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

[robj20]

Lens is almost here, annoyingly I've just realised E-infinity must be based locally to me. It's in Salford, I could walk there in half an hour.

MANCHESTER - SALFORD - UK

MANCHESTER - CLIFTON SWINTON - UK

 

[snerkler]

Lens is almost here, annoyingly I've just realised E-infinity must be based locally to me. It's in Salford, I could walk there in half an hour.

MANCHESTER - SALFORD - UK

MANCHESTER - CLIFTON SWINTON - UK

I don't think they stock them in the UK though, AFAIK it's a two step process shipping from HK to their UK warehouse then on to the buyer. I don't know whether they do this to appear like they're a UK seller, or to make sure the buyer doesn't get hit with import duties. Repairs also have to be sent to their UK warehouses and then they ship back to HK from there, this is why repairs via E-infinity can take several weeks. This is where Panamoz are better imo, you just send to the UK manufacturer service centre and they foot the bill

 

[robj20]

I don't think they stock them in the UK though, AFAIK it's a two step process shipping from HK to their UK warehouse then on to the buyer. I don't know whether they do this to appear like they're a UK seller, or to make sure the buyer doesn't get hit with import duties. Repairs also have to be sent to their UK warehouses and then they ship back to HK from there, this is why repairs via E-infinity can take several weeks. This is where Panamoz are better imo, you just send to the UK manufacturer service centre and they foot the bill

That's not always how they do it, someone on here was told to just get it fixed and send them the bill which imo is a good way of doing it.

 

[snerkler]

That's not always how they do it, someone on here was told to just get it fixed and send them the bill which imo is a good way of doing it.

Ahh OK, good to know maybe they've changed their policies since I last spoke to them

 

[GyRob]

Well I have had the a1 for 4 days and it exceeds my expectations for birding ( my main use ) eye AF works really well and even if it does not find the eye the AF still gives a sharp shot the camera is very fast and almost instantly gets focus on the bird even with a cluttered back ground .

I've done quite a few bursts on pidions and nearly all are sharp - take 40 shots 2 are just a tad soft so for me it is a nice upgrade to my a9mkII and that is still a great camera but in the end bird eye AF, faster response and more MPs for cropping makes it my perfect birding camera so will be selling my a9mkII as I only need 1 camera .

Rob

 

[f/1.2]

E-infinity are very iffy once it leaves China it sometimes goes to an address London, sometimes an address in Swansea and now an address in Manchester, before being shipped on.

A while back someone on Facebook was saying that the London address was a high rise flat somewhere in Camden on a really rough housing estate. So definitely not a warehouse.

Warranty repairs must differ depending on the equipment. A guy I know had to send back his A7R3 too China just last week for repair.

 

[nandbytes]

Interesting.

it's a good lens. I wouldn't bunch it with the other superzooms, its head and shoulder better than those.

 

[snerkler]

Well I have had the a1 for 4 days and it exceeds my expectations for birding ( my main use ) eye AF works really well and even if it does not find the eye the AF still gives a sharp shot the camera is very fast and almost instantly gets focus on the bird even with a cluttered back ground .

I've done quite a few bursts on pidions and nearly all are sharp - take 40 shots 2 are just a tad soft so for me it is a nice upgrade to my a9mkII and that is still a great camera but in the end bird eye AF, faster response and more MPs for cropping makes it my perfect birding camera so will be selling my a9mkII as I only need 1 camera .

Rob

Nice, sounds great. Since buying the A9ii my desire for the A1 has waned somewhat, the A9ii AF is as good as I could ever wish for and my computer is much happier with the 24mp files. No doubt I will likely upgrade to the A1 at some point as and when the price comes down and I have a faster computer, but I'm super happy with the A9ii

 

[GyRob]

Yes i've had my A9II just over a year and it really opened my eyes to what AF should be like Sony just made the best even better

Rob.

 

[nandbytes]

Nice, sounds great. Since buying the A9ii my desire for the A1 has waned somewhat, the A9ii AF is as good as I could ever wish for and my computer is much happier with the 24mp files. No doubt I will likely upgrade to the A1 at some point as and when the price comes down and I have a faster computer, but I'm super happy with the A9ii

Yes i've had my A9II just over a year and it really opened my eyes to what AF should be like Sony just made the best even better

Rob.

