[AG-D]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

How is the Godox in terms of getting in and out of the horse shoe mount?

It's a quite tight fit and does take some force and wriggling to get it in or out. I don't feel the plastic foot will break under care but if you are ham-fisting to get it on or off quickly it might. The newer versions of the V1s come with metal feet and replacement feet are also available. I heard it has resolved the issue to a large extent. You can check those too.

[Venkatr]

Hi photography experts,
I'm a newbie to photography, but off-late I'm spending a lot of time trying to learn its nuances (Probably a keen interest to pick a new hobby during midlife). Started off with mobile photography courses and now looking to learn more with some seriousness.
I'm looking for some suggestions for buying a MIRRORLESS camera. Here are some requirements and need suggestions from you all:
1. Want to invest in a camera that I can use for 6-8 years
2. Should be good in tech that can last for these many years
3. Good after-sales support in India.
4. Can me mounted to a gimbal/tripod
5. Cost wise - INR 50,000 to INR 80,000
6. What set of lenses I should buy in addition
Thank you

[Hunter3077]

Hello everyone. Been considering getting a mirrorless set up to replace my Nikon D500 and Nikkor 200-500mm. Yes it is a beast of a set up when it comes to action photography yet I feel the time is right to take the leap. Been considering Sony gear. Following are my options:-
1. Sony A7iv with the 200-600mm
2. Sony A9/A9 ii
Please let me know how your experience has been with these cameras if anyone happens to have tried these out.
Thanks

[AG-D]

Originally Posted by Hunter3077

Following are my options:-
1. Sony A7iv with the 200-600mm
2. Sony A9/A9 ii

I have the A7iv and rent the 200-600mm when I go out for birding or wildlife. The lens is sharp and has fast AF. The A7iv locks onto the bird or animal eye quickly. It has internal zoom which I like. You also have the option to add teleconverters if needed. Quite versatile in my opinion.

A7iv is an excellent hybrid, jack-of-all-trades kind of camera. However, it has a slower shooting FPS than the action focussed A9 series, in case it matters to you.

If you are focused ( pun intended) on fast-action wildlife then the A9ii with the 200-600mm might be the better option or else A7iv would be just fine IMHO. A9ii does not have the Bird Eye AF compared to A7iv, however, A9 iii is rumored to be released in Q2 this year and is rumored to have better and AI-driven AF than A9ii, so you can wait for it if you are in no hurry.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AG-D

I have the A7iv ...

I wonder if you could tell me something please?

Is it possible to set direct access to degrees K as a dial/wheel customisation? ...As opposed to the procedure on my camera: custom button ->colour temperature ->K ->degrees.

I have an a6500 APS-C, and am toying with the idea of adding a FF camera. I plead guilty to pure GAS: the a6500 is pretty fine for the pics I take, and will, if I go full frame, have to add yet more lenses to my collection. But still, the temptation is there.

The above requirement may seem obscure but I photograph classical concerts in weird mixed lighting and colour temperature can change from one pic to the next. Sometimes even if the subject just moves their head!

Nobody seems to publish the available customisation options for each button/dial, leas ot all Sony themselves: one is supposed to see on the camera itself!

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Is it possible to set direct access to degrees K as a dial/wheel customisation? ...As opposed to the procedure on my camera: custom button ->colour temperature ->K ->degrees.

The above requirement may seem obscure but I photograph classical concerts in weird mixed lighting and colour temperature can change from one pic to the next. Sometimes even if the subject just moves their head!

Please forgive me if I am missing something. But one option (unless you are already doing it) is to shoot in RAW. Then the color temperature (white balance) on the camera does not matter. You can change the color temperature in post processing as you like for each photo.

I have left the white balance on my camera to "Auto", and never bother with it because I shoot in RAW and process the images myself. White balance on the camera does NOT affect the RAW files in any way, so whatever it is set to on the camera becomes redundant and solves your problem.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I do use jpeg. I find my camera jpegs to be good enough that a small amount of tweaking can get what I want. I'm sure the same is achievable from RAW, with much greater option for retrieving highlight/shadows etc, and manipulating colour balance.

I don't have Windows or Mac. On my Linux machine I use either GIMP or Rawtherapee.

One day, I'd like to get good at RT. But for now, I can do what I want, in a practised workflow, that takes very little time (from almost nothing to two minutes or so) per pic in GIMP. And that still adds up to an hour or more per concert.

In RT, I will be faffing around for ages. Partly because of lack of practice, but partly because there are so many options and methods. If I want to just mess around with, say, a flower picture, RT is great. I wish GIMP allowed me to adjust luminescence by colour! (It does, actually, but it is a poorly formed tool that is useless in some pics as it causes artifacts).

