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The complications of having multiple systems


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So, as a working professional I used to have the following kit -

Personal work - 5x4 or 10x8 plate camera and a Fuji X100T. Commissioned - Canon 5d3 and 7d2 and then I'd hire a PhaseOne or Hasselblad for specific shoots.

Now being commissioned to direct more tv ads I shot a small production on a Canon 5d3 and got freaked out by how soft the finished image was - even when output to a Atomos Ninja Flame. So I've now got a Sony A7sii for film work.

 

Here's the problem though. I have six categories I have to cover with equipment -

 

Personal Stills

Personal Films

Commissioned Stills

Commissioned Films

Water work Stills [both personal and commissioned]

Water work Films [both personal and commissioned]

 

1st problem - I would like to have the A7sii for all film work. The only problem is the dive housing brand I use [Aquatech] doesn't come with a record button on the backplate for the Sonys and, as, I can't change the record button to another button then I'm going to either adapt the backplate and screw in a new button or somehow rig it with some sort of release to push the record button.

 

2nd problem - I'm current trying the A7sii with a Sigma MC 11 adaptor for Canon lenses and it's so slow to focus [a second or two to find focus]. Not a problem with film work as it's all manual focus cine lenses used but I'm worried the A7rii will also be slow compared to using native lenses.

 

Does anyone have any experience of the difference between the S and R with focussing?

 

I would like to have just the A7r and S so if I go off on personal work I could take my dive housing, one body, one cine lens, an Atomos recorder and two stills lenses.

 

I would consider getting rid of the Fuji but what I love about it is that it doesn't look a professional camera so I have a lot more people unaware when I'm shooting - unlike if I had a Canon or Nikon. They just scream pro.

 

Any thoughts on any of the subjects would be much appreciated [sorry for such a long message.]

 

Mark

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Guest Jaf-Photo

I don't dive, so I don't know what you could do about that. For the rest, you'd do well to dump the aging Canon bodies and you wouldn't need the Fuji either.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I don't dive either, nor have any experience with diving cages.

But I read about it and found this amazing:

http://www.nauticam.com/product/na-a6500-housing/

It looks like Nauticam has thought in every aspect of controlling the camera underwater. They also make UW housings for the A7II (S and R) and the A9. I put this link for the A6500 because it is the obvious option for your last demand, a disguised pro. From your description, it looks like the A6XXX series was made for you, great quality images with a low profile appearance.

The A6500 may use any of your FF lenses (and accessories). You just need one or two wider APSC lenses. By the way, that's what you would have to do for shooting 4K with the A7RII, as it delivers better quality in super 35 mode (which is the same frame size used by the A6500). As a bonus, you get the QS (quick/slow) feature, which can easily produce some otherwise time consuming effects.

I've never used the A7S, not even tried a Canon-Sony adapter. My auto adapters are just A to E mount and they do work perfectly even with my Sigma autofocus lens. I work with the A7RII, A6000 and A6500, and never noticed an unexpected behaviour by the focusing system of any of them.

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