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

mstphoto said:
Nice shot, Lee
I like that (y)
I've been tempted in the past to replace my 24GM with a 35mm but decided to keep it and shoot in crop mode - 2 lenses in 1 ;)
Click to expand...

Thank you :)

That's one of the reasons I picked up the A7Riii - firstly it was a good deal, it was an upgrade in several areas, and I can shoot a bit looser with the 35GM and almost have 2 lenses in one myself. Certainly better than buying and carrying a 50GM around with me :)
 
New Sigma 50mm 1.2 looks good, I'll be in the market for a 50 in the next few months and was going to get the 50mm 1.4 GM but this make the decision harder. That said although the Sigma lenses look well built, they look beat up VERY quickly and I can't do MF on my 85mm for some reason.
 
T_J_G said:
New Sigma 50mm 1.2 looks good, I'll be in the market for a 50 in the next few months and was going to get the 50mm 1.4 GM but this make the decision harder. That said although the Sigma lenses look well built, they look beat up VERY quickly and I can't do MF on my 85mm for some reason.
Click to expand...

Think that is something that has always been the case since the first the Art range of lenses launched no matter how carefully you look after them, the finish while it looks nice a lot of the time, can get tatty looking very quickly. The older Sigma lenses didn't have this issue,
 
Last edited:
I'm after recommendations please:

Primary requirements:
medium to long telephoto
lightweight sub 400g would be good but maybe 500g - tricky I know.
good flare resistance

Happy with:
F4 or slower
AF or purely MF adapted fine
prime or zoom, as long as good resolution to crop okay
use with a teleconverter not ruled out if compatible

I'm more a happy snapper that takes photo's whilst out on a walk often up a hill - hence weight, rather than a photographer who goes for a walk to take photos. I really only take landscapes.

It's to pair with an A7C. I have 35 - 90mm covered, but longer are a couple of old OM lenses, or 70-200mm F4 G (mk 1) and 200-600mm both are way too heavy for me to take into the hills.

I've been looking for a while but often get a bit rabbit-in-the-headlights. Anything to consider?

Thanks.
 
BethAtTheHug said:
I'm after recommendations please:

Primary requirements:
medium to long telephoto
lightweight sub 400g would be good but maybe 500g - tricky I know.
good flare resistance

Happy with:
F4 or slower
AF or purely MF adapted fine
prime or zoom, as long as good resolution to crop okay
use with a teleconverter not ruled out if compatible

I'm more a happy snapper that takes photo's whilst out on a walk often up a hill - hence weight, rather than a photographer who goes for a walk to take photos. I really only take landscapes.

It's to pair with an A7C. I have 35 - 90mm covered, but longer are a couple of old OM lenses, or 70-200mm F4 G (mk 1) and 200-600mm both are way too heavy for me to take into the hills.

I've been looking for a while but often get a bit rabbit-in-the-headlights. Anything to consider?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
The Sony 70-350 is a little over at 625g but a great lens.
Only drawback is you would have to shoot in crop mode which is no big deal really.
 
Yeah, it's not unexpected TBH. Fairy dust would be nice though :)
Given the affordable price as well there's a few compromises but I think I can live with them.
 
f/2.8 said:
Think that is something that has always been the case since the first the Art range of lenses launched no matter how carefully you look after them, the finish while it looks nice a lot of the time, can get tatty looking very quickly. The older Sigma lenses didn't have this issue,
Click to expand...
It really depends on how you treat them. Plastic parts are just about the same as any others. They will dent if mistreated. Worst of all the lens cap doesn't like to stay in the filter threads. It does with UV filter on.
The metal parts however need to be treated with some respect. You will lose paint or make dents quickly if you rest it on rocks, throw them around, don't use lens hood, dent the thread and front element etc. I hate to imagine but some people consider this a normal use, and describe such lens as mint. Then I see cameras with heavy loss paint, scuffs, and even my very well used 5D3 could pass as mint on visual inspection.
You really need to treat it as your baby and all will be fine.
 
