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

chrism_scotland said:
I'll certainly keep an eye out, cost wise it doesn't make a lot of sense for me unless I can fully ditch the DSLR which I don't think I can yet
Click to expand...

After using an A7 for a day and going back to the Nikon, the weight difference alone made me want to ditch the DSLR. Won't be going back anytime soon methinks..
 
Also, any recommendations on a strap? The one i've been using has a DSLR sized base plate, are there any that would fit the A7 slightly more comfortably?
 
jonneymendoza said:
Whoa I thought I messed up my a7s whilst upgrading the firmware. After I installed it through the software it wouldn't turn on. Took battery out etc and no joy so I hooked it back to my laptop and run the update software again and it worked!
Click to expand...

Did you use a mac by any chance?
 
Interestingly my last two firmware updates for the A7 were done on my MacBook Pro without any problems :)
I am close to pulling the trigger on a Sony RX100 II, depends what my local camera shop offers me for my Fuji X100 collection :)
 
I've used Macs at work and home for almost 20 years and never had any issues with the myriad of devices I've used over the years. Quite the opposite, it's the reason why we are Mac based at work. Macs are geared for plug and play and far more device friendly than a Windows machine. More likely the end user is at fault and not improper testing as twist suggests. @twist did you try turning it off and on again? :D
 
rodd1000 said:
I've used Macs at work and home for almost 20 years and never had any issues with the myriad of devices I've used over the years. Quite the opposite, it's the reason why we are Mac based at work. Macs are geared for plug and play and far more device friendly than a Windows machine. More likely the end user is at fault and not improper testing as twist suggests. @twist did you try turning it off and on again? :D
Click to expand...

So have I (well more like 13 yrs). Im not sure how the end user is at fault when plugging in a cable or DLing a file and copying it to a device is so simple. But I guess we arent as clever as you, however, if you were that clever you wouldve checked google before commenting, Sony has had issues with FW update files causing issues when run on macs.

Sure about that, everything I plug into my PC gets detected and works just fine. The days of Macs being more stable and secure went when they switched to Intel, the real gain there is for compatibility.
 
Last edited:
Even flashing android devices works best on Windows machines. Have had trouble doing that on a mac. Pretty poor tbh.

There's me thinking updating camera won't be such an issue but I forgot that modern camera are similar to mobile phones except for not having a sim card slot (that will come soon I imagine for auto uploading pics in the cloud)
 
twist said:
So have I (well more like 13 yrs). Im not sure how the end user is at fault when plugging in a cable or DLing a file and copying it to a device is so simple. But I guess we arent as clever as you. Sure about that, everything I plug into my PC gets detected and works just fine. The days of Macs being more stable and secure went when they switched to Intel, the real gain there was for compatibility.
Click to expand...

Well theres any number of things a user could mistake although it's often first port of call to blame the machine. If you've used Macs for 13 years I'd like to know what forced you to downgrade as i disagree. Macs move to Intel proved a massive improvement in every respect. At the time they were bench tested to even run Windows OS faster than a PC could. Security still wipes the floor with any Windows machine. My wife runs a 2007 core2 duo macbook and I still have my old late 2006 iMac at home, although now showing its age. Most of our work machines are 2010/2011 models, loaded with Adobe master collection as well as other software, they never miss a beat and have been flawless. I've never owned a windows machine for more than 3 years. They fall apart and the OS constantly needs baby sitting.
 
rodd1000 said:
Well theres any number of things a user could mistake although it's often first port of call to blame the machine. If you've used Macs for 13 years I'd like to know what forced you to downgrade as i disagree. Macs move to Intel proved a massive improvement in every respect. At the time they were bench tested to even run Windows OS faster than a PC could. Security still wipes the floor with any Windows machine. My wife runs a 2007 core2 duo macbook and I still have my old late 2006 iMac at home, although now showing its age. Most of our work machines are 2010/2011 models, loaded with Adobe master collection as well as other software, they never miss a beat and have been flawless. I've never owned a windows machine for more than 3 years. They fall apart and the OS constantly needs baby sitting.
Click to expand...
Macs Stil crap for pc gaming though.
 
