Dipping my toe in the Sony waters

[Clix Pix]

I actually signed up for an account on this forum after seeing your departure from the Nikon system, knowing that I may someday follow. For now, I'm a highly interested observer.

Hi, Andy! . You know, it didn't occur to me until today that, hey, I was already a member of this forum and had popped in a few times, posted a few times but really hadn't been all that active. I had it bookmarked and just hadn't been looking in on here recently. It dawned on me that this is the place where I can hang out and share my excitement about my new camera and lenses and learn more about them from experienced users here, etc, etc. It really is more appropriate to do that here than it is on Nikon Cafe. That said, I'm still going to be participating in the Cafe as well, as it's been part of my life since its early days back in 2005 and I've made friends there, it's kind of "family."

It took me a long time to get the point of going beyond just being a "highly interested observer" to the day when I traded in my Nikon gear and brought home the new Sony gear.... For each photographer, there are many decisions to be made, things to be taken into consideration, especially when making a total shift from one system to another. It really pays to take the time to think about everything, to read reviews, user comments and study their images, to look ahead to the future and think about what types of shooting are most important to you and which gear will best fit your needs and desires.

 

[Clix Pix]

Today's offering from the 90mm f/2.8 G:

ILCE-7RM4    FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS    90mm    f/2.8    1/1600s    ISO 100

 

[acnomad]

Today's offering from the 90mm f/2.8 G:

Really nice, Connie. A close friend who took the Sony plunge a couple years ago uses the 90mm f/2.8 for a wide variety of subjects, near and far, with great results. In his able hands, great images with this optic are both possible and likely. I see that the same is going to be true for you.

 

[acnomad]

it's the A9 that's a real game changer.

Some reviews indicate it is realistically a competitor to the Nikon D5 and Canon 1D. It does have some quirky mis-steps at times, but so does the Z6.

You best bet is to use an off-camera flash cord or a wireless flash trigger on the mount.

Yes, a wireless transmitter in the shoe and off-camera slaved flashes or triggers to monolights is pretty much the only way I roll. I feel fortunate to have compatibility between my micro 4/3 and Nikon systems at the moment. Sony requires different gear, I guess.

 

[Clix Pix]

Really nice, Connie. A close friend who took the Sony plunge a couple years ago uses the 90mm f/2.8 for a wide variety of subjects, near and far, with great results. In his able hands, great images with this optic are both possible and likely. I see that the same is going to be true for you.

Thanks, Andy! Yes, I was really pleased when I viewed my images in the computer and saw how this one just really works, especially in terms of color really popping.... I've still got to do some tweaking of the camera settings as well as my own technique, but we're getting there.....this is one heckuva lens!

 

[bdbits]

From the little I know about flash, if you are using wireless, other than obtaining the compatible transmitter you should be able to use your existing units.

 

[acnomad]

From the little I know about flash, if you are using wireless, other than obtaining the compatible transmitter you should be able to use your existing units.

Yes, I see that Godox makes attractively priced triggers and receivers for Sony bodies that is equivalent to what I have for Nikon/Olympus now.

 

[Richard Crowe]

The Sony (including third party e-mount) lens lineup is growing by leaps and bounds - both in full frame and crop sensor offerings.

My one complaint about the e-mount lenses was that there was no decently sized and decently priced mid range zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture. This was my bread and butter lens for both full frame and crop sensor Canon cameras. Both Sony and third party companies are filling out the e-mount lineup with some decently priced lenses that don't require a set of wheels to carry around because they are so big and heavy!.

However, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 has filled that void quite nicely and I use it on both my A7iii and my A6400. It does nicely on both formats although, I tend to like it a bit better on an APSC format camera for head and shoulder shots. The great Sony 85mm f/1.8 is my go-to tens for portraits on the A7iii. However there have been a couple of interesting lenses introduced lately in e-mount: Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 and Viltrox 85mm f/1.8.

If you are shooting Sony APSC and want a nice mid-range zoom, the new (but - very expensive ) 16-55mm f/2.8 OSS lens might be interesting. However, I opted for the less expensive but full-frame capable Tamron 28-75mm lens to use with both my APSC and full frame cameras.

The Godox/Flashpoint flash lineup has some very interesting and capable units (both on camera and off camera models) which can be operated very efficiently with the Godox/Flashpoint triggers. My favorite off-camera flash for outdoor use remains the Godox/Flashpoint TTL360 although many photographers prefer the 200 model Godox/Flashpoint units.

