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

[snerkler]

I just got an A9 delivered today as I am in a similar position shooting with the A7R iv and trying to get dog shots. I had much more success on my last outing and the two things I changed were switching on electronic front shutter and making sure my files were RAW compressed. I am probably also getting used to the change in camera which will also help. I used flexible spot and it was doing around the same as my D850 which I ran alongside for comparison. The weather was lovely though so that extra light may have something to do with it. The weather may put paid to any test of the A9 today but even playing in the house the A9 is very quick to focus although the ergonomics are noticeably worse than the A7R IV particularly the size and position of the AF On button.

I'm happy to stick a few images up on Dropbox or similar if you want to take a look at the types of successes and failures I am having if that helps. My dog is a pretty athletic black lab and goes at a fair clip when running so not the easiest of challenges for photographer or camera.

Here is one from the other day. Let me know if I can help in terms of the types of shots you are struggling with and I could have a go and compare notes

Thanks for this, much appreciated. I never thought about shooting compressed but that would reduce the processing needs. I've tried with the EFC on and off. What lens were you using?

Sorry to hear you're not happy with the A9 ergonomics. That's why I'm not considering the A9, A7R3 and anything earlier.

 

[gman]

Haha, it's not the only reason for contemplating the switch, but this has been my go to test at the moment as it's all I can do
At a price But then it wouldn't fix my slow LR, I'd need to fork out £4k to change the camera and then another £4k in a new computer
Those shots are easy
I've tried to find some like that but was unsuccessful but I'll take a look at DPR.
TBH I had more success with the D750
Unfortunately the old body style isn't great for me.

The AF system on the D750 really was fantastic, come to think of it isn't it something like Nikon's second top DSLR focus system? I'm hoping I've not made a mistake getting rid of mine.

 

[wookie6262]

Yup seems a bit crazy to me. How did people get these shots with those old clunky DSLRs with 8 focus points.

I think it is the chase for perfection. I have thousands of great shots, at least imo, of my dog and other fast moving subjects. However within a burst of shots there is often a shot that would have been brilliant but is just off focus wise or two shots where the action in between them would have been peak action. I am a hobbyist and photography takes the place of smoking, drinking and fast cars. It is my drug of choice so I like to try and maximise my hit as it were.

 

[gman]

I usually don't really like over processing pictures, I usually like a more natural look but with this one I had to selectively increase the exposure of Mrs WW then selectively apply some NR. Other than that it's pretty straight.

You could be forgiven for thinking a very slight and subtle use of fill in flash was used, or a reflector perhaps. I love having lots of dynamic range to play with. Lovely photo btw.

 

[woof woof]

Thank you.

More DR would be even better as would Topaz Denoise but I couldn't get it to work I do really wish these cameras had a built in flash. One like my Panasonic MFT cameras have would be lovely. Fill is lovely but you can also tilt them. Not that I could have bounced the flash off the clouds for that picture but for indoor photography it is useful.

 

[wookie6262]

Thanks for this, much appreciated. I never thought about shooting compressed but that would reduce the processing needs. I've tried with the EFC on and off. What lens were you using?

Sorry to hear you're not happy with the A9 ergonomics. That's why I'm not considering the A9, A7R3 and anything earlier.

I am using the Tamron 70-180mm. I wanted something fast with decent reach but light enough to take on walks. The Song 70-200 was much bigger and heavier. The A9 is decent in the hand and it also came with a grip(added weight so may only be used when shooting near to the house) but the A7R IV almost felt as good as my D850.

 

[gman]

Thank you.

More DR would be even better as would Topaz Denoise but I couldn't get it to work I do really wish these cameras had a built in flash. One like my Panasonic MFT cameras have would be lovely. Fill is lovely but you can also tilt them. Not that I could have bounced the flash off the clouds for that picture but for indoor photography it is useful.

I've got one of those little pop-up reflectors which I thought would be a great thing to have and would probably have been ideal for that photo, but then it's not something I think of grabbing whilst grabbing my keys etc lol

 

[T_J_G]

The AF system on the D750 really was fantastic, come to think of it isn't it something like Nikon's second top DSLR focus system? I'm hoping I've not made a mistake getting rid of mine.

The Sony AF systems probably from A7III onwards is so much better than the D750.

 

[woof woof]

I've got one of those little pop-up reflectors which I thought would be a great thing to have and would probably have been ideal for that photo, but then it's not something I think of grabbing whilst grabbing my keys etc lol

I'll look into them.

