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

snerkler said:
Numpty question of th day, is there any harm is leaving your camera on for extended periods doing nothing? We've just bought a new bird feeder and I thought I could leave my camera set up on a tripod and use the Sony Imaging Edge app to take the photos, this could mean the camera being sat there for over an hour doing nothing.

Oh and whilst talking of being a numpty, on my last two outings I've managed to lose my peak design slide, and my Firecrest 77mm ND filter :headbang:
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I can't see it being an issue unless the sun shines through the lens. If I ever build an office in teh garden I will probably do the same. I lost a lens cap on Sunday. An old Nikon one will do the trick while I buy a knock off Sony one
 
wookie6262 said:
I can't see it being an issue unless the sun shines through the lens. If I ever build an office in teh garden I will probably do the same. I lost a lens cap on Sunday. An old Nikon one will do the trick while I buy a knock off Sony one
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Thanks
 
As I’m looking to replace my ND filter that I lost I’ve stumbled across variable ones. I’ve always given them a wide berth in the past but I was surprised to see some of the more expensive ones get 4.6/5 with over 1000 reviews.

Are they genuinely good enough these days or will they degrade IQ more than a standard ND?
 
snerkler said:
As I’m looking to replace my ND filter that I lost I’ve stumbled across variable ones. I’ve always given them a wide berth in the past but I was surprised to see some of the more expensive ones get 4.6/5 with over 1000 reviews.

Are they genuinely good enough these days or will they degrade IQ more than a standard ND?
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I’ve a K&F variable Toby. Never noticed any colour shift. Used it quite a bit with 35&50 GM wide open.
 
snerkler said:
As I’m looking to replace my ND filter that I lost I’ve stumbled across variable ones. I’ve always given them a wide berth in the past but I was surprised to see some of the more expensive ones get 4.6/5 with over 1000 reviews.

Are they genuinely good enough these days or will they degrade IQ more than a standard ND?
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I got an Urth ND 100mm filter and was really impressed. Miles better than a big stopper
 
snerkler said:
Numpty question of th day, is there any harm is leaving your camera on for extended periods doing nothing? We've just bought a new bird feeder and I thought I could leave my camera set up on a tripod and use the Sony Imaging Edge app to take the photos, this could mean the camera being sat there for over an hour doing nothing.

Oh and whilst talking of being a numpty, on my last two outings I've managed to lose my peak design slide, and my Firecrest 77mm ND filter :headbang:
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I can't see it being an issue. I've run cameras for 10-12 hours in timelapse mode and recorded video for three to four hours without issue, in your case the fact the camera will be mostly idling means I wouldn't expect it to do any harm. I'm sure I've had cameras on for an hour or more when walking about taking shots which you may have done as well. I'd be concerned about causing harm if you were doing something that would be pushing the camera hard for an hour continuously like sustained high speed bursts. With the 1in stacked sensors I was always a bit iffy about doing sustained high framerate shooting with them because they'd get extremely hot and the battery would deplete alarmingly quickly.

On a different note, I bought the Thinktank Rotation 360 backpack that was recommended here at Christmas time which I've not been able to use for cycling but I've been taking it out walks instead of my usual Slingshot bag and very taken with it. The two decent shoulder straps along with a chest and decent waist strap means it holds the weight well and the mechanism to slide the camera out and back is very slick. Another aspect I like is if I swing it round and take the camera out, I can comfortably walk with the bag sitting open and the lens cap in it or similar whereas on the slingshot when the bag is rotated round, since all the weight is to the front it's not great walking with it but it's also a bit of an annoyance to zip it up, rotate it and clip it back in.

So in short, I appreciate the recommendation for the bag.
 
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snerkler said:
As I’m looking to replace my ND filter that I lost I’ve stumbled across variable ones. I’ve always given them a wide berth in the past but I was surprised to see some of the more expensive ones get 4.6/5 with over 1000 reviews.

Are they genuinely good enough these days or will they degrade IQ more than a standard ND?
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I use one of these
hyfilters.net

H&Y REVORING with Polariser and VND Variable Step Adapter

Revoring with polariser and VND offers the maximum flexibility and convenience for photographer and videographers with their creations.
hyfilters.net hyfilters.net

and someone on ebay selling a used one for £60 which is a nice deal I think:
www.ebay.co.uk

H&Y RevoRing 67mm - 82mm VND ND3-ND1000 and Circular Polariser Filter | eBay

This filter combines neutral density (ND3 - ND1000) with a polariser. The adjustable thread allows the filter to fit lenses from 67mm - 82mm.
www.ebay.co.uk

As you know I normally don't pre-order. But I pre-ordered this on their kickstarter project, and fairly pleased with the results.
I also have separate 3-6-10-13 stops ND filters too but sometimes its just a lot better to have a single solution, especially while travelling.
 
Still getting to grips with my 1st proper Sony (A6700) and loving it so far. Quick question please When shooting videos, there's always a separate file that is stored alongside each video. What Are these for please is it for Gyro Stabilization data for Catalyst Browse, or for some other reason ?

Do I need to copy these sidecar files along with the videos when brining the videos into the PC and storing them on my NAS, or can they be safely deleted ?
 
Thought I might as well post some of my first images from the A6700 - nothing stunning, but still getting a feel for the camera and it's controls:





 
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snerkler said:
As I’m looking to replace my ND filter that I lost I’ve stumbled across variable ones. I’ve always given them a wide berth in the past but I was surprised to see some of the more expensive ones get 4.6/5 with over 1000 reviews.

