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

Not sure how true this is, why would they keep back what features they’re going to add?

Sony A1 and A7sIII firmware update will bring many more features than you expect! | sonyalpharumors

Two sources now told me that we can expect a lot more features to be implemented than previously disclosed by Sony. This should bring both the Sony A1 and Sony A7sIII on par or ahead of the competition. The bad news of this rumor is that it might means that the A1II (and A7sIV) might
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

In another note, my 24-70mm f4 is up for sale.
 
snerkler said:
Not sure how true this is, why would they keep back what features they’re going to add?

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They will have a list of 'must haves' in the development schedule for the new firmware, and a list of 'nice to have' features, that they will include if ready in time.
You publish the 'must haves', and don't publish the 'nice to have' items - because if you do, there will be complaints about what doesn't make it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Anyone got any personal experience of the PD Sling bags? Thinking of getting the 6L.
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I use a 10L one. its fine but can get uncomfortable with lot of gear inside.
having that most sling bags do unless you buy a larger/heavier one.
 
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snerkler said:
I'd be more concerned about the balance of the lens on the A7c bodies, with the relatively small grip it's not ideal imo so make sure you try the camera with this lens or a similar size weight lens.

AFAIK the Sony GM II is the best on the market.
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Thank Toby for taking the time to reply. You make a good point. My other choice to help balance 2.8 lenses was the A7IV if i need to.
 
snerkler said:
Not sure how true this is, why would they keep back what features they’re going to add?

Sony A1 and A7sIII firmware update will bring many more features than you expect! | sonyalpharumors

Two sources now told me that we can expect a lot more features to be implemented than previously disclosed by Sony. This should bring both the Sony A1 and Sony A7sIII on par or ahead of the competition. The bad news of this rumor is that it might means that the A1II (and A7sIV) might
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

In another note, my 24-70mm f4 is up for sale.
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All manufacturers have done it for years. As I’ve said before an ex canon engineer told me it’s not what they tell you but what they don’t tell you about the firmware updates that matter.
Lets hope there is some good things in there.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Hence I don't want a 10L one, need to limit how much I put in it.
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fair
what I like about PD is that the padding is part of the walls of the as supposed to it being a separate insert (like in tenba bags for examples)
I think overall this makes them smaller and lighter.

I also like the "origami" dividers the PD bags come with.
 
snerkler said:
I'd be more concerned about the balance of the lens on the A7c bodies, with the relatively small grip it's not ideal imo so make sure you try the camera with this lens or a similar size weight lens.

AFAIK the Sony GM II is the best on the market.
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Always find the balance comment a funny one. What ratio is wrong? If a 24-70 f2 on an A7C is wrong by that logic a 600mm on an A7 body is wrong.

In reality you just hold more of the weight by the lens just the same as you do once lenses get too heavy for the camera/grip.
 
nandbytes said:
fair
what I like about PD is that the padding is part of the walls of the as supposed to it being a separate insert (like in tenba bags for examples)
I think overall this makes them smaller and lighter.

I also like the "origami" dividers the PD bags come with.
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I am trying to strike that fine line between a daily, yet not too small (need to fit iPad as airplane carry on), and not too big so it's too heavy.

The Ryker is great but no space for iPad, meaning getting an iPad out of a carryon suitcase awkward and annoying. Need a bag similar to Ryker size with iPad section. Just enough space for a Fuji body and a couple of lenses would be perfect. I might even put my Clear bag with 100ml liquids in there too when I go through customs.

I looked briefly today, the other option is the Thankthank Retrospective but I think the Sling is a better design product, with places to clip on their clip (which I also have).

Now I just have to decide what colour to go with.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I am trying to strike that fine line between a daily, yet not too small (need to fit iPad as airplane carry on), and not too big so it's too heavy.

The Ryker is great but no space for iPad, meaning getting an iPad out of a carryon suitcase awkward and annoying. Need a bag similar to Ryker size with iPad section. Just enough space for a Fuji body and a couple of lenses would be perfect. I might even put my Clear bag with 100ml liquids in there too when I go through customs.

I looked briefly today, the other option is the Thankthank Retrospective but I think the Sling is a better design product, with places to clip on their clip (which I also have).

Now I just have to decide what colour to go with.
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I use mine as my office bag too (hence going with 10L version). nicely fits my work laptop (14" MBP) and my packed lunchbox with a drink/can. the annoying part is having to take out dividers and put them back in when I need to use it as a camera bag.

Before the PD sling I used PD messenger and that was too big and heavy for my liking.
Before that I had tenba DNA 10 and tenba Cooper 13 slim. both were good but really enjoyed the Cooper slim, it was very nice.
good part about tenbas was the camera insert came out so I could take the insert out and use it as a regular bag without having to mess with dividers every time.

