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

I’m still tempted by the A7V as an all in one body for street/landscape/astro but I don’t want to lose access to the Nikon lenses which I’ve been using.

Decisions to make in the new year.
 
Kieran_89 said:
I’m still tempted by the A7V as an all in one body for street/landscape/astro but I don’t want to lose access to the Nikon lenses which I’ve been using.

Decisions to make in the new year.
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I’d have thought there’s a Nikon body capable of all that? And I’m sure there’ll be something else around the corner (y)
 
snerkler said:
I’d have thought there’s a Nikon body capable of all that? And I’m sure there’ll be something else around the corner (y)
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I’m using the Z8 at the moment which is great but I don’t carry it with me for street photography so it’s exclusively for landscape and Astro.
 
Kieran_89 said:
I’m still tempted by the A7V as an all in one body for street/landscape/astro but I don’t want to lose access to the Nikon lenses which I’ve been using.

Decisions to make in the new year.
Click to expand...
Kieran_89 said:
I’m using the Z8 at the moment which is great but I don’t carry it with me for street photography so it’s exclusively for landscape and Astro.
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wouldn't it better to "standardise" on Sony lenses? you can use Sony lenses with surprisingly great compatability on nikon but not the other way round.
Nikon Z does have some really nice tele primes not on Sony but I'd surprised if Nikon has something that Sony doesn't have for landscape and astro.
 
Sigma 50mm f1.2 for £899 for UK stock. Think this is quite a nice price for UK stock. not sure how long it'll last.

www.ukdigital.co.uk

Sigma 50mm F1.2 DG DN Art Lens - Sony FE

The Sigma 50mm F1.2 DG DN Art for Sony FE features a bright F1.2 aperture with a 13 rounded diaphragm blades that produces beautiful bokeh effects. Utilises the latest optical design, the lens produces sharp images across the whole frame with exceptional contrast and colour. Focus breathing is...
www.ukdigital.co.uk www.ukdigital.co.uk
 
nandbytes said:
wouldn't it better to "standardise" on Sony lenses? you can use Sony lenses with surprisingly great compatability on nikon but not the other way round.
Nikon Z does have some really nice tele primes not on Sony but I'd surprised if Nikon has something that Sony doesn't have for landscape and astro.
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It would but I don’t like carrying the Z8 around with me, I’d rather a smaller body, flip out screen and access to E mount lenses.
 
Kieran_89 said:
It would but I don’t like carrying the Z8 around with me, I’d rather a smaller body, flip out screen and access to E mount lenses.
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The Z8 is a bit of a chunky camera, which Nikon lenses are you attached to that's making you not jump fully into Sony?

If you're wanting smaller and lighter have you considered the A7cII/A7cR over the A7V
 
snerkler said:
The Z8 is a bit of a chunky camera, which Nikon lenses are you attached to that's making you not jump fully into Sony?

If you're wanting smaller and lighter have you considered the A7cII/A7cR over the A7V
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The 24-200 and the 35 1.2, I also have the 180-600 but it doesn’t get used as much as it should.

The 24-200 is one of the best lenses I’ve ever used, it’s my go to whenever I’m taking landscape photos, the 35 1.2 is great for Astro and I don’t mind using it on a tripod but again I don’t like carrying it around.

I was thinking A7V purely for street shots paired with the Sigma 85 1.4/70-200 or 70-180.

I haven’t thought about the A7Cr, might not be a bad choice actually as I don’t ever use the EVF, always shoot with the rear LCD.
 
Kieran_89 said:
The 24-200 and the 35 1.2, I also have the 180-600 but it doesn’t get used as much as it should.

The 24-200 is one of the best lenses I’ve ever used, it’s my go to whenever I’m taking landscape photos, the 35 1.2 is great for Astro and I don’t mind using it on a tripod but again I don’t like carrying it around.

I was thinking A7V purely for street shots paired with the Sigma 85 1.4/70-200 or 70-180.

I haven’t thought about the A7Cr, might not be a bad choice actually as I don’t ever use the EVF, always shoot with the rear LCD.
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My previous setup was Sony 20-70mm, Tamron 50-300mm, Sony 16/1.8, Sony 35mm f1.4, samyang 85mm f1.4, and Sigma 500DN

I have swapped 20-70+50-300mm for the new sigma 20-200mm. Looking to swap 35GM for new sigma 35mm f1.2.
There is also a new tamron 25-200mm f2.8-5.6 if you prefer.

both sigma and tamron superzooms are better than nikon variant. sigma 35mm f1.2ii is also much lighter/smaller than nikon equivalent and lose very little in terms of IQ.
 
