What made you buy the model you own?

[César]

In my case, the a9II for:
-AF system
-Ergonomics

 

[Rachael Padman]

The A9 for the AF with birds, and it's proved to be good for BIF and unreliable for small perched birds.

I was just congratulating myself on some nice perched bird photos with the A9 (+ 200-600mm). Can you expand on "unreliable"? Thanks.

 

[seuadr]

i started with the a6000 back in 2014, because at the time people were singing it's praises, and it blew my mind compared to the lumix point and shoot i had prior to that, but then i wanted to adapt canon and sigma lenses when the MC-11 came out and the adapted performance was... not so great, so i upgraded to the A6300. I have an a6500 now, because i dropped the A6300 and broke it and figured that i'd be better off with the bigger buffer and IBIS because i was using adapted lenses. I'm sort of considering an a6600 for improved battery life, but right now i'm satisfied with where i am at.

 

[Ziggy]

I was just congratulating myself on some nice perched bird photos with the A9 (+ 200-600mm). Can you expand on "unreliable"? Thanks.

The A7R III is just as bad.
Details here:

A9 focus fails

The first time I took the camera out I noticed that locks were often hard to come by with small birds. Nothing would get focus. Some settings experiments and a firmware update later and I'm not seeing any improvement. The bird can be in mid ground with little around to confuse the AF or it...

www.talkemount.com

 

[Rachael Padman]

The A7R III is just as bad.
Details here:

A9 focus fails

The first time I took the camera out I noticed that locks were often hard to come by with small birds. Nothing would get focus. Some settings experiments and a firmware update later and I'm not seeing any improvement. The bird can be in mid ground with little around to confuse the AF or it...

www.talkemount.com

I've never had any problems with the A9, which is just about the perfect camera as far as I can see, EXCEPT that it doesn't have as many pixels as the A7Riv, which is really the only reason I have the latter. But I have had occasional focus failures with the A7Riv, and do not get the same proportion of keepers for moving subjects, including BIF.
Interestingly I'm engaged in a discussion on DPR right now about the Rx10iv focussing on small (because distant) objects, and I now wonder whether that is also the effect of focus area, rather than intrinsic lens sharpness at the extremes of its design range. Possibly something in the Sony algorithms. I will keep an eye open to see if a pattern emerges.

 

[Steveatesh]

This was an easy choice. I was a Nikon shooter and was intending to upgrade to full frame, probably the D850. It was the same time Sony released the A7iii and once I saw reviews I devoured every video and review and quickly decided to switch to Sony.

i was very impressed by the eye focus, focus across the full frame, frame rate and dynamic range so went for it. Added the 24-70 f2.8GM, the 70-200f2.8GM and the 85 F1.4 GM and haven’t looked back!

 

[Ziggy]

You'll have read the range of things I've tried.
Let us know what you were doing differently.

 

[galatas]

The lightweight of Sonny mirrorless cameras made me switch to Sonny 5 years ago. Started wit the A7, I sold it and bought the A9. I love it. Recently I bought the A7R4 as a second camera. I like it but still in love with the A9.

 

[Ade]

Probably reviews on youtube.

It was the a7III or the a7R.

I went for the a7IIl after the reviews on its focusing capabilities over all else. The extra res would be of no use as photography for me is just a hobby.
So glad I did - this body has opened up another world to me. I tried it in low light last night at my sons outdoor football (soccer) training with a 70-200 f4 and it blew me away. I was shooting through a fence just on auto everything in low light and I couldn't get an out of focus shot. It might even make my family think I know what I'm doing with it.

 

[liggy]

I wanted the blazing fast AF and sure tracking of the A9II. The availability of the 200-600 sealed the deal. It’s been great so far although I’d prefer more dedicated dials and aperture rings on the lenses.

 

[Killzen]

Got the A6400 because of the advanced AF, the image quality, the APS-C format makes for great travel camera, and I couldn't afford a full frame anyways

same here...A6400 and size was also a factor....plus the fact with an adpater I can use all the Nikon glass I have

 

[cucar]

I backpack a lot in High Sierras and love to carry the minimum weight as an ultralight backpacker. I was looking for a mirrorless camera to use mainly for landscape photography.

I have switched to Sony A7R IV from Nikon d750 for the mind blowing 61MP resolution and the weight savings in Sony’s telephoto lenses. (I own the 100-400 GM).

