What is it with me and Sony?

In my last post I talked about getting ready to shoot a wedding, and the gear that I was planning on using for it. I had my Sony a77ii and a bag of lenses that I was looking forward to putting through their paces on a wedding day. Good times ahead....

Because the a77ii was a very recent purchase, and the bag full of lenses hadn't been used for quite a while, I decided to do due diligence and test everything before the big day. And boy am I glad I did! 

Te Kinga Macrocarpas. Sony a77ii. f/8 A 1/200th, ISO 100

To cut a very long (and very stressful) story short, it seemed that most of the lenses I had 'acquired' for the a77ii were past their best and badly in need of calibration. I've already discussed in previous posts how I've decided to build an A-mount Sony kit around the very generous gifting of a camera bag full (literally) of Minolta and Sony lenses. Well it seems like I may have been a little hasty in my decision.

I'm not going to cram this post full of slightly un-sharp photos just to prove a point, but basically that's what I was getting with the lenses I had. With a couple of exceptions.

The Minolta 85mm f1.4 was bitingly sharp. Ironically, for portraiture, you might even say it was a bit too sharp! The same goes for the Minolta 50mm f2.8 macro used as a regular 50mm lens. Incredibly sharp on my a77ii. So I know the camera can produce sharp images - with the right lenses.

But try as I might (and believe me, I did try), all the zoom lenses I had for the a77ii just didn't cut the mustard (as they say). For some they were sharp at the long end, but not so sharp at the wide end - and for others it was the exact opposite! The Minolta 24-70mm F2.8D wasn't sharp at all, at any focal length. While the Sony Zeiss 16-35mm f2.8 and Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 were just 'so-so'.

I took so many 'test shots' (thanks to my wife for being a willing(?) and very patient model) and poured over so many images at 100% that I started second-guessing myself and tying myself up in knots! One moment I'd think everything was 'soft', and the next I'd decide that some of them weren't 'too' bad. But were any of them good enough to shoot a wedding with? I didn't think so....

Rapahoe Relics. Sony a77ii. f/11 @ 1/50th, ISO 100

With only a week to go, and no lenses that I was happy with (other than an 85mm and 50mm prime), I was in panic mode. And wishing I hadn't agreed to shoot the damn wedding! But, once again, my mate Stew came to the rescue. Since I was getting all of his 'old' gear, and he was replacing it with new E-mount gear, he let me borrow his new Sony a7iii and Sony 24-105mm f4 to shoot the wedding with. Whew!

And again, long story short - it worked perfectly! Of course. In fact it was a joy to use. And I'm even getting used to the Sony A7 series ergonomics! So I'm getting one - right?

Hold that thought for a moment. Because yes, I have decided that the Sony A-mount system is obviously not for me. The a57 with the sensor alignment issue was the start of my A-mount woes. And although the a77ii is an amazing piece of kit, getting lenses for it has proven to be somewhat of a challenge. As much as I want to love the system, it seems the powers that be have other ideas.

So what's next, you may ask? And that, dear reader, is a very good question. Perhaps it's already been answered with my favourable experience with the Sony a7iii? But there are a couple of things that give me pause to jump straight into the Sony E-mount system.

First, it's a Sony. Duh! Do I really want to continue to tempt fate with my Sony woes? Who's to say these won't extend into the E-Mount system? And while no - I'm not a suspicious person by nature - this seems too much like out of the frying pan....

Trapdoor Spider. Sony a77ii with Minolta 100mm f2.8 macro. f/18 @ 1/4sec, ISO 400

The good thing about switching to the Sony E-mount is that it's a) full frame, and b) fairly plentiful on the used market. I could pick up an a7ii body for about $1k, and then have to figure out what lens to put with it (and how I'm going to afford it!?).

Then again, I could go back to my old flame - micro four thirds. A used Olympus E-M1 mk2 with a lens would be about the same price as an a7ii body - and further lenses down the track are surprisingly affordable.

But you know what... I think I've had it with second-hand gear! Recently it feels like I've just been inheriting somebody else's problems, and I'm getting tired of it. I'm also getting old, and frankly fed up with changing systems all of the time - even when there have been good reason to. I want a system, and a camera, that I can 'hang my hat on' so to speak - and grow old with. So yes, I think I'm going to buy new this time (and for the last time).

No, I haven't won the lottery, or fallen into a big pit of money. But my wife and my circumstances have changed recently. I've started a new job this year, with a bit more pay, so I think it's now or never! All I have to do is decide what my 'forever' camera system will be - oh, and convince my wife that it's a good idea! One of those things will be easier than the other 😳😂

Sony a77ii quick shoot

Since receiving my Sony a77ii last week (while I was isolating at home with my second bout of Covid), I've been itching to get out and shoot with it. If only to set me mind at ease, due to my experience with the a57 (see here).

Given that I'm still in the Covid recovery phase, all I really want to do in the evenings is rest after a day at work. But I was determined to take some photos with the a77ii. And with bad weather forecast for the next week, I decided to go out last night (as I write this) and make the most of the good weather.

We've been having some stunning sunsets here on the West Coast recently, and I was hoping that this evening would be no exception. The conditions looked promising - but alas, it was not to be.

Cobden Beach. Sony a77ii with Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 ZA DT (SAL-1680Z)

The above image is pretty standard stuff - nothing to get too excited about. But it's the first photo taken on my 'new' Sony a77ii, with my 'new' Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 16-80mm ZA DT lens (wow, that's a mouthful)!

Again, nothing special - the spectacular lighting never eventuated. But it is sharp (shot at f11), has good detail, and the colours look natural. So I'm happy.

Rusty wheel. Sony a77ii with SAL-1680Z. f/5.6 @ 1/30th, ISO 100

Taking landscape shots with the camera focused to infinity is all well and good. Even the a57 could do that. It was with subjects at closer focusing distances where the sensor alignment issues on my previous a57 showed up. So I found a subject to focus on, set the a77ii up on a tripod, and used the central spot focus area to lock on to the rusted wheel.

Result - pin sharp focus exactly where I wanted it. Whew! I can breath a sigh of relief. My Sony a77ii has no sensor alignment issues and is focusing perfectly on where I'm aiming. Great news 😀

In fact, I'm very pleased with the sharpness, although I guess I shouldn't be surprised - given that I was using the 16-80mm Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* lens. You should expect nothing but stellar results from a Carl Zeiss designed lens, and I'm happy to report that that appears to be the case. I'm pretty sure this lens will remain practically glued on to the front of this camera, given its fantastic 24-120mm focal range and fairly good f/3.5-4.5 aperture. I will write a more in-depth review of the lens in due course...