rodd1000 said:
Well theres any number of things a user could mistake although it's often first port of call to blame the machine. If you've used Macs for 13 years I'd like to know what forced you to downgrade as i disagree. Macs move to Intel proved a massive improvement in every respect. At the time they were bench tested to even run Windows OS faster than a PC could. Security still wipes the floor with any Windows machine. My wife runs a 2007 core2 duo macbook and I still have my old late 2006 iMac at home, although now showing its age. Most of our work machines are 2010/2011 models, loaded with Adobe master collection as well as other software, they never miss a beat and have been flawless. I've never owned a windows machine for more than 3 years. They fall apart and the OS constantly needs baby sitting.
Click to expand...

If you read my post I blamed the Devs for not testing properly more than the machine. What forced me to downgrade lol, I use both systems on a daily basis and have been for 13 years+ Mac and longer for PC. Macs are still secure but since Power PC there have been far more vulnerabilities and OS issues. Obviously there are more security issues with Windows (I wonder, could that be due to a larger user base over the years!) Windows has also improved vastly starting with Win7 and as long as you dont do anything to make your machine vulnerable there wont be any issues. I also run master collection and a bunch of other software on BOTH platforms and tbh my Windows machine crashes as much as my Mac which isnt very often at all.

Youve had your say, Ive had mine lets get back on topic.
 
rodd1000 said:
Hows that? You can boot in to Windows and install whatever PC game you like.
Click to expand...
Still runs slow doing that.

Not as efficient and fast as a windows machine. And unless you build a hackintosh device. It won't work with latest and greatest gpu etc.
 
Doesnt look like there will be an A7s2 anytime very soon... well at least not in April

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-...ming-from-sony-at-nab-a7rii-coming-after-nab/

If you were waiting for a new A7sII or any other 4K pro photocamera (not camcorder!) than skip the event. There will be no such camera at NABshow. The other rumored cameras like the A7rII and compact cameras will be announced after the NAB show.
 
Well everyone's experiences will vary, all I can say is I work within a team of 6 designers and 4 developers. We have 3 windows machines the rest are Mac. As a team of professionals that have worked together for 7 years we all share the same opinion on the Mac vs PC debate. Whilst Windows has improved in recent years, the quality and longevity of the machines is still poor by comparison. You get what you pay for.
 
rodd1000 said:
Well everyone's experiences will vary, all I can say is I work within a team of 6 designers and 4 developers. We have 3 windows machines the rest are Mac. As a team of professionals that have worked together for 7 years we all share the same opinion on the Mac vs PC debate. Whilst Windows has improved in recent years, the quality and longevity of the machines is still poor by comparison. You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
Not really.

Windows os actually costs more then Mac os. It's the os that's the issue not the hardware. You could build a hackintosh in a cereal Box and it would still or in fact perform better then an imac
 
rodd1000 said:
Well everyone's experiences will vary, all I can say is I work within a team of 6 designers and 4 developers. We have 3 windows machines the rest are Mac. As a team of professionals that have worked together for 7 years we all share the same opinion on the Mac vs PC debate. Whilst Windows has improved in recent years, the quality and longevity of the machines is still poor by comparison. You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

Good for you guys.

But seriously theres one thing you should know! They share parts made by the same manufacturers!! How could they possibly be poor in comparison in terms of quality and longevity.
 
Last edited:
twist said:
Good for you guys.

But seriously theres one thing you should know! They share parts made by the same manufacturers!! How could they possibly be poor in comparison in terms of quality and longevity.
Click to expand...
Read what I said lol
 
twist said:
Good for you guys.

But seriously theres one thing you should know?! They use parts made by the same manufacturers!! How could they possibly be poor in comparison in terms of quality and longevity.
Click to expand...

