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

LeeRatters said:
One from almost 2 months ago...... Before I start on and bore you with all the Cornwall photography.....

I wasn't overly keen on this for some reason - I just don't think it really stands out as a great image too much. But I've got the scans back now of the film I shot on the same night so thought I'd get them all together.


*** by Lee, on Flickr
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Lovely! How many shots?

(I need to do this, just too lazy, bought a Startracker and never got round to it....I don't even know where I put the thing now!)
 
I don't know if this is value for money or how it compares to the competition but if I was looking for an APS-C Sony this is the only A6xxx I'd look at due to it having the front control dial.

www.dpreview.com

Sony a6700 review

The Sony a6700 is the company's latest high-end APS-C mirrorless camera, built around a 26MP BSI CMOS sensor and bringing the latest subject recognition AF and 10-bit video.
www.dpreview.com www.dpreview.com

I keep thinking that I should thin out my MFT kit as 4 cameras is too many and I have too many lenses too but I will probably never buy into these Sony APS-C's.
 
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woof woof said:
I don't know if this is value for money or how it compares to the competition but if I was looking for an APS-C Sony this is the only A6xxx I'd look at due to it having the front control dial.

www.dpreview.com

Sony a6700 review

The Sony a6700 is the company's latest high-end APS-C mirrorless camera, built around a 26MP BSI CMOS sensor and bringing the latest subject recognition AF and 10-bit video.
www.dpreview.com www.dpreview.com

I keep thinking that I should thin out my MFT kit as 4 cameras is too many and I have too many lenses too but I will probably never buy into these Sony APS-C's.
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The A6700 is the same price as an A7iii - tricky to pick between them, the A6700 is more advances in several areas as it's the latest body, but it's still going to lose out in lower light vs the FF sensor in the A7iii.
 
Faldrax said:
The A6700 is the same price as an A7iii - tricky to pick between them, the A6700 is more advances in several areas as it's the latest body, but it's still going to lose out in lower light vs the FF sensor in the A7iii.
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There may be size and weight and reach advantages for the APS-C camera but faced with those choices I;d take the A7III every time. If starting from scratch there may be a batter argument for the A6xxx range and I can see an advantage in having one alongside an A7x and using the same lenses.

I've read and watched a few reviews and seen the more negative and disappointed comments from people expecting more.
 
woof woof said:
...

I've read and watched a few reviews and seen the more negative and disappointed comments from people expecting more.
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The problem Sony have is if they made it a higher spec, the price would increase, which would reduce overall sales (people having the option A7iii, A6700, A7iv, with some people saving a bit and getting the A7iii, others spending a bit more and getting the A7iv, and so even less getting the A6700).
 
The obvious reasons for buying a crop sensor camera are reach and lower weight/size, assuming price not to be a factor. Hard to see this getting a lot of sales.
 
I'm happy with the spec of the A6700 and will definitely be getting one. The Sony 70-350 is a peach of a lens being sharp, fast AF, superbly built and lightweight. To me there's not many other compact wildlife kits that come close and adding the latest bird eye AF addresses the issues I have with my A6400.

I have a FF kit (and also had a Canon R5 kit) and 9 times out of 10 I end up just grabbing my Sony APS-C kit for the size. The Sigma 18-50 compliments the 70-350 perfectly and beats out any of the FF lenses when playing the equivalence game. The Sigma 1.4 primes have FF equivalents for the same weight/size but with the other two lenses round out a great, compact setup.

Would I have liked a better EVF and/or a joystick? Sure. But the better menu systems, better AF and front-dial should make this much better than it looks on paper and a great compact kit.
 
Gold said:
I'm happy with the spec of the A6700 and will definitely be getting one. The Sony 70-350 is a peach of a lens being sharp, fast AF, superbly built and lightweight. To me there's not many other compact wildlife kits that come close and adding the latest bird eye AF addresses the issues I have with my A6400.

I have a FF kit (and also had a Canon R5 kit) and 9 times out of 10 I end up just grabbing my Sony APS-C kit for the size. The Sigma 18-50 compliments the 70-350 perfectly and beats out any of the FF lenses when playing the equivalence game. The Sigma 1.4 primes have FF equivalents for the same weight/size but with the other two lenses round out a great, compact setup.

Would I have liked a better EVF and/or a joystick? Sure. But the better menu systems, better AF and front-dial should make this much better than it looks on paper and a great compact kit.
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The 70-350mm is probably my favourite tele lens for travelling. its superb and I got some excellent results even in APS-C mode on my A7IV.

With the A6700 I just wish they had increased the fps beyond 8fps (11fps seems to be without liveview so useless) and increased the resolution to 30+ mp
 
nandbytes said:
The 70-350mm is probably my favourite tele lens for travelling. its superb and I got some excellent results even in APS-C mode on my A7IV.

With the A6700 I just wish they had increased the fps beyond 8fps (11fps seems to be without liveview so useless) and increased the resolution to 30+ mp
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That might be an option for me giving 105-525mm with 22mp, much lighter than the 100-400mm GM (y)
 
snerkler said:
That might be an option for me giving 105-525mm with 22mp, much lighter than the 100-400mm GM (y)
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I have got some nice images with it on my travels recently. That was with "only" 14mp.

52304999592_d95924212d_b.jpg


53002696924_a671817010_b.jpg


52289810596_5d8c305b49_b.jpg
 
Gold said:
I'm happy with the spec of the A6700 and will definitely be getting one. The Sony 70-350 is a peach of a lens being sharp, fast AF, superbly built and lightweight. To me there's not many other compact wildlife kits that come close and adding the latest bird eye AF addresses the issues I have with my A6400.

I have a FF kit (and also had a Canon R5 kit) and 9 times out of 10 I end up just grabbing my Sony APS-C kit for the size. The Sigma 18-50 compliments the 70-350 perfectly and beats out any of the FF lenses when playing the equivalence game. The Sigma 1.4 primes have FF equivalents for the same weight/size but with the other two lenses round out a great, compact setup.

Would I have liked a better EVF and/or a joystick? Sure. But the better menu systems, better AF and front-dial should make this much better than it looks on paper and a great compact kit.
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Said this a few times. I was disappointed with the A6700. I was really hoping for innovation and not recycled tech.

Missed opportunity for Sony to produce a mini. A9 or A1. Could have been - Stacked APSc 33mp sensor, 20 fps, no rolling shutter on electronic. Type A/SDHC card slot. Joystick - better EVF (for a company that makes screens!).

Was hoping to pair this with my A1 as a 2nd wildlife shooter. The reach advantage with FF lenses - 200-600mm - 900mm!! 70-200mm (f2.8) with 1.4x = 420mm f4. A nice small body to keep in the bag that would keep up with the A9/A1. That would interest me at £2k ish.

I am hoping that may still come. Look at the numbering. A6XXX, all numbers are taken - so any new camera in this series had to be A6700 even if it was a A6400 replacement.
 
simonbe said:
Said this a few times. I was disappointed with the A6700. I was really hoping for innovation and not recycled tech.

Missed opportunity for Sony to produce a mini. A9 or A1. Could have been - Stacked APSc 33mp sensor, 20 fps, no rolling shutter on electronic. Type A/SDHC card slot. Joystick - better EVF (for a company that makes screens!).

Was hoping to pair this with my A1 as a 2nd wildlife shooter. The reach advantage with FF lenses - 200-600mm - 900mm!! 70-200mm (f2.8) with 1.4x = 420mm f4. A nice small body to keep in the bag that would keep up with the A9/A1. That would interest me at £2k ish.

I am hoping that may still come. Look at the numbering. A6XXX, all numbers are taken - so any new camera in this series had to be A6700 even if it was a A6400 replacement.
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I think a new stacked sensor, even APS-C, would mean a significant price hike - £2.5k+, unfortunately

I agree re EVF (and rear screen) - Sony should be able to source these at a lower price than other camera manufacturers (since they make them) so it's an obvious area where they could beat their competitors by giving a higher spec for the same price.
 
Faldrax said:
I think a new stacked sensor, even APS-C, would mean a significant price hike - £2.5k+, unfortunately

I agree re EVF (and rear screen) - Sony should be able to source these at a lower price than other camera manufacturers (since they make them) so it's an obvious area where they could beat their competitors by giving a higher spec for the same price.
Click to expand...

