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

[Tatts]

I must have dreamt it when they price matched my A7C, and A7R, 24-70f4, 35f2.8.

Did I say otherwise? I have spent a fortune there, R5, 2x R4, R3, A7iii and god knows how many lenses, I get the same generic reply that I'll add to the bottom of the reply.

I hate it when people say such-and-such never happens, or always happens, when in reality they can only go off their own experience.

Please show me where I said such and such never happens? Do you feel better now you've used the bold font? I think if you bother to read it I said they have never price matched anything for me. Jeez.

I have three emails from last week trying to get price matches on various kit, none of them got matched just offered a discount but you already knew this right.


Dear mr tattersall,

Thanks for your email. Sorry, we're unable to price match, as we offer a 3 year UK warranty coverage.

The best price we can offer is 2520 GBP. We estimate delivery to take 7-14 business days. Would you be interested?

For more about us, please visit our FAQ:

https://panamoz.com/index.php/faq/

Please don't hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Tina
Customer Support
Panamoz.com

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

I have three emails from last week trying to get price matches on various kit, none of them got matched just offered a discount but you already knew this right.


Dear mr tattersall,

Thanks for your email. Sorry, we're unable to price match, as we offer a 3 year UK warranty coverage.

The best price we can offer is 2520 GBP. We estimate delivery to take 7-14 business days. Would you be interested?

For more about us, please visit our FAQ:

https://panamoz.com/index.php/faq/

Please don't hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Tina
Customer Support
Panamoz.com

I've received the same emails each time I've asked them to price match....

 

[nandbytes]

They obviously have favourites. May be try a different name like Dave and see if it makes a difference

 

[Tatts]

I've received the same emails each time I've asked them to price match....

I have a few emails going back years with the same thing but I always use them as the warranty is much better. I always know they wont match it but still, it's money off

 

[Tatts]

They obviously have favourites. May be try a different name like Dave and see if it makes a difference

With the amount of money I've spent there I want freebies not a price match

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

It will be easier to sell down the line

How come?

 

[wookie6262]

Another session with the new to me A7R IV. It still feels very foreign to me as did the Z6 I tried for a few weeks and may go back to. I love the EVF until things start moving and then it feels a bit foreign. Not sure I have an understanding of how to set it up best for dog shots. I'll keep plugging away though it as does seem to focus quickly.

Anyways, here is one I was pleased with. Not my Black Lab but her "boyfriend" as my daughter calls him. One of a good few dogs who are part of the morning pack whose owners my wife is pals with.

 

[robj20]

Another session with the new to me A7R IV. It still feels very foreign to me as did the Z6 I tried for a few weeks and may go back to. I love the EVF until things start moving and then it feels a bit foreign. Not sure I have an understanding of how to set it up best for dog shots. I'll keep plugging away though it as does seem to focus quickly.

Anyways, here is one I was pleased with. Not my Black Lab but her "boyfriend" as my daughter calls him. One of a good few dogs who are part of the morning pack whose owners my wife is pals with.

Not the best for animals really I think, it lacks continual animal eye AF doesn't it?

But definitely with Sony cameras there are a lot of settings you need to make to get the cameras to work the way you want them to.

 

[wookie6262]

Not the best for animals really I think, it lacks continual animal eye AF doesn't it?

But definitely with Sony cameras there are a lot of settings you need to make to get the cameras to work the way you want them to.

It has animal eye AF in AF-C. Seems to work as human eye AF barring with the last AF option of tracking. It works in Wide areas and smaller areas well though. I'm hoping to get the 100-400mm GM soon and try out the focus speed on the GM lens. I have the 24-70 and that is lightning quick. My dog lens is the Tamron 70-180mm which is really good but perhaps it doesn't quite cut the mustard in terms of Af-c. I need it due to the size though so will work round it

 

[nandbytes]

It has animal eye AF in AF-C. Seems to work as human eye AF barring with the last AF option of tracking. It works in Wide areas and smaller areas well though. I'm hoping to get the 100-400mm GM soon and try out the focus speed on the GM lens. I have the 24-70 and that is lightning quick. My dog lens is the Tamron 70-180mm which is really good but perhaps it doesn't quite cut the mustard in terms of Af-c. I need it due to the size though so will work round it

I gave up on animal eyeAF on A7RIV. just isn't reliable enough or even accurate enough.

Stick it in real-time AF with something like medium flexible spot, AF-C and track your subject. Works pretty well for birds. I imagine it'll work well enough for dogs too.

 

[wookie6262]

I gave up on animal eyeAF on A7RIV. just isn't reliable enough or even accurate enough.

Stick it in real-time AF with something like medium flexible spot, AF-C and track your subject. Works pretty well for birds. I imagine it'll work well enough for dogs too.