Kieran_89 said:
The 24-200 and the 35 1.2, I also have the 180-600 but it doesn’t get used as much as it should.

The 24-200 is one of the best lenses I’ve ever used, it’s my go to whenever I’m taking landscape photos, the 35 1.2 is great for Astro and I don’t mind using it on a tripod but again I don’t like carrying it around.

I was thinking A7V purely for street shots paired with the Sigma 85 1.4/70-200 or 70-180.

I haven’t thought about the A7Cr, might not be a bad choice actually as I don’t ever use the EVF, always shoot with the rear LCD.
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I know it depends on exactly how/why you shoot, but I'm sure there's Sony equivalents for sure. There's a couple of more superzoom style lenses including a new Sigma & the 35GM won't leave you disappointed - I have the 70-180/2.8 too & that's a good performer also.
 
LeeRatters said:
I know it depends on exactly how/why you shoot, but I'm sure there's Sony equivalents for sure. There's a couple of more superzoom style lenses including a new Sigma & the 35GM won't leave you disappointed - I have the 70-180/2.8 too & that's a good performer also.
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Sony do a 24-240mm but I don’t think it’s very good. Tamron do a 25-200mm and Sigma a 24-200mm but I’ve no idea how good they are.

I’m not a huge fan of these types of lenses as there’s usually too much IQ sacrifice.
 
snerkler said:
Sony do a 24-240mm but I don’t think it’s very good. Tamron do a 25-200mm and Sigma a 24-200mm but I’ve no idea how good they are.

I’m not a huge fan of these types of lenses as there’s usually too much IQ sacrifice.
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I've never owned or used one myself [they also aren't my type of lens or shooting], but @nandbytes seems to think they are better than the Nikon one up above ^^
 
I found my Sigma 28-300mm to be a good day out and holiday lens and I expect modern lenses to be better. If you can accept the compromises I think they are a valid choice.
 
Thanks for the tips guys, some good info so far.

I’ve decided I’m going to buy the Sony A7Cr for street photography along with the Z8, I’ll buy the adapter to use Sony glass on the Z8.

Going to sell the 180-600 and the 35 1.2.

I’ll order the 35GM and the 20mm 1.8 again for landscape and Astro along with the Nikon 24-200.

Now to pick a walkabout lens for street, I did think about the 35-150 but it might not feel that comfortable on a small body.
 
snerkler said:
Sony do a 24-240mm but I don’t think it’s very good. Tamron do a 25-200mm and Sigma a 24-200mm but I’ve no idea how good they are.

I’m not a huge fan of these types of lenses as there’s usually too much IQ sacrifice.
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Sony 24-240mm is indeed pretty bad.
But too much IQ sacrifice is not necessarily true with tamron/sigma/nikon versions. but it won't match your GM lenses either. YMMV.

LeeRatters said:
I've never owned or used one myself [they also aren't my type of lens or shooting], but @nandbytes seems to think they are better than the Nikon one up above ^^
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Nikon's weak spot is 24mm especially in corners. Tamron 28-200mm was generally better in IQ than Nikon 24-200mm but didn't have that 24mm wide angle.
new Tamron 25-200mm which is better than 28-200mm will be sharper at wide angle and has f2.8 so it can stop down one stop to get advantage.

sigma 20-200mm is also sharper, not as sharp as tamron at wide end but you get 20mm end which is fair bit wider.
At long end Sigma seems sharpest of the bunch.

Tamron also has less distortion than both sigma and nikon.

While not 1st party lenses, overall tamron/sigma offerings are better than 1st party lenses from Sony (by a large margin) and nikon (by a smaller margin but in a meaningful way).
 
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Kieran_89 said:
Thanks for the tips guys, some good info so far.

I’ve decided I’m going to buy the Sony A7Cr for street photography along with the Z8, I’ll buy the adapter to use Sony glass on the Z8.

Going to sell the 180-600 and the 35 1.2.

I’ll order the 35GM and the 20mm 1.8 again for landscape and Astro along with the Nikon 24-200.