This could in part be a size problem. My smaller Panasonic cameras also have relatively poor by todays standards EVF's. I'd take a small increase in size if it meant a much better EVF but saving a few mm seem to matter to some makers.
 
simonbe said:
Said this a few times. I was disappointed with the A6700. I was really hoping for innovation and not recycled tech.

Missed opportunity for Sony to produce a mini. A9 or A1. Could have been - Stacked APSc 33mp sensor, 20 fps, no rolling shutter on electronic. Type A/SDHC card slot. Joystick - better EVF (for a company that makes screens!).

Was hoping to pair this with my A1 as a 2nd wildlife shooter. The reach advantage with FF lenses - 200-600mm - 900mm!! 70-200mm (f2.8) with 1.4x = 420mm f4. A nice small body to keep in the bag that would keep up with the A9/A1. That would interest me at £2k ish.

I am hoping that may still come. Look at the numbering. A6XXX, all numbers are taken - so any new camera in this series had to be A6700 even if it was a A6400 replacement.
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100% agree.

They should've made a competitor for the X-H2/2s.

For a sensor manufacturer I am surprised Sony haven't really pushed stacked sensors.
 
woof woof said:
This could in part be a size problem. My smaller Panasonic cameras also have relatively poor by todays standards EVF's. I'd take a small increase in size if it meant a much better EVF but saving a few mm seem to matter to some makers.
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I'd understand it on the 'entry level' A6100, but this is the supposed top end APS-C model - they've gone for the slightly bigger body to take the larger battery, IBIS, etc.
The EVF is a key element in the overall 'feel' of a camera, so it should be class leading, even if it means adding an extra mm or two.
 
I'm the first to moan and feel frustrated at camera releases that seem sub par, but I guess they know the market and business strategy better than anyone else. Sales figures will ultimately show whether they've made the right choices but they seem to be doing OK so far this year as I believe they're above Canon in the Japanese sales.
 
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Faldrax said:
I'd understand it on the 'entry level' A6100, but this is the supposed top end APS-C model - they've gone for the slightly bigger body to take the larger battery, IBIS, etc.
The EVF is a key element in the overall 'feel' of a camera, so it should be class leading, even if it means adding an extra mm or two.
Click to expand...

I agree, sadly Sony don't seem to.

It's not just Sony who seem to manage to just miss the mark. Other camera companies do it too, how many times can we point at something and think "If they'd only got that one thing right..."

APS-C is a bit stuck in the middle for me. I like MFT for its speed and silent shooting (I suppose these days you can have those two things in an A7x body) and for its compact size and FF for the IQ and so that I can use FF lenses at their intended FoV so APS-C isn't really for me but if starting from scratch I suppose there's more of a case for it.
 
snerkler said:
I'm the first to moan and feel frustrated at camera releases that seem sub par, but. guess they know the market and business strategy better than anyone else. Sales figures will ultimately show whether they've made the right choices but they seem to be doing OK so far this year as I believe they're above Canon in the Japanese sales.
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We also have to remember that we're nit picking geeks and the rest of the camera buying public might not be so nit picking or geeky.
 
The rumor site is predicting a 33mp A7cII and a new 61mp A7cR.

Hope they fit a front control dial, a bigger and better EVF and replace the shutter to allow turning off the EFCS, 1/8,000 would be nice too.
 
woof woof said:
The rumor site is predicting a 33mp A7cII and a new 61mp A7cR.

Hope they fit a front control dial, a bigger and better EVF and replace the shutter to allow turning off the EFCS, 1/8,000 would be nice too.
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Still no news on the A9iii then. I’m wondering if the release of the Z8 has put a spanner in the works for the A9iii or whether the Sony Rumour timeline’s just been well off.
 
snerkler said:
Still no news on the A9iii then. I’m wondering if the release of the Z8 has put a spanner in the works for the A9iii or whether the Sony Rumour timeline’s just been well off.
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I think SAR guy always said A9III was end of this year or early next year.
I am still not convinced there will be a A9III.

Looking at the price of A1 vs Z9 there isn't actually as huge a difference as there was at respective release prices. I just think Sony bodies are priced with a higher profit margin than Nikons or rather Nikon are aggressively pricing their bodies to compete and sell more.