 

[gman]

The Sony AF systems probably from A7III onwards is so much better than the D750.

I'll hold you to that! A long time ago I went from D3/D4 to the Sony A6000 and was woefully disappointed with the AF, hence moving back to the D750. A touch nervous about the abilities of the A9.

 

[T_J_G]

I'll hold you to that! A long time ago I went from D3/D4 to the Sony A6000 and was woefully disappointed with the AF, hence moving back to the D750. A touch nervous about the abilities of the A9.

I went from a D750 to A7iii, I’ve never once looked back. You have no reason to be nervous. And eye AF is a game changer.

 

[woof woof]

Even face detect is a game changer, IMO.

Being able to focus accurately anywhere in the frame on a face, not just in the central area where DSLR focus points congregate, and being able to leave focusing to the camera while you concentrate on composition and when to press the button is a revelation.

 

[snerkler]

The Sony AF systems probably from A7III onwards is so much better than the D750.

IME the A7RIV isn’t as good with subjects coming towards the camera, with everything else it’s great

 

[nandbytes]

I noticed WEX doing that as well, but when I called they said you have to buy a body as well. Not to worry, I've bought it regardless. The A9 just arrived, it's more solid than I was expecting.

Any recommendations for the best UHS-2 card to get? (bottom slot I think for this?)

The best ones for speed is the sandisk ones (I have got a couple in sales) @300MB/s speed but you can buy new if you wish
If you want/need "tough" cards the best ones are from Sony

 

[nandbytes]

I've tried to find some like that but was unsuccessful but I'll take a look at DPR.

half down the page on

Sony a7R IV review

The a7R IV is Sony's latest high-resolution interchangeable lens camera, but that doesn't mean it's just for landscape photographers. Get all the details about this 60.2MP full-framer in our full review.

www.dpreview.com

they use the same test for most of the camera AF testing. So its somewhat standardised or at least as well as it can be for testing tracking.

 

[Malfis]

I still have some excellent quality legacy Pentax lenses.
They range from Super Multi Coated Takumars like the 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.8 and 105mm f2.8 (All screw mount M42).
Also Carl Zeiss Jena 35mm f2.4 Flektagon (M42) as well as some later F and FA Primes.
I've bought a couple of M42 and Pentax K adapters to now try these lovely old lenses with my A7iii and A7Riv to see if they stand the test of time.
If anyone else has similar PK lenses I'd be interested to hear of their experiences.

This one shot this afternoon with the A73 and Pentax F 28mm f2.8. (The church clock obviously is not working!)

 

[snerkler]

half down the page on

Sony a7R IV review

The a7R IV is Sony's latest high-resolution interchangeable lens camera, but that doesn't mean it's just for landscape photographers. Get all the details about this 60.2MP full-framer in our full review.

www.dpreview.com

they use the same test for most of the camera AF testing. So its somewhat standardised or at least as well as it can be for testing tracking.

Thanks for this. Well at least I feel a bit better in that it’s not just me, they get similar findings to myself in that there’s a number of back focussed shots, and that’s with a relatively slow subject too.

 

[snerkler]

half down the page on

Sony a7R IV review

The a7R IV is Sony's latest high-resolution interchangeable lens camera, but that doesn't mean it's just for landscape photographers. Get all the details about this 60.2MP full-framer in our full review.

www.dpreview.com

they use the same test for most of the camera AF testing. So its somewhat standardised or at least as well as it can be for testing tracking.

One thing with the images, on the crops it’s showing the body rather than the torso, is there a way to get it to show the face instead?

 

[Phil Young]

Recently got hold of an A6000 and have to say I'm impressed with the ISO performance. This isn't low light but it's better than my old D7000 at 12800.

 

[woof woof]

This one shot this afternoon with the A73 and Pentax F 28mm f2.8. (The church clock obviously is not working!)

View attachment 307349

I'm amazed this was taken today. It was snowing here this morning but the ground was too wet so it didn't lay. Today has been a cold and wet day with a featureless sky here.

 

[nandbytes]

One thing with the images, on the crops it’s showing the body rather than the torso, is there a way to get it to show the face instead?

not that I know of and I don't think the point of the test is to focus on the face. Think they purposely show the body because that's what they are trying to track.

 

[woof woof]

Recently got hold of an A6000 and have to say I'm impressed with the ISO performance. This isn't low light but it's better than my old D7000 at 12800.

