I don’t use UV filters either but at times a polarizer or ND filter can give you the look you need.
Sony a1...Everything about the a1 thread...
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Me too...but that last piece where lens connects is loosy goosey, twirls around and is a real pain. Any suggestions?
Interesting idea for holding in place. Wint harm finish and peelk off if removed?? Agree, other parts stay in place better.
The alpha wrap is really what you’re looking for.I was actually considering painting the lens camo. But it’s been decades since I knew how to do that.
for my personal needs I just want it to stay put. I’m not worried about the factory finish. That said, silicone caulk would probably clean off, maybe.
Another option might be a small bead of caulking on the back left to dry. That might help it slide around less??? Like on the larger pieces
My only worry is oily residue becoming an issue on lens
Sticker. It’s been excellent!
I agree...its on my lens as well. It came this way..but feels less protective. And when its cold, not as good.
BrianSmall
Active member
Somewhat unrelated question for you Steve on the a1. Can you share your thinking/experience (mostly in regards to birds) on what setting you find most useful in the AF Tracking Sensitivity? My brain tells me 1 (locked on) makes the most sense but I've read other bird shooters using 3 or 5.
Nearly 100 shots with Sony A1 + 200-600 .
Glad i bought the combo.
Glad i bought the combo.
lablover27
Well-known member
A few questions for the A1 folks. Is there a way to go from shooting stills to shooting video fast? Not sure if this is a pipe dream on my part but sometimes while shooting stills I’d love to go into record video but do it fast.
I’d love to hear if anyone is doing it. I know the settings for video would be an issue , like shutter speed frame rate the 180 rule. I just see a few YouTube videos of someone shooting video of say a bird and then they have a still of the same bird same time etc.
Next, tripods. I know this is a silly question but what is considered a travel tripod and what’s not. I see you guys walking around with your camera attached to a tripod and have it slung over your shoulder. Could be the A1 is my first high end camera I’d be super paranoid of the camera coming loose and falling to the ground. The nervous part of me has been handled with the 200-600 just to keep my hands on it. Having the tripod on my shoulder with the camera hanging off the back would make me tense to say the least.
last and it’s a big one. I’m used to smaller file sizes like 24 mp. I swear I see noise in all my a1 photos even at lower iso. I think my problem is I tend to pixel peep at 100% and what I’m seeing is not noise but improper exposure or lack of good fundamentals. I’d be interested in any take on this. I tend to run most of my images thru topaz or dxo raw then I’m happy.
Hope everyone has a great holiday
Joe
I’d love to hear if anyone is doing it. I know the settings for video would be an issue , like shutter speed frame rate the 180 rule. I just see a few YouTube videos of someone shooting video of say a bird and then they have a still of the same bird same time etc.
Next, tripods. I know this is a silly question but what is considered a travel tripod and what’s not. I see you guys walking around with your camera attached to a tripod and have it slung over your shoulder. Could be the A1 is my first high end camera I’d be super paranoid of the camera coming loose and falling to the ground. The nervous part of me has been handled with the 200-600 just to keep my hands on it. Having the tripod on my shoulder with the camera hanging off the back would make me tense to say the least.
last and it’s a big one. I’m used to smaller file sizes like 24 mp. I swear I see noise in all my a1 photos even at lower iso. I think my problem is I tend to pixel peep at 100% and what I’m seeing is not noise but improper exposure or lack of good fundamentals. I’d be interested in any take on this. I tend to run most of my images thru topaz or dxo raw then I’m happy.
Hope everyone has a great holiday
Joe
FB101
Well-known member
‘Sony has you covered a few different ways.
