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

Will be interested to see if you get any response for a fe 55mm, possible the best lens for the Sony mirrorless system?
 
woof woof said:
Same here with the weather. I was just finishing a cup of tea and then I was set to go out for a couple of hours but before I could finish it started to tank down. Oh well...

Lovely picture though Jonathan.
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Cheers Alan. Managed to get some gardening done before the rain came. Ordered the Batis yet? ;)
 
I keep looking at a few things, the 85mm's and Voigtlander lenses mainly and also the A7rII, but I don't think I have any real plans to buy anything. If I had more time maybe, but I'm pretty occupied at the moment.
 
photosample said:
For good or bad I started to look for used Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 (published in the WANTED thread).
If anyone has such lens and does not wanted it anymore, please let me know :)
Even though not sure how much better will be VS sigma 60mm (with rear baffle removed)
ptember
Also posted to sell Sony A6000.

Too much GAS these days lol :)
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The 55mm f1.8 does look incredible. I mainly shoot landscapes but need a lens for portrait before September. Can't decide between this and the Batis 85mm as both seem amazing.

I think I'll wait until I have the 70-200 f4 (next purchase), then try a bit of portraiture and see what focal length I prefer. Actually quite looking forward to photographing people as something I've done very little of. I'm sure either lens will be fantastic.

Good luck with finding a 55 :)
 
Wissel said:
The 55mm f1.8 does look incredible. I mainly shoot landscapes but need a lens for portrait before September. Can't decide between this and the Batis 85mm as both seem amazing.

I think I'll wait until I have the 70-200 f4 (next purchase), then try a bit of portraiture and see what focal length I prefer. Actually quite looking forward to photographing people as something I've done very little of. I'm sure either lens will be fantastic.

Good luck with finding a 55 :)
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I suppose it all depends on how you define portraiture, at what distance from your subject you're most comfortable shooting and how much of your subject and surroundings you want to include and in what detail.

Some prefer the longer focal lengths for portrait shots and there are those who say that 85mm is too short and prefer 135 or 200mm. I don't really like tighter head shots all that often and with these longer lengths even when going for just a relatively tight shot you need to be so far away you need a phone to interact with your subject (but not really...) and if going for a fuller body shot or trying to include any context if you're in a public place you stand the chance of someone or something getting between you and the subject. I usually prefer 35 or 50mm or 85mm at the most and very often want to get the head in the depth of field and maybe also include some context. I wonder about primes v zooms, I generally prefer using primes but for portraits I'd rarely want to shoot at the wider apertures that primes enable as little of the subject will be sharp unless you're a bus ride away and if stopping down to something between f4 and f8 or even smaller I wonder what advantage a prime will offer over for example a 28-70 or 70-200mm. I do often wonder why some people seem to insist on buying a 85mm f1.4 or 200mm f2.8 prime for portrait shots when maybe a zoom they already have would get the same shot assuming it's not at f1.4-2.8 with just one iris sharp and nothing else.

I don't know if many people would call what I take portraits. I have a lot of shots of my family and my GF and my favourites are usually the ones when they're in a place that I associate with them or that means something at least to me and I usually therefore aim to include at least some of the surroundings and get it recognisable and few couldn't have been taken with a bog standard 28-70 or 70-200mm.
 
And yes, I think that the 55mm f1.8 is an outstanding lens and possibly the best AF lens I've ever used.

When testing it against my old 50mm's I was impressed how sharp it is across the frame and at wide apertures too. My previous best 50mm was the Sigma 50mm f1.4 (the old one not the Art) and the Sony is easily sharper at wide apertures across the frame. I don't know if sharpness across the frame is all that relevant but I suppose it's one way of assessing a lens.
 
Having only just purchased off these forums my A7ii reading about all these nice lenses is killing my GAS. STOP :) I need to get used to the camera first. At least that's what im trying to tell myself!
 
si019 said:
Will be interested to see if you get any response for a fe 55mm, possible the best lens for the Sony mirrorless system?
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The 55mm is probably the best len's I've ever owned, I took an age in deciding to get one as I thought the focal length would be too constraining for me. But I've adapted and my photographic style has changed as a result

Here is a recent one taken with the 55mm on A7R

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Iiyama said:
Having only just purchased off these forums my A7ii reading about all these nice lenses is killing my GAS. STOP :) I need to get used to the camera first. At least that's what im trying to tell myself!
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You can always get by with cheaper kit. I've taken some of my favourite pictures with lenses that cost (quite a bit) under £100.