Lovely dog and a lovely picture Phil but ISO 12,800? What was your aperture and shutter speed? Any chance you could fiddle with the settings and end up with a lower ISO?

 

[Phil Young]

Lovely dog and a lovely picture Phil but ISO 12,800? What was your aperture and shutter speed? Any chance you could fiddle with the settings and end up with a lower ISO?

Absolutely - I could have.

It was one of those snaps where you pick up your camera for a quick grab and forget the last setting used.

I'm really happy with 12.8k though have to admit

 

[woof woof]

Absolutely - I could have.

It was one of those snaps where you pick up your camera for a quick grab and forget the last setting used.

I'm really happy with 12.8k though have to admit

Yup.

I think the biggest problem is some artificial lighting which can make ISO 1600 look awful but other than that we're spoilt

 

[Malfis]

I'm amazed this was taken today. It was snowing here this morning but the ground was too wet so it didn't lay. Today has been a cold and wet day with a featureless sky here.

Just a brief Warwickshire interlude!

 

[Mike.P]

Everyone has their own way of testing, dpreview for example test with man on a cycle.
Our test on this thread is can it focus on @snerkler 's Betty running at you

I test my Pentax tracking with a tortoise coming towards me, it used to be a snail but things have progressed quite a lot in the last few years.

 

[woof woof]

Just a brief Warwickshire interlude!

Lucky you. I'm jealous.

 

[snerkler]

not that I know of and I don't think the point of the test is to focus on the face. Think they purposely show the body because that's what they are trying to track.

Other’s I’ve viewed have been the face Either way, when you view the full image neither the face or the torso are in focus

 

[dancook]

This guy on facebook has some images, a lot of them at A7R II with 135mm 1.8

https://www.facebook.com/groups/837482102995808/user/100002998139055

I like the skin tones he's got going on, and in general the quality of the image is nice..

I suspect there's a fair bit of editing goes into it, I also know the 135mm 1.8 is a pretty nice lens! but I also wonder - the A7R II has no AA filter could this play a part?

Was hoping the A1 wouldn't have an AA filter, but so far evidence suggests it does.

 

[dancook]

The most responsive Sony camera yet: Hands-on with the Sony Alpha 1

The new a1 is absolutely chock-full of the latest and greatest tech that Sony has to offer. Come take our tour of how this high-speed, high-megapixel machine operates and handles.

www.dpreview.com

To the left of the Sony logo, you can see both the AF-assist lamp and the new, dedicated white balance sensor first seen on the Sony a7S III.

WB Sensor!.. this is interesting considering my latest look at WB issues with A9

One final note, the a1 is by far the most responsive Sony camera we've yet used. We've complained for years (first-world problems, admittedly) of 'interface lag' on Sony cameras; you'd turn a dial rapidly, but the corresponding setting changes wouldn't necessarily keep up. That is no longer the case; you'll see your settings changes reflected in real time on the a1.

I took know interface lag issues with the A9 - where you'd roll the dial to change aperture after taking a shot and nothing happens, you take another shot thinking you've gone from 1.4 to 3.2 or something.. and it's still 1.4

also hope it's ready to shoot quicker from turning on

 

[robj20]

I've never noticed interface lag on either my A7's.
My Rx100 had it if you left the display settings on.

 

[dancook]

I've never noticed interface lag on either my A7's.
My Rx100 had it if you left the display settings on.

I mostly noticed the aperture dial doesn’t respond for a second after taking an image.

Switched to using the aperture ring on the lenses because of this

It comes with working events, taking a group shot at the wrong aperture, changing the moment after you take the photo and nothing changes

 

[JohnMcL7]

TBH I had more success with the D750

Funnily enough when you were asking about sequences of a dog coming towards the camera I was thinking of a good sequence I'd taken of my dog flying towards the camera taken with the D750. I've been looking for examples with the A9 but not really finding many because I don't have a fast telephoto for the A9, the lighting hasn't been good enough to get a high shutter speed, my dog prefers running alongside people rather than to me and the biggest problem if he sees camera equipment outside he assumes the drone must be about and he wants to find that rather than run to the camera.

