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

nandbytes said:
Being a "new" mirrorless system this is where Sony lacks. Probably because there is less of a market for it so it's one of the last things to get addressed.
But from what I gathered light was more of an issue then reach. So you'd benefit more from likes of 200mm f2 than a 300mm f2.8?
If you can get closer then the 135mm f1.8 would also give you fair bit more light.
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Sorry for lack of clarity, I'm mixing up two concert scenarios..

The school hall where I shoot 70-200 2.8, I can skirt around the edges - a zoom is needed really as students go from middle to edge - even if I found the 135 1.8 / 200 2.0 to work for some shots, since I can end up shooting portraits of every student performing from near to far, without being able to move much - then a zoom is convenient.

The g-live concert/event hall where I originally shot 100-400 4-5.6 because the hall is bigger and I'm positioned further away - this is when I had the original 'no noise' request... which when you're 400mm @ 5.6 indoors with shutter speeds needed it's understandable the ISO might have peaked. This is where my predecessors 300mm 2.8 would have coped better

Ah and that 400mm 2.8 would be nice for the sport I shoot, particularly when it comes to winter afternoons..

Working with a set of fast telephoto primes when a zoom is needed would be cumbersome and very expensive, having better bodies benefits every shoot.
 
dancook said:
Sorry for lack of clarity, I'm mixing up two concert scenarios..

The school hall where I shoot 70-200 2.8, I can skirt around the edges - a zoom is needed really as students go from middle to edge - even if I found the 135 1.8 / 200 2.0 to work for some shots, since I can end up shooting portraits of every student performing from near to far, without being able to move much - then a zoom is convenient.

The g-live concert/event hall where I originally shot 100-400 4-5.6 because the hall is bigger and I'm positioned further away - this is when I had the original 'no noise' request... which when you're 400mm @ 5.6 indoors with shutter speeds needed it's understandable the ISO might have peaked. This is where my predecessors 300mm 2.8 would have coped better

Ah and that 400mm 2.8 would be nice for the sport I shoot, particularly when it comes to winter afternoons..

Working with a set of fast telephoto primes when a zoom is needed would be cumbersome and very expensive, having better bodies benefits every shoot.
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You seem to be want to use mirrorless systems only which kinda makes things hard to suggest.

So the lens that seems perfect for your scenario is the sigma 120-300mm f2.8 sport, add a 1.4x TC for a bit more reach when you want it.

You can use it on Sony with mc-11 or one is the canon mirrorless with their adapters. Not sure if either or both will do what you want in terms of tracking though.

If your are willing to go with DSLR you have options like 1Dxii or D850 with that lens.
 
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dancook said:
Working with a set of fast telephoto primes when a zoom is needed would be cumbersome and very expensive, having better bodies benefits every shoot.
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Going by DXO the ISO performance of the A9 is one of the best, so I'm not sure there is a better body really.
Screenshot 2021-01-02 at 10.18.56.png


That being said, if you look at the ISO comparison site the Canon 1Dx-III looks a smidge better to me. The Sony A7S-III looks the best of the lot, but then I don't know how good the AF is on that, and of course it's much lower megapixels. These are extreme ISO's to highlight any differences because at 6400 it's minimal

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The R5 looks the worst of the lot to me

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nandbytes said:
How are you finding the tamron?
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It nice. I like the innovation with the size and weight. Worlds apart from a traditional 70-200 in that regard.

Only negative is the lack of IS. I’m not sure how many stops of is stability is gained through the ibis, but it doesn’t feel like it’s as much as a typical lens with IS. Very early days as I’ve not shot an awful lot with it to give a fair assessment. I’m a little skeptical about the weather sealing but only based on previous older Tamron zooms.
 
snerkler said:
Going by DXO the ISO performance of the A9 is one of the best, so I'm not sure there is a better body really.
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having seen that the ISO looks better on the Canon R5 which is a higher MP body, it gives me hope that the A9III with a likely higher MP sensor will have the same or better ISO handling as the Canon R5.

