chiron wrote:
Not center focus and recompose--real time tracking, which sticks to the original focus point.
I've been always using joystick to put focus point (small) on the target on A7III, but once I moved on to A1 I decided to try the "modern" center focus and recompose method (tracking).
My conclusion is that when shooting with shallow depth of field, placing the focus point manually is still more precise .
It’s also a Rich Man’s compact full frame interchangeable lens camera!
But I agree that you would actually need or want multiple (casual) use cases in a single body in order to advantage. I enjoy manual focus lenses, have had a RX1Rii in the past that I’d like to repurchase (or a Q2), and changed from a high resolution R body to the A7iv to focus on video, so this A7CR could be a great second body for me and allow me to keep my other body focused on video.
FMTopFan wrote:
I agreed with EVERYTHING but the conclusion is not Rich Man, because Poor Man x too many sub-optimum alternatives = Poorer Man
But seriously AcR does translate to a lot of savings for the poor man, as evident below:
AcR + 28/2 = Poor Man's Q1/2/3
AcR + 35i = Poor Man's RX1R/2
AcR + any E lens = Poor Man's A6700
AcR + any FE lens = Poor Man's A7R5
As such, AcR is the best poor man's camera! And it will win Best PP (Poor Photographer) Camera of the year!
olegkin wrote:
Because people like to focus and get things not only in acceptable focus but also in critically sharp focus. re-compose does not get you there.
Not with a traditional fixed focus point, but a tracking focus point will. For me it is about doing one action (move the camera) faster and more accurate instead of trying to do two independent actions (move the camera and move the joystick) at once. It just a different way to get the focus point on target. When I press the shutter, if I did my job right, the composition of the frame will be good and the focus point will be on my intended target. Same result as moving camera to get desired composition and moving focus point with joystick.
The difference is it allows me to break this into two distinct actions, but I am using the same muscles for both. First I select the target, then I lock the tracking. Now I can start shooting if I want while adjusting the composition of the target in frame. I don't need to worry about keeping the focus on target as the camera will do that.
j4nu wrote:
I've been always using joystick to put focus point (small) on the target on A7III, but once I moved on to A1 I decided to try the "modern" center focus and recompose method (tracking).
My conclusion is that when shooting with shallow depth of field, placing the focus point manually is still more precise .
I don't quite understand you last sentence. So what do you do now with the A1?
For me I'm a fairly recent user of ILC cameras, compared to many here, and I upgraded to a7Riv with tracking before I became proficient with joystick use on a7iii. To me the tracking just seems more natural way to select focus instead of joystick. I use it for both sports and casual events. I would be hopelessly slow with joystick on sports.
tschopp wrote:
I don't quite understand you last sentence. So what do you do now with the A1?
For me I'm a fairly recent user of ILC cameras, compared to many here, and I upgraded to a7Riv with tracking before I became proficient with joystick use on a7iii. To me the tracking just seems more natural way to select focus instead of joystick. I use it for both sports and casual events. I would be hopelessly slow with joystick on sports.
Yes, for any kind of action I prefer larger focus areas (wide, zone, ...).
When I want to take a "bokeh" shot though, I find it easier to pinpoint the focus with a small spot via joystick. Recomposing is prone to shifting the focus point a bit more.
phinix wrote:
Yeah, it takes 0.5 sec to move camera back to the wanted frame. It would take 3-4 secs to move joystick around...
You could practice a bit, may turn out to be much faster then. Besides for action you need to at least roughly track the subject with the camera, or you get motion blur. This can be much harder when you try to recompose at the same time.
So when shooting fast activity I often use both. I roughly position myself and frame the subject before it is where I wana shoot it. I place the AF area (Exp-Flex or zone) roughly where I expect the subject to show up. I shoot wide, expecting to straighten and crop after the fact. As the subject appears, I start tracking it, with the frame already about right.
Overall this is much faster than either just shifting the AF or only tracking to recompose. It also avoids the excessive movement of the subject on the sensor involved in recomposing.
I use center AF point can be small/medium or large patch lets say than use tracking.Place subject in middle of frame activate rear focus button then I move where I want composition and it stays on that center AF point I activated. Basically press and move where I want. When I am shooting runway stuff im in vertical position use zone at top of frame and its tracking the faces of models. Different ways of doing different things given the subject and circumstance you're in. Sony has made this stuff fairly easy and accurate for us. This stuff was never around a few years ago. Plus the A7RV and even the new 6700 all of this is even better than previous models with AI
GMPhotography wrote:
I use center AF point can be small/medium or large patch lets say than use tracking.Place subject in middle of frame activate rear focus button then I move where I want composition and it stays on that center AF point I activated. Basically press and move where I want. When I am shooting runway stuff im in vertical position use zone at top of frame and its tracking the faces of models. Different ways of doing different things given the subject and circumstance you're in. Sony has made this stuff fairly easy and accurate for us. This stuff was never around a few years ago. Plus the A7RV and even the new 6700 all of this is even better than previous models with AI...Show more →
While it's true that even without the Joystick, the AF-On and Center button of the dial can still be customized to activate 2 different AF modes.
It would be nice to have a 3rd with the Joystick, to program "exotic" functions like Toggle AF etc.
