New to Sony mirrorless

[awdbugga]

Hi to all from here in the UK.
I’m in the process of switching from Nikon to Sony mirrorless. I’ve had the Nikon D7000 and three lenses for about 10 years now and to be honest, I haven’t really used it much at all for whatever reason. However now I’m recently retired, I’ve joined our local camera club; which has rekindled my interest. Also I have never really explored what is possible with Photoshop and Lightroom until very recently. The possibilities are mind blowing.

I’ve been really inspired by a couple of club members (husband and wife team) who both produce stunning composite pictures. The husband’s photos look like paintings by old “Dutch Masters”; which I love. I’ve also been very impressed by the work of a British photographer who creates stunning ICM images, that look like paintings by Turner.

However, I am undecided as to which camera to go for. The couple who create the composites use A7R III’s and the level of detail and quality of the images is stunning. But I’m torn between the A7RIII and the A7R ivA. I like the improvements to the A7R ivA; the improved autofocus, better EVF and improved rear screen. I’ve already bought the Sony 70-200mm 2.8 GM, because they are becoming hard to get here for some reason, so I snapped one up. I’m also looking to get the Sony 24-70mm 2.8 GM and the Sony 90mm 2.8 macro OSS (I’ve never owned a macro before). I think with these lenses I have all bases covered. I’m not really into wildlife photography, but if I did try it and needed a little extra focal length I could click the A7Riv into APS-C mode and the 200mm then becomes a 300mm at 26mp. All this is my retirement present to myself.

The only thing that puts me off the A7Riv is that it is not that good in low light apparently and that’s one of the reasons I’m looking to get rid of my Nikon; plus I love the extra detail and image quality using full frame cameras.

I’m hoping to get some advice on here of the pros and cons of each camera. I’m hoping that if I go with the A7Riv that the lenses I will have will be good enough. I’m pretty sure they will.

Thanks in advance.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Welcome!
We have a few A7RIV users on here, I hope they will chime in to help you. I'm surprised that this model is said to be poor in low light? But then again, I'm an APSC user, so anything would be better than my low light experience hah.

 

[Andrew]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Boojum]

Glad to have you in the forum. Welcome aboard. I think you will find a good group here. I am surprised you are having low light problems. I have an A7M III which sees better in the dark than I do. Maybe something in your settings?

 

[Tim Mayo]

Welcome and thanks for joining up here John! The a7R III is still a cracking camera and the autofocus isn't that far behind the a7R IV. Are you planning to shoot a lot of fast moving subjects? You will typically see a little more noise in images shot in low light with the R models, but I've never personally found it to be an issue and the increased resolution makes up for this. It's very easy to clean up noisy images with software like Topaz DeNoise as well. You might also find find the following video from DPReview helpful with your decision making:

 

[awdbugga]

Welcome and thanks for joining up here John! The a7R III is still a cracking camera and the autofocus isn't that far behind the a7R IV. Are you planning to shoot a lot of fast moving subjects? You will typically see a little more noise in images shot in low light with the R models, but I've never personally found it to be an issue and the increased resolution makes up for this. It's very easy to clean up noisy images with software like Topaz DeNoise as well. You might also find find the following video from DPReview helpful with your decision making:

Thanks for that Tim. I've decided I'm going to go with the A7r iv. I saw the A7rIII in operation last week in very low light and it was fine. So if the A7Riv is similar, even slightly worse, it will be fine for my needs. I'll also invest in Topaz De noise, as most people in my camera club swear by it.

I've got a full refund on the Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM I bought and instead have put a deposit down on the new 70-200mm GM MkII. I'm also going to hold fire buying the Sony 24-70mm GM until the new Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM MkII comes out; which apparently is imminent. Both MKII lenses are more expensive than the current models and there is no winter cash back on them from Sony, so I'm going to forego getting the Sony 90mm G macro to fund the buying of the later models of the two zooms. I've never owned a macro lens, so won't miss it.