Will see what the new year brings, hopefully work to pay for it too :D
 
nandbytes said:
You seem to be want to use mirrorless systems only which kinda makes things hard to suggest.

So the lens that seems perfect for your scenario is the sigma 120-300mm f2.8 sport, add a 1.4x TC for a bit more reach when you want it.

You can use it on Sony with mc-11 or one is the canon mirrorless with their adapters. Not sure if either or both will do what you want in terms of tracking though.

If your are willing to go with DSLR you have options like 1Dxii or D850 with that lens.
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No chance i'm going 'backwards' :D from mirrorless to dslr..

it's ok I've been doing well with what I have, i'm feeling better about the A9III now that I've seen the Canon R5 comparisons

"it's got to beeeeeeee perfect"
 
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addicknchips said:
It nice. I like the innovation with the size and weight. Worlds apart from a traditional 70-200 in that regard.

Only negative is the lack of IS. I’m not sure how many stops of is stability is gained through the ibis, but it doesn’t feel like it’s as much as a typical lens with IS. Very early days as I’ve not shot an awful lot with it to give a fair assessment. I’m a little skeptical about the weather sealing but only based on previous older Tamron zooms.
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Recently had my tamron 28-200mm fully drenched while I waited to some shots without people in it. I ended up having to wait till it rained so people left!
So I'd say the 70-180mm is probably alright too.
 
dancook said:
having seen that the ISO looks better on the Canon R5 which is a higher MP body, it gives me hope that the A9III with a likely higher MP sensor will have the same or better ISO handling as the Canon R5.

Will see what the new year brings, hopefully work to pay for it too :D
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I'm not sure it does tbh?

Screenshot 2021-01-02 at 12.43.21 by TDG-77, on Flickr
 
dancook said:
No chance i'm going 'backwards' :D from mirrorless to dslr..

it's ok I've been doing well with what I have, i'm feeling better about the A9III now that I've seen the Canon R5 comparisons

"it's got to beeeeeeee perfect"
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I wouldn't go that far.... R5 isn't perfect by any means. Unlike A9 where difference in dynamic range is minimal between electronic shutter and mechanical shutter there is a big difference in dynamic rage and also ISO performance between electronic shutter and mechanical shutter in R5. I wouldn't use R5 in electronic shutter mode but I'd happily shoot A9 in electronic shutter vast majority of the time.
If Sony can get over that limitation with a high res sensor that'd be pretty amazing but we'll see...
 
dancook said:
why is mine so different to yours? the R5 has greater clarity and smaller noise

View attachment 304076

Oh you had a different lighting option chosen -so it's just that the colour turns blue in shadows -

it's not blue in 12,800

View attachment 304077
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Weird, the R5 looks better on that example, but when I view the website on Mac the A9 arguably looks better, which goes with the DXO scores. Either way, is it a difference worth swapping systems for, and losing a bunch of cash in the process?
Screenshot 2021-01-02 at 17.00.34 by TDG-77, on Flickr
 
snerkler said:
Weird, the R5 looks better on that example, but when I view the website on Mac the A9 arguably looks better, which goes with the DXO scores. Either way, is it a difference worth swapping systems for, and losing a bunch of cash in the process?
Screenshot 2021-01-02 at 17.00.34 by TDG-77, on Flickr
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No it's not, I did say that it gives me more hope in the rumoured higher resolution sony a9 III
 
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snerkler said:
Not meaning to burst your bubble but I wouldn't expect too much, the A7SIII is supposed to be the ISO monster but is it any better?
Screenshot 2021-01-02 at 17.12.34 by TDG-77, on Flickr
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I saw, and I was like.. wtf.. - seriously what's wrong?

Shame they haven't got the Leica SL2-S to compare to

i'll be happy when i can take noiseless action shots in pitchblack
 
dancook said:
I saw, and I was like.. wtf.. - seriously what's wrong?

