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

[gilbouk]

Not necessarily.
Canon R5/6 do it without stacked sensor. But you take a massive hit on dynamic range.
Then there is the rolling shutter and banding issues.

I predominantly shoot mechanical because of banding in most venues. Also for wildlife when I'm shooting something on the move I'm using mechanical because of that stretched effect which I believe is rolling shutter

 

[Mr Perceptive]

Not necessarily.
Canon R5/6 do it without stacked sensor. But you take a massive hit on dynamic range.
Then there is the rolling shutter and banding issues.

I understood that teh Canon 'simulated' blackout fee by inserting duplicate frames into the EVF, this could give you a blackout free but would 'effectively' reduce the EVF refresh (update) rate.

For true blackout free EVF you need a stacked sensor.

 

[LeeRatters]

I was into cars for a long time but never really just buying a car more modding them and track days, sleeper cars are great fun showing up people in their expensive showroom cars with a Fiesta rusting away.

In order,

Ford Fiesta XR2 MK2 stripped out for the track.
Ford Escort RS Turbo S2, converted to EFI lots of mods and around 300bhp.
Ford Fiesta XR2, put a 2lt Zetec engine in it with motorbike carbs running around 240bhp in a car you could nearly pick up, probably the fastest car I've had not much beat it.
Mazda RX8 first car I owned and didn't do anything to it.
Audi A3, dullest, worst car I've ever owned.
Current car Ford Mondeo Mk5, 240bhp diesel, it's fast enough and it gets me everywhere in comfort. Also have a Mazda 3 which the wife drives it's pretty nice car to be honest better in everyway to the Audi A3 it replaced.

My money mostly goes on mountain bikes, and the house.
I did also used to be into shooting and had many air rifles but that's a sport that's been forced to die out no one wants you on their land anymore.
Finally cameras actually take up very little of my time and money but I do enjoy it.

Nice history and spannering too

I think that's one of the main things about the Escort, in the colour it is with just the wider steel wheels it looks like a standard granddad's car

 

[4wd]

This surprised me, I suppose they are counting Japanese sales though.
7 of top 10 are Sony

View: https://youtu.be/FJ-1HVtgzBc

 

[nandbytes]

I understood that teh Canon 'simulated' blackout fee by inserting duplicate frames into the EVF, this could give you a blackout free but would 'effectively' reduce the EVF refresh (update) rate.

For true blackout free EVF you need a stacked sensor.

Not sure what they do tbh on R5/R6

The only blackout free that seemed completely seamless was the A1. Especially when you shoot at 240hz refresh rate.

The others don't seem as smooth but are all classed as "blackout free". I suppose not all "blackout free" shooting is the same.

 

[Throttle]

It’s a shame you’ve had experiences like this, very sorry to hear it. It shouldn’t be like this, we should be able to enjoy ourselves.

Fortunately I’ve never had anything like this, but then I’ve never had a particularly flash car. The most ‘eye catching’ have been a couple of Scoobies and M3’s but the worst I ever experienced was people wanting to race me from the lights, but always in good jest.

My brother has just had his Alfa nicked though

That’s a problem with loads of modern technology with there keyless entry and button starts, I had a cat 2 immobiliser fitted and you need the fob held very near in a specific location to get the car to start with its usual button.. I still keep it kept in a signal blocker box so people can’t gain access to the car through scanning the signal.

 

[Throttle]

People seem a bit laid back in here and will talk about just about anything for a page or two before it inevitably gets back to cameras, even Fuji, Nikon and Canon get talked about.

Great car picture

Before we redecorated I had a load of my car pictures up in our bedroom. We took them down to redecorate and they never went back up as I got to like the minimalist look.

Cheers and yea I’m in the Fuji and Canon groups so i tend to go in them at times
I recently picked up the A7 4 ( replaced my 3 as there was trade in deals so i just went for it ) yet with the weather I’ve barely been out using it, even the photo i took of the car was with my old Fuji XT20

 

[woof woof]

That’s a problem with loads of modern technology with there keyless entry and button starts, I had a cat 2 immobiliser fitted and you need the fob held very near in a specific location to get the car to start with its usual button.. I still keep it kept in a signal blocker box so people can’t gain access to the car through scanning the signal.

