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J J Mehta forum.

Of course, all the usual caveats apply. Have bought a couple a times and sold once, and they have been good experiences. There are feedback threads (grins and frowns) that you can check out. It is one of the forums that I check out daily anyway, two of which are photography-specific.

I am there on JJMF! Was curious if there is any other forum like that. Didn't see what I wanted (Olympus/Pana or Fuji compact bodies). Will keep checking.
Just wondering, what is the other photo forum you check..Fred Miranda?

No. TalkEmount. (yes, brand-specific) Despite the name, it is very picture-centric, rather than gear-centric. There is a small regular membership of gifted photographers, and it is friendly. I enjoy looking at their work and occasionally contribute.

There is also Dyxum. This is also Sony-specific. There is an avalanche of extraordinary photography there, with some technical talk (sometimes very technical) on the side. It takes too long just to admire the content of a few threads, and I haven't visited in a while. Have never posted there, just humbly lurked.

Less often, I take a look (and occasionally post) on DPReview. Whilst there is always something to be learned, I'm not so much into the gear-priority stuff now. What I've got is what I've got, for better or worse, and mostly I'm happy. Similarly, what I want is what I want, and I don't need to study the specs or research it hard.

I want stuff; I can't afford it; as and when I can... then I'll buy. Of course, if, when the time comes that I can buy that fast 135mm prime, there is a choice... well, I might have to read up a bit. And/or watch the videos.

Thanks for these names. I have a modest collection of E mount (A7RII + 16-35 f4 Zeiss + 55mm Zeiss) and was unaware of both these. Dyxum expecially looks delicious. Incredible photos and theme ideas.

I also read DPR but never post. The fanboys are super aggressive and most discussions turn toxic. It's a free reign. No moderation, nothing. I had a moderate case of GAS and bought stuff on the whim. Reading reviews on DPR was a hobby.

I'm glad I'm past it now and have settled on m43 system as my favorite. Lighter on the pocket and smaller in the bag. Comparing results with FF, I have to strain my eyes to see difference. A7rii still comes out occasionally but feels like a chore to handle now.

I have a lumix DMC G5 & after getting it, my love for photography has gone higher. Am still a novice but like to do everyday / travel photography (though quite lazy at times).

I have decided to stick with mirrorless for the compactness and portability. I travel by bike many a times and like to keep the weight minimum. As an upgrade, I want to look at Fuji XT4 or Lumix S5. Any feedback on this ? Both are rated almost equal with both bettering each other on few parameters as per reviews and ratings on various sites.

Also, would like to keep minimal lenses - what options to look at?

If you would like to keep photography minimal, compact but powerful, why not try fixed lens cameras like Fuji X100V (compared). Also it has a leaf shutter instead of focal plane shutter, which might come in handy at outdoor situation esp. with fast moving subjects.

You are comparing one APSC camera to a full frame camera. Since you want light weight equipment, APSC XT4 would be much better. APS-C specific lenses are much lighter than full frame ones. In Fuji line-up, you can also look at XS10 which is much cheaper but has similar features.

I've been an amateur photographer for over a decade now. My current kit is Canon 60D paired with Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G1 for wildlife, Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 for landscape and Canon 50mm f1.8 for portraits.

My son is 9 years old now and he has started to show interest in photography. So I don't get the camera often or during safaris when we spot something. I am in the market to pick up a mirrorless full frame to meet both my travel and wildlife needs. I intend to keep my current set up as the resale prices are rock bottom and it doesn't make sense to dispose while it is working.

So what are my options?

Camera Body:

1. Sony A7III - Absolute VFM (you can get a body under 1.5 lakhs).

2. Sony A7IV - Dubbed the Mini A9. It is one of the latest models from Sony. It does carry a slight premium, but the specs and build are worth it in my opinion.

3. Sony A9 (Though 5 years old) is available in the range of 2.4 - 2.6 lakhs. This is an absolute monster for Sports, wildlife and portraits. The camera still performs very well. If the pricing is right the manufacturing year is current one, then it makes sense.

Lenses:

1. Sony SEL200600G | FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens - This would be the affordable wildlife all rounder. With the right TC, you could take it all the way up to 800-1200mm if required. Comes around approx 1.7L INR. I would have loved to pump money into 100-400mm G Master, did not make sense as my usage is going to be limited to only 5 or 6 trips into the woods during the year.