Thanks, That may well be the way forward. From what I can read that is similar to 3d tracking on my D850 in that I focus on the point I wish tracked and then the camera takes over.

 

[nandbytes]

Thanks, That may well be the way forward. From what I can read that is similar to 3d tracking on my D850 in that I focus on the point I wish tracked and then the camera takes over.

yep basically it
And if it finds a human eye(s) it'll focus on that otherwise it will continue to track as normal.
A7RIV doesn't extend that functionality to animal eyes, my A7C does but tbh I haven't found it to be particular as effective as it is for humans anyway.

 

[snerkler]

Another session with the new to me A7R IV. It still feels very foreign to me as did the Z6 I tried for a few weeks and may go back to. I love the EVF until things start moving and then it feels a bit foreign. Not sure I have an understanding of how to set it up best for dog shots. I'll keep plugging away though it as does seem to focus quickly.

Anyways, here is one I was pleased with. Not my Black Lab but her "boyfriend" as my daughter calls him. One of a good few dogs who are part of the morning pack whose owners my wife is pals with.

What do you mean when you say the evf feels a bit foreign with moving subjects?

It has animal eye AF in AF-C. Seems to work as human eye AF barring with the last AF option of tracking. It works in Wide areas and smaller areas well though. I'm hoping to get the 100-400mm GM soon and try out the focus speed on the GM lens. I have the 24-70 and that is lightning quick. My dog lens is the Tamron 70-180mm which is really good but perhaps it doesn't quite cut the mustard in terms of Af-c. I need it due to the size though so will work round it

From my experience the A7RIV is good at tracking side to side but with things coming towards the camera, particularly dogs running at full tilt hit rate is pretty low, back focussing a lot, and that’s with the 100-400mm GM too

I gave up on animal eyeAF on A7RIV. just isn't reliable enough or even accurate enough.

Stick it in real-time AF with something like medium flexible spot, AF-C and track your subject. Works pretty well for birds. I imagine it'll work well enough for dogs too.

Animal eye-AF is great if they’re not moving much, otherwise it’s not great from my experience.

 

[addicknchips]

What do you mean when you say the evf feels a bit foreign with moving subjects?
From my experience the A7RIV is good at tracking side to side but with things coming towards the camera, particularly dogs running at full tilt hit rate is pretty low, back focussing a lot, and that’s with the 100-400mm GM too
Animal eye-AF is great if they’re not moving much, otherwise it’s not great from my experience.

I was really disappointed with the r4 focus system.
I found the animal eye af pretty useless and soon turned it off. Subject tracking was really good until its with fast moving subjects. The focus system seemed to want to hit my dogs ears, arse, tail or legs. Anything but the face.

 

[nandbytes]

Animal eye-AF is great if they’re not moving much, otherwise it’s not great from my experience.

If they are not moving then I can nail them with MF too, not a great testament for animal eyeAF is it

 

[snerkler]

I was really disappointed with the r4 focus system.
I found the animal eye af pretty useless and soon turned it off. Subject tracking was really good until its with fast moving subjects. The focus system seemed to want to hit my dogs ears, arse, tail or legs. Anything but the face.

That’s what I’ve found too. I have contemplated swapping the R4 for the A9-II but I ‘need’ the high mp for cropping.

 

[nandbytes]

I was really disappointed with the r4 focus system.
I found the animal eye af pretty useless and soon turned it off. Subject tracking was really good until its with fast moving subjects. The focus system seemed to want to hit my dogs ears, arse, tail or legs. Anything but the face.

Part of the reason I'd like to move to R5 but it's lacking (good) glass and where's not lacking in lack glass I am lacking money to afford them

 

[snerkler]

If they are not moving then I can nail them with MF too, not a great testament for animal eyeAF is it

Well it’s quick and reliable

 

[snerkler]

Part of the reason I'd like to move to R5 but it's lacking glass and where's not lacking in lack glass I am lacking money to afford them

Exactly why I’ve not moved to the R5, native lens choice isn’t there yet, and what’s there is mighty expensive. I wish Sony would make a 70-200mm f2.8 as small and light as the RF version though.

 

[nandbytes]

Well it’s quick and reliable

so is MF if they are not moving
I posted this in a separate thread recently in the wildlife forum area, fully MF (AF just wouldn't have any of it in the dark)

 

[wookie6262]

What do you mean when you say the evf feels a bit foreign with moving subjects?

The slide show type of effect and not quite convinced that what I am seeing is the exact framing the camera has. I suspect it is me not being used to it rather than an issue.

