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

Having read a lot of this thread I finally gave into the GAS today and ordered the A7ii, 24-70 f4 and the 55mm 1.8. Should be here by the end of the week.

Sold all my Nikon DSRL kit at the end of last year and invested in the Olympus M43 system, which is tiny gear and good enough quality but not good enough for my liking. Not enough detail and not enough 'jazz' in the pictures for me! If that makes any sense..

So hopefully the Sony will be the answer, certainly looks like it from some of the pics in this thread and on Flickr.
 
Lovely day on Sunday, went for a walk in south London (and found later there's a mark on my sensor)

26826659691_472a0a9b7c_c.jpg


26860598496_c0cb3613d3_c.jpg


Enjoyed using my 50mm which is more challenging than the 21mm (first photo). Only took the two lenses

26290004203_feac1a453c_c.jpg
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
Aaaaaaaand another review.

This time it's the GM 85mm f1.4 v the Rokinon 85mm and also a Canon 100mm f2... at the excellent Admiring Light...

http://admiringlight.com/blog/sony-85mm-f1-4-gm-vs-rokinon-85mm-f1-4-vs-canon-100mm-f2/

"Conclusion
Well, all things considered, the new Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM is one serious performer. It’s blisteringly sharp, and even produces outstanding cross-frame sharpness at f/1.4, though it shows a touch of field curvature at the corners at smaller apertures. The Canon is a fantastic all around performer, not quite matching the Sony at wide apertures, but coming darn close in the center and bettering it in the corners at smaller apertures. The Rokinon, while probably the worst in pure performance in this comparison, is still very, very good. It’s got decent resolution wide open and very good resolution stopped down, while producing the creamiest bokeh and a very nice rendering. It also wins for pure value here. Is the Sony worth the huge price premium over the others? For some, that will be a yes. It’s among the finest short telephoto lenses around, and it simply produces outstanding clarity and a beautiful look. If you need AF and fast speed, it’s almost a no-brainer even at this price. However, many people are budget constrained, or simply don’t need an f/1.4 aperture. For those shooters, you’d have no issues using either of the other two lenses, or several others not tested here, such as Canon’s 85mm f/1.8 (which is very, very similar to the 100mm f/2), or the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8."
 
I have my eyes on the new Samyang 14mm, just the lens i have been waiting for.
 
woof woof said:
50mm? Which one?
Click to expand...

Zeiss loxia f2.
Generally I find when shooting with a wide or telephoto you are likely to get an interesting photo simply due the inclusion or exclusion caused by the FOV.
The ordinary view of a 50mm prime (also a 40 and 35mm) requires more compositional thought to produce an attractive result, but then I find the creativity needed brings more enjoyment. What do you folk think?

Andy
 
I've never used longer lengths much. I think that using wide angle lenses well can be a challenge but if you do it well the results can be striking if you like that sort of thing. One thing I do tend to like is the use of wider lenses for portraits with context instesd of the more common tight head shot taken with a longer lens and with limited dof.

I tend to use 35 to 50mm these days and I agree that they need thought otherwise some shots can imo sometimes look a bit... record shot. It's perhaps easier to get a striking result with a wider lens.
 
Just got the Sigma MC-11.

Mounted on A7RII
Indoor at the moment, mixed light.
AF-S, flexible spot S (this settings is what I want)
Initial toughs with Canon 24-70 F/2.8 II - very good. With Sigma 35mm canon mount - very good.
The green light flashes a few times after I attach the Sigma 35mm and then off.

I presume I need to update the lens firmware.
Anyone in London with Sigma dock fancy a coffee ? :) :)
 
Last edited:
woof woof said:
All these new lenses look lovely but I think I've got everything I want / need now.

I only have three lenses for my A7, the kit lens and the 35mm f2.8 and 55mm f1.8, but I think that the manual lenses I have are good enough for occasional use and MF is fine for landscape, scene and static people shots.

I don't know what would tempt me to get a new body either. I'll still follow developments though and one thing I probably would buy is a compact but pretty good 35mm f1.8 :D
Click to expand...
We always say we have everything we need. I give you 5min before u pre order one of the new lenses
 
oh I do get the odd bit of gas. For example I keep looking at Voigtlander lenses. I think they look lovely...



I keep thinking that I should sell some or all of my manual lenses and get a set of Voigtlanders. I have too much duplication. I have...