Cobden Tiphead Sunset. Sony a77ii with SAL-1680Z. HDR blend in Photoshop

As previously mentioned, the brilliant sunset colours never eventuated. Which is a shame, since the clouds were looking very dramatic. The image above is really as good as it got, and even this had to be created from a two-shot blend - one for the highlights and one for the shadows. 

Soon after taking this image, and having only been out for about 20 minutes, it actually started to rain. The a77ii is weather-sealed, but I wasn't that keen to test that out just yet (and also, the lens is not). So my first landscape outing with the new gear was unfortunately cut short. It was long enough to show that everything seems to be working ok though. So I'd say despite the weather, lack of light, and average images, I'd call the first outing a resounding success! Onwards and upwards...

Micro adjusting your DSLR

I've got my 'new' Sony a77ii and a whole bunch of lenses. Now comes the fun part - taking them all out and testing them in the field.

I enjoy testing cameras and lenses - always have. But I'm not really the 'brick wall and colour chart' kind of tester. I'm more of a 'how does it actually perform out in the real world' type of guy.

With one exception - the micro adjustment of lenses. For this sort of testing you kinda have to resort to some charts to be a little more 'exact' in your results. You are, after all, effecting the autofocusing results of said lenses.

Having said that, you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on the fancy lens calibration charts that you need a degree in origami to be able to fold in exactly the right angle. A simple downloaded focusing chart off of the interwebs will do. Just do a google search and you'll come up with plenty of them.

But before we get underway with all of this AF micro-adjustment palaver, the question needs to be asked - "do I need to micro adjust my lenses?" And that's a very good question. The answer to which may very well be a resounding 'no'!

Are you happy with the results from your lenses? Do they look sharp to you? Do you have any fast (f1.4 - f2.8) lenses where autofocus will be critical? Or are all your lenses zooms, with an f4 - f5.6 range? If you don't have any fast glass, then chances are the aperture ranges you are using won't show up any 'slight' autofocus alignment issues.

But if you aren't happy with the sharpness you are getting out of your lenses, or if some seem sharp while others not so much, then maybe you need to consider in-camera micro-adjustments for certain lenses? That is, of course, if your camera actually supports such a thing. Many don't.

In-camera micro adjustment is a feature in more hi-end enthusiast or professional level DSLR's. You won't find this option on any of your Canon Rebels. And mirrorless cameras don't need to be micro-adjusted, since autofocusing happens directly at the sensor level, whereas DSLR's use separate AF modules. Sometimes these can be ever so slightly out of alignment, necessitating micro-adjustment. In the 'good-old-days', you would have to send you camera and lens(es) in to Canon/Nikon etc to have them calibrated if you thought the autofocus was 'out'. Photographers' talked of their camera either front or back focusing - especially portrait photographers who would lock the AF onto the eye of a model, only to find that the camera had focused ever so slightly in front of, or behind, the point of focus.

I haven't started using my a77ii yet, so I can't say that I'm having any focusing issues whatsoever. But I do have some very nice, fast, prime lenses for it. So I thought it was worth going through the motions, just for giggles. First up, the Minolta 85mm f1.4.

As mentioned earlier, their are lots of different suggestions online as to how to go about micro-adjusting your lenses. I decided to try a couple of different options, to see if they gave me the same results. Firstly, I found a chart where you set the camera up at a 45 degree angle and then focus on the chart laying flat, at a horizontal line with measurements down either side. Access your micro adjustment menu (check your manual since it will be different for each make of camera), and then shoot at a series of steps (I did 0,5,10,15,20,-5,-10-15-20) with your camera locked down on a tripod, 2 sec timer, aperture wide open, all stabilization turned off (since you are on a tripod). Take the images into Photoshop, enlarge to 100%, and check the areas of sharpness. It will soon become very evident as you go through the images whether this particular camera/lens combination is front or back focusing (or not).

It may be tricky to tell from the above re-sized image for the web, but the a77ii with 85mm f1.4 was ever-so-slightly front-focusing. On initial inspection a +10 adjustment looked the sharpest, but then I refined the process by shooting from +5 to +10 and reviewing the results. After inspecting this set closely, I determined that +7 was the sharpest of the lot.

Not totally convinced, I tried a second method. The 'flat-image-on-a-wall' test. This time you shoot some text on a wall with the camera parallel to the words. Same procedure with the camera (tripod, wide-open, self-timer etc). And wudda ya know - same result! It must be true 😀

Again, it might be hard to tell in these low-res images, but trust me - '0' was nowhere near sharp enough, and +7 sharpens things up nicely. Job done.

My a77ii can retain up to 30 lens adjustments - automatically. Meaning once you have adjusted the lens, the camera will remember it again once that particular lens is mounted on the camera. Brilliant. And I don't know about you, but I think even I might struggle to have 30 lenses to worry about?

So yes, it would seem that at least some of my lenses will benefit from micro-adjusting. And it also seems that either process will give you the exact same results.

But don't take my word for it. Download the charts, grab a fast prime, and try it yourself (as long as your camera supports micro adjustments). You may just breath some new life into that 50mm f1.8 that never quite felt sharp enough?

Pre-focusing for action photography

Every year in the town where I live, they put on a motorcycle street race event. It's always over a long weekend (Labour Day here in NZ), and it's always a great day out. Especially if we get a warm spring day.

Fortunately, the weather Gods were smiling on the event this year, and the weather couldn't have been better. So I decided that I was going to attend this year and use the chance to get in a full day of photography - a very rare occasion nowadays. 

Catch me if you can. Sony A7iii with Sony G Master 100-400mm.  f/5.6 @ 1/2500, ISO 400

In my previous post I talked about scoring a bunch of Minolta lenses from a friend (thanks again Stew) to use for the event. Specifically the Minolta 100-400mm f/4.5-6.7 Apo and a Sigma 180mm f/3.5 macro. I was looking forward to using these on my also borrowed Sony a99.

I have shot this event several times over the years, with a lot of different gear, so I knew that lenses in the vicinity of 200mm would be about right if I wanted to get close to the action. In fact there are places around the track where you can get so close as to almost reach out and touch the riders as they hurtle past at 100mph. I kid you not! I, however, like to keep a slightly safer distance from the action as it unfolds. So the 100-400mm and even the 180mm macro were going to be about perfect for the whole day.