I have a Faraday packet thingy for my Evoque fob.

This reminds me of something that happened years ago. I had a then top end alarm and immobiliser fitted to a car and the company proclaimed that the only way the car could now be stolen was on a trailer. Good stuff I thought but really I had my suspicions. I then spotted a fault with the car that the alarm installers had caused and whilst looking into it I saw what they'd done and worked out how to get around it. My knowledge is in electronics not door locks so I couldn't get into the car without causing damage but if I could get in I could disarm the alarm and immobiliser and drive the car away in less than 30 seconds and this was with a system that supposedly prevented the car from being driven away.

Things will have moved on but I think there will be ways around every electronic system and it's just a matter of working them out. I moved on to mechanical anti theft devices, those things that go around the gear stick or steering wheel etc but unfortunately I found ways around them too. I then gave up and designed my own alarm/immobiliser system and did think of marketing it but in the end I just couldn't be bothered.

Cheers and yea I’m in the Fuji and Canon groups so i tend to go in them at times
I recently picked up the A7 4 ( replaced my 3 as there was trade in deals so i just went for it ) yet with the weather I’ve barely been out using it, even the photo i took of the car was with my old Fuji XT20

As my A7 is coming up to 10 years old I might treat myself to an A7III or IV in 2023 but then again the A7 does most things I want so why not just keep it until it dies? But then again what good is money in the bank when we have no kids? 1st world issues

 

[Throttle]

I have a Faraday packet thingy for my Evoque.



As my A7 is coming up to 10 years old I might treat myself to an A7III or IV in 2023 but then again the A7 does most things I want so why not just keep it until it dies? But then again what good is money in the bank when we have no kids? 1st world issues

I had the original A7 i liked it yet for me and me having kids and sometimes going to car track events the focus wasn’t the best suited for me but i liked the image quality of it at the time.

That’s exactly it with leaving money in the bank, I had done and still have money in there but my dad passed away a few months ago and I’ve kinda gone a bit wild buying bits that car ( already have others ) A7 4 and a few new lenses too ( not using any money left from him btw )

I’m going to slow it down though buying items now for a while
I’m in 2 minds to downsize some camera gear, I also have got a few EF Canon lenses and the R6 yet it’s rare i ever use them at all so might shift them on at some point.

 

[woof woof]

I had the original A7 i liked it yet for me and me having kids and sometimes going to car track events the focus wasn’t the best suited for me but i liked the image quality of it at the time.

That’s exactly it with leaving money in the bank, I had done and still have money in there but my dad passed away a few months ago and I’ve kinda gone a bit wild buying bits that car ( already have others ) A7 4 and a few new lenses too ( not using any money left from him btw )

I’m going to slow it down though buying items now for a while
I’m in 2 minds to downsize some camera gear, I also have got a few EF Canon lenses and the R6 yet it’s rare i ever use them at all so might shift them on at some point.

I have quite a few film era lenses but if they sell on here at all it's at knock down prices and even if I sent them to a dealer I wouldn't get any significant amount of money so I keep changing my mind about what to do, move them on or just keep them? I also have too much Micro Four Third's gear.

I have the A7 and 11 Sony mount lenses including three Voigtlanders and that is really too much.

 

[LeeRatters]

I have quite a few film era lenses but if they sell on here at all it's at knock down prices and even if I sent them to a dealer I wouldn't get any significant amount of money so I keep changing my mind about what to do, move them on or just keep them? I also have too much Micro Four Third's gear.

I have the A7 and 11 Sony mount lenses including three Voigtlanders and that is really too much.

I think you should just have the 'vintage' lenses all on display Alan

 

[woof woof]

I think you should just have the 'vintage' lenses all on display Alan

I had a Minolta 35mm f2.8 MC, the metal bodied one with the shorter scalloped focus ring, and it was one of my favourite lenses. I sent it away to be cleaned and they banjaxed the coatings and it was a write off... but it looks gorgeous so I do indeed have it on display.

Putting all my Minolta, Olympus, Canon, Nikon and other lenses on display just isn't practical though as although I've forgotten how many I have I do know it's too many.