A1 firmware update finally out... as an ex-A1 owner its a bit disappointing tbh.
Would have expected things like pre-release buffer and focus bracketing.
 
nandbytes said:
A1 firmware update finally out... as an ex-A1 owner its a bit disappointing tbh.
Would have expected things like pre-release buffer and focus bracketing.
Click to expand...

Why would they add features they never promised ? Sure get them to recall every camera sold and bang an aul global shutter shutter into it lol
 
f/1.4 said:
Why would they add features they never promised ? Sure get them to recall every camera sold and bang an aul global shutter shutter into it lol
Click to expand...

They have added features they didn't "promise" in the recent fw update. When you buy a camera there is normally no promise of any firmware updates.
Doesn't mean they cannot enhance the camera to keep it competitive especially when its the flagship.

your comparison with adding global shutter is silly at best.
 
nandbytes said:
They have added features they didn't "promise" in the recent fw update. When you buy a camera there is normally no promise of any firmware updates.
Doesn't mean they cannot enhance the camera to keep it competitive especially when its the flagship.

you comparison with adding global shutter is silly at best.
Click to expand...

It's intentionally silly, can you not tell that ?
 
nandbytes said:
A1 firmware update finally out... as an ex-A1 owner its a bit disappointing tbh.
Would have expected things like pre-release buffer and focus bracketing.
Click to expand...

You are disappointed in a firmware update for a camera you no longer own, why?

How does it impact you when you don't own the camera?
 
I know it must suck if you own the "flagship" but as someone who doesn't, I like their way of doing things. I HATED, DETESTED, DISGUSTED with Canon's way of gimping lower end models, keeping features only in the "flagship", even when it is 4 years old, away from newer, released lower tier models.

When I buy something, the features it comes in the box is the features it comes in the box, I don't even pay attention to features promised, nevermind features not promised. There are many many tech companies that do this when they launch a new product and it never materialises. So I've learn not to even pay attention to those promises, at all.

Imagine Sony sticking with Canon's old model of doing things, they would hold back the Global Shutter tech from the A93, wait 2 more years before releasing it in the A1, and then a year or more before putting it in the A94. Just to what? keep a SMALL section of people happy?
 
Last edited:
f/2.8 said:
You are disappointed in a firmware update for a camera you no longer own, why?

How does it impact you when you don't own the camera?
Click to expand...

you make good points. I guess I should stop worrying on a camera i no longer own or intend to buy.
I guess I was just hoping to see some improvements back ported to a "flagship" mostly see if Sony cared to do that or if the understanding remains you have to buy new bodies if we need newer features (despite some of them being purely software as far as I can tell like focus bracketing)
 
Seems if you buy Sony, perhaps they get it mostly right before releasing new models, don’t expect major updates from them whereas others such as Fuji, follow kaizen and release major updates.
 
nandbytes said:
you make good points. I guess I should stop worrying on a camera i no longer own or intend to buy.
I guess I was just hoping to see some improvements back ported to a "flagship" mostly see if Sony cared to do that or if the understanding remains you have to buy new bodies if we need newer features (despite some of them being purely software as far as I can tell like focus bracketing)
Click to expand...

As @Raymond Lin said when I buy a body I base the decision on the spec available at the time and don’t really expect there to be any extras added later on down the line.

Most of the things I see talked about the A1 in terms of the updates people seemed to want aren’t things that I would need to be fair. They all seem like small potatoes in all honestly.

I mentioned on here a while back about how people perceive Fuji as being great for updating stuff regularly. I know a guy who used to be a Fuji X photographer and they sent him loads of gear to beta test. Most of the stuff they added via firmware was in the beta version of the cameras but was removed before release as they weren’t functioning correctly. Then everyone gives them a pat on the back when they add them back after release (once they get it to work) via firmware upgrades. Sometimes they can’t get it to work and those features are then not made available.

In all honesty I prefer Sonys way of doing it i.e making sure everything works before release.
 
Last edited:
f/2.8 said:
As @Raymond Lin said when I buy a body I base the decision on the spec available at the time and don’t really expect there to be any extras added later on down the line.

Most of the things I see talked about the A1 in terms of the updates people seemed to want aren’t things that I would need to be fair. They all seem like small potatoes in all honestly.

I mentioned on here a while back about how people perceive Fuji as being great for updating stuff regularly. I know a guy who used to be a Fuji X photographer and they sent him loads of gear to beta test. Most of the stuff they added via firmware was in the beta version of the cameras but was removed before release as they weren’t functioning correctly. Then everyone gives them a pat on the back when they add them back after release (once they get it to work) via firmware upgrades. In all honesty I prefer Sonys way of doing it i.e making sure everything works before release.
Click to expand...

If there's no updated global shutter installation free of charge then all hell will break loose.
 
Has anyone updated their A7IV’s to the new firmware yet?

I am a bit wary of firmware updates as I remember, I think it was the A7III, certain Sandisk cards wouldn’t work after an update which was a right pain.

Have a busy weekend, so will probably hold off updating until I see if it kills anyone else’s cameras first. :ROFLMAO:
 
f/2.8 said:
Has anyone updated their A7IV’s to the new firmware yet?

I am a bit wary of firmware updates as I remember, I think it was the A7III, certain Sandisk cards wouldn’t work after an update which was a right pain.

Have a busy weekend, so will probably hold off updating until I see if it kills anyone else’s cameras first. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
I updated 7R v via the app, 900 odd Mb file. Downloaed to phone ok but then transfer to camera stopped at 15% due to wireless connection lost :oops: :$ . Started transfer again from phone and went through fine, no idea why wireless connection lost as did not move or touch anything.
 
f/2.8 said:
Has anyone updated their A7IV’s to the new firmware yet?

I am a bit wary of firmware updates as I remember, I think it was the A7III, certain Sandisk cards wouldn’t work after an update which was a right pain.

Have a busy weekend, so will probably hold off updating until I see if it kills anyone else’s cameras first. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Just had a look, and don't see anything in the list that warrants updating to new firmware in a hurry.
 
BethAtTheHug said:
I'm after recommendations please:

Primary requirements:
medium to long telephoto
lightweight sub 400g would be good but maybe 500g - tricky I know.
good flare resistance

Happy with:
F4 or slower
AF or purely MF adapted fine
prime or zoom, as long as good resolution to crop okay
use with a teleconverter not ruled out if compatible

I'm more a happy snapper that takes photo's whilst out on a walk often up a hill - hence weight, rather than a photographer who goes for a walk to take photos. I really only take landscapes.

It's to pair with an A7C. I have 35 - 90mm covered, but longer are a couple of old OM lenses, or 70-200mm F4 G (mk 1) and 200-600mm both are way too heavy for me to take into the hills.

I've been looking for a while but often get a bit rabbit-in-the-headlights. Anything to consider?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I think I'd go with the Tamron 28-200mm to give the best balance between weight and useable range... It's 575g, but use a lighter lens, and the teleconverter will add around 265grams. I don't think you'd need the teleconverter with this lens. The Sony 70-350mm apsc isn't a bad shout, though personally, I'd not be wanting to shoot landscapes in crop mode and starting at 70mm isn't ideal for landscapes.

Of course, this allows you to dispense with your 35-90mm and you'd only have a single lens to carry.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
nandbytes said:
A1 firmware update finally out... as an ex-A1 owner its a bit disappointing tbh.
Would have expected things like pre-release buffer and focus bracketing.
Click to expand...
Me too. Nikon is winking at me again.
 
nandbytes said:
A1 firmware update finally out... as an ex-A1 owner its a bit disappointing tbh.
Would have expected things like pre-release buffer and focus bracketing.
Click to expand...
I’m disappointed too, but it’s because of all their ‘hype’ about it.