The observant among you (I'm sure that's everyone who reads this blog) will have noticed by now that the opening image in this post was not taken with the a99 in combination with the two lenses I've just discussed. It was taken with much newer gear that I also had a chance to 'play' with. More on that later.

Knee-scraping action. Sony a99 with Sigma 180mm macro. f/4 @ 1/1000th, ISO 200

It may, at first glance, seem unusual to take a macro lens to a motorsport event. Macro lenses are for close up photos of bugs and flowers - aren't they? Well yes, they are. But they can also be used as a 'normal' lens. And they also tend to be reasonably fast, and reasonably sharp. For a 180mm focal length, that's a pretty slick combination.

The one thing they maybe aren't, however, is extremely fast focusing. And neither is the 10 year old Sony a99. 6 FPS (frames per second) isn't what you would call blazingly fast. And its continuous autofocus isn't anything spectacular either. It's a fantastic landscape camera. But for fast sports action shooting - not so much.

But then again, I knew this wasn't going to be a problem. Because my favourite technique for shooting these extremely fast action sports is rather old-school. It's known as pre-focusing, and was used by all the sports photographers before this snazzy thing called autofocus tracking was invented. And it's pretty easy to do.

Bascially, just put your camera into manual focus (yes, I know, manual focusing is scary - but bear with me), 'pre-focus' on an area that you know your subject is going to move through, and then fire a burst of images as they move through the pre-focused zone. All in manual focus. Simple. And very effective.

All concentration. Sony a99 with Minolta 100-400mm Apo. f/6.3 @ 1/800th, ISO 640

There's really only one drawback using this method. You have to take a lot of images to make sure you get the sharp frame you are after. Unfortunately this dramatically increases the processing you need to go through afterwards. And I mean dramatically. For example, to get a decent 'hit rate' using this method, I took over 3500 images on the day. That's not a typo. 3500 images! And of that, around 80% are out of focus and will needed to be deleted. I'll probably end up throwing away 3000 images. But at least I'll be left with about 500 sharp ones.

Despite the tedious post-processing that this technique requires, I'm very happy with the results. If you don't have the latest and greatest gear, or a camera system that isn't optimised for fast action autofocusing, then this really should be your go-to technique.

Of course there is a better way. And it's not going to please the 'gear doesn't matter' brigade. Because for some types of photography (in fact for most types) the gear does matter. This was made abundantly clear to me later on in the afternoon.

Out in front. Sony A7iii with Sony G Master 100-400mm. f/5.6 @ 1/1600th, ISO 400

My mate Stewart turned up in the late afternoon to see how I was getting on. We chatted for a while, I told him that I was using the pro-focus technique, and he asked me if I would like to try using his Sony A7iii with Sony 100-400 G Master lens for a while?

Who am I to turn down an offer like that! So of course I said yes - thinking that I would fumble my way through, making a terrible hash of trying to follow and capture the action. OMG - was I wrong!

You can always hear the roar of the bikes approaching before you see them so you have some time to prepare. Stewart told me he had the camera set to focus tracking with a wide autofocus area, so all I needed to do was point and shoot. Yeah - right!

And yeah, he was right! As the first riders came screaming around the bend, I held the camera up to my eye, the focus points instantly locked onto the front rider, and they all lit up green. Click-click-click, the shutter fired in blazingly quick succession, and I had a series of tack-sharp images. All of them!

Need for Speed. Sony A7iii with Sony G Master 100-400mm. f/5.6 @ 1/2000th, ISO 400

I almost couldn't believe the speed and accuracy of the autofocus on the A7iii, paired with the Sony G Master 100-400mm teleophoto. It was mad, crazy, unbelievably fast. And the results were so much sharper than anything I got with the Minolta 100-400mm or Sigma 180mm. Period! I've never used anything quite this fast and accurate before. It was scary good - and exhilarating - I'm not gonna lie. 

It also happens to be over NZ$7k worth of kit! So yeah, there's that.

If you can afford it, and if you need it, then absolutely go for it. If I was doing this for a living it would be a no-brainer.

And for the rest of us mere mortals? Well, there's always the pre-focusing technique. Which does work. It just requires a lot more computer time in order to find the 'keepers' from the rest. 

Oh well. I'd better get back to post-processing then, I guess?

Sony SLT a57 review

Despite what I have written recently about my desire to move to a full-frame sensor, my journey with the Sony APS-C a57 A-mount camera system continues.

Call it the ravings of a delusion mad-man (I have just recently had Covid) or the sad musings of a hopeless GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome) addict if you like. I don't mind. It's probably both.

Yet despite my recent obsession with full frame, I have also concurrently been growing and developing my skills (and accessories) with the a57 DSLT.

It has come with me on my last two landscape outings (I've made myself leave the a99 at home), and I have - for the most part - enjoyed using it as a landscape camera. The camera has a lot of things going for it that I like, and a few that I don't like.

I have owned, and used, probably hundreds of different cameras over the last 35+ years. So I don't need to spend months getting to 'know' a system before giving my thoughts on it. I know what I like, and don't like, about a camera after shooting with it a couple of times. So what follows is my review of the Sony a57 - from my perspective. What I mean by that is simple - but deserves to be stated. I'm not a fast action sports, wildlife, product or portrait photographer - I'm a landscape photographer (mainly). So that will be where I place all of the emphasis on my thoughts and opinions. I don't shoot video, so I'm not even going to mention its video capabilities. And I don't need 20fps. So if you want to know what the a57 is like for sports photography, you may need to look elsewhere. Nuff said.

Cobden Beach Sunset. Sony a57 with SAL18250mm. f/11 @ 1/8th sec, ISO 100

Having got that out of the way and off my chest, what do I think of the Sony a57 as a landscape camera? Well mostly, it's positive. Mostly the a57 and me get along just fine out in the field, and it is creating some very fine landscape images. So yes, generally, my experiences and feelings towards the camera have been good.

It is an all polycarbonate body, that isn't weather-sealed - so in one respect that's a tick against it for a landscape photographer. And if you are the kind of landscape photographer who loves to be out in howling gales, getting you and your gear completely battered by the elements, then no, the a57 probably isn't for you.

I'm not that guy. I don't actively look to shoot in bad weather. In fact I actively avoid it. You don't have to shoot in the pouring rain to get moody and atmospheric landscapes. So I don't. I have occasionally been caught in a downpour when out photographing, so I put my gear away. I'm pretty sure that the a57, even though not weather-sealed, could handle exposure to a quick downpour. So no, I'm not bothered by it's all polycarbonate non-weather sealed body. Your mileage may vary.