I'm enjoying the forum. Keep up the good work.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Thanks for that Tim. I've decided I'm going to go with the A7r iv. I saw the A7rIII in operation last week in very low light and it was fine. So if the A7Riv is similar, even slightly worse, it will be fine for my needs. I'll also invest in Topaz De noise, as most people in my camera club swear by it.

I've got a full refund on the Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM I bought and instead have put a deposit down on the new 70-200mm GM MkII. I'm also going to hold fire buying the Sony 24-70mm GM until the new Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM MkII comes out; which apparently is imminent. Both MKII lenses are more expensive than the current models and there is no winter cash back on them from Sony, so I'm going to forego getting the Sony 90mm G macro to fund the buying of the later models of the two zooms. I've never owned a macro lens, so won't miss it.

I'm enjoying the forum. Keep up the good work.

I think it makes sense to go with the FE 70-200 F2.8 GM Mk II over the Mk I if you are purchasing this lens today, sure it costs a little more but they have definitely thrown a lot at it to help justify the increase, although it's still crazy money really! Same with the 24-70 as well, I'd also be holding out for the Mk II if I was looking to buy this lens today. Glad to hear that you are enjoying the forum!

 

[Reciprocum]

But don't feed your A7R4 only with zoom glass. Such a fine sensor truly deserves at least a high quality GM prime lens. Don't scratch that 90 macro out of your list just yet ;-)

 

[TerryL]

But don't feed your A7R4 only with zoom glass. Such a fine sensor truly deserves at least a high quality GM prime lens. Don't scratch that 90 macro out of your list just yet ;-)

Agree

 

[lev29]

Welcome to the forum, and I’m a newbie, too!
My two pence, for what little it’s worth:

A. First, a disclaimer: The only full-frame Sony Digital ILCE I have owned, at least till now, is the a7 mk ii.

B. Just from my experience reading and participating (to some extent,) on a photography forum for over 6 years, one that’s open to users of all sorts of camera brands and types, as well as an active role on a general forum open to the world, may I suggest that you elaborate on what kind(s) of photography you enjoy doing, whether you plan to predominantly employ a tripod or not, whether you plan to shoot in JPEG or RAW or do not know yet, etc.

C. In keeping with some of the other responses regarding 24 vs 42 Mpx, have you considered the Sony a7 mk iv? It debuts tomorrow, at least in the U.S.

 

[awdbugga]

Welcome to the forum, and I’m a newbie, too!
My two pence, for what little it’s worth:

A. First, a disclaimer: The only full-frame Sony Digital ILCE I have owned, at least till now, is the a7 mk ii.

B. Just from my experience reading and participating (to some extent,) on a photography forum for over 6 years, one that’s open to users of all sorts of camera brands and types, as well as an active role on a general forum open to the world, may I suggest that you elaborate on what kind(s) of photography you enjoy doing, whether you plan to predominantly employ a tripod or not, whether you plan to shoot in JPEG or RAW or do not know yet, etc.

C. In keeping with some of the other responses regarding 24 vs 42 Mpx, have you considered the Sony a7 mk iv? It debuts tomorrow, at least in the U.S.

 

[awdbugga]

Hi lev29,
In answer to your questions in B). I’m getting back into photography, having recently joined my local camera club. I’ve dabbled in it on and off since the early 1980’s, but now I’ve retired I’m determined to make it my main hobby. I love art and consider a camera and the imaging software as not simply a means of capturing what I see at a fleeting moment in time, but the tools to create paintings/pictures digitally. I would really like to get into creating composites and am very lucky to have two excellent exponents of this in our Camera Club. I’ve also recently been introduced to and really like the look of ICM photography. The more It looks like an impressionist painting, the better I like it. The attached image is my first attempt at ICM. I know I don’t need an A7riv or even a full frame camera to do ICM. I’m looking at the A7riv for producing composites ultimately.

I’ve gone through phases of mainly photographing landscapes and also tried HDR, but basically got bored.