 
woof woof said:
Some prefer the longer focal lengths for portrait shots and there are those who say that 85mm is too short and prefer 135 or 200mm. I don't really like tighter head shots all that often and with these longer lengths even when going for just a relatively tight shot you need to be so far away you need a phone to interact with your subject (but not really...) and if going for a fuller body shot or trying to include any context if you're in a public place you stand the chance of someone or something getting between you and the subject. I usually prefer 35 or 50mm or 85mm at the most and very often want to get the head in the depth of field and maybe also include some context. I wonder about primes v zooms, I generally prefer using primes but for portraits I'd rarely want to shoot at the wider apertures that primes enable as little of the subject will be sharp unless you're a bus ride away and if stopping down to something between f4 and f8 or even smaller I wonder what advantage a prime will offer over for example a 28-70 or 70-200mm. I do often wonder why some people seem to insist on buying a 85mm f1.4 or 200mm f2.8 prime for portrait shots when maybe a zoom they already have would get the same shot assuming it's not at f1.4-2.8 with just one iris sharp and nothing else.
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To me it's about flexibility, and background control. Zooms control the background by allowing you to move towards or away from your subject to pull in or push out the background while maintaining the same framing of your subject. Fast primes control the background differently - not by moving them in relation to the subject, but giving you more control of having them in or out of focus. Ideally I'd have the best of both worlds - an f1.4 50-150mm lens, but until someone defeats physics I'll have to make do with having both zooms and primes in my bag.

woof woof said:
And yes, I think that the 55mm f1.8 is an outstanding lens and possibly the best AF lens I've ever used.

When testing it against my old 50mm's I was impressed how sharp it is across the frame and at wide apertures too. My previous best 50mm was the Sigma 50mm f1.4 (the old one not the Art) and the Sony is easily sharper at wide apertures across the frame. I don't know if sharpness across the frame is all that relevant but I suppose it's one way of assessing a lens.
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There's always people who do things like take photos of art on walls, and while I enjoy obliterating backgrounds as much as the next guy (probably more! :)), sometimes even with portraits you can have a pretty flat scene.


Cheryl

And if something is on the same plane as the main subject, I expect the lens to at least try to make it sharp.
 
I think the correct quote should possibly be... with adapted superwides.

I wonder if this is the same as the issue with some Leica lenses?

Aren't there some Voigtlander wides on the way in native mount? If there are native wide angle lenses on the way it'll be interesting to see if the issue goes away. Whatever the issue is I'd expect native lenses to be designed to either overcome it or at least limit it for best effect.

Time to look for reviews of super wides and specifically native mount ones maybe.
 
Crossroads said:
To me it's about flexibility, and background control. Zooms control the background by allowing you to move towards or away from your subject to pull in or push out the background while maintaining the same framing of your subject. Fast primes control the background differently - not by moving them in relation to the subject, but giving you more control of having them in or out of focus. Ideally I'd have the best of both worlds - an f1.4 50-150mm lens, but until someone defeats physics I'll have to make do with having both zooms and primes in my bag.
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I'm not sure I understand this.

If you're talking about perspective that's the same with any lens at the same camera to subject distance, it's the distance that decides the perspective. But yes, zooms are more flexible and if you're in roughly the position you want to be in you can zoom in or out a bit to include or exclude things and people which you may or may not want in the shot :D for example I don't have primes covering every mm from 24 to 85 :D It'd be a heavy camera bag and an expensive one too :D but with primes you may have the option of including a little space around your subject and cropping assuming you have enough resolution.

I usually go for primes for two reasons, the wider apertures and because they're usually more compact than a zoom.

Lovely picture but I hope you did a full risk assessment before perching her up there? :D
 
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woof woof said:
I'm not sure I understand this.

If you're talking about perspective that's the same with any lens at the same camera to subject distance, it's the distance that decides the perspective. But yes, zooms are more flexible and if you're in roughly the position you want to be in you can zoom in or out a bit to include or exclude things and people which you may or may not want in the shot :D for example I don't have primes covering every mm from 24 to 85 :D It'd be a heavy camera bag and an expensive one too :D but with primes you may have the option of including a little space around your subject and cropping assuming you have enough resolution.

I usually go for primes for two reasons, the wider apertures and because they're usually more compact than a zoom.