GIMP does allow me to change colour temperature and colour balance.

But I do like to get close, at least, in camera. It's nice not to have to start with yellow faces.

Thus, I adjust colour temperature as often as most people change the other parameters of photography, and would like a quick(er) and easy(er) way of doing it.

This actual preference (at least for now) for jpegs is one reason that a multimegapixel monster of a Sony A7R series would be wasted on me. Although I'd be doing a lot more cropping from FF. The A7iv might be a good compromise in price, a-recent-model, etc.

[AG-D]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Is it possible to set direct access to degrees K as a dial/wheel customisation?
!

You surely can. Quick guide applicable for A7iv version 2.00 for future reference > Navigate to White Balance (page #17 of 53) > Set White Balance to C.Temp/Filter. | Navigate to Dial Customize (page #45 of 53) > Custom Key/Dial Set. > Set your chosen Dial/Wheel to W Balance (C Temp) within White Balance ((page #3 of 6).

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

On my Linux machine I use either GIMP or Rawtherapee.

Ah. I can't help but think why most of the capable open-source softwares tend to have such a steep learning curve. I did try RT once but had to leave it for the Sony-bundled CaptureOne software. Unfortunately, CaptureOne doesn't have a version for Linux and I am not sure if you can emulate the Windows environment for it through Wine. In case you plan to process RAW with RT do check the support of Sony Raw format before you dive in. Sony had introduced a Lossless Compressed (S/M/L) file format a few months earlier which was not supported by the majority of the softwares for quite some time.

[AG-D]

Originally Posted by Venkatr

I'm looking for some suggestions for buying a MIRRORLESS camera. Here are some requirements and need suggestions from you all:
1. Want to invest in a camera that I can use for 6-8 years
2. Should be good in tech that can last for these many years
3. Good after-sales support in India.
4. Can me mounted to a gimbal/tripod
5. Cost wise - INR 50,000 to INR 80,000
6. What set of lenses I should buy in addition

With the fast-evolving tech and the space indicated by your budget crowded by camera phones and vlogger-centric cameras, it is hard to predict what the future tech, the latest and greatest, even over a horizon of 6 - 8 years holds for us. However, it is always advisable to invest in good quality lenses which will hold their usability over a long period of time.

Presuming your use case to be more photography than video, at your budget, I can suggest you check the Nikon Z50 with the Z DX 16 - 50 mm kit lens. The focal length of this kit lens will cover around 90% of your scenarios. For longer reach (zoo birds/animals or far away objects) you can consider the Z DX 50 - 250 mm kit lens. Extra tip - you can also consider adding a flash and commander at some point down your journey. It will help you where you can use it.

Since the above-suggested crop-sensor / APS-C system is lightweight most of the camera gimbals will be able to support it but do check the payload capacity of the gimbal before you purchase. The tripod will be supported with screw mounts which is standard.

Note that these kit lenses will not have the quality that you will get in the primes and zooms of the Nikkor S line of lenses. I can suggest you start with the kit lenses and see which focal lengths you prefer the most and get those S Line prime lenses (adjusting for the crop factor of 1.5X between your crop sensor body and full frame S line lenses). You can rent those lenses and try them before you commit to the purchase. Later, if you upgrade to a full-frame body you will have the lenses with you.

Happy clicking and preserving the memories and creative visions.

[nibedk]

Planning to build a FF system. Currently use a bridge Pana FZ200. Its at end of life - LCD is more or less gone, dial mode not functioning properly etc.

Had been planning for last few years but somehow nothing interested me till Sony A7III and Nikon D780 were launched. Both are good enough cameras to build a system around it and should ideally last half a decade or more. Since I do not have existing lenses so I can buy either one. Am well aware of DSLR and mirrorless(pros and cons).

- D780 is more pro grade. Though A7III will more or less match or exceed in some cases barring its build quality and lens options. F mount has a bigger lens collection and some dirt cheap ones as well.

- Nikon or Canon mirrorless don't interest me (the ones I can afford). The ones I like is way beyond my budget plus the mirrorless lens will be costlier compared to Sony. Pretty sure that they will catch up with Sony in few years but till that time its going to be costlier.

- I would even be okay with a A7II. But believe its now EOL for that model and hence make no sense to buy one now and not having support in a couple of years

- I have looked at the lenses that I would want to acquire and the DSLR options for Nikon will be much cheaper compared to mirrorless options of Sony.

