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Thinking about giving Sony a go.

photo325
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

Hey guys so I am currently a Fuji user and have really enjoyed using their system for a bit of wildlife and macro work (if you can see my previous posts you will see examples). However one thing that has annoyed me with Fuji is their lack of 3rd party lenses and lack of long lenses for wildlife. With their recent releases especially the XT-5 not really hitting the mark for me I am now considering Sony.

So I guess my question for the talented folks on this forum is which is a reasonable Sony camera to go for wildlife and macro (birding is the primary wildlife need) so high fps, accurate autofocus, large buffer reasonable mp. It would be nice to go full frame too as I have always stuck to cropped sensors.

Sony gear looks quite expensive so in Canon terms I would be aiming for a 5d mark x type tier of camera not a 1x as this is just a hobby for me.

Any advice on lenses both macro and wildlife would also be appreciated I am only just starting to read up on the Sony side of things. I have owned and used Canon and Fuji now so Sony seems like a sensible next step.

May 23, 2023 at 10:08 PM

LAARILEY
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

5Dx price range?

A7IV.

May 23, 2023 at 10:42 PM

Bobg657
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

Depending on budget, here are some choices, low to higher cost:
Used A9, great af, large buffer and stacked sensor so can use electronic shutter for everything, 24 mp, 20? Fps. For new consider the A9II.
New A74, very good af, 33 mp, 10fps, good all around body, non stacked sensor
New A7R5, great AI af, 61 mp, 10fps, great all around body, non stacked sensor
New or used A1, great af, stacked sensor so can use electronic shutter for everything, 50mp
With the higher mp bodies crop mode is always a good option for more (apparent) reach.

For lenses you have loads of choices, including Sony 100-400, 200-600 and then long primes. For third party you have Tamron 50-400, 150-500, Sigma 100-400, these are limited to a max of 15fps and cannot use a teleconverter. Third party is less expensive, although the Sony 200-600 is very reasonable and is a good choice for birding.

Hope that helps!
Bob

Edited on May 23, 2023 at 10:49 PM · View previous versions

May 23, 2023 at 10:47 PM

molson
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

A used A9 is probably the best bang for your buck - couple that with a 200-600 zoom and you're covered for wildlife shooting.

May 23, 2023 at 10:48 PM

Grenache
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

Camera: a7Rv or a9ii or a7iv
Lens: 200-600 for wildlife/birding

For macro, it all depends on magnification. If you want bug faces, that is the Canon 1-5x 65mm. If you want up to 1:1, there are many options, but any Sony mount 90-150mm (range, not suggesting you buy a zoom) f/2.8 will be very good.

Several of Sony’s GM lenses have impressive magnification that gets to about 1/3 life size: 35GM, 50GM, 135GM, 100-400GM.

I shoot a lot of macro in the 1:2 range, either with a Leica R 100/2.8 or the 50 or 35 GM on a tube.

Many options can work well in that range.

Cheers,
Jim

May 23, 2023 at 10:49 PM

photo325
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

Excellent thank you guys, that has given me lots of ammo to get googling to see what’s available.

May 23, 2023 at 11:21 PM

Slalom
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

This is a list of all nearly lenses on Sony FE:

https://alikgriffin.com/sony-fe-lenses-the-ultimate-list/

Not all are lenses for everyone.

May 24, 2023 at 02:52 AM

duncang
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

Sony a9 (second hand), FE 200-600, SEL1.4TC, FE90mm Macro will see you set. A9 will introduce you to the world of excellent BIF autofocus, as well as blackout and lag free EVF. The 1.4TC will double the effective pixels on the bird with no discernible impact on image quality or autofocus performance with the A9.

May 24, 2023 at 03:01 AM

AZHeaven
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

I would go with a newer body.

A7IV for sure. More budget friendly. Great AF. And better menu setups.

Personally I have the A7IV. Sony 100-400, Sony 24-105 and Sigma 105 macro.

I chose the 100-400 over the 200-600 due to the weight factor. The 200-600 is just too heavy for me to carry around.
The 100-400 is more travel friendly. Has a 32 inch close focusing distance vs 8 feet for the 200-600. And with the new 33 mp sensor vs the old 24mp sensor you can crop generously.

May 24, 2023 at 08:00 AM

Lt.Deadeye
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

I really like my A9 and 100-400 GM. That strikes a good balance between wildlife and macro while being relatively small and light weight. 20 fps and 1/32000 often come in very handy. That said, while Sony does have many third party lenses, we don't enjoy the extreme ends like Canon does with the 100-300 f/2.8, 28-70 f/2.0, 200mm f/2.0 and 85mm f/1.2.

May 24, 2023 at 08:38 AM

Choderboy
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

"one thing that has annoyed me with Fuji is their lack of 3rd party lenses and lack of long lenses for wildlife."

3rd Party Autofocus - 22
Tamron 3
Sigma 4
Tokina 3
Zeiss 3
Viltrox 8
Samyang 1

3rd Party Manual Focus - 50?

Long Lenses:
Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 OIS WR
Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Fuji X

May 24, 2023 at 08:41 AM

Newenglandrocks
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

Just a quick note regarding the excellent 200-600. Although some people might hit the gym, the most upper body workout I get is from riding my single speed mountain bike, and I struggle to handhold the 200-600 for wildlife and action sports. But the fact that it doesn't extend while zooming and that you can get really good results with the 1.4TC makes it a better choice for what you're looking to do than the 100-400.

Just budget in $500-1000 if you're going to buy the 200-600 for a monopod and a proper gimbal. It makes the whole experience much better and you'll get the shots without worrying about the weight of the lens.

