Moderator: E.J. Peiker

All times are UTC-05:00

  
« Previous topic | Next topic »  
Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 11 posts | 
by Karl Egressy on Thu May 19, 2022 11:01 am
User avatar
Karl Egressy
Forum Contributor
Posts: 39506
Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Member #:00988
I have been using Sony cameras for way over a year now. Went through a7III a6600, a9II, a7RIII a7RIV and a9.
In terms of resolution my favorite is the A7R IV that I still have and for BIF a9 that I still have.
My problem is that I loose a lot of shots with the a7RIV especially with fast moving birds like Warblers as it simply won't focus on the bird.
Normally I focus on a vertical branch or manual pre focus and then take the shot. I have tried all the focusing settings, none worked so far. With warbles as they move so fast I simply don't have this option. When I switched to Sony, I sold all my Nikon. Bought some again. When it comes to focusing, there is no to D500 and D850. I'm very disappointed of Sony to be honest. On top, Canada doesn't have a dedicated Sony Service and the put through at the service is minimum two month even with the smallest  problem you have. I had my lens there for three month for a fifteen minute work.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Karl.


Last edited by Karl Egressy on Thu May 19, 2022 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
 

by PopeShawnPaul on Thu May 19, 2022 11:27 am
User avatar
PopeShawnPaul
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1286
Joined: 3 Dec 2008
Location: Bellevue, WA
I have been using it since it came out with the 200-600.  The focus and settings took a while to get use to but mine focuses better than my Canon gear I sold.  I definitely have more keepers than I did with my canon 600mm f4.  I found one tracking mode I really like.  Essentially the focus box starts in the center, you lock on to the target and it tracks it no matter where in the frame.  In busy background shots it can lose tracking but with ducks and subjects in the open it makes recomposing a cinch.  I don't do a lot of birds in flight but shot some boobies in the BVI's recently and it tracked it well.  Perhaps you got a bad one?
www.shawnmccully.com
 

by ricardo00 on Thu May 19, 2022 12:02 pm
ricardo00
Forum Contributor
Posts: 264
Joined: 6 Apr 2014
Karl Egressy wrote:I have been using Sony cameras for way over a year now. Went through a7III a6600, a9II, a7RIII a7RIV and a9.
In terms of resolution my favorite is the A7R IV that I still have and for BIF a9 that I still have.
My problem is that I loose a lot of shots with the a7RIV especially with fast moving birds like Warblers as it simply won't focus on the bird.
Normally I focus on a vertical branch or manual pre focus and then take the shot. I have tried all the focusing settings, none worked so far. With warbles as they move so fast I simply don't have this option. When I switched to Sony, I sold all my Nikon. Bought some again. When it comes to focusing, there is no to D500 and D850. I'm very disappointed of Sony to be honest. On top, Canada doesn't have a dedicated Sony Service and the put through at the service is minimum two month even with the smallest  problem you have. I had my lens there for three month for a fifteen minute work.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Karl.
  I don't shoot Sony, but my friends who do all switched to the a1.  Maybe try to rent or borrow one and see if it is better?
 

by Karl Egressy on Thu May 19, 2022 12:55 pm
User avatar
Karl Egressy
Forum Contributor
Posts: 39506
Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Member #:00988
ricardo00 wrote:
Karl Egressy wrote:I have been using Sony cameras for way over a year now. Went through a7III a6600, a9II, a7RIII a7RIV and a9.
In terms of resolution my favorite is the A7R IV that I still have and for BIF a9 that I still have.
My problem is that I loose a lot of shots with the a7RIV especially with fast moving birds like Warblers as it simply won't focus on the bird.
Normally I focus on a vertical branch or manual pre focus and then take the shot. I have tried all the focusing settings, none worked so far. With warbles as they move so fast I simply don't have this option. When I switched to Sony, I sold all my Nikon. Bought some again. When it comes to focusing, there is no to D500 and D850. I'm very disappointed of Sony to be honest. On top, Canada doesn't have a dedicated Sony Service and the put through at the service is minimum two month even with the smallest  problem you have. I had my lens there for three month for a fifteen minute work.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Karl.
  I don't shoot Sony, but my friends who do all switched to the a1.  Maybe try to rent or borrow one and see if it is better?

