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

I was watching PhotoRec TV videos on youtube, specifically Toby's vlogs from a recent safari trip. He has a canon 5dii and also a A7Rii. He had a canon mount sigma 150-600 C rigged up to his A7Rii via an adapter. He stated that whilst the auto focus wasn't as good as the Canon camera it was very usable and he was enjoying the combination due to the Sonys awesome picture quality. In all the videos I've watched so far I've not seen him use the Canon yet, so it must be good enough! I thought it an interesting concept, although I can't imagine using my A7ii as a wildlife camera. And any of you tried this combo? Or do any of you use the A7xx as a wildlife camera?
 
Rizvan said:
Yup, probably the final a-mount body from Sony.... a nice way to go.
).
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People have been saying that since 2006 ;)

You may well be right this time as sony has a clear preference for E mount.

As a long time A99 user (who recently switched to Nikon D750) I always knew I wouldn't be able to afford a mk2 at 3k at least not for some time! I do miss the A99's build quality and heft and it appears the mk2 has resolved all the faults...

Sony markets itself as a premium option and is priced accordingly. I get a lot 'more' for my money with Nikon.
 
WWA said:
I was watching PhotoRec TV videos on youtube, specifically Toby's vlogs from a recent safari trip. He has a canon 5dii and also a A7Rii. He had a canon mount sigma 150-600 C rigged up to his A7Rii via an adapter. He stated that whilst the auto focus wasn't as good as the Canon camera it was very usable and he was enjoying the combination due to the Sonys awesome picture quality. In all the videos I've watched so far I've not seen him use the Canon yet, so it must be good enough! I thought it an interesting concept, although I can't imagine using my A7ii as a wildlife camera. And any of you tried this combo? Or do any of you use the A7xx as a wildlife camera?
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I tried the tamron 150-600 on the a7rii. Didn't work well with the first adapter but was much better when I got a different adapter. At times the af was decent. Managed to get a few birds in flight nailed. But it wasn't consistent enough to rely upon. Also that lens is huge and even bigger with an adapter mounted. So on the a7rii it felt very odd. But, it was a lot of fun to use. 600mm on a 42 mp sensor can get you some impressive shots. I'd recommend the combo for casual wildlife shooting - with a black rapid or similar attached to the the tripod collar of the lens.
 
addicknchips said:
I tried the tamron 150-600 on the a7rii. Didn't work well with the first adapter but was much better when I got a different adapter. At times the af was decent. Managed to get a few birds in flight nailed. But it wasn't consistent enough to rely upon. Also that lens is huge and even bigger with an adapter mounted. So on the a7rii it felt very odd. But, it was a lot of fun to use. 600mm on a 42 mp sensor can get you some impressive shots. I'd recommend the combo for casual wildlife shooting - with a black rapid or similar attached to the the tripod collar of the lens.
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Thanks for your reply. It's something I'd love to try but alas my sony isnt and R and my 150-600 is a Nikon mount!
 
Musicman said:
I'm a bit excited - this just arrived from Ffordes for bargainous price of £179
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Excellent.

When I got my 50mm f1.2 (Minolta) I tried it against my 50mm f1.4 and decided it wasn't as good but I've since changed my mind a little as the Minolta f1.2 offers good whole picture viewed normally quality when stopped down and gives scope for a more psychedelic look at wider apertures :D

I'll be interested to read how you get on and what you think :D
 
Back from Canada.... 1200 shots to sort through, but think there's a couple of good'uns. Couple of bear shots, great grey owl and others. Annoyingly our time in the Rockies had mostly cloudy skies, so the landscapes weren't as stunning as could be hoped for - still gorgeous though.
Slightly loathe to have to give the 70-200 f/4 back... Cracking lens.
 
Durbs said:
Back from Canada.... 1200 shots to sort through, but think there's a couple of good'uns. Couple of bear shots, great grey owl and others. Annoyingly our time in the Rockies had mostly cloudy skies, so the landscapes weren't as stunning as could be hoped for - still gorgeous though.
Slightly loathe to have to give the 70-200 f/4 back... Cracking lens.
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I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Will you do a whole thread about your trip? I love threads like that. What did you use to get the bear and owl shots? Presumably you had something longer than the 70-200?
 