 

[wookie6262]

First outing with the A9 in heavy rain/sleet and a dog that hadn't been walked properly this morning so was full of energy. It has all be said but straight away the handling will take more getting used to that teh A7R IV. The AF On button is way to hard to find and my first few series of shots saw me hitting the record button, doh. Build quality feels fine to me and with a grip it is nice enough in the hand but I will need to tweak some buttons and probably make the AEL button my back focus button. The EVF worked well and having no blackout is a real joy. THe FPS, which with my Tamron was possibly 15 rather than 20, makes a massive difference and for my uses the smaller resolution is a plus. Image quality looks great as I was still able to play with iso 6400 files in photoshop raising exposure about a stop. Not sure how good the af is but you could tell straight away it is much quicker than the A7R Iv. Early days but barring keeping a D850 and my 20 year old 400mm F2.8 I may well make the move to Sony completely rather than have two systems.

One thing that is really annoying me about the Sony cameras is the small jpeg embedded in the RAW files. I use Photo Mechanic to sort images. It is brilliant but to check sharpness you need a good sized jpeg. The Nikon files have them embedded but the Sony only have a very small jpeg. That means I need to shoot RAW and Jpeg so I can use the full size jpeg to sort images. Total pain and a waste of storage in the SD cards.

Traditional pet photo for the first outing and that is all I seem to shoot these days anyway

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Just a simple Landscape/Seascape type Snapograph taken at Kent UK of part of of a Wooden Walkway on one of the beaches.

RX10M4, 1/850 @ F5.6, ISO-100, Tripod.
Wooden Walkway (2)-03506 by G.K.Jnr., on Flickr

for looking.,

George.

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

First outing with the A9 in heavy rain/sleet and a dog that hadn't been walked properly this morning so was full of energy. It has all be said but straight away the handling will take more getting used to that teh A7R IV. The AF On button is way to hard to find and my first few series of shots saw me hitting the record button, doh. Build quality feels fine to me and with a grip it is nice enough in the hand but I will need to tweak some buttons and probably make the AEL button my back focus button. The EVF worked well and having no blackout is a real joy. THe FPS, which with my Tamron was possibly 15 rather than 20, makes a massive difference and for my uses the smaller resolution is a plus. Image quality looks great as I was still able to play with iso 6400 files in photoshop raising exposure about a stop. Not sure how good the af is but you could tell straight away it is much quicker than the A7R Iv. Early days but barring keeping a D850 and my 20 year old 400mm F2.8 I may well make the move to Sony completely rather than have two systems.

One thing that is really annoying me about the Sony cameras is the small jpeg embedded in the RAW files. I use Photo Mechanic to sort images. It is brilliant but to check sharpness you need a good sized jpeg. The Nikon files have them embedded but the Sony only have a very small jpeg. That means I need to shoot RAW and Jpeg so I can use the full size jpeg to sort images. Total pain and a waste of storage in the SD cards.

Traditional pet photo for the first outing and that is all I seem to shoot these days anyway

Try using fast raw viewer to sort images....
You can set the record button so it only works when in video mode.
I use the af on button and the ael button for bbf.
The af on uses whatever setting I'm using, and the ael is set up for fast tracking so if I'm taking images that are not moving, and something appears I can use the ael button to track it...

 

[Stephen L]

Just a simple Landscape/Seascape type Snapograph taken at Kent UK of part of of a Wooden Walkway on one of the beaches.

RX10M4, 1/850 @ F5.6, ISO-100, Tripod.
Wooden Walkway (2)-03506 by G.K.Jnr., on Flickr

for looking.,

George.

Nice lines, George.

 

[wookie6262]

Try using fast raw viewer to sort images....
You can set the record button so it only works when in video mode.
I use the af on button and the ael button for bbf.
The af on uses whatever setting I'm using, and the ael is set up for fast tracking so if I'm taking images that are not moving, and something appears I can use the ael button to track it...

In my hand the AEL button feels in a better spot so I have mapped that to my chosen focus mode and will use AF on for eye focus. I like to capture some video when I am out and about and the REC button works well enough for me for that purpose. I must learn to shoot video more as I love looking back on it years later and these cameras are by far the most capable video cameras I have owned.

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Nice lines, George.

Thank you kindly Stephen, I sure do appreciate your reply.

 

[robj20]

Just a simple Landscape/Seascape type Snapograph taken at Kent UK of part of of a Wooden Walkway on one of the beaches.

RX10M4, 1/850 @ F5.6, ISO-100, Tripod.
Wooden Walkway (2)-03506 by G.K.Jnr., on Flickr

for looking.,

George.

I might be being thick here, but where has the term Snapograph come from?