Rapahoe Beach, West Coast. Sony a57 with SAL18250. f/11 @ 1/3rd sec, ISO 100. Grad ND filter

What I do appreciate about the Sony a57's polycarbonate body is that it is relatively light (yet with a decent heft) and relatively small. In fact, it's something of a 'goldilocks' camera for me in terms of its weight and size. It's bigger than the a55 that preceded it, fits perfectly in my hand without the need for an extra grip, and has excellent fit and finish. Nothing creaks or flexes (that shouldn't creak or flex) and all the buttons are in logical places.

My one gripe, maybe, around button placement, is to do with the positioning of the exposure compensation and ISO buttons directly behind the shutter button. They can require a bit of finger-gymnastics to reach, especially if you keep the camera up to your eye and want to do it by 'feel'.

And yet I say 'maybe' because it's really only a gripe when using the camera hand-held. When the camera is on a tripod - which it will be for 90% of my landscape shooting - then the issue goes away. It's also not an issue when shooting in manual mode, which I am also doing 90% of the time now. In full manual I set the appropriate ISO and then leave it, and of course don't use the exposure compensation button at all. Exposure is controlled instead by varying the shutter speed from the excellently placed front dial.

Rapahoe Beach, low tide. Sony a57 with SAL18250. f/8 @ 2.5secs, ISO 100. Grad ND filter

So yes, I'm very happy with the overall handling of the Sony a57 when out in the field. Especially for a more 'enthusiast' mid-level camera.

Except... for the articulating LCD screen. At 920,000 dots it's clear enough, and seems reasonably colour accurate (enough for me anyways). And it is an articulated screen. But therein lies the 'slight' problem. Because it articulates downwards, and not sideways (see the image of the camera on my tripod above). Since the screen angles down, the tightening mechanism on the universal ball head I'm using gets in the way of the full articulation. I've got around this by reverse-mounting the camera to the ball head, so that I now tighten the mount from the front of the camera. This works, but it means I've had to re-learn which way around to use the ball head. A minor annoyance, but an annoyance nonetheless.

Also, a quick word on the 1.4million dot evf. No, it's not the most modern out there. And yes, it's an RGB sequential device and not OLED. Some people have complained of  'tearing' of the image as they look around the display. But I haven't noticed this at all. And I find the viewfinder big, bright and perfectly fine to use. So no, no issues there.

Golden Hour, Cobden Beach. Sony a57 with SAL18250mm. f/11 @ 1/100th, ISO 100

At the end of the day, what do we really care about though? That's right IQ (image quality). And really, the Sony a57 doesn't disappoint here either. Some will say that it's 'only' 16MP - and APS-C at that. But it's an excellent 16MP Sony sensor, with very good dynamic range, and the resulting RAW images have a decent latitude for post-processing. I'm very pleased that the native ISO is 100 (as opposed to 200 on my Olympus cameras) - it just feels right shooting at ISO 100. The files are clean (noise free) at base ISO, and 'useable' up to 3200 or even 6400. For what I do, which at the moment at least is 99% web-based, the 16MP sensor in the Sony a57 is MORE than enough.

I don't crop hard on the computer - preferring to do all my cropping in-camera (or at least as much as I can). So quite frankly, more than 16Mp is probably a waste. And yes, I do understand the irony of that statement given my last few posts.

Would I prefer it had the 24MP full-frame glorious sensor in the a99? Yes, of course I would. But do I need a 24Mp full frame sensor? No, I do not... 

Rapahoe inlet. Sony a57 with SAL18250. f/11 @ 30 seconds, ISO 100. Grad ND filter

As befits a 21st century camera, the a57 is packed with whiz-bang techno stuff that I will never ever use. Panoramic sweep mode (in 2D and 3D - whatever that means), auto portrait framing, clear image zoom (apparently), numerous creative colour modes (for jpeg-only), lens correction - the list goes on.

The technology that I will use comes in the form of in-body image stabilisation (Sony call it 'Steady Shot') and full-time phase detection AF (due to the translucent mirror technology). Most of the time, if I'm using a tripod, the Steady Shot will be (should be) turned off. You don't need to stabilise a camera on a tripod. But I like the fact that image stabilisation is built into the body itself. This means that every lens you attach - even old Minolta lenses - are image stabilised.

The phase detect AF seems reliable and quick - certainly quick enough for landscapes. I'm also sure that it's quick enough for most other forms of photography too - with the exception of motorsport? The only other complaint I have with the a57 (although 'complaint' might be too strong a word - maybe 'niggle' is better) is with the AF points. There are 15 of them, in the same pattern as in the a99, which doesn't offer a very wide coverage. It's certainly not edge-to-edge like I'm used to with the Olympus system. There's no 'touch' to focus (it's not a touchscreen at all), and so AF is somewhat limited to the central portion of the image. Having said that, the same is true of the a99 as well, so it's not just an a57 issue. And again, manual focusing will get around this issue, especially for landscape work.

Rapahoe bonfire. Sony a57 with SAL18250.  f/11 @ 4 secs, ISO 100

Fortunately, manual focusing implementation is very good on the a57, as it is now with most modern digital cameras. The a57 has image magnification and focus peaking to aid in manual focusing, so nailing focus over the entire image area couldn't be easier.

Really, what's not to like? Battery life is very good (around 550 shots per charge using the lcd screen), the menu system makes sense and is easy to navigate, handling is (mostly) excellent, and IQ is stellar for a 16MP camera.

Overall, the Sony a57 makes for an excellent landscape photography camera and is a joy to use. I also get the feeling that I have yet to see it reach its full potential. My first few weeks with the camera have seen me use it exclusively with the SAL75300 and SAL18250 lenses - both of which aren't stellar performers. The 18-250 is ok, especially at the wide end for landscapes. But I have yet to try it with the Minolta 17-35mm f3.5 G lens that I've had paired with the a99. I may find that using this lens on the a57 bumps the IQ up a notch or two? It will be interesting to see...

First landscapes with the Sony a57

Having gone out the previous night with my 'new' (new for me, but second-hand) Sony a57 to photograph some birds (see last post), I thought it only fair that I go out again the next night, to put it through its landscape paces. It is, after all, mainly what I use my camera gear for.

I thought I would go back to Rapahoe Beach, to the spot where I had last tested out the a99 (see the images here). I love the images I get out of the Sony a99 - just gorgeous. So I thought "what the heck", why not put the a57 up against some serious competition and see how it fares!?