What will the A9III be? another £4.5K 24-33mp body? you will be able to can get an A1 for this price by the time A9III comes out.
Anything less than A1 at £4.5K will basically mean you are better off buying the A1 on offer or used or grey.
I have already seen used A1s selling for lower end of £4K and grey is £4,250
 
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snerkler said:
Still no news on the A9iii then. I’m wondering if the release of the Z8 has put a spanner in the works for the A9iii or whether the Sony Rumour timeline’s just been well off.
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Think they always said late this year or early next year for the A9III. They have mentioned that sort of time frame a few times.

Their info isn't as good since that other Chinese site closed down were they used to steal a lot of the info for new products from.

The rumours now only tend to hit a few days before official announcements.

If there is no A9III by early next year I am probably gonna jump ship to something else.

The sony rumour site is quite poor now its just full of nonsense trying to get people to sign up to his youtube channel.
 
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f/2.8 said:
The sony rumour site is quite poor now its just full of nonsense trying to get people to sign up to his youtube channel.
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Yeah on top he's started adding teasers for his rumours which is more annoying than when manufacturers do it for their announcement/releases.
 
nandbytes said:
I think SAR guy always said A9III was end of this year or early next year.
I am still not convinced there will be a A9III.

Looking at the price of A1 vs Z9 there isn't actually as huge a difference as there was at respective release prices. I just think Sony bodies are priced with a higher profit margin than Nikons or rather Nikon are aggressively pricing their bodies to compete and sell more.

What will the A9III be? another £4.5K 24-33mp body? you will be able to can get an A1 for this price by the time A9III comes out.
Anything less than A1 at £4.5K will basically mean you are better off buying the A1 on offer or used or grey.
I have already seen used A1s selling for lower end of £4K and grey is £4,250
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f/2.8 said:
Think they always said late this year or early next year for the A9III. They have mentioned that sort of time frame a few times.

Their info isn't as good since that other Chinese site closed down were they used to steal a lot of the info for new products from.

The rumours now only tend to hit a few days before official announcements.

If there is no A9III by early next year I am probably gonna jump ship to something else.

The sony rumour site is quite poor now its just full of nonsense trying to get people to sign up to his youtube channel.
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Initially it was said to be early 2023, then it was 3rd quarter, then it was end 2023/early 2024. Every time a new camera is said to be announced and then it doesn't turn out to be the A9iii I'm less convinced the A9iii will eventually come out. I appreciate the new lead time is said to be early 2024 but as I've just said initially it was reported to be early 2023, so as I posted either SAR got it completely wrong initially or Sony have been waiting to see what the competition brings out, or it's never been on the cards.

I agree if they launch it at £4500 it's going to be tough to choose that over a used/grey A1.
 
snerkler said:
I'm the first to moan and feel frustrated at camera releases that seem sub par, but I guess they know the market and business strategy better than anyone else. Sales figures will ultimately show whether they've made the right choices but they seem to be doing OK so far this year as I believe they're above Canon in the Japanese sales.
Click to expand...
Interested to see that breakdown across camera types. Sony cover a wider market across point and shoot, vlogging, APSc and full frame - in theory they should be up there as no.1 seller of cameras. Have to remind myself they are a mass producer of consumer electronics unlike other manufacturers who just make cameras. It’s a mass sales game for Sony. They have been far ahead of the game on mirrorless when other camera manufacturers tried to rely on keeping brand customers. But those have now caught up.

There is very little to improve upon now. I guess we are seeing less step changes in new releases. But then it’s disappointing when those new releases aren’t maxed out with what they have in other devices.

Makes the wait on the A9iii, A7c ii a little more sceptical. A9iii possibly push up to 33mp. It’s a camera always been about getting images to press and its connectivity. Maybe include the Ai AF chip to assist autofocus. Unless they change the shutter to full electronic with super fast readout. But who needs faster than 30fps?

A7c ii will be the A7iv with an addition of a front wheel. Possibly not have the Ai AF chip if they want to keep the price lower than the A7iv.

A7cR - that will be the interesting one. But at what price point? A7RV is £4K. Now £2680 import - guessing A7cR will be a lesser version of this but released around the £3-£3.5k. Will have to wait 12 months for it to drop a grand import.