Now to pick a walkabout lens for street, I did think about the 35-150 but it might not feel that comfortable on a small body.
Click to expand...
was eventually going to sell my 35GM and order sigma 35mm f1.2ii.
if you are interested in used lenses can post mine in sales section (but I had mine from new since the 1st day it was released!).
if you prefer a new one totally understand :)
 
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All this gear talk made want to look for an A7CR again.
Grey prices are cheaper than used prices in the UK. crazy....
Normally i have bought used over grey, and normally in the past I could find used prices just under grey prices.
Like even my sigma 20-200mm i picked one up in the UK used cheaper than grey. But sony bodies used prices are so high!
 
nandbytes said:
All this gear talk made want to look for an A7CR again.
Grey prices are cheaper than used prices in the UK. crazy....
Normally i have bought used over grey, and normally in the past I could find used prices just under grey prices.
Like even my sigma 20-200mm i picked one up in the UK used cheaper than grey. But sony bodies used prices are so high!
Click to expand...

I understand when I look at A7IV bodies.
 
nandbytes said:
All this gear talk made want to look for an A7CR again.
Grey prices are cheaper than used prices in the UK. crazy....
Normally i have bought used over grey, and normally in the past I could find used prices just under grey prices.
Like even my sigma 20-200mm i picked one up in the UK used cheaper than grey. But sony bodies used prices are so high!
Click to expand...
I find the prices of photography stuff crazy full stop, but yeas UK prices are astronomical.

What's the reason for wanting the A7cR, is it just for the size?
 
snerkler said:
I find the prices of photography stuff crazy full stop, but yeas UK prices are astronomical.

What's the reason for wanting the A7cR, is it just for the size?
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Size, backup/2nd body and something i have been promising the missus for a while. She used to use the A7C which i haven't replaced yet.

I will eventually replace my A7RV with A1ii or A7V. I use my camera a lot for landscapes and I am still waiting to see real world implication of the increased dynamic range.
but currently not in any hurry to replace the A7RV, its working rather well for me. So I thought its better to just get her the A7Cr now instead of waiting on myself to replace A7RV.
 
nandbytes said:
All this gear talk made want to look for an A7CR again.
Grey prices are cheaper than used prices in the UK. crazy....
Normally i have bought used over grey, and normally in the past I could find used prices just under grey prices.
Like even my sigma 20-200mm i picked one up in the UK used cheaper than grey. But sony bodies used prices are so high!
Click to expand...
yeah there is zero point in buying 90% of the stuff in the UK.
recently I bought the 20mm in the uk used but it was only £50 more than grey, as grey couldn't deliver in the time frame I needed before holiday.
I also bought the viltron 50/2 as uk stock but the price shot up loads a month or so after, and has now returned to the same or lower.
everything else is grey and my next body will be too the a7RV is under 2k grey but 3.2k uk stock or the new a7v 2.3k vs 2.8k which doesn't t make any sense. I've also found the HK stores far better for any issues/warranty stuff too.
 
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I did think about the 35-150 but it might not feel that comfortable on a small body
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I use a 35-150/2.8 on a A7C2 - it’s fine. It’s a big lens though so you lose the size advantage obviously. I have a plate on the base of the camera I use when I shoot with larger lenses as it gives me more to grip.
 
@nandbytes this might interest you

Edit: actually probably not, I thought it was allowing 30fps with 3rd party lenses but it's not.

IMG_2740.jpeg
 
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So, this is a question for all you Sony users.

I am an Olympus user of many years I switched from Nikon D800 over 12 years ago. But I have an itch to go back to full frame.
I am seriously considering the Sony A7R V.
Will I see a difference over my OM1?
 
wornish said:
So, this is a question for all you Sony users.

I am an Olympus user of many years I switched from Nikon D800 over 12 years ago. But I have an itch to go back to full frame.
I am seriously considering the Sony A7R V.
Will I see a difference over my OM1?
Click to expand...

It depends what you do with the images and the lenses you use. Fast top-end primes, absolutely if you use shallow depth of field creatively, or like large images with super detail, or you push for big dynamic range. If you shoot with mid-range zooms in bright light, not so much, although you might find the AF gives a higher hit rate. You will also likely find file sizes larger and also less depth of field in images where that is noticeable.

The other thing that not everyone can see is that M43 images can look very flat compared to 3D looking images from a FF or larger sensor.
 
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wornish said:
So, this is a question for all you Sony users.

I am an Olympus user of many years I switched from Nikon D800 over 12 years ago. But I have an itch to go back to full frame.
I am seriously considering the Sony A7R V.
Will I see a difference over my OM1?
Click to expand...
The answer is, it depends.

I was an Olympus user, then Olympus + Nikon FF (D750, D850, and Z7) and now just Sony FF. There are times when it’s hard to tell the difference in IQ, and there are times when the difference in IQ is quite noticeable. My biggest love of FF over m4/3 is the shallow depth of field and 3D rendering.