WWA said:
I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Will you do a whole thread about your trip? I love threads like that. What did you use to get the bear and owl shots? Presumably you had something longer than the 70-200?
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Or a brave wife / GF :D
 
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Hello macro lens! Can't wait to try this on the a7r2 with its manual focus aids
 
I've been told that the Sony FE 70-200mm f2.8 G Master is very limited in number due to supply issues.....
WEX had a very limited number of the lens come in which sold out fast even when they hiked the price to £2799!!! from the normal RRP of £2499.
I can't wait to get mine :D
Now I just need to decide if I can justify keeping the FE 70-200 f4 too. :)
 
Rizvan said:
I've been told that the Sony FE 70-200mm f2.8 G Master is very limited in number due to supply issues.....
WEX had a very limited number of the lens come in which sold out fast even when they hiked the price to £2799!!! from the normal RRP of £2499.
I can't wait to get mine :D
Now I just need to decide if I can justify keeping the FE 70-200 f4 too. :)
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Little point to keep both?
 
WWA said:
I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Will you do a whole thread about your trip? I love threads like that. What did you use to get the bear and owl shots? Presumably you had something longer than the 70-200?
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Possibly - will see how it goes. I've got a massive backlog of Photoshopping to do (A friends Christening and some random PS'ing for someone else's wedding) - but want to get on these asap.

Only had my 35/2.8 and a the 70-200... Need to crop, but not that much! Bear was prettyclose (5 meters at one point, put the camera down at that stage!)...
Missed an osprey shot (400mm AND crop required for that one...) and would've liked longer for the owl (and more light for that matter!), but generally was fine - stuck it in APS-C mode
 
I'm currently in no rush, but I can see me going something like Fuji when the time comes for my A7. Had this conversation the other day with someone & the newer A7 series loses the size/weight appeal IMO plus I don't really want 42 MP - 20odd is more than enough - I don't miss having no IBIS feature, don't think I need eye AF, don't want to use non-native AF lenses via Metabones.... Each to their own & all that & I'm not knocking the progress Sony are making with the A7 series. I just don't currently think they are for me :(

For the average Joe Bloggs, if you were shooting a Fuji Xpro-2 & 35/1.4 & I had an A7 with FE55/1.8 would there really be much noticeable difference with online viewing, emailing images, printing for albums/framing images for home etc.....
 
LeeRatters said:
For the average Joe Bloggs, if you were shooting a Fuji Xpro-2 & 35/1.4 & I had an A7 with FE55/1.8 would there really be much noticeable difference with online viewing, emailing images, printing for albums/framing images for home etc.....
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Strangely enough I agree with you and nearly went the Fuji route myself, I was looking at the XT-2, grip, flash and the all the top-end XF WR lenses, it would have been a epic collection but when factoring in selling my Sony gear I wouldn't be that much better off money wise yet would have to downgrade to a APS-C system.
In the end I stuck with Sony and bought the G Master lenses as size isn't a big factor when you start using f2.8 FF lenses. I do believe Sony will release a epic A9 Pro body which should address the key areas like AF, b****r, GUI etc where the XT-2 is up there.
 
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manualfocus-g said:
Nice! I picked up the FD 85/1.2 they had going for £250 :) Should be here shortly!
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I have an FD85/1.8 - If that is anything to go by the f/1.2 should be awesome :)

Rizvan said:
Strangely enough I agree with you and nearly went the Fuji route myself, I was looking at the XT-2, grip, flash and the all the top-end XF WR lenses, it would have been a epic collection but when factoring in selling my Sony gear I wouldn't be that much better off money wise yet would have to downgrade to a APS-C system.
In the end I stuck with Sony as size isn't a big factor when you start using f2.8 FF lenses. I do believe Sony will release a epic A9 Pro body which should address the key areas like AF, b****r, GUI etc where the XT-2 is up there.
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Never an easy, simple decision is it....? ;) lol I'm happy at the moment. I only have the FE35/2.8 & everything else is old manual glass. I would be happy if they bought out a cheaper FE 85mm though; even if it was only an f2 or even f/2.2 if useable wide open ;) :D
 
LeeRatters said:
I have an FD85/1.8 - If that is anything to go by the f/1.2 should be awesome :)



Never an easy, simple decision is it....? ;) lol I'm happy at the moment. I only have the FE35/2.8 & everything else is old manual glass. I would be happy if they bought out a cheaper FE 85mm though; even if it was only an f2 or even f/2.2 if useable wide open ;) :D
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I think a cheaper 85 1.8 will be on its way. Having recently added a cheaper 50mm, and a cheaper macro - I wouldn't rule out a cheaper 85mm Sony g lens coming.
 
