Welcome to V61!!!

Previous threads:
V60
V59
V58 V57 V56



The Sony Alpha User List is managed by chiahau. Click here to jump to it!

Sony Alpha F.A.Q courtesy of Ahmike

Common Kelvin White Balance Settings:


Wireless Flash Compatibility List:


Removing Pop-Up Flash Effect In Wireless Flash Mode:


Sony Alpha Lens Line-up: HERE courtesy of vcxv

Below are the official additional accessories* that comes with respective Sony Alpha camera:

Flash hotshoe cover (Sony FASHC1AM) - A100, A77 (soft version), A700, A900
Remote Commander clip - A100, A200, A300, A350, A700, A900
Eyepiece cover / flash hotshoe cover holder - A100, A200, A300, A350, A700
Cheap Sony neckstrap - A200, A300, A350
Good Sony neckstrap - A100, A77, A700, A900
Wireless Infrared Remote Control - A700, A900

* list provided by albnok

Sony Alpha Support Page and Alpha User Manuals: Sony Support Site A200 A300/A350 A700 A900

How to clean your Alpha sensor by albnok:



Some useful links:

Tamron/Sigma/Sony/Minolta 70-200mm F2.8 Shootout
http://www.glaringnotebook.com/default.asp?id=1243

Ultra Wide Comparison
http://www.glaringnotebook.com/default.asp?id=1324

Alpha street pricelist updated 26th October 2013:

Camera

Sony A230 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM14xx
Sony A290 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM14xx
Sony A330 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM18xx
Sony A380 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM20xx
Sony A380 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM + 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT SAM = RM24xx
Sony A390 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM17xx
Sony A33 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM21xx
Sony A33 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM + 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT SAM = RM23xx
Sony A35 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM21xx
Sony A37 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM15xx
Sony A500 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM + 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT SAM = RM31xx
Sony A550 body only = RM21xx
Sony A550 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM21xx
Sony A550 + 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DT = RM40xx
Sony A580 body only = RM24xx
Sony A580 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM27xx
Sony A55 body only + 8GB MSPD HX = RM21xx
Sony A55 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM25xx
Sony A55 + 50mm F1.8 DT SAM = RM26xx (Studio Zaloon)
Sony A55 + 16-105mm F3.5-5.6 DT = RM37xx (Studio Zaloon)
Sony A57 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM18xx
Sony A58 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM19xx NEW
Sony A65 body only = RM26xx
Sony A65 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM = RM28xx
Sony A700 + 18-70mm F3.5-5.6 DT = RM33xx
Sony A77 body only = RM38xx
Sony A77 + 16-50mm F2.8 DT SSM = RM48xx
Sony A850 body only = RM61xx
Sony A900 body only = RM73xx (Studio Zaloon)
Sony A99 body only = RM74xx
Sony NEX-3 + 16mm F2.8 = RM16xx
Sony NEX-3 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS = RM18xx
Sony NEX-3 + 16mm F2.8 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS = RM22xx
Sony NEX-C3 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS = RM19xx
Sony NEX-F3 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS = RM18xx
Sony NEX-F3 + 16mm F2.8 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS = RM22xx
Sony NEX-F3 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS = RM25xx
Sony NEX-3N + 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 8GB SD (x2) = RM14xx NEW
Sony NEX-3N + 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS + 8GB SD = RM18xx NEW
Sony NEX-5 + 16mm F2.8 = RM21xx
Sony NEX-5 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS = RM22xx
Sony NEX-5 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 4GB MSPD = RM23xx
Sony NEX-5 + 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Active OSS + 8GB MSPD + LCD protector = RM32xx
Sony NEX-5N + 16mm F2.8 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 8GB MSPD = RM26xx
Sony NEX-5R + 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 8GB SD = RM18xx
Sony NEX-5R + 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS + 8GB SD = RM25xx
Sony NEX-6 + 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 8GB SD = RM27xx
Sony NEX-6 + 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS + 8GB SD (x2) = RM34xx
Sony NEX-7 + 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS + 16GB SD = RM39xx
Sony VG-900 = RM94xx

The following suffixes identify what lens comes with the camera body:

G = Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DT
K = Sony 18-70mm F3.5-5.6 DT
L = Sony 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM
M = Sony 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM
P = Sony 16-105mm F3.5-5.6 DT
Q = Sony 28-75mm F2.8 SAM (or Sony 16-50mm F2.8 DT SSM with A77)
W = Sony 18-70mm F3.5-5.6 DT + Sony 75-300mm F4.5-5.6
X = Sony 18-70mm F3.5-5.6 DT + Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT
Y = Sony 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DT SAM + Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT (2) SAM
Z = Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 DT ZA

For Sony NEX bodies:

A = Sony E 16mm F2.8 pancake
D = Sony E 16mm F2.8 pancake + Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
H = Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Active OSS
K = Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
L = Sony E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS pancake
Y = Sony E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS pancake + Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS

Battery Grip

Sony VG-B30AM for A200/A300/A350 = RM6xx
Sony VG-B50AM for A450/A500/A550/A560/A580 = RM6xx
Sony VG-C70AM for A700 = RM9xx
Sony VG-C90AM for A850/A900 = RM9xx

Battery

Sony NP-FH50 battery for A230/A290/A330/A380/A390 = RM2xx
Sony NP-FW50 battery for NEX-3/NEX-C3/NEX-F3/NEX-3N/NEX-5/NEX-5N/NEX-5R/NEX-5T/NEX-6/NEX-7/A33/A35/A37/A55 = RM2xx
Sony NP-FM500H battery for A100/A200/A300/A350/A450/A500/A550/A560/A580/A700/A850/A900/A57/A58/A65/A77/A99 = RM2xx

Other Accessories

Sony FDA-EVS1 electronic viewfinder for NEX-5N = RM9xx

Flash

Sony HVL-F20S = RM3xx
Sony HVL-F20AM = RM4xx
Sony HVL-F42AM = RM7xx
Sony HVL-F43AM = RM7xx
Sony HVL-F58AM = RM11xx
Sony HVL-F60M = RM11xx

Sony/Minolta Used Lenses

Minolta 28mm F2.8 = RM450-600
Minolta 35-70 F4 (mini beercan) = RM250-400
Minolta 50mm F1.4 = RM750-850
Minolta 50mm F1.7 = RM450-600
Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT = RM450-550
Minolta 70-210mm F4 (beercan) = RM750-1100
Minolta 75-300mm F4.5-5.6 (big beercan) = RM1000-1500
Sony 75-300mm F4.5-5.6 = RM450-550

New APS-C / DT Crop Lenses

Samyang 8mm F3.5 = RM10xx
Sony 11-18mm F4.5-5.6 DT = RM20xx
Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 DT ZA = RM25xx
Sony 16-105mm F3.5-5.6 DT = RM16xx
Sony 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DT = RM16xx
Sony 30mm F2.8 DT SAM Macro = RM7xx
Sony 35mm F1.8 DT SAM = RM6xx
Sony 50mm F1.8 DT SAM = RM5xx
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC HSM Macro = RM30xx

E-mount Lenses For Alpha NEX Cameras

Sigma 19mm F2.8 EX DN = RM7xx
Sigma 30mm F2.8 EX DN = RM7xx
Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro = RM7xx
Sony E 50mm F1.8 OSS = RM9xx
Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Active OSS = RM21xx
Sony E Carl Zeiss 16-70mm F4 ZA = RM31xx NEW
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS = RM8xx

New Full-Frame Lenses

Sony 16mm F2.8 Diagonal Fisheye = RM25xx
Sony 20mm F2.8 = RM19xx
Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 SSM ZA = RM54xx
Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm F2.8 SSM ZA = RM54xx
Sony 24-105mm F3.5-4.5 = RM18xx
Sony Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm F2.0 SSM ZA = RM38xx
Sony 28mm F2.8 = RM8xx
Sony 28-75mm F2.8 SAM = RM26xx
Samyang 35mm F1.4 = RM15xx
Sony 35mm F1.4G = RM45xx
Sony 50mm F1.4 = RM10xx
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM = RM42xx NEW
Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro = RM14xx
Sony 85mm F2.8 SAM = RM8xx
Samyang 85mm F1.4 = RM10xx
Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 Macro = RM30xx
Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG HSM Macro = RM38xx
Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM = RM54xx
Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G SSM = RM25xx
Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM = RM54xx
Sony Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F1.4 ZA = RM50xx
Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro = RM23xx
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F1.8 ZA = RM48xx
Sony 135mm F2.8/T4.5 Smooth Transition Focus = RM36xx
Sony 500mm F8.0 AF Reflex = RM25xx
Sony 300mm F2.8G SSM = RM20xxx
Sony 1.4x Teleconverter = RM15xx
Sony 2.0x Teleconverter = RM15xx
Sony LA-EA1 lens adapter = RM5xx
Sony LA-EA2 lens adapter = RM9xx
Sony VCL-ECF1 fisheye adapter = RM3xx

Userbars!

