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

Mike.P said:
I have a Canon 7DII and M5, Pentax K-1 and now the A9.

I primarily used the full frame K-1 but the Canon stuff is/was for when I needed fast af.
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I have considered having two setups in the past.... in the end it was too much hassle.
unfortunately Sony doesn't have a competitor for R5 and Canon doesn't have a competitor for A9 or A7RIV.
but R5 is probably the better buy compared to both Sonys if you just want one body.
 
Mike.P said:
As I am mainly a Pentax user I find the autofocus from any camera from the last 20 years astonishing. The A9 is basically witchcraft.
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Face / eye detect and being able to focus accurately and consistently anywhere in the frame if only on a stationary or slow moving thing are game changers for me. Thinking back to my Canon DSLR's let alone anything older and they just seem like something from the steam age.
 
nandbytes said:
I have considered having two setups in the past.... in the end it was too much hassle.
unfortunately Sony doesn't have a competitor for R5 and Canon doesn't have a competitor for A9 or A7RIV.
but R5 is probably the better buy compared to both Sonys if you just want one body.
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There's the question of lenses though for Canon mirrorless but that's less of an issue for anyone with Canon DSLR lenses they can adapt.

I've thought about trying to sell my MFT stuff but recently I've liked taking out my A7 with a prime and a MFT camera with 45-150mm.
 
woof woof said:
There's the question of lenses though for Canon mirrorless but that's less of an issue for anyone with Canon DSLR lenses they can adapt.
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I wouldn't want to adapt forever....
The RF lenses are certainly on the expensive side. Overall it was certainly cheaper to buy the A1 for me than to switch for a more expensive larger setup.
may be not the case for everyone

The second reason I stuck with Sony is that they are still honouring the "small FF" philosophy that I bought into the system for. The A1/A9 are small enough and A7C is small too.
Canon/Nikon are going down the route of big unnecessarily bloated body with R3/Z9. that's not for me.
 
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I suppose the thinking is that this is maybe primarily a male activity and maybe an aging male activity with quite a few aging men seeming to like the more traditional chunkier kit. We've seen comments about this many times and it always makes me smile as IMO the chunky kit is a relatively new phenomenon that came with DSLR's with a lot of stuff from years back being more MFT/Sony A7 sized although probably sometimes lighter than todays crammed full of stuff cameras. Maybe video will tempt younger people in and maybe change preferences over time.
 
And a photo appears!

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Not just a pancake but an eggless vegetarian pancake...

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and more, an eggless vegetarian pancake home made bread sandwich...

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It was Yum Yum :D
 
I've just watched that By An A7rII Now video and I can deffo see the appeal but my A7 still does all I need.
 
woof woof said:
I suppose the thinking is that this is maybe primarily a male activity and maybe an aging male activity with quite a few aging men seeming to like the more traditional chunkier kit. We've seen comments about this many times and it always makes me smile as IMO the chunky kit is a relatively new phenomenon that came with DSLR's with a lot of stuff from years back being more MFT/Sony A7 sized although probably sometimes lighter than todays crammed full of stuff cameras. Maybe video will tempt younger people in and maybe change preferences over time.
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I was having a "discussion" on dpreview about it. there isn't a good reason I can think off for a body of that size. what is required is a small body with nicely designed grip. The grip for Sony A99 and A900 were truly amazing and was nearly as good as having an integrated grip in terms of ergonomics. the only downsize is the sealing which I think can be worked on. So I think a well designed grip is a better solution than having integrated ones. that opens up the options of having it both ways.

The large sports DSLRs needed to be that big since they had to move the flappy mirror for high frame rates and which also meant it needed a larger battery for more power to drive the motors. All in all that made sense.

On mirrorless its all electronic, sony can drive 30fps (canon 20fps) without issues on the current batteries. no need for a flappy mirror or the prism or any of that. the only moving part now is the mechanical shutter which is seldom needed.

