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Archive 2017 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony

  
 
Dj R
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


I don't want to bore the native Sony family with all of my crap. So I figured I could talk with the other Nikon folks who have just purchased a Sony, probably many of you. Either getting the A7riii, or a used A7rii or even A9, since their street prices have come down a bit recently.

If you fit into this equation, what is your story? And let's keep the dialogue going as we have questions and discover things.


--

my story

I LOVE my D850, but I know that mirrorless is the future. Nikon screwed up so badly, not being in the game sooner. I don't think they are even close to having a FF mirrorless offering, so I jumped on the A7RIII, mainly b/c of the a list of improvements that the III brings over the II, which I've used.

A few of the main reasons for giving mirrorless a go is, light, and NO MIRROR. So fine tuning all of my glass to work with all of my bodies, every 3 months, is thing of the past (I think), at least on this platform. REAL silent shooting for weddings. Eye AF that works.

Going back to light weight.
Light is good for me, as I have been playing tennis competitively for the past 25 years. My right elbow suffers from tennis elbow. I notice that even when I haven't played tennis that week, if I shot a lot of portrait sessions, my elbow bothers me a bit. I imagine that as I get older, this is only going to get worse. Especially since I'm shooting more every year! So, for me, the idea of just taking the III and my 50mm to a portrait session run (I do 3-4 per day), man, my elbow is going to be happy.

I am so damn excited to be in Sony land today. I shot Canon 2008 to 2015. I changed in August 2015 to Nikon.
I got my first mirrorless camera today A7RIII, 50 f1.4 Zeiss, and Sony 28 f2.
I've taken a hundred pics so far. I'm so impressed with the tech and IQ.

I have shot with an A7RII at a few events, so I know how the III is improved.
IMO, that would be a minimum of these points:

the A7rII didn't have a joystick, a real AF on button, or dual card, or good battery life.

the A7rIII has a joystock, nice fat AF on button, dual cards, and uses the A9 battery = 4 MAJOR issues solved, for me, at least.

the A7rIII is getting the A9 color mgmt. they say the skin tones will be better than the II.

The Nikon rig, that <I eventually sold here, mostly> :

Nikon D850 and two D750
Sigma 12-24 ART
20 1.8G ED
28 1.4E ED
50 1.8G
105 1.4E FL ED
70-200 2.8E FL ED

I shoot both for fun and professionally, don't hold that later against me.
I use my 12-24 for commercial real estate and interior design work.
I use the rest for humans. Typically I shoot portraits and weddings.

Sony rig:
<updated may 2018>

Sony A7RIII
Sony A9
Sony A7III
Sony 12-24 G f4
Zeiss Batis 25 f2 Distagon
Sony 35 f1.4 Distagon ZA
Sony 50 f1.4 Planar ZA
Sony 55 f1.8 Sonnar ZA
Sony 85 f1.4 GM
Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM
Flashpoint R2 Speedlight V860II-S will add more later.

the Sony Zeiss 50mm
I chose this as I feel this is the best 50mm prime on the planet, I'm talking canon/nikon/sony...
when factoring in:
reasonable cost (<$2000 and this is only $1399 new right now)
bokeh (looks great)
character (really unique artsy looking)
sharpness at f1.4 (can't believe the sample I am seeing, wide open)
AF (from my research, seems good enough for the eye AF tech)

I am intrigued about the 85mm GM vs. 50 1.4 Zony. I will give them both a go.


Edited on May 04, 2018 at 09:59 AM · View previous versions



Dec 01, 2017 at 02:15 PM
sandycrane
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


I've been shooting Nikon predominantly for about ten years. I recently took advantage of the selling frenzy and got a good deal on a very nice a7rii. 90% of my shooting is with manual focus lenses: old Nikkors and Zeiss ZF(.2).
The manual focusing tools on the Sony and IBIS have been a revelation.



Dec 01, 2017 at 02:33 PM
Dj R
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


sandycrane wrote:
I've been shooting Nikon predominantly for about ten years. I recently took advantage of the selling frenzy and got a good deal on a very nice a7rii. 90% of my shooting is with manual focus lenses: old Nikkors and Zeiss ZF(.2).
The manual focusing tools on the Sony and IBIS have been a revelation.


congrats. I don't trust my eyes enough for MF, but I think on this platform, I may give it a shot!
hey,
if nikon is the dark side, what is sony?



Dec 01, 2017 at 02:34 PM
Dj R
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


this is really making me happy:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1519913

@elijah haha!!