NEX: http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff385/shahibbul/AlphaNex-2.png (thanks to shahibbul!)

A100: image url: http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/2687/alpha100cb9.png

A200: image url: http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1922/a200.png

A230: image url: http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/8318/a230.png

A300: image url: http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2802/a300.png

A330: image url: http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4850/a330.png

A350: image url: http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3761/a350.png

A380: image url: http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4733/a380.png

A390: image url: http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5741/a390.png

A550: image url: http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2650/a550.png

A700: image url: http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7245/a700.png

A850: image url: http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8928/a850.png

A900: image url: http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5185/alpha900wp4.png

any1 can share any cctv lens review? interested to play around with it

now our thread getting new thread faster...

Another shot from Sony A7 + Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 SC

May I ask sifu around here how do you turn on the timelapse mode for the camera, lazy watch youtube, would rather read about it.

Did not want to crop the left side to show you the distortion from the lens.

is it the same 35mm that samyang just launched for full frame?

how much u bought this lens and where? and mind to show the photo of a7 with it? i am looking for 35mm F1.4 also... must be priced below 2k.. XD

samyang or Voigtlander ? which better in term of sharpness?

This post has been edited by ahpingko: Dec 22 2014, 04:33 PM

Hey avid photographers, just one quick question. Which model you guys are interested in getting? Doing a survey to have a proper market instead of hitting around the bush.

for me i need lens...35mm and 85mm...a-mount...

There's only one Samyang 35mm F1.4 UMC as far as I know. My review of it:

http://glaringnotebook.com/?p=1569

Did you mean the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art with autofocus?

Also, you'll have to go to Studio Zaloon to compare the Samyang and Voigtlander.

This post has been edited by albnok: Dec 22 2014, 04:51 PM

SAL35F18 and SAL85F28?

ur review seemed to be good enough... haha... zaloon selling voigtlander also? agak agak berapa price?

Dunno, call him? Otherwise this is what Google says. This is a lot smaller than my Samyang though!

http://famecherry.com/shop-with-us-2/essen...-4-nokton-lens/

quite pricy though.. hahaha.. wait until my lenses are out.. short of cash now... any takers for my lenses? shoot a price to me.. hahahaa

Hello its a voit, very hard lens to focus, if you go too near you cant focus and misfocus. if you go far misfocus, your distance must be chun when it comes to f/1.4-f/4.

Around f/8 everything is better and sharper but you lost depth of field.

I bought from a Leica user in Photo Malaysia forum for 1.2k condition 7/10



took this 10mins ago.

it is not about voit to be a hard lens to focus, you just need more practice.. generally 35mm should be easier to nail a sharp focus compared to those higher focal length primes like 85mm F1.4.. from the review itself, this voig seemed to be softer at wide open compared to samyang 35mm.. i will try to find someone to try both of these samyang 35mm and voig 35mm before i buy any of them..

This post has been edited by ahpingko: Dec 22 2014, 06:06 PM

Belphegor

Has my rx100 grip arrived yet?

Hey, you are the guy who asked about the grip on Sunway close door event right? Probably you need to make a call to Sony Centre, Sunway Pyramid.

Christmas came early! I actually got my A7 body (new) for just RM3k with full warrantee + 16GB UHS-1 SD card! Also got 2 lens together with it...The Rokinon 85 1.4 and Zeiss FE 55 1.8

really cant wait to shoot with it!



*ADD* I am deciding to get an UWA tomorrow but I dont know which one to get. I am looking at Samyang 14mm 2.8 or Voigtlander 15mm Heliar
Samyang seems like a great bang for buck, but the size and asthetic for the Voigtlander is just sooooo tempting!

This post has been edited by NutZ748: Dec 22 2014, 09:08 PM

how much damage? hahahaa... post some sample photo of that 85mm... nice strap there... i am looking for strap too..

