Which FF mirrorless

AndrewSt

AndrewSt

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Now in a position to purchase a new camera and not currently heavily invested in any system.

Wanting FF as I often shoot with a narrow DOF, and most of my shots are between 35 and 85mm. Don't need long lenses for sports or wildlife.

Which way would you go given the current choices and why?
 
If you shoot people...Sony A73.

Actually, A73 period.

Because the others you can’t get native 35/85 lenses on them and if you are started from scratch, don’t buy an adaptor and get an old EF or F mount for the new R or Z bodies.

Get a Sony A73, 35/1.4 and 85/1.4.
 
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AndrewSt said:
Now in a position to purchase a new camera and not currently heavily invested in any system.

Wanting FF as I often shoot with a narrow DOF, and most of my shots are between 35 and 85mm. Don't need long lenses for sports or wildlife.

Which way would you go given the current choices and why?
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I went Sony. Well part Sony. I have an A7iii on loan but have purchased some lenses.

Still learning the system but you have a good choice now. Wouldn’t rule out the Z6/7 either.
 
Sony are top at the mo in terms of performance, but the new Nikon zeds are superior in terms of ergonomics imo. The Nikon will unboubtedly get better, and they have published their road map for lenses. Sony are on their third gen and still haven’t sorted the ergonomics which is worrying as it suggests they’re ‘happy’ with it and so it’s unlikely to change.

I wouldn’t rule out the new Panasonic FF mirror less that’s just been announced.
 
Assuming then lenses I'd want are available I'd try them in a shop to see which is the most comfortable for me to hold.
 
Raymond Lin said:
If you shoot people...Sony A73.

Actually, A73 period.

Because the others you can’t get native 35/85 lenses on them and if you are started from scratch, don’t buy an adaptor and get an old EF or F mount for the new R or Z bodies.

Get a Sony A73, 35/1.4 and 85/1.4.
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I hate to agree [because it means the new kids in town are not the revelation we expected] but it's true. Why wait on the others that are playing catch up? the best option is already here. If I had the money I'd already have an A7III and those very 2 lenses - plus a tele. That is all I would ever need.
 
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AndrewSt said:
Now in a position to purchase a new camera and not currently heavily invested in any system.

Wanting FF as I often shoot with a narrow DOF, and most of my shots are between 35 and 85mm. Don't need long lenses for sports or wildlife.

Which way would you go given the current choices and why?
Click to expand...

I suppose it depends on your subjects and shooting scenarios but if your AF needs aren't too demanding you could look at an A7x MK1 or 2, that'd keep the cost of the body down.
 
If you want FF and the focal lengths your interested in I would buy a Nikon D810 + 24-70mm f2.8, or if budget allows the D850

I know it isn't mirrorless but it's a fantastic camera. Mirrorless offers no advantage for what you want IMO.
 
Sony A7 III.... it’s the best value for the money.

Sony A7 III
Sony Zeiss 35mm f1.4
Sony FE 85mm f1.4 GM

Face Detect and Eye-AF for me are a must have.

[emoji1]
 
Riz_Guru said:
Sony A7 III.... it’s the best value for the money.

Sony A7 III
Sony Zeiss 35mm f1.4
Sony FE 85mm f1.4 GM

Face Detect and Eye-AF for me are a must have.

[emoji1]
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But there's that overwhelming caveat ......... you'll end up a gear head tool, like most in the Sony gearhead threads
 
Riz_Guru said:
Sony A7 III.... it’s the best value for the money.

Sony A7 III
Sony Zeiss 35mm f1.4
Sony FE 85mm f1.4 GM

Face Detect and Eye-AF for me are a must have.

[emoji1]
Click to expand...

A camera you can hold comfortably and doesn't feel like a toy are a must have for me - it also helps if it doesn't dissolve in the rain like a sugar cube :p
 
Cagey75 said:
But there's that overwhelming caveat ......... you'll end up a gear head tool, like most in the Sony gearhead threads
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Perhaps but it’s the price you have to pay if you want it’s feature set coupled with great glass.
I guess it depends on the OP’s mindset and if features like Eye-AF etc are worth having.
 
Fraser Euan White said:
A camera you can hold comfortably and doesn't feel like a toy are a must have for me - it also helps if it doesn't dissolve in the rain like a sugar cube :p
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Every camera body is unique in its size, feel, weight and ergonomics, what fits some won’t fit others.

I tend to use my bodies with battery grips and I have small hands, no issues here regarding handling and feel.

Plenty of photographers have used their Sony bodies in the rain, I was just the other day somebody (Raymond I think) posted photos of a rain (wet) covered Sony A7 III in the Sony thread - no issues.

Take a look at this....
If Nikon claim their bodies and lenses to be totally rain proof, why on earth would they sell official Nikon rain covers??? ;)

https://nikonrumors.com/2013/11/17/nikon-quietly-announced-two-new-rain-covers.aspx/ ;)

I wouldn’t recommend a DSLR to anybody these days, mirrorless is the future.
 
