The E-mount Lineup

Tomorrow I (should) receive my copy of the FE 24-70 f2.8 GM. I have decided that much as the Batis primes were excellent lenses in themselves, it did have a bearing on my not going out as much to take some pictures last year in particular. Five separate lenses; take them all and chop and change "in the field", take just one or two and work with whatever focal lengths I settle on, or not bother!

So I have bit the bullet and have had a refresh. The a7iii has gone and been replaced with the a7rivA. The primes have been traded and I have bought the staple 24-70 to join the 70-200 and 200-600 zooms. (For UW I have kept the Batis 18mm f2.8 and I will not be parting with the FE 90 f2.8 macro either, especially as it is ideal for scanning my 35mm film strips).

Bottom line, I am feeling much more comfortable with what I have and I'll be interested to see if it makes a difference to my photography.

"Zooming with your feet" isn't quite the same anyway even if it were possible.
The perspective or the perceived "compression" you get from telephotos you cannot get when shooting closer with a wide angle and conversely the exaggerated perspectives you get from wide angles you cannot get by going way back with telephotos.

Wētāpunga wrote: I watched a clip of one E-mount Landscape photographer who recently abandoned his prime also, for the 16-35/2.8 GM, 24-70/2.8GM and 100-400 G. His reasons were persuasive- the image quality of these lenses was superb, lens changes in the field could be reduced, and he could always frame the shot he wanted by zooming with the lens.

Thanks. These are pretty much my thoughts too. I think what convinced me most was the IQ of the 24-70 GM and the fact that it has been available for some time yet is still regarded very well.

nandbytes wrote: "Zooming with your feet" isn't quite the same anyway even if it were possible. The perspective or the perceived "compression" you get from telephotos you cannot get when shooting closer with a wide angle and conversely the exaggerated perspectives you get from wide angles you cannot get by going way back with telephotos.

That's a very valid point Anand, and one which I hadn't considered in my decision. Makes it even more convincing to go with the GM zoom

AudioDoc wrote: Congratulations, Brian! How are you managing the large file sizes from your A7rIVA? 61Mp is a substantial increase compared with the 24Mp of the A7III. I don't need an upgrade at the moment myself because I simply have not been taking as many photos as pre-pandemic. But I am interested in the experiences of others with higher megapixel cameras. If I had to upgrade, I probably would go with the A7IV, though the flip screen would not work for my photography.

TBH Kelly, I haven't taken many photos with the a7rivA since getting it just before Christmas. Just the usual local stuff we do when we add a new camera/lens to the family. The size of the files has its obvious advantages, especially when it comes to selective cropping, and I generally do some savage weeding before settling on any images for processing and displaying. But it is, by far, the most comprehensive camera I have owned and it suits me perfectly I think. I have taken a lot of time to refine my custom buttons and I'm very happy with its handling.

I did consider the a7iv but my decision was based on the fact that then, the a7iv was an unknown quantity and now it is available seems to lean more towards its video capabilities, which I have no need of, and it is only available new, at full price. I bought my a7rivA used from MPB, graded as "As New" for considerably less than the cost of a new one and with a warranty.

AudioDoc wrote: As for the zoom verses prime topic, size and weight are crucial at my age and with my bad knees. (had knee replacement surgery in July). I think you and I are about the same age. That 24-70mm GM I'm sure is a great lens. Let us know how it works out for you. When I migrated from A to FE mount I decided to to go with the f4 zooms for their size and weight, even if they can't compare to the newer GM lenses. They do a fine job for me. I have to admit, depending on the situation, I shoot more with my 40mm Zeiss Batis than any other lens and leave most other lenses at home.

Yep, we are both products of '48 but I am okay in the knee department. My major flaw was a wonky heart but a triple bypass almost 20 years ago gave me a new lease of life. (Indeed the surgeon told me he placed a lifetime guarantee on his work! He just forgot to mention how long that is )

I'm booked to attend a three day Norfolk coast workshop in May with Gill Moon so I was becoming concerned about which lenses to take, as there will be considerable wandering and weight was a very major factor for my future adventures. And then I saw in her books that virtually all of her outstanding photos have been taken with a 24-70 f2.8, albeit a Nikon! So it helped in my decision.

Very grateful for all responses to this

Brian

Yes, I did. They reduced the price, so I had to buy it....

I have not been here in 2020-2021, mainly because of
- work (reorganization and job changes),
- travel restrictions (so less focus on photography),
- more time spent on 2 other hobbies (running, watches), and
- for the few occasions for photography: an overall feeling that my set-up as of end of 2019 was doing all I wanted, so no further desire to discuss and look for "upgrades". How nice is that ? I had not had this feeling of being just fine with the stuff I had since I started digital back in 2005

Since going digital, this was pretty much the track followed.
I have made some kind of change each year, up to early 2020.

2020: Now going entirely FE-mount: sell A6300 and most non-FF glass
2019: replace A7RII by A7RIII; replace RX10 III by RX10 IV
2018: replace A7II by A7RII; replace A6000 by A6300; add RX10 III
2017: add FF E-mount glass
2016: Going entirely E/FE-mount: replace a700 by A7II; replace Nex-6 by A6000; sell RX100 II and about all A-mount glass
2015: sell a900 and some A-mount glass
2014: add RX100 II
2013: add Nex-6
2012: replace Nex-5 by Nex-5N
2011: add Nex-5 to a700 and a900
2010: add a900 - first time FF in the digital world
2008: add replace KM7D's by a700's
2007: add a100
2005: my first KM 7D

And today, a nice new Sony FE 200-600 was added. I have not had a newcomer in a long time, so a bit of a special event .
Even though being a zoom, it reminds me of my good old Minolta 400/4.5 G

Resulting line-up is :

α7RIII
24-70 CZ
70-200 G
200-600 G
SY35/2.8
SY45/1.8
85/1.8
RX10 IV

So not any GM's. I am quite happy with G-performance

I also still keep some nostalgic stuff that I like to use once in a while :

- Nex-5 16-70/4 - this 16-70 also is fun in combination with the A7RIII: a compact zoom solution with good output. That is why I saw no further reason to keep an A6x00 type camera.
- α100 50/1.4 24-105

24-70 and SY45 are the lenses getting most use on average. On a recent trip to Spain, the A7 + 45/1.8 actually was the only gear I had with me. Superb combination of convenience and output quality

Edited by Paul07 - 22 February 2022 at 07:00

The a100 is a piece of good memories . I love hearing the mirror sound once in while...
(SY is Sanyang, yes )

addy landzaat wrote: Wētāpunga wrote: Also intrigued you still have an α100 left in your camera kit. There can't be many Dyxum members with one now. I have one, use it seldom (well, never) but I will use it for the A-mount retirement party

I guess that means at least 2 Dyxum members still own an α100 .
It was my first DSLR but I sold it long ago to partly fund the move to the α700.