Around 6k+ for the body, 55 1.8 and LA-EA3 (I owned the 85 since my previous A65), tomorrow is going to increase the damage XD

Sample pic with the 85... It is FANTASTIC combination with FF, quite sharp wide-open, Only problem is the CA.


Thanks for the compliment The strap is actually a very very old strap(older than me!) from a Yashica Electro 35 rangefinder which happens to fit very well on the A7. I dont like the original strap by sony, didnt even touch it since I bought the A7

This post has been edited by NutZ748: Dec 22 2014, 09:21 PM

That someone... or someplace... is Studio Zaloon. Go there - it's one of the few places I know that will have both!

EH!.. that yashica i also got!!! let me go korek that strap.. hahahaa

sure... will go.. hahahaa... did u try 16-35 F4 for FE E-mount?

LOL go for it!!! it looks so good on A7!

what is the sweet spot for SEl35f1.8?

Around 2.8

thanx

Another question:

then f1.8 is wasted?

Another question

I know image sharpness is referring to resolution of more than 1,800 lines per inch

Is there a online software/website where we can upload a photo and check if it is sharp or not?

I didn't try at all, even though I've seen it a few times. I am honestly not interested in that lens because:
1) Most of my stuff is still in A-mount
2) I have the Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG already which is much wider
3) My A-mount 24mm F2.0 Zeiss already covers this, and I have a E-mount 16mm F2.8 with the rear baffle removed so it becomes full-frame but with vignetting
4) If I really wanted a wide-angle FE Zeiss I'd wait for the FE-mount 28mm F2.0 (or use the E-mount 20mm F2.8 pancake, but not enough resolution when in APS-C mode on my A7S)

Wow the 16mm 2.8 works with FF with the baffle removed?! how is the image quality?

my old strap looked fragile.. later putus if i attach my F42 flashgun to my a7.. XD..

ordered this instead..

http://storks.co/shop/product/vintage-doub...esh-neck-strap/

Btw.. Which kind of adapter can i use to mount my samyang 8mm fisheye A-mount to my A7? Any cheapo adapter without electronic parts?

This post has been edited by ahpingko: Dec 23 2014, 08:23 AM

Cheap a7k in digidirect.com.au

1119 aus only.

yup bro...any discounts on those lens?

well, a sharp image doesn't mean it is a good one and vise versa don't be so nitpicking on sharpness, it won't add too much more value to a picture and can be fixed with PP a lot of the time.

It depends on what you want. But having the option to go 1.8 is a plus if you want more bokeh

not bokeh only but more light...

Haha nice also...
I use LAEA-3 but I heard you can get EA-1 and remove the baffle and still works

Thanks everyone

- Reason I ask : It would be more pleasing to have a sharp image, no?

- I read up about this yesterday and many people suggest a tripod as a start. OK

- I found a website which calculate EV (exposure value) - http://www.endoflow.com/exposure/

Let’s say Im using SEL 35mm f1.8, set at f2.8, 1/60s & ISO 100. The result is EV=9



So it tells me “Landscapes, city skylines 10 minutes after sunset. Neon lights, spotlighted subjects”

These are the situation for these setting?

Forget the tripod part.. just go and learn how to steady your shots with proper technique.. why frustrate your mobility ? You must develop steady enough handhold shots down to 1sec! or at lest 0.5 sec.. on 50mm full manual lens - otherwise you will continue to be slave to the technology.. This are traditional benchmarks from the old school and it is still valid if you want to enjoy using manual lens. These days, it cost you nothing to learn and acquire this skill except our patience and time.

There are plenty of tips out there to show and tell.. experiment find your best way..

The only time you really need tripod is when shooting macro or using long tele photo lens beyond 135mm- Full Frame.

This post has been edited by ChinWY: Dec 23 2014, 11:21 AM

Haha, true.

I cant answer this one, too technical Just trial and error for me

my 35mm f1.8 only working if shoot closed up portrait

Any thing more than half body need switch to F2.8 if want nice sharp eyes

who actually shoot with this kind of procedure anyways

imagine you have to redo all these steps everytime you take a picture, it would be time wasting only. our camera has quite accurate metering system already, just go out and try taking pictures. too dark, dial in +ev. too light, dial in -ev, it's that simple.

Not true not true... You need tripod for long exposure shots like light trail, flowing water etc. Don't tell me you're going to handhold 15 or 30s shots

Trial and error FTW!!