The Godox/Flashpoint units have a plethora of accessories such as modifiers available. What impresses me the most about those modifiers is the good quality at very reasonable prices. The Bowens Mount adapter further enlarges the group of accessories available to this flash. However, I generally use an S7 Godox folding softbox that fits directly on my TTL360 and which doesn't need the Bowens Mount assembly. It is really nice for outdoor shoots because although large enough to provide nice lighting it is small enough not to become a great problem when breezes blow. The price is absolutely mind-boggling!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Godox-AD-S...146330?hash=item5d9238acda:g:0RsAAOSwKzNdfbKO

BTW: when working with Godox/Flashpoint off camera flash, you don;t absolutely need a Godox/Flashpoint trigger. All of the Flashpoint/Godox hotshoe flashes can be used as triggers. So a combination of a TTL350 flash and a TTL360 flash will give you a lot of versatility and a relatively low rice and light weight.

 

[bdbits]

Also if you are in the market for flash gear, it is worth noting that Adorama's Flashpoint flashes are rebadged Godox gear.

 

[Richard Crowe]

Absolutely correct. However, the Flashpoint gear sold by Adorama is backed up by Adorama. Godox makes the retailers responsible for warranties...

 

[acnomad]

However, I generally use an S7 Godox folding softbox that fits directly on my TTL360 and which doesn't need the Bowens Mount assembly. It is really nice for outdoor shoots because although large enough to provide nice lighting it is small enough not to become a great problem when breezes blow. The price is absolutely mind-boggling!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Godox-AD-S...146330?hash=item5d9238acda:g:0RsAAOSwKzNdfbKO

This modifier looks very similar in design to the Westcott RapidBox 26" Octa. I have one and a strip, and they were quite a bit pricier.

 

[acnomad]

Absolutely correct. However, the Flashpoint gear sold by Adorama is backed up by Adorama. Godox makes the retailers responsible for warranties...

Would you say that Adorama supports the Flashpoint products better than Godox supports their own-labeled brand?

 

[bdbits]

I have no experience personally, but have heard that yes Adorama does fully back the products. People sometimes buy via Adorama because of it.

 

[Richard Crowe]

I have not experience to confirm or deny this since none of my Flashpoint gear has failed and thus I have not needed any warranty service but, I have heard that some folks have had problems with warranty service after purchasing the Godox units on eBay...

 

[acnomad]

I have no experience personally, but have heard that yes Adorama does fully back the products. People sometimes buy via Adorama because of it.

I have not experience to confirm or deny this since none of my Flashpoint gear has failed and thus I have not needed any warranty service but, I have heard that some folks have had problems with warranty service after purchasing the Godox units on eBay...

It appears that Adorama has rebranded the higher end Godox lights and modifiers and that the rest of their line sell on eBay with their original branding.

 

[Ziggy99]

I was set to become a committed Nikon user with a couple of bodies and a set of lenses. Birds are my thing and I was expecting Nikon's mirrorless to combine the legendary Nikon AF with the strengths of mirrorless - 10 or more fps without blackout and burst caching.
No.
And I was treated with contempt over an attempt to purchase a Nikkor 500 PF.
That kind of arrogance and complacency lost me. I don't think Nikon realises how much the market and its position in it has changed.
So I've committed to Sony FF.
I still shoot with my D500 as in a couple of respects its AF is better than the Sony A9 - a little more accurate and more likely to lock on a perched bird.

 

[acnomad]

I still shoot with my D500 as in a couple of respects its AF is better than the Sony A9 - a little more accurate and more likely to lock on a perched bird.

I also have found the D500 to be a gem. Although my primary usage for it is sports photography, I'd still like to know more about your experiences in the situation of acquiring focus on a perched bird. How does the A9 fall short of the D500?

 

[Ziggy99]

This is the static subject problem: https://www.talkemount.com/threads/a9-focus-fails.19467/

For BIF the A9 isn't as consistently sharp as the D500. Certainly it's way easier to keep the bird in the viewfinder and in some circumstances the 20 fps pays off but I normally stick with 10.

Another reason Nikon lost me was that it didn't flesh out a full range of DX lenses - so here we have one of the best SaW bodies around, lighter and more compact than FX - but still have to use an FX lens at anything over 300mm. Same problem with the Z6 and Z7. You have to use an adaptor to shoot Nikkor supertelephoto, so there's little advantage left in weight and bulk and none optically.

 

[acnomad]

Thanks for the link to your A9 focus fails thread. Your real-world experience is really valuable information.