Riz_Guru said:
I wouldn’t recommend a DSLR to anybody these days, mirrorless is the future.
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Whilst mirrorless may be the future it's technology is not quite there yet so DSLR still offers the best package if you were to purchase today. There is no point buying the mirrorless today as you are NOT future proofing - A Sony A7iii will be as out of date as the DSLR in 10 years time. (If the quality of the electronics is the same as Sony put in their other non camera products it will fail within five years anyway & is probably why they can produce them very cheaply!)
 
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Fraser Euan White said:
Whilst mirrorless may be the future it's technology is not quite there yet so DSLR still offers the best package if you were to purchase today. There is no point buying the mirrorless today as you are NOT future proofing - A Sony A7iii will be as out of date as the DSLR in 10 years time. (If the quality of the electronics is the same as Sony put in their other non camera products it will fail within five years anyway & is probably why they can produce them very cheaply!)
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:eek:
 
Fraser Euan White said:
Whilst mirrorless may be the future it's technology is not quite there yet so DSLR still offers the best package if you were to purchase today. There is no point buying the mirrorless today as you are NOT future proofing - A Sony A7iii will be as out of date as the DSLR in 10 years time. (If the quality of the electronics is the same as Sony put in their other non camera products it will fail within five years anyway & is probably why they can produce them very cheaply!)
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A sound point of view..... for me the Sony A9 / A7 III is there in terms of technology, it’s not only there but passes DSLR is most areas.
If you can’t get on with Sony ergonomically then that’s irrelevant :D
 
Fraser Euan White said:
A camera you can hold comfortably and doesn't feel like a toy are a must have for me - it also helps if it doesn't dissolve in the rain like a sugar cube :p
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Oh mooooaaaann and grooooaaaaaaaaan. I like precision tools not big fat lumps of DSLR's that look like they were designed by Fisher Price for people with sausage fingers. Give me a camera that looks and feels like a scientific instrument every time.
 
Cagey75 said:
But there's that overwhelming caveat ......... you'll end up a gear head tool, like most in the Sony gearhead threads
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Then the latest Canon and Nikon morrorless offerings are for you. Take a look at them and it'll clear that they're for people who aren't even remotely interested in the kit or its specification.
 
Fraser Euan White said:
Whilst mirrorless may be the future it's technology is not quite there yet so DSLR still offers the best package if you were to purchase today.
Click to expand...

In what way is mirrorless technology not quite there yet?

Fraser Euan White said:
There is no point buying the mirrorless today as you are NOT future proofing - A Sony A7iii will be as out of date as the DSLR in 10 years time. (If the quality of the electronics is the same as Sony put in their other non camera products it will fail within five years anyway & is probably why they can produce them very cheaply!)
Click to expand...

Funny but a little bit sour too.
 
woof woof said:
Oh mooooaaaann and grooooaaaaaaaaan. I like precision tools not big fat lumps of DSLR's that look like they were designed by Fisher Price for people with sausage fingers. Give me a camera that looks and feels like a scientific instrument every time.
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Then WTF buy a Sony - in the companies history they have never made anything close to a precision instrument! The way you defend Sony it's like I've insulted your wife! You get so personal about that little Sony toy!
 
Fraser Euan White said:
Then WTF buy a Sony - in the companies history they have never made anything close to a precision instrument! The way you defend Sony it's like I've insulted your wife! You get so personal about that little Sony toy!
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Sony have made some pretty good hardware and not just with their toy camera’s ;)
Like it or not, Sony have given us some pretty good technology... the likes of the Sony A7 / A9 bodies, G Master lenses, Sony OLED A9F, WEGA, SXD Projectors, SDDS, Movie Production & broadcasting equipment etc all cutting edge.

The Sony A9 wipes the floor with its competitors, plain and simple, not bad for a first generation A9 toy camera eh ;)
 
I’m in a similar position to the OP, will be getting a new mirrorless ff around Xmas time. I’m not committed to any brand as effectively starting from scratch, I am familiar with canon setup however so for me it’s between the new canon or the Sony.

What’s the Sony 24-105 like? That focal range is on my camera 90% of the time for travel photography
 
I presume the OP asked specifically about FF / Mirrorless / 35mm to 85mm / no Sports / no wild life is because he is an experience photographer and knows what he shoots, knows what he wants and that he has had DSLR before.

He specifically asked for FF for shallower DOF otherwise I would lean against the Fuji X-T3 more than the Sony.

So, whilst DSLR still has legs, but he is starting from scratch again, I wouldn't push him towards FF DSLR because it is likely that he has had them, probably a D810 considering how long that's been out. Might as well get something with a mount that is in its infancy than something that has now been replaced by it's manufacturer.

So, based on the OP's request, Sony A3 is the logical choice given the information given.
 
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Riz_Guru said:
The Sony A9 wipes the floor with its competitors, plain and simple, not bad for a first generation A9 toy camera eh ;)
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mmmmmmmmmmmm.............I think the D850 is quite a bit ahead of any Sony Offering TBH.

Sony are good innovators but quality of anything they produce in whatever market has been shown to be poor.........quality of components is cut to keep manufacturing costs down and the precision of their engineering has always been highly questionable in every other market they have entered. (They are the VW of the electronics world!)
 