Agree on the metering part but exposure comp not working in manual mode with Auto ISO. Too bad.

Agree if you are doing long exposure. I should have been more explicit is stating my opinion..

There are many occasions where tripod is not at hand and you need that shot even with onboard stabilizers. Best to master the skill and have that advantage .. othwise the A7s can do the job too.. with its insane ISO capability.

Those are like for manual settings using manual film camera with no metering system so you got to guess the Aperture/iso/shutter speed combination to get the optimum exposure. You don't need to stuff your head with such technicalities at this day of age with advanced digital cameras with semi automatic controls with advanced metering systems. Also especially if you're a newbie

Those rules like sunny f/16 rule bla bla bla.

Actually even with full manual mode, you just need to check the exposure meter, just make sure it's around 0 for 'optmimum" exposure.

For me, my setup is simple.

For a night landscape, it's always f/8 or f/11 depending on how much depth of field you require. ISO will always be at the lowest, that is 100.

For light trail, go for smaller aperture to achieve longer shutter speed.

Thats it.

Just for curiosity .. will ISO 100 really produce better image quality? with film days yes on most account .. but what I read is most new digital camera sensors today fair better at ISO400. Anyone to enlighten? I think the buzz word is Native ISO

This post has been edited by ChinWY: Dec 23 2014, 12:35 PM

sure it will be best if you can shoot at ISO100 or lower to produce a noise free image.

-kytz- mingyuyu bai1101


OK, im learning to grasp the camera well (close to body, palm support etc)

But the PZ 1650mm is too short & A6000 quite small to hold and feels awkward



About speed, the "rule of thumb" that I learned is : reciprocal of the focal length

So if 35mm, I should use at least 1/60s

This pic was taken with 35mm ƒ/1.8 1/10s (ISO800)

Is this OK?

If i remember correctly, I had a blinking EV -2.0 at the bottom bar

I checked the EV Compensation is at "0.0"

So I need to dial up +2.0 to compensate

Thats what u mean?

(if i remember correctly, the blinking think was still there or the image wasnt improved much. I will try again tonight)

I've posted about it a while back but here goes:
http://glaringnotebook.com/?p=7364

Not sure about the A6000, but the A7/R/S has an EV dial that works in manual mode with Auto ISO. You might be able to adjust EV in say Aperture Priority then switch back to Manual Exposure and see if it affects Auto ISO.

so far my success try on F1.8 still fail.. but will try against when there is chance

this one i think the only few pic i found in my album that had f1.8 proper focused





This post has been edited by bai1101: Dec 23 2014, 02:05 PM

Yes, there is a Native ISO.

Shooting at a lower ISO than native will mean you lose dynamic range.

Shooting at a higher ISO is just shooting at native ISO but with underexposure and gain applied. (Shooting at lower than native is also overexposure!)

There is also Native WB (look up UniWB).

edit

This post has been edited by bunnykiwie: Dec 23 2014, 01:34 PM

Exactly... that said, "native iso" varies from sensor to sensor. For the A6k I think it's either 200 or 400, not sure. For the A7, I dunno.

As for tripods I don't bother anymore, due to my mostly mobile style of shooting, as I normally shoot on travels and I walk around A LOT. Even the smallest tripods are an unnecessary burden.

What I *do* use is this:



The Hakuba sandbag wrap cover thingy. Got it in Japan for about RM15-20? Stabilises your shots on just about any surface or thing (wall, railing, telecom junction boxes). I could get away with anything from 2secs to up to 30secs with just this thing, and it fits in my cargo pants pocket.

I mean, it's so good I bought two... and now I regret not buying more.

Here's an example of a 5 sec exposure with my A6k on a railing with the Hakuba sandie:


Nakano Broadway Rush by Eirakkun, on Flickr

BUT, to get things nice and crisp you have to be properly setup for long exposures ler.

OSS/SS must be turned OFF (YES, for supported shots it MUST be OFF - OSS compensates for handheld shakes) and the camera must be on the 2sec timer setting to minimise shake - even IF you have a remote.

Thankfully the A6k (or the A7 family or any other mirrorless cams for that matter) doesn't have a mirror so we don't need to worry about mirror slap and MLU.

