All Activity

Why not get an a-mount camera -- with the features you want? There are lots to choose from. Most are APS format, but there were four that are full-frame format. To use a-mount lenses on e-mount cameras you need an adapter that depends on your a-mount lenses and e-mount camera. They are not cheap, and can have limitations. You can avoid all that by sticking to a-mount cameras -- which are usually inexpensive. So are a-mount lenses! Here's a list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_A-mount_cameras

Hi all, first time poster. I am getting back into photography and have chosen to stick with sony, I have a pretty old Sony A100 alpha on the A mount, I have a couple of lenses that are all AF enabled, a small 28-70 sony kit lens and a telefoto Minolta, so my thought was to get an a6000 body, and use A to E adapter to make use of the glass. Is this advisable? Will I get clear crisp imagines in this manner, I can't imagine these lenses would be classed as "too old" or would they? I'm trying to keep the initial cost down whilst I get back into things, after this i would be happy to spend a bit more. Happy for any advice or correct me if my thinking is wrong. Is the A6000 a decent place to begin? I also considered the A77 mk2, which has the A mount. To add, my style of photography is mainly just portraits, family time photography, and some outdoor street stuff from time to time. Thanks!

Bald Eagle - he wasn't looking at me! Image taken in SW Florida USA February 19, 2024 Camera: Sony Alpha 1 + FE 600mm f4 GM

There is also the option of a Bluetooth remote - Sony has one, I believe (I use the cable remote)

I have never been able to get clear shots while manually focusing any camera, as I am unable to see clearly enough on the small screen (I use 1.25 reading glasses). Most of the time, I can get pretty clear pictures. On the days that I photograph items, I will take anywhere from 90 - 130 pictures. Out of those, I will probably have 10 or so that are not in focus. As far as the AF micro adjustment, the article says not to do it with aftermarket lenses, which is what I use (it's a Sigma 18-300 1:3.5-6.3 DC). By aperture, I am presuming that is changed with the wheel just underneath the shutter release button. I usually have it on 0, but have adjusted it to 1.0 for some shots. I may be completely wrong on what that wheel is actually adjusting. I keep the camera in the Program Auto mode (maybe I can try Auto mode). Steady shot is turned off. As for A-mount lenses, I have at least 12 lenses. Some of them may not be available in E-mount (I originally came from a Minolta Maxxum 400Si 35mm camera).

It would help a lot if you could first identify the cause of the unsharpness without jumping to conclusions. 1. Are images produced by the camera sharp if you manually focus? If yes, the lens is fine and the camera is at least capable of producing sharp images. 2. If your subject is blurry when manually focussing, is some part of the picture in focus? If yes, at least the camera/lens combo is capable of producing sharp images. 3. If you use autofocus with spot focussing on your subject, is your subject sharp and in focus? If yes, nothing seems wrong with the camera. 4. If no under 3 above, is the plane of focus slightly in front or behind the subject? If yes, try tweaking a bit with AF Micro Adjustment: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00018531 5. What aperture value are you using? Because you say that lighting is bad, likely you're using a large aperture. This gives a very thin depth of field, so only a very small part of your subject will be in focus. 6. Have you disabled steadyshot on your camera/lens? Since you're shooting off a tripod, you should disable steadyshot or it might cause some unwanted motion blur. 7. ... I'm sure others can chime in with more possible causes for your problem. Some general comments: Yes, could very well be, especially combined with poor lighting. See #5 above. Not at all, unless your A77ii is defective. Especially for online images, the A77ii should be plenty sharp. Thr A7R-line is overkill for your needs. Not at all. If anything, you should be using single spot focussing anyway. But why use autofocus? Your subject is still, your camera is still, perfect use case for manual focussing, where you have full control over the plane of focus. Not to sound condescending, but I'm quite confident there's a share of user error in your blurry photos. Definately first rule this out before making unneccesary purchases. Unless you're heavily invested in A-mount glass or you can get the A99ii very cheap, I would not invest in the (EOL) A-mount system. Better get a used A7iii if your budget is tight. Good luck!

Not too long ago, I upgraded from an Alpha A65 to an A77 II. Since that time, I have not had a lot of luck getting clear photos. I am photographing items to list online, using a tripod and a remote shutter release button. There are times when the photos are not in focus. Some of the items are bigger or wider, which could be part of the problem. I have tried to follow people's advice, but nothing has worked. I will admit that the lighting where I am photographing is not that great (we will be making changes at the warehouse sometime soon, I hope). I did purchase the A77 II used, so perhaps there is a problem with the camera itself (it had less than 15,000 shutter releases on it). I am looking at either the A7 IV or the A7R IV (or V). Will either of these cameras help me to get clearer shots? I am hoping that with the much higher number of auto focus points, that it will work better. I rarely shoot video, so the 4K issues that I read about with the A7R IV should not be an issue for me. I will be purchasing the adapter to run my A mount lenses on the new camera. I am also considering the HVL-F60M flash. If anyone can give me some guidance on this, your input will be greatly appreciated. This will be a large purchase for me, so I want to get it right (if it is the right way to go). P.S. With the money that I will spend on one of the A7 models, I might also be able to get an A99 II body. Would it be a better way to go?