A1 really seems to the THE ONE do it all camera.
Couldn't afford it at £6.5k. Will wait for its price to drop or its features to trickle down into bodies I can afford.

 

[snerkler]

A1 really seems to the THE ONE do it all camera.
Couldn't afford it at £6.5k. Will wait for its price to drop or its features to trickle down into bodies I can afford.

I do wonder if bird eye af and lossless compression will trickle down.

 

[GyRob]

A1 really seems to the THE ONE do it all camera.
Couldn't afford it at £6.5k. Will wait for its price to drop or its features to trickle down into bodies I can afford.

Yes it is quite a lot of money but when i was with canon 10 or so years ago there 1d series were about that price i think the a9 a9II and a1 all beat them so your paying the same say for the a1 but getting far more for the cost .
Personally they can take 8k and wifi out of it for me and charge less that would be nice
Rob.

 

[GyRob]

I do wonder if bird eye af and lossless compression will trickle down.

Hard to say as the a1 has new duel processors along with a new sensor so it may not be possible .

 

[nandbytes]

I do wonder if bird eye af and lossless compression will trickle down.

I imagine we'll see both in A7IV and A7RV

They'll want A7IV to be the dependable workhorse top seller like A7III. I imagine it will have most of the features of A1 without the stacked sensor (and all the electronic shutter goodness that brings) and super high-res EVF.
Probably looking at 30-32mp sensor instead of the 24mp (according to rumours anyway)

 

[nandbytes]

Yes it is quite a lot of money but when i was with canon 10 or so years ago there 1d series were about that price i think the a9 a9II and a1 all beat them so your paying the same say for the a1 but getting far more for the cost .
Personally they can take 8k and wifi out of it for me and charge less that would be nice
Rob.

Wouldn't buy the 1D series either or the A9/ii for that matter. They just aren't the allrounders I'd want from my one body.
A1 is truly the first all-rounder that's great at almost everything, but comes at a price I guess.

 

[woof woof]

I took my A7 and Nippon Kogaku 50mm f1.4 out today.

The light was a bit flat and lifeless and it was cold.

f1.4 followed by f5.6.

The main issues with this lens are the slightly rough bokeh which you might expect from an old wide aperture lens, vignetting, resistance to flare and veiling. It captures quite good detail wide open but looks soft due to the veiling so I sharpened her face a bit more for the f1.4 pictures. There's no extra sharpening in the stopped down pictures.

"Take my picture with the big wheel."

There's some flare in the top corners.

Beach huts.

The close focus distance isn't very inspiring but I think pictures stand up well to cropping. This is just a teeny bit before MFD but it looks ok on my screen as a 100% crop. I hope it survives here...

It's certainly not the best 50mm f1.4 I have at f1.4 and the AI-S version is better at wide apertures and gives a more modern looking result. At f1.4 this lens reminds me of the M mount version of the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4.

I dug this lens out as I've been thinking of selling it but it is a nice lens and the build is just lovely. So I might keep it

 

[robj20]

Your wife must be very patient for all the posing she does for you.

 

[nandbytes]

Your wife must be very patient for all the posing she does for you.

or like mine she just likes being photographed

 

[woof woof]

Your wife must be very patient for all the posing she does for you.

You're joking. She makes sure I've got a camera before we go out. She's the one who asks for the pictures, she sends them to her family and friends overseas. I do take the odd picture for myself and I've sneaked in some f1.4's to test the lens but the rest are for her.

 

[woof woof]

or like mine she just likes being photographed

Mrs WW and her mates swap about a million pictures a day. If we don't go out for a few days she starts to get upset as she hasn't got any to send.

 

[robj20]

The thing with my wife is if she sees me pointing the camera at her she strikes a pose and smiles. But I don't like that sort of photo, I like catching people unaware. She doesn't understand she's ruining my photo by looking at me and smiling. Lol

Hopefully get out for a walk in the morning, think I'll take the 28-200 for a change, or maybe only the 50mm to force me to use it.

 

[snerkler]

Wouldn't buy the 1D series either or the A9/ii for that matter. They just aren't the allrounders I'd want from my one body.
A1 is truly the first all-rounder that's great at almost everything, but comes at a price I guess.

