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06/20/2021 10:10:44 AM · #26 |
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06/20/2021 10:38:09 AM · #27 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by vawendy:
Then the Thule car topper is the only thing left to sell. |
We have one of those we never use anymore, but we're saving it for the end-times when we all become nomads wandering the wastelands :-) |
It will be inconvenient to haul around after the world runs out of gas. Does it then become just a sleep pod? |
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06/20/2021 12:23:00 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by vawendy:
Then the Thule car topper is the only thing left to sell. |
We have one of those we never use anymore, but we're saving it for the end-times when we all become nomads wandering the wastelands :-) |
It will be inconvenient to haul around after the world runs out of gas. Does it then become just a sleep pod? |
Duh! I was thinking of our Thule Roof Racks. You have one of those Pod Thingies :-) |
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06/20/2021 07:27:26 PM · #29 |
Congratulations Wendy! It sounds like it's worth selling the house. I was just reading about it.
I was too chicken to change systems so I got the Nikon Z7ii. Tracking is awful but compared to my dslr
it is heaven. I was driving home from an early morning shoot this morning thinking what an incredible camera
it is and how much I love the image quality and ease of use..then I read your post. waaaaaaa! |
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06/20/2021 10:00:56 PM · #30 |
I'm saving and selling right now to get one as well. I think you did well selling the 100-400, since the 200-600 is supposed to work really well on the A1, not so sure about the 70-200 since that is my favorite lens :] Congrats!!
Originally posted by vawendy:
I rented one through lensrental -- and then started selling everything I own.
I probably made a really stupid mistake, because I kept my 200-600, but sold the 70-200 and the 100-400. So now I have a 24-105 and a 200-600.
AND
A Sony A1!!!
I finally have a camera that does what I wanted it to do. The tracking is completely insane. On beyond insane. I just got it two days ago. B&H just got a batch in.
I went out and took photos from the ferry -- and I cried! |
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06/21/2021 09:16:14 AM · #31 |
I see that so many people are thinking about this camera, so I'd like to change my post to:
Don't buy this camera! It's lousy! :P |
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06/21/2021 10:35:55 AM · #32 |
| I journeyed to the B&H to see how many gold pieces they would require for such a magnificent device, after witnessing the required funds, It's safe to say I will not be owning one until they are on sale well used lol. But I will enjoy the photos of those who do acquire one, immensely :) |
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06/21/2021 06:31:08 PM · #33 |
| How do I sell our house without my husband noticing? |
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06/22/2021 01:39:48 AM · #34 |
| I never thought of selling the house. I did think about selling the husband but that didn't go over. |
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07/30/2021 06:45:28 PM · #35 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I see that so many people are thinking about this camera, so I'd like to change my post to:
Don't buy this camera! It's lousy! :P |
Too late!
Your enthusiasm inspired me to carefully look at the alpha 1 specs, particularly since my D800 is getting long in the tooth. Wonderful specs. Next step was looking at reviews, then videos of actual users. Consistent tone of amazement and satisfaction -- âIt just makes me smile every time I use itâ being typical. Next step was justification (time to leave Nikon anyway, mirrorless is the way to go, Nikon Z9 unlikely to surpass this, really would like better capabilities for bird photography, shiny, new, I WANT it, â¦).
Then looked hard at what I could sell to bridge the gap between the cost of a system change and the budget for a planned camera replacement. Feasibility confirmed after being somewhat aggressive in the list of what to let go. My wife heard about the comments in this thread and actively encouraged me to go ahead and get the new equipment. Absolutely keeping her!
So now my Sony Alpha 1 has arrived, along with a some lenses, mem cards, etc. Will be a while until I have output for DPC from this, but it does make me smile each time I use the camera, even just to test the capabilities. Selling many other things has begun.
Might as well renew my membership, noting that DPC dues are a drop in the bucket compared to financial consequences that may follow reading DPC forum threads like this one.
