I would imagine I am like many people on the FM forum. I have a full time non-photography job, I enjoy photography, I have a busy family life, and look forward to shooting photos maybe 2-3 times per month. Often, my photos are documentary in nature of my family on vacations, birthdays, bored inside on rainy days, and sometimes just to capture that princess outfit before she outgrows it. Other times I may be drawn to the light or the beauty of a place and try to include family for perspective or interest. Either way, I find myself taking a disproportionate number of photos of the same people. I am OK with that because: 1 - I think they are cute and 2 - I enjoy the challenge of finding a new perspective on a common subject.
After many years shooting Canon gear I decided to jump ship and buy my first Sony camera. It was also my first full frame and first mirrorless camera. I had limped along with a T2i for a long time shooting photos and video. The Sony A7III seemed to provide a great combination of photo and video capability in a full frame body that was semi affordable and relatively easy to use. I have to say I am blown away by both photos and videos. The Eye AF and focus assist on manual lenses is SOOO nice when shooting kids with fast lenses. I adapted my Canon 70-200/2.8 and Zeiss 100/2 Makroplanar but have sold all my other Canon lenses. I have two small children at home and have not had a chance to shoot too much over the last nine months. What I have shot has been fun and I look forward to more good times documenting family and places.
The first video I made with the A7III. Autofocus and autoexposure are very nice when working with a gimbal! I did have the camera on auto white balance for this video. I no longer leave the camera in that setting as it constantly changes and is difficult to correct (you can see this in some shots). I could cut the clips into subclips and correct but have not taken the time as my family does not seem to notice.
The ability of the AF to track a face with other objects in the foreground has exceeded my expectations. I used the FE 55/1.8 lens for this video and it is hard to beat for video use if the focal length is appropriate.
These are great! I still remember trying to do manually-focused video of my toddlers randomly moving around. It was impossible. The tools are so much better now.
teddoman wrote:
These are great! I still remember trying to do manually-focused video of my toddlers randomly moving around. It was impossible. The tools are so much better now.
Thanks teddoman. I agree that modern equipment with eye AF and focus assist technology for manual or adapted lenses makes it MUCH easier.
and 2 - I enjoy the challenge of finding a new perspective on a common subject.