I have thought about just keeping some and offloading the rest but which to keep?

 

[gman]

I was into cars for a long time but never really just buying a car more modding them and track days, sleeper cars are great fun showing up people in their expensive showroom cars with a Fiesta rusting away.

In order,

Ford Fiesta XR2 MK2 stripped out for the track.
Ford Escort RS Turbo S2, converted to EFI lots of mods and around 300bhp.
Ford Fiesta XR2, put a 2lt Zetec engine in it with motorbike carbs running around 240bhp in a car you could nearly pick up, probably the fastest car I've had not much beat it.
Mazda RX8 first car I owned and didn't do anything to it.
Audi A3, dullest, worst car I've ever owned.
Current car Ford Mondeo Mk5, 240bhp diesel, it's fast enough and it gets me everywhere in comfort. Also have a Mazda 3 which the wife drives it's pretty nice car to be honest better in everyway to the Audi A3 it replaced.

My money mostly goes on mountain bikes, and the house.
I did also used to be into shooting and had many air rifles but that's a sport that's been forced to die out no one wants you on their land anymore.
Finally cameras actually take up very little of my time and money but I do enjoy it.

I've heard similar about the A3 and even the S3, although I do like the A3/S3 saloon look, it's nicely proportioned.

My mate had an RX8 and didn't feel as fast as it actually was, which I'm guessing was down to the linear power delivery. Was a pretty fun car, although the super stiff suspensions resulted in a very rattly cabin. He's now got a Yaris GR which has done a decent job of getting back that raw petrolhead feeling. The grip on small twisty roads is insane as it's such a small car and he does have the circuit pack with front and rear LSD's.

 

[woof woof]

I test drove an RX8 and it was lovely and it made a lovely noise when the supercharger (or whatever) kicked in. I went for the Lotus Elan SE instead and did over 100k miles in it.

Ah, after reading Toni's post I'm sure what I test drove was the RX7.

AFAIR they used to use a bit of oil as well as petrol.

 

[ancient_mariner]

The problem with rotaries is usually fuel consumption. Our son ran a lowered & tweaked RX7 for a while, but consumption was crazy (15mpg or less IIRC).

 

[gman]

Yeah I think by design they do require a lot of maintenance and I seem to remember something about seals. Thirsty as well.

It would have been an RX7 if forced induction as the RX8 is n/a, unless modified for such, which I'm sure they have been and would be insane! lol

 

[robj20]

Yeah I think by design they do require a lot of maintenance and I seem to remember something about seals. Thirsty as well.

It would have been an RX7 if forced induction as the RX8 is n/a, unless modified for such, which I'm sure they have been and would be insane! lol

I think the main reason so many rotary engines die is because people don't know how to keep them healthy.
Bloke at work had one as well and he'd pootle every where in it then wondered why the secondary and tertiary intake ports seized. His apex seals soon went as well.
Mine lived a long happy life at high revs as much as possible.

They're a brilliant design but they don't have a place for people who are evenly slightly interested in fuel economy.

Easily the best handling car I've driven for the money, was a dream on the track and when everyone else had to come in to let theirs cool down the RX8 was in it's element yes I went through a hell of a lot of fuel. I used to run 2 stroke oil in my fuel as well, about 500ml of engine oil per 1000miles was the norm as well.

 

[LeeRatters]

I think the main reason so many rotary engines die is because people don't know how to keep them healthy.
Bloke at work had one as well and he'd pootle every where in it then wondered why the secondary and tertiary intake ports seized. His apex seals soon went as well.
Mine lived a long happy life at high revs as much as possible.

They're a brilliant design but they don't have a place for people who are evenly slightly interested in fuel economy.

Easily the best handling car I've driven for the money, was a dream on the track and when everyone else had to come in to let theirs cool down the RX8 was in it's element yes I went through a hell of a lot of fuel. I used to run 2 stroke oil in my fuel as well, about 500ml of engine oil per 1000miles was the norm as well.

The engine I bought quite a few years ago now that's in the Escort, was in my mates Mk1 RS2000. He had it built for track days, RWYB and drift days. After fitting it I ran it for a while but if it idled for more than a few minutes the plugs were ruined! I did manage to change all the low end jetting after some research and it's been much more drivable "in traffic" since. It still doesn't like long periods of time under 3,000rpm (and under some load) though due to how it's built and the cam in there etc but it's certainly not the pig to drive than it used to be.