‘first, there are quick video settings- it’s a bit simplistic but there is a section in the menu where you can set standard settings so that when you hit the movie record button on the back, it will start filming with those settings even in photo mode. You can do it 2 ways, either all automatic exposure, or to match your stills exposure settings Once the video is rolling you can change the exposure according to the mode you picked (if your default for quick video is manual with auto iso, then you can set aperture and shutter speed as you would for stills, if you picked program, the camera will do it all and you can tweak with exposure comp). Not perfect but if you need to grab video fast while in stills mode, it works.
i guess you could also possibly set a custom hold recall button with video,only settings if you wanted a second set of parameters. I haven’t looked into that to see how it would work but might be feasible.
The reverse is also true, you can be in film mode and just take pictures but if I am not mistaken just 21mp jpg.
‘’’Also, if you shoot in manual mode for stills, your movie mode is just one click up on the mode dial. That’s not coincidence as it’s the easiest way to access the full movie capabilities. Not exactly what you ask for but fairly effective And not that much longer to activate. That’s how I intend to operate most of the time unless it’s really a split second opportunity to grab some video footage in which case the quick settings will work.
What you see in a lot of reviewer videos is that they actually record the evf feed onto an external recorder so they can take full size raw pictures at any time. With the A1, evf feed is HD quality most of the time so it works ok.
walking around with a mounted camera on your shoulder is certainly something that takes time to get comfortable with. If you are nervous, make sure you upgrade to arca Swiss plates and locking mechanisms, they are recognized as the safest and most reliable. They is a bit of a debate over whether screw clamps vs quick release clamps are safest but it seems the consensus favors quick release with levers. With any system, check twice that the grooves are well engaged and tight before you swing that mono or tripod over the shoulder.
On your last question, yes, the A1 files are a bit grainy even at lower iso compared to a Nikon 24mp sensor or Sony 24mp sensor or even compared to a D850/z7 file. For that reason I like to run all the files I edit through DXO pure raw and they clean up real well. Steve prefers to handle it manually (he has an awesome noise reduction and sharpening video course that is worth every dollar), I’m just a bit lazy so pure raw gets me 90% there
Pure raw is processor intensive so I don’t process every file, which would be time prohibitive, but I run a batch at night with the files I think I intend to edit and everything is ready the next day. That’s for hundreds of files. A single file takes less than a minute so easy to integrate in workflow if needed. ‘it is abolsutely true though that the file is more grainy if underexposed - but that sensor has so much latitude that underexposure is really a misnomer. You can have an exposure that is unclipped but shifted left and it will have a bit more noise than the same shot, unclipped, but shifted right. They are both exposed “correctly” as they are unclipped but will be slightly different from a noise standpoint.
‘The best remedy I have found for that are zebras set at 109 (or 107 if you like to be safe) - start your manual exposure a bit “hot” (zebras showing) and dial it down until zebras are gone - that way you also can choose which parameter (speed or iso) you want to change depending on what you shoot. by setting zebras at 109 you use the full raw exposure flexibility. If you shoot jpg, you need to set the zebras below 100 as you will not have that highlight recovery ability.
lablover27
Well-known member
‘Sony has you covered a few different ways.
‘first, there are quick video settings- it’s a bit simplistic but there is a section in the menu where you can set standard settings so that when you hit the movie record button on the back, it will start filming with those settings even in photo mode. You can do it 2 ways, either all automatic exposure, or to match your stills exposure settings Once the video is rolling you can change the exposure according to the mode you picked (if your default for quick video is manual with auto iso, then you can set aperture and shutter speed as you would for stills, if you picked program, the camera will do it all and you can tweak with exposure comp). Not perfect but if you need to grab video fast while in stills mode, it works.
i guess you could also possibly set a custom hold recall button with video,only settings if you wanted a second set of parameters. I haven’t looked into that to see how it would work but might be feasible.
The reverse is also true, you can be in film mode and just take pictures but if I am not mistaken just 21mp jpg.
‘’’Also, if you shoot in manual mode for stills, your movie mode is just one click up on the mode dial. That’s not coincidence as it’s the easiest way to access the full movie capabilities. Not exactly what you ask for but fairly effective And not that much longer to activate. That’s how I intend to operate most of the time unless it’s really a split second opportunity to grab some video footage in which case the quick settings will work.
