shadow9d9 wrote:
I guess I am trying to figure out if the better autofocusing is worth the extra $2000 along with the limit of 560 vs 840 range. It is a tough decision.
Also remember to consider the small buffer and slower writing to cards that most reviews have mentioned. That can become a headache for BIF and unexpected non-flight action sometimes.
Also consider how small that A6400 body is...I can't even stand the A9 mounted to a larger lens until it has the battery grip. The tiny A6400 wouldn't be ergonomic at all.
Also consider the EVF experience...the blackout free EVF of the A9 is what really sets it apart from every other camera out there. Shooting the other day back and forth with my D850, the ease of tracking along with a bird with the A9 was very noticeable. I've never got on well with the EVF lag/blackout from the other Sony cameras and the A6400 will be similar to the A7R3 that I tried.
If you have enough focal length to use on a 24MP FF sensor than IMO the extra $$ for the A9 is worth every penny...but if everything is going to be too small in the frame then it certainly isn't worth it.
I'm still going to hold out for the "A7000" AKA "The Unicorn" or the even more mythical "A9R" but I might cave to try an A6400 for some select "reach" required work.
arbitrage wrote:
Also remember to consider the small buffer and slower writing to cards that most reviews have mentioned. That can become a headache for BIF and unexpected non-flight action sometimes.
Also consider how small that A6400 body is...I can't even stand the A9 mounted to a larger lens until it has the battery grip. The tiny A6400 wouldn't be ergonomic at all.
Also consider the EVF experience...the blackout free EVF of the A9 is what really sets it apart from every other camera out there. Shooting the other day back and forth with my D850, the ease of tracking along with a bird with the A9 was very noticeable. I've never got on well with the EVF lag/blackout from the other Sony cameras and the A6400 will be similar to the A7R3 that I tried.
If you have enough focal length to use on a 24MP FF sensor than IMO the extra $$ for the A9 is worth every penny...but if everything is going to be too small in the frame then it certainly isn't worth it.
I'm still going to hold out for the "A7000" AKA "The Unicorn" or the even more mythical "A9R" but I might cave to try an A6400 for some select "reach" required work....Show more →
I think you are right. The a9 it is for now. I just know that they will be likely making a sequel camera before the olympics. Oh well.
shadow9d9 wrote:
I think you are right. The a9 it is for now. I just know that they will be likely making a sequel camera before the olympics. Oh well.
Yes it is pretty much a sure bet there will be an A9II early next year to show off in Tokyo alongside the dinosaur 1DX3 and D6
Just bumping this thread to ask another question. How does the A6400 work with standing birds? In other words, birds that are moving, but not flying. Does the A6400 and 100-400+ tc work fairly well? I'm looking to compare it to the G9 and 100-400 combo.
shadow9d9 wrote:
Just bumping this thread to ask another question. How does the A6400 work with standing birds? In other words, birds that are moving, but not flying. Does the A6400 and 100-400+ tc work fairly well? I'm looking to compare it to the G9 and 100-400 combo.
I feel like it did great. Quick lock on focus, no problems.
Here is one sample , the stilt was walking through the water. The birds were a bit away, so this is a 50% crop
You did great Roberta. It looks like you are getting committed to the Sony system.
Here is a link to a very good video and free book on ways to set the Sony cameras up including for action photography. All of Mark Galer's videos and books are well done and worth watching.
1bwana1 wrote:
You did great Roberta. It looks like you are getting committed to the Sony system.
Here is a link to a very good video and free book on ways to set the Sony cameras up including for action photography. All of Mark Galer's videos and books are well done and worth watching.
Steve
&t=203s
I like his videos but his intonation & cadence is SO annoying (not too bad in this video though)
I hope Roberta won't mind if I share a couple pictures in her thread. All these were shot at 1/750 second, a bit too slow, I think. Shooting these birds doesn't really need world class AF though.
kdrk888 wrote:
I hope Roberta won't mind if I share a couple pictures in her thread. All these were shot at 1/750 second, a bit too slow, I think. Shooting these birds doesn't really need world class AF though.
Very nice images. So you were able to capture some snow geese when you went up to Middle Creek. How respnsive did you find the camera and did you find the AF aquisition and follow focus? Also problems with the size of the camera and with the RF vs SLR design? I have small hands so the size probably will not be too problematic for me.
Very nice images. So you were able to capture some snow geese when you went up to Middle Creek. How respnsive did you find the camera and did you find the AF aquisition and follow focus? Also problems with the size of the camera and with the RF vs SLR design? I have small hands so the size probably will not be too problematic for me.
Rich
Thanks Rich. I did make it up to Middle Creek on Tuesday to see the snow geese. They said there were 100,000 of them on Monday but I didn't think there were that many on Tuesday, the snow and ice pushed some of them to find food elsewhere. They say the geese may come back to Middle Creek when it warms up over the weekend. The lake is frozen and the fields are snow covered right now.
I think the A6400 is very responsive, AF acquisition is very fast and tracking is good. Of course tracking snow geese or swans is not really a good measurement for any camera's AF prowess.