Minolta 24 and 28mm f2.8, 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.2 and 1.4, 85mm f2 and 135mm f2.8 and 3.5, plus Sigma 50mm f2.8 macro and a Tokina 70-210mm.
Olympus 24 and 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and 1.8, 85mm f2 and 135mm f3.5.
Canon FD 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8.

That's too much duplication but then again the various Minolta, Olympus and Canon lenses are all slightly different and if I did (try and) sell them I'd get what? All of 2p for them? If there was any interest at all. And there are problems with the Voigtlanders, lovely though they are... There's no 85 or 135 or macro and some of the lenses have disappointing minimum focus distances unless you buy gizmos to fit. And of course they're expensive and I have a bit of a conscience problem when I spend a lot on myself. So, I keep looking at the Voigtlanders and then I tell myself that the Minolta's and the rest are ok and I don't bother.

A FE 35mm f1.8 could tempt me but the f2.8 is just about ok and I only wish for a little more sometimes, like sometimes I'd like to be able to throw the background out a little more. I sometimes think about buying the 90mm macro but I only really use a macro lens for flower shots (which I do take a lot of) and for that I usually use my Panasonic G1 and Sigma 50mm macro giving an effective fov of 100mm.

Body wise the A7 suits me and I only have the odd niggle, for example I'd love a button to toggle between EVF and screen on / off... and by off I mean really off. I can't do that on my A7. That's about the only thing wrong with it.

So, I do have a bit of gas but at the mo not enough to get me to spend :D

MFT wise I keep looking at the Olympus 12mm (but I have a Panasonic 14mm but it's not as lovely as the Oly lens) and 60mm macro (but I have the Sigma 50mm macro.)
 
Last edited:
woof woof said:
Very nice :D

I see your friend has fainted after carrying that heavy (whatever it is) camera all day ... Maybe she should go mirrorless? ::D
Click to expand...

lol :)
It was Canon 80D.
By the way A7RII + MC-11 + Sigma 35mm is trying to focus most of the time, even without pressing the shutter. It works. Good focus, but may be I need to update the lens firmware. (the A7RII is 3.10)
 
woof woof said:
Need More Info.

What were the 85's??? What were the differences??? etc etc...
Click to expand...

Portrait shoot and haven't put the photos on the Mac yet - so will be able to report back more when I've gone through them and share some if I'm given permission.

Petzval 85, canon 85 1.2 and Batis 85 1.8.
Petzval manual focus only. The canon af via metabones. Batis Lightning fast af, eye af and the oss with ibis makes it a dream to use. Very warm tones right out of camera. Surprised how quick the canon was to be fair. At 1.2 I may not have a lot in focus, but we will see. I wasn't liking what i was seeing in the evf from the petzval so jury is out on this one pending further investigation.

I wouldn't usually pack 3 lenses of the same focal length but I haven't had much chance to use any of them yet - so today was a bit of an experiment.

I also had the Fuji 35 1.4 on the X-t1 instead of the Zeiss 55 1.8. Af on the Fuji was a bit hit and miss if I'm honest but I will use again tomorrow.

Very sunny and hot in London today with harsh overhead light. the LEDs I brought didn't work as I had planned, so I'm not entirely pleased with how the day went. As always, will have much better idea once they have been loaded for editing.

Shoot lasted about an hour and a half- walking around different parts of the park (I forgot how beautiful Greenwich park is) and she stopped to change dress once so it wasn't continuous shooting. Had the battery grip on the Sony and there is 40% left of battery number one with 335 (maybe 20 more than that as have deleted some stinkers) shots taken. I also had the camera on for 20 minutes on the train home reviewing shots. In my world these batteries perform without issue.

Will update further later.
 
addicknchips said:
Portrait shoot and haven't put the photos on the Mac yet - so will be able to report back more when I've gone through them and share some if I'm given permission.

Petzval 85, canon 85 1.2 and Batis 85 1.8.
Petzval manual focus only. The canon af via metabones. Batis Lightning fast af, eye af and the oss with ibis makes it a dream to use. Very warm tones right out of camera. Surprised how quick the canon was to be fair. At 1.2 I may not have a lot in focus, but we will see. I wasn't liking what i was seeing in the evf from the petzval so jury is out on this one pending further investigation.

I wouldn't usually pack 3 lenses of the same focal length but I haven't had much chance to use any of them yet - so today was a bit of an experiment.