Lovely picture but I hope you did a full risk assessment before perching her up there? :D
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I think that's pretty much what I meant, but I probably phrased it poorly, as I usually do :). Zooms let you set your perspective and framing independently without having to crop/stitch/change lens. With the prime, unless you're going to crop in post or change lens, changing the perspective means changing the framing, and changing the framing means changing the perspective.

Thanks, and don't worry - she's actually safely standing on solid ground (although a few minutes later I did have her clambering up a tree!)
 
Crossroads said:
I think that's pretty much what I meant, but I probably phrased it poorly, as I usually do :). Zooms let you set your perspective and framing independently without having to crop/stitch/change lens. With the prime, unless you're going to crop in post or change lens, changing the perspective means changing the framing, and changing the framing means changing the perspective.

Thanks, and don't worry - she's actually safely standing on solid ground (although a few minutes later I did have her clambering up a tree!)
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YOU BEAST!
:D
 
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twist said:
Not really, after your 30 days are up you have to deal with the manufacturer.... good luck with that!

Don't panic though, like I said, stuffs pretty decent.
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Amazon wont make you deal with the manufacturer after 30 days, they will just refund you or send a replacement.

si019 said:
yes the new range of godox flashs and triggers are great, I have been using them for a couple of mouths on both my a6000 and a7rii, the only issues so far is that there is a slight delay between pushing the shutter release and the picture being taken.
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Not noticed any lag or delay when using the Nissin i40 on either auto or ttl.
 
robj20 said:
Amazon wont make you deal with the manufacturer after 30 days, they will just refund you or send a replacement.



Not noticed any lag or delay when using the Nissin i40 on either auto or ttl.
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Is this off camera with the nissin i40?
 
robj20 said:
Amazon wont make you deal with the manufacturer after 30 days, they will just refund you or send a replacement.

Not noticed any lag or delay when using the Nissin i40 on either auto or ttl.
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I've heard different and their t&c state different. A lot of the time its easier to contact the manufacturer anyway than go via the retailer but that depends on who and where the manufacturer or its agents are.
 
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Your contract is always with the retailer, not the manufacturer You may have additional warranty rights with the manufacturer, but UK law does state that the responsibility lays (at least within the first 6 months) with the retailer.

However, I've always found Amazon to be good with this sort of thing anyway. Unless you're clearly taking the mickey by returning half the stuff you buy they tend to take you at your word.
 
Crossroads said:
Your contract is always with the retailer, not the manufacturer You may have additional warranty rights with the manufacturer, but UK law does state that the responsibility lays (at least within the first 6 months) with the retailer.

However, I've always found Amazon to be good with this sort of thing anyway. Unless you're clearly taking the mickey by returning half the stuff you buy they tend to take you at your word.
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Yes, the retailer can be your first point of contact, but they will now often ask you to get in contact with the manufacturer, thats why amazon has a list of manufacturers details on their website. In the case of a cheap chinese flash going faulty after 6 months Id say good luck with getting a warranty repair, your UK consumer rights mean nothing in China.

With camera gear Ive found its way quicker talking to the manufacturer than going via a retailer, you have to send the item to the retailer, they have to do their bit, send it to manufacturer, get it back, send it back to you etc etc. Dealing direct with the manufacturer you avoid all that wasted time and effort.
 
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twist said:
Yes, the retailer can be your first point of contact, but they will now often ask you to get in contact with the manufacturer, thats why amazon has a list of manufacturers details on their website. In the case of a cheap chinese flash going faulty after 6 months Id say good luck with getting a warranty repair, your UK consumer rights mean nothing in China.

With camera gear Ive found its way quicker talking to the manufacturer than going via a retailer, you have to send the item to the retailer, they have to do their bit, send it to manufacturer, get it back, send it back to you etc etc. Dealing direct with the manufacturer you avoid all that wasted time and effort.
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My first Nissin i40 went faulty, and they just refunded me instantly and requested i send the old one back withing a few weeks, no mention of the manufacturer.
 
robj20 said:
My first Nissin i40 went faulty, and they just refunded me instantly and requested i send the old one back withing a few weeks, no mention of the manufacturer.
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When was that? After how long did it go faulty, consumer law has changed recently. Also depends on who you buy from, marketplace vs amazon direct, lots of different factors here. It was well known that the first batch of i40 were faulty, perhaps they had an exchange policy in place for the item, like they pull Nikon cameras when they are recalled etc etc.