- Assuming a pro grade body would last at least 7-10 years and the proven lens collection will continue at least for a decade more as lot of professional are still tied up to Nikon and Canon DSLRs

I am leaning towards D780 even though I would want to build a mirrorless system which will be the future. The sole reason being lesser costs in the near future and better pro grade body which will last longer than current mirrorless options available in the same price range.

Not interested in Nikon or Canon mirrorless at this point in time purely due to costs and lens options. Sony has matured quite a lot and there are lot of third party options as well. But when compared to Nikon DSLR system its still pricier.

Need your thoughts on should I go mirrorless or the last of one of best DSLRs in market now. Head says to go with Sony but heart says Nikon (due to pro grade body and better lens options). Though I lean more towards Sony somehow I believe from cost perspective Nikon DSLR would set me up good for more than 5 years. In longer run I may go with Nikon mirrorless so that I stay in the eco system. Jumping ship to Sony or Canon may not wise as DSLRs may be on their last leg and not fetch much.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AG-D

You surely can.

Thank you very much. Now I can be even more tempted

Ah. I can't help but think why most of the capable open-source softwares tend to have such a steep learning curve. I did try RT once but had to leave it for the Sony-bundled CaptureOne software.

If one can invest the time in RT (Or Darktable, probably, according to choice), I'm sure it is worth it. If you every get curious, check out a video or two from Andy Astbury on youtube. He hates GIMP, but covers RT as well as other software (including Photoshop, I think) very nicely. RT and its documentation often feel like they were written by scientist-programmers for scientist programmers. He does a good job of making sense of it.

That I can get what I want out of GIMP, for most pics, in a minute or three, did not, of course, start the first time I opened the program for the first time. I expect that's the same for Photoshop, Lightroom, CaptureOne, etc. It takes hundreds or thousands of pictures for us to become familiar with a set of tools and to tweak a pic to our style or required result quickly. I use perhaps half a dozen of GIMPs large toolset, and, as yet, have hardly even touched stuff like layers.

In case you plan to process RAW with RT do check the support of Sony Raw format before you dive in. Sony had introduced a Lossless Compressed (S/M/L) file format a few months earlier which was not supported by the majority of the softwares for quite some time.

Thanks for the warning on that one. I do quite often set the camera to RAW+JPEG, but almost always delete the raws when I'm happy with the jpeg results. RT is a huge getting-around-to-it for me. And I never feel like doing it when I have a backlog of a few hundred photos to process. Which is mostly: I'm not great at discipline/time-management. Thank goodness I don't do this stuff professionally!

(I might have said recently... I mostly photograph carnatic music concerts, which I would be going to, and enjoying, anyway. I give the pics, freely, to the artists and organisers. It's completely amateur, but the photography has become very much a part of my music life, and my relationship with the musicians.)

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by nibedk

Planning to build a FF system. Currently use a bridge Pana FZ200. Its at end of life - LCD is more or less gone, dial mode not functioning properly etc.

Had been planning for last few years but somehow nothing interested me till Sony A7III and Nikon D780 were launched. Both are good enough cameras to build a system around it and should ideally last half a decade or more. Since I do not have existing lenses so I can buy either one. Am well aware of DSLR and mirrorless(pros and cons).

- D780 is more pro grade. Though A7III will more or less match or exceed in some cases barring its build quality and lens options. F mount has a bigger lens collection and some dirt cheap ones as well.

- Nikon or Canon mirrorless don't interest me (the ones I can afford). The ones I like is way beyond my budget plus the mirrorless lens will be costlier compared to Sony. Pretty sure that they will catch up with Sony in few years but till that time its going to be costlier.

- I would even be okay with a A7II. But believe its now EOL for that model and hence make no sense to buy one now and not having support in a couple of years

- I have looked at the lenses that I would want to acquire and the DSLR options for Nikon will be much cheaper compared to mirrorless options of Sony.

- Assuming a pro grade body would last at least 7-10 years and the proven lens collection will continue at least for a decade more as lot of professional are still tied up to Nikon and Canon DSLRs

I am leaning towards D780 even though I would want to build a mirrorless system which will be the future. The sole reason being lesser costs in the near future and better pro grade body which will last longer than current mirrorless options available in the same price range.

Not interested in Nikon or Canon mirrorless at this point in time purely due to costs and lens options. Sony has matured quite a lot and there are lot of third party options as well. But when compared to Nikon DSLR system its still pricier.