I'm hoping the tracking is good enough for subjects coming at me at a decent clip. If it isn't then I may as well stick with the D850s for action or maybe get a D5. My main reason for trying mirrorless is I wanted to see if there was a camera that was mirrorless that would equal the D850 but give me the size and weight benefits possible with mirrorless. The R5 may equal the D850 but I don't want adapted lenses and can't afford the Canon ones. The Sony has a great selection of lenses and some brilliant third party options. There is also a bigger second hand market. I am beginning to appreciate my D850 more and more but I'm still hoping the A7R IV might be able to do a good enough job. I may sacrifice some other gear and get an A9 for the dogs and as a walkabout camera

 

[nandbytes]

Exactly why I’ve not moved to the R5, native lens choice isn’t there yet, and what’s there is mighty expensive. I wish Sony would make a 70-200mm f2.8 as small and light as the RF version though.

be careful what you wish for!
RF70-200mm is overpriced for its lacklustre performance. soft corners and vignettes a fair bit in the corners. No TC support either.
Tamron 70-180mm is a better buy and cheaper imo
have look here:

Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS Review - DustinAbbott.net

Photographer Dustin Abbott shares a thorough, real world review of the Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS. The RF 70-200L is an essential.

dustinabbott.net

he compares it with Tamron down the page, just search for it.

 

[wookie6262]

Exactly why I’ve not moved to the R5, native lens choice isn’t there yet, and what’s there is mighty expensive. I wish Sony would make a 70-200mm f2.8 as small and light as the RF version though.

If they did I would have bought that instead of the Tamron. When I am out with the family a normal sized 70-200mm is just too cumbersome. The RF with its telescoping zoom and small size looks perfect

 

[nandbytes]

If they did I would have bought that instead of the Tamron. When I am out with the family a normal sized 70-200mm is just too cumbersome. The RF with its telescoping zoom and small size looks perfect

as mentioned above have read above the RF70-200mm in the review I posted above before you decide which is better for you

edit:
TL;DR is
"What I saw when comparing the lenses was the the Tamron was slightly sharper in the center of the frame, the Canon a bit sharper mid-frame, while the Tamron destroys the Canon in corner performance."

canon costs pretty much exactly twice as much. No thanks.

 

[snerkler]

The slide show type of effect and not quite convinced that what I am seeing is the exact framing the camera has. I suspect it is me not being used to it rather than an issue.

I'm hoping the tracking is good enough for subjects coming at me at a decent clip. If it isn't then I may as well stick with the D850s for action or maybe get a D5. My main reason for trying mirrorless is I wanted to see if there was a camera that was mirrorless that would equal the D850 but give me the size and weight benefits possible with mirrorless. The R5 may equal the D850 but I don't want adapted lenses and can't afford the Canon ones. The Sony has a great selection of lenses and some brilliant third party options. There is also a bigger second hand market. I am beginning to appreciate my D850 more and more but I'm still hoping the A7R IV might be able to do a good enough job. I may sacrifice some other gear and get an A9 for the dogs and as a walkabout camera

The slide show effect in the EVF is because you’re using the max frame rate (10 fps on the A7RIV), knock it back to the next highest frame rate (8fps) and you’ll get a real time view.

I never actually shot dogs running towards the camera with my D850 so I don’t know how it compares, and maybe I haven’t hit the right settings yet to get the best AF with the A7RIV but I have found the Sony disappointing in this regard, it’s about on par with the Z7(at least on the firmware I had the Z7, I believe there’s been an update since)

 

[snerkler]

be careful what you wish for!
RF70-200mm is overpriced for its lacklustre performance. soft corners and vignettes a fair bit in the corners. No TC support either.
Tamron 70-180mm is a better buy and cheaper imo
have look here:

Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS Review - DustinAbbott.net

Photographer Dustin Abbott shares a thorough, real world review of the Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS. The RF 70-200L is an essential.

dustinabbott.net

he compares it with Tamron down the page, just search for it.

Optically I really liked the Tamron, but as you know I’ve held off for now due to lack of collar and focus limiter.

 

[nandbytes]

Optically I really liked the Tamron, but as you know I’ve held off for now due to lack of collar and focus limiter.

I do wish it came with a focus limiter and also a AF/MF switch.
Though on the focus limiter I am more disappointed Sony didn't bother adding it to their e-mount bodies when A99/ii and A77ii have in-body focus limiter.
That's not only solve the problem with this lens but pretty much all lenses!

And as you know I am strongly against the tripod collar for this lens
I guess a removable one without adding to its weight could keep up both happy.

 

[wookie6262]

as mentioned above have read above the RF70-200mm in the review I posted above before you decide which is better for you

edit:
TL;DR is
"What I saw when comparing the lenses was the the Tamron was slightly sharper in the center of the frame, the Canon a bit sharper mid-frame, while the Tamron destroys the Canon in corner performance."

canon costs pretty much exactly twice as much. No thanks.