I have also used my PD sling as the baby supplies carries on our recent flight (water bottle, baby food, nappies and tissues). It worked super well for that too :ROFLMAO:

Basically I use these bags for a lot of things including daily usage as my main office bag. They work well for that.
 
nandbytes said:
I use mine as my office bag too (hence going with 10L version). nicely fits my work laptop (14" MBP) and my packed lunchbox with a drink/can. the annoying part is having to take out dividers and put them back in when I need to use it as a camera bag.

Before the PD sling I used PD messenger and that was too big and heavy for my liking.
Before that I had tenba DNA 10 and tenba Cooper 13 slim. both were good but really enjoyed the Cooper slim, it was very nice.
good part about tenbas was the camera insert came out so I could take the insert out and use it as a regular bag without having to mess with dividers every time.

I have also used my PD sling as the baby supplies carries on our recent flight (water bottle, baby food, nappies and tissues). It worked super well for that too :ROFLMAO:

Basically I use these bags for a lot of things including daily usage as my main office bag. They work well for that.
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What colour did you go for and if you get it again, would you get the same colour?
 
Raymond Lin said:
What colour did you go for and if you get it again, would you get the same colour?
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I had various PD bags all of the different colours but I believe the materials are the kinda the same so experience applies across the bag lines

I would avoid midnight blue (even though it is my favourite colour), attracts dust and dirt a lot and harder to clean for some reason.
Right now I have black PD sling and Ash PD everyday zip 20L. Both are fine but I prefer Ash over the black because it looks less dirty despite actually being more dirty!

In the past I had a charcoal messenger and this is the one I think I would prefer of the lot but I don't think they do Charcoal sling. So in that case I'd suggest the Ash colour.

TD;DR - order of preference (depending on availability in the bag line)
Charcoal, Ash, black, midnight blue
(I believe there is also a "bone" colour which is basically off-white, no experience of that but generally speaking I'd avoid white-ish colours for anything I use outdoors)

I changed from midnight blue to Ash for the everyday bag pack Zip 20L. So I'd definitely not buy the midnight blue on again. The rest I am happy with in general.
 
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I was leaning towards Ash over Black, you just cemented my decision, cheers. If it’s like cars, Silver cars hides dirt better than black or white cars.

Wasn’t going to go for Midnight Blue, not a ff the colour on this fabric. Speaking of which, I’m not sure if it’s just in video but the Ash and Charcoal colour looks like a different texture fabric than the Black and Midnight Blue.
 
I like the look of the PD slings but AFAIK they're not waterproof which has always put me off.
 
Nor is the Ryker, so it’s fine. I don’t stand in the pouring rain long enough for the bag to soak through.
 
they are waterproof weather resistant :)
I think they will resist some water but I would not stand in pouring rain/snow but it will last long enough to get you to safety.
 
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nandbytes said:
they are waterproof weather resistant :)
I think they will resist some water but I would not stand in pouring rain/snow but it will last long enough to get you to safety.
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I don’t want to have to take cover and wait if I’m out and about. My think tank’s not waterproof either but it has a waterproof cover which can be quickly deployed (y)
 
snerkler said:
I don’t want to have to take cover and wait if I’m out and about. My think tank’s not waterproof either but it has a waterproof cover which can be quickly deployed (y)
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The material used by peak design bags are water repellent which is why they don't include a rain cover (that's thier claim anyway)
 
Can always apply a layer of fabric sealer to make it practically like an umbrella if I’m worried. I am usually in a city and never that far away from cover.

Fabsil Universal Silicone Water Proofer - Black, 1 Litre https://amzn.eu/d/4Sd24Dj
 
nandbytes said:
The material used by peak design bags are water repellent which is why they don't include a rain cover (that's thier claim anyway)
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Yep, I’d rather have the assurance though (y)
 
snerkler said:
I'd be more concerned about the balance of the lens on the A7c bodies, with the relatively small grip it's not ideal imo so make sure you try the camera with this lens or a similar size weight lens.
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If it helps anyone...

I use a Panasonic 100-400mm on my RF style Panasonic GX9 and I don't have an issue with the big lens on a small body as my left hand is positioned under the lens on the zoom ring. Some might not like a big lens on a small camera so it's definitely worth holding the combination in question but I don't seem to have an issue.
 
woof woof said:
If it helps anyone...