Musicman said:
Aha. It was you that bought it. I was almost tempted at that price even though I have one already.
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Haha, no I couldn't resist. The 85/1.2 just seems to have incredible character, but I've never come across one sensibly priced before :)
 
LeeRatters said:
For the average Joe Bloggs, if you were shooting a Fuji Xpro-2 & 35/1.4 & I had an A7 with FE55/1.8 would there really be much noticeable difference with online viewing, emailing images, printing for albums/framing images for home etc.....
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At one time I really wanted to love the Fuji's mainly for their manual dials but the negatives always outweighed the positives for me. For me and these are just my thoughts so Fuji fans needn't worry too much, the negatives included the cost as they're rather expensive and nudging A7 prices for the kit I'd be interested in, ditto bulk and weight so no real gain for the Fuji's there, the mushy file issue and the possibility of having to work hard in PP or learn a new package would bug me, the possibility that the good ISO performance is really just a fiddle and the JPEG only at higher ISO's would annoy me. So, after all that pretty much the only positive I was left with was the manual dials and after giving it thought I decided that I actually like the way everyone else does it so that I can change the settings with my index finger or thumb whilst holding the camera to my eye in a shooting position rather than having to shift my hand to change a dial on the top plate.

I'm pretty settled with my A7 and Panasonic MFT at the mo but the Panasonic cameras are deeply hobbled by the shutter shock issue and lack the Sony features I really like, auto ISO with exposure compensation in all modes and full time dof preview in all modes. If starting from scratch today I may be tempted by the A6xxx series but one lens I'd want is a compact 35mm equivalent AF prime and unfortunately there isn't one that catches my attention in A6xxx land. The 24mm may be a very nice lens but it's also a relatively big fat lump so that's the end of that.

I agree that quality differences might not matter though but the A7 files are lovely and come with handling and features that I want and of course they're the best option for using old film era manual lenses on.

addicknchips said:
I think a cheaper 85 1.8 will be on its way. Having recently added a cheaper 50mm, and a cheaper macro - I wouldn't rule out a cheaper 85mm Sony g lens coming.
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A compact and reasonably priced 85mm could potentially interested me, also the 50mm macro.
 
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While I'm sat here doing nothing... size comparison A7II v XT2...

I don't see a significant difference here...





And here with the 55mm f1.8 and 35mm f1.4...



I don't see any significant advantage either way here, not with a lens in the 28-55mm range which is my most used range. An inch or so on the lens, the shape of the grip or a few mm here or there on or off the body IMO isn't significant and to get a significant saving over either of these cameras I think I'd be looking at a MFT RF style camera like the GX7 / GX80 or maybe an A6xxx camera.

So all in all I still prefer the Sony to the Fuji for primes in the slightly wide to normal-ish range.

YMMV :D

I took these some time ago, 5D, A7 and Panny G1.





The 5D is sporting a Sigma 50mm f1.4, the A7 has a Minolta 50mm f1.4 which with the adapter is about the bulk of the Sony 55mm f1.8. The Panny is sporting a 25mm f0.95.

To me the real bulk and weight saving is going from DSLR to mirrorless. After that I think that the mirrorless SLR style cameras are 6 of one and half a dozen of the other size wise and that to make further savings I'd need to go for a RF style or a smaller chip camera.
 
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woof woof said:
While I'm sat here doing nothing... size comparison A7II v XT2...

I don't see a significant difference here...





And here with the 55mm f1.8 and 35mm f1.4...



I don't see any significant advantage either way here, not with a lens in the 28-55mm range which is my most used range. An inch or so on the lens, the shape of the grip or a few mm here or there on or off the body IMO isn't significant and to get a significant saving over either of these cameras I think I'd be looking at a MFT RF style camera like the GX7 / GX80 or maybe an A6xxx camera.

So all in all I still prefer the Sony to the Fuji for primes in the slightly wide to normal-ish range.

YMMV :D

I took these some time ago, 5D, A7 and Panny G1.





The 5D is sporting a Sigma 50mm f1.4, the A7 has a Minolta 50mm f1.4 which with the adapter is about the bulk of the Sony 55mm f1.8. The Panny is sporting a 25mm f0.95.

To me the real bulk and weight saving is going from DSLR to mirrorless. After that I think that the mirrorless SLR style cameras are 6 of one and half a dozen of the other size wise and that to make further savings I'd need to go for a RF style or a smaller chip camera.
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A key difference with the xt2 and the a7rii is that by the time the Sony has locked on focus, the Fuji would already be on the next shot. It's certainly a huge upgrade in af speed and tracking.
Also the next Sony must have the little joystick. Makes things so much easier. More than I thought.
 
addicknchips said:
A key difference with the xt2 and the a7rii is that by the time the Sony has locked on focus, the Fuji would already be on the next shot. It's certainly a huge upgrade in af speed and tracking.
Also the next Sony must have the little joystick. Makes things so much easier. More than I thought.
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This is right.... and why I was looking at the Fuji XT-2.... but for me to move a entire Sony FF system to a Fuji APS-C just for the better AF functions wasn't a big enough reason and plain GAS.
I know Sony will crack the AF/performance and other shortcomings on their A7 series in good time, they have already applied a decent AF system to the A6300 and new A99II, they just need to further improve it and apply it to a new Sony A9 body.
If you look at how far Sony have come in the time since they launched the original A7, you have to admit its been a good showing so far.
I can't wait for the next Sony FE body and what it will bring to the table.
Exciting times for a uber Sony GAS suffer like myself.
 