Now, the uprated paddle clutch on the other hand..... That'll burn the calf muscles!

 

[snerkler]

I predominantly shoot mechanical because of banding in most venues. Also for wildlife when I'm shooting something on the move I'm using mechanical because of that stretched effect which I believe is rolling shutter

The only Sony cameras I’d use the electronic shutter with are the A9, A9II and A1. Maybe on the odd occasion for something static with the others but that’s all.

Not sure what they do tbh on R5/R6

The only blackout free that seemed completely seamless was the A1. Especially when you shoot at 240hz refresh rate.

The others don't seem as smooth but are all classed as "blackout free". I suppose not all "blackout free" shooting is the same.

My A9II is smooth and seamless to 1/125, below this you get some lag and below 1/50 you get an obvious slideshow effect with panning. Sony state they have improved the A1 with this but how, and to what extent I don’t know.

That’s a problem with loads of modern technology with there keyless entry and button starts, I had a cat 2 immobiliser fitted and you need the fob held very near in a specific location to get the car to start with its usual button.. I still keep it kept in a signal blocker box so people can’t gain access to the car through scanning the signal.

I have one of those farrady boxes for my key fobs, but the box is also in plain sight in the hallway so if someone was to break in for the keys they can be in and out as quickly as possible.

 

[imattersuk]

One of my many rotaries over the years, zero issues with any of them as properly maintained.

RX7 FC Convertible, had this circa 2013, 1989 model with only 40k miles. Racing Beat straight through exhaust with fuel cut defender. Spat flames at will

H1RXY by FusionX Photo, on Flickr

 

[srhmoto]

Not going to lie, I like my cars and there’s been some very nice motors discussed on here.

Currently running a 2017 BMW 335d. The person that bought it new stuck over £12k of extras on it, so it’s a lot of car for what I paid for it earlier this year, and it’s only got 45k miles on it. It’s a really nice sleeper car with around 310bhp and BMW’s xdrive, but still does 55mpg on a long run without really trying.

Simon.

 

[gman]

Not going to lie, I like my cars and there’s been some very nice motors discussed on here.

Currently running a 2017 BMW 335d. The person that bought it new stuck over £12k of extras on it, so it’s a lot of car for what I paid for it earlier this year, and it’s only got 45k miles on it. It’s a really nice sleeper car with around 310bhp and BMW’s xdrive, but still does 55mpg on a long run without really trying.

Simon.

Did you manage to escape Adblue? Something rings a bell about early 2018 being when all the big diesels got it, but 2016 also comes to mind. I had an F30 330d and it's a great all rounder and as you say the power vs economy is quite the technical achievement. Can the 335d not be remapped to 400bhp or something with a stonking 700-800Nm of torque?

 

[snerkler]

Did you manage to escape Adblue? Something rings a bell about early 2018 being when all the big diesels got it, but 2016 also comes to mind. I had an F30 330d and it's a great all rounder and as you say the power vs economy is quite the technical achievement. Can the 335d not be remapped to 400bhp or something with a stonking 700-800Nm of torque?

Mines a 2016 and it’s got adblue

 

[gman]

Mines a 2016 and it’s got adblue

2 or 3 litre?

 

[woof woof]

I think my Evoque has this but my friendly mechanic said I should forget it as it'll all be sorted during the servicing. Hope he's right

 

[srhmoto]

Did you manage to escape Adblue? Something rings a bell about early 2018 being when all the big diesels got it, but 2016 also comes to mind. I had an F30 330d and it's a great all rounder and as you say the power vs economy is quite the technical achievement. Can the 335d not be remapped to 400bhp or something with a stonking 700-800Nm of torque?

Mines a 2016 and it’s got adblue

Mine’s a 3 litre straight six, and there’s no requirement for Adblue.

Yeah, a stage 1 remap will push it up to around 380bhp without really stressing the engine at all or requiring any hardware changes. It would probably give a boost to fuel economy too. Thing is though, for real world driving (even a B road blast) it’s already stupid quick with the engine and gearbox in sport mode that I’m not sure it’s worth the cost to do or additional insurance premium. Haven’t completely ruled out doing it though ;-).