And native ISO if you *can*... sometimes you just need to go down to 100 simply because your ND filter is just not dark enough to get the proper shutter speed, and shooting at f22 will crap out sharpness due to diffraction... which is why smaller apertures are not always the answer and why you actually *need* an ND for long exposures so that you can stay around the f8-f16 sharpness sweet spot.

Even if you don't do a lot of long exposures, the Hakuba sandie (or any other type of bean/sandbag) is useful simply to steady your shots for group shots or other normal stuff. It does need something to be mounted on, however, but at least it does add the bulk of a tripod to your gear pack.. nor does it add the hassle of actually having to set up that tripod before using it.

Not sure if anything similar is available locally though. Online we do have stuff like "The Pod"... but those are at least RM150 a pop.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Dec 23 2014, 04:33 PM

Just get a tripod if you can do better with it and don't mind the weight. Don't care what ppl say. Getting the shot you want is the most important point. Having the tool is one thing, knowing how to use the tool is another thing. If this tool helps, why not?? Buy.... Buy... Buyyyyyyyy

But your lens (assume that is the Sel35f18) has OSS inside. So you can go slower than the calculated speed.

My bad, just tested. Yes it works for Auto iso in manual mode. Just that in manual mode, my top dial is controlling the aperture while the jog dial is controlling SS. I set the "down" button to something else too so I have to dig into function menu to change exp. Comp.

I'm mostly shooting manual now as Aperture priority won't really work the way i want. Sometimes instead of pushing iso up, the camera chooses to reduce the shutter speed. Not sure what's the algorithm behind.

I have my top dial to change exp comp in both S and A mode. Was using those modes earlier but now Manual. Don't have wide lens yet so changing aperture from 3.5 or 5.6 up to say 22 doesn't really give a different image when everything is far away from camera. That's why most of the time only stuck to widest aperture, only stop down when needed.

Maybe am a little control freak. I better stay with M

About holding the A6k, I ended up not even worrying about grip due to how tiny it is.

I normally just use it one handed like a rangefinder/PnS, and shooting in bursts of 3-5 to make sure I get a sharp snap... Though going back through my shots to delete the unsharp ones afterwards can be quite a PITA lol.

Plus I shoot RAW simply because if the camera screws up the exposure, I'll have better chances of saving the shot from a RAW than I'll do with a JPG. Unfortunately, bursts and RAW means I go through memory cards like only God knows lol.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Dec 23 2014, 04:09 PM

The camera chooses shutter speed this way:

Focal length * crop factor = 1/shutter speed

So if you are shooting at 35mm, 35mm * 1.5x = 52.5 = 1/52.5s where the nearest is 1/60s.

If you use flash, it will not be slower than 1/60s and not faster than the flash sync speed (e.g. 1/160s).

The ISO is assumed to be at the lowest Auto ISO will allow e.g. 200. Then the aperture is adjusted so the shutter speed is achieved e.g. F5.6.

If it is still too dark, then only will the camera increase ISO. So you don't have a case of the camera jumping to ISO1600 first then setting the aperture to F22.

looks fine to me, but I didn't zoom in to view the full size though. the rule of thumb is like a guideline, some can get steady pictures at even slower shutter speed, but some still fail to get sharp shots even when followed the rule.

the ability of person to hold a camera steadily varies for every picture. even you stand at the same spot, aiming at the same subject, take 10 shots in a interval of 5 seconds or something, you will realize you might get different results. the most common tips for getting a steady posture involve holding our breath, leaning on a wall/ pole or others to prevent body shaking, holding the camera with both hands, firing the shutter gently and standing straight with hands close to our chest.

This post has been edited by mingyuyu: Dec 23 2014, 05:32 PM

Can't really have that DSLR grip when handling the A6000 with the kit lens but I have no issues with it. Honestly, the kit lens is a real gem as it's a good lens and it's really compact which is the entire point of getting a mirror less camera. Compare that to a 16-70 Zeiss which is like a behemoth lol.

That shutter speed rule of thumb varies from person to person. Just need to find what shutter speed you're most comfortable using. But keep in mind, it's always better to have a noisier shot that a blur one

Haha it's good if you can handhold 1/10 s at 35 mm. Not many are able to do that! But of course the OSS really helps a lot! It's like 3 stops of image stabilisation I in!

Sorry I was mistaken as I thought the manual mode would have an exposure meter like in DSLRs but it's similar.