Need your thoughts on should I go mirrorless or the last of one of best DSLRs in market now. Head says to go with Sony but heart says Nikon (due to pro grade body and better lens options). Though I lean more towards Sony somehow I believe from cost perspective Nikon DSLR would set me up good for more than 5 years. In longer run I may go with Nikon mirrorless so that I stay in the eco system. Jumping ship to Sony or Canon may not wise as DSLRs may be on their last leg and not fetch much.

Experts a little help would be appreciated. I am still confused on what would be a informed choice.

I also need to understand how is the used market for camera/camera gear here in India (at least in the bigger cities). I am even open to go that route if its organized as in other western countries like UK, US etc.

[AG-D]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Thank you very much. Now I can be even more tempted

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I do quite often set the camera to RAW+JPEG, but almost always delete the raws when I'm happy with the jpeg results. RT is a huge getting-around-to-it for me. And I never feel like doing it when I have a backlog of a few hundred photos to process. Which is mostly: I'm not great at discipline/time-management.

(I might have said recently... I mostly photograph carnatic music concerts, which I would be going to, and enjoying, anyway. I give the pics, freely, to the artists and organisers. It's completely amateur, but the photography has become very much a part of my music life, and my relationship with the musicians.)

I must say, this is admirable . But one question, do you absolutely need to have a full-frame camera or the A7iv? You might not be able to take advantage of the camera's full spectrum of creative expressions if you only intend to process jpegs from the A7iv. If it's your dream to have the full-frame look (dynamic range, low light, bokeh, etc) or have good full-frame lenses already with you then it's another consideration however an APS-C camera with its small footprint might be better to discretely shoot at music concerts. May I suggest you have a look at the Fujifilm cameras? They make exceptional cameras and lenses in the APS-C space and are known for their colors and legendary film simulations. The JPEGs are useful straight out of the camera. I quite love the X-S10 for its features and the more recently released models, I read, pack quite a punch of capabilities. The cameras have in-camera RAW processing capabilities too at varying degrees but the basics are covered, in case you need the flexibility of RAW.

You can additionally get an Instax printer and hook it up to your camera to give away printed photo memorabilia then and there. It might be more engaging and immersive for all of you there.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AG-D

But one question, do you absolutely need to have a full-frame camera or the A7iv? You might not be able to take advantage of the camera's full spectrum of creative expressions if you only intend to process jpegs from the A7iv.

No, I do not need. I have told myself, firmly, that I do not need, and myself has agreed. But then it said, OK OK, but let's expand the hobby definition from photography and concert photography to and collecting photographic equipment. GAS Furthermore, if the long-wanted-rumoured high-spec Sony APS-C camera materialises, I'd probably buy that. Moving to FF is going to loose me one thing: reach. It will add yet another bigger, heavier, expensive lens to the wanted list. Currently, I am covered to 180/2.8 zoom and 135/1.8 prime.

If it's your dream to have the full-frame look (dynamic range, low light, bokeh, etc) or have good full-frame lenses already with you then it's another consideration

Sure! I'd particularly like better low-light results.

however an APS-C camera with its small footprint might be better to discretely shoot at music concerts.

I get nice results from my a6500. Discretion is not necessary: I am known quite well to artists and organisers, and all I need to do is to keep out of the way of the video cameras!

May I suggest you have a look at the Fujifilm cameras?

Or Lumix, or Olympus! Sure, I might have gone those ways, but I now have quite a collection of e-mount lenses, some aps-c but some FF, and a change of platform is not something I want to contemplate.

The JPEGs are useful straight out of the camera.

Actually, I think Sony jpegs are OK. And, obviously, I think my editing improves them

You can additionally get an Instax printer and hook it up to your camera to give away printed photo memorabilia then and there. It might be more engaging and immersive for all of you there.

I wouldn't do that. I do like to edit first, although I upload a handful of photos on-the-spot to one sabha's WA group. After editing, I upload to cloud and send links to the participants.

Thanks for your ideas and input

[carthick1000]

A very sad news. Dpreview is closing. It has always been my goto source for all camera specs / reviews / camera and gear discussions since my first ever camera to all the other ones until now.

Dear readers,

After nearly 25 years of operation, DPReview will be closing in the near future. This difficult decision is part of the annual operating plan review that our parent company shared earlier this year.

The site will remain active until April 10, and the editorial team is still working on reviews and looking forward to delivering some of our best-ever content.

Everyone on our staff was a reader and fan of DPReview before working here, and we’re grateful for the communities that formed around the site.

Thank you for your support over the years, and we hope you’ll join us in the coming weeks as we celebrate this journey.

Sincerely,

Scott Everett
General Manager - DPReview.com

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