Osprey with Trout - The shot that moved me from Nikon to Sony

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Udall1973

Udall1973

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I rented an A1 - longtime Nikon shooter as you may deduce from my previous posts - and frankly was rather skeptical since I was getting such great results from my Nikon D850. This Osprey came within about 30 yards but really moving fast when I focused in zone, manual, bird AF engaged, and shot at about 1/3500 sec. When I pulled this up in LR I was impressed and this is the shot that convinced me to part with a great deal of cash to buy the Alpha 1. What you don't see are the 30 other shots - all perfectly in focus - and my reaction was disbelief at first and then as I got to know the camera, sheer joy. BTW, the weight reduction from my D850 with battery grip, prime lens and TC to the Sony was like ½ and felt liberating. Of course one can get delightful images from Nikon and in fact the Nikon architecture is superior in some ways over the Sony. Heck I still use the Nikon. The difference is an intangible, the difference is fun. I just enjoy shooting the Sony more that the Nikon D850 or my D500. That's my story.
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Udall1973 said:
I rented an A1 - longtime Nikon shooter as you may deduce from my previous posts - and frankly was rather skeptical since I was getting such great results from my Nikon D850. This Osprey came within about 30 yards but really moving fast when I focused in zone, manual, bird AF engaged, and shot at about 1/3500 sec. When I pulled this up in LR I was impressed and this is the shot that convinced me to part with a great deal of cash to buy the Alpha 1. What you don't see are the 30 other shots - all perfectly in focus - and my reaction was disbelief at first and then as I got to know the camera, sheer joy. BTW, the weight reduction from my D850 with battery grip, prime lens and TC to the Sony was like ½ and felt liberating. Of course one can get delightful images from Nikon and in fact the Nikon architecture is superior in some ways over the Sony. Heck I still use the Nikon. The difference is an intangible, the difference is fun. I just enjoy shooting the Sony more that the Nikon D850 or my D500. That's my story. View attachment 22428
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Awesome clarity!👍👍👍
 
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You know this is absolutely evil right? Creating desires that can't be fulfilled...

Gorgeous shot and thanks for sharing. It's nice to hear from people who value the Nikon system but can so clearly articulate what the Sony (or Canon in other cases) brought them.
 
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FB101 said:
You know this is absolutely evil right? Creating desires that can't be fulfilled...

Gorgeous shot and thanks for sharing. It's nice to hear from people who value the Nikon system but can so clearly articulate what the Sony (or Canon in other cases) brought them.
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Thank you for your kind words. It is with some sadness that I have largely switched from Nikon. They build such remarkable products emphasis on build. The products are uniformly excellent in terms of ruggedness and ergonomic and indeed the sensors perform very well. I have said that IQ is superb in the D850 which is recognized as perhaps one of the finest DSLR camera ever made. That said, the Sony has the current edge in several areas critical to my requirements namely AF, FPS, weight, and configurability. All incredibly important for wildlife photography. The Nikons are, IMHO, superior in landscape but I am not an expert in this area so discount my opinion somewhat. Again thanks for your comments.
 
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Shots like that could make one want to switch…and although I'm not really looking to at this point one could get an A1, 200-600, and 1.4TC for under $10K…make that the fast BIF rig and keep the Z7II and Nikon lenses for other work. The one big drawback…at least for me…is the completely different meaning system…I don't get out enough these days to stay proficient in 1 system and adding another would just make things too difficult.

OTOH…doing a complete system switch would cost considerably more money but could be partially paid for by selling all my existing gear…so there might be something to do there if Nikon doesn't get off the dime eventually. I'm comfortable with using my Nikons and as I said don't get out nearly as much as when we lived in the RV full time and traveled…but that's on me.
 
