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

For those considering the Sony A7 III, here are a few con's when compared to the Sony A9 / A7R III.

It has the older EVF & rear LCD screen from A7R II.
The back plate of camera is not made from magnesium, it is made from a high grade plastic.
The IBIS system is also from the A7R II - 5 stops
No black-out free EVF like the Sony A9
No silent shooting like the Sony A9.

All in all the Sony A7 III is a great all round body.
 
What lens can't keep up with the A9?

I assume their top level 24-70 and 70-200 zooms are some of the fastest in terms of AF.
But what about fast primes, 35mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.4 ZA lenses? I remember having the 35mm 1.4 ZA on the A7S and it was a bit slow, but that could have been the body


Also would you buy other brand lenses just to adapt? even if you didn't have that system.
 
dancook said:
What lens can't keep up with the A9?

I assume their top level 24-70 and 70-200 zooms are some of the fastest in terms of AF.
But what about fast primes, 35mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.4 ZA lenses? I remember having the 35mm 1.4 ZA on the A7S and it was a bit slow, but that could have been the body


Also would you buy other brand lenses just to adapt? even if you didn't have that system.
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Most of the newer lenses released after the Sony Zeiss 50mm f1.4 support the full 20fps in AF-C mode....
Full list here.... http://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp...ilce9/continuousshooting/en/index.html?id=spt
The olders ones are generally good for 15fps in AF-C mode...... still plenty. :D
 
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Riz_Guru said:
For those considering the Sony A7 III, here are a few con's when compared to the Sony A9 / A7R III.

It has the older EVF & rear LCD screen from A7R II.
The back plate of camera is not made from magnesium, it is made from a high grade plastic.
The IBIS system is also from the A7R II - 5 stops
No black-out free EVF like the Sony A9
No silent shooting like the Sony A9.

All in all the Sony A7 III is a great all round body.
Click to expand...

Doesn't the A7III have an electronic shutter?
 
woof woof said:
Doesn't the A7III have an electronic shutter?
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It sure does, but just like the original A7R II and newer A7R III bodies, the sensor read-out speeds are slower compared to the Sony A9, which in-turn makes them un-usable in any mid-high movement situations. :)
The Sony A9's sensor read-out enables its electronic shutter to shoot at 20fps in most situations including action etc with minimal to no jello effects and/or banding.
 
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Riz_Guru said:
It sure does, just like the original A7R II and newer A7R III but the read-out speeds are slower which in-turn makes them unusable in any mid-high movement situations. :)
The Sony A9's sensor readout enable its electronic shutter to shoot at 20fps in most situations including action etc.
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Ah, I'm sure that it (A7III) would be fine for me as I never find rolling shutter to be a problem with MFT, banding is a problem though so I'm wary of using an electronic shutter indoors.
 
woof woof said:
Ah, I'm sure that it (A7III) would be fine for me as I never find rolling shutter to be a problem with MFT, banding is a problem though so I'm wary of using an electronic shutter indoors.
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:eek: are you buying the A7 III? :D Yippe!
A truly silent shutter has its advantages especially for wedding / events and sporting events where sound could be a distraction but for most people its not a requirement.
 
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Riz_Guru said:
:eek: are you buying the A7 III? :D Yippe!
A truly silent shutter has its advantages especially for wedding / events and sporting events where sound could be a distraction but for most people its not a requirement.
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Calm Down :D

I doubt I'll be buying an A7III as it's mostly just GAS which I can often resist and as I keep saying my A7 does just about everything I need. The tempting things are the focus joystick, being able to shoot silently and speed... I say speed as when I use my A7 with AF lenses it's a rather leisurely experience and a faster A7x could just maybe replace my MFT cameras for social use as MFT cameras are lightening fast. But whilst a fast A7x could possibly replace my MFT kit for speed I'd lose the ability to have a very compact body and wide angle or long zoom lens, so I doubt I'll do it. My next camera is most likely going to be a Panny GX9.
 
woof woof said:
Calm Down :D

I doubt I'll be buying an A7III as it's mostly just GAS which I can often resist and as I keep saying my A7 does just about everything I need. The tempting things are the focus joystick, being able to shoot silently and speed... I say speed as when I use my A7 with AF lenses it's a rather leisurely experience and a faster A7x could just maybe replace my MFT cameras for social use as MFT cameras are lightening fast. But whilst a fast A7x could possibly replace my MFT kit for speed I'd lose the ability to have a very compact body and wide angle or long zoom lens, so I doubt I'll do it. My next camera is most likely going to be a Panny GX9.
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Sell the lot and get the Sony A7 III with some native glass, job done :D It's not GAS, its a logical step forwards..... :D
 
Riz_Guru said:
Sell the lot and get the Sony A7 III with some native glass, job done :D It's not GAS, its a logical step forwards..... :D
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Imagine the dealer conversation, do you sir have anything to trade in against your new purchase.........yes an A7 and 45 x 35mm lenses, 49 x 50mm lenses, 12 x 28mm and this assortment of focal lengths........ :D:D:D:D:D
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Imagine the dealer conversation, do you sir have anything to trade in against your new purchase.........yes an A7 and 45 x 35mm lenses, 49 x 50mm lenses, 12 x 28mm and this assortment of focal lengths........ :D:D:D:D:D
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lol :D hahahaha quality.
 