Shame they haven't got the Leica SL2-S to compare to

i'll be happy when i can take noiseless action shots in pitchblack
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I think we've peaked in terms of ISO performance tbh, nothing seems to be drastically better than the next and from what I can gather they're starting to 'fudge' it by adding processing to the raw files to improve noise. It wouldn't surprise me if we can't get a true raw file in the future. Apple are working on raw for the iPhone (I think originally they call it AppleRaw ;)) and it has jpeg style processing but is still a 'raw' file. TBH I wouldn't mind if some manufacturers did this, I really like the Nikon jpeg reds for example and could never re-create them exactly with raw via a personalised Lightroom preset.
 
You're surely going to want to use something like Topaz once you're at an ISO where that coloured noise appears, so you might as well get any of those cameras because to my eyes none of the screenshots above make one camera look any better than the other. The Canon looks the noisiest by a fraction, but tbh, they all look too noisy to live with.
 
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addicknchips said:
Sigma 300mm f2.8 on the a7r4. Heavy, heavy fog.

I love this lens. It doesn’t work anywhere as well as it does on the r6 but being able to crop in at the touch of a button is really handy.View attachment 304119
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That is main draw of RF mount for me, adapted EF telephotos seem to work really well unlike on Sony.
Have you used this lens or such a lens on a canon DSLR? If so how would you say AF compares on R6?
 
I took the tube to Kings Cross/St Pancras yesterday and today. Just stayed around the station. Snapped these.
I think this guy got fed up trying to find the entrance. :LOL:

Sleeping.jpg


And this guy, well, he's out of use. :D

Out-of-use-2.jpg
 
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Merlin5 said:
I took the tube to Kings Cross/St Pancras yesterday and today. Just stayed around the station. Snapped these.
I think this guy got fed up trying to find the entrance. [emoji38]

Sleeping.jpg


And this guy, well, he's out of use. :D

Out-of-use-2.jpg
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I don't really want to give you a hard time, but is there a reason why you're going to a potentially crowded enclosed environment that's in tier 4 lockdown? Go for a walk and take pictures in local parks, sure, but right now this is the wrong place to be.

IIRC we had a thread about this only a couple of weeks ago. Sorry not to be encouraging.
 
nandbytes said:
That is main draw of RF mount for me, adapted EF telephotos seem to work really well unlike on Sony.
Have you used this lens or such a lens on a canon DSLR? If so how would you say AF compares on R6?
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I’ve used the Nikon mount version on the d610 and d810 but not a canon dslr. But it worked brilliantly on the R6.

Just seemed to work really well with all the mirrorless af advantages and ibis too. Obviously dslr you’re limited to the focus cluster etc
 
ancient_mariner said:
I don't really want to give you a hard time, but is there a reason why you're going to a potentially crowded enclosed environment that's in tier 4 lockdown? Go for a walk and take pictures in local parks, sure, but right now this is the wrong place to be.

IIRC we had a thread about this only a couple of weeks ago. Sorry not to be encouraging.
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There was way more social distancing between me and everyone else today than when I go to my local supermarket, and way less people around than in my local supermarket or just the high streets, or even the local public exercise areas. I stayed 15 minutes or so and went straight home. I won't go out anymore though and I'll stick to local walks and parks.
 
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ancient_mariner said:
I don't really want to give you a hard time, but is there a reason why you're going to a potentially crowded enclosed environment that's in tier 4 lockdown? Go for a walk and take pictures in local parks, sure, but right now this is the wrong place to be.

IIRC we had a thread about this only a couple of weeks ago. Sorry not to be encouraging.
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Maybe he used a 400mm prime?
 
ancient_mariner said:
I don't really want to give you a hard time, but is there a reason why you're going to a potentially crowded enclosed environment that's in tier 4 lockdown? Go for a walk and take pictures in local parks, sure, but right now this is the wrong place to be.