I was talking about Sony making a telescoping zoom 70-200mm. The version they have was too big for me. The Tamron seems a really god lens so far. No issue with sharpness compared to my Nikon VR2 version of the 70-200

 

[snerkler]

I do wish it came with a focus limiter and also a AF/MF switch.
Though on the focus limiter I am more disappointed Sony didn't bother adding it to their e-mount bodies when A99/ii and A77ii have in-body focus limiter.
That's not only solve the problem with this lens but pretty much all lenses!

And as you know I am strongly against the tripod collar for this lens
I guess a removable one without adding to its weight could keep up both happy.

Yes the body focus limiter is a strange omission IMO.

Back to the AF, I wonder if using the smaller RAW files might help as it would only have to process eg 25mp rather than 61mp?

 

[nandbytes]

Yes the body focus limiter is a strange omission IMO.

Back to the AF, I wonder if using the smaller RAW files might help as it would only have to process eg 25mp rather than 61mp?

Not actually sure how it does crop mode tbh.
But I shoot compressed RAW while shooting action. I have never had to push more than 2-3 stops in post for actions shots. So compressed RAW has more than enough latitude for that.
Might be an idea to try that.

Also have you set the AF tracking sensitivity to the max setting?

 

[snerkler]

Not actually sure how it does crop mode tbh.
But I shoot compressed RAW while shooting action. I have never had to push more than 2-3 stops in post for actions shots. So compressed RAW has more than enough latitude for that.
Might be an idea to try that.

Also have you set the AF tracking sensitivity to the max setting?

Yeah I do. Been doing a bit of reading, going to try real time tracking with expandable spot and also group and see what that’s like. Not sure when I’ll get to try though.

Compressed still has 61mp to process though.

 

[woof woof]

KenRockwell's A7c review...

Sony A7C Review

 

[gman]

Would the A7C seem a bit daft with a 35mm 1.4 on it? I'm still tempted to get an A7R iv + 35mm 1.4 combo, but I can't help but wonder if I need to spend that extra £1k just to get a resolution which to be honest I really don't need. If I get the A7C I would probably be more inclined to stick the 35mm 2.8 on it for the portability route instead.

Something else just came to mind though, I can get the A9 used in excellent condition for almost the same price as the A7C, and I believe recent firmware give the A9 animal eye AF. Would there be any good reasons to choose the A9 over the A7C?

 

[Riz_Guru]

Would the A7C seem a bit daft with a 35mm 1.4 on it? I'm still tempted to get an A7R iv + 35mm 1.4 combo, but I can't help but wonder if I need to spend that extra £1k just to get a resolution which to be honest I really don't need. If I get the A7C I would probably be more inclined to stick the 35mm 2.8 on it for the portability route instead.

Something else just came to mind though, I can get the A9 used in excellent condition for almost the same price as the A7C, and I believe recent firmware give the A9 animal eye AF. Would there be any good reasons to choose the A9 over the A7C?

The Sony A9 is still a excellent body and would certainly pick it over any of the A7 III / A7C series.
The last firmware update did give it better AF and Animal-AF and I found the AF pretty amazing.

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

Would there be any good reasons to choose the A9 over the A7C

Better evf, better lcd resolution, faster burst rate, 2 card slots, more customisation, and the af is superb.

 

[gman]

Is there anything about the A9 that could be considered bad?

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

Is there anything about the A9 that could be considered bad?

I love my a9, but some would want a higher resolution.
Depends on what you shoot.
I will use mines predominantly for birds and wildlife, but it will also be used for portraits and landscapes, and will do a fantastic job.
The A7c has a slightly better dynamic range.

 

[robj20]

Is there anything about the A9 that could be considered bad?

If you're comparing it to the A7C is more comparable to the A9ii. See the review of the A7C above is compared a few times to the A9ii.

 

[decigallen]

Yeah I was just thinking I couldn't fit enough photos on my 256Gb card when using uncompressed RAW. Lol

I must be missing the point that some people see where this is such a big deal.

Ages that Sony need to improve IBIS, you can never have enough stops compensation.

I shoot weddings. We take anywhere between 5-8000 images a day between myself and my wife. To shoot uncompressed RAW I'd need to replace all my cards with 128 or 256mb ones. We have 8 sets of 8 cards, so that's thousands of pounds to replace them. Then, double the amount of HD storage as well as taking longer for the photos to ingest on photomechanic. My Nikon D700 managed lossless compressed RAW back in 2008.

Different shooters prioritise different things. For example, IBIS improvement isn't high on my priorities at all.

 

[jonneymendoza]

Is there anything about the A9 that could be considered bad?

Buffer clear speed. Slow mechanical shutter