RikWriter
Well-known member
Star-eating?
Anyone using Sony A74?
- Thread starter jeffnles1
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Star-eating?
I wasn't really interested in the A7Riv. It is the A74 that I've been looking at. Not sure how it performs wit the zoom lens but I have not read any complaints.
I may just decide to keep the kit I hafe3 for a while longer. Not sure. It is always fun to consider the options.
Jeff S
Gasquet does comparative testing of mirrorless with BIF and has added the A7 IV.
See https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/best/mirrorless-cameras-for-birds-in-flight/
In astrophotography treating a star as if it's a dead pixel.
RikWriter
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing that link.
Interesting the A7IV, in his comparison, was within a hair of the A1 and A9 (1 and 2) series of cameras. While BIF is not a big part of my photography, they are challenging targets and if any camera is nailing 90%+ hit rate on BIF it should be at least that kind of hit rate for the subjects I most frequently shoot. Thanks for the info here. I also rarely do Astro photography other than "starry night scene over a lake or of a cabin in the woods" once in a while and that is usually with wide angle lenses and the starry sky is the backdrop not the subject. Once in a while I may do a Milky Way shot if there is an interesting foreground element and I can line it up right but I can count on one hand the ties I've done that with any level of success.
arbitrage
Well-known member
Interesting points....
I disagree with is the big bright VF cp to Sony. Which Sony?
Compared to the Sonys I've owned the D500 OVF looks like a small postage stamp once you have shot on the Sony/Nikon/Canon EVF for awhile. I couldn't believe it actually when I picked up the D500 after a few months of it sitting on the shelf. You can also turn up an EVF way brighter than the D500 OVF...although that isn't recommended if you want a WYSIWYG. Now maybe it depends on which Sony you are comparing. Using my 0.9x mag A1 EVF is just enormous FOV. Also it may matter how bright of a lens you are using on the D500. I compare to 500PF so that is only letting in f/5.6 light and will be darker.
Also D500 in Auto AF dances red squares which are large. You can turn off the green squares on Sony if you want to. Personally, the Green squares are one of my fav features as they allow me to see what points the system is using. Very effective in Zone AF as I can figure out what the camera is grabbing and adjust the position of the Zone on my subject to get what I want. Contrast this to Nikon Group where I'm 100% guessing which area of that group is actually focusing. Even worse is Nikon Z AF Wide-Area L which you just have no idea which part of the square it is using...total guess work and many missed shots.
I despise front custom buttons other than to do things like go into My Menu or Playback. They are not an ergonomic position for anything you want to do on the fly when the action picks up. Canon And Sony are much better with 3 AF-ON positioned back buttons for my use. The more buttons a camera gives me under my right thumb the happier I am. Sony currently gives me 8 that I can customize.
FB101
Well-known member
Amen to every one of those points - that's exactly how I feel
If you read the thread you'll see which Sonys are referenced.
There's no brightness adjustment on any mirrorless VF I've seen.
The D500 focus confirmation is a red flash that lasts a second or so.
The thickness of the green box lines in zone CAF on my Sonys is enough to make it impossible to distinguish eg a black from a whistling kite IF midground. If you use blinkies, there's even more distraction from the essential human focus on what the bird is doing.
The most common use of a D500 front button is AF area select + On. That leaves the thumb to select a different AFarea + On. My fingers can almost instantly change AF area, most commonly from pinpoint to group or vice versa - an essential change in bird shooting. On my Sonys the thumb has to move and that means using AE-L which has the worst feel of any camera control I've used in 50 years of photography.
When I used both rigs for pelagic cruise shooting, I'd take around 1500 shots with one in the morning and the same with the other in the afternoon. I stand by my experience.
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I've had VF brightness in all my mirrorless cameras. For Sony see below:
On Sony (older UI) it's under setup page 1:
For the A1 (and I assume A7sIII) its under setup 6
The monitor isn't the EVF.
Neither of my Sonys have adjustable EVF brightness. There is the option to ignore EV compensation. Maybe Arbitage is getting confused with refresh rate. But the option to change that isn't common.
Please read at the menus.. in the 1st image it is the 2nd option down (Viewfinder Bright.) in the second image it is the third down (Viewfinder Bright.). I have Sony and I just did it on my cameras to make sure the screen shots I have are correct.
2 seconds to google and found this video that shows it on an A7RIII. Fast forward to 2:20
So it is.
But I'll still take the Nikon's.
But I'll still take the Nikon's.
arbitrage
Well-known member
Redacted...
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arbitrage
Well-known member
I should have read through all the thread and caught your Sony cameras. Both your cameras are old gen ergonomics. So much has improved with A9II/A7RIV style body and even more so with the A7SIII/A1 and even a bit more with the A7IV.
There is an option to turn off the green dancing boxes on all the Sony cameras you own.
There is an option to increase EVF brightness on the Sony cameras you own (as already pointed out by others)
Ergonomics are always a personal thing and we will agree to disagree on how ergonomic front placed buttons are.
I also have 1000s of hours with D500 and D850 and with many Sony cameras (A9, A9ii, A7RIV, A1).
So as you like the D500's IQ, there's nothing to stop you taking engaging BIF images with the camera. One of mine won a national award.
The best investment of your resources may be to develop further your technique and your eye. My image won the award not because of its technical quality but because of its content. That was with a consumer lens and it wasn't as crisp as the runners up by any means but what's the point of a crisp and boring pic?
As for M4/3s, you can see how it performs in AF with birds and birds in flight at Gasquet's website. Not that well. I started bird shooting with a Panasonic G9 and its CDAF wasn't up to it. Olympus do better. Both brands offer burst caching (Pro Capture, Pre Burst etc) which is a huge plus for dedicated bird shooters and it's a shame that the current crop of FF bodies don't offer it.