When you EV shows a -2.0 value means that you are basically 2 stops darker than optimum exposure as determined by the camera. Usually just need to maintain it at zero. Depending on situations, you might find it better to shoot at +0.3 or +0.7 for example.

I'm usually on +0.3 when taking pictures under day light as the camera tend to underexposed by a bit.

Serious damage today...

TBH, the *ability* to shoot in low light at low shutter speeds thanks to OSS is actually also a curse if you shoot people. Unless they're standing still, anything below 1/60 (or 1/30 if youre lucky) will pretty much blur the people involved... which can be a royal pain when you actually don't want them to blur out.

In which case your only option is to increase the aperture width (not practical most of the time coz of the DOF becoming paper thin), increase ISO (which is the reason people get the A7s) or getting a flash (which comes with its own bag of snakes to tame).

If you're just shooting the scene/scenery itself or just like blurring people out for the fun of it like me it's a different story however... Though the SEL35 isn't the best focal length for scene shooting IMHO, the Sig19, SEL20, SEL16 and the superlative SEL24Z is much better for that.

The kitty is fine though, FL wise, but for snapshots it takes its sweet time to turn on and extend so you might miss your moment. Otherwise it's a pretty okay kitty, all things considered... especially considering the teeny weeny size. I'm just not a fan of the slow start up and the distortion (which sometimes results in slightly weird stretched out corners with lens correction applied).

And yes, lenses being almost comically huge on the tiny A6k is the reason why I'm sticking to primes for now. It's such a waste of its tiny body to stick a huge lens in front of it...

However, I wouldn't say the 1670Z is *that* big. You should see the A6k with the SEL16105G, the *old* SEL18200 or the even huger 70200G mounted on it lol.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Dec 23 2014, 07:13 PM

Never really look at those formula. New thing learnt but I doubt I will every calculate it Just trial and error then soon I will know at what focal length, what shutter speed should I use to get sharp images or just preview each time after a shot (which is what we usually do ).

Flash... Another field to explore. Even the built-in flash... Don't even know how to control when I'm in Manual mode. Will explore it later.

The camera won't set it to F22 la coz that will be darker

Talking about OSS... Do I actually need to turn it off while doing long exposure? I have been doing it with that ON. Maybe I should try out someday and see the difference.

yeah can't agree more that the 1650 is a piece of gem. Also agree on the slow powering up part. Distortion wise still ok, not so visible for me.

I probably won't get another zoom lens other than the Kit Lens. Just legacy lenses and native prime lenses.


Also feel like doing macro but to make macro easier (for bugs that kind of thing), have to get a longer macro lens like 100mm or more. Sony hasn't got one lens for that though. Just the 30mm F3.5



Some photos for today but it's #throwback

1.

DSC01394 by CJSquare, on Flickr

2.

DSC01391 by CJSquare, on Flickr

3.

DSC01578 by CJSquare, on Flickr

4.

DSC01414 by CJSquare, on Flickr


For 4., don't ask me why I chopped off the ferris wheel. I only noticed it the other day~~

My favourite photo today!

Newbie reporting in!
Hello everyone!
I just get a Sony A57 from my bro last few days. Here's the photo I took today, hope you guys can give me some comment

1.
DSC08187 by ahkent96, on Flickr

2.
DSC08192 by ahkent96, on Flickr

3.
DSC08140 by ahkent96, on Flickr

Thanks in advance... ^^

This post has been edited by weikent: Dec 23 2014, 11:09 PM

Being honest,

1st photo ; if your subject is placed in more interesting perspective would make photo look different, i can see puddle of water and grass?

2nd photo ; not mistaken its misfocused.

3rd photo ; the color ran too greenish imho.

Side-self captured with Sony a7 under low light but pullback shadows and edit a little.

Technically not an Alpha family, but a distant relative.



RX100m3 with timelapse app, stretched to 30% speed. Best viewed in fullscreen 1080p

This post has been edited by lwliam: Dec 24 2014, 03:16 AM

Sony one utama xmas sales. Anything there?

Thank you. I will try to improve.

Some new spam in new thread!

asd-0679 by bdrc, on Flickr

asd-03492 by bdrc, on Flickr

asd-03589 by bdrc, on Flickr

Nice pic you got there. What lens were you using? F value?