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07/30/2021 07:06:48 PM · #36 |
Originally posted by bob350:
Might as well renew my membership, noting that DPC dues are a drop in the bucket compared to financial consequences that may follow reading DPC forum threads like this one. |
In this case maybe just think of it as a finder's fee ... :-)
Congratulations on the new gear and understanding spouse (not in that order)! |
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07/30/2021 08:32:06 PM · #37 |
Originally posted by bob350:
Originally posted by vawendy:
I see that so many people are thinking about this camera, so I'd like to change my post to:
Don't buy this camera! It's lousy! :P |
Too late!
Your enthusiasm inspired me to carefully look at the alpha 1 specs, particularly since my D800 is getting long in the tooth. Wonderful specs. Next step was looking at reviews, then videos of actual users. Consistent tone of amazement and satisfaction -- âIt just makes me smile every time I use itâ being typical. Next step was justification (time to leave Nikon anyway, mirrorless is the way to go, Nikon Z9 unlikely to surpass this, really would like better capabilities for bird photography, shiny, new, I WANT it, â¦).
Then looked hard at what I could sell to bridge the gap between the cost of a system change and the budget for a planned camera replacement. Feasibility confirmed after being somewhat aggressive in the list of what to let go. My wife heard about the comments in this thread and actively encouraged me to go ahead and get the new equipment. Absolutely keeping her!
So now my Sony Alpha 1 has arrived, along with a some lenses, mem cards, etc. Will be a while until I have output for DPC from this, but it does make me smile each time I use the camera, even just to test the capabilities. Selling many other things has begun.
Might as well renew my membership, noting that DPC dues are a drop in the bucket compared to financial consequences that may follow reading DPC forum threads like this one. |
Nooooooo!!!!!!!
Return it, quick!! There's still a chance! ;P
Do you have the 200-600mm lens? I sold my 100-400mm and kept the 200-600. I adore it.
Wait!! What am I doing?!?? No, don't get the lens, you'll hate it. ;)
I find myself just going out to take pictures. I don't even bother looking at them, because I have so many to still go through from other outings.
The only thing it can't seem to do is good macro insect tracking. I think it's because the insect is usually black, but on a colorful background (flower). So it wants to focus on the flower more than the insect. Not really a problem, since it will still catch the focus, it just doesn't let me track the tiny little flying thing. (Isn't that such a shame? I think I can deal with that.)
Congrats on the new baby!! And your spouse made it more easy. Mine didn't complain too much, and came with me when meeting unknown buyers for the old equipment. But I can't say he actively encouraged me. I'll have to give him a hard time about that! |
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07/30/2021 08:35:43 PM · #38 |
| By the way, what memory cards did you buy? I have some thoughts on that, if you're interested. |
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07/30/2021 10:58:11 PM · #39 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
By the way, what memory cards did you buy? I have some thoughts on that, if you're interested. |
Gritted my teeth and got the Sony CFexpress Type A 160GB cards. Hope to spread out their cost over a long, long time. Open to suggestions for backup alternatives.
Got the 200-600 GM, and 24-70 GM, with a 1.4 teleconverter on the way. Also waiting for back ordered 14mm 1.8 GM. Most unexpectedly great accessory so far has been a MrJan Gear long lens carrier video; product; discussion, in case you haven't spent enough already.
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07/31/2021 08:29:46 AM · #40 |
After 10 years of shooting Nikon and 6 years of shooting almost nothing but wildlife with a D500 and a couple primes I bought a Z6ii. A month later my brother, a Canon pro rep who has been trying to get me to switch for 6 years, put an R5 with 100-500mm in my hands and let me borrow it for a weekend. I've since sold one D500 and everything else with "Nikon" on it save a 300mm and 500mm PF (my brother is soooo happy). Like Wendy I am floored by the performance of the autofocus. My first shot was aiming at a bluebird between a bunch of branches and not only did it focus, it locked on the bird's eye. I was floored and its not stopped impressing me since.
Every comparison I've seen between the A1 and the R5 toss small bones this way or that way, with the Canon getting marks for their animal eye tracking performance with birds and Sony getting marks for AF tracking on quickly transitioning wild life (sitting to flying), among other things - effectively they wind up 1A and 1B depending on the photographer's needs. I'm not here to downplay the Sony as I've not shot with one, but I just thought I'd lend a second option to those who are willing to open up the wallet for gear of this caliber. The A1 is a flagship and has a flagship price. The R5 is by no means inexpensive, and you lose a touch of reach with a 100-500mm instead of a 200-600mm, but if you're in the market the R5 + 100-500mm combo (if you can find the lens) is almost the same price as the A1 body alone, and for folks like me who are getting older, it's about 2/3 the weight of the A1 + 200-600mm. It's a great time to be a photographer ... if we could just get over the supply chain problems.