I’m happy with the A1, I bought it (well my wife bought it for me) based on what it offered at the time, not what may or may not be offered further down the line.

But it’s the whole pre-release presentation and what followed that’s then made it disappointing. Sony said they’ve specifically listened to customers and given them way they want, but if you look at the users online they haven’t done this at all barring breathing compensation. Sure they may have talked to a handful of pro togs and given them what they want, but it doesn’t appear that they’ve given the online masses what they want (including updates I’d have thought would be nice) and for that reason it’s disappointing.

From the sample I’ve seen it doesn’t appear Sony have been listening at all. Or if they have at least come out and say we haven’t added this because of x,y and z.
 
snerkler said:
I’m disappointed too, but it’s because of all their ‘hype’ about it.

I’m happy with the A1, I bought it (well my wife bought it for me) based on what it offered at the time, not what may or may not be offered further down the line.

But it’s the whole pre-release presentation and what followed that’s then made it disappointing. Sony said they’ve specifically listened to customers and given them way they want, but if you look at the users online they haven’t done this at all barring breathing compensation. Sure they may have talked to a handful of pro togs and given them what they want, but it doesn’t appear that they’ve given the online masses what they want (including updates I’d have thought would be nice) and for that reason it’s disappointing.

From the sample I’ve seen it doesn’t appear Sony have been listening at all. Or if they have at least come out and say we haven’t added this because of x,y and z.
Click to expand...
I can sort of see Sony's side of this - I would imagine they have a number of select photographers who get to beta test pre-release cameras, and provide detailed feedback on how the cameras are working, what needs changing, how they can be improved, etc.
These will be people who use Sony every day, and get to know the cameras in detail.
Sony will (I assume) have listened to their feedback, and probably had the sort of discussions on what can or cannot be done, what are the priority items, etc.
So from Sony's viewpoint they have listened to customers.
What they've not done is trawled the mass of Sony user forums and looked at every wish-list going - and there are some pretty crazy suggestions made at times.

As for the 'hype' - I agree, Sony marketing have tried to counter Nikon's firmware releases by making out they have something equally impressive, and now look fairly stupid when what is released is a much more modest affair.
 
On one hand you could argue the existing function set is already sufficient and any updates however minor areas welcome.
On the other hand Nikon is making everyone else looking poor, and demonstrates much higher level of service and customer satisfaction
 
LongLensPhotography said:
On one hand you could argue the existing function set is already sufficient and any updates however minor areas welcome.
On the other hand Nikon is making everyone else looking poor, and demonstrates much higher level of service and customer satisfaction
Click to expand...
Or with software playing catch up only now providing functionality intended for release date but not ready until some time after.
I've worked in software development long enough to know that both could be accurate interpretations, and even within Sony and Nikon only some will know the truth for their respective products.
 
Faldrax said:
Or with software playing catch up only now providing functionality intended for release date but not ready until some time after.
I've worked in software development long enough to know that both could be accurate interpretations, and even within Sony and Nikon only some will know the truth for their respective products.
Click to expand...
In truth it is possibly a bit of both but customers will generally perceived this as great after service.
 
Faldrax said:
I can sort of see Sony's side of this - I would imagine they have a number of select photographers who get to beta test pre-release cameras, and provide detailed feedback on how the cameras are working, what needs changing, how they can be improved, etc.
These will be people who use Sony every day, and get to know the cameras in detail.
Sony will (I assume) have listened to their feedback, and probably had the sort of discussions on what can or cannot be done, what are the priority items, etc.
So from Sony's viewpoint they have listened to customers.
What they've not done is trawled the mass of Sony user forums and looked at every wish-list going - and there are some pretty crazy suggestions made at times.