I had used A6000, A6300 (very briefly) and A6500. I have medium size hands. To me they are all a bit too small. The buttons are not the easiest to use. I bought the A6400 for my occasional birding and airshows. My A7RIII is pretty capable but I want to try the real time tracking of the A6400 and I can use more "reach" of the cropped sensor (that's why the A9 has never been on my radar screen, as good as it is). I really prefer a bigger APS_C camera with the new bigger battery, higher FPS (15 would be very good), and one more exposure dial. Pairing that with the rumored Sony FE 200-600, I will be in heaven. For now it's just a dream..
I picked up the A6400 the other day and tried it out at my favourite BIF location. I neglected to read the manual, and after a bit of fumbling with simple things like changing the AF location, I did well. I shot well over a 1,000 images on one battery(I shot over 2,000 altogether and my second battery was over 50%, and that's in minus ten Celcius temps)
I used Tracking flexible spot large, expand, zone, etc. or essentially all modes where the camera will pick the subject and follow it around the frame. I'm impressed so far. It usually picked up the ducks, and when it did lose them, I released the shutter, and it reacquired quickly.
I had more trouble with using a viewfinder that is not centred along the lens axis than anything else. With big birds like Canada Geese or Swans, it never missed. The smaller ducks like scoters, long-tailed and such, the hit rate was superb. Far better than what I've gotten with my other system(Olympus).
It'll take a while to get used to the interface, and I think I like the A7/A9 better, but the autofocus is quite good.
One thing I did notice was the rolling shutter. It's pretty bad. Next time I'll stick with the mechanical shutter.
Scott, thank you for your evaluation of that lil' camera. The effect of the rolling shutter is noticeable when you used the quiet mode of the shutter, right? Does the camera have the option of setting the shutter in the electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS)?
AGeoJO wrote:
Scott, thank you for your evaluation of that lil' camera. The effect of the rolling shutter is noticeable when you used the quiet mode of the shutter, right? Does the camera have the option of setting the shutter in the electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS)?
Joshua, the camera lets you to turn the EFCS on and off, if that's what you were asking.
AGeoJO wrote:
Yes, thank you, Douglas! In other words, the rolling shutter effect is not noticeable unless you go to the quiet mode then.
Correct, if you shoot with the mechanical shutter it's not an issue. It's not really an issue with the electronic shutter unless you're shooting action or panning.
scott f wrote:
Correct, if you shoot with the mechanical shutter it's not an issue. It's not really an issue with the electronic shutter unless you're shooting action or panning.
Thank you, and yes, I am aware of the effect. I was just curious whether Sony changed the arrangement for the shutter mode or modes with the A6400 but obviously they didn't.
1bwana1 wrote:
You did great Roberta. It looks like you are getting committed to the Sony system.
Here is a link to a very good video and free book on ways to set the Sony cameras up including for action photography. All of Mark Galer's videos and books are well done and worth watching.
Steve
&t=203s
Thanks Steve. I have already watched many of his videos which have been most helpful..
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kdrk888 wrote:
I hope Roberta won't mind if I share a couple pictures in her thread. All these were shot at 1/750 second, a bit too slow, I think. Shooting these birds doesn't really need world class AF though.
Of course I don't mind. Nicely done.
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scott f wrote:
I picked up the A6400 the other day and tried it out at my favourite BIF location. I neglected to read the manual, and after a bit of fumbling with simple things like changing the AF location, I did well. I shot well over a 1,000 images on one battery(I shot over 2,000 altogether and my second battery was over 50%, and that's in minus ten Celcius temps)
I used Tracking flexible spot large, expand, zone, etc. or essentially all modes where the camera will pick the subject and follow it around the frame. I'm impressed so far. It usually picked up the ducks, and when it did lose them, I released the shutter, and it reacquired quickly.
I had more trouble with using a viewfinder that is not centred along the lens axis than anything else. With big birds like Canada Geese or Swans, it never missed. The smaller ducks like scoters, long-tailed and such, the hit rate was superb. Far better than what I've gotten with my other system(Olympus).
It'll take a while to get used to the interface, and I think I like the A7/A9 better, but the autofocus is quite good.
One thing I did notice was the rolling shutter. It's pretty bad. Next time I'll stick with the mechanical shutter....Show more →
Thanks Scott . Much the same as my experience including figuring out how to change the AF location I, too, came from Olympus and it is better than what I was able to achieve consistency wise from the Olympus.
In many videos I watched, it was strongly suggested to use mechanical shutter for fast moving objects.
The camera is small . I added a L-Bracket which gives one just a bit more room . Will take some to get use to this little camera. A lot is packed into a small package especially for those of us who do not have the longer lens and need more help with reach.
I am 99 percent sure you can mount the Meike battery grip that fits the a6300 on the 6400. The meike grip was the only way I found my a6500 usable with longer lenses fwiw
I, too, came from Olympus and it is better than what I was able to achieve consistency wise from the Olympus.