Yea, for a small nice body like A7C/R, losing the Joystick maybe is the best compromise available.
But losing the high res (give us at least 3-5 MP?) EVF may be a dealbreaker. Hopefully the rumors are wrong and the AcR EVF is actually >5MP!
FMTopFan wrote:
While it's true that even without the Joystick, the AF-On and Center button of the dial can still be customized to activate 2 different AF modes.
It would be nice to have a 3rd with the Joystick, to program "exotic" functions like Toggle AF etc.
Yea, for a small nice body like A7C/R, losing the Joystick maybe is the best compromise available.
But losing the high res (give us at least 3-5 MP?) EVF may be a dealbreaker. Hopefully the rumors are wrong and the AcR EVF is actually >5MP!
The EVF is keeping me out right now even the 6700 is better I believe. Kind of liking the 6700 actually as my secondary unit
Also rumors to me are wishing wells. This is all a rumor.
GMPhotography wrote:
I use center AF point can be small/medium or large patch lets say than use tracking.Place subject in middle of frame activate rear focus button then I move where I want composition and it stays on that center AF point I activated. Basically press and move where I want. When I am shooting runway stuff im in vertical position use zone at top of frame and its tracking the faces of models. Different ways of doing different things given the subject and circumstance you're in. Sony has made this stuff fairly easy and accurate for us. This stuff was never around a few years ago. Plus the A7RV and even the new 6700 all of this is even better than previous models with AI...Show more →
I do the exact same thing. I find it interesting that a couple years ago, the joystick was so integral to my focus process, and now, I rarely ever use it.
InFocus2014 wrote:
I do the exact same thing. I find it interesting that a couple years ago, the joystick was so integral to my focus process, and now, I rarely ever use it.
Yes this works really nice for me and on the new 6700 without the joystick it works so nice. Right now im im trying to simplify the 6700 with less and less controls . I want AF/MF switches back on my lenses( Need Sony glass) and switch that focus hold button on lenses to magnify when in MF mode. That eliminates 2 custom buttons for other things. With the A7RV and 6700 I want them to act more similar and any control I can make in the same custom buttons. Trying to switch more to the 6700 as any event I shoot 26mpx is enough for them and also try to get away from putting on 40k a year on the mechanical shutter for just 2 gigs per year on the A7RV. So still fiddling a little with 6700 and waiting on Capture One to handle those files. Im tending to think from some shooting is a little less contrast on the 6700 than my A7RV but I need C1 to really confirm that too. But on this subject these two bodies act the same with AF and that is the key in my mind. Folks really need to try this AF setup out, works a charm.
Seriously with the lower EVF setup like the A7C you can rely less on you seeing and more on camera producing the AF tracking abilities. I prefer using the EVF but I can certainly still shoot mostly off the LCD a lot of the times. The real issue is outside with the LCD and bright sun. If you know your AF is kicking ass than you can feel more comfortable
Not to change the subject from joystick and back to size, but a story. This past weekend I was at an outside bar sitting there with my A7C and the Sigma 45 on it next to my beer. A 60 year old guy sits down next to me and says 'Haven't seen one of those in a while'. I am assuming he thought it was a point and shoot from 2003 or something. I was partially amused and partially offended. As if I was some shmuck from a time warp or something. . Didn't really feel like explaining it's not and ruin his camara phone bravada. It is a world of cell phone cameras and worse yet, they don't even know there are arguably better options for photography.
MARKFER wrote:
Not to change the subject from joystick and back to size, but a story. This past weekend I was at an outside bar sitting there with my A7C and the Sigma 45 on it next to my beer. A 60 year old guy sits down next to me and says 'Haven't seen one of those in a while'. I am assuming he thought it was a point and shoot from 2003 or something. I was partially amused and partially offended. As if I was some shmuck from a time warp or something. . Didn't really feel like explaining it's not and ruin his camara phone bravada. It is a world of cell phone cameras and worse yet, they don't even know there are arguably better options for photography. ...Show more →
Did you ask what he meant eventually? Maybe he meant that the hype around Sigma 2.8/45 already went silent?
GMPhotography wrote:
Folks really need to try this AF setup out, works a charm.
I will definitely try it when I have time on the weekend. I used to do a lot of focus on center point and recompose on DSLR but changed my approach to constantly using joystick.
Do you find this tracking set up good enough for your high-resolution A7R5?
MARKFER wrote:
Not to change the subject from joystick and back to size, but a story. This past weekend I was at an outside bar sitting there with my A7C and the Sigma 45 on it next to my beer. A 60 year old guy sits down next to me and says 'Haven't seen one of those in a while'. I am assuming he thought it was a point and shoot from 2003 or something. I was partially amused and partially offended. As if I was some shmuck from a time warp or something. . Didn't really feel like explaining it's not and ruin his camara phone bravada. It is a world of cell phone cameras and worse yet, they don't even know there are arguably better options for photography. ...Show more →
I was asked about my A6700 a week ago at a Farmers Market. This was, again, an "older" (ouch) man who wanted to be doing some photography and didn't like using a phone yet the smaller size but "real camera" look interested him.
.
. Didn't really feel like explaining it's not and ruin his camara phone bravada. It is a world of cell phone cameras and worse yet, they don't even know there are arguably better options for photography.