p.2 #1 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Slightly different answer:
Unless you have bad shoulders or other physical condition, I suggest getting out and walking a lot with the 200-600. If you don't already have one, get a sling, which makes it much easier to hike with a tele setup.
Reason:
You want as much reach and light as possible in CR and Africa.
Trust me, it does get lighter with time. I am 73 and have been doing this for many a long hike with this lens and even the 600gm, on a knee that was bone on bone (until a total knee replacement two weeks ago).
OTOH, if you have a disability that prevents you from getting in good enough shape to hike with this lens, the 100-400 with TC is very good. Even then, as others have said, I always would crop in post.
p.2 #2 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
I do enjoy the crop mode on my A7R4 a lot, but I wouldn't factor it in when selecting a lens. It's more of a last resort when the lens you have with you doesn't quite reach as far as you would want to.
p.2 #3 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
zz wrote:
I do enjoy the crop mode on my A7R4 a lot, but I wouldn't factor it in when selecting a lens. It's more of a last resort when the lens you have with you doesn't quite reach as far as you would want to.
Same here.
Because I don't use zoom lenses, the crop mode extends the flexibility of my prime lenses. I usually have the lens' custom button assigned to the crop mode function. In the case of the A7R IV, 26MP in crop mode works well for most applications and needs.
I wish Sony implemented the crop mode like Leica does for their SL line. With the Leica, crop mode is just a visual aid because it can be reverted from the RAW in post. The advantage for the Sony method is that the image is really cropped and therefore the image file is smaller. the disadvantage is that it's an irreversible process.
What are the consequences of using a 1.5x crop? Aside from getting a different field of view, one needs to consider that there will be a loss of about 1 stop in DR, which translates to about 1 stop higher noise. Also there is also DOF changes to consider. For example, if using the FE 24/1.4 GM on the A7R IV in crop mode, one would end up with a 26MP image with an equiv. 35mm f/2 lens and about 1 stop less DR. In other words, it's like using a native 35/2 lens on a noisier APS-C sensor.
p.2 #4 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Fred Miranda wrote:
Same here.
Because I don't use zoom lenses, the crop mode extends the flexibility of my prime lenses. I usually have the lens' custom button assigned to the crop mode function. In the case of the A7R IV, 26MP in crop mode works well for most applications and needs.
I wish Sony implemented the crop mode like Leica does for their SL line. With the Leica, crop mode is just a visual aid because it can be reverted from the RAW in post. The advantage for the Sony method is that the image is really cropped and therefore the image file is smaller. the disadvantage is that it's an irreversible process.
What are the consequences of using a 1.5x crop? Aside from getting a different field of view, one needs to consider that there will be a loss of about 1 stop in DR, which translates to about 1 stop higher noise. Also there is also DOF changes to consider. For example, if using the FE 24/1.4 GM on the A7R IV in crop mode, one would end up with a 26MP image with an equiv. 35mm f/2 lens and about 1 stop less DR. In other words, it's like using a native 35/2 lens on a noisier APS-C sensor....Show more →
Thanks Fred. Did you mean the last DR instead o read DOF?
p.2 #5 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
Fred Miranda wrote:
In the case of the A7R IV, 26MP in crop mode works well for most applications and needs.
I couldn't agree more, especially from my own perspective of just shooting pictures for fun. The upgrade from A7II to A7R4 didn't just give me a wonderful camera, but also more pixels and in my view better performance in crop mode than I had previously.
I haven't shot anything high ISO really since I got the camera, so I wouldn't really know how to reacts to that particular scenario in crop mode but I can't imagine it being worse than the A7II
p.2 #6 · APS-C crop mode with high resolution bodies
k-h.a.w wrote:
Thanks Fred. Did you mean the last DR instead o read DOF?
K-H.
In crop mode there is a decrease in dynamic range (~1 stop). In terms of depth of field, the lens' maximum aperture must be multiplied by 1.5x as well.
Here is a dynamic range comparison between the Sony A7R IV (APS-C mode) vs Sony 6400 (APS-C).
It's pretty much the same DR performance as I mentioned.
Sony A7R IV (APS-C mode) vs Sony 6400 (APC-S) -- About the same DR performance
Sony A7R IV (Full frame) vs Sony A7R IV (APS-C mode) -- About a stop DR decrease
zz wrote:
