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

woof woof said:
There's a link in that review to the 29 best Sony e/fe mount lenses...

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/top-29-best-sony-e-fe-mount-lenses-2018-29886

Interestingly neither the 55mm f1.8 or 35mm f2.8 are included, I'd say that both are excellent and the 55mm f1.8 in particular is very good indeed and surely that and maybe the 35mm f2.8 too deserve to be included but what do I know.
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Stopped reading it when I saw the 24-70GM a few places higher than the 16-35GM - they must be on fricking drugs LOL
 
nandbytes said:
overall 24-70mm is probably a better "general" recommendation for a lens than 16-35mm. not everyone needs the UWA
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It says best lenses - the 24-70 is in no way better than the16-35.

Not sure how they can score something down as it is not as popular a focal length - surely it has to be reviewed on the technical aspects of the lens?
 
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Dave Semmens said:
It says best lenses - the 24-70 is in no way better than the16-35.

Not sure how they can score something down as it is not as popular a focal length - surely it has to be reviewed on the technical aspects of the lens?
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yeah "best" is probably the wrong word to use for that list. Its like saying "best" camera. There is no such thing as best camera or lenses. I certainly would not buy most of their top 10s lol
 
I have to admit to having a sweet spot for the 16-35mm f4 however the very compact size of these Samyang lenses are very appealing.

I like my Sigma Art 35mm however it is a little on the large side for general wandering about. I have been toying with the 35mm 2.8 for a while. However as I already have one 35mm already I’ve been reluctant. Although I can see the 35mm and 55mm to be a nice small day to day set up. 35mm for general and 55 when I want to get a bit closer. I had also been thinking of ditching the primes and getting the 24-105. Damn the Sony GAS
 
woof woof said:
There's a link in that review to the 29 best Sony e/fe mount lenses...

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/top-29-best-sony-e-fe-mount-lenses-2018-29886

Interestingly neither the 55mm f1.8 or 35mm f2.8 are included, I'd say that both are excellent and the 55mm f1.8 in particular is very good indeed and surely that and maybe the 35mm f2.8 too deserve to be included but what do I know.
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Odd they they don't list either the Sony Zeiss 50mm f1.4 or the Zeiss Loxia 21mm. I guess that there are a lot of factors that go into the mix when evaluating a lens. I think that both of those lenses are right up there
 
Hi all i am looking at an ipad or ipad pro for travelling with. The main use for a tablet is to watch and consume movies offline, browse the net, maybe play a few games here and there and to also view raws and maybe make use of lightroom mobile.

My question is, can the ipad pro/normal one be able to connect to an external hdd or even an sd card reader?
 
jonneymendoza said:
Hi all i am looking at an ipad or ipad pro for travelling with. The main use for a tablet is to watch and consume movies offline, browse the net, maybe play a few games here and there and to also view raws and maybe make use of lightroom mobile.

My question is, can the ipad pro/normal one be able to connect to an external hdd or even an sd card reader?
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SD > Lighting adaptor

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MJYT2ZM/A/lightning-to-sd-card-camera-reader
 
jonneymendoza said:
cool i just saw. can you stream content through it thoug or do you have to transfer any videos across?

Also, is there also an adapter to connect the ipad pro to a hdmi connected hdTV for watching in full screen mode?
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No, you can only copy images directly from it to the iPad. You can't stream from a directly connected storage media. Alternatively, if you want to stream video, you can use a wifi drive.

Same site (Apple)

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MD826ZM/A/lightning-digital-av-adapter
 
jonneymendoza said:
Hi all i am looking at an ipad or ipad pro for travelling with. The main use for a tablet is to watch and consume movies offline, browse the net, maybe play a few games here and there and to also view raws and maybe make use of lightroom mobile.

My question is, can the ipad pro/normal one be able to connect to an external hdd or even an sd card reader?
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That's a really weird coincidence , I've just spent the last 2 hours comparing different systems and I've decided on the Ipad Pro 12.9 inch. I'm going to go to the nearest Apple store to try out the Lightroom Mobile capability although I've probably seen enough on Youtube to convince me. I shall then probably get one from Apple Refurb.
 
I've just spent a happy half an hour testing my Nikon pre ai 50mm f2 :D

The scene. I might try a brick wall but wanted something with a bit of depth because real pictures normally have a bit :D

DSC00563.jpg

It's ok across the screen at f2 but with some vignetting and softness at the very edges and in the very corners which are also way out of the dof. Things improve at f2.8 and it's sharp across the frame at f4. The sweet spot seems to be f11. One day when I have time I'd like to compare all of my decades old lenses with the same subject and lighting conditions but that wont be today. They're all useable though and that's what matters.

Whole picture and then a 100% centre crop at f5.6.

DSC00538.jpg

DSC00538-C.jpg

I really like these old Nikon's. They're very well made, they feel lovely and they're useable wide open and even if the bokeh is a little wild with the wrong subject it soon settles when stopping down.
 