I use a Panasonic 100-400mm on my RF style Panasonic GX9 and I don't have an issue with the big lens on a small body as my left hand is positioned under the lens on the zoom ring. Some might not like a big lens on a small camera so it's definitely worth holding the combination in question but I don't seem to have an issue.
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You can absolutely do this and yes you support the lens with your left hand, however the balance doesn't feel great imo. I of course use lenses that can feel unbalanced such as teh 100-400mm GM, but having a deeper grip makes this easier. Also, if I've got a preferred day to day/walkabout lens I do like this to be as balanced as possible as you can be at awkward angles, using it one handed etc etc. YMMV (y)
 
snerkler said:
You can absolutely do this and yes you support the lens with your left hand, however the balance doesn't feel great imo. I of course use lenses that can feel unbalanced such as teh 100-400mm GM, but having a deeper grip makes this easier. Also, if I've got a preferred day to day/walkabout lens I do like this to be as balanced as possible as you can be at awkward angles, using it one handed etc etc. YMMV (y)
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How the kit feels in hand is a personal thing but balance has never been an issue for me in use. OK if you put the camera and lens down on a table it'll tip over and rest on the lens (my A7 does that with several lenses I own) but in use with your left hand where it should be I don't notice any balance issues but this could be an issue if when your hand is where it should be there's still a lot of weight to the front of the lens.
 
This is a bit disappointing after all the hype of an f1.2

YES! Sony will announce the new 85mm GMII in Spring! | sonyalpharumors

After exactly eight(!) years Sony will finally update the current 85mm f/1.4 GM. Two trusted sources told me this lens will be in Stock by early Summer. Which usually means announcement will happen 1-2 months earlier (Spring). They didn't want me to share the specs of the lens but unconfirmed...
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com
 
snerkler said:
This is a bit disappointing after all the hype of an f1.2

YES! Sony will announce the new 85mm GMII in Spring! | sonyalpharumors

After exactly eight(!) years Sony will finally update the current 85mm f/1.4 GM. Two trusted sources told me this lens will be in Stock by early Summer. Which usually means announcement will happen 1-2 months earlier (Spring). They didn't want me to share the specs of the lens but unconfirmed...
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com
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Yeah there's not much of a motivation to swap to it unless it's as small as 35/50GM
 
nandbytes said:
Yeah there's not much of a motivation to swap to it unless it's as small as 35/50GM
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Yep, don’t think I’ll be swapping my Sigma for it, can’t see it being any smaller than the DG DN let alone being as small as the 35mm.
 
snerkler said:
Yep, don’t think I’ll be swapping my Sigma for it, can’t see it being any smaller than the DG DN let alone being as small as the 35mm.
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Samyang overall is a wee bit less in diameter and weight. So it's possible...
 
20-70mm's arrived, overall seems a very good performer. Some minor decentering can be seen but within tolerances (top left corner is about 95% as good as the sharpest corner) but it've very sharp. I'm also impressed with the close up capability. It doesn't feel as solid as the Zeiss 24-70mm and it extends further than I thought, but the aperture ring is a very welcome edition.

Will be interesting to see what some real world pics look like.
 
snerkler said:
This is a bit disappointing after all the hype of an f1.2

YES! Sony will announce the new 85mm GMII in Spring! | sonyalpharumors

After exactly eight(!) years Sony will finally update the current 85mm f/1.4 GM. Two trusted sources told me this lens will be in Stock by early Summer. Which usually means announcement will happen 1-2 months earlier (Spring). They didn't want me to share the specs of the lens but unconfirmed...
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com
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I will be purchasing regardless if it’s f1.2 or f/1.4
 
I'm really getting the bug for Bird photography since the 600mm was bought. Very close to getting a wallhanger today but some foreground foliage took the edge off an otherwise good effort. A 35mm GM being bought tomorrow to replace the F1.8. I'll be selling it on if anyone is interested
Kingfisher by Simon Wootton, on Flickr
 
I've bought something.

You'll see pictures taken with it after it arrives :D They'll be no different from any other picture I've posted but I wanted it :D

Also I'm getting a big bill as my 2001 MX5 failed its MoT and is apparently not safe to drive as its suspension arms and everything that goes with them have been eaten by time and corrosion and disintegrated. I can't say I'm surprised looking at its age and Japanese cars of this age have (so I'm told) a reputation for melting away and it's not so long since the rear heat shield disintegrated so I was expecting more of this. I think this will be the biggest bill I've ever had for it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Anyone got any personal experience of the PD Sling bags? Thinking of getting the 6L.
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Used to own the V2 Sling 6L variant. Pretty good bag, just didn't fit my equipment hence why I sold it. I would definitely get another one... I kind of regret selling it to be honest with you :( Also, it's not completely waterproof which I had a gripe with, they are somewhat water-resistant. I would not be standing outside in the pouring rain with it as it will eventually soak in.

EDIT: Currently looking for another 6L as it is perfect for daily bag for carrying stuff around.
 
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