Bald Eagle - Eagle processed in High Key. SW Florida Feb. 17, 2024 Camera: Sony Alpha 1 + FE 600mm f4 GM

Here's the one I use. Be sure to keep track of the cable. It has micro usb on the Sony end and the 1st generation USB input on the end that connects to the receiver. If it goes astray there's no way you'll find a replacement having this combination of connectors. (These go on sale often so snatch one then.) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1405659-REG/revo_vrs_multi_w_wireless_video_remote_for.html

Needs to be the dedicated SONY cable that came with the camera. I tagged mine so it doesn't get lost in the mound of USB cables and is the ONLY one that correctly identifies camera with computer,

Thank you!!

@XKAES extensive experience with cameras and lenses dates back to the analogue age, so his advice is colored by that experience 😉 You are correct: turning the focus ring while autofocussing with this lens is no problem at all. There is no physical connection between the focus ring and the focussing mechanism.

Thank you both for your answers. Unfortunately, the manual that came in the box did not provide this information. That was my assumption, but I read that apparently most E mount lenses are "focus-by-wire" and thus can not damaged by that. Is this not the case? Correct, the lens does not have a physical switch on it, only a zoom ring and a focus ring. This guide is more detailed than the one included in the box so it will be useful.

No all USB cables provide a data connection. Male sure yours does.

There isn't a "manual" for that lens. Just a large piece of paper folded many times - that's normal for lenses, though. Here's a link to it if you don't still have it: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/4479/dd872ea359967bb6142f930eddb0cf8f/44791220M.pdf There are two ways to use this lens in manual focus: set the camera to MF focus mode - that means all of the responsibility for focusing the lens falls on the user set the camera to DMF focus mode - that means the camera will do a single auto-focus (hopefully getting the lens close to focused), then the user can turn the focus ring to touch it up, if necessary. Many lenses have an AF/MF switch - looking at the diagrams on the instructions page, this lens does not appear to have an AF/MF switch. Here is the help guide for the A7 II: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/1450/v1/en/index.html and the information about choosing a focus mode: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/1450/v1/en/contents/TP0000386486.html

Hi, I rented an A7siii today and I want to download my footage to my mac. When I connect to the computer, the camera begins to charge but it doesn't mount the card. In the USB menu the usb connection is ghosted. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

You need to get a user manual for your camera. It will tell you not to try to manually focus the lens while it is in auto-focus mode. That will damage the camera and or the lens. If you want to manually focus, you switch to manual-focus mode. Lenses and cameras make noise while auto-focusing. You describe it as "almost inaudible". That's normal. You need to get a user manual for your camera.

Hello, I have purchased a brand new A7 II and, being a novice user of interchangeable lenses, I have a couple of questions about the 28-70mm kit lens: - Is it safe to turn the manual focus ring while on auto focus or will it damage the lens? I have found some relevant information about this in the following links, but not specific to sony lenses: https://photo.stackexchange.com/q/39705 and https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/2304898 - Is it normal for the lens to make a short, almost inaudible mechanical sound (like a whir) when auto-focusing? Or does it indicate there is a problem with the motor or gears? Thanks.

Hola, precioso el zorrito Saludos Felipe 😏

Hola, ven ven, parece que dice este bosque, sacame guapo...🤣 Saludos Felipe [url=https://flic.kr/p/2pyfrMP][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53529844405_1748228b4c_b.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2pyfrMP]A7_00402nm[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/invierno123/]freme_3[/url], en Flickr

Wow this is so helpful, thank you very much @FunWithCameras! That description is exactly the problem I have. Will read the guide carefully and that way hopefully avoid the very expensive solution (as I am a modest freelancer 😉 ).

Yes, I could se the point made by FunWithCameras and reiterated by yourself.

This looks like “LED banding”, although I have not seen it with orange bands before. LED lights are turning on and off fairly rapidly, and they look a constant brightness to our eyes. To the camera, however, they are flickering, and as your camera’s shutter passes down the frame, you get darker bands, just like this. First thing to try is using the mechanical shutter - that can help. The electronic shutter often shows the problem more strongly. If the mechanical shutter doesn’t fix it, you need to dig into anti-flicker and variable shutter settings. The Help guide for the A7RV is here: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/2230/v1/en/index.html and here is the page on anti-flicker: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/2230/v1/en/contents/TP0003057052.html?search=Anti-flicker - there is a link from that page to a discussion of the difference between anti-flicker and variable shutter - I recommend reading that, too. The ultimate (and very expensive!) answer is the A9 III - the global shutter eliminates banding completely. But try the anti-flicker first !!

UPDATE: Just sold the A74 and got the smaller A7cii. I was not taking the A74 out that much because I felt it was too professional and bulky. Wanted to keep my rig small and my camera shelf manageable. So far I love the Cii. Extra stabilization is noticeably better. Wish the viewfinder was a notch better, but has not held me back. I find I put it in my bag more often even when I'm not planning on taking pics. The 20-40 and the Sony 24 are my daily drivers now. Lenses: Tamron: 28-200 (Di3 RXD) Tamron: 20-40 Di III VXD (new: lovely, light, compact) Sony: 24 FE 2.8 G (new: lovely, light, compact) SLR Magic: 50mm 1.1