Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless

[kathleen]

I have been using a Sony Rx10iv camera for that last few years while trying to learn more about photography. I love this camera and use it mainly to capture wildlife - mainly birds. But- I saw a big sale on this Alpha a9 and thought I would trying moving up from the bridge camera. So now I have a lot more to learn. So that is why I joined this group.

 

[Jeff A]

So, you bought it? Looks like it but not sure.

 

[kathleen]

Yes- It is on its way from B&H

 

[nokk]

congrats on the purchase. what lens(es) did you get?

 

[kathleen]

Tamron 70- 180 F/2.8 Di III VDX Lens for Sony E . A friend suggested this one. I hope this one is lighter and good for birds. This is the only lens I soon will own so will research for the next one.

 

[Ziggy]

Sorry to say it but IME around 600mm is the price of admission to bird photography for full frame cameras and around 800mm is best for birds in flight.

 

[nokk]

Tamron 70- 180 F/2.8 Di III VDX Lens for Sony E . A friend suggested this one. I hope this one is lighter and good for birds. This is the only lens I soon will own so will research for the next one.

180mm may be a little on the short side for birds, but the birds seem to be a little less skittish in florida so it may be fine. just don't expect the 600mm range of your old camera. i've got the 200-600mm lens, bit pricey but it produces some nice photos if it's in your budget.

 

[kathleen]

180mm may be a little on the short side for birds, but the birds seem to be a little less skittish in florida so it may be fine. just don't expect the 600mm range of your old camera. i've got the 200-600mm lens, bit pricey but it produces some nice photos if it's in your budget.

I was worried about weight on my shoulders. I rather pay a higher price if it produces nice photos. Sony or Tamron?

 

[Jeff A]

Yes- It is on its way from B&H

Congratulations. Have an exciting weekend!

 

[nokk]

I was worried about weight on my shoulders. I rather pay a higher price if it produces nice photos. Sony or Tamron?

sony 200-600mm. it's heavy enough to claim it as exercise, but not so heavy as to be uncomfortable. sigma and tamron both make 150-600mm lenses, i wasn't happy with the one i tried out on a canon camera.

 

[kathleen]

Ok I just cancelled this order. I am going to try to go visit a camera store in Fl to try this out in person. My Sony Rx10iv gets pretty good bird shots but I wanted something that does it even better without hurting my shoulder. ( I am 70 and sort of petite)

 

[nokk]

playing around with lenses in the store is probably a good idea. the a9 is a great camera. but zoom your sony rx10iv out to the 200mm mark and see if that's enough reach for your needs. the images from your a9 will be bigger and you can crop in more, but it won't get you near what 600mm will.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Ok I just cancelled this order. I am going to try to go visit a camera store in Fl to try this out in person. My Sony Rx10iv gets pretty good bird shots but I wanted something that does it even better without hurting my shoulder. ( I am 70 and sort of petite)

Trying in-store is definitely your best option when possible. If you have a shoulder problem then you might find the Sony FE 200-600 a little on the heavy side. There's the Sony FE 100-400 which is lighter and if you need some more reach you can add the 1.4x teleconverter, but then this does start to get expensive. The Sigma 100-400 DG DN for E-mount is a very nice lens and a lot cheaper, but the autofocus isn't as fast as the native Sony lenses and you will miss more shots because of this, it also doesn't support teleconverters so 400mm will be your maximum reach.