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Rizvan said:
This is right.... and why I was looking at the Fuji XT-2.... but for me to move a entire Sony FF system to a Fuji APS-C just for the better AF functions wasn't a big enough reason and plain GAS.
I know Sony will crack the AF/performance and other shortcomings on their A7 series in good time, they have already applied a decent AF system to the A6300 and new A99II, they just need to further improve it and apply it to a new Sony A9 body.
If you look at how far Sony have come in the time since they launched the original A7, you have to admit its been a good showing so far.
I can't wait for the next Sony FE body and what it will bring to the table.
Exciting times for a uber Sony GAS suffer like myself.
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Yes the good news from the a99ii is that the focus system is there. So would assume that will make its way to the next mirrorless camera.
The a99ii looks great. Just really odd that they waiting so long for the update when surely most a mount users have moved elsewhere. 12 fps on a 42 mp camera is incredible.
 
addicknchips said:
A key difference with the xt2 and the a7rii is that by the time the Sony has locked on focus, the Fuji would already be on the next shot. It's certainly a huge upgrade in af speed and tracking.
Also the next Sony must have the little joystick. Makes things so much easier. More than I thought.
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The original comment I was replying to concerned size and weight. We see this all over the forum and it's something I think anyone thinking of buying a CSC should look into. I think that people either assume that because the A7 is FF it must be big and heavy or they just believe what other people are posting.

Not that I'm a Sony fan boy as I really don't care who makes my kit as long as it's made well and my first digital camera was a Fuji. I care more about just being honest and accurate and to me there just isn't a significant bulk / weight saving between many SLR style CSC's with the lenses I'm interested in. For me my A7+lens isn't significantly bigger or smaller than either my Panasonic G1 or G7 which are the other SLR style cameras I have. I've handled Fuji's in shops a couple of times but not directly compared them to my A7 but the size comparison sites seem to confirm what I thought, there's no significant saving over an A7 there. Not with the lenses I'd be using.

In terms of features and performance don't use tracking but in terms of focusing on a subject the same is true of my newer MFT cameras, they're faster than my A7. The G7 in particular has pretty much instantaneous focus and it'll lock on in very low light too, it takes time but it does it. But, the MFT cameras lack the ultimate image quality I can get from my A7, they don't have the features I value almost above all other features (auto ISO and ex comp in all modes,) they're not FF which alters the use of old lenses and very sadly they're hobbled by shutter shock.

Gotta pick what's best for us.
 
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addicknchips said:
Yes the good news from the a99ii is that the focus system is there. So would assume that will make its way to the next mirrorless camera.
The a99ii looks great. Just really odd that they waiting so long for the update when surely most a mount users have moved elsewhere. 12 fps on a 42 mp camera is incredible.
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Agreed, I think at this stage, it was easier for Sony to use the existing 42mp sensor stocks up and give the remaining (upset) hardcore a-mount professional users the final A99 II body.
I am guessing the A9 will be getting a newly designed sensor with a few other ticks up its sleeve including better performance / AF.
12fps with 42mp is crazy, I have watched the video and the buffer is awesome too...... so even if Sony updated the existing A7RII with just the A99II spec's and put it in the A7RIII its still a good direction however I suspect the A9 won't just be a A99II in a A9 body.
 
Rizvan said:
Agreed, I think at this stage, it was easier for Sony to use the existing 42mp sensor stocks up and give the remaining (upset) hardcore a-mount professional users the final A99 II body.
I am guessing the A9 will be getting a newly designed sensor with a few other ticks up its sleeve including better performance / AF.
12fps with 42mp is crazy, I have watched the video and the buffer is awesome too...... so even if Sony updated the existing A7RII with just the A99II spec's and put it in the A7RIII its still a good direction however I suspect the A9 won't just be a A99II in a A9 body.
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Of all the bells and whistles the only thing I can think of that I'd like is a toggle switch to switch between the EVF and the back screen. The lack of this is the only thing that irritates me with my A7.
 
jonneymendoza said:
50mp 12 fps please using xqd cards
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I think this is probably the very least Sony will put in the A9....... I am expecting the Sony A9 to be a big step forwards for Sony just like the original A7 was.....
my guess is that Sony will announce the Sony A9 before the year is out with deliveries starting early Q1 2017 for around £3499-3999.
I am also guessing we'll see the Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM announced too before the end of this year.
 
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