And to the General's point, until the camera tells you where to aim it it's still all about the photographer. |
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07/31/2021 08:51:39 AM · #41 |
Originally posted by JakeKurdsjuk:
A...It's a great time to be a photographer ... if we could just get over the supply chain problems. |
Truer words were never spoken!
I think with this latest generation of mirrorless cameras, the final nail is in the coffin for the SLR. It's been a great run for the 35mm SLR, 85 years since the introduction of the first mass-market 35mm SLR (the Kine Exakta). |
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07/31/2021 12:08:13 PM · #42 |
Originally posted by bob350:
Originally posted by vawendy:
By the way, what memory cards did you buy? I have some thoughts on that, if you're interested. |
Gritted my teeth and got the Sony CFexpress Type A 160GB cards. Hope to spread out their cost over a long, long time. Open to suggestions for backup alternatives.
Got the 200-600 GM, and 24-70 GM, with a 1.4 teleconverter on the way. Also waiting for back ordered 14mm 1.8 GM. Most unexpectedly great accessory so far has been a MrJan Gear long lens carrier video; product; discussion, in case you haven't spent enough already. |
I've bought two of the cfexpress type A 160s and cursed the price the whole time. I'm hoping we get some third party action soon. Because at 50mp, they fill up really fast. But the buffering speed is absolutely incredible. Other than those, I only had one 64mb 300/s speed cards. and on my old cameras, I didn't see a significant difference between those and my cheap SDs.
However -- On the A1, there's a definite difference and they seem to be almost as good as the cf express type As. So I'm going to live with my two 160mb type a cards, and will probably buy a couple of 128mb UHS-II 300/s cards. They're half the price, at the moment.
Be careful with the type As. If I leave them in the card reader and forget to eject after downloading they get VERY hot. |
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07/31/2021 12:14:45 PM · #43 |
Originally posted by JakeKurdsjuk:
After 10 years of shooting Nikon and 6 years of shooting almost nothing but wildlife with a D500 and a couple primes I bought a Z6ii. A month later my brother, a Canon pro rep who has been trying to get me to switch for 6 years, put an R5 with 100-500mm in my hands and let me borrow it for a weekend. I've since sold one D500 and everything else with "Nikon" on it save a 300mm and 500mm PF (my brother is soooo happy). Like Wendy I am floored by the performance of the autofocus. My first shot was aiming at a bluebird between a bunch of branches and not only did it focus, it locked on the bird's eye. I was floored and its not stopped impressing me since.
Every comparison I've seen between the A1 and the R5 toss small bones this way or that way, with the Canon getting marks for their animal eye tracking performance with birds and Sony getting marks for AF tracking on quickly transitioning wild life (sitting to flying), among other things - effectively they wind up 1A and 1B depending on the photographer's needs. I'm not here to downplay the Sony as I've not shot with one, but I just thought I'd lend a second option to those who are willing to open up the wallet for gear of this caliber. The A1 is a flagship and has a flagship price. The R5 is by no means inexpensive, and you lose a touch of reach with a 100-500mm instead of a 200-600mm, but if you're in the market the R5 + 100-500mm combo (if you can find the lens) is almost the same price as the A1 body alone, and for folks like me who are getting older, it's about 2/3 the weight of the A1 + 200-600mm. It's a great time to be a photographer ... if we could just get over the supply chain problems.
And to the General's point, until the camera tells you where to aim it it's still all about the photographer. |
I hope the general's right -- because it sure feels like cheating!! I would spend the entire day trying to get "the" shot. And now I'm getting many "the" shots in a short period of time! I am indeed hoping that it's my patience, knowledge of the animal and what to look/wait for, how to know the settings, how to anticipate. But boy, it sure feels like if there was a noobie sitting next to me, they'd get the same shot. :(
But I've learned more in these couple of weeks than I have in ages. I haven't played with any other metering mode since I got my first canon 24 years ago. The spot metering wasn't very good, and I'd just end up guessing at adjusting under or over exposure. After a while, it wasn't worth it. I could do that later in photoshop because of shooting RAW.