I love the richness of image that you get with full frame and in particular like the images I’ve seen come out of the A7Riii. However, I sometimes struggle to see the fine detail in the rear screen and viewfinder, even with my glasses on. I’m hoping the better viewfinder and rear screen of the A7rivA will help in this respect. Also the A7riv could be used by my son in his small video production company, if he needs an additional camera on a shoot.

In answer to your other question, I always shoot raw and more often than not on a tripod; but obviously not on a tripod when attempting ICM. I know the file sizes produced by the A7riv are huge, but extra memory and storage is cheap enough; plus I’m pretty brutal in clearing out poor images.

 

[lev29]

The following is based solely on what I’ve read. If you want the highest pixel count with respect to an eVF in any Sony mirrorless camera, check out the a7S iii, which also has the latest in endogenously recorded metadata for Image Stabilization for making videos.

No offense intended, but are you certain for yourself that Full Frame is noticeably "richer," as you described, in comparison to APS-C photos? I know that this is true on paper, but have you personally done a comparison? How about a comparison between 24 Mpx and 42 Mpx sensors. Certainly there can be no appreciable difference in ICM Photography.

Just giving you food for thought. As for my photography, I do primarily multispectral, which includes UV, which usually entails the use of manual focus, NON-Image stabilized lenses. With my hand tremors, IS is imperative and that’s why I, along with using a wide angle tilt/shift lens, prefer Sony a7 cameras with IBIS built in. Of course, I’m keeping an eye out for the ONE APS-C camera that will be the successor to the a6600, which does have IBIS built in.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Welcome. I'll address one thing. The 7RIV is not poor in low light, not in the slightest, and it's dynamic range is so good it's easy to correct. The main thing is to get exposure spot on. It's a fabulous camera.

 

[awdbugga]

Welcome. I'll address one thing. The 7RIV is not poor in low light, not in the slightest, and it's dynamic range is so good it's easy to correct. The main thing is to get exposure spot on. It's a fabulous camera.

That’s good to hear. I’m pretty much decided on the A7riv.

I sat in on a zoom chat of our camera club this week; where a local professional photographer was judging submissions for an internal club competition. It’s the first time I’ve done this, having never been a member of a club before. I hadn’t entered any images, as I’d joined after the closing date. I lost count of how many images he said had been cropped beyond the limits of the cameras sensor and as a result were noisy with artefacts and banding clearly visible. It made me think that 61mp might come in very handy in such situations.

I had a quick look today at the reviews of the new A7iv, as a possible option. It has a touch screen, so immediately ruled it out. With my OCD, I’d spend all day cleaning the fingermarks off the rear screen. Nope, I’ll stick to the A7rivA.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

That’s good to hear. I’m pretty much decided on the A7riv.

I sat in on a zoom chat of our camera club this week; where a local professional photographer was judging submissions for an internal club competition. It’s the first time I’ve done this, having never been a member of a club before. I hadn’t entered any images, as I’d joined after the closing date. I lost count of how many images he said had been cropped beyond the limits of the cameras sensor and as a result were noisy with artefacts and banding clearly visible. It made me think that 61mp might come in very handy in such situations.

I had a quick look today at the reviews of the new A7iv, as a possible option. It has a touch screen, so immediately ruled it out. With my OCD, I’d spend all day cleaning the fingermarks off the rear screen. Nope, I’ll stick to the A7rivA.

Yes, a lot of cropping is possible, actually a frankly ridiculous amount at times. I have cropped a full frame, 340mb (raw) image, down to 288kb jpeg and have no artefacts. Some of that is down to careful processing I guess, but it's quite remarkable. I've added the example pic. This bird was at least 50 yards out to sea. Accurate focus required, which is why I only use single centre, but the RIV (or RIVa) gives you this ability.