What you see in a lot of reviewer videos is that they actually record the evf feed onto an external recorder so they can take full size raw pictures at any time. With the A1, evf feed is HD quality most of the time so it works ok.
walking around with a mounted camera on your shoulder is certainly something that takes time to get comfortable with. If you are nervous, make sure you upgrade to arca Swiss plates and locking mechanisms, they are recognized as the safest and most reliable. They is a bit of a debate over whether screw clamps vs quick release clamps are safest but it seems the consensus favors quick release with levers. With any system, check twice that the grooves are well engaged and tight before you swing that mono or tripod over the shoulder.
On your last question, yes, the A1 files are a bit grainy even at lower iso compared to a Nikon 24mp sensor or Sony 24mp sensor or even compared to a D850/z7 file. For that reason I like to run all the files I edit through DXO pure raw and they clean up real well. Steve prefers to handle it manually (he has an awesome noise reduction and sharpening video course that is worth every dollar), I’m just a bit lazy so pure raw gets me 90% there
‘it is abolsutely true though that the file is more grainy if underexposed - but that sensor has so much latitude that underexposure is really a misnomer. You can have an exposure that is unclipped but shifted left and it will have a bit more noise than the same shot, unclipped, but shifted right. They are both exposed “correctly” as they are unclipped but will be slightly different from a noise standpoint.
‘The best remedy I have found for that are zebras set at 109 (or 107 if you like to be safe) - start your manual exposure a bit “hot” (zebras showing) and dial it down until zebras are gone - that way you also can choose which parameter (speed or iso) you want to change depending on what you shoot. by setting zebras at 109 you use the full raw exposure flexibility. If you shoot jpg, you need to set the zebras below 100 as you will not have that highlight recovery ability.
Wow
That was a absolutely fabulous explanation! Right now I favor aperture priority but after reading till my eyes bleed I think manual is the way to go. I’ve tried having the iso on the rear dial and find that’s not working too well with gloved hands in the winter. My thumb seems to touch or turn it while bringing the camera to my eye. The a1 is very new to me so growing pains right now. Thank you for putting my mind at ease with the noise. I like your workflow and may do the same. Now, time to do some reading on setting up that video mode you spoke of. Seems like exactly what I’m looking for.
What a task, thank you! I wanted to add one small thing. I was pretty happily using v90 sdxc cards in my A1 balking at the cost of CFE A cards and feeling like I didn't need them. But then an excellent deal via ProGrade led me to 2 x their 160GB CFE A cards and in using them the last few outings I have to say there's a smoothness, if you will, to the shooting bursts and big speed boost in copying the pictures to my drive. The speed gain in copying wouldn't be worth the money to me but that smoothness in shooting - I don't know how to describe it exactly but I just don't notice at all any writing to the card, even on my rare 100+ shot bursts - does feel worth it to me.
I agree. I’ve been using the CFExpress A since I got my first a1. Now I have 4 CFEA cards and only use the V90 cards as emergency backups which I’ve never needed.
FB101
Well-known member
Indeed. The difference is how fast that buffers empties for sure and therefore how quickly the A1 is ready with a full burst again. I wish the A1 used the CFE type b with the even higher write speeds but the type a works well enough. I hope a few others jump in to get prices down, that would be good.
lablover27
Well-known member
That’s the one I got
lablover27
Well-known member
I held off as well but found I like the way it feels. Balanced perfect on the wimberly
Both my a1’s have the grip and I love it!
lablover27
Well-known member
I have 4 as well. Have yet to have to change them in the field but it’s not to have a spare set. You’re gonna find you might want a different charger. I’m looking at that Sony 4 battery charger but it’s pricey. Honestly probably no need
lablover27
Well-known member
Hut2
Great to hear you got out. It’s amazing how different the field is opposed to what you think feels right in the living room. I ended up putting bird or animal af in the fn menu. I can get to it pretty quick. I also noticed at times that bird af will work on some animals. I forgot to change it taking photos of deer and the bird af still picked up the deers eye. I’m now using David’s “Dtibbals” set up with a few changes and am liking it. I really like the way he uses the 3 memory on the dial for each scenario.