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Great shot and glad the A1 is working so well. (And for so many others!) I am also caught out waiting for Nikon to improve their mirrorless. I am giving them time but eventually may well look at Sony. Having said that, I still don't think I am missing out greatly with the Nikon gear I currently use. I strongly believe that the equipment is no more than 40% of a good shot. I currently use a Nikon D5, D850 & Z6, with a range of lenses. I love all of them but for their individual strengths, I certainly would not want to rely upon my D850 for fast action. I actually think for Nikon users the PF lenses have been as big a break through as the change to mirrorless. I think there are many that would not give up their PFs without adapting them to mirrorless. I still use a 500f4 & 300f2.8, both which I love. However, the 500pf & 300pf get far more use now and I certainly end up taking more shots when using them. The decision which lenses to carry is my biggest issue.
The pictures below were taken 8 years ago, with a D4 + 500f4, I am not convinced I would get better pictures in the same situation today. Having said that, I expect to be 100% mirrorless two years from now.
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ingweDave said:
Great shot and glad the A1 is working so well. (And for so many others!) I am also caught out waiting for Nikon to improve their mirrorless. I am giving them time but eventually may well look at Sony. Having said that, I still don't think I am missing out greatly with the Nikon gear I currently use. I strongly believe that the equipment is no more than 40% of a good shot. I currently use a Nikon D5, D850 & Z6, with a range of lenses. I love all of them but for their individual strengths, I certainly would not want to rely upon my D850 for fast action. I actually think for Nikon users the PF lenses have been as big a break through as the change to mirrorless. I think there are many that would not give up their PFs without adapting them to mirrorless. I still use a 500f4 & 300f2.8, both which I love. However, the 500pf & 300pf get far more use now and I certainly end up taking more shots when using them. The decision which lenses to carry is my biggest issue.
The pictures below were taken 8 years ago, with a D4 + 500f4, I am not convinced I would get better pictures in the same situation today. Having said that, I expect to be 100% mirrorless two years from now.
View attachment 22635
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I agree the PF's are outstanding lenses and your shots underscore how truly amazing Nikon is in the hands of an accomplished photographer. My point was simply I am so enjoying the Sony feature set and that I am rarely picking up my Nikon gear choosing to use the Alpha 1 instead. It's more fun (to me) and iam getting superb results. Thanks for sharing your work. Really appreciate you checking out this post.
 
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Udall1973 said:
I agree the PF's are outstanding lenses and your shots underscore how truly amazing Nikon is in the hands of an accomplished photographer. My point was simply I am so enjoying the Sony feature set and that I am rarely picking up my Nikon gear choosing to use the Alpha 1 instead. It's more fun (to me) and iam getting superb results. Thanks for sharing your work. Really appreciate you checking out this post.
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How did you get on with the Sony menus and controls? Had you any previous experience with Sony previously? I have never so much as picked up a Sony camera. I know there have been several reports on this forum with folks changing but interested to know your experience. I am assuming this is positive as you are enjoying it so much.
 
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ingweDave said:
Great shot and glad the A1 is working so well. (And for so many others!) I am also caught out waiting for Nikon to improve their mirrorless. I am giving them time but eventually may well look at Sony. Having said that, I still don't think I am missing out greatly with the Nikon gear I currently use. I strongly believe that the equipment is no more than 40% of a good shot. I currently use a Nikon D5, D850 & Z6, with a range of lenses. I love all of them but for their individual strengths, I certainly would not want to rely upon my D850 for fast action. I actually think for Nikon users the PF lenses have been as big a break through as the change to mirrorless. I think there are many that would not give up their PFs without adapting them to mirrorless. I still use a 500f4 & 300f2.8, both which I love. However, the 500pf & 300pf get far more use now and I certainly end up taking more shots when using them. The decision which lenses to carry is my biggest issue.
The pictures below were taken 8 years ago, with a D4 + 500f4, I am not convinced I would get better pictures in the same situation today. Having said that, I expect to be 100% mirrorless two years from now.
View attachment 22635
View attachment 22637
View attachment 22639
Click to expand...
Awesome series! Unbelievable captures!👍👍👍
 
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ingweDave said:
How did you get on with the Sony menus and controls? Had you any previous experience with Sony previously? I have never so much as picked up a Sony camera. I know there have been several reports on this forum with folks changing but interested to know your experience. I am assuming this is positive as you are enjoying it so much.
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I have found the menu logic intuitive and no big deal. Yes, it's different but I like the icon driven "hints". Learning curve wasn't too steep. I had never picked up a Sony before but lots of YouTube help around.
 