Could be tempted to stick some lowering springs or coil overs on it to lower it slightly though - even though it’s an M Sport car, I’m sure the 335d sits slightly higher out of the factory. Maybe some spacers (10mm or so) just to widen the track slightly too. We’ll see.

 

[snerkler]

2 or 3 litre?

3.0 litre Straight 6.

 

[snerkler]

I think my Evoque has this but my friendly mechanic said I should forget it as it'll all be sorted during the servicing. Hope he's right

Depends how much you drive it. I normally get around 10,000 miles between top ups.

 

[gilbouk]

The only Sony cameras I’d use the electronic shutter with are the A9, A9II and A1. Maybe on the odd occasion for something static with the others but that’s all.

Is that because of reduced disadvantages with the stacked sensors when using electronic shutter? Currently I find that there are too many disadvantages using electronic shutter, I rarely have used it on any cameras to date due to the changeable conditions I shoot in throughout a day.

 

[woof woof]

Depends how much you drive it. I normally get around 10,000 miles between top ups.

I only do a few thousand a year and that'll spread between three cars so I think my mechanic is right, it'll only need looking at during servicing.

 

[snerkler]

Is that because of reduced disadvantages with the stacked sensors when using electronic shutter? Currently I find that there are too many disadvantages using electronic shutter, I rarely have used it on any cameras to date due to the changeable conditions I shoot in throughout a day.

There's very little disadvantage of using the electronic shutter with the A9's and A1, no rolling shutter, no banding (except in extreme circumstances with LED), no loss of DR etc. The only issue with the A9's is that you can't use flash with the electronic shutter, but you can with the A1 (not sure about HSS though).

 

[gman]

3.0 litre Straight 6.

Looks like there's no consistency with it then lol

 

[gman]

Mine’s a 3 litre straight six, and there’s no requirement for Adblue.

Yeah, a stage 1 remap will push it up to around 380bhp without really stressing the engine at all or requiring any hardware changes. It would probably give a boost to fuel economy too. Thing is though, for real world driving (even a B road blast) it’s already stupid quick with the engine and gearbox in sport mode that I’m not sure it’s worth the cost to do or additional insurance premium. Haven’t completely ruled out doing it though ;-).

Could be tempted to stick some lowering springs or coil overs on it to lower it slightly though - even though it’s an M Sport car, I’m sure the 335d sits slightly higher out of the factory. Maybe some spacers (10mm or so) just to widen the track slightly too. We’ll see.

Is it not the xdrive that results in the slightly higher ride height? Hmm, I think we are in danger of running too many pages on cars lol

 

[woof woof]

Is it not the xdrive that results in the slightly higher ride height? Hmm, I think we are in danger of running too many pages on cars lol

If anyone's feeling guilty... just post more car pictures

 

[Mike.P]

Hmm, I think we are in danger of running too many pages on cars lol

I have noticed that happens here at least 3 or 4 times a year. Same with guitars and dogs

 

[LeeRatters]

If anyone's feeling guilty... just post more car pictures

I would. But I haven't taken any

 

[LeeRatters]

I have noticed that happens here at least 3 or 4 times a year. Same with guitars and dogs

Makes for a good thread though imo

 

[robj20]

Just to get the thread back on topic.
My Sony A7C with the 35mm fits in my Mondeo's cup holders perfectly.

 

[woof woof]

I have noticed that happens here at least 3 or 4 times a year. Same with guitars and dogs

A while a back all people talked about in this thread was Fuji's and before that it was...

Mirrorless will never overtake DSLR's.
Sony's are too small, they're like toys.
Sony's are too big, they're the same size as DSLR's.
I don't like the menus.
I don't like the colours.
EVF's just aren't good enough. I'm sticking to my crappy old Canon APS-C.

We've seen it all

 

[woof woof]

f1.2? Pffff...
f0.95? Wouldn't get out of bed.
f0.3? Ha, getting interesting now...

I've not come across this before but it looks to be an interesting channel...

https://www.youtube.com/@MediaDivision/videos