Well no, I agree similar parts do occur in other machines but Mac hardware is specifically designed and built from the ground up to run OSX, were components are specifically selected and tested for compatibility. This is not the case for Windows machines, which are designed in an attempt to run with a multitude of untested components by third party manufacturers, some branded some generic, but none specifically designed and optimised to function at their best together. Brands like Dell have tried to mask over this for years, with limited success. Granted you can splash out on something like Razer Blade and see a step up in quality similar to a Macbook and for the same kind of money, but you can't compare 95% of windows/pc machines with Macs. It's Apples and Oranges :D
 
rodd1000 said:
Well no, I agree similar parts do occur in other machines but Mac hardware is specifically designed and built from the ground up to run OSX, were components are specifically selected and tested for compatibility. This is not the case for Windows machines, which are designed in an attempt to run with a multitude of untested components by third party manufacturers, some branded some generic, but none specifically designed and optimised to function at their best together. Brands like Dell have tried to mask over this for years, with limited success. Granted you can splash out on something like Razer Blade and see a step up in quality similar to a Macbook and for the same kind of money, but you can't compare 95% of windows/pc machines with Macs. It's Apples and Oranges :D
Click to expand...

Untested components made by whom? Intel/Samsung/Gigabyte/Nvidia/Radeon etc etc. All the components are tested to work correctly with the software or the PC simply wouldnt work. Component makers have been doing it for years and guaranteeing their products.

Designed and built from the ground up to run osx? Perhaps in the old days! How do you think Hackintosh even exists.
 
rodd1000 said:
Well no, I agree similar parts do occur in other machines but Mac hardware is specifically designed and built from the ground up to run OSX, were components are specifically selected and tested for compatibility. This is not the case for Windows machines, which are designed in an attempt to run with a multitude of untested components by third party manufacturers, some branded some generic, but none specifically designed and optimised to function at their best together. Brands like Dell have tried to mask over this for years, with limited success. Granted you can splash out on something like Razer Blade and see a step up in quality similar to a Macbook and for the same kind of money, but you can't compare 95% of windows/pc machines with Macs. It's Apples and Oranges :D
Click to expand...
Ironically they diddnt test users who upgrade there firmwares on devices it seems...
 
twist said:
Untested components made by whom? Intel/Samsung/Gigabyte/Nvidia/Radeon etc etc. All the components are tested to work correctly with the software or the PC simply wouldnt work. Component makers have been doing it for years and guaranteeing their products.

Designed and built from the ground up to run osx? Perhaps in the old days! How do you think Hackintosh even exists.
Click to expand...

Read my post again. The components you mention are tested. Of course they are but they are not designed specifically to be compatible with a determined set of components.

I can see we arent going to meet on this and rather than digress from the subject of the thread I think it's probably best we just leave it there and and get on with the A7 discussions. It's all just a bit of fun :D
 
rodd1000 said:
I can see we arent going to meet on this and rather than digress from the subject of the thread I think it's probably best we just leave it there and and get on with the A7 discussions. It's all just a bit of fun :D
Click to expand...

Indeed
 
Last edited:
rodd1000 said:
Well no, I agree similar parts do occur in other machines but Mac hardware is specifically designed and built from the ground up to run OSX, were components are specifically selected and tested for compatibility. This is not the case for Windows machines, which are designed in an attempt to run with a multitude of untested components by third party manufacturers, some branded some generic, but none specifically designed and optimised to function at their best together. Brands like Dell have tried to mask over this for years, with limited success. Granted you can splash out on something like Razer Blade and see a step up in quality similar to a Macbook and for the same kind of money, but you can't compare 95% of windows/pc machines with Macs. It's Apples and Oranges :D
Click to expand...

twist said:
Untested components made by whom? Intel/Samsung/Gigabyte/Nvidia/Radeon etc etc. All the components are tested to work correctly with the software or the PC simply wouldnt work. Component makers have been doing it for years and guaranteeing their products.