IIRC we had a thread about this only a couple of weeks ago. Sorry not to be encouraging.
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Thought I heard on the radio there are no trains running into and out of Kings Cross at the moment due to engineering work, however personally I wouldn't get on a dirty tube train right now, in fact i've walked from Waterloo to St Pancras to avoid the tube before.
 
nandbytes said:
That is main draw of RF mount for me, adapted EF telephotos seem to work really well unlike on Sony.
Have you used this lens or such a lens on a canon DSLR? If so how would you say AF compares on R6?
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I’ve stuck with canon for this reason as I have several 200 2, 300 & 400 2.8 and 600 4. I did try adapting to Sony but the experience was not great. The really big advantages for me of the R5, and I think R6 is the same, is having eye AF tracking plus and animal tracking mode too and the in body stabilization. Compared with the DSLR like 1DXM2 and 5DM4 the R5 is producing close to 100% sharp vs 85-90%. Maybe it’s not as good as Sony, but I’m happy the telephotos are working well.
 
The snow was on the wane by the time we got out but we enjoyed it until it poured down and we got soaked :D

A7 and Voigtlander 35mm f1.4, both of which got soaked. We met lots of people and dogs.

XbxiD0m.jpg


So the deal is when you throw snowballs at me I have to stand still but when I throw snowballs at you you can move? Err... Ok...

kXkOYe6.jpg


f2.

Ivy02BU.jpg


oh er, there's a lot of banding in that one which isn't visible on the original on my pc. Oh well, you'll have to take my word for it.

I always visit and take a moment.

AT8G6qg.jpg


I only lost one shot to the weather as when pointing the camera up the lens got spattered with rain and the next shot had a big blob in it.
 
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PS. Not Sony related...
Mrs WW was taking to one of her mates on the computer today, just before we set out, and I had a quick chat. I've not met or even seen her before on the pc but yet again I was looking at a stunning young woman who's never married. Apparently this is very common in Thailand now. I've met a lot of her mates through work (that's how we met) and there's just stunner after stunner and so many are single. I keep joking that if they come to the UK we'll find them a boyfriend within an hour :D
 
newbie1 said:
I’ve stuck with canon for this reason as I have several 200 2, 300 & 400 2.8 and 600 4. I did try adapting to Sony but the experience was not great. The really big advantages for me of the R5, and I think R6 is the same, is having eye AF tracking plus and animal tracking mode too and the in body stabilization. Compared with the DSLR like 1DXM2 and 5DM4 the R5 is producing close to 100% sharp vs 85-90%. Maybe it’s not as good as Sony, but I’m happy the telephotos are working well.
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That's a line up and a half! I personally would never own as much (at least not till I start making money from it). I was thinking more along the lines for a used 500mm f4 and/or sigma 120-300mm/2.8.
For animals I'd say R5 is better than any Sony I have used. The A9/ii is better in general for subject tracking but that's not the kinda body I'm after.
The main issue with RF mount is the lenses or the lack thereof and now lack of a small body like A7C.

I expect one of the two things to happen.... Sony will update their bodies to match canon's animal AF and some 3rd parties will provide nice cheaper telephotos.
OR 3rd parties will start making glass for RF mount and I will switch.
 
nandbytes said:
That's a line up and a half! I personally would never own as much (at least not till I start making money from it). I was thinking more along the lines for a used 500mm f4 and/or sigma 120-300mm/2.8.
For animals I'd say R5 is better than any Sony I have used. The A9/ii is better in general for subject tracking but that's not the kinda body I'm after.
The main issue with RF mount is the lenses or the lack thereof and now lack of a small body like A7C.

I expect one of the two things to happen.... Sony will update their bodies to match canon's animal AF and some 3rd parties will provide nice cheaper telephotos.
OR 3rd parties will start making glass for RF mount and I will switch.
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I’ve collected them over several years mostly second hand. I’m making more money with filming than photography in recent times. Still it pays for the kit. I don’t have any RF lenses, the EF ones appear to be behaving natively and better than with the DSLRs due to the improved AF.
 
I think im going to get the Sony 20 f1.8, of jump at the Voigtlander 21 f1.4 only the price difference is too much.
The Sony for £759 Vs the Voigtlander for £1,148.
 
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