I also had the Fuji 35 1.4 on the X-t1 instead of the Zeiss 55 1.8. Af on the Fuji was a bit hit and miss if I'm honest but I will use again tomorrow.

Very sunny and hot in London today with harsh overhead light. the LEDs I brought didn't work as I had planned, so I'm not entirely pleased with how the day went. As always, will have much better idea once they have been loaded for editing.

Shoot lasted about an hour and a half- walking around different parts of the park (I forgot how beautiful Greenwich park is) and she stopped to change dress once so it wasn't continuous shooting. Had the battery grip on the Sony and there is 40% left of battery number one with 335 (maybe 20 more than that as have deleted some stinkers) shots taken. I also had the camera on for 20 minutes on the train home reviewing shots. In my world these batteries perform without issue.

Will update further later.
Click to expand...

Something to bear in mind is that the Fuji 35 is of the earliest lenses released, they have the slowest AF. Also depends on how your cameras setup. I was surprised when you bought that Petzval.
 
Why use a 35mm f1.4 on a Fuji instead of the 55mm on a Sony? I can't imagine that the Fuji could match the quality so I assume you were just shooting the Fuji for comparison?

PS.
Petzval 85, ah! Just realised what that is :D Will be interested to know what you think of it when you've had time to look at the shots.
 
Last edited:
woof woof said:
Why use a 35mm f1.4 on a Fuji instead of the 55mm on a Sony? I can't imagine that the Fuji could match the quality so I assume you were just shooting the Fuji for comparison?
Click to expand...

I wanted to shoot with 2 bodies and currently only have 1 Sony. Didn't want to spend even more time changing between the 85's and then a 55.

I also wanted to see how the Fuji performs in a proper situation and if I could rely on it if needed. The 55 Zeiss has been my go-to lens for portrait work as it's just incredible. But today was more about testing new things. Also toyed with the idea of a complete switch to Fuji..

Switching between the two bodies didn't really cause an issue - apart from occasionally pressing the wrong button to try reviewing a shot.

@twist yeah I've read it's a slow one. Any rumour of a mkii coming out? I know the f2 was released but I'd like something faster.
 
addicknchips said:
I wanted to shoot with 2 bodies and currently only have 1 Sony. Didn't want to spend even more time changing between the 85's and then a 55.

I also wanted to see how the Fuji performs in a proper situation and if I could rely on it if needed. The 55 Zeiss has been my go-to lens for portrait work as it's just incredible. But today was more about testing new things. Also toyed with the idea of a complete switch to Fuji..

Switching between the two bodies didn't really cause an issue - apart from occasionally pressing the wrong button to try reviewing a shot.

@twist yeah I've read it's a slow one. Any rumour of a mkii coming out? I know the f2 was released but I'd like something faster.
Click to expand...

Makes sense to use two in this scenario, the 55 Zeiss is a nice lens.

No, the 35 2 was the update, but there are rumours of a 33 1.0 (yes please!) :D
 
addicknchips said:
But today was more about testing new things. Also toyed with the idea of a complete switch to Fuji..
Click to expand...

Ah, that's what I thought.

I've looked at Fuji a couple of times but as mostly a prime user switching to Fuji doesn't make sense for me as I'd take a drop in image quality (if only at extremes and when looking for the differences) whilst not gaining any significant saving in bulk and weight. I keep looking at the Fuji's as the manual dials appeal but if I'm honest that's all it is for me. Everything else, IQ and size and weight, is for me bettered by the kit I have, the A7 and MFT and I want to keep both, the A7 for ultimate quality and for use with manual lenses and MFT for the most saving in bulk and weight. I think that the Fuji makes a lot of sense though especially the manual dials :D and I do with Sony and MFT had gone this way. Too late now.
 
twist said:
Makes sense to use two in this scenario, the 55 Zeiss is a nice lens.

No, the 35 2 was the update, but there are rumours of a 33 1.0 (yes please!) :D
Click to expand...

f1 is probably going to be big, fat and expensive though.
 
woof woof said:
f1 is probably going to be big, fat and expensive though.
Click to expand...

Look at the 56 1.2, that's not that big tbh compared to FF lenses, if I was massively bothered by size I wouldn't exclusively use fast primes. It will be expensive compared to slower stuff but if its the right lens that wont matter so much.

Capture.JPG

Capture 2.JPG
 
Last edited:
woof woof said:
Ah, that's what I thought.