Riz_Guru said:
Sell the lot and get the Sony A7 III with some native glass, job done :D It's not GAS, its a logical step forwards..... :D
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Take a look at these size comparisons, A7x with wide and long lenses against MFT...

http://camerasize.com/compact/#770.96,724.440,770.347,724.581,ha,t

I like compact kit so I like the A7 with compact lenses for a compact body and lens combination but for wider and longer lenses the bulk increases and I'm happier using MFT for the wider and longer lenses. I can see the attraction and the quality but I'd rather keep my kit small and unobtrusive even if it means losing a bit of image quality.
 
Ok - event, action, street.

How does this setup sound? Plus a 1.4 TC?

2 x Sony A9

FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
FE 85mm F1.4 GM
Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA

The 35mm is physically a little big for street perhaps, maybe I need to throw in a decent pancake or similar?
 
Riz_Guru said:
the sensor read-out speeds are slower compared to the Sony A9, which in-turn makes them un-usable in any mid-high movement situations
Click to expand...

Really? Are you sure you're not just trying to justify having an A9 to shoot photographs of the inside of your camera cabinet? :rolleyes:
 
dancook said:
Ok - event, action, street.

How does this setup sound? Plus a 1.4 TC?

2 x Sony A9

FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
FE 85mm F1.4 GM
Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA

The 35mm is physically a little big for street perhaps, maybe I need to throw in a decent pancake or similar?
Click to expand...

By all accounts the A7iii AF is almost a carbon copy of the A9 performance (except for EVF blackout and 20fps) so why not get two of those? Apart from Riz, who likes to think the only way to shoot anything is at 20fps with no blackout, do you really need the A9 to shoot bread and butter events/weddings? Of course, it's your money and you're not exactly upgrading from your current kit in terms of cost but sometimes you don't actually gain anything from just buying the most expensive gear (as you've already said).
 
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dancook said:
Ok - event, action, street.

How does this setup sound? Plus a 1.4 TC?

2 x Sony A9

FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
FE 85mm F1.4 GM
Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA

The 35mm is physically a little big for street perhaps, maybe I need to throw in a decent pancake or similar?
Click to expand...

DROOL :D

The Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 and 35mm f2.8 are good choices for street as they are relatively small :)
 
dancook said:
Ok - event, action, street.

How does this setup sound? Plus a 1.4 TC?

2 x Sony A9

FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
FE 85mm F1.4 GM
Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA

The 35mm is physically a little big for street perhaps, maybe I need to throw in a decent pancake or similar?
Click to expand...

Make sure you get a good 35, they're very hit and miss.
 
Riz_Guru said:
It sure does, but just like the original A7R II and newer A7R III bodies, the sensor read-out speeds are slower compared to the Sony A9, which in-turn makes them un-usable in any mid-high movement situations. :)
The Sony A9's sensor read-out enables its electronic shutter to shoot at 20fps in most situations including action etc with minimal to no jello effects and/or banding.
Click to expand...

That’s just not true
 
stevelmx5 said:
By all accounts the A7iii AF is almost a carbon copy of the A9 performance (except for EVF blackout and 20fps) so why not get two of those? Apart from Riz, who likes to think the only way to shoot anything is at 20fps with no blackout, do you really need the A9 to shoot bread and butter events/weddings? Of course, it's your money and you're not exactly upgrading from your current kit in terms of value but sometimes you don't actually gain anything from just buying the most expensive gear,
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The Choir/Orchestral/Theater performances will all benefit from a silent shutter, it would be pretty nice for street, weddings and standard people event photography.

I'll also be shooting sport as well.
 
dancook said:
The Choir/Orchestral/Theater performances will all benefit from a silent shutter, it would be pretty nice for street, weddings and standard people event photography.

I'll also be shooting sport as well.
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As I said, it's your kit and only you can decide what it is you actually need so go for it. Maybe one day you can take as many great photographs as Riz takes ;0)
 
from my experience in using the a7r2 and a7s for silent shooting. its true in my case.

Maybe my two camera's had a defect?
 
dancook said:
The Choir/Orchestral/Theater performances will all benefit from a silent shutter, it would be pretty nice for street, weddings and standard people event photography.