Dec 01, 2017 at 02:36 PM
sandycrane
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


Well, it's not all good. Auto aperture stopdown on manual focus and earlier auto lenses is not supported on current adapters. In order to shoot with MF Nikkors you must first open the aperture, focus, manually adjust aperture ring to shooting aperture, and then the hit the shutter. But the precision available in mag view focus and the effective in body image stabilization system are pretty impressive.


Dec 01, 2017 at 03:07 PM
k-h.a.w
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


COMMLITE ANNOUNCES CM-ENF-E1 PRO V06 ELECTRONIC AF NIKON F TO SONY E-MOUNT ADAPTER
http://briansmith.com/commlite-announces-cm-enf-e1-pro-electronic-af-nikon-f-sony-e-mount-adapter/



Dec 01, 2017 at 03:19 PM
Elijah
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


Nice. Meanwhile, I'm looking at the XT-2's... Very fresh and caught my eye. Maybe it's time to sell my M10?


Dec 01, 2017 at 05:17 PM
philip_pj
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


Good luck to you. I want to look at the other direction, being a high end alt lens user. The D850 sensor is a great development, and Sony appear to be blocking CZ making more lenses for FE, or else Zeiss lost interest in the project. Nikon, who care more than anyone for DR, are working very hard on the electronics at present and will ensure a great fit to their present and past lens ranges.

Sony started out catering to serious enthusiasts then caved and headed in your direction with giant and frankly unattractive, commercial GM lenses of massive dimensions - out of all proportion to the bodies. I'm hoping Nikon step up with a serious platform for what I do.

'I don't think they are even close to having a FF mirrorless worthy of using professionally'

Music to my ears. 'Professional' does not serve the interests of enthusiasts, quite the contrary. It means huge everything - batteries, flashes, ancillary gear, GM style lenses, huge zooms, armored up bodies. Sonys have gone from 465g (a7r) to 657g (a7rIII).

'Professional' is what saw film SLRs move from a7 size devices to plastic bloatware with gigantic lenses. Leica M and Fuji are the preferred use cases in MILC, to this way of thinking. Believe me, the moment anyone produces a competitive FF MILC along these lines, watch the exodus. Sony is the only game in town at present. It's not going to be who does it first who wins, but who does it best.

[sandy, many focus at taking aperture (using EVF gain) to avoid focus shift and to see an accurate preview of in focus / OOF / exp. It works great for 1-2 stops down.]



Dec 01, 2017 at 06:14 PM
sandycrane
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


philip_pj wrote:
[sandy, many focus at taking aperture (using EVF gain) to avoid focus shift and to see an accurate preview of in focus / OOF / exp. It works great for 1-2 stops down.]



Yah, I haven't had a problem with focus shift and I hate to wallow in the increased DOF.
Might be a good idea with the endearingly bizarre Zeiss 50/1.4 ZF, though.



Dec 01, 2017 at 08:01 PM
moosehead222
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


Good thread, thanks. I am not a Pro, just a serious amateur. I have shoot Nikon for over 40 years and funny my first digital was a Sony/Zeiss with diskettes. Now, I am back. It was a little sad but I shoot now when I travel. My system was just too heavy for me. I sold all my Nikon (except the 180). I have been analyzing weight for the last month (since I placed the order for the a7riii). I did not want to downsize and then buy heavy lenses.

I am dropping my weight by more than 50%. I picked up the iii today and a Batis 135 and what a system. I have the L21 on order and bought a used 55. Just a couple stupid test shots but it is incredible. Sometimes change is good. I am once again excited about photography.

Heck, since LR does not have the conversion (I know you can get around it with command input) ... but Capture One is free and then $50 for C1 Pro for Sony, I have been trying that out. I have used LR since it came out and all good but I will have to say for workflow and quality C1 is impressive so far. They have one of the best user manuals that I have every seen.

It will take me a while to set up the custom buttons and settings but the journey should be a blast.



Dec 01, 2017 at 09:43 PM
Dj R
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


sandycrane wrote:
Yah, I haven't had a problem with focus shift and I hate to wallow in the increased DOF.
Might be a good idea with the endearingly bizarre Zeiss 50/1.4 ZF, though.


I'm fairly certain that you're being sarcastic, but I'm not in the know. So pls inform me. Is the Zony 50 1.4 supposed to be a lens that suffers from odd focus shifting or something?
thanks.



Edited on Dec 01, 2017 at 10:58 PM · View previous versions



Dec 01, 2017 at 10:41 PM
Dj R
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


philip_pj wrote:
Good luck to you. I want to look at the other direction, being a high end alt lens user. The D850 sensor is a great development, and Sony appear to be blocking CZ making more lenses for FE, or else Zeiss lost interest in the project. Nikon, who care more than anyone for DR, are working very hard on the electronics at present and will ensure a great fit to their present and past lens ranges.