As for the 'hype' - I agree, Sony marketing have tried to counter Nikon's firmware releases by making out they have something equally impressive, and now look fairly stupid when what is released is a much more modest affair.
Click to expand...
As I said I’d love to know what sample pool they’ve used, and if it is just pros then it’s not great as it ‘suggests’ they don’t listen/don’t care about the rest of their customers :(

I don’t understand the whole secrecy about these things :thinking:
LongLensPhotography said:
On one hand you could argue the existing function set is already sufficient and any updates however minor areas welcome.
On the other hand Nikon is making everyone else looking poor, and demonstrates much higher level of service and customer satisfaction
Click to expand...
As I said previously I think the camera is more than adequate, however they open themselves up to criticism with all the secrecy and hype.
 
Faldrax said:
Just had a look, and don't see anything in the list that warrants updating to new firmware in a hurry.
Click to expand...

Aye but there is always hidden improvements in firmware release that aren't talked about. Minor bug fixes etc. So I always like to keep my stuff up to date, Not chancing at the moment though. Seen someone in the comments section on Sony rumours saying they have bricked their A7IV with the update.

Capture.JPG
 
In other news I bought another camera bag which arrived today, It's a cheap AliExpress job that cost less than £20 for my A7CII kit. Fits the body and my 3 Noodle Maker lenses perfectly. With enough room for a few other bits and bobs. It's a little bit peak design like especially in terms of the internal dividers, probably a bad copy of something.

Capture.JPG

A couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a clear out of my cupboard of shame, where all the stuff I never use lives. I had 14 bags in there that haven't seen the light of day since Jesus was a wee lad, including two Billingham's that had never even been taken out of their dust bags. :headbang: I was planning on using one of the Billingham's for the A7CII stuff only for @f/1.4 to remind me that they were mainly used by aul lads.

Also found 3 flash's, two unused and loads of stuff left over from when I shot Nikon. Gave away most of the Nikon stuff to the next door neighbour and hastily hid the rest back in the cupboard before the wife seen it or she would have had me dump it all. :oops: :$

Will clear the cupboard of shame out properly once one of the kids are about and can keep dick for me, for the wife snooping.
 
Last edited:
f/2.8 said:
Aye but there is always hidden improvements in firmware release that aren't talked about. Minor bug fixes etc. So I always like to keep my stuff up to date, Not chancing at the moment though. Seen someone in the comments section on Sony rumours saying they have bricked their A7IV with the update.

View attachment 418506
Click to expand...
I will probably upgrade, but can happily wait a few months for any issues to be found out (and resolved) before I do so.

Having actually written firmware upgrades and firmware upgrading software in the past, I know all too well how easy it is to get it wrong and be faced with a tricky process to recover a bricked device (fortunately the devices I worked on were designed in-house, so included the required jTag connectors to download things direct to the flash, but it involved a bit of dismantling and reassembly to do so, consumer devices are less likely to have such connectors, as they can also be used to aid reverse engineering of the firmware).
With only 1 report, it could just be the firmware file being corrupted when downloaded from Sony or saved to the flash drive, but I'd hope the firmware would include a hash code to verify that it's not damaged or manipulated prior to installing.
 
Afternoon all - to save me reading every post over 2,483 pages...

I've just bought a MKI A7 to use with some vintage lenses. And have this question.

Are there any tips on using the viewfinder in bright light?

I prefer the viewfinder to the LED screen, but the other morning, it was so bright out that I couldn't see what was in the viewfinder either. The sun was managing to creep around the edges and obscure it for me.

I've since turned the brightness up as far as it will go. And of course it's been rainy and bleak ever since, so I've not had the chance to try out the difference.

Are there bigger eye cups available or was it just bad technique?

As I'm typing this, I'm thinking a partial solution might be to use my left eye when the sun's on my right and my right eye when it's to my left. In the hope htat my big head will block out some of the light.

Any other tips? Maybe I just have weirdly shaped eye-sockets.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top