I now have my eyes on A9, as Sony is currently offering a $1000 discount, as I am now also chasing birds and trying to learn the ins and outs of the wildlife photography.

 

[spudhead]

I bought the a99ii as well and its great with my a-mount lenses , but I also have the a7iii after the a7 mk1 which was a bit of a let down at least for me , I had the a77ii for a year or so, and best travel camera rx1r awesome images

 

[Jeff A]

As a Newbie I had absolutely decided on the A7M2. Then, overnight Sony raised the price of the A72 by 55%. I was stunned! I then discovered that the Canon EOS RP had not raised their price. I was on it. Then I started reading and I still favored the Sony A72. Then I started reading reviews for the A73. It was so much more camera than the A72 IMHO, of course it was more money than I had committed to. Then, one morning a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from B&H saying there was a $300 price drop on the A73. I bought it within the hour.

 

[Deleted Member 0001]

I have the A7RIV for static shots, I aim to buy the A9ii in the New Year for my bird shooting.

 

[SteelmanPa]

I was in the market for something new for awhile. I just couldn’t make up my mind what I wanted. Most of my friends are Nikon and Cannon dslr shooters and I was leaning to mirrorless and I couldn’t make up my mind. I happened to run into someone at my local camera store that had a Sony A7rIV. Showed me all the things it had and can do. Then let me take some photos. I viewed them in the camera and was pretty pleased. He then emailed me the RAW File (actually sent me a Dropbox link). and I was able to edit them. I was hooked. I’m now a happy Sony shooter.

Ken

 

[NatureBoyOhio]

My choice of camera has a long history. I started getting serious about my photography back in the early 80's while I was stationed in Alaska with the US Army. I found Minolta was the camera to buy at our PX and from that point forward I was hooked. My first camera was the Minolta A-700. I carried that camera for 8 years until I dropped it and damaged the mount. From there I moved on to the Minolta A-7000 and then made the switch to Sony when Minolta discontinued their line. My first Sony was the A-350 and to this day is one of my favorites. I loved that all of my Minolta glass was able to be used on that body and eventually handed that camera down to my daughter. I went to the A-58 for a short while but was not really happy with it. I found a great deal on Ebay for an A77 and then bought my current A7II off of Ebay as well. I love the full frame A7II and. The A77 has been retired and I shoot solely with my A7II now. Eventually I will move up as deals come up on Ebay.

 

[Terry]

Me too, I opted for the Sony A6500, APS-C was all I needed, saved enough money to buy an $890.00 lens. I couldn't afford a full frame anyway.

Me too, I traded in my Canon gear for the A6400/18-135mm bundle. Love the light weight and vibrant colors. However, I am struggling with the AF. Anyway to move the focus box? It always seems to be lower far left or right. Thx!

 

[Sarah]

I have the a7rIII and an a7rIV , I got the III , had 2 of them as it was a huge improvement over the II ,particularly battery life , but faster processor too. The IV , i enjoy the extra mp as I crop often in my architecture shots , plus it had a couple of upgraded features that had bugged me in the III, I will probably replace my III soon.

 

[UncleVanya]

I've upgraded to the AR7iv from my R100v and Pentax K3-ii (although they both are great cameras and they can be very handy) but I'm looking to produce large exhibition prints, and the ability to crop from the max full frame was certainly attractive. I was also looking for better AF capabilities and colour rendition. So far I've been shooting on full manual and love the results.

Do you use any of your Pentax lenses on the Sony? There's a new af adapter that works with screw drive Pentax lenses but it's still in Beta. I'm interested in trying it with my A7rII.

 

[celin]

As the title says, with a good range of varying Sony models available what made you pick the model you own.
Personally I have the A99ii the last A mount by the looks of it.
At the time of buying it there was nothing else on the market like it and having lots of A mount glass it was a no brained.
One day I'll change to E mount but I'm still happy with my choice so changing to E mount won't be happening any time soon

As the title says, with a good range of varying Sony models available what made you pick the model you own.
Personally I have the A99ii the last A mount by the looks of it.
At the time of buying it there was nothing else on the market like it and having lots of A mount glass it was a no brained.
One day I'll change to E mount but I'm still happy with my choice so changing to E mount won't be happening any time soon for me.