Rapahoe Pier structure. Sony a57 with SAL18250. f/11 @ 1/3 sec, ISO 100

What do you reckon? Didn't do too badly now, did it? In fact, lets get right down to it - it did fantastically! 

Now I'm not going to lie to you (honest). Obviously the images from the full-frame 24MP a99, shot at ISO 50 with the Minolta 17-35mm G lens are cleaner, clearer and sharper. They just are. In fact they are some of the most impressive files out of a camera that I think I've ever seen.

But honestly, who wouldn't be happy with the above image, taken with a 16MP APS-C camera and lens combination that all-up cost me $395.00 NZ! These are great results at ISO 100. The camera can achieve an 11-stop dynamic range (the a99 has almost 13 stops - 12.8 to be exact), which is plenty to be able to retain detail in both the shadows and the highlights of a well-exposed image - even in tricky landscape lighting scenarios.

Beachwood, Rapahoe. Sony a57 with SAL18250. f/11 @ 1/13th, ISO 100

Case-in-point is the image above. There is obviously very strong side lighting on the right from the setting sun, but I wanted to retain detail in the highlights, so I exposed for the sky and let the shadows darken. As you can see, they were recoverable in post, and the camera sensor has handled the extreme dynamic range in the scene very well. Again, perhaps it's not as 'clean' as a file from the a99 might have been - but 'again', it's a fifth of the price of the a99 (and that's not counting the Minolta lens).

Meandering. Sony a57 with SAL18250. f/11 @ 1 sec, ISO 100 

I'm doing something with the a57 that I've never really done with any other camera before. Shooting in full manual. Perhaps that's a shocking thing for someone who has been a photographer for over 35 years to say, but it's also true. For practically all of my photography career, since owning my very first film camera (the Canon T70), I've shot - whenever possible - in Aperture priority mode. It's ingrained in me. It's just the way I think photographically. I've trained myself to think in apertures, and that's how I approach every scene. My first consideration - what aperture do I want. Dial that in, and let the camera do the rest.

I've tried to adapt to full manual a few times - when I used digital cameras with optical viewfinders. But I always found it a complete faff, and eventually ended up where I wanted to be if I had been shooting in aperture priority anyway (for the most part).

But with mirrorless, and an evf (electronic viewfinder), I've found that shooting manual is actually now a fast and viable option. Shooting in full manual on the a57 is a breeze. And still centers around dialing in the aperture first.

Ripples in motion. Sony a57 with SAL 18250. f/11 @ 1/6th sec, ISO 100

Setting the aperture manually on the a57 is a two-step process unfortunately, since it has no rear control dial. So you press the AEL button and spin the front control wheel to choose your aperture. Once set, you then also use the front control wheel to choose your shutter speed, and next to that is the ISO button. So the exposure triangle is 'somewhat' at your fingertips.

So why does this make it any better for full manual control? Actually it doesn't. What makes it 'better' is seeing the exposure changes in the evf! With the aperture locked in, and the ISO chosen, all that remains is to toggle the front wheel that controls the shutter speed, and the scene lightens or darkens accordingly! When it was a purely optical viewfinder, you would have to change your exposure value a bit, take another shot, and 'chimp' to see how close you got. If not, then rinse and repeat until you did. By then, the light had probably changed, and you would have to repeat the process all over again! Aarrgghhh.

But with the evf, all of that 'guess' work goes away. You actually get to see what's happening. And for me, this has been somewhat revelational! Yeah, I know, I'm a bit slow on the uptake...

Rapahoe Beach at Sunset. Sony a57 with SAL18250. f/11 @ 5 secs, ISO 100

Long story short, I actually enjoyed shooting in full manual. For the first time ever! Probably helped by the fact that I was working on a tripod (as I am mostly with landscapes) and the apeture never left f/11 nor did the ISO leave 100. So all I had to worry about was the shutter speeds. Which also wasn't a concern, since I was on a tripod. So yeah, we'll see how long full manual control lasts....

Were there things I didn't like with the a57? Of course...

For a start, I find the focus area to be too small. I want more focus points further out towards the edges. But to be fair, this is also a complaint I have with the Sony a99 too - so it's not just an issue with the a57.

Also, the flip down screen is just plain annoying. I'd much prefer if it just slid down like the one on my Olympus OM-D E-M1 did. Or better still, give me the full articulation of the Sony a99. That thing is the bomb! The screen on the a57, hinged as it is at the bottom, gets stopped by my tripod mount, so doesn't really flip out on an angle to aid when viewing on the tripod. I've figured a work-around, where I now mount the camera on the tripod 'back to front' so the locking mechanism is now operated from the front of the camera. But I'm not crazy about this.

Another rear control wheel would be great, so changing the aperture wasn't a two-step process. Not a deal-breaker, but a nice-to-have.

And lastly... yeah, ok - I wish it had the 24MP sensor of the a99 and went down to ISO 50 (or even 64), for a cleaner image. That would be nice. But not, like, essential...

So really, what I'm saying, is that I wish it was an a99?! Maybe, I guess. I've been a bit spoiled by having one at the same time as I got the a57. And let's face it, any APS-C camera would pale in comparison to the full-frame, full-metal, full-control awesomeness that is the a99.

And yet it can still take some fantastic images. As seen above. I did have a fantastic time out with my new a57. And I thoroughly expect to have many more.

Birding with the Sony SAL75300

In my last post I indicated that my 'new' Sony a57 had arrived, and I had already taken it out for a test-drive with the Sony SAL75300 (Sony A Lens 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6).

It's been a while since I've had a dedicated 'telephoto' lens for one of my systems, so I was keen to pop the 75-300mm on and give it a spin. I decided to do some bird photography down at my local lagoon. Unfortunately the clouds had rolled in and the weather was a bit overcast, so I had to bump up the ISO to give me some decent shutter speeds at the 300mm end of the lens.

Shagadelic! Sony a57 with SAL75300. f/11 @ 1/250th, ISO 800

From reading reviews of the lens, I knew that the Sony 75-300mm wasn't going to be the sharpest tack in the box - especially at the long end. So I made sure that I shot at around the f/8 to f/11 apertures, which should produce the sharpest images (a couple of stops shut down from wide open). As mentioned above, this also meant that I was having to bump up the ISO to give me fast enough shutter speeds. Hey ho - I guess I'll get to see how it performs at high ISO's as well then 😊

Lens elements in the SAL75300

The lens itself isn't anything to write home about. It is, after all, the cheapest telephoto to 300mm lens that Sony makes. It is also, apparently, a 're-packaging' of an old Minolta 75-300mm lens.

