Need some help! Transitioning from Canon DSLR to a Sony a7 III

[DaviVascaino]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new to the forum. I used to be an enthusiast about photography, and I have an old Canon T3I DSLR (crop sensor) and few lenses (50mm 1.8, sigma 30 1.4, tamron 70-300mm, sigma 17-70 macro). I like to shoot portrait of my family, and nature and pictures of products in general. 

 

It has been several years since I stopped shooting with DSLR, mainly because of life (busy, children), and because cellphones are better and better. However, my wife has a small etsy shop and we would like to get better pictures of her products/creations. I also love whisky, and I like to take pictures of bottles LOL. I took my t3I from storage, started shooting again and fell in love again. However, that camera sucks lol, so I want something better 

 

Anyway, I did my research and I wanted to upgrade to a mirrorless camera. Even though I am a Canon person, based on what I found online, sony is still the king of mirrorless cameras. sony a7 III (specially with price drop), seems to be a great buy. I always wanted to upgrade to a full frame camera, so maybe it is time

 

I have a few questions:

1. I guess I can't use any of my lenses on the  new sony right?

2. I am thinking about skipping the kit lenses, I don't think I would be using much after I start buying more lenses. My question is: which lens would I buy instead of a kit lens that would give me a good performance without breaking the bank for a few months until I save more money ? lol? I was thinking about a prime 30 to 35mm or the cheap 50mm 1.8? my main use initially would be to take pictures of products (so I would assume a good prime would be better)?

3. a sony A7 III for $1550 (body only) from an authorized dealer sound like a good deal??

 

thank you again, and thanks for having me 

Edited December 10, 2020 by DaviVascaino

[Pieter]

On 12/10/2020 at 4:13 PM, DaviVascaino said:

1. I guess I can't use any of my lenses on the  new sony right?

You can, with a Metabones or Sigma MC-11 adapter. Results may vary in terms of autofocus, so check the web a bit on which adapter works best for your lenses.

The adapters aren't cheap however and some of your old lenses are designed for APS-C format, so maybe you'd be better off just selling those and buying E-mount glass.

On 12/10/2020 at 4:13 PM, DaviVascaino said:

2. I am thinking about skipping the kit lenses, I don't think I would be using much after I start buying more lenses. My question is: which lens would I buy instead of a kit lens that would give me a good performance without breaking the bank for a few months until I save more money ? lol? I was thinking about a prime 30 to 35mm or the cheap 50mm 1.8? my main use initially would be to take pictures of products (so I would assume a good prime would be better)? 

Since you're not new to photography I assume you know the pros and cons of primes and zooms, and you know which focal lengths you like. I don't know your budget, but Samyang offers some cheap but great value for money primes, like the 45mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/1.8. I'd stay away from the Sony 50mm f/1.8: it's generally considered one of the very few disappointing lenses Sony made for E-mount.

On 12/10/2020 at 4:13 PM, DaviVascaino said:

3. a sony A7 III for $1550 (body only) from an authorized dealer sound like a good deal??

Sounds decent but I'm not familiar with North American market.

[Crazy150]

while I do t recommend the kit lens, you could do worse. If you are only having one lens, I’d suggest the Tamron 28-75mm. Should be good for anything you’d do.
 

But for product shots you don’t need any fancy lenses with the A7iii. Get some flash that you can take off camera or bounce off  a white wall or paper or whatever.

[DaviVascaino]

Y

On 12/11/2020 at 8:41 PM, Crazy150 said:

while I do t recommend the kit lens, you could do worse. If you are only having one lens, I’d suggest the Tamron 28-75mm. Should be good for anything you’d do.
 

But for product shots you don’t need any fancy lenses with the A7iii. Get some flash that you can take off camera or bounce off  a white wall or paper or whatever.

Thank you everyone for the advice.