Ive seen a few cases now where Amazon arent just refunding like they used to but sticking to their own TCs. 30 days returns / up to 6 months consumer rights, its in black and white. Back on topic though.
 
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Weather permitting, first proper trip out with the A7R2 using it for what I bought it for - climbing and landscape shots (in the Peak District this weekend). It'll be interesting to see how it/I cope with a fixed 35mm.
The climber in me is hoping for clear skies, the photographer would like a bit of drama (though if it's looking too wet, we'll abort and insulate and board the loft instead, which isn't quite as fun...).

Umm'ing and ahh'ing about next lens purchase - I'd love the 85mm Batis, but think I'll likely go wide for my second lens, so just debating Voigtlander with adapter, or 16-35 FE... For wide shots, I don't think I'll miss AF?
 
Durbs said:
Weather permitting, first proper trip out with the A7R2 using it for what I bought it for - climbing and landscape shots (in the Peak District this weekend). It'll be interesting to see how it/I cope with a fixed 35mm.
The climber in me is hoping for clear skies, the photographer would like a bit of drama (though if it's looking too wet, we'll abort and insulate and board the loft instead, which isn't quite as fun...).

Umm'ing and ahh'ing about next lens purchase - I'd love the 85mm Batis, but think I'll likely go wide for my second lens, so just debating Voigtlander with adapter, or 16-35 FE... For wide shots, I don't think I'll miss AF?
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Why voigtlander with adapter when they are native?
 
Durbs said:
Weather permitting, first proper trip out with the A7R2 using it for what I bought it for - climbing and landscape shots (in the Peak District this weekend). It'll be interesting to see how it/I cope with a fixed 35mm.
The climber in me is hoping for clear skies, the photographer would like a bit of drama (though if it's looking too wet, we'll abort and insulate and board the loft instead, which isn't quite as fun...).

Umm'ing and ahh'ing about next lens purchase - I'd love the 85mm Batis, but think I'll likely go wide for my second lens, so just debating Voigtlander with adapter, or 16-35 FE... For wide shots, I don't think I'll miss AF?
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I use the 16-35 FE (as loads do in this thread) and love it for landscapes. I usually have my camera in manual focus, but it's nice to press the back button to focus sometimes as well I find.

Good luck with the weather - I know which I'd prefer to be doing :)
 
Just a small update girls... i updated to the latest Metabones .49 firmware and its played havoc with my 70-200 F4 and locked the camera up after about 10 or so shots making it reset, Anyway metabones have just replied and told me to downgrade to ,48 and its all good again, so be careful with the .49 firmware.

OOO and ive just ordered a D500 sigma 600C and Tokina 11-16........ just for my sport stuff...
 
twist said:
When was that? After how long did it go faulty, consumer law has changed recently. Also depends on who you buy from, marketplace vs amazon direct, lots of different factors here. It was well known that the first batch of i40 were faulty, perhaps they had an exchange policy in place for the item, like they pull Nikon cameras when they are recalled etc etc.

Ive seen a few cases now where Amazon arent just refunding like they used to but sticking to their own TCs. 30 days returns / up to 6 months consumer rights, its in black and white. Back on topic though.
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Remember my samyang I had for well past the 30 day mark? Well Amazon replaced it with no issue whatsoever
 
jonneymendoza said:
Remember my samyang I had for well past the 30 day mark? Well Amazon replaced it with no issue whatsoever
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I know they do it sometimes, not all the time though and its happening less and less. Ive seen people moaning about it online, perhaps its because its still within 6 months and because the buyer never escalated the issue further. I know Amazon service is excellent (well except for their current choice of couriers).
 
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The only way im changing my A7R for the newer overweight versions is if they do a glabal shutter. Otherwise im not swapping my slim for a fat model. lol
 
I don't really feel the need either.

Top of my list of changes would be a dedicated EVF/Back screen toggle button like the ones my Panasonic cameras have. After that I'm struggling although maybe a joystick might be nice and a pop up flash comes in handy now and again. Other than that as I keep saying, it's too late to go for manual dials like the Fuji's have.
 
Global shutter would be nice, I'd quite like a joystick as well.

Having said that, I won't be changing my A7ii anyway - it's almost perfect for me.

Although if they bring out an A7iii and there are loads of ii's going cheap, I wouldn't mind a second one converted to IR ;)
 
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