I'll also be shooting sport as well.
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Then the A9 is the one. simple really. it ticks all the boxes you need more then a a7mk3 does.
 
stevelmx5 said:
As I said, it's your kit and only you can decide what it is you actually need so go for it. Maybe one day you can take as many great photographs as Riz takes ;0)
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I do appreciate the counter-arguments, and it is worthy of consideration.

I've considered the A7III if only for it's ability to fire flash at 10fps, and I think the A7III EVF performs much better at 8fps than the A9 does at 5fps using the mechanical shutter.
 
stevelmx5 said:
It's really not though :0) My lowly A7i doesn't have an 'unusable' EVF when shooting moving subjects.
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I suppose it comes down to how happy you are with certain features etc and at what cost these additional features cost.
The Sony A7 III is probably the best value vs performance body available but lets not kid ourselves, its no Sony A9, it won't be as good as the A9 when it comes to the speed and responsiveness of the AF system which can calculate AF/AE 60 times a second @ 20fps with no blackouts.
For most people the A7 III will be good enough, for those who want that final punch in performance the Sony A9 is available albeit it at considerable cost.

I haven't pre-ordered the Sony A7 III yet...... :D
 
dancook said:
I think he was saying that only the A9 can do silent shooting and action combined, since the rolling shutter affects every other camera including the A7III
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Correct and you tend to find more banding on the A7R II, not sure if Sony has fixed this on the A7R III and A7 III by incorporating their Anti-Flicker feature.
I have also used the Silent shutter on the Fuji XT-2, nothing comes close to the Sony A9, you can put it on Silent shutter mode and use it for almost anything. I say almost as you can't use it with flash. :D lol
 
Riz_Guru said:
I suppose it comes down to how happy you are with certain features etc and at what cost these additional features cost.
The Sony A7 III is probably the best value vs performance body available but lets not kid ourselves, its no Sony A9, it won't be as good as the A9 when it comes to the speed and responsiveness of the AF system which can calculate AF/AE 60 times a second @ 20fps with no blackouts.
For most people the A7 III will be good enough, for those who want that final punch in performance the Sony A9 is available albeit it at considerable cost.

I haven't pre-ordered the Sony A7 III yet...... :D
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You do make me laugh Riz. You always post as if you're regularly shooting portraits of Lewis Hamilton, in his car, as he drives past you at 200mph, in the dark, 1/2 mile away, so there's no way you could ever capture the definitive photograph without having £10k worth of gear. Anything else just isn't good enough. Of course, our gear choices are always a personal decision according to our requirements, but there really is a world of photographers who can capture equal or better photographs with a 10th of the kit.
 
stevelmx5 said:
You do make me laugh Riz. You always post as if you're regularly shooting portraits of Lewis Hamilton, in his car, as he drives past you at 200mph, in the dark, 1/2 mile away, so there's no way you could ever capture the definitive photograph without having £10k worth of gear. Anything else just isn't good enough. Of course, our gear choices are always a personal decision according to our requirements, but there really is a world of photographers who can capture equal or better photographs with a 10th of the kit.
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You do sound bitter? What's up man? relax. So what if riz spends 10k on gear jus to shoot cats. Does it matter?

Lol chill
 
stevelmx5 said:
You do make me laugh Riz. You always post as if you're regularly shooting portraits of Lewis Hamilton, in his car, as he drives past you at 200mph, in the dark, 1/2 mile away, so there's no way you could ever capture the definitive photograph without having £10k worth of gear. Anything else just isn't good enough. Of course, our gear choices are always a personal decision according to our requirements, but there really is a world of photographers who can capture equal or better photographs with a 10th of the kit.
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I agree....... I have seen some great photographs taken with a iPhone X.
I am a techie by nature, so if its the latest Sony body, Apple gear or a Car I end up lusting after it...... I will be the first to admit that my gear is more than I will probably ever need :D.
I won't be in this position forever though, with a growing family and the need for a bigger house... it will soon put a stop to the spending :D.
That being said, I am not finding any desire to buy anymore Sony gear just yet.....
 
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jonneymendoza said:
You do sound bitter? What's up man? relax. So what if riz spends 10k on gear jus to shoot cats. Does it matter?

Lol chill
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I’m already chill, just thought it’s funny.

I agree that everyone can buy what they like but I’m just pointing out that it doesn’t always mean it’s automatically the ‘best’ option for everyone. Case in point, Dan has bought probably more than £30k worth of Leica kit across 3 systems and isn’t truly happy with any of it. I was just highlighting that, and the fact that I’m not sure I’ve seen any photos taken by the fabled A9 from Riz either?
 
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