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

And here's me, after owning a used A7III for 7 years, wondering whether I can justify changing to an A7IV. :runaway::ROFLMAO:
 
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wookie6262 said:
I think I will pull the trigger on the A1 ii. I love the A9 iiis for paid work but I miss the resolution of the A1 when shooting birds or the occasional landscapes. Not sure it will be worth around 2K plus a gripped A1 to upgrade but you only live once.
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I’m still on the fence, I know in the real world I’m not going to see much difference. I rarely shoot wildlife these days so don’t really need the better animal AF, and I don’t need the subject tracking for vehicles as I don’t use tracking AF when shooting these, I prefer a static AF point so I can use it as a visual aid when panning.
 
ancient_mariner said:
And here's me, after owning a used A7III for 7 years, wondering whether I can justify changing to an A7IV. :runaway::ROFLMAO:
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Keep your eyes on the classifieds then Toni, I may be selling mine.
 
Had a go at using photoshop's generative AI, after several attempts I quite like the outcome, I then coloured the subject to match. Here's the before and after


Screenshot 2025-07-03 at 08.03.15 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
 
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snerkler said:
I’m still on the fence, I know in the real world I’m not going to see much difference. I rarely shoot wildlife these days so don’t really need the better animal AF, and I don’t need the subject tracking for vehicles as I don’t use tracking AF when shooting these, I prefer a static AF point so I can use it as a visual aid when panning.
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I'm the same when panning. Use a fixed focus point to use as a target to keep the subject in the same position as I pan. I'm hoping to have more time next year through semi-retirement and hopefully that means I can do more Nature photography
 
snerkler said:
On a slightly different subject I see that the A1 II has just have a huge $600 increase this weekend, I wonder how much this will effect prices for us from the likes of Panamoz :thinking:
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That's for prices in the US, where Sony are reacting to the change in Tariffs - it shouldn't directly affect us either from UK stores or grey from the far east, but there is the possibility Sony could decide to make a small global increase to allow it to reduce the impact in the USA.
Looking at CameraPriceBuster, UK prices seem stable or falling.
 
Seems daft to put tariffs on products for which there's no rival in your own country. If there was an American company making consumer camera gear in the US which couldn't compete with subsidised products made with slave labour or if there was a moral case for tariffs then I'd agree with them but I can't see any obvious justification for hitting camera gear made by Japanese companies facing no US made competition and the Japanese aren't known for extreme abusive employment practices. Sorry if I've missed a US based consumer camera company rivalling the Japanese but I just can't think of one.

Chinese EV companies are IMO fair game though.
 
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Faldrax said:
That's for prices in the US, where Sony are reacting to the change in Tariffs - it shouldn't directly affect us either from UK stores or grey from the far east, but there is the possibility Sony could decide to make a small global increase to allow it to reduce the impact in the USA.
Looking at CameraPriceBuster, UK prices seem stable or falling.
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That's what concerns me about some of the price rises in the US as Microsoft had a global price rise when they put the prices up in the US due to tariffs. I've not noticed any other companies doing the same though thankfully, I've been following DJI more closely who recently did not release their new Mavic 4 drone in the US and seem to have mostly stopped selling their main products there. The new drone launched as normal everywhere else though and both stock levels and prices remain the same as well.
 
Faldrax said:
That's for prices in the US, where Sony are reacting to the change in Tariffs - it shouldn't directly affect us either from UK stores or grey from the far east, but there is the possibility Sony could decide to make a small global increase to allow it to reduce the impact in the USA.
Looking at CameraPriceBuster, UK prices seem stable or falling.
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I wouldn't expect it to affect us either, it's just that companies such as Panamoz appear to 'operate' in US dollars and wondered if somehow it would affect things. Probably not.
 
This looks quite compact...

First leaked image of the new Samyang 85mm f/1.8 “Prima” FE lens | sonyalpharumors

Here are the first leaked images of the new Samyang 85mm f/1.8 "Prima" FE lens. This lens is going to be announced very soon. This would be the 35th E-mount lens with this focal length (list here at BH). Don't know why this lens is actually needed :)
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com

The Rumor site report that this is the 35th 85mm for Sony :oops: :$ 35 85's? :oops: :$ I could understand it if it was 35 or 50mm as we all need multiple only slightly different versions of those lenses.
 
I’d be very tempted by a 50mm version.
 
Gold said:
I’d be very tempted by a 50mm version.
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Yes. I have the Sony 55mm f1.8 but the fact that it is 55mm and not 50 triggers my ocd :D If there was a decent reasonably priced 50mm f1.8/f2 which had decent focus on my old A7 I'd be tempted. 35mm wise I have the Sony f1.8 and f2.8 so I doubt I'd be tempted by another.

Oh, and a PS.
Samyang I think have had a chequered build quality past so I hope they're improved, if there were indeed any real problems.
 
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JohnMcL7 said:
That's what concerns me about some of the price rises in the US as Microsoft had a global price rise when they put the prices up in the US due to tariffs. I've not noticed any other companies doing the same though thankfully, I've been following DJI more closely who recently did not release their new Mavic 4 drone in the US and seem to have mostly stopped selling their main products there. The new drone launched as normal everywhere else though and both stock levels and prices remain the same as well.
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That’s not a tariff issue but due to government bans on DJI products, especially drones due to worries over surveillance and links to the Chinese government.
FAA rule’s/ changes could also be an issue.

The UK’s change in regulations is something I need to look into as that will also be changing the classes/ regulations around size/weight and class stamps.
I’m sure the mav4 is one that will be affected due to is weight increase
 
pmac said:
That’s not a tariff issue but due to government bans on DJI products, especially drones due to worries over surveillance and links to the Chinese government.
FAA rule’s/ changes could also be an issue.