Thanks, I'm sure it is much better that any of the Sony I have ever had. There is one problem: the price of the a1. My brain just cannot process the price tag it has. My limit is $3500-4000. Maybe I'll wait until Sony comes out with a1 Mark II and people will start selling the a1. 
 

by ricardo00 on Thu May 19, 2022 1:25 pm
ricardo00
Forum Contributor
Posts: 264
Joined: 6 Apr 2014
Karl Egressy wrote:
ricardo00 wrote:
Karl Egressy wrote:I have been using Sony cameras for way over a year now. Went through a7III a6600, a9II, a7RIII a7RIV and a9.
In terms of resolution my favorite is the A7R IV that I still have and for BIF a9 that I still have.
My problem is that I loose a lot of shots with the a7RIV especially with fast moving birds like Warblers as it simply won't focus on the bird.
Normally I focus on a vertical branch or manual pre focus and then take the shot. I have tried all the focusing settings, none worked so far. With warbles as they move so fast I simply don't have this option. When I switched to Sony, I sold all my Nikon. Bought some again. When it comes to focusing, there is no to D500 and D850. I'm very disappointed of Sony to be honest. On top, Canada doesn't have a dedicated Sony Service and the put through at the service is minimum two month even with the smallest  problem you have. I had my lens there for three month for a fifteen minute work.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Karl.
  I don't shoot Sony, but my friends who do all switched to the a1.  Maybe try to rent or borrow one and see if it is better?

Thanks, I'm sure it is much better that any of the Sony I have ever had. There is one problem: the price of the a1. My brain just cannot process the price tag it has. My limit is $3500-4000. Maybe I'll wait until Sony comes out with a1 Mark II and people will start selling the a1. 
  I hear you.  I am amazed at all the shooters I meet with one.  Then again, I bought the Z9 and still sometimes prefer my D500.  The amount I spend on our photography appalls some of my friends.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu May 19, 2022 5:02 pm
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
The camera that will far exceed the D500 or D850 is the one you haven't used - the a1. It's not even a close call in number of keepers with its bird and bird eye detect AF. I came from those same two cameras to the a1 and you couldn't pay me to go back. The number of in-focus keepers is off the chart in comparison and that's with the 200-600 f/6.3 zoom compared to a 500 f/4 and 500 f/5.6PF on the Nikon side.
 

by DChan on Thu May 19, 2022 5:48 pm
DChan
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2206
Joined: 9 Jan 2009
This guy has a different take about the A1:

OM-1 or the Sony A1. Today I decide.


Here's one of his videos he tested both cameras:

Om-1 Digital Solutions bird tracking. Does it work as well as the Sony A1?
 

by Arnie Berger on Fri May 20, 2022 10:21 am
Arnie Berger
Forum Contributor
Posts: 165
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Powell Ohio
When my A1 captures focus it is dead on and quick.  However there are couple of things I struggle with.  The camera has issues focusing on a horizontal branch as opposed to a vertical branch.  I can finally focus on a horizontal branch if I focus first on something vertical.  Additionally after shooting with Canon and Olympus I can not understand why I can't use AF with any of the Sony cameras I have owned and then use the focus ring on the lens to fine tune the focus. I know I could use DMF but that is single shot only.
Arnold Berger
Powell Ohio
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri May 20, 2022 10:24 am
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
DChan wrote:This guy has a different take about the A1:

OM-1 or the Sony A1. Today I decide.