With the disappointment of the A6700 the A7RV is looking a great option at the moment.
 
snerkler said:
Initially it was said to be early 2023, then it was 3rd quarter, then it was end 2023/early 2024. Every time a new camera is said to be announced and then it doesn't turn out to be the A9iii I'm less convinced the A9iii will eventually come out. I appreciate the new lead time is said to be early 2024 but as I've just said initially it was reported to be early 2023, so as I posted either SAR got it completely wrong initially or Sony have been waiting to see what the competition brings out, or it's never been on the cards.

I agree if they launch it at £4500 it's going to be tough to choose that over a used/grey A1.
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I'm not convinced there's going to be an A9III either as I can't really see where it would fit into the current Sony range now that the A1 exists, they'd need to price it a good bit lower than the A1 but make sure they remove enough features it's not undercutting the A1.
 
snerkler said:
Initially it was said to be early 2023, then it was 3rd quarter, then it was end 2023/early 2024. Every time a new camera is said to be announced and then it doesn't turn out to be the A9iii I'm less convinced the A9iii will eventually come out. I appreciate the new lead time is said to be early 2024 but as I've just said initially it was reported to be early 2023, so as I posted either SAR got it completely wrong initially or Sony have been waiting to see what the competition brings out, or it's never been on the cards.

I agree if they launch it at £4500 it's going to be tough to choose that over a used/grey A1.
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I would be pretty surprised if they kill the A9 series. Sony are very aware that a lot of pro’s won’t consider the A1. I chatted to a rep a while back about it and they had a lot of feedback that the A1 wasn’t the best choice for a lot of pro’s and they know they still need to appeal to that market.

I would much rather have a 33mp A9III over an A1 even at a similar price range. A9III will likely have a lot of the new AI stuff that they are holding back for now so it would expect it to be a vey different camera.
 
simonbe said:
Interested to see that breakdown across camera types. Sony cover a wider market across point and shoot, vlogging, APSc and full frame - in theory they should be up there as no.1 seller of cameras. Have to remind myself they are a mass producer of consumer electronics unlike other manufacturers who just make cameras. It’s a mass sales game for Sony. They have been far ahead of the game on mirrorless when other camera manufacturers tried to rely on keeping brand customers. But those have now caught up.

There is very little to improve upon now. I guess we are seeing less step changes in new releases. But then it’s disappointing when those new releases aren’t maxed out with what they have in other devices.

Makes the wait on the A9iii, A7c ii a little more sceptical. A9iii possibly push up to 33mp. It’s a camera always been about getting images to press and its connectivity. Maybe include the Ai AF chip to assist autofocus. Unless they change the shutter to full electronic with super fast readout. But who needs faster than 30fps?

A7c ii will be the A7iv with an addition of a front wheel. Possibly not have the Ai AF chip if they want to keep the price lower than the A7iv.

A7cR - that will be the interesting one. But at what price point? A7RV is £4K. Now £2680 import - guessing A7cR will be a lesser version of this but released around the £3-£3.5k. Will have to wait 12 months for it to drop a grand import.

With the disappointment of the A6700 the A7RV is looking a great option at the moment.
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I think if/when the A9iii comes out there'll be nothing groundbreaking, as you say where can they go? It'll likely be a 24-33mp sensor with the latest AI AF, better EVF and LCD and maybe 30fps in raw, so basically a lower res A1.
 
f/2.8 said:
I would be pretty surprised if they kill the A9 series. Sony are very aware that a lot of pro’s won’t consider the A1. I chatted to a rep a while back about it and they had a lot of feedback that the A1 wasn’t the best choice for a lot of pro’s and they know they still need to appeal to that market.

I would much rather have a 33mp A9III over an A1 even at a similar price range. A9III will likely have a lot of the new AI stuff that they are holding back for now so it would expect it to be a vey different camera.
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Maybe you're right. I was wondering where it would fit in the market, but then I thought they have the A7 series and A7R series and basically one is just a high res version of the other (of course as they're not released at the same time the later one has a few more up to date bits), so maybe that's what the A1 and A9 will be. Maybe it would have made more sense to call the A1 the A9R ;)
 
mstphoto said:
That would be amazing!!
It all depends on how you use the a7c.
I use my a7c as a walkabout camera for times I'm away for a few days or when off on the bike.
For all else I have a1
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Is the A7c really that much smaller then?
 
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