I've looked at Fuji a couple of times but as mostly a prime user switching to Fuji doesn't make sense for me as I'd take a drop in image quality (if only at extremes and when looking for the differences) whilst not gaining any significant saving in bulk and weight. I keep looking at the Fuji's as the manual dials appeal but if I'm honest that's all it is for me. Everything else, IQ and size and weight, is for me bettered by the kit I have, the A7 and MFT and I want to keep both, the A7 for ultimate quality and for use with manual lenses and MFT for the most saving in bulk and weight. I think that the Fuji makes a lot of sense though especially the manual dials :D and I do with Sony and MFT had gone this way. Too late now.
Click to expand...


There's something about the Fuji that draws me to it. Actually there are quite a few things about it that I love. It's certainly a camera I want to take out and about, and I genuinely feel happy with the whole manual control experience. Without sounding like a douche, I do also want a camera that has style and soul to it.

Having said that, the best photos I ever taken have been with the Sony system. With the 2 front dials for shutter speed & aperture and the control wheel for ISO, it's very quick to operate.

I've been searching for a partner for my a7rii but not had much luck. The a6000 evf is woeful. The a7r shutter just has to be heard to be believed. The a7 was great- but lacking in af for my liking.
So I may give the a7ii a bash or very possibly the a6300 now that the evf has been improved.

Then there is the Fuji. :eek:
 
Requested in the wanted section an A7 mark ii if no luck I will import. Any help on lens choice? Not Batis :P due to cost. Im considering the 55mm 1.8 or the 24-70 F4 to start. Is the 24-70 a bit soft? I don't want to make the mistake I have made previously and buy wrong combo :( My main use will be family shots family portraits.
 
Iiyama said:
Requested in the wanted section an A7 mark ii if no luck I will import. Any help on lens choice? Not Batis :p due to cost. Im considering the 55mm 1.8 or the 24-70 F4 to start. Is the 24-70 a bit soft? I don't want to make the mistake I have made previously and buy wrong combo :( My main use will be family shots family portraits.
Click to expand...

55, every A7 owner should buy one.
 
addicknchips said:
Having said that, the best photos I ever taken have been with the Sony system. With the 2 front dials for shutter speed & aperture and the control wheel for ISO, it's very quick to operate.
Click to expand...
That was my biggest surprise with the A7 cameras. It's so bleeding obvious. There are three basic exposure controls - aperture, shutter speed, ISO (and bonus points for exposure compensation), and most cameras give you direct controls for two of them at most. My previous supposedly pro NIkon had me pressing a button with one hand while rotating a dial with the other to change ISO. You'd think they'd have done something by now.

addicknchips said:
I've been searching for a partner for my a7rii but not had much luck. The a6000 evf is woeful. The a7r shutter just has to be heard to be believed. The a7 was great- but lacking in af for my liking.
So I may give the a7ii a bash or very possibly the a6300 now that the evf has been improved.
Click to expand...
The main problem I had with the a6000 as a second body was the lack of the front dial. I kept trying to change the aperture but ended up just stroking the handgrip.

I think the A7II makes sense as a second body, I've been tempted to upgrade my A7 but I'm happy enough with it for now.
 
Crossroads said:
That was my biggest surprise with the A7 cameras. It's so bleeding obvious. There are three basic exposure controls - aperture, shutter speed, ISO (and bonus points for exposure compensation), and most cameras give you direct controls for two of them at most. My previous supposedly pro NIkon had me pressing a button with one hand while rotating a dial with the other to change ISO. You'd think they'd have done something by now.


The main problem I had with the a6000 as a second body was the lack of the front dial. I kept trying to change the aperture but ended up just stroking the handgrip.

I think the A7II makes sense as a second body, I've been tempted to upgrade my A7 but I'm happy enough with it for now.
Click to expand...

But you wouldn't think these days you'd need to activate af point then only change it. Daft. At least with canikon you have multiple auto iso settings and holding down one button with index finger and rotating a command dial with thumb using the SAME hand is intuitive anyway, but you'd know that had you set your iso to a custom button. The spinning dial is way to easy to change by accident ime but we're all different.
 