I cruised your Flickr page and now I’m trying to figure how to use Flickr myself. I like how it shows Exif data. Yet another thing to learn. As far as the clunk of the shutter…easy, don’t turn it off. I turn off the back monitor and with that grip you can run for hours.
I find work really gets in the way for my hobby. I’m at the age here I need to think about retirement but having that health insurance is pretty important with my wife’s MS.
HAVE FUN
Joe
Great to hear you got out. It’s amazing how different the field is opposed to what you think feels right in the living room. I ended up putting bird or animal af in the fn menu. I can get to it pretty quick. I also noticed at times that bird af will work on some animals. I forgot to change it taking photos of deer and the bird af still picked up the deers eye. I’m now using David’s “Dtibbals” set up with a few changes and am liking it. I really like the way he uses the 3 memory on the dial for each scenario.
I cruised your Flickr page and now I’m trying to figure how to use Flickr myself. I like how it shows Exif data. Yet another thing to learn. As far as the clunk of the shutter…easy, don’t turn it off. I turn off the back monitor and with that grip you can run for hours.
I find work really gets in the way for my hobby. I’m at the age here I need to think about retirement but having that health insurance is pretty important with my wife’s MS.
HAVE FUN
Joe
lablover27
Well-known member
yea, that would be a nice feature. I’m hoping to catch some owls soon.
lablover27
Well-known member
Hahaha..trying to put it together now. Never used it before. Do you post full size images? Thanks Dave
Joe
arbitrage
Well-known member
I thought I'd share a tidbit about the A1 and Bird Eye AF.
I use a back button (AF-ON) to switch my main AF mode (controlled via shutter button) to do the function "Tracking On". This function switches my main mode into the Tracking version while I hold in the button. I much prefer non-tracking modes for a lot of my shooting (especially BIF) but I do like to have Tracking their for some situations with an instant button push.
Now because I can easily toggle in and out of tracking I've noticed a phenomenon that is very repeatable....if the non-tracking version of an AF mode is not recognizing the bird or bird's eye and you switch into Tracking it has a much higher likelihood of instantly seeing the Eye. Just something to keep in mind. Using the Tracking mode seems to trigger that FW to run some sort of different algorithm or maybe do a new run through the AI database and figures out the eye.
I use a back button (AF-ON) to switch my main AF mode (controlled via shutter button) to do the function "Tracking On". This function switches my main mode into the Tracking version while I hold in the button. I much prefer non-tracking modes for a lot of my shooting (especially BIF) but I do like to have Tracking their for some situations with an instant button push.
Now because I can easily toggle in and out of tracking I've noticed a phenomenon that is very repeatable....if the non-tracking version of an AF mode is not recognizing the bird or bird's eye and you switch into Tracking it has a much higher likelihood of instantly seeing the Eye. Just something to keep in mind. Using the Tracking mode seems to trigger that FW to run some sort of different algorithm or maybe do a new run through the AI database and figures out the eye.
arbitrage
Well-known member
FWIW, thought I'd share my Custom button setup I've settled on for the A1.
*Shutter AF On
*Shoot in full M (no Auto ISO)
*Front dial for SS, upper rear dial for ISO, lower wheel for Aperture (this is because I usually shoot wide open and mostly fiddle with SS/ISO and not Aperture to dial in my exposure and I find the upper rear dial easier to hit without big thumb movement).
