new."

Mmmmm the challenge is set, Sony need to beat the Fuji XT-2


:D
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Sounds to me almost as if they are saying they need to go back to the drawing board
 
addicknchips said:
Sounds to me almost as if they are saying they need to go back to the drawing board
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Yeah lol but to be fair they have cracked it with the A99 II but guess that uses a mirror :D
I think it is possible, the main problem is data speeds within the body, to move 42mp files needs hefty buffer, memory and CPU power..... time for a Generation 2 Bionz X Processor me thinks!
 
I have a back injury going back over 30 years and aggravated it putting a wheelchair in the car and woke up this morning with shooting pains in my back so the day was a write off and I had to stay home. I'll have to rest for a few days :(

So, I amused myself by playing with my A7 and 50mm f1.2 Rokkor. 100% crops at f4.





Sharp enough for an old lens :D



One day the following will all align... A nice day. Free Time. Being well enough to enjoy both :D
 
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A few more shots with the Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 Aspherical on my A7

As a casual observation after living with it for a week or so, I'd say that the centre is better than the FDn 50mm f/1.4 up to about f/2.0.

At f/4 and beyond, the 50/1.4 pulls ahead and is much sharper right across the frame. The corners with the 55/1.2 only really come together properly toward f/8 and still don't match the 50/1.4.


Green Bicycle by Rob Telford, on Flickr


Holistic Room by Rob Telford, on Flickr


Blue Red Yellow by Rob Telford, on Flickr


Marylebone Passage by Rob Telford, on Flickr
 
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I have the FD 50mm f1.4, also Oly and Minolta and of course the Minolta f1.2.

I find the Minolta f1.4 to be technically "better" than the f1.2 at all apertures (apart from f1.2 of course :D) After initially testing the f1.2 against the f1.4 I initially thought that the f1.2 was just rubbish and possibly one of the worst lenses I'd ever used but I've since changed my mind and I now regard it as being just different in the way it renders the out of focus areas and how it transitions. If this is better or worse depends entirely upon how the viewer feels :D

The f1.2 at least has the option of being... funky or not so funky whilst the f1.4 is a little more... professional... business like about how it goes about things.
 
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That all sounds fair comment. The 50/1.4 is probably a better choice for everyday use.

The 55/1.2 is definitely the lens I shall be taking to gigs at gloomy venues, though, which is one of the reasons I bought it :)
 
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