Here's one of his videos he tested both cameras:

Om-1 Digital Solutions bird tracking. Does it work as well as the Sony A1?
Hmm, lets see, 50 megapixels where I can crop 60% of the image and still have the same number of pixels as the OM1?  He even says that both cameras get essentially 100% of the bird photos in focus....  I do agree that sometimes, but generally only if you are not using the focus limit switch, the camera won't initiate focus on a close in bird if the focus is raked way out to infinity.  In my experience, that issue never occurs if the focus limit switch is set to the range that you are shooting in and I've tested that both with the 600 f/4 and the 200-600 f/6.3.  His other complaint is that the a1 only achieved 27FPS - really, that's a real complaint??? ;)

One other "issue" with the OM, assuming that you can get the subject the same relative size in the frame, is that it's harder to get the background out of focus due to the sensor being 1/2 the size.  Of course you can use a shorter length which is easier to make fast but to get the equivalent background and subject the same size in the frame that you get on a full frame camera shooting with a 600 at f/4 you would need to shoot the OM with a 300 f/2 lens.  To my knowledge, an Olympus 300mm f/2 does not exist.
 

by DChan on Fri May 20, 2022 12:09 pm
DChan
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2206
Joined: 9 Jan 2009
E.J. Peiker wrote:
DChan wrote:This guy has a different take about the A1:

OM-1 or the Sony A1. Today I decide.


Here's one of his videos he tested both cameras:

Om-1 Digital Solutions bird tracking. Does it work as well as the Sony A1?
Hmm, lets see, 50 megapixels where I can crop 60% of the image and still have the same number of pixels as the OM1?  He even says that both cameras get essentially 100% of the bird photos in focus....  I do agree that sometimes, but generally only if you are not using the focus limit switch, the camera won't initiate focus on a close in bird if the focus is raked way out to infinity.  In my experience, that issue never occurs if the focus limit switch is set to the range that you are shooting in and I've tested that both with the 600 f/4 and the 200-600 f/6.3.  His other complaint is that the a1 only achieved 27FPS - really, that's a real complaint??? ;)

One other "issue" with the OM, assuming that you can get the subject the same relative size in the frame, is that it's harder to get the background out of focus due to the sensor being 1/2 the size.  Of course you can use a shorter length which is easier to make fast but to get the equivalent background and subject the same size in the frame that you get on a full frame camera shooting with a 600 at f/4 you would need to shoot the OM with a 300 f/2 lens.  To my knowledge, an Olympus 300mm f/2 does not exist.
He was just looking at the AF performance and nothing more if I'm not mistaken. Depth of field, number of pixels, etc, etc., we all knew about them and so did he. He did say Sony can keep the bird in focus longer and better. It'd be great if OMD's focus problem can be fixed with a firmware update.

Anyhow, at the end of the day, I think his picking of the OM1 over the A1 was based on subjective reasons and his needs. Another guy on dpreview forum also compared OM1 with A1 but he decided to keep the A1 in the end. I think Mike has been a m43 user for a while while the other guy a Canon users for years. Will that history swayed their decisions? I don't know but I wouldn't say for sure "No".
 

by Martjan Lammertink on Fri May 20, 2022 12:43 pm
Martjan Lammertink
Forum Contributor
Posts: 30
Joined: 21 Feb 2008
Location: Diamante, Entre Rios, Argentina
PopeShawnPaul wrote:I have been using it since it came out with the 200-600.  The focus and settings took a while to get use to but mine focuses better than my Canon gear I sold.  I definitely have more keepers than I did with my canon 600mm f4.  I found one tracking mode I really like.  Essentially the focus box starts in the center, you lock on to the target and it tracks it no matter where in the frame.  In busy background shots it can lose tracking but with ducks and subjects in the open it makes recomposing a cinch.  I don't do a lot of birds in flight but shot some boobies in the BVI's recently and it tracked it well.  Perhaps you got a bad one?

What tracking mode is it that you like Shawn? Tracking with Expand Flexible Spot and human eye AF? (because tracking does not work with animal eye AF in the A7Riv).
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
11 posts | 
  

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group