As for heat dissipation A1 and A7SIII can record as far as battery dies or cards fill up. So a larger body is not for good heat dissipation while it'd of course be better.
 
nandbytes said:
I was having a "discussion" on dpreview about it. there isn't a good reason I can think off for a body of that size. what is required is a small body with nicely designed grip. The grip for Sony A99 and A900 were truly amazing and was nearly as good as having an integrated grip in terms of ergonomics. the only downsize is the sealing which I think can be worked on. So I think a well designed grip is a better solution than having integrated ones. that opens up the options of having it both ways.
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I still use my old A900's, and have VG for both, but I'd say I use the grip perhaps 60% of the time - but I'm just taking photos for fun, and take all sorts of shots, with a large range of lenses.

IF it was my job, and the sort of photography meant I was using the grip 95%+ of the time, then I can see an argument in favor of using a camera with an integrated grip - in theory, you shoudl be able to make a camera with integrated grip a bit smaller, lighter, stronger and better weather sealed (no potential weak spot where the removable grip connects to the body).

In theory, it should be fairly easy for a company like Sony to make a range of 'body styles' and just stick the camera internals into it - so you could have an A1 with a VG add on OR an A1 with integrated grip - it's a purely mechanical design to merge the A1 and VG into a single item (there a minor internal wiring differences as well, but it's all simplification, so the VG controls on the integrated version would connect direct, rather than going via the connector in the removable grip).

Presumably Sony have decided the market share of such a model is insufficient to warrant the tooling and stocking of another model.
 
Well A1 now configured, menus are ok to be honest, didnt take me long to muscle through them, watched Mr Galers videos and setup 2 buttons for Birds and Bikes with differing shutter speeds, will test this weekend and report back, but thus far the 768 pictures i took of my feet on the bed seemed good :)
 
littleted said:
Well A1 now configured, menus are ok to be honest, didnt take me long to muscle through them, watched Mr Galers videos and setup 2 buttons for Birds and Bikes with differing shutter speeds, will test this weekend and report back, but thus far the 768 pictures i took of my feet on the bed seemed good :)
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What about the lens cap. Remembered to photograph that?
 
Faldrax said:
in theory, you shoudl be able to make a camera with integrated grip a bit smaller, lighter, stronger and better weather sealed (no potential weak spot where the removable grip connects to the body).
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I agree with this and it is a benefit no doubt but does it out weigh the benefits/versatility of having a separate grip?
it's a bit like when people were adamant/argued that articulated screens were the worst thing to happen to weathersealing and sturdiness till all bodies eventually had it.
Yes a fixed screens integrated within the body will be better sealed and stronger. But I think the design and tech has come far enough for the benefits of the articulated screen to out weigh the small downside to the weatherseal or sturdiness.
 
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Mike.P said:
Anyone tell me how the AF on the RIV compares to the a9? As good as the a9 is the resolution just doesn't quite do it for me.

I know the autofocus isn't as good but is it 80% of the a9 ... more ... less ?


Peregrine Falcon New Milton Water Tower by Michael Pursey, on Flickr


Peregrine Falcon New Milton Water Tower by Michael Pursey, on Flickr


Peregrine Falcon New Milton Water Tower by Michael Pursey, on Flickr
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I currently have both a9 and a7riva.

a9 - man this camera is a beast and what incredible value for the money. still one of the best and must be 4 years old now.
a7riv focus is very, very good but depends on what you want to be shooting. you'll get the best performance with the a9, especially when adapting glass.

I shot a football match on Sunday with the r4 and never wanted more. the ability to crop the hell out of a shot and still be left with so many megapixels is really quite nice!
 
addicknchips said:
I currently have both a9 and a7riva.

a9 - man this camera is a beast and what incredible value for the money. still one of the best and must be 4 years old now.
a7riv focus is very, very good but depends on what you want to be shooting. you'll get the best performance with the a9, especially when adapting glass.

I shot a football match on Sunday with the r4 and never wanted more. the ability to crop the hell out of a shot and still be left with so many megapixels is really quite nice!
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Out of interest to you notice a difference between the LCD of the two bodies?