I have 3. The A6000, A7iii and A7Riii. The A6000 is super portable and takes excellent images. The A7iii is my day to day camera and love the dynamic range. The A7Riii is 41 mp which is great for cropping when shooting birds or anything in the distance

 

[Janice]

As the title says, with a good range of varying Sony models available what made you pick the model you own.
Personally I have the A99ii the last A mount by the looks of it.
At the time of buying it there was nothing else on the market like it and having lots of A mount glass it was a no brained.
One day I'll change to E mount but I'm still happy with my choice so changing to E mount won't be happening any time soon for me.

I had a Nex-6 and it was time to update. Thought I wanted the a7iii. Got to the camera store. Explained what type of photography I enjoyed and how travel was key. Sony rep. recommended the a6600. I picked up both camera bodies and it was a no brainer for me. The a6600 even though it is a ASP-C, was significantly lighter in weight. I don't shoot professionally and have no intentions of printing large photographs so a crop sensor fits my needs. Now when I attach larger lenses, I'm not increasing the weight I hold in my hand as much as if I'd gone with the a7iii. I'm very happy with my decision. It works for me. I might not work for others.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

It was 2019, I knew I had some travel coming up, I wanted a camera. A coworker sold me their a6000, and I was hooked. But I wanted the vlogger-style screen, improved autofocus, and 4k, so I upgraded to the a6400 4 months later. I have been very happy since, and my collection of glass is slowly getting more fine-tuned for my purposes.

 

[Bryan Carroll]

Same here. GAS. Got the A9, then 90mm macro, 24-104 F4, then sigma 35 1.4, then 100-400GM, then 1.4 teleconverter along with tripods, lights and light stand. It’s fun!

What does GAS stand for?

 

[Bryan Carroll]

Started with an a6000 because my buddy who shoots for mountain bike companies said Sony is the best. After a few years of use, I wore out the shutter dial and Sony said it would cost at least $300 to fix. Ordered an a6300, the next day the a6500 was released so I cancelled the a6300, and got the a6500, have been using it ever since.

I typically shoot in the Cascades, and focus mostly on landscape and wildlife (some portraits every now and then). I've also been getting more into video as well. I've been waiting to upgrade to the a74, hoping it has a little bit more mp, 4k60, flip screen, and better ibis, but I feel like I've been waiting forever. If the a74 isn't released before summer, I may go for an a7r4, but still wouldn't have the flip screen or the 4k60, which would be a bummer. Since I do a lot of backpacking, ideally I don't want to carry a bunch of camera bodies and can get a good FF that takes great pictures, and has pretty good video options as well.

 

[Jeff A]

What does GAS stand for?

Gear Acquisition Syndrome

 

[Ralph]

I have got the Sony RX10 M4 and as good as it is I have found for me this is, limiting.
I knew I wanted to get back to lens swapping for what I am doing at the time.

Got the Sony A7ii but not with a longer reaching lens and when I got that my world really did change.
I have found that I am able to go back to manual on nearly everything.
Locking on to a target (bird) I can again point the camera and I am on it.
Unlike the RX10M4. I had to zoom out then back in and many times missed the shot.

So I am with the Sony A7ii with the 100/400 sigma lens and really happy.
But please let me say this about the other camera which is for sale.
In the last month or so the shots (not all) but many were as good as you will see anywhere.
I just didn't have the control I wanted and needed.

Sony is my camera of choice and I will back them in with my limited knowledge.
Camera's I have owned. Sony A390, Sony A77, SonyA77ii, Canon SX 70 HS, Nikon P900, Sony RX10M4 and lastly the one Sony A7ii.

 

[Rachael Padman]

Unfortunately not the extra mode dials in the left upper part of the camera body.

That's a trade-off. When you put the shoot and focus modes on dials you make it easier to change them, but you then can't put them in a memory to recall. I like the dials on the A9, where for most action uses you want them quickly; on the A7Riv it's nice to be able to switch everything just be recalling a memory.

 

[Rachael Padman]

What does GAS stand for?

Gear Acquisition Syndrome!

 

[AlphaWorld]

This thread began last year, and back then I had the A7R4 because I’m a pixel glutton, but I’d bought the A9II to try to get better bird shots. I liked the top left dials but did not like the 24Mp. The A9II wasn’t really what I wanted.

Then, back in January this year, Sony read my mind and built almost exactly what I wanted, with lots of pixels, insane speed, even the top left dials! I think I managed to get to the end of the press release before pre-ordering.