Nice! :cool:(y)
I just pulled the trigger on an A1 and 200-600mm from Mike's. On back order everywhere now. hopefully it's a short lead time.
 
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ingweDave said:
Great shot and glad the A1 is working so well. (And for so many others!) I am also caught out waiting for Nikon to improve their mirrorless. I am giving them time but eventually may well look at Sony. Having said that, I still don't think I am missing out greatly with the Nikon gear I currently use. I strongly believe that the equipment is no more than 40% of a good shot. I currently use a Nikon D5, D850 & Z6, with a range of lenses. I love all of them but for their individual strengths, I certainly would not want to rely upon my D850 for fast action. I actually think for Nikon users the PF lenses have been as big a break through as the change to mirrorless. I think there are many that would not give up their PFs without adapting them to mirrorless. I still use a 500f4 & 300f2.8, both which I love. However, the 500pf & 300pf get far more use now and I certainly end up taking more shots when using them. The decision which lenses to carry is my biggest issue.
The pictures below were taken 8 years ago, with a D4 + 500f4, I am not convinced I would get better pictures in the same situation today. Having said that, I expect to be 100% mirrorless two years from now.
Click to expand...
I‘m also awaiting Nikon’s 600mm
 
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Neil Laubenthal said:
Shots like that could make one want to switch…and although I'm not really looking to at this point one could get an A1, 200-600, and 1.4TC for under $10K…make that the fast BIF rig and keep the Z7II and Nikon lenses for other work. The one big drawback…at least for me…is the completely different meaning system…I don't get out enough these days to stay proficient in 1 system and adding another would just make things too difficult.

OTOH…doing a complete system switch would cost considerably more money but could be partially paid for by selling all my existing gear…so there might be something to do there if Nikon doesn't get off the dime eventually. I'm comfortable with using my Nikons and as I said don't get out nearly as much as when we lived in the RV full time and traveled…but that's on me.
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Don’t forget 2 memory cards at $400 each, a card reader, a couple extra batteries and that gold old sales tax… no longer under $10k 😂😂😂
 
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armchicago said:
Don’t forget 2 memory cards at $400 each, a card reader, a couple extra batteries and that gold old sales tax… no longer under $10k 😂😂😂
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Yeah…but upgrading is really just an academic exercise for me anyway. My gear isn’t holding me back anyway…but if I did switch I would go all the way and that’s a lot more than $10K…and while it is pretty easily affordable for me…I just don’t see the bang for the expense.
 
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Neil Laubenthal said:
Yeah…but upgrading is really just an academic exercise for me anyway. My gear isn’t holding me back anyway…but if I did switch I would go all the way and that’s a lot more than $10K…and while it is pretty easily affordable for me…I just don’t see the bang for the expense.
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Yep, always come down to what style shooting one does and how easily they want to be able to do. That’s what the new tech is really about (and weight/lightening the load). I agree, I already went all in on Nikon and I just do it as a hobby/stress release… so spending 30k all over again is not particularly appealing, lol.
 
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great shot and great story. Not only is the rig lighter but so is your wallet and bank account. I would like to experiment with a Sony but rather not tie up a significant chunk of change on whim. Years ago I indulged an fantasy and learned to ride a motorcycle. Some 5 years later and after dropping $10K on bottom of the line Harley I decided it was not for me. Enjoyed the experience but riding in/around Chicago with all the traffic was no fun.
 
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RichF said:
great shot and great story. Not only is the rig lighter but so is your wallet and bank account. I would like to experiment with a Sony but rather not tie up a significant chunk of change on whim. Years ago I indulged an fantasy and learned to ride a motorcycle. Some 5 years later and after dropping $10K on bottom of the line Harley I decided it was not for me. Enjoyed the experience but riding in/around Chicago with all the traffic was no fun.
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True on all counts. Appreciate your kind words. One should never buy such an expensive camera if they have the slightest doubt it won't be used to it's potential. While expensive, I am enjoying the heck out of it and can't bring myself to pick up my other fine Nikon gear.
 
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No matter what camera you use, Osprey always fun to follow. I follow a family from mid June until they left the nest the 3rd week in July. By the way great picture.
 
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