Depends what you call all-rounders, if you include hi res then no they’re not.

Your wife must be very patient for all the posing she does for you.

or like mine she just likes being photographed

My wife despises having her photo taken. It’s a shame as I’d really like to do portraits but I don’t have willing friends and family.

 

[woof woof]

The thing with my wife is if she sees me pointing the camera at her she strikes a pose and smiles. But I don't like that sort of photo, I like catching people unaware. She doesn't understand she's ruining my photo by looking at me and smiling. Lol

Mrs WW has a mate like that, always poses, and she is one of the sexiest woman I've ever met. She goes by "Cheeky Girl" and got married last week to another woman. Such is life in Thailand She looked stunning in Thai traditional dress (as does Mrs WW.)

 

[mstphoto]

Looking for a bit of advice
I jack in work at the end of the month so cash will be a wee bit tight for the next 2.5 years until the Govt pension kicks in.
I currently own a6600 and a7iii bodies and would like to treat myself to the Sony 200-600G.
Is it worth selling my a7iii which is rarely used and buying an a9?
My ususal subjects are landscape and wildlife.
Would the a9 cut the mustard for landscape - or - would the a7iii cut the mustard for wildlife?
Decisions Decisions

 

[nandbytes]

Depends what you call all-rounders, if you include hi res then no they’re not.

high res, good base ISO dynamic range, good ISO performance. good AF for sports, good lag free viewfinder

 

[woof woof]

My wife despises having her photo taken. It’s a shame as I’d really like to do portraits but I don’t have willing friends and family.

My niece did a photography degree years ago and when we went to an exhibition I saw many ads from young women on courses there asking for photographers to photograph them. Maybe an ad in the local uni would get you some willing models?

 

[nandbytes]

My ususal subjects are landscape and wildlife.
Would the a9 cut the mustard for landscape - or - would the a7iii cut the mustard for wildlife?
Decisions Decisions

Both can do both very well.
A9 will excel at wildlife and A7III at landscape (in fact you could even go to A7RIII for landscape). But both are more than capable of excelling at the other side too.

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

Looking for a bit of advice
I jack in work at the end of the month so cash will be a wee bit tight for the next 2.5 years until the Govt pension kicks in.
I currently own a6600 and a7iii bodies and would like to treat myself to the Sony 200-600G.
Is it worth selling my a7iii which is rarely used and buying an a9?
My ususal subjects are landscape and wildlife.
Would the a9 cut the mustard for landscape - or - would the a7iii cut the mustard for wildlife?
Decisions Decisions

Get the lens first and use it on the A7iii and see how you get on....

 

[woof woof]

The Sony 50mm f1.2 GM exists!!!!

I saw the new Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM….announcement on March 16! | sonyalpharumors

Just a quick note: I saw the Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM and can therefore 100% confirm the lens will be announced on March 16. For the record so that you know I wasn't lying to you: Of course the lens is big and wide but not as long as I would have expected. Definitely shorter

www.sonyalpharumors.com

 

[snerkler]

Looking for a bit of advice
I jack in work at the end of the month so cash will be a wee bit tight for the next 2.5 years until the Govt pension kicks in.
I currently own a6600 and a7iii bodies and would like to treat myself to the Sony 200-600G.
Is it worth selling my a7iii which is rarely used and buying an a9?
My ususal subjects are landscape and wildlife.
Would the a9 cut the mustard for landscape - or - would the a7iii cut the mustard for wildlife?
Decisions Decisions

Both are great, but the A9 is just on the cusp of acceptable DR for me with landscapes, scoring 13.3 on DXO. If you’re happy to buy grey then the A9ii can be had for a very good price.

high res, good base ISO dynamic range, good ISO performance. good AF for sports, good lag free viewfinder

The A1 is the only one that ticks all those boxes

My niece did a photography degree years ago and when we went to an exhibition I saw many ads from young women on courses there asking for photographers to photograph them. Maybe an ad in the local uni would get you some willing models?

I wouldn’t know how to do that without it looking proper dodgy

 

[nandbytes]

The A1 is the only one that ticks all those boxes

Indeed, unfortunately it's £6.5k.

 

[GyRob]

I took 4 shots of this Gull a1 200/600 all sharp on the head and the black dot shows where the eye AF focus point was the other 3 also had the dot not on the bird I checked some other sharp head shots and often the point is not on the head at all but they are sharp so it makes me think the camera gets the eye /head even before the focus square can be registered or Sony's viewer software is a little off .

The feet here are closest to the camera as is the wing tip and both oof so it's doing a good job this was with Tracking Zone .

https://flic.kr/p/2kHjaUP

View: https://flic.kr/p/2kHjaUP

 

[robj20]

Amazing that the most expensive camera has the most features. Imagine that. Lol

 

[wookie6262]

Out for a long end of the week walk as it was desperately needed. This is the only bit of coast I can reach in the rules and it is just inside. I walked 2.5 miles with the wife and Dog to this lovely property, Greencraigs. An amazing place to live with views to Edinburgh over the Forth, Tank defences for a garden wall, WW" wrecks of submarines a bay away and lots of wildlife on the beach and a world glass golf course as a neighbour the other side, jealous not. Had the A9 but wanted to see if the shot worked so tried a handheld photostack. Came out quite well and it is a shot I will return for as the light is falling nicely for a Golden Hour shot in the next couple of weeks. It will be a Nikon Tilt Shift shot though so I can do it in a single exposure.
Greencraigs by Simon Wootton, on Flickr

 

[woof woof]

Out for a long end of the week walk as it was desperately needed. This is the only bit of coast I can reach in the rules and it is just inside.

We drove 8 miles to the coast today and for the first time we saw some police but the weren't stopping anyone.

 

[wookie6262]

We drove 8 miles to the coast today and for the first time we saw some police but the weren't stopping anyone.

Judging by the amount of speed traps I have seen I think the Scottish Police are all too busy earning their Xmas bonuses

 

[LeeRatters]

Out for a long end of the week walk as it was desperately needed. This is the only bit of coast I can reach in the rules and it is just inside. I walked 2.5 miles with the wife and Dog to this lovely property, Greencraigs. An amazing place to live with views to Edinburgh over the Forth, Tank defences for a garden wall, WW" wrecks of submarines a bay away and lots of wildlife on the beach and a world glass golf course as a neighbour the other side, jealous not. Had the A9 but wanted to see if the shot worked so tried a handheld photostack. Came out quite well and it is a shot I will return for as the light is falling nicely for a Golden Hour shot in the next couple of weeks. It will be a Nikon Tilt Shift shot though so I can do it in a single exposure.
Greencraigs by Simon Wootton, on Flickr

Very nice. Love that foreground

 

[wookie6262]

Very nice. Love that foreground

Cheers, that was what the draw was. I have used it before as foreground but not that far along. The house can be shot using the puddles left by the outgoing tide as well so a really good low tide venue. Not a Sony camera but for anyone who might travel to the east coast of Scotland. Not a location that is shot that often either
Sand patterns on way to Greencraigs by Simon Wootton, on Flickr

 

[Stephen L]

Out for a long end of the week walk as it was desperately needed. This is the only bit of coast I can reach in the rules and it is just inside. I walked 2.5 miles with the wife and Dog to this lovely property, Greencraigs. An amazing place to live with views to Edinburgh over the Forth, Tank defences for a garden wall, WW" wrecks of submarines a bay away and lots of wildlife on the beach and a world glass golf course as a neighbour the other side, jealous not. Had the A9 but wanted to see if the shot worked so tried a handheld photostack. Came out quite well and it is a shot I will return for as the light is falling nicely for a Golden Hour shot in the next couple of weeks. It will be a Nikon Tilt Shift shot though so I can do it in a single exposure.
Greencraigs by Simon Wootton, on Flickr

Love Greencraigs - it’s beautiful inside. I worked part-time for the Earl of Wemyss who owned it then and we lived at Gosford House. At the time it was being rented out for upper-range house parties, and the young Lord Elcho used to house his pals there when they came up for Christmas.

 

[woof woof]

Judging by the amount of speed traps I have seen I think the Scottish Police are all too busy earning their Xmas bonuses

Sorry, I meant on foot, not in traffic cars.

I thought for a minute that they were there to lecture all us irresponsible people walking at the seaside but they didn't approach anyone.