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I may do that tomorrow and pop down the apple store and get the 512gb 10inch one
footman said:
That's a really weird coincidence , I've just spent the last 2 hours comparing different systems and I've decided on the Ipad Pro 12.9 inch. I'm going to go to the nearest Apple store to try out the Lightroom Mobile capability although I've probably seen enough on Youtube to convince me. I shall then probably get one from Apple Refurb.
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I'm just watching Trump and Kim on the TV news and the machine gunning DSLR's caught my attention... It's time these guys went mirrorless if only so they can shoot silently at moments like this. Maybe in a few years time not hearing the machine gunning of DSLR's in news reports will be the norm, and it'll be for the better IMO.
 
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woof woof said:
I've just spent a happy half an hour testing my Nikon pre ai 50mm f2 :D

The scene. I might try a brick wall but wanted something with a bit of depth because real pictures normally have a bit :D

View attachment 128474

It's ok across the screen at f2 but with some vignetting and softness at the very edges and in the very corners which are also way out of the dof. Things improve at f2.8 and it's sharp across the frame at f4. The sweet spot seems to be f11. One day when I have time I'd like to compare all of my decades old lenses with the same subject and lighting conditions but that wont be today. They're all useable though and that's what matters.

Whole picture and then a 100% centre crop at f5.6.

View attachment 128475

View attachment 128472

I really like these old Nikon's. They're very well made, they feel lovely and they're useable wide open and even if the bokeh is a little wild with the wrong subject it soon settles when stopping down.
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Seems a bit extreme for a 50/2 to have a sweet spot of F11? I wouldn't expect it to be at its' best wide open but maybe F2.8-4 but obviously you won't get sharpness across the frame at that aperture (as you wouldn't with any lens).
 
stevelmx5 said:
Seems a bit extreme for a 50/2 to have a sweet spot of F11? I wouldn't expect it to be at its' best wide open but maybe F2.8-4 but obviously you won't get sharpness across the frame at that aperture (as you wouldn't with any lens).
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Dunno what you mean Steve.

By sweet spot I meant sharpness across the frame which is often a couple of stops down from wide open with modern lenses. With these mass market older lenses it's common for them to be at their sharpest across the frame when stopped down a little more than a more modern lens, maybe, probably etc...

I'd expect a lens like this to be at it's best for across the frame performance at anything between f5.6 to f11 with maybe f2.8-4 being more modern lens territory? Maybe? But I don't know what you mean by having a sweet spot at f2.8-4 and not being sharp across the frame. Something like the Sony 55mm f1.8 is sharp across the frame very quickly but I can't remember at what aperture. These older lenses are nowhere near that level and I'm sure I have some that perform very well indeed across the frame at f5.6-8, relatively very well that is until you compare them to something like the 55mm f1.8.

I'd agree that f11 is maybe a little far and f5.6 to 8 might have been better but it is what it is and I'm pretty sure it's not the only old lens like this.

I've just Googled for review of this lens but I haven't spotted any that help much, one said it's at it's best f5.6-11. I'd say that mine is good across the frame at f5.6, better at f8 and at its best at f11. At f16 it's lost a bit which isn't too surprising. I might check it against my other 50's sometime. With this one anything between f5.6-11 is fine except when pixel peeping at 100%. IMO.
 
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woof woof said:
I'm just watching Trump and Kim on the TV news and the machine gunning DSLR's caught my attention... It's time these guys went mirrorless if only so they can shoot silently at moments like this. Maybe in a few years time not hearing the machine gunning of DSLR's in news reports will be the norm, and it'll be for the better IMO.
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I shot silent in an engagement shoot for a bit and they wondered if I was taking any photos, I explained and carried on, then after a while they told me to turn it back on, they prefer the noise of the shutter.

I can see an advantage if a silent shutter but in instances where people expects that noise, sometimes they end up wanting the noise.

At least in my limited real world experience.

So when a couple of politicians posing for photos, if it’s complete silence, they might not know at all (at least without flash) any shots are taken.
 
woof woof said:
Dunno what you mean Steve.

By sweet spot I meant sharpness across the frame which is often a couple of stops down from wide open with modern lenses. With these mass market older lenses it's common for them to be at their sharpest across the frame when stopped down a little more than a more modern lens, maybe, probably etc...

I'd expect a lens like this to be at it's best for across the frame performance at anything between f5.6 to f11 with maybe f2.8-4 being more modern lens territory? Maybe? But I don't know what you mean by having a sweet spot at f2.8-4 and not being sharp across the frame. Something like the Sony 55mm f1.8 is sharp across the frame very quickly but I can't remember at what aperture. These older lenses are nowhere near that level and I'm sure I have some that perform very well indeed across the frame at f5.6-8, relatively very well that is until you compare them to something like the 55mm f1.8.

I'd agree that f11 is maybe a little far and f5.6 to 8 might have been better but it is what it is and I'm pretty sure it's not the only old lens like this.