There are no special lens elements in its construction, and it's made mostly from plastic. Although that's not necessarily a bad thing. The plastic is of the modern polycarbonate type - which has proven to be very rugged and sturdy enough for most uses. Of course the lens elements are all glass, and the lens mount is metal. So that's a good thing. Fit and finish is also fairly impressive for such a cheap and cheerful optic. It's just a no-frills kinda product.

Unfortunately, the front lens element rotates, and the auto-focus is driven from the camera body. So it's not blisteringly fast, and it's not whisper quiet. Although it's also not turtle-slow, nor is it annoyingly noisy. It found focus and locked on reasonably quickly, so no complaints there. But it certainly ain't no G master! It also only cost me $149.00NZ. So there's that...

Swan family. Sony a57 with SAL75300. f/11 @ 1/100th, ISO 1600

I wasn't looking for birds-in-flight, so I didn't need to rely on the tracking on the a57. I did, however, set it to continuous hi-speed shooting so I could fire off a shot burst of images. This helps with getting sharpness, as at least one image in a series of burst should be sharp. Probably didn't need to have bothered with this approach looking back on the files. They are all 'relatively' sharp. 

I say 'relatively' sharp for a reason. Because from what I can tell from my brief outing, the SAL75300 never gets 'bitingly' sharp really, at any focal distance. I shot, as I said, at around the f/8 to f/11 apertures, and it seems to me from pixel-peeping that f/8 is the sweet spot.

It is probably hard to tell from the image samples above (click on the image to enlarge it in your viewer), but absolute sharpness (such as it is with this lens) peaks at around the 200mm focal length. Although it is a little difficult to gauge the lenses true capabilities, since all of the above were shot at ISO 1600 and are therefore a little 'noisy' (adding to the overall sense of softness). I will have to do a bit more testing in brighter conditions, where noise isn't a factor, to really get a sense of this lenses capabilities (and I will do).

All-in-all I wasn't blown away by the results from the SAL75300, although nor was I really expecting to be. I think that at f/8, all focal lengths (but especially below 250mm), will produce very good images up to A3 size. Beyond that, sharpness might start to become an issue?

Wading bird, Cobden Lagoon. Sony a57 with SAL75300mm. f/9 @ 1/500th, ISO 1600

The jury is out on this lens presently. I'm not sure that I got the best out of it on my first try, and I want to try again in better conditions. Ideally I would like to see how it performs at ISO 100, with a much 'cleaner' file.

The images here are not 'bad' per-se, they just didn't blow me away as much as I was hoping they would. And yet maybe my expectations were too high? This is, as has already been previously stated, Sony's cheapest telephoto lens up to 300mm - by far. So was there that much to expect in the first place? 

Trouble is, I'm coming from the micro-four-thirds system, where even the super cheap and plasticky Olympus 45-150mm f/4-5.6 (90-300mm fov in full-frame terms) is exceptionally sharp. So I've been a bit spoiled.

I certainly need to use the lens a few more times before I formulate any firm opinions regarding it's sharpness. And then again - sharpness isn't everything. Is it?

Sony a57 has arrived!

The title says it all really 😄

Yesterday (as I write), my 'new' Sony a57 was delivered by the nice folks who brought it back from Christchurch for me (thanks Macey's dad). It arrived packaged up in a Tenba Solstice 7L sling bag (not a 10L, but never-mind, it fits heaps of gear) which included the body, Sony 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3, Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6, Sony camera strap and Sony charger. The battery in the camera was flat 😞 so I popped it on the charger and gave it a few hours to fully charge.

For a start, overall condition is excellent. Both lenses look practically new - although the SAL18250 didn't come with a lens hood (drats!). The glass on both is clean, clear and pristine. Really don't think they have had much use at all.

As for the camera body itself... it does show a few signs of wear on the body, and the rear thumb leatherette section (which I actually think is some type of rubber) is peeling away slightly. So I have used some double-sided tape to keep it stuck in place. If that doesn't do the trick, then I will glue it down as a long-term solution. It's just a minor thing.

The main 'wear' was evident on the rear LCD screen itself. This could even be seen on the photos they had online. But I was guessing that it was a removable screen protector that had been scratched, and would come off and be replaced easily. Sony actually has their own screen protection film placed on their screens out of the factory, and often it's just a simple case of peeling this off carefully to reveal the clean screen underneath.

Long story short, there was actually another screen protector placed over top of this one by a previous owner, and it just popped off with a little help. So I've just left it as-is now for the time being. The Sony standard plastic film cover is pristine, so that's good enough for me.

So overall condition on the whole kit itself - I'd rate it a solid 8.5 out of 10. Which I'm very happy with. I've also checked the shutter count for the a57. Only 12,224 shutter actuation's, so it's hardly been used at all. I would assume that the a57, being a mid-range series camera, has a shutter life of around 100,000 clicks? So that means the camera has used about 12% of its life-span. Good news.

Settings-wise it's pretty straight forward. Most of the time I will shoot RAW, single-shot, single auto-focus, wide area AF (or spot), multi-metering, at the lowest ISO I can feasibly get away with (not Auto ISO). I usually choose sRGB colour space (since mostly I'm posting on the web), anti-shake set to 'on', eye-focus set to on, and all noise reduction turned off (as is the annoying camera beep). I have left the ISO button to control ISO, but have re-configured the AEL button to switch to manual magnification focus assist. And that's about it.

I haven't delved into the movie settings, since I don't plan on using it for video - at all. And pretty much all the other options don't really matter, since I'm shooting RAW only and not Jpeg (or RAW + Jpeg).

And there you have it. Pretty simple really. Which I think is great. 

I have taken it out with the 75-300mm attached to do some bird photography at my local lagoon, and will post about that next. Unless I cut-in with what I'm planning on for tonight's outing - landscapes with the 18-250mm. Should be fun.

Messing around with macro

I've been on holiday for most of the start of January 2022 (yay!), spending time in Christchurch, house (and dog) sitting for my sister-in-law and her family. Since we were staying for a while, we took a lot of stuff with us (the golf clubs and trundler came), so I decided not to take both the Olympus and Sony camera systems I'm currently using.

I would have opted for the Sony a99 and 50mm macro - since I'm trying to make macro my new thing - but I also knew that I was going to get the opportunity to shoot a family portrait while we were over in Christchurch (of said sister-in-law's family). So I opted for the Olympus E-M1 with 12-35mm f2.8 instead.