• ILCE-7RM4
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/1250 sec
• ISO 800

 

[lev29]

Hi lev29,
In answer to your questions in B). I’m getting back into photography, having recently joined my local camera club. I’ve dabbled in it on and off since the early 1980’s, but now I’ve retired I’m determined to make it my main hobby. I love art and consider a camera and the imaging software as not simply a means of capturing what I see at a fleeting moment in time, but the tools to create paintings/pictures digitally. I would really like to get into creating composites and am very lucky to have two excellent exponents of this in our Camera Club. I’ve also recently been introduced to and really like the look of ICM photography. The more It looks like an impressionist painting, the better I like it. The attached image is my first attempt at ICM. I know I don’t need an A7riv or even a full frame camera to do ICM. I’m looking at the A7riv for producing composites ultimately.

I’ve gone through phases of mainly photographing landscapes and also tried HDR, but basically got bored.

I love the richness of image that you get with full frame and in particular like the images I’ve seen come out of the A7Riii. However, I sometimes struggle to see the fine detail in the rear screen and viewfinder, even with my glasses on. I’m hoping the better viewfinder and rear screen of the A7rivA will help in this respect. Also the A7riv could be used by my son in his small video production company, if he needs an additional camera on a shoot.

In answer to your other question, I always shoot raw and more often than not on a tripod; but obviously not on a tripod when attempting ICM. I know the file sizes produced by the A7riv are huge, but extra memory and storage is cheap enough; plus I’m pretty brutal in clearing out poor images.

Thanks for replying, awdbugga. To what are you referring when using the term "composites"?

For instance, do you mean to assemble multiple images into a collage, or superimpose one image atop another, or something else?

 

[awdbugga]

Hi lev29,
By composites, I mean something like the photos here, although I doubt I’ll ever reach their level. https://www.prentonjonesphotography.co.uk/

I like photographs that look more like paintings than photographs.

 

[lev29]

Hi lev29,
By composites, I mean something like the photos here, although I doubt I’ll ever reach their level. https://www.prentonjonesphotography.co.uk/

I like photographs that look more like paintings than photographs.

Hi lev29,
By composites, I mean something like the photos here, although I doubt I’ll ever reach their level. https://www.prentonjonesphotography.co.uk/

I like photographs that look more like paintings than photographs.

Now I understand, awdbugga, it’s basically superimposition of 2 or more images which may or may not overlap each other. Thank you!

Oh, geez! I subsequently realized I broke one of my own "rules," for which I apologize if my request consumed too much of your time. What "rule"? I’m referring to at least making one attempt to consult an ISE (Internet Search Engine) with, in this case, a keyword phrase such as 'composites photography'.

lev29

 

[TerryL]

Hi to all from here in the UK.
I’m in the process of switching from Nikon to Sony mirrorless. I’ve had the Nikon D7000 and three lenses for about 10 years now and to be honest, I haven’t really used it much at all for whatever reason. However now I’m recently retired, I’ve joined our local camera club; which has rekindled my interest. Also I have never really explored what is possible with Photoshop and Lightroom until very recently. The possibilities are mind blowing.

I’ve been really inspired by a couple of club members (husband and wife team) who both produce stunning composite pictures. The husband’s photos look like paintings by old “Dutch Masters”; which I love. I’ve also been very impressed by the work of a British photographer who creates stunning ICM images, that look like paintings by Turner.

However, I am undecided as to which camera to go for. The couple who create the composites use A7R III’s and the level of detail and quality of the images is stunning. But I’m torn between the A7RIII and the A7R ivA. I like the improvements to the A7R ivA; the improved autofocus, better EVF and improved rear screen. I’ve already bought the Sony 70-200mm 2.8 GM, because they are becoming hard to get here for some reason, so I snapped one up. I’m also looking to get the Sony 24-70mm 2.8 GM and the Sony 90mm 2.8 macro OSS (I’ve never owned a macro before). I think with these lenses I have all bases covered. I’m not really into wildlife photography, but if I did try it and needed a little extra focal length I could click the A7Riv into APS-C mode and the 200mm then becomes a 300mm at 26mp. All this is my retirement present to myself.

The only thing that puts me off the A7Riv is that it is not that good in low light apparently and that’s one of the reasons I’m looking to get rid of my Nikon; plus I love the extra detail and image quality using full frame cameras.