I've just Googled for review of this lens but I haven't spotted any that help much, one said it's at it's best f5.6-11. I'd say that mine is good across the frame at f5.6, better at f8 and at its best at f11. At f16 it's lost a bit which isn't too surprising. I might check it against my other 50's sometime. With this one anything between f5.6-11 is fine except when pixel peeping at 100%. IMO.
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When I say that a lens wouldn't be sharp across the frame at 2.8 I mean because of shallow depth of field in real world use. That is, a 50mm lens is more commonly used as a portrait focal length (although yes, any lens can be used for landscape of course!) so would generally be shot at wider apertures. If you shoot a portrait, for example, at F2.8-4, you're going to get sharpness falloff at the edges with even modern lenses due to physics, not necessarily due to the lens quality.
 
I can see your point but with mirrorless you can have a bleep and maybe set the volume? At the Trump/Kim interview / photo op they were talking and I thought the shutter sound was a bit too loud and distracting. You'll see it on the news if you haven't already.

I can shoot silently with MFT and no one has ever asked me to turn the sound up. Maybe some are more used to silent or at least quieter cameras than your lot at the enguagement.
 
stevelmx5 said:
When I say that a lens wouldn't be sharp across the frame at 2.8 I mean because of shallow depth of field in real world use. That is, a 50mm lens is more commonly used as a portrait focal length (although yes, any lens can be used for landscape of course!) so would generally be shot at wider apertures. If you shoot a portrait, for example, at F2.8-4, you're going to get sharpness falloff at the edges with even modern lenses due to physics, not necessarily due to the lens quality.
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Ah sort of see what you mean and in that case older lenses are IMO very often good enough at f2.8-4 in the main subject sort of area as is this one. Looking across the frame to stopped down is still valid as these areas will obviously still be a part of the image and I have to remember what works :D and with the way out of the dof bits you will still be able to form an opinion based on how the detail falls away and aberrations and general lens design weirdness take over :D That's something that's completely different when looking at something like the 55mm f1.8, that is simply excellent.

I just wanted to do a quick test and although not a brick wall that shot gave me a chance to check performance across much of the frame not just in the central main subject areas. I'll take some picture of Mrs WW from wide open to min aperture and see what looks best and decide if wide open where lenses like this are most unique is a definite no no except in emergencies :D

These small old lenses and indeed similarly designed modern lenses like the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 aren't going to give the buttery bokeh a large modern lens like an art or GM will give at the widest apertures and with an unfriendly scene they can give a look that's rather characterful :D but that's part of the appeal and is to an extent tamed as you stop down. I do tend to see these old lenses as dual personality lenses as at their widest apertures you often get the funkiness you might expect and love or hate but stopped down they are very often just nice lenses :D I can't imagine anyone other than an extreme nerd (er, ok that's us :D) complaining about most of the old lenses I have once they're stopped down a bit.
 
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Second shooter over the weekend just passed, never done weddings before, really enjoyed it. Sony A7iii and 85FE 1.8 worked together beautifully and used silent shutter along with eye AF and spot, not once did I have AF issues and some of the shots it nailed were incredibly tough, sensor performance top notch and I shot in EXTREME backlight in some cases. Also flicked between APSC crop at times to get some more reach which was nice.

What a superb camera.
 
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F/1.4 said:
Just bought the meike grip from Amazon. Anyone here use it ?
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Yes have had one for around a week. No issues from my perspective so far. Haven't had a Sony official one before so haven't got any comparison to the official one.

Have had meike ones before on Canon DSLRs though and never had any issues with them previously either
 
mike_6480 said:
Yes have had one for around a week. No issues from my perspective so far. Haven't had a Sony official one before so haven't got any comparison to the official one.

Have had meike ones before on Canon DSLRs though and never had any issues with them previously either
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Can the remote be used to trigger the camera without having the grip attached
 
twist said:
Second shooter over the weekend just passed, never done weddings before, really enjoyed it. Sony A7iii and 85FE 1.8 worked together beautifully and used silent shutter along with eye AF and spot, not once did I have AF issues and some of the shots it nailed were incredibly tough, sensor performance top notch and I shot in EXTREME backlight in some cases. Also flicked between APSC crop at times to get some more reach which was nice.

What a superb camera.
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How many batteries did you go through?
 
Raymond Lin said:
How many batteries did you go through?
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Still had remaining life on the first (Took about 400 shots). I couldn't stay the whole day, I did some location stuff and to exchange of vows where main tog did his thing as I wanted to stay out the way, then did confetti, drinks outside and finally back in for speeches and dinner. Then I made a move home.

It was a taster for me as Ive always been nervous about weddings for some reason.
 
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twist said:
Second shooter over the weekend just passed, never done weddings before, really enjoyed it. Sony A7iii and 85FE 1.8 worked together beautifully and used silent shutter along with eye AF and spot, not once did I have AF issues and some of the shots it nailed were incredibly tough, sensor performance top notch and I shot in EXTREME backlight in some cases. Also flicked between APSC crop at times to get some more reach which was nice.

What a superb camera.
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So your not gunna sell it?
 
F/1.4 said:
Can you use it to shoot exposures longer than 30 seconds ?
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Yes if you put the camera into bulb mode (ie manual and then make it longer than 30" so says bulb).

Then you hold down the remote button for approx 3 seconds and can then let go. The remote will then show long long the exposure has been going for. You then press the remote again to stop the exposure
 
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