IIRC @trevorbray found the A7RV didn’t track his dog as well as the OM1, I’m sure he will be able to tell you more.
 
snerkler said:
@nandbytes this might interest you

Edit: actually probably not, I thought it was allowing 30fps with 3rd party lenses but it's not.

View attachment 470517
Click to expand...

I'd still be interested if it works with my sigma 500mm.
I have mostly given up on even getting more that 15fps but I am still hopeful one day there'll be TCs for sigma lenses.
 
nandbytes said:
was eventually going to sell my 35GM and order sigma 35mm f1.2ii.
if you are interested in used lenses can post mine in sales section (but I had mine from new since the 1st day it was released!).
if you prefer a new one totally understand :)
Click to expand...
Depending on price then I could be interested, currently available grey for £799.

I’m away now in Fuerteventura for Christmas and I’m back Jan 10th so we can see what’s happening in the new year. :)
 
Kieran_89 said:
Depending on price then I could be interested, currently available grey for £799.

I’m away now in Fuerteventura for Christmas and I’m back Jan 10th so we can see what’s happening in the new year. :)
Click to expand...

Another case of grey being cheaper than used prices in UK.
But I'd keep it under the grey price of course.

Have a good Christmas and new year.
Let's look at it in the new year :)
 
Quick question. I’m potentially looking at getting the Sony 100-400 G Master. I’ve looked at both WEX and MPB who seem to have plenty of them for sale secondhand at decent prices, but the one thing that concerns me, is that the majority have been described as having moisture inside the lens. Is weather sealing a weak point on this lens ?
 
Sootchucker said:
Quick question. I’m potentially looking at getting the Sony 100-400 G Master. I’ve looked at both WEX and MPB who seem to have plenty of them for sale secondhand at decent prices, but the one thing that concerns me, is that the majority have been described as having moisture inside the lens. Is weather sealing a weak point on this lens ?
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Do you mean dust or moisture?

Wex say there is dust inside the lens for all their used lens by default even ones rated 10/10 mint.
 
What are everyone’s opinions on wide angle lenses that offer fast a.f speed?

I recently got the Laowa 10mm but am returning it as a.f speed is very slow and it’s probably too wide. I have the 12-24 GM which has good a.f speed but I would like something lighter.

In an ideal world I want something around the 14mm, or even 16mm would probably do that is reasonably light weight but has very fast a.f.
 
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f/2.8 said:
What are everyone’s opinions on wide angle lenses that offer fast a.f speed?

I recently got the Laowa 10mm but am returning it as a.f speed is very slow and it’s probably too wide. I have the 12-24 GM which has good a.f speed but I would like something lighter.

In an ideal world I want something around the 14mm, or even 16mm would probably do that is reasonably light weight but has very fast a.f.
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Can I ask what the use case is for a fast AF on a wide angle lens? Isn't fast AF primarily used for moving objects?
 
f/2.8 said:
What are everyone’s opinions on wide angle lenses that offer fast a.f speed?

I recently got the Laowa 10mm but am returning it as a.f speed is very slow and it’s probably too wide. I have the 12-24 GM which has good a.f speed but I would like something lighter.

In an ideal world I want something around the 14mm, or even 16mm would probably do that is reasonably light weight but has very fast a.f.
Click to expand...

Having good AF is useful even on UWA especially if you are shooting some moment indoors.

I have the Sony 16G, it's very good. AF is great just as with all Sony G/GM lenses. It's also very small.
I had the viltrox 16mm f1.8 before it but the AF was choppy indoors and it's a big lens.

edit:
our favourite noodle maker has a nice compact 14-24mm f2.8. not sure about AF, but optically reviews well.

But to be honest for weddings and professional work I wouldn't trust anything other than Sony or Sigma based on my experiance.
AF is choppy on the rest of them inc. Tamron and Zeiss.
 
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wornish said:
Can I ask what the use case is for a fast AF on a wide angle lens? Isn't fast AF primarily used for moving objects?
Click to expand...

f2.8 is a wedding photographer - you can't afford poor AF doing that.
 
Sootchucker said:
Quick question. I’m potentially looking at getting the Sony 100-400 G Master. I’ve looked at both WEX and MPB who seem to have plenty of them for sale secondhand at decent prices, but the one thing that concerns me, is that the majority have been described as having moisture inside the lens. Is weather sealing a weak point on this lens ?
Click to expand...
There shouldn't be moisture inside the lens, most zooms will have dust of some kind just from the action of zooming in and out, but not moisture. I've not heard of any issues with the weather sealing on the 100-400mm, it's a GM lens so should be one of Sony's better ones in regards to environmental sealing.
 
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