Personally, I have the A9 and it does really well with fast moving subjects. In addition, I love the blackout free experience when shooting family events, street and even flowers swaying in the wind. I'd recommend an A9 series or A1 over any of the other excellent A7 bodies for wildlife and once you get used to the shooting experience, you'll just be "done" with mechanical shutters.

May 24, 2023 at 08:55 AM

osv2
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

photo325 wrote:
So I guess my question for the talented folks on this forum is which is a reasonable Sony camera to go for wildlife and macro (birding is the primary wildlife need) so high fps, accurate autofocus, large buffer reasonable mp.

the used a9/200-600 combo that people have mentioned is unequalled in any mount, in terms of price vs. performance.

since you mentioned birding tho, if you are looking to shoot bif there isn't any bird eyeaf on the a9... what i've done with big birds is manually place the focus box on the head, then lock on to it using sony real-time tracking, but that is more difficult and overall the keeper ratio is lower than if you had bird eyeaf on a stacked sensor body.

May 24, 2023 at 09:46 AM

liggy
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

I shot Fuji exclusively for years but wanted a better experience with BIF. Tiptoed into Sony mainly for the 200-600. Started with that lens and an A9II. Killer setup.

Now the camera I grab first is the A1. It is just so incredibly good at everything. I tried an X-H2S / 150-600 but didn’t feel it was really going to make me happy.

If I were you I’d try to pick up an A1 / 200-600 used. Try ‘em for a while. If they don’t do it for you you can sell them for a minimal loss.

I have an X-T5 and it’s a great camera but I’m reshuffling my kit. Fujis for small primes.

May 24, 2023 at 10:22 AM

Nick Dakota
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

I'm gonna agree with the A9 sentiment. Great camera for the price and your intended usage. A9ii has some nice upgrades but overall the same camera. Get a nice used A9 and use the savings from not buying a newer model on glass.

May 26, 2023 at 12:00 AM

saaketham
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

photo325 wrote:
(birding is the primary wildlife need) so high fps, accurate autofocus, large buffer reasonable mp.

Agree with the a9 + 200-600 suggestion if you're casually shooting wildlife

May 26, 2023 at 12:36 AM

arbitrage
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

I agree A9 and 200-600 with 1.4TC is a deadly combo for a good value on used market.

BUT...I caution coming from high-MP crop sensor cameras to a 24MP FF camera. A9 in Fuji equivalent is only 10.7MP. You need a lot more focal length to make up for that if reach limited birds are your targets.

I really think for birds/action that in Sony land it is A9(II) or A1. If not going for those two I'd look to Nikon and Canon personally. If 10.7MP in APS-C isn't enough then A1 is the only option. If you can afford A1 (new or used) then get it as it is the best camera available on the market for stills action photography bar none (yes I've owned them all

).

But, if A1 is out of budget I'd seriously look at R5 or Z8. I think both are better value and higher performing than any of the other Sony bodies. Both have good lens options with 100-500 on R5 and 400/4.5 or 100-400 on Z8. And some more higher end dream glass on the Nikon system. R5 let down a bit by non-stacked sensor and some rolling shutter in the backgrounds (very rare on the bird's wings) when panning. Z8 is hard to argue against at its price point.

Now if fast BIF isn't your thing then other Sony bodies are excellent. Especially A7RV but that doesn't really match your listed features as FPS is low in MS (7-8FPS) and MS is almost a must on that camera unless just shooting perched birds.

May 26, 2023 at 04:31 AM

duncang
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

arbitrage wrote:
I agree A9 and 200-600 with 1.4TC is a deadly combo for a good value on used market.

BUT...I caution coming from high-MP crop sensor cameras to a 24MP FF camera. A9 in Fuji equivalent is only 10.7MP. You need a lot more focal length to make up for that if reach limited birds are your targets.

I really think for birds/action that in Sony land it is A9(II) or A1. If not going for those two I'd look to Nikon and Canon personally. If 10.7MP in APS-C isn't enough then A1 is the only option. If you can afford A1 (new...Show more →

Pricing makes the Sony's option look very attractive in Australia.

Z8 6999
800PF 10699
17698

Z8 6999
100-400 3800
1.4 TC. 900
11699

R5 5400
100-500 4000
9400

A1 8000
200-600 2200
10200

A9 2500
200-600 2200
1.4TC 750
5450

May 26, 2023 at 05:46 AM

arbitrage
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

duncang wrote:
Pricing makes the Sony's option look very attractive in Australia.

Z8 6999
800PF 10699
17698

Z8 6999
100-400 3800
1.4 TC. 900
11699

R5 5400
100-500 4000
9400

A1 8000
200-600 2200
10200

A9 2500
200-600 2200
1.4TC 750
5450

I'm surprised you guys have A1 at $8K....usually your prices are much higher than Canada these days. Our A1 is still $8500 (but now comes with free battery grip). 200-600 is $2600 CAD.

Are your prices used prices for the Sony gear? Or special discounts? Seems your Sony prices are low.

In Canada Z8 is $5399 and 800PF is $8499.
R5: $4800. 100-500: $3700

If I was to cross shop my three choices it would be:
1) A1/200-600: $11,100
2) Z8/400/1.4: $10,177 (with 100-400 would be $9527)
3) R5/100-500: $8500

May 26, 2023 at 06:30 AM

molson
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Thinking about giving Sony a go.

arbitrage wrote:
I'm surprised you guys have A1 at $8K....usually your prices are much higher than Canada these days. Our A1 is still $8500 (but now comes with free battery grip). 200-600 is $2600 CAD.

You're forgetting the current discounts on the A1 ($500) and 200-600 ($150)

That makes the A1/200-600 kit C$10,450 (and it still includes a free $548 battery grip)

May 26, 2023 at 08:28 AM

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