Camera gear discussions

Discussion in 'Photography and Cameras' started by Bill-P, Oct 15, 2015.

  1. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Fuji pictures and colors are nice. In RAW, you are stuck with their system due to their weird sensor. It is a good sensor though. Mostly I don't like Fuji's video quality, seems jumpy. I am not sure they have fixed that on newer models.

    Any aversion to the Sony a6000? Smallish body, but also mirrorless and gives you options for lens changes. Great video mode and fairly easy to use. I love mine.
     
  2. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    I want to point out that I don't care about video quality on a camera. I just look at it as a camera without video, if that make sense.

    I had the A6000 Body in my hand before and I didn't like the BQ on it, including the weight being too light for me. The higher end Sony bodies fixed that problem for me. Great camera to get used with a killer lens thou. I should do that but I know what happens if I do standard body/lens: I would go OCD and soon I'll have ten lenses.

    Trying the "all-in-one" route so I don't go crazy and force myself to be "limited." I need something that is a major set up from a smartphone and has a wide enough F/Stop for light.
     
  3. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    If you want small-ish, go M43 because the value-for-money systems made by Olympus and Panasonic alone can do so much and more depending on your desired specifications and pricing.

    If you prefer a crop-sensor or a larger sensor, get a good pro-system (Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Pentax) and get the best lenses that work for you. Once you have the lenses you want you can fully enjoy your kit for a few years (at least).

    I am sticking to my Pentax K5 i. It is a workhorse, easy to set and you take pictures. I do not care about video so f**k that.

    P.S. I did not mention Sony. I find Sony too confusing. Their mirrorless full-frame A7-series were tempting but everything else Sony released on the market, sorry there is always something that annoys me too much. Additionally the way Sony flooded the market the past years with new models, sorry that does not inspire confidence from me.
     
  4. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    Flooded? Sony has introduced a total of 12 full frame photo cameras across 4 lineups in the past 7 years. The A9 mk2, A7S mk3 and the A7R mk4 are relatively recent refreshes and I think we'll only see 1-2 more new models in the next 1.5-2 years. The only real difference is in addition to the budget model line (A7, Canon 6d, D600, etc.) and the high resolution line Sony also makes a videography focused version in the A7S. Outside of Leica, nobody else is sticking to a 3-year release schedule these days.

    If we're talking about the RX100 or RX10 series, Sony doesn't like to discontinue old models and prefer to keep them around as the budget option. You can still get a brand new RX100 mk1 for $350 or so which is still a pretty capable camera. Does it mean that you need a bit more research to figure out which one out of the 6-7 option is right for you? Yes, but choices arent a bad thing.

    With an OG A7 getting close to the $500 mark, I don't see a reason to go for anything less than full frame other than size and very specific needs (burst shooting, video, etc.).
     
  5. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    The body might be affordable. Lenses are the real investment there. If the lenses you want fit in your budget, the Sony A7-series is a really good choice. Sony went Goku on Burter and Jeice with the competition and is making a name with that line of cameras.

    P.S. If you watched Dragonball, the Namek saga you know what I mean.
     
  6. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    You can get an AF 28mm, 50mm and 85mm for less than $800 in total or the first 2 for $400 pre-owned. Even cheaper if you can live with manual focus. Sure, the 28mm isn't anything to write home about, but if you just shoot it at F5.6 it's good enough unless you print. I've been using one as a placeholder while I figure out whether or not I still want a Leica Q2 given the tax hike on European electronics.

    The first-gen A7's are a little clunky and lacking in weather protection and the A7r doesn't play well with adapted lenses, but you can't really beat the DR and pixel pitch advantage of a larger sensor. Same reason why people shoot 44*33 even though most medium format systems have terrible usability.
     
  7. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    The only reason to do that is being dedicated to old lenses. Otherwise it's just a waste of a lot of the technology built into the camera.
    Sigma 30/1.4. Yes, 1.4. Lives on my a6500 as standard-lens equivalent, always ready for a snapshot, lens. See the Sigma-for-E-Mount line up generally.

    I have the Sony 50/1.8 and 85/1.8 which are my most-used lenses for my Indian classical concert photography. It's not strongly lit and I don't like to use flash, so I need the speed.

    When I pick up my old a6000, the lightness really charms me. I miss it, when I return to my a6500.

    The a6000 is still selling what passes as "well" for a camera these days, but unless really cash-restricted, one should probably pass it by for the newer-generation a6100 or a6400.
     
  8. Bina

    Bina MOT - Shanling

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    I nowadays switched for 90% of my photography to this old, but amazing rig from Panasonic. So small and really fun.

    [​IMG]

    On topic of Fujifilm, we have multiple people in our local photography group using Fuji (including even one Fuji ambassador) and it's just lovely gear. Some of them are getting great results even with lightroom, which seems to be normally nono in Fujifilm circles. If you are looking for Aps-C, I would definitely pick Fuji over Sony.
     
  9. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    For whatever reason, I've tried to replace my dSLR system multiple times. I really want to like mirrorless, but I always found myself with one of my Canon's (7Dmk2 or SL1) back in my hands and listing the mirrorless on ebay.
     
  10. scblock

    scblock Friend

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    Lightroom has gotten a lot better in recent years at handling the Fuji raw files, and includes presets for the camera film profiles that are pretty close to jpegs out fo the camera. The weird smeary painted effect I used to get a few years ago appears to be mostly gone now, and foliage and rocks appear much more natural than they used to.

    It definitely used to be an issue, and using Fuji's weird and frustrating software can occasionally be worth the extra effort, but much less often for me now than in the past.

    Can’t speak in any detail to the video issue you mention, but they’ve definitely focused on providing much higher quality video modes and options in newer cameras like my X-H1, as compared to my old X-E1 where video was clearly an afterthought. I just don’t really shoot video at all.
     
  11. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Would there be a general, rather than brand-specific (I assume you tried more than one) reason for that?

    I've never used a DSLR, although I have used an SLR+film: I can't imagine going back to an optical viewfinder. l love the way a dim room lights up in the EVF with a fast lens.
     
  12. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Dude when I have enough money for a small system, M43 with at least the Panasonic 20mm. Pancake lenses are such a treat. A good M43 system is more fun than you expect. I still miss my old M43 system.
     
  13. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    Tried Sony, Panasonic and Fuji... but nothing in the last 2 yrs or so.

    I'd kind of given up. I guess part of the problem is that over 20+ yrs I've built up a pretty varied collection of Canon glass. If I wasn't picking the canon's back up for the lenses, then it would be for the faster burst rate, then it was for the superior low light performance, then the next time it would be due to the crappy battery life on mirrorless, etc. And... for whatever reason, I can hand-hold a dSLR much steadier than I can any of the mirrorless I'd tried. If I needed something small, then I picked up my SL1 (not much bigger than a mirrorless).

    I just didn't see myself ever recreating what I already have with the Canon's... and I wasn't realizing a significant advantage with the mirrorless camera's I tried...
     
  14. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    MF is not necessarily a bad thing. For the immediacy of dedicated street photography, for example, you can pull though the focus range and hit a target, with some practice, much faster than all but the very highest end of AF system. And AF degrades with low light and subjects that move in inconsistent patterns. When I shot rock concerts I found myself getting a lot more keepers with manual Leica lenses compared to Sony FE plus 1st and 2nd gen A7 bodies. These days I still have an 85% manual lineup, although I suspect moving to something like an A9II will all but eliminate the need for manual focusing.
     
  15. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    It's not at all a bad thing. But hey, all that amazing AF technology is there, and it is much better at the job than I am.

    Manual focussing on my a6500 is a lot easier than it was when it was all I had was my film SLR. Bright EVF, focus magnification, IBIS... Before I could get my Sony 85/1.8, I was using a cheap-to-buy old Tamron SP 90/2.5. Nice lens, and it was good practise too, but I am older and my hands are not so steady, so the Sony AF lens is way ahead on keepers.

    This applies to a camera in my hands, returning to real-camera photography after a break of quite a few years. I had to relearn how to hold the thing even. In the hands of a more continually-experienced photographer, then it's a different story.
     
  16. billbishere

    billbishere Facebook Friend

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    I use a Sony A72 - its my workhorse. I shoot paid jobs as well as vacation and leisure type stuff. The body is small enough it travels well, and with the right pancake lens it can be really small. But then you can also throw on a serious lens and it's back to handling and performing like a "pro" body.

    The lens selection for Sony FE mount is fleshed out good to where you can get a lens for a decent price in most of the focal lengths. But then you also can get higher end lens if you need to do some serious stuff. The adapters are also amazing so you can get access to all the canon lens lineup as well, I have several canon lens. I shot canon crop before getting the Sony, but I also made sure when I bought lens for the Canon I got the full frame versions as they are usually better glass, build, etc...

    Then the price of the body. The A72 body can be had for around $800 if you catch it on sale and even less used.

    I didn't read everyone's response as there were many and they were long so, sorry if I am repeating. Just my thoughts. :)

    One last thing - not sure how much price is a concern but... if it were me now I would do the Sony A73 body as it's a pretty big upgrade in many ways that matter. When I got mine the A73 had just dropped that's why I went with the A72 because of the price but, the A73 is a huge upgrade. It has the Eye Auto Focus that is amazing. Sony does it best and the A73 has the latest Eye Tracking for both Human and Animal.
     
  17. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I'm really excited about the possibility of the A5 being the guts of an A7 III in a cheap, A6000 sized body. I feel like that's small enough I can ditch everything but my RX1R II and be 100% covered.
     
  18. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    I didn't realize there was a Canon adapter for Sony... I have a bunch of Canon L glass... you don't see any image degradation using the Canon glass on the Sony? If not, then I might just have to try this out.

    Is the adapter a Sony product, or aftermarket? Do you have a link to the particular adapter you're using?
     
  19. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    All other things being roughly equal, you can adapt almost any lens if the designed mount -> focal plane distance of the lens is the same or greater than that of the camera. The adapter, apart adapting the physical mount differences, gives the length to make up that greater than.

    EDIT: Flange distance is the phrase I should have used but forget. Thanks to @Zhanming057 in the next post

    Ask the internet: you can find lists of camera mount system ordered by that distance. Sony E mount is fairly low on the list, which means that many other lenses are adaptable. It makes it popular with legacy/vintage lens enthusiasts. Third-party adapters are available.

    The differences are likely to be functional rather than image quality. Automatic functions may be slower or less reliable. The full suite of Sony's autofocus functions may not be supported; if the lens has image stabilisation, it may or may not work with the camera.

    My only non-native lens is fully manual anyway. Of course, that will be the case with all vintage lenses.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2020
  20. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    No image degradation - no glass in the optical path, and Canon's flange distance is too long for sensor filter stack to be of any concern. The latest Metabones adapters support switching between in-lens and sensor stabilization, eye AF and face detection. There are no screw drive Canon lenses so in theory, AF speed should be identical to Canon bodies with the limitation being the camera itself.

    Sigma also makes an AF adapter and it will AF on all EF lenses but specifically optimized for Art lenses from Sigma. If you have more Sigma EF than Canon EF lenses, go for the Sigma.

    See this article for a primer on adapters for FE mount https://briansmith.com/gear/sony-lens-adapters/
     

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