Designed and built from the ground up to run osx? Perhaps in the old days! How do you think Hackintosh even exists.
Click to expand...

I have to say that I tend to agree with rodd1000. I was a hardware engineer and I worked for computer, peripheral and component manufacturers and for third party maintenance companies.

My experience was that once the number of players in the game increased customers would describe a fault which just couldn't be replicated or diagnosed with the test software we had and could only be reproduced when running the customers application software/combination of applications and duplicating exactly what the customer said he was doing at the time leading up top the fault. This wasn't always easy or indeed possible as I dealt with customers in defence and other sensitive areas who in some cases wouldn't even let me see what the kit was being used for. So, it was often a right chew on. Test software may have improved since I left the industry but I've no doubt that the number of players - manufacturers, application and widget suppliers - has ballooned so I wouldn't be surprised if subtle compatibility issues still arose. In fact I'd be surprised if they didn't as I don't believe that any OEM can keep up with the avalanche of applications and bits of hardware that can and are used. I've no doubt Apple are a little better :D
 
woof woof said:
I have to say that I tend to agree with rodd1000. I was a hardware engineer and I worked for computer, peripheral and component manufacturers and for third party maintenance companies.

My experience was that once the number of players in the game increased customers would describe a fault which just couldn't be replicated or diagnosed with the test software we had and could only be reproduced when running the customers application software/combination of applications and duplicating exactly what the customer said he was doing at the time leading up top the fault. This wasn't always easy or indeed possible as I dealt with customers in defence and other sensitive areas who in some cases wouldn't even let me see what the kit was being used for. So, it was often a right chew on. Test software may have improved since I left the industry but I've no doubt that the number of players - manufacturers, application and widget suppliers - has ballooned so I wouldn't be surprised if subtle compatibility issues still arose. In fact I'd be surprised if they didn't as I don't believe that any OEM can keep up with the avalanche of applications and bits of hardware that can and are used. I've no doubt Apple are a little better :D
Click to expand...

Okay, so lets return to the original point, if Apple compatibility/OS/Hardware works in such perfect harmony with all software how could I guess @jonneymendoza was using a Mac? I experienced the same issue and if you both bothered to do a quick search you would realise quite a few people have had this issue with Sony cameras and mac FW updates. Also as @jonneymendoza said, this is also an issue when flashing phones with FW, drivers etc.

But youre saying as a hardware engineer and tester that Macs are better at avoiding these exact issues? Strange. Apple can avoid issues with their OWN hardware/software combination errors but NOT 3rd parties, which is exactly what Im talking about.
 
Last edited:
twist said:
Okay, so lets return to the original point, if Apple compatibility/OS/Hardware works in such perfect harmony with all software...

But youre saying as a hardware engineer and tester that Macs are better at avoiding these exact issues? Strange. Apple can avoid issues with their OWN hardware/software combination errors but NOT 3rd parties, which is exactly what Im talking about.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that all is not sweetness and light in Apple Land and I'm sure that there are problems but I think I'm safe in saying that there are fewer players in the Apple Universe than there are in the PC Universe and generally fewer issues. There have been some big issues in the Apple universe though but generally I think that the point that Apples are better issue wise is usually true.
 
And back to cameras for a moment... :D...

New FE lens tests and samples etc...

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/zeiss-35mm-f1-4-to-ship-on-march-31-already-in-usa/#disqus_thread

I followed the link to 28mm f2 samples on another forum...

http://www.sonyalphaforum.com/topic/514-sony-fe-282/

(Rather unaspiring though or maybe I'm being harsh?)

This is the lens that interests me most. If I do commit more to AF and move away from MF I suppose what I'd like is... 28mm f2, 55mm f1.8 (although f1.4 would be nice,) 85mm (f.1.8?) 135 (f2.8?) and a longish macro, at least 100 and probably nearer to 150mm f2.8.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top