 

So I was able to get the Sony a7 iii from greentoe from authorized sony dealer with a year of warranty for $1520 shipped and taxes included, great deal (since I am in Michigan, that means $1430 before taxes). Super excited for my first full frame sensor and mirror less

 

I have narrowed down few lenses for my first purchase. I am trying to not go crazy and get only the ones I know I will use regularly.

1. Tamron 28-75 - seems to be a great all around lenses. Price is higher than my other options below, and I seem to gravitate more towards prime lenses when I had my canon 

 

2. the new Rokinon 35mm f1.8. just released few months ago, I saw some reviews and videos saying it is a great buy for $400 and has great performance image quality, almost the same as sony 35mm f1.8 for almost half of price 

 

3. Sony 85mm f1.8 - superb lens for the price , but I am afraid  I will be limited if I only have this lens for a while. I plan to buy other lenses in few months but not now, need to save some money lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PeterMac]

Well done for your purchase! On the lens side I would urge you to look at the Sigma range as even their ‘normal’ “contemporary” range has become exceedingly good and their “art” range (pricy) is thought to equal of better Sony’s own G lenses. I’m using a crop-sensor a6500 and my ‘go to’ Lens these days is the Sony Zeiss 16-70 f4 which has produced outstanding results (purchased pre-owned) and I presume there will be a full-frame equivalent. I had poor experiences with a couple of Sony kit lenses...

[Pieter]

2 hours ago, PeterMac said:

the Sony Zeiss 16-70 f4 which has produced outstanding results (purchased pre-owned) and I presume there will be a full-frame equivalent.

There is a full-frame equivalent, sort of: the Sony Zeiss 24-70 F/4. Best stay away from it as it got even worse reviews than the Sony Zeiss 16-70 F/4... Sony stopped producing new 'Sony Zeiss'-badged lenses years ago, the 50mm F/1.4 being the last one.

[hdinin]

Pieter

Thanks for sharing your opinion here. I'd be curious, if you have reference of some kind (active URLs will do), as to which specific reviews of "Sony-Zeiss badged" lenses, especially the ones referred to, you are summarizing.

My own experience with these, and many other lenses, most of them OEM branded primes and zooms (i.e., respectively, Canon, and Sony), as well as well-regarded third party primes, e.g., mainly Zeiss) intended for full-frame and APS-C bodies from Canon and Sony, from the EOS 5D through the EOS 5D IV, and various models of the a6000 series, including the 6300 and the 6600, as well as the a7R II and a7R IV (and, as a benchmark, the RX-1R II, which, of course, has a Zeiss Distagon fixed lens, not a hybrid brand at all), and I have found all to perform admirably in actual field and studio work. I have no idea how these lenses "perform" on an optical bench, or in some of the torturous (and IMO dubious) kinds of home-grown "lab" assessments of ginned-up pseudo-scientific parameters, because I stopped reading these kinds of reviews long since. Even the products from such brands as Sigma and Rokinon, which in the 80s and 90s of the last century, were the marks of equipment suitable more for their affordability than the reliability of their optical performance (which was variable), now produce consistent and sometimes admirable results (indistinguishable from gold-standard marques, as others here have suggested) in all mounts, both zoom and prime.

My chief test is of the quality of the images produced on a large format high resolution printer (I mainly use an Epson Stylus Pro 9900) for exhibition purposes, and these lenses discussed here, some admittedly visibly better in perceptible acuity, contrast, dynamic range, falloff, etc., than others, but none of a quality I reject outright. Those I simply and quietly put safely into storage.

But I'd still be interested in seeing who said what, specifically, about these lenses (or any). Even as astute and and punctilious a reviewer as Sean Reid, aside from the numerous field images he shoots himself under "real" conditions and includes in his reviews, is still tempted to try to divine a lens's quality as adjunct to producing an effective image from looking at the edges of a photo he shoots in a tabletop studio under higher and higher zoom magnification, as if this were a practical measure of a device's worth under all conditions. I stopped subscribing to his highly informed blog, because he seems to have decided to specialize in assessing the latest models of Leitz and Fuji branded equipment. If I used these and were investing in them, I'd be interested. But my interests otherwise are not academic.