Oh Bee-have! Olympus E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm. f/4 @ 1/320th, ISO 200

The Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm has no psuedo-macro features like those found on the Olympus 12-50mm EZ lens, and it's closest focusing distance is only 25cm. So not a fantastic macro performer. All the photos you see in this post, taken on the 12-35mm, are severe crops from the original shot, so that the subject (the 2cm bee) can fill-the-frame. This means that the original 12 megapixel file gets reduced to only around 1 megapixel with the final crop. Not ideal. But good enough when viewed on-line. 

Hard at Work. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8. f/5 @ 1/640th, ISO 400

And I must say, that overall I'm very pleased with the final results (despite the small file size). I spent a very pleasant hour in a park in Rangiora, chasing bees around the flower gardens, and came away with some half-decent images. The E-M1 was quick to focus, using the central focusing point in single-autofocus mode, and simply firing away with reasonable shutter speeds, hoping to freeze the action (boy do bees move fast).

The original capture of the above crop is shown on the left, to give an indication of how much cropping has taken place. And yes, it is a lot. I'm not going to be printing any of these at  A3 (or probably even at A4) sizes anytime soon.

This is certainly one of the down-sides to using a smaller micro four thirds sensor with a 'standard' lens and trying to come up with decent 'macro' looking images. Really you're just hoping for an exceptionally sharp result that you can then blow up to exorbitant proportions and pass-off as a macro image.

Having said all that, as I commented earlier, I am reasonably happy with the results. The Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 is a very sharp lens, so if you nail focus you can expect some very good results. And the benefit of using a smaller micro four thirds sensor when close-focusing is the greater depth of field you get with smaller apertures. f/4 on the E-M1 gives an equivalent dof of f/8 with full-frame, but allows for the extra light, and faster shutter speeds. So that's a win.

'As busy as a....' Olympus E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm. f/5 @ 1/1000th, ISO 400

To get the bee as sharp as possible from such a big enlargement, I've opted for some selective sharpening techniques (just on the in-focus areas of the bee itself). It's a simple technique, but I find it very effective. And the best thing about it is that it is infinitely controllable, and selective.

Duplicate the original image in Photoshop (Ctrl+J), and then apply a High Pass Filter on the duplicate layer (Filter/Other/High Pass) with a radius of about 2. The image with turn grey, with a faint embossed outline. This is what you want. The magic happens in the next two steps.

In the blending mode for the grey layer, choose either Hard Light or Vivid Light. Then add a layer mask and fill the mask with black. This effectively hides the sharpening that you've applied with the blending mode. Choose a soft brush, make sure that the colour is white, and then paint over the areas where you want to reveal the sharpening. You can build this sharpening up gradually over different areas by lowering the opacity of the brush, and you can also lower the opacity of the layer if you feel that the final result is still too strong? And there you go - a nice sharp bee without adding any sharpness or artifacts to the background.

Time for a rest. Sony a99 with Minolta 50mm macro. f/5 @ 1/640th, ISO 400

My final image was taken just recently, once we got back from our trip to Christchurch and were on a local bush walk. This time I did decide to take the Sony a99 and dedicated 50mm macro instead. 

The difference in file size is day and night. Because I was able to use the dedicated macro lens, and get in fairly close to the dragonfly, there is almost no cropping required from the original file. I could print this A3 no problem.

Unfortunately, it's a bit of a grab shot, and I used autofocus, which locked on to the dragonfly's back and didn't quite nail critical focus on the head. In that regards, it's a failure as a macro image. Using the 50mm macro on the full-frame camera has meant that I had to get in very close to the insect - too close for it's comfort - and it flew away fairly quickly. A 100mm macro would afford a little more 'breathing' space, and that's certainly what I would opt for if I was to get a dedicated macro lens for my E-M1 (the 60mm Olympus macro is a 120mm full-frame equivalent field of view).

Still, it's an ok image - especially when viewed on-line - and it's still all a learning curve for me and macro. I'm getting the feeling that you have to shoot A LOT of images just to nail one or two keepers, especially when small flying insects are involved!?

All-in-all some OK early attempts, and lots of learning for the future. That's got to be worth my while wouldn't you say?

My 'dream' kit in 2021

I belong to several Facebook groups to do with buying and selling camera gear (surprise, surprise). Mostly it is people looking to upgrade, sell the occasional lens, or change systems. I've used it myself from time to time. It's actually how I found, and purchased, my Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 recently.

Most of the time I just flick through the posts quickly, especially if I'm not looking to buy or sell anything. But one recent post made me stop in my tracks, and almost made my eyes water! And it also got me thinking (and dreaming).

Someone was selling their entire Sony kit - for $16,000NZ! No, that's not a typo. $16k! That price is enough to make anyone stop and look more closely.

To be fair, this wasn't just some scam artist trying to dupe an unsuspecting newbie into paying way too much for outdated gear. This was a legit seller, with a LOT of quality Sony camera gear, who was hoping to sell it all as a package deal. And I'm sure it was good value, even at sixteen grand NZ. I didn't dive too deeply into exactly what he had in the package, but there were at least two Sony A7R III camera bodies, probably with grips, and about five or six G series lenses to go with it. As well as flashes and other accessories. And it all seemed very lightly used. I think one of the bodies had only done around 15000 shutter actuation's. That's nothing.

But, as much of a bargain as it may have been, it got me thinking about someone's ability to drop $16k on a camera system. Obviously it was being pitched at a professional photographer. And I assume (although I don't know for sure) that the guy selling it was a professional themselves. Although maybe not? I've known a few hobbyists in my time who had the ability to drop some serious cash on photography gear. And good on them, if they can afford to do so.

For me, however, that kind of money to spend on photography gear is dream territory. Although I'm sure if I added up all that I had spent on photography over the last 35+ years, that figure would also make my eyes water! But I have certainly never had the ability to spend that kind of amount all in one go. And I'm sure I never will. And yet, from time to time, I think we all play the 'what if' game in our minds. And this Facebook post, with the seller asking $16,000NZ for his Sony gear, got me thinking - and dreaming - about 'what if'? What if I had $16k to drop on photography gear. What would I get, in 2021?

Of course the very first question I would need to ask myself is "Should I stay, or should I go" (apologies to The Clash).

To be honest, I didn't really have to think about this for too long. I think I'd stay. Which might, for some, be a surprising answer. After all, if you had $16,000 wouldn't it be the perfect opportunity to 'start again' and buy into a completely new system?