Sony started out catering to serious enthusiasts then caved and headed in your direction with giant and frankly unattractive, commercial GM lenses of massive dimensions
...Show more

Good luck to you as well.
I really don't know where I'm headed. Regardless, we are both interested in the same thing, amazing tools that permit and even inspire us to use our creative vision for whatever we shoot.

I may end up using the Sony gear for fun. And the DSLR stuff for paid work. I have no idea.
Either way, it's all good. Nikon has hit a homerun with the D500 and D850, grand slams actually!
And now, Sony has done the same with the A7RIII, at least IMO.



Dec 01, 2017 at 10:44 PM
telyt
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


sandycrane wrote:
Well, it's not all good. Auto aperture stopdown on manual focus and earlier auto lenses is not supported on current adapters. In order to shoot with MF Nikkors you must first open the aperture, focus, manually adjust aperture ring to shooting aperture, and then the hit the shutter.


I focus at working aperture.


But the precision available in mag view focus and the effective in body image stabilization system are pretty impressive.


Two very big reasons I switched to Sony mirrorless.



Dec 02, 2017 at 06:56 AM
sandycrane
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


In keeping with the theme of the thread, my comments are directed to the Nikon (or Canon) mount Zeiss 50/1.4. I have no experience with the "Zony". I'm sure that lens is an entirely different animal.

Wide open the older 50/1.4 ZF/ZE does suffer from focus shift. It also suffers from high spherical aberration WO that some describe as soft, making critical focus hit and miss. By f2 things are getting better, f4 is extremely sharp, and at f5.6 it is about as sharp as a lens can be IMO. Note, I am referring to the pre-Milvus 50/1.4.

Wide open, the image details have a sharp core with an aura generated that gives an overall "dreamy" quality to the photo. For me, its wide open performance adds to the appeal of the lens. One of my favorites.

Many Zeiss fans consider the 50/1.4 the weakest performer in the ZF/ZE line. In reality it lags slightly behind the more popular 50/2 ZF at f2 and is its equal when stopped down beyond.



Dec 02, 2017 at 08:51 AM
Ken_Cravillion
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


How do you like your 28E? I currently shoot a couple of A9's and an A7RIII. I've had the Nikkor 105mm f1.4 for about a month and absolutely love it in both my A9's and A7RIII. Works so well. But I am intrigued by the 28mm f1.4E.


Dec 02, 2017 at 07:49 PM
Ken_Cravillion
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


k-h.a.w wrote:
COMMLITE ANNOUNCES CM-ENF-E1 PRO V06 ELECTRONIC AF NIKON F TO SONY E-MOUNT ADAPTER
http://briansmith.com/commlite-announces-cm-enf-e1-pro-electronic-af-nikon-f-sony-e-mount-adapter/


This is the one I shoot with and it works awesome with the Nikkor E lenses.



Dec 02, 2017 at 07:59 PM
Ken_Cravillion
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


k-h.a.w wrote:
COMMLITE ANNOUNCES CM-ENF-E1 PRO V06 ELECTRONIC AF NIKON F TO SONY E-MOUNT ADAPTER
http://briansmith.com/commlite-announces-cm-enf-e1-pro-electronic-af-nikon-f-sony-e-mount-adapter/


This is the one I shoot with and it works awesome with the Nikkor E lenses.



Dec 02, 2017 at 07:59 PM
bjornthun
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


When Nikon eventually go mirrorless, they need to beat the performance that can be achieved with this new Commlite adapter on Sony cameras. The AF here probably beats Nikon liveview mode AF by a good margin, since Nikon doesn't have PDAF on the sensor, only PDAF with the mirror down. Wonder if the alarm bells are ringing in Nikon's headquarters in Tokyo?

It's increasingly clear, that Canon has done well to implement dual pixel AF in liveview mode.



Dec 02, 2017 at 09:08 PM
Jonathan Brady
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


Former Canon shooter here so please pardon my intrusion, but you really ought to look into the 55mm f/1.8 if you want sharp and also light. By sacrificing 2/3 of a stop, you'll shed a LOT of weight and bulk and still get a VERY sharp lens. It won't render quite as nicely either, but again, the size/weight difference is huge. See attached...







Dec 03, 2017 at 12:05 AM
sandycrane
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Nikon folks grab a coffee & a Sony


I'm not quite sure which lenses you're referring to. I assume they are both usable on a Nikon/Sony adapter? Also, would it be possible to resize your image? Thanks.


Dec 05, 2017 at 01:09 PM
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