Fraser Euan White said:
mmmmmmmmmmmm.............I think the D850 is quite a bit ahead of any Sony Offering TBH.

Sony are good innovators but quality of anything they produce in whatever market has been shown to be poor.........quality of components is cut to keep manufacturing costs down and the precision of their engineering has always been highly questionable in every other market they have entered. (They are the VW of the electronics world!)
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Lol nothing wrong with VW, just passed 50k trouble free miles in my Golf R :D
I think the OP should consider all options :)
The A7 III is a very good body, it shouldn’t be overlooked because of its brand.
 
Riz_Guru said:
Lol nothing wrong with VW, just passed 50k trouble free miles in my Golf R :D
I think the OP should consider all options :)
The A7 III is a very good body, it shouldn’t be overlooked because of its brand.
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I take it you don't recall the VW Golf advert that ended - "If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen." - They had to withdraw the advert because it was the most unreliable car on the road! They are masters of giving the impression of a well built car where as all of the VW group are quite poor:

https://www.osv.ltd.uk/are-volkswagen-reliable/

.............but agree with your post - the Sony is definitely worth a look.
 
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Fraser Euan White said:
mmmmmmmmmmmm.............I think the D850 is quite a bit ahead of any Sony Offering TBH.

Sony are good innovators but quality of anything they produce in whatever market has been shown to be poor.........quality of components is cut to keep manufacturing costs down and the precision of their engineering has always been highly questionable in every other market they have entered. (They are the VW of the electronics world!)
Click to expand...

Oh, you mean like Nikon? D600 oil, D800 recall AF, D810 bright spots, D750 recalled 3 times!
 
Fraser Euan White said:
I take it you don't recall the VW Golf advert that ended - "If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen." - They had to withdraw the advert because it was the most unreliable car on the road! They are masters of giving the impression of a well built car where as all of the VW group are quite poor:

https://www.osv.ltd.uk/are-volkswagen-reliable/

.............but agree with your post - the Sony is definitely worth a look.
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Really the most unreliable on the road! Did you actually read the article you posted. This post like most of your others is full of hyperbole
 
jakeblu said:
Really the most unreliable on the road! Did you actually read the article you posted. This post like most of your others is full of hyperbole
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(Some quotes from the article I posted.................)

J.D Power rank Volkswagen even lower than the WarratyDirect survey, ranking them 2 out of 5 for overall dependability. This puts them in “The Rest” category, which is not the category you want to be in.

The ConsumerReports survey of 2016 says very similar. It ranks Volkswagen as 22nd out of 29th for reliability with a reliability score of just 30 out of 100. This is down nine places from last year. The average reliability score for this survey is between 41 and 60, so Volkswagen are pretty below average in this case.

However, if you look at the reviews from owners of the Passat, you can see that there are some really good reviews, but also a lot of bad ones in terms of reliability. There is an awful amount of 1/5 and 2/5 reviews on there. But as we mentioned, there were problems with the engines in the Passats. reliability index doesn’t give them a great score and awards them a reliability index of 145. WhatCar? also report that the Passat has lower than class average reliability for pollen filters, brake pads and wiper blades.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
I presume the OP asked specifically about FF / Mirrorless / 35mm to 85mm / no Sports / no wild life is because he is an experience photographer and knows what he shoots, knows what he wants and that he has had DSLR before.

He specifically asked for FF for shallower DOF otherwise I would lean against the Fuji X-T3 more than the Sony.

So, whilst DSLR still has legs, but he is starting from scratch again, I wouldn't push him towards FF DSLR because it is likely that he has had them, probably a D810 considering how long that's been out. Might as well get something with a mount that is in its infancy than something that has now been replaced by it's manufacturer.

So, based on the OP's request, Sony A3 is the logical choice given the information given.
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Hit the nail on the head.

If it wasn't for the FF 'look' the xt3 would be perfect.

Leaning towards the A7iii at the minute
 
Fraser Euan White said:
Steve - you're obviously struggling with reading? (Some quotes from the article I posted.................)

J.D Power rank Volkswagen even lower than the WarratyDirect survey, ranking them 2 out of 5 for overall dependability. This puts them in “The Rest” category, which is not the category you want to be in.

The ConsumerReports survey of 2016 says very similar. It ranks Volkswagen as 22nd out of 29th for reliability with a reliability score of just 30 out of 100. This is down nine places from last year. The average reliability score for this survey is between 41 and 60, so Volkswagen are pretty below average in this case.

However, if you look at the reviews from owners of the Passat, you can see that there are some really good reviews, but also a lot of bad ones in terms of reliability. There is an awful amount of 1/5 and 2/5 reviews on there. But as we mentioned, there were problems with the engines in the Passats. reliability index doesn’t give them a great score and awards them a reliability index of 145. WhatCar? also report that the Passat has lower than class average reliability for pollen filters, brake pads and wiper blades.
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I seem to be missing the 'most unreliable car on the road" line. Perhaps you could point it out to me? :)
 
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If I’m being honest I’m not enjoying the A73 as much as I hoped luckily I’m at a cross roads and not really invested in anything apart from one Sony lens!!
 
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