But here as with crop sensor and other designs, the question is what trade-offs you can live with. They're all capable rigs. You might be happy with lighter weight but a lower keeper rate. With my Sony A7R III I'm happy with poorer AF performance and fewer keepers because the extra resolution does produce finer plumage detail. I'm happy to use a Sony 100-400 with TCs, despite the small max aperture, because it makes for a very portable rig that can easily be carried on a hike. By contrast, the free workout that comes with using a handheld Sony 400/2.8 and TCs is rewarded with subject isolation and image sharpness.
Thanks.
I'm not sure how this threat drifted off to BIF. Birds flying are not really "my thing". Given the opportunity I will snap some shots of them and do not find the D500 lacking in that regard at all. I do think there are some advantages for EVF over OVF especially in seeing in the viewfinder a close approximation of how the image will turn out. Honestly, I miss very few shots due to AF issues. I have missed a few because, in the excitement of the moment, I forgot I had either set the exposure compensation to some value that caused over/under exposure or I forgot to adjust the shutter speed. I think that would do more for me than improvements in AF. I also do quite a bit of macro and close focus work where I manually focus anyway. I do think it is a bit easier to do manual focus on the EVF cameras and the "focus mapping" feature on the A7iv intrigues me for this kind of work.
The other thing is I have been shooting more video lately. It is still 80/20 stills vs. video but today I carry a separate camera for video and stills. Having one that can do both would be good. As much as I like the D500, it stinks in video.
Mainly, I shoot mammals, amphibians, reptiles, landscapes, flowers and insects. Now, catching dragonflies in flight is a challenge but I don't think the mirrorless would work magic there at all. That truly is more trying to guess where it is going to be and then capturing the image.
Weight is a concern but I do not find the D500 and 200-500 to be objectionable. If it were lighter I'd welcome it but it's not a huge concern. It looks like the Sony 200-600 is about the same weight as the 200-500. I do like the idea of internal zoom just for balance and a shorter throw from one end of the zoom to another would be a plus. I have missed shots of deer, mink, beaver etc. because I needed to quickly zoom out to full zoom range and the action was over or the shot I wanted to capture was gone because of the need to turn the zoom ring, reposition the hand and then complete the zoom. Not frequent but it happens and a shorter throw would be welcome.
Honestly, I don't think I've missed any BIF due to AF issues but I'm more of an opportunist in that genre than someone who sets out to capture birds flying. I like to catch Osprey diving when they are fishing around here and the D500 does well there.
Sorry about the long winded answer. I am somewhat intrigued with the A7iv. The 33mpx sensor size seems like a good compromise between the huge file sizes of the higher MPX sensors and ability to crop in that one loses with lower MPX sensors. Having never shot this particular camera I was curious if others are using it for nature/wildlife and what kind of results folks are getting in our genre of photography.
Thanks for all the feedback. It is greatly appreciated.
Jeff
Joelb
New member
Now having a Sony a74 and a Nikon D500 with appropriate lenses, and despite having large hands, I prefer the Sony as overall results appear better however learning curve very steep. To me they both have pros and cons hence I have kept both. If pushed to select one I would probably opt for the Sony. Having spent some time with the Sony a7R4 I personally feel the the a74 is a marked improvement over the a7R4 depsite its megapixel size. Hire combo and try it out.
I did some reading and one issue was flagged that would rule it out for me - blackout and VF lag in burst shooting. Though I don't recall Gasquet mentioning it so maybe it was user error.
Sony a7 IV for birds in flight photography: First thoughts — Nature Photography Blog
My friends over at Sony of Canada sent over the first Sony a7 IV in Canada for me to give it a spin and test it out. Let's make no mistake, this is not a camera that was purpose-built for action or birds in flight photography, but it is much more affordable than both the much more capable (and e
www.naturephotographyblog.com
Joelb
New member
Blackout delay is extremely short using the mechanical shutter on the a74, when compared with my D500. I assume when shooting birds you are using a high frame rate 7-10 fps and I have found this does not bother me. Not sure what VF means ? variable focal length
View finder.
Joelb
New member
Both apply to EVF and LCD, but not really not a problem
Thanks. I will read the blog post. Coming from DSLR I'm not sure a blackout would bother me much unless it is a lot more blackout than my D500. I rarely do BIF photography and what I do is usually "environmental" shots of waterfowl lifting off from the marsh or raptors flying by. Both of which are more or less opportunistic in that I don't set out in the morning to focus on that type of photo but I won't pass it by when it presents itself.I did some reading and one issue was flagged that would rule it out for me - blackout and VF lag in burst shooting. Though I don't recall Gasquet mentioning it so maybe it was user error.
Sony a7 IV for birds in flight photography: First thoughts — Nature Photography Blog
My friends over at Sony of Canada sent over the first Sony a7 IV in Canada for me to give it a spin and test it out. Let's make no mistake, this is not a camera that was purpose-built for action or birds in flight photography, but it is much more affordable than both the much more capable (and e
I'm wondering if rolling shutter when in silent mode will bother me more than blackout? Silent shooting is one of the benefits I see with the EVF and Mirrorless cameras. If slower movement (i.e. a deer trotting through a field, a heron fly by, a squirrel in the trees, dragonflies flying, etc.) would trigger the rolling shutter effect or would that be a disappointment for me.???
Thanks again for the link.
Jeff
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Coming from a D500 I'm wondering if the blackout would bother me much or not. Especially when BIF is not a big part of my photography.
Jeff
Joelb
New member
If it doesn’t bother you on the D500 then it definitely shouldn’t on the Sony a7iv