*C1: Toggle in and out of crop mode
*C2: Toggle through my restricted list of AF modes (modes I use are Small Flex Spot, Expand Flex Spot, Zone and Wide)
*Rec: Toggle into my Registered AF mode (set via long press of the Fn button)
*AF-ON: Tracking On (changes my current AF mode to the Tracking version while I hold the AF-ON button)
*AE-L: Recall Custom Hold that is set to do 1/400s, Auto-ISO, 10FPS, Flex Spot: Tracking. This is my bird on a stick setting for better IQ. EC controlled via top EC dial to deal with the Auto ISO (finally fixed in the latest A1 FW)
*Joystick push: Center AF point
* OK button: Toggle Face/Eye detect On/Off
* Left Arrow: Toggle Zebras On/Off (Zebras set to custom 109+). I need to turn this off sometimes against bright white sky as it will overwhelm the image when bird properly exposed.
* Right Arrow: Jump to My Menu directly
* Down Arrow: Toggle between Animal and Bird (Human deselected in menus)
*Trash Can: WB
*Lens button: Toggle AF/MF mode. Used on my 200-600 and 100-400 for quick MF corrections. I don't use this much but I really wish I had DMF like I do via the switch on my 600GM. Sony really needs to fix this in FW as Canon recently did for some of its lenses (like 100-500, 600, 400 III/RF).
The upper arrow that can't be changed from Display turns on and off my rear LCD for low down, tilt-screen shooting I do. I have my LCD display set to be off all the time unless I hit the Display button. This is done by having the LCD display option of "Monitor OFF" as the only one selected other than the default (which I have tuned down to just histogram and no other clutter). If I hit Playback or Menu and don't have the EVF triggered that will wake the LCD just for that (sort of like DSLR mode).
*Shutter AF On
*Shoot in full M (no Auto ISO)
*Front dial for SS, upper rear dial for ISO, lower wheel for Aperture (this is because I usually shoot wide open and mostly fiddle with SS/ISO and not Aperture to dial in my exposure and I find the upper rear dial easier to hit without big thumb movement).
*C1: Toggle in and out of crop mode
*C2: Toggle through my restricted list of AF modes (modes I use are Small Flex Spot, Expand Flex Spot, Zone and Wide)
*Rec: Toggle into my Registered AF mode (set via long press of the Fn button)
*AF-ON: Tracking On (changes my current AF mode to the Tracking version while I hold the AF-ON button)
*AE-L: Recall Custom Hold that is set to do 1/400s, Auto-ISO, 10FPS, Flex Spot: Tracking. This is my bird on a stick setting for better IQ. EC controlled via top EC dial to deal with the Auto ISO (finally fixed in the latest A1 FW)
*Joystick push: Center AF point
* OK button: Toggle Face/Eye detect On/Off
* Left Arrow: Toggle Zebras On/Off (Zebras set to custom 109+). I need to turn this off sometimes against bright white sky as it will overwhelm the image when bird properly exposed.
* Right Arrow: Jump to My Menu directly
* Down Arrow: Toggle between Animal and Bird (Human deselected in menus)
*Trash Can: WB
*Lens button: Toggle AF/MF mode. Used on my 200-600 and 100-400 for quick MF corrections. I don't use this much but I really wish I had DMF like I do via the switch on my 600GM. Sony really needs to fix this in FW as Canon recently did for some of its lenses (like 100-500, 600, 400 III/RF).
The upper arrow that can't be changed from Display turns on and off my rear LCD for low down, tilt-screen shooting I do. I have my LCD display set to be off all the time unless I hit the Display button. This is done by having the LCD display option of "Monitor OFF" as the only one selected other than the default (which I have tuned down to just histogram and no other clutter). If I hit Playback or Menu and don't have the EVF triggered that will wake the LCD just for that (sort of like DSLR mode).
lablover27
Well-known member
wow, I like some of the options here. I especially like the tracking on with the af-on button. Like instant tracking! I didn’t even know you could do that. How many times I wish I had tracking on but no time to change it.
@arbitrage how do you assign a function to the OK button of the control wheel ? Can't find it on the Sony help guide, articles on the internet or in the menu of the camera in the customization settings. Would be nice to use the OK push button, use it now only to confirm settings.
Thanks Tom
Thanks Tom