2 Sony 85mm f/1.8 - My ideal one, but the focal length is for portraits.

3. Sony 55mm f/1.8 - This would be another ideal option, once again for landscape, I seem to miss out.

Considering that I am going to have a 2 systems (Canon and Sony), what are the options I can consider

1. Sony A7III paired with FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G and 85mm f1.8 - works out to approx 3.75 lakhs (Fits nicely into my budget and can seek further discounts if I purchase it at the right time)

2 Sony A7IV paired with FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G and 85mm f1.8 - Works out to 4.5 lakhs

3. Sony A9 paired with FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G and 55mm f1.8 - Works out to 5.3 lakhs, only downside, the body is already 5 years old and doesn't make sense to put big money as A9II is already available (Body alone is sold by Sony for 3 lakhs INR, but if you scout well in the market, you may get one around 2.6 lakhs. So this still is good option)

Some key pointers from my end towards the above options that I have considered

1. I generally keep the camera for more than 10 years. I know in the era of digital electronics this could mean, I lose out on some of the latest features. With the exchange options in Indian market for DSLR and mirrorless, it is not worth the investment you have put in. Compromising on the technology part enables me to keep a standard kit with appropriate maintenance. Mostly cameras today get OTA updates and it serves well from maintenance and usage perspective

2. I want to buy the kit from India, primary reason being warranty. My current kit is from the US and though it has crossed 10 years, I have found it difficult to get service done even from authorized Canon shops

3. With the right TeleConverter, I can repurpose some of my Canon lenses to Sony body, especially the wide angle option. Will see how it would pan out.

5. I have considered only Sony lenses, not Tamron, Sigma or other 3rd party brands who make absolutely beautiful glasses. I am in research mode on this, only downside is that you never know when they pull it out and service is not available, for example the Canon G1 lens, it is a pain to get it cleaned or serviced.

4. I will eventually consolidate into a single system by investing in a good APS-C body that will eventually fit in with all the lenses. That's for another time.

Why Sony and why not Canon or Nikon. I have looked at EOS R5 and Nikon Z5. They are good and capable cameras. I am more inclined towards the Sony simply because of the history of them building mirrorless systems for a long time the tech used is also quite good. I don't like their menu systems though.

I am open to listening if you have any better suggestions

1) Sony A7 III + 24-70mm f/2.8 + 70-200mm f/2.8 < This one is optional depending on budget.
2) Sony A7 III + 35mm f/1.8 + 50mm f/1.8 + 85mm f/1.8

Whenever you go for wildlife, just 'Rent' a 200-600mm lens or whichever is latest at that time. Makes no sense to invest so much in glass if you are going to use it just 5-6 times a year. Invest more in quality glass which you would use more often, for portraits/landscapes/street photography.

A7 III is still an amazing camera with great output. Price difference between III and IV is quite a lot.

If you keep the camera for 10 years or so, better get the A7IV, if you can afford it. It'll last better since Sony keeps on changing the tech so much. You can compensate the price differential by buying a used camera and/or lens, if you are ok with it. I have saved quite good amount over the past 13 years buying used.

Not sure about your city, but few cities now have decent rental options as suggested by a few others. If you intend to spend in parts till you complete your lens lineup move to Sony, you can try getting a adapter to adapt your existing Canon lenses on Sony. The AF would suck but you would have something to shoot with albeit with a much shorter FL.

I did check the A7IV recently. It is worth the money. The good thing is there is a combo available with the 24-105 f4 G Master which in my view will be a good allrounder. Will wait and check it out.

I generally rent the camera and lens combo for sometime, test it out and then make the purchase. Let's see

I came across an amazing deal on this 24-240 super zoom on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Its listed at 73K now but it had dipped to 48K for a while and I jumped at it. A couple of hours later, it was back to the 70s range.

Does anybody have any first and experience with this lens? Despite the deal, I'm not convinced whether spending half a lac on a lens for a camera I hardly use is a wise idea.

Am not a heavy user - clicked some 500 pics so far in the last ~3 years. The phone is so much easier compared to that-heavy-equipment-that-i-have-to fetch-from-the-dry-cabinet.

It probably isn't a good idea, but hey, you got a great bargain. The downside of that do-everything superzoom would be the size and weight, whereas a do-many-things standard zoom would be more likely to be taken out. An 17-70/2.8 is now my always-on-the-camera lens.

And Fujifilm is now the biggest camera manufacturer in the world.

https://petapixel.com/2022/04/26/the...d-is-fujifilm/

How about Sony FE 70–200 mm F2.8 GM OSS II Lens. Has anyone used it. Where can we find good renting options in Bangalore for the above Lens? Price is north of $3,000/-.

Wide angle lens can be too intrusive for instantaneous or spontaneous family/wedding photos.