And the answer is, of course, 'yes'. It would be a perfect time to buy into a new system. If you were unhappy with your 'old' one. Thing is, I'm not unhappy with my Olympus/Panasonic micro four thirds system at all. Just the opposite in fact. I still maintain that it is an amazing, incredible, fully featured and mid-blowingly capable image-capturing system. So why would I want to change?

But what about the future of micro four thirds - I hear you ask. Yep. Very good question. The future is certainly uncertain (to quote an obscure Rowan Atkinson skit). And yet, my honest (although perhaps somewhat flippant) reply would actually be - I don't care.

I'm not sure how long JIP (Japan Industrial Partners) is going to keep the micro four thirds Olympus camera system going for? Nobody really does. Will they produce another iteration of OM-D models? Will there be an E-M1 mk4, or E-M5 mk4? Or an entirely new E-M'something'? Will we ever see an E-M1x Mk2? I honestly don't know. 

And what of Panasonic? We know the GH6 is coming, which is a good sign. But if Olympus folds, will there be a GH7? Or a G10? Or any new lenses? Again, I simply don't know. We do know that Sony seems to still be developing micro four thirds sensor technology, which is a very positive sign. But this is Sony. So we also know that the development could cease at any time if it no longer becomes profitable. And fair enough.

But in the end, as I stated earlier, I just don't care. And why not? Well, quite simply, even if all production of micro four thirds stopped tomorrow (and it won't), there would be enough product - and probably enough spare parts - in existence already to see me through to the end of my photography days. I'm no spring chicken. I realistically only have about another 20 years of good photography left in me. If that. And barring accidents, I look after my gear. So I reckon, based on current technology, any new camera I purchased in 2021 would probably have twenty years of use in it - easily. I have, and use, a Nikon D70 - which was released in 2004. That's 17 years ago. And it's still going strong. And still produces great results. I have no doubt that the current technology would see me through to the end of my photographic journey.

Having just said all that... if I was 20 years old and just starting out in my photography career, then my decision would be completely different. If I was serious about a photography career, had my whole life ahead of me, and wanted to invest heavily into a system, it would not be micro four thirds. I would look, instead, at the Nikon Z (or Canon R) mirrorless system.

But I'm not (20 years old), so I'm very happy to stick with micro four thirds. And would still suggest that a hobbyist or amateur photographer give it serious consideration in 2021 as well. Despite what I've postulated above, I still think there's life left in the old girl yet 😉

Okay, enough already. If I had $16,000NZ to spend today, on photography gear, what would I get? Not allowing for discounts (but I'd want something taken off  - or included - if I was dropping $16k), and given my bias towards landscape photography, the list would go something like this:

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk3 bodies x2  $6,194.00

Olympus HLD 9 Power Battery Grip $498.00

Extra BLH-1 Olympus battery x2 $240.00

M.Zuiko 8-25mm ED F4 Pro lens $1,750.00

M.Zuiko 12-40mm ED F2.8 Pro lens $1,400.00

M.Zuiko 40-150mm EZ F2.8 Pro lens $1,800.00

Olympus MC-20 2x Teleconverter $785.00

M.Zuiko 8mm ED F1.8 Fisheye Pro lens $1,500.00

M.Zuiko 60mm F2.8 Macro lens $600.00

Olympus FL-700R Flash $650.00

Filters and Camera Bag $600.00

For a grand total of $16,000NZ (approx)

Prices in NZ dollars, rounded up, as at 8.09.21

I'm not going to go into great detail about why I've chosen what I have, a lot of it is probably self-explanatory. I will, however, clarify a couple of things...

First, I went for two E-M1 Mk3 bodies and one grip for flexibility over going for the E-M1x with built-in grip that can't be detached. If I want to travel 'light' I would simply use the E-M1's sans-grip. That's not an option with the E-M1x. I could have gone with an E-M1 Mk3 plus grip, and an E-M1x body for basically the same cost, but decided that two identical back-up bodies would be a better idea.

The lenses are probably all obvious. I opted for the 8-25mm f4 over the 7-14mm f2.8 as my landscape lens because a) I don't need f/2.8 for landscapes, and b) the 8-25mm allows for using filters, whereas the 7-14mm doesn't. And I think that the range of the 8-25mm is far more versatile as well.

The fisheye, and to some extent the macro, are in the list just because I can. They are very 'specialty' lenses that I wouldn't use very often, but are achievable within budget - so why not. I'm obviously not really a 'prime' guy, but these specialty lenses are an exception to the rule. I also don't feel the need to wait for the 100mm macro Pro version that OMD Solutions are said to be releasing soon. As already stated, I'm not really a macro shooter, so the 60mm will be more than sufficient for my needs.

So there you have it. My 'dream' kit. And as you can see, even purchasing all new, you can get a lot of gear for your money if you go with a micro four thirds system. And I didn't even look at any Panasonic lenses - even though it's what I shoot with at the moment.

I know that this has been a long post already - and thank you if you are still reading this. If you are, bare with me a little longer. I thought it might also be interesting, as a comparison, to see what $16kNZ would get you if you bought into the Nikon Z system that I mentioned above.

Nikon Z6 Mirrorless bodies x2 $6,380.00

Nikon MB-N10 Battery grip $450.00

Extra Nikon Z6 battery x2 $240.00

Nikon XQD Memory Card 64GB x2 $680.00

Nikkor Z 14-30mm F4 S lens $2,185.00

Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4 S lens $1,685.00

Nikkor X 70-200mm F2.8 VR S lens $4,300.00

For a grand total of $16,000NZ (approx)

Prices in NZ dollars, rounded up, as at 8.09.21

I have tried, as much as possible, to find like-for-like in the two systems. And as you can see, $16,000 buys you a lot less if you opt for a full frame Z series Nikon. I have even chosen the first generation Z6, as opposed to the latest model Z6 II. You could also save yourself some money by using the F series adapter and using the older 'F' mount lenses, instead of going for the Z mounts. But if you are 'investing' in the system long-term, why would you? Just get the Z mount lenses in the first place.

While the above may seem a bit futile (I haven't got $16,000 to spend on photography gear after all) and pointless, it's still quite fun. No harm in dreaming - right? It may also be interesting to look back on this post in a few years time - say 2025 - and re-visit it, to see if my 'wishlist' may have changed?

What would be on your wishlist if you suddenly found $16,000 to spend on photography (and you can't say 'a world trip', it has to be on actual gear)? Go on, dream a little...