Now, since I can actually get the camera to focus on the difficult thing, since it actually does exactly what I want most of the time, I find myself checking out the different exposure modes, trying different focus settings, digging deeper than I have in years. It is so much fun to be learning again -- that's what I thrive on. And that had stagnated for a long time.
It is an exciting time to be a photographer! I'm just hoping that it still is the photographer and not the camera. :) |
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07/31/2021 01:34:38 PM · #44 |
Originally posted by bob350:
Your enthusiasm inspired me to carefully look at the alpha 1 specs, particularly since my D800 is getting long in the tooth. |
Originally posted by JakeKurdsjuk:
Every comparison I've seen between the A1 and the R5 toss small bones this way or that way, with the Canon getting marks for their animal eye tracking performance with birds and Sony getting marks for AF tracking on quickly transitioning wild life (sitting to flying), among other things - effectively they wind up 1A and 1B depending on the photographer's needs. I'm not here to downplay the Sony as I've not shot with one, but I just thought I'd lend a second option to those who are willing to open up the wallet for gear of this caliber. The A1 is a flagship and has a flagship price. The R5 is by no means inexpensive, and you lose a touch of reach with a 100-500mm instead of a 200-600mm, but if you're in the market the R5 + 100-500mm combo (if you can find the lens) is almost the same price as the A1 body alone, and for folks like me who are getting older, it's about 2/3 the weight of the A1 + 200-600mm.
It's a great time to be a photographer ... if we could just get over the supply chain problems. |
Originally posted by kirbic:
Truer words were never spoken!
I think with this latest generation of mirrorless cameras, the final nail is in the coffin for the SLR. It's been a great run for the 35mm SLR, 85 years since the introduction of the first mass-market 35mm SLR (the Kine Exakta). |
Ohmigawd what a riot!
I remember this: The Nikon D800 is the world's highest technical performance DSLR for outdoor, nature, landscape and many other kinds of precision photography. The D800 is the biggest news from Nikon since 2008 when they introduced their last all-new full-frame DSLR, the D700.
The Nikon D800 is the world's best for these things because it has such extremely high image quality that it exceeds not just every other full-frame DSLR ever made, it also replaces medium-format digital cameras that cost as much as a new Mercedes.
Fact of the matter is, pretty much any of the top tier DSLRs made in the last decade are superlative pieces of equipment.
Yeah, the technology continues to scream forward, but to suggest that the the D800 is "long in the tooth" kinda cracks me up.
The D800 and the Canon M5D MarkII are extraordinary cameras that just don't happen to have some of the bells and whistles of the current technology.
Some of these new cameras have now managed to price themselves out of the realm of people who aren't wholly committed to the art and science of photography.
When I look at the big picture, a body, plus a lens or three, memory, a tripod, some basic lighting or good flash, well, we've pretty much just gone smokin' past ten grand, haven't we?
That'd be enough to ensure not too many people will do this on a lark...
I'm glad some of y'all have the wherewithal for that kind of outlay, but it's sure to be the exception rather than the rule for us little people out here.
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07/31/2021 02:39:11 PM · #45 |
To second  NikonJeb, I am quite happy with my little Olympus, thank you very much :). Not exactly cheap, but surely feels cheap (I mean, inexpensive) in comparison now. To each their own (gear), I guess. |
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07/31/2021 03:08:07 PM · #46 |
I do understand both of your reactions, Lev and Jeb -- but to wildlife photographers, it's huge. It's like going from a manual focus camera to an autofocus camera. I did fine with the manual focus camera for the first two years. It was an old Olympus. Baby shots, easy. Portraits? Simple! But once my daughter started running, I couldn't keep up with the focus. Between my eyes and how fast she ran, I couldn't focus.
Baseball: Manual focus was easy -- if you were trying to get a photo of a person sliding into third base. Just focus a little bit before third base and you're good to go. But if you were trying to focus on someone running down a fly ball, manual focus is pretty difficult.