Also if you sell both you are nearly there to getting an A1 ;)
 
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Jonathan, one thing that I noticed is that the A9 has a lower DR than my A7. The numbers may be so close that it doesn't matter but if going for a new camera I'd want to move forward with IQ not just with the bells and whistles. DR is an issue for me as I do take quite a few pictures that include bright highlights and deep shadow. What do you think?
 
nandbytes said:
I agree with this and it is a benefit no doubt but does it out weigh the benefits/versatility of having a separate grip?
it's a bit like when people were adamant/argued that articulated screens were the worst thing to happen to weathersealing and sturdiness till all bodies eventually had it.
Yes a fixed screens integrated within the body will be better sealed and stronger. But I think the design and tech has come far enough for the benefits of the articulated screen to out weigh the small downside to the weatherseal or sturdiness.
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I would say that for many people, the versatility of a removal grip is an advantage - but there will also be some who will simply get the VG, stick it on the camera, and never use it without. For those people, an integrated grip design would be better.
 
nandbytes said:
Out of interest to you notice a difference between the LCD of the two bodies?
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the new r4a only arrived at my door on Friday and I used it along with an a9 for a wedding on a Saturday and then the football on Sunday. I only really used the LCD for the shots on the dance floor. looking at them both now side by side, yes there's a definite difference in clarity. my previous issues with the lcd on Sony's was that they seemed poor when out in daylight. I can't say ive had a proper chance yet of testing the screen though if im honest.

on a side note I did accidentally bump some of the custom buttons on the rear of the r4, so I need to think about how I set that up going forward. I like the feeling of the larger buttons but they are evidently easier to accidentally press when your doing things at speed.

@woof woof hi Alan, ive used the a9 for a range of things and on a few occasions have felt the images coming off a little noisier than I'd like. but that's me pixel peeping (I blame the a7r2 for getting me in that habit). i can't say its a big problem for me though. the benefits of what the a9 offer outweigh its weak points.
 
addicknchips said:
the new r4a only arrived at my door on Friday and I used it along with an a9 for a wedding on a Saturday and then the football on Sunday. I only really used the LCD for the shots on the dance floor. looking at them both now side by side, yes there's a definite difference in clarity. my previous issues with the lcd on Sony's was that they seemed poor when out in daylight. I can't say ive had a proper chance yet of testing the screen though if im honest.

on a side note I did accidentally bump some of the custom buttons on the rear of the r4, so I need to think about how I set that up going forward. I like the feeling of the larger buttons but they are evidently easier to accidentally press when your doing things at speed.
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I am wee bit annoyed my A1's LCD is worst than the A7RIV now.
 
addicknchips said:
How you finding it compared to Olympus?
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Pros and Cons. There’s no getting away from the fact the Sony 100-400mm is more difficult to handle than the Panny 100-400mm due to the size and weight meaning that handheld slow shutters pans are tricky. There’s not doubt the IQ of the Sony 100-400mm is better but due to the relative lack of reach you have to crop more meaning the IQ advantage is negated somewhat.

In terms of handling the Tamron 70-180mm and Olly 40-150mm f2.8 are about on par, but you lose 120mm effective reach with the Tamron so I’d say advantage Olly with that.

The A9ii body definitely wins though. The EM1-II is superb, but the A9ii is truly epic. Shooting 1/125 shutter and higher with realtime blackout free shooting almost feels as though you’re cheating ;) Less that 1/125 you don’t get real time view with the A9ii but it’s not quite as bad as the ‘slideshow’ views you get with other cameras and I actually still found it easier than dealing with the blackout of the mechanical shutter. I kind of forgot how fast it shot and ended up with A LOT of photos on Sunday :lol:
 
nandbytes said:
I am wee bit annoyed my A1's LCD is worst than the A7RIV now.
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I’ve said from day one that it baffled me they built a £6k camera with relatively low res LCD. That being said, I can’t say I’ve really noticed the difference using the A9ii from the A7RIV
trevorbray said:
Great. More please.

