So lots of us have bought nice new or used lenses and cameras and so on, but has the investment been worth it?

[spudhead]

Ok so we have the what have you bought or sold section, and lots of us have bought new or used bodies and lenses etc and sold items as well. So the question is have the new buys been worth the investment in terms of improved image quality and ease of use, and secondly do you regret selling any items?

 

[THXGEEK]

So the question is have the new buys been worth the investment in terms of improved image quality and ease of use, and secondly do you regret selling any items?

1) Yes, absolutely! Subject recognition, improved auto-focus and pre-capture have been game changers for me.

2) Yes. I find that I am missing my A7CR, which I sold after acquiring the A1II. It provided everything I needed in a very compact, high-performance, interchangeable lens mirrorless camera. It was such fun to use.

 

[Doug Herr]

1) Yes Yes Yes! a1, 600 GM, 300 GM + 2x TC: each a game-changer in numerous ways. And my wallet weighs less too!

2) I haven't sold much but no regrets. Each piece sold (a7RIII, 100-400 GM) was replaced by one of the game-changers purchased.

 

[iamdlewis]

So the question is have the new buys been worth the investment in terms of improved image quality and ease of use, and secondly do you regret selling any items?

So the last couple purchases have been the 50mm macro and the A1ii and I sold my A7Riv. The 50mm macro (used) has been a meh so far, I don't regret getting it (it was cheap) but I really haven't found my use for it yet. The A1ii has been wonderful, even it was just moving from the A1. The AF is a little better but not so much that it has made much of a difference the two big reasons that I do enjoy using it so much are the flippy screen which has made the macro stuff so much more enjoyable and the frame rate option of "*" which has cut my image taken down significantly (as I knew it would).
The A7Riv I have a slight regret in selling, though it really didn't make any sense in keeping it over the A1. The A1 makes far more sense as a backup camera for the majority of what I do and other than having more MP the Riv doesn't have anything over the A1. If it was an A7Rv I would have sold the A1 even though the A1 still probably would make more sense as a backup but that flippy screen would have been a strong reason to keep it since it makes the non-bird stuff some much more enjoyable.

 

[Chris 3754]

Purchased the a1ii to upgrade from an a7iv, definitely a game changer in terms of tracking and fps. The biggest leap in a camera upgrade that I have experienced. Perhaps should have not traded in the a7iv and kept it as a second body, but at $7k USD for the a1ii, thought one camera vs. a divorce was a better option.

Regrets, purchased the Sony 90mm Macro two months before the new 100mm was released. The 90 is great but would have liked the teleconverter option the 100 affords. Probably will upgrade sometime in 2026, birthday present, hint hint.

 

[spudhead]

Ok so we have the what have you bought or sold section, and lots of us have bought new or used bodies and lenses etc and sold items as well. So the question is have the new buys been worth the investment in terms of improved image quality and ease of use, and secondly do you regret selling any items?

So for me the 300 2.8 was a plus , but I knew it would be as I have had the 300 2.8 a-mount for years and while it works great on the lae-5 it does not allow teleconverters on e-mount. The new e-mount version is lighter but no sharper in my honest opinion and the new version lacks the pre focus set point button , I understand you gain feature with the a9iii. I guess the new 300 2.8 is cheaper than the original a-mount 300 was when it was launched so no complaints from me

 

[AlphaWorld]

Ok so we have the what have you bought or sold section, and lots of us have bought new or used bodies and lenses etc and sold items as well. So the question is have the new buys been worth the investment in terms of improved image quality and ease of use, and secondly do you regret selling any items?

I have bought a lot of new things, and sold some, gave away others.

I have almost no regrets about any of my Sony purchases in recent years. I have a few about older purchases:

• I should never have bought the 100 STF GM - I bought it because there were few GM primes, and I like the 100mm focal length (I really wanted 135mm, but that wasn't out yet). The STF feature was a gimmick to me, and I never really used it as intended.
• I bought a few too many early CFeA cards - I really only needed two, maybe three.
• I probably shouldn't have bought the Sony flash, but I wanted one that worked with the A9III is extreme flash mode (eg: 1/80000)

Non-Sony products, I have more regrets:

• I have bought far too many bags over the years! Far too often they have been missing a few pockets, or don't quite hold what I want them to, or the bag itself was a bit to heavy, or not padded enough, or...
• I have bought too many tripods, too. I rarely use a tripod, but I buy one because I think I should, but... Every so often I find one tucked away in a cupboard or box.

In recent years:

• the A7RV introduced me to Sony's new AF system, and the new rear screen, and the extreme IBIS. Let me become familiar with those on a slower camera - zero regrets buying it
• the A9III introduced me to Sony's new body design, gave me "no dark bars under cheap LED light, and oh, I think it runs a bit faster - zero regrets buying it
• the A1 II gave me an A1 with the same body as the A9III and refined things - now I have an A1 with brilliant AF - zero regrets buying it.
• the 50-150mm f/2 - on the A1 II, shooting at f/2, I get images that seem clearer than anything ever before - my subject's eyes are (almost) always clear, and the fall off into the background gives beautiful separation. Even less that zero regrets buying it (I want to travel into the past to have it earlier!
• those are just the top 4...

 

[Chris 3754]

OMG I am so with you on the bags and tripods, lol!!! My wife makes me trim the bag herd every once in a while and I am stuck with tripods I never use. I do however use my monopod all the time. As for cameras, have never been disappointed as I journeyed from a7iii to a7iv to a1ii.