The Sony A1, if you read all the reviews, isn't worth the price. Unless you're a wildlife photographer. I read so many reviews. Every single one that I read said that it was a spectacular camera. But you probably don't want to spend the money unless you're into wildlife photography. If it came to anything but the thing I adore most, I could do the same exact stuff with my old cameras. I upgraded to mirrorless because I finally was fed up with Canon's low light noise. The mirrorless was really nice because I didn't have to guess on how much to overexpose a subject if it was backlit. So I wouldn't have gone back to an SLR, because the mirrorless was really handy, and I started being able to catch a few more shots.
But the A1 has changed so much for me, as a wildlife photographer. I'm reliably getting the shots I want, instead of lucking in to them. Even after all the years I've been doing it, I still considered it "lucky" if I got my shot.
It really is as significant as moving from manual focus to auto focus. And perhaps if you shoot only stationary objects, that's not a big deal. But if you are trying to catch a small songbird in flight -- it's absolutely huge. |
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07/31/2021 04:49:11 PM · #47 |
Originally posted by jomari:
How do I sell our house without my husband noticing? |
hahahaha!
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07/31/2021 05:53:09 PM · #48 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I do understand both of your reactions, Lev and Jeb -- but to wildlife photographers, it's huge. |
I totally get that Wendy. If I were into wildlife photography I would probably go for it. When I was in Namibia I wished I had a rig similar to yours. Luckily for my family budget, I'm not a wildlife photographer )) |
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07/31/2021 07:16:11 PM · #49 |
| Makes me want to take up my old Nikon Coolpix and catch a heron or two. |
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07/31/2021 07:16:46 PM · #50 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I do understand both of your reactions, Lev and Jeb |
The context is what's important.
Originally posted by vawendy:
But the A1 has changed so much for me, as a wildlife photographer. I'm reliably getting the shots I want, instead of lucking in to them. Even after all the years I've been doing it, I still considered it "lucky" if I got my shot.
It really is as significant as moving from manual focus to auto focus. And perhaps if you shoot only stationary objects, that's not a big deal. But if you are trying to catch a small songbird in flight -- it's absolutely huge. |
TOTALLY understand.
One quick aside..... I pretty much get what I want when I raise my camera and push the button. Through years of work, and the extraordinary education I gotten through this community, I'm a pretty good photographer. That makes me happy.
I so relate to your lucky comment. I know I've been graced with an inordinate amount of photographic luck. I gotten some shots that when you look at how I arrived at them, there was simply no other explanation for them other than luck or grace.
Yes, I got the best out of the circumstances 'cause I know what to do, and yes, I've got one heck of a camera.
Back to equipment.....
This image is four feet high by seven feet thee inches wide. The actual image file is six feet by eleven feet.
This is as big as I've been able to get it printed and that was from a friend of mine with a $250,000 printer that could accomodate a five foot wide cancas roll.
This is a crappy cell pohone shot of it on our gallery wall. I have sold $5000-$6000 of this image in various sizes. It has been my pride & joy on multiple levels for over a decade.
Here's the bad boy that shot this image, check those specs!!! 6.1MP Nikon Archives: D70s
So, I still have that camera, it still works, but when I have it side by side with either my D810 or D850, it pales in comparison.
And I *like* my big ol' bad bricks!
I'm sure the Alpha 1 is magnificent. I'm pleased as punch that it does what you want it to and then some, Wendy.
But I think there's too much of a tendency for people to get caught up in the technology wave.
Kinda like PhotoShop..... I use Elements, and have for about a decade. It does what I want, it's simple and cheap. Heck, I don't even know how to use a lot of it.
If I don't get what I want in three to five minutes when I start on a RAW file, it was a crappy shot and I move on.
My daughter just got a Sony A7R II and a 24-70 f4 Zeiss lens. At my suggestion. It will more than serve her needs for her business product photography. I was glad to save her a bunch of trial and error to get the right unit.
I just hope people understand that the best camera in the world from seven years ago is still one heck of a camera. It didn't lose any of its capabilities, technology is simply bringing us more.
YMMV..
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