Last edited:
twist said:
But you wouldn't think these days you'd need to activate af point then only change it. Daft. At least with canikon you have multiple auto iso settings and holding down one button with index finger and rotating a command dial with thumb using the SAME hand is intuitive anyway, but you'd know that had you set your iso to a custom button. The spinning dial is way to easy to change by accident ime but we're all different.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, the Sony interface is by no means perfect, just like the others. While AF point selection is slow, at least I can select points outside of a tiny diamond in the centre of the frame, and my photos tend to fall into two categories - has people (eye af works better and faster than I ever could manually selecting) or no people (I'm taking my time anyway). The next family of Sony cameras had better have an AF joystick either way (among other things).

It's just a shame that all of the ingredients are out there to make a perfect camera interface, but none of the manufacturers are working with a full set of jigsaw pieces.
 
Crossroads said:
Absolutely, the Sony interface is by no means perfect, just like the others. While AF point selection is slow, at least I can select points outside of a tiny diamond in the centre of the frame, and my photos tend to fall into two categories - has people (eye af works better and faster than I ever could manually selecting) or no people (I'm taking my time anyway). The next family of Sony cameras had better have an AF joystick either way (among other things).

It's just a shame that all of the ingredients are out there to make a perfect camera interface, but none of the manufacturers are working with a full set of jigsaw pieces.
Click to expand...

I've not relied on eye af or face detect as both with the type of lenses I use aren't accurate enough. I'm used to moving the point where I require it quickly to get the shot. My stuff is more candid so it's fast paced rather than head on. In 'normal' portraits though eye af is pretty awesome.

Totally agree with the bit in bold. My ultimate would be a sonikonuji lol.
 
addicknchips said:
There's something about the Fuji that draws me to it. Actually there are quite a few things about it that I love. It's certainly a camera I want to take out and about, and I genuinely feel happy with the whole manual control experience. Without sounding like a douche, I do also want a camera that has style and soul to it.

Having said that, the best photos I ever taken have been with the Sony system. With the 2 front dials for shutter speed & aperture and the control wheel for ISO, it's very quick to operate.

I've been searching for a partner for my a7rii but not had much luck. The a6000 evf is woeful. The a7r shutter just has to be heard to be believed. The a7 was great- but lacking in af for my liking.
So I may give the a7ii a bash or very possibly the a6300 now that the evf has been improved.

Then there is the Fuji. :eek:
Click to expand...

Yup to the charms of the Fuji's :D and I feel the same about my A7 as I've taken the best quality pictures I've ever taken with it but... if I could stop looking very closely maybe I'd be happy with just about any camera of MFT chip size and larger but the problem is that the Sony files are just gorgeous and encourage me to look closely :D and that quality and the ability to use old manual lenses at their intended fov stops me from jumping for the more obvious charms of the Fuji.

I'll stop myself from making analogies to women... :D and just say that although the Sony doesn't have the obvious charms of the stylish and manual dial festooned Fuji it has other and more satisfying characteristics which make for a happier life :D
 
Iiyama said:
Requested in the wanted section an A7 mark ii if no luck I will import. Any help on lens choice? Not Batis :p due to cost. Im considering the 55mm 1.8 or the 24-70 F4 to start. Is the 24-70 a bit soft? I don't want to make the mistake I have made previously and buy wrong combo :( My main use will be family shots family portraits.
Click to expand...

Have you considered the new 50mm f1.8?

For portraits you could consider going for a manual lens, a nice 135mm f2.8????

Maybe a 28-70mm kit lens, a 50mm f1.8 and a cheap manual 135mm f2.8 might be a good start? :D
 
Crossroads said:
Absolutely, the Sony interface is by no means perfect, just like the others. While AF point selection is slow, at least I can select points outside of a tiny diamond in the centre of the frame, and my photos tend to fall into two categories - has people (eye af works better and faster than I ever could manually selecting) or no people (I'm taking my time anyway). The next family of Sony cameras had better have an AF joystick either way (among other things).

It's just a shame that all of the ingredients are out there to make a perfect camera interface, but none of the manufacturers are working with a full set of jigsaw pieces.
Click to expand...

I tend to move the focus point for the majority of my shots, if not 100% then the majority and I don't find the Sony A7 a hassle (one button to push and then move the point, push button and recentre when required) but most of my shots are just of scenery or posed people.
 
woof woof said:
Have you considered the new 50mm f1.8?

For portraits you could consider going for a manual lens, a nice 135mm f2.8????

Maybe a 28-70mm kit lens, a 50mm f1.8 and a cheap manual 135mm f2.8 might be a good start? :D
Click to expand...
Is the 28-70 sharp?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top