Any video footage ..?
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I did get som video footage but it’s pretty poor to say the least, and I haven’t even looked at it on the computer yet where it will no doubt look even worse :lol: I’m not sure hand holding was a great idea for video.
 
snerkler said:
I’ve said from day one that it baffled me they built a £6k camera with relatively low res LCD. That being said, I can’t say I’ve really noticed the difference using the A9ii from the A7RIV
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The overall LCD experience is crap on Sony from user experience to navigation to its resolution etc. At least its mostly lag free on A1 but that shouldn't even be something we talk about in 2021 on a £6 body!

I guess its something that won't put most people off enough to stop them from buying a body. So they probably do the bare minimum to improve it.
 
snerkler said:
Pros and Cons. There’s no getting away from the fact the Sony 100-400mm is more difficult to handle than the Panny 100-400mm due to the size and weight meaning that handheld slow shutters pans are tricky. There’s not doubt the IQ of the Sony 100-400mm is better but due to the relative lack of reach you have to crop more meaning the IQ advantage is negated somewhat.

In terms of handling the Tamron 70-180mm and Olly 40-150mm f2.8 are about on par, but you lose 120mm effective reach with the Tamron so I’d say advantage Olly with that.

The A9ii body definitely wins though. The EM1-II is superb, but the A9ii is truly epic. Shooting 1/125 shutter and higher with realtime blackout free shooting almost feels as though you’re cheating ;) Less that 1/125 you don’t get real time view with the A9ii but it’s not quite as bad as the ‘slideshow’ views you get with other cameras and I actually still found it easier than dealing with the blackout of the mechanical shutter. I kind of forgot how fast it shot and ended up with A LOT of photos on Sunday :LOL:
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you can get a lighter 100-400mm on Sony if its troubling you so much ;)

at lower shutter speeds I don't think you are get a realtime view because the shutter is closed for longer than the sensor readout speed.
Just as you'd have a longer blackout with slower shutter speeds.
 
nandbytes said:
no idea, probably....
didn't like it huh?
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Not given it enough time yet tbh but I think the R5 does a few things better than the a9 plus it has that little extra resolution. Given the choice I would go for the A1 but as we currently doing up a bungalow I think the wife would probably murder me if I spent 50% of her new kitchen money on a camera body :oops: :$
 
did anyone receive an email last week about a new camera announcement on 7th July?
 
nandbytes said:
you can get a lighter 100-400mm on Sony if its troubling you so much ;)

at lower shutter speeds I don't think you are get a realtime view because the shutter is closed for longer than the sensor readout speed.
Just as you'd have a longer blackout with slower shutter speeds.
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If the Sigma was out (or I’d known that it was out) when I bought my 100-400mm I might well have gone for it but I do really like the Sony GM and think that I’d miss the IQ now.
addicknchips said:
did anyone receive an email last week about a new camera announcement on 7th July?
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No, but wasn’t there something about a new A7c mentioned previously?
 
Mike.P said:
Not given it enough time yet tbh but I think the R5 does a few things better than the a9 plus it has that little extra resolution. Given the choice I would go for the A1 but as we currently doing up a bungalow I think the wife would probably murder me if I spent 50% of her new kitchen money on a camera body :oops: :$
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it certainly does a lot of things better than the A9. my only issue with the RF system was the price (and I am not keen on adapting its too fiddly)

addicknchips said:
did anyone receive an email last week about a new camera announcement on 7th July?
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supposed to be an APS-C vlogging style camera like the ZV1 but an e-mount ILC instead of fixed lens
 
The rumor site said it's postponed...

Sony announced that the July 7th announcement has been postponed | sonyalpharumors

Today Sony's youtube live stream channel announced that the camera announcement scheduled for July 7th has been postponed. A new date will be announced soon. - If you remember back in early May I told you the ZV-E10 would be announced in late May. Little after I told you the announcement was...
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com
 
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