Thanks for any response you can provide.

[Pieter]

Arguably any lens released today is 'good enough' to make professional quality photo's, but before making any purchase I'd like to gather as many reviews of a lens as possible (to offset copy variation or bias by a reviewer), to make sure I make an informed purchase.

I usually dismiss reviews that only focus on a single aspect of a lens (like Photographyblog, which only subjectively tests sharpness), tests only based on sample images, often shot in a Sony-sponsored press event (like the Phoblographer), those that may be prone to 'buyers confirmation bias' or that are vigorously trying to get a commission for any purchase you make through their website. I also prefer reviews with comparable, reproducable results complimented with sample images. You may argue the scientific credibility of these tests, but at least the methods are consistent, thorough and objective.

Bear in mind that these lenses are relatively old in E-mount terms and the better alternatives that are available today weren't there at the time of these reviews. Given the available alternatives, today they would probably be rated lower.

 

Sony Zeiss 16-70 F/4

https://opticallimits.com/sony-alpha-aps-c-lens-tests/901-sony1670f4oss?start=2

http://kurtmunger.com/sony_zeiss_16_70mm_f_4id354.html

Sony Zeiss 24-70 F/4

https://opticallimits.com/sonyalphaff/867-zeiss2470f4oss?start=2

https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/sony/fe-24-70mm-f4-za-oss-zeiss-vario-tessar-t-sel2470z/review/

[bwana]

On 12/10/2020 at 8:13 AM, DaviVascaino said:

Hello everyone,

 

I am new to the forum. I used to be an enthusiast about photography, and I have an old Canon T3I DSLR (crop sensor) and few lenses (50mm 1.8, sigma 30 1.4, tamron 70-300mm, sigma 17-70 macro). I like to shoot portrait of my family, and nature and pictures of products in general. 

 

It has been several years since I stopped shooting with DSLR, mainly because of life (busy, children), and because cellphones are better and better. However, my wife has a small etsy shop and we would like to get better pictures of her products/creations. I also love whisky, and I like to take pictures of bottles LOL. I took my t3I from storage, started shooting again and fell in love again. However, that camera sucks lol, so I want something better 

 

Anyway, I did my research and I wanted to upgrade to a mirrorless camera. Even though I am a Canon person, based on what I found online, sony is still the king of mirrorless cameras. sony a7 III (specially with price drop), seems to be a great buy. I always wanted to upgrade to a full frame camera, so maybe it is time

 

I have a few questions:

1. I guess I can't use any of my lenses on the  new sony right?

2. I am thinking about skipping the kit lenses, I don't think I would be using much after I start buying more lenses. My question is: which lens would I buy instead of a kit lens that would give me a good performance without breaking the bank for a few months until I save more money ? lol? I was thinking about a prime 30 to 35mm or the cheap 50mm 1.8? my main use initially would be to take pictures of products (so I would assume a good prime would be better)?

3. a sony A7 III for $1550 (body only) from an authorized dealer sound like a good deal??

thank you again, and thanks for having me 

1. The addition of a Sigma MC-11 adapter will allow you to use your Canon lenses, assuming they're full frame lenses; otherwise, you'll be shooting in crop mode.  I have several other adapters but find the MC-11 to be the best / most reliable.

2. My first batch of lenses were Minolta AF lenses (I now have 7) with Sony's LAEA-4 adapter.  Lenses are good quality and dirt cheap.  Since my 1st Sony full frame in 2013 I've also bought a couple of Sony lenses but darned expensive!

3. The Sony A7 III at any price is a GREAT deal and a very good camera.  I also have an A7S, A6000, A6100 and RX10 IV.  I've had an A7R, A7 II and A7R II, of these I'd recommend the A7R II and I'd love to acquire an A7R III at some point in the future.

Good luck