The UK’s change in regulations is something I need to look into as that will also be changing the classes/ regulations around size/weight and class stamps.
I’m sure the mav4 is one that will be affected due to is weight increase
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There's no ban on DJI products in the US:

www.techradar.com

Will DJI drones be banned in the US? DJI says the clock is ticking – and it urgently needs its fans to help

The latest news on the potential US ban on flying DJI drones
www.techradar.com www.techradar.com

It's entirely down to the tariffs because the stock issues started just after the high Chinese import tariffs, the Mavic 4 should have launched when the 145% tariff was active which would have made the price ridiculous hence the decision not to launch it.

The UK drone regulations are a total and utter mess which isn't helped by the CAA U-turning constantly on what they want to do, putting the rules out to consultation then blatantly went against what responders had overwhelmingly wanted which was alignment with the EU classification system. Instead the CAA have proposed the UK will have its own classification system and the EU system will not apply after 2028 so an EU class marked drone cannot fly in the matching UK class unless it's been separately licensed under the UK system. I have an A3 category legacy drone and was going to get the A2 cert until the CAA announced the A2 limit would be expiring and they were going to follow the EU categories, so I was planning to get a Mavic 3 for the C1 then they decided not to follow that system but have left the uncertainty under what they're going to do with A2. Also while it's clear the sub-250g drones are far more capable than was expected when the rules were put together, they still get free reign while similar but slightly bigger drones have extremely strict rules. It's such a frustration and stupid situation which I suspect many people are not bothering to follow the rules for even if they could work out what they are.
 
Even before the tariffs getting a air3s was near impossible to buy in stores and self imports were being stopped.
People were driving to Canada to buy.
It’s definitely a Chinese company/cop issue. Just like huawei and Chinese EV’s , they think everyone is spying
 
pmac said:
Even before the tariffs getting a air3s was near impossible to buy in stores and self imports were being stopped.
People were driving to Canada to buy.
It’s definitely a Chinese company/cop issue. Just like huawei and Chinese EV’s , they think everyone is spying
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Stocks were available up to the time the tariffs were announced and some time after, the stocks started drying up and the Mavic 4 was not announced at the time the tariffs were ramped up. Also the offline devices like standalone cameras have also gone out of stock just to completely disprove your DJI ban theory which as explained above, has not happened - it may in the future but it's the tariffs and import issues that are obviously the problem at the moment. The talk of DJI bans has been looming for years now and the stock hasn't disappeared, that only happened when the tariffs came in.
 
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The Rumor site thinks the A7V is coming later this year with a price of $3,000, Euro3,500. Seems a bit steep to me. Maybe I'll be priced out of the new body market as I just can't see myself paying £3k+ for a camera. You never know and I do like my little hobby but at the moment I can't see it.

New Sony A7V registered in Asia: New sensor tech and price is around $3,000 | sonyalpharumors

https://youtu.be/OtrWZv2ZoQg Good news is on the horizon for Sony Alpha shooters, as reliable leaks suggest that two of the next three Sony cameras, slated for release between July and October, are now almost certain. According to trusted sources, Sony will announce: Much-anticipated Sony A7V...
www.sonyalpharumors.com www.sonyalpharumors.com
 
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£2500 would be steep but understandable. >£3k way OTT. Mind you, 6 months and it will drop.

I might look out for an A7IV if used prices come down - had my A7III since 2018.
 
I was thinking about selling some every little used MFT kit and adding an A7cII for the days when I want the smallest possible camera and lens combination but as I haven't had time for photography lately I've put it off.

Maybe we should all stock up on todays relatively cheap kit while we can.
 
I’m sticking at 4 cameras, lol.
 
Gandalf said:
I’m sticking at 4 cameras, lol.
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Thinking about those prices. I've had my A7 coming up to 12 years now, I think, and despite a hiccup it's still working and my A7III is quite new so I hope I get a good few years out of something. If everything does go BER I suppose I will have to buy something no matter what the price is at the time.
 
I would certainly trade in the older A7 for the newer one.
 
woof woof said:
I was thinking about selling some every little used MFT kit and adding an A7cII for the days when I want the smallest possible camera and lens combination but as I haven't had time for photography lately I've put it off.

Maybe we should all stock up on todays relatively cheap kit while we can.
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If you have a small mft body and lens you are thinking of moving on I could well be in the market this week.
 
Mine IS the III (I was being lazy) and would trade to a IV. Why do you prefer the older A7 - different rendering?
 
ancient_mariner said:
Mine IS the III (I was being lazy) and would trade to a IV. Why do you prefer the older A7 - different rendering?
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When on the tracker, where ISO isn't really relevant, the stars just seem to be a bit brighter, there appears to be more of them and constellations seem to be more defined. Maybe it's just me, but I seem to be pretty happy with A7 skies.
 
LeeRatters said:
When on the tracker, where ISO isn't really relevant, the stars just seem to be a bit brighter, there appears to be more of them and constellations seem to be more defined. Maybe it's just me, but I seem to be pretty happy with A7 skies.
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Maybe it’s just more noise ;) :p
 
At that price they really need to change the shutter to the one used in the R series or fix the issues of them breaking.
Not happened to me but seems to be quite common on the standard 3/4.

Out in China currently and seeing the prices of things out here really opens your eyes to how much we get shafted in the uk.
Not bought any Sony equipment but picked up a Benro tripod that is on their uk site at £300 for £130
 
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