I’m hoping to get some advice on here of the pros and cons of each camera. I’m hoping that if I go with the A7Riv that the lenses I will have will be good enough. I’m pretty sure they will.

Thanks in advance.

I love having prints made with mine.

 

[Boojum]

I have an A7M III. It is way better than I am as was the A7M II which preceded it. I love the 24 - 240 Sony which covers about all I need to do except for very low light, very close or with extreme detail, i.e., rare occasions. I cannot do much about the local weather but the A7M III + 24 - 240 on "AUTO" is working just fine for me. As always, YMMV.

• ILCE-7M3
• FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS
• 49.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/125 sec
• ISO 100

• ILCE-7M3
• FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/250 sec
• ISO 100

• ILCE-7M3
• FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS
• 27.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/160 sec
• ISO 100

 

[erikbock]

I'm real new to Sony and mirrorless cameras. I was a long time Nikon guy in my film days. Measured in decades not just years. I had the F2, F3, F5 and when I tried to go digital I had the D2x but the 1.5x cropping just seriously messed me up so I gave up on photography as it was a serious hobby not a living.

As of this writing I have been the proud owner of a new a7IV. I am super excited and currently evaluating what additional lenses, flash etc. that I will be getting. I did some deep research and started off with the Sigma 24-70 2.8 Art lens. Planning getting the Sony 70-200 2.8 Mk II but really struggling over the 85mm lens I want and what flash to get.

 

[Reciprocum]

I'm real new to Sony and mirrorless cameras. I was a long time Nikon guy in my film days. Measured in decades not just years. I had the F2, F3, F5 and when I tried to go digital I had the D2x but the 1.5x cropping just seriously messed me up so I gave up on photography as it was a serious hobby not a living.

As of this writing I have been the proud owner of a new a7IV. I am super excited and currently evaluating what additional lenses, flash etc. that I will be getting. I did some deep research and started off with the Sigma 24-70 2.8 Art lens. Planning getting the Sony 70-200 2.8 Mk II but really struggling over the 85mm lens I want and what flash to get.

Get the Godox860iii-S flash. Nothing beats it’s price/performance. Latter you can go multi-flash and use this one as wireless master trigger.

 

[erikbock]

Get the Godox860iii-S flash. Nothing beats it’s price/performance. Latter you can go multi-flash and use this one as wireless master trigger.

Thanks, that is the one I was looking at.

 

[Jeff A]

I'm real new to Sony and mirrorless cameras. I was a long time Nikon guy in my film days. Measured in decades not just years. I had the F2, F3, F5 and when I tried to go digital I had the D2x but the 1.5x cropping just seriously messed me up so I gave up on photography as it was a serious hobby not a living.

As of this writing I have been the proud owner of a new a7IV. I am super excited and currently evaluating what additional lenses, flash etc. that I will be getting. I did some deep research and started off with the Sigma 24-70 2.8 Art lens. Planning getting the Sony 70-200 2.8 Mk II but really struggling over the 85mm lens I want and what flash to get.

OK, I'll chime in. First of all, welcome to the Forum. This is a good place full of friendly and knowledgeable people.

May people regard the Sony FE 85mm lens as Sony's "Best Value Lens". I would not be the first to agree with that. This is an excellent lens, "Pin Sharp" and has a great Bokeh. At $498, it's like stealing.

An article about 85mm Primes by Mark Galer

An Album of Photos taken with the Sony FE 85mm

 

[erikbock]

OK, I'll chime in. First of all, welcome to the Forum. This is a good place full of friendly and knowledgeable people.

May people regard the Sony FE 85mm lens as Sony's "Best Value Lens". I would not be the first to agree with that. This is an excellent lens, "Pin Sharp" and has a great Bokeh. At $498, it's like stealing.

An article about 85mm Primes by Mark Galer

An Album of Photos taken with the Sony FE 85mm

I know what you're talking about. For the price it seems unbeatable. All the research I have done does show that the bokeh balls of the Tokina ATX-M is better there but there is no weather gasket or a focus lock button which I reprogram to give me APS-C which I see being an advantage.