Are they genuinely good enough these days or will they degrade IQ more than a standard ND?
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Variable N.D’s are for video not photo
 
I think I am probably gonna buy a 35mm for my A7CII kit.

We already have the Sony 35 G.M and the Sony 35mm f/1.8.

Will need to be small and light weight, with a.f, and am probably ruling out any f/2.8 lenses.

So that leaves:

Samyang 35mm f/1.8
Sigma 35mm f/2 DG DN
Viltrox 35mm f/1.8

Are there any other options other than these?
 
f/2.8 said:
Have no idea I don’t shoot video.

For photo though variables are best avoided as image quality sucks.
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That's why I was asking, apparently some of them don't suck for photo and you don't get the dreaded 'X' at the extreme ends of the filter. I don't think @trevorbray or @nandbytes shoot video?
 
trevorbray said:
I’ve a K&F variable Toby. Never noticed any colour shift. Used it quite a bit with 35&50 GM wide open.
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I've been looking at the K&F and some reviews are saying that the front of the filter is wider than the rear meaning that you can't attach a lens hood, have you run into this issue?
 
A7 and TTartisan 50mm f2.

It was dull this morning with just dead light but I took pictures anyway.

DSC05572.jpg

100% from that one.

DSC05572-C.jpg

This is a tiny lens and it's Sony mount so no adapter is needed. I think its biggest issues are massive vignetting at wider apertures when focused at longer distances and poor corners at all apertures. I've read that the lens only just covers a FF chip so that explains the vignetting. Oh, and it also suffers badly from flare. Positives are that it's tiny and sharp enough in the central area and there seems to be quite a bit of contrast.

Against some older film era lenses it does have some advantages, the size on a mirrorless camera because it doesn't need an adapter and maybe sharpness at wider apertures and possibly bokeh too. It's only £79 :D
 
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snerkler said:
That's why I was asking, apparently some of them don't suck for photo and you don't get the dreaded 'X' at the extreme ends of the filter. I don't think @trevorbray or @nandbytes shoot video?
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you will get the dreaded "X" with almost all variable NDs its a matter of "finding" it.
if you shoot a 10mm lens on FF at f11 with variable ND turned to 10+stops, you will come across is very quickly.

Haida got around this by making two variable ND filters one for 2-5 stops and one for 6-10stops (or something like that).

the "X" is more of a problem with wider angles and smaller apertures. If you are using it so that you can shoot that f1.2-1.4 with your 50mm its less of a problem. somewhere in between for a 35mm lens.
if you want I can test it with my revoring and let you know.
 
nandbytes said:
you will get the dreaded "X" with almost all variable NDs its a matter of "finding" it.
if you shoot a 10mm lens on FF at f11 with variable ND turned to 10+stops, you will come across is very quickly.

Haida got around this by making two variable ND filters one for 2-5 stops and one for 6-10stops (or something like that).

the "X" is more of a problem with wider angles and smaller apertures. If you are using it so that you can shoot that f1.2-1.4 with your 50mm its less of a problem. somewhere in between for a 35mm lens.
if you want I can test it with my revoring and let you know.
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Thanks very much. I’m not actually looking at that filter tbh, I don’t want one with built in polariser or as many stops as that. It’s for motorsport so a 2-4 stop should suffice.
 
snerkler said:
Thanks very much. I’m not actually looking at that filter tbh, I don’t want one with built in polariser
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that's like saying you want get into water but don't want to get wet ;)
variable ND's are made using CPLs basically whether you like it or not.

snerkler said:
or as many stops as that. It’s for motorsport so a 2-4 stop should suffice.
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doesn't necessarily hurt if you have more stops in that case especially if you are getting at a good price and you are only using it at 2-4 stops range.
But the haida 2-5 stops is good option in that case
 
nandbytes said:
that's like saying you want get into water but don't want to get wet ;)
variable ND's are made using CPLs basically whether you like it or not.


doesn't necessarily hurt if you have more stops in that case especially if you are getting at a good price and you are only using it at 2-4 stops range.
But the haida 2-5 stops is good option in that case
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Yeah, but I mean I don’t want one with a specific polariser like that does. Also, it looks like you won’t be able to mount a lens hood with the REVORING. Are Haida a decent brand?
 
One from yesterday with my A7 and Canon 50mm f1.8 SC.

This lens has quite a long minimum focus distance, not as long as some RF lenses but this lens and the newer FDn 50mm f1.8 have quite a long MFD compared to my other film era 50's. Actually this SC's MFD is about the same as the TTArtison 50mm f2's.

At about MFD.

DSC05467.jpg

100%.

DSC05467-C.jpg

Even though the MFD could be better it is a nice lens but maybe not as nicely built as the Nippon Kogaku lenses I have.
 
snerkler said:
Yeah, but I mean I don’t want one with a specific polariser like that does. Also, it looks like you won’t be able to mount a lens hood with the REVORING. Are Haida a decent brand?
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I have a Haida CPL and a 10 stop found them to be decent.
 
snerkler said:
I've been looking at the K&F and some reviews are saying that the front of the filter is wider than the rear meaning that you can't attach a lens hood, have you run into this issue?
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Yep. Couldn’t fit a hood.
 
I have some Haida filters too. No IQ issues but the 6 stop does give a bit of a cast compared to the others.

I think the CPL might be Hoya rather than Haida - not 100% sure without checking.
 
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