Hey All!

[Andrew]

First post so thought I would say hello to all from the UK.
I have yet to buy a Alpha camera but have decided mirrorless is the route for me.

Coming from a Canon and undecided if I will sell the kit or just hold on to it, reason for change is weight and size mostly which has recently meant I generally don’t take it on day trips and resort to iPhone (Yeah I know!)

Existing kit;

• Canon 5D Mark iii
• Canon EF 24-70mm F4L IS USM
• Canon EF 50mm F1.8 ii
• Tamron SP 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di VC USD

Whilst I’m a hobbyist that enjoys taking pictures of nature, landscape and family trips I am hoping to do more of it and take a mirrorless with me too more locations by hand or small bag and not my current heavy backpack.

I am not sure what to get but trying to stay under the £2,000 budget.
Current thoughts…

A7 iii
Not going to wait for the A7 iv as it will probably be beyond my budget and likely won’t need the features this has. The A7 iii model looks like a replacement to my Canon 5D Mark iii nicely with much better autofocus, and lighter.

A7R iii
I don’t know if this is a good step forward for me, it seems to have less focus points but more megapixels, which seems like an upgrade but I am unsure if this is right for me, it would mean larger file sizes and I also don’t print out big, so maybe wasted.

if I went for the A7R iv it would be grey import for this specific model (yes I am aware of the pros and cons of this).



I wouldn’t know what kit range to get but thinking of the following combos (it won’t be purchased all at once)

1. T 20mm + S 28-70mm + T 70-300mm
2. S 28-70mm + S 85mm + S 100-400mm
3. T 20mm + S 28-70mm + S 100-400mm

[S = Sony, T = Tamron]

Thoughts and opinions highly welcomed!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I can't comment on the full frame cameras since I have only experienced APSC, but Welcome! There are some really knowledgeable people here.

 

[Jeff A]

Andrew, I'm in my first year of ownership of an A73. I can only say that I'm extremely happy. I continue to be amazed.

 

[Andrew]

Andrew, I'm in my first year of ownership of an A73. I can only say that I'm extremely happy. I continue to be amazed.

Thats good to know, did you come from another brand? You also have a nice range of lenses, do you have a favourite?

 

[Jeff A]

Thats good to know, did you come from another brand? You also have a nice range of lenses, do you have a favourite?

Andrew, I had three SLR's in the past, two of which were stolen before I really knew how to use them. The loss of my first two cameras left a stinging wound for a long time. I finally bought a 3rd camera in the '90's I think, a Minolta Maxxum 7xi. I don't ever remember using it before my Son borrowed it while he was away at College (In the 90's). I just asked for it back and he returned my "New" Minolta a couple of months ago. I didn't even remember what I had purchased. So the fair answer is no, I didn't actually come from another brand. I just did a lot of research and bought the Sony.

I feel lucky to have the lenses that I do. They are all great lenses although I don't use the FE 28-70mm "Kit lens". I have others that cover that spread. When I bought my camera I also bought the Sony/Zeiss 55mm f1.8. It is a "Pin Sharp" beauty. The lens that stays mounted on my camera is the FE 20mm f/1.8 G. It is sharp, small and light. I really love my FE 14mm f/1.8 GM. Just search for the reviews on this lens. I actually had a vacation this year and the photography high point was our one day visit to San Juan Island on the US/Canada Border. My camera wore the FE 24-105 f/4 G lens all day. Take a look at my Flickr Albums Page and look at my photos from San Juan Island. If you are not familiar with Flickr, be advised below each photo is a Caption as well as the camera & lens info for each Photo.

 

[Andrew]

Appreciate your reply, sorry to hear that you had kit stolen, silver lining and all that brought you to Sony!
Flickr album looks good but the lens 24-105 looks good but think that’s out my current budget at the moment, think stock 28-70mm and the Tamron 20mm for landscape should be good for me to start with.

Hopefully with time I can get a nice g master prime to get that super sharp image!

 

[Boojum]

I have had a Sony since 1999. The old Cybershot, which cost US$999 in 1999 stopped zooming so I replaced it with another off eBay for US$30. I bought a Sony A7M II right around when they came out in 2015, along with that wonderful Sony/Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 and the Sony 24 - 240. I love the zoom and agree with Ken Rockwell in that it is all the lens you will ever need (https://www.kenrockwell.com/sony/lenses/24-240mm.htm). The 55mm is amazing. I recently got the new A7M III and a new 24 - 240. I sent the A7M II and old 24 - 240 to an old and close friend who was without camera.

The new A7M III is wonderful and gives me some good pics. The metering, firmware and chips inside the A7M III combine for excellent processing of what comes through the good lenses. I like very much the results of my Leica M9, the color is rich and filmlike. Out of the camera the A7M III is very good, the color is great and the firmware gets me in focus and properly exposed always, let me say that again, always. I can tweak the color for a more filmlike quality but I like the color just as it is. It has a special Sony glow.

I chose the lenses I did because the 55mm is just about as good as you can get for a "normal" lens and the 24 - 240 is a lens that will cover about all I want to do. For a longer reach I bought an old Tamron f/8.0 500mm mirror lens for US$135 and it is pretty good. For the amount I use it the lens is great. The observed experience of this forum is that the Sony cameras work best with Sony lenses. The 200 - 600 is amazing, as is its price. It is just like racing autos, speed costs money. How fast do you want to go? In summation I believe you have made a good decision to go with Sony. Welcome to the group and have fun.

 

[Andrew]

So looking into things more I think the A7 iii is my choice, stock lens kit to start me off.

Going to keep researching which other lens to start with

 

[Andrew]

So after more research, countless hours on YouTube and websites looking at all the pros, cons and prices of these things…
Think this will be my purchase choice.

Sony A7M3
Tamron 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD

Why?
Kit 28-70 has F/3.8 vs F/2.8 (I do enjoy night shots)
Better image quality than the 24-240mm
Cheaper and lighter than 24-105mm although I do like fixed F4.

I am aware this doesn’t have OSS, hopefully the body can compensate enough for my handheld.

I will probably still get the following over the next year or two.
Sony 200-600mm
Tamron 20mm (I wonder how much I will use this, thinking of museums and day trips where tight spaces… however it’s cheap)
A prime of either 50/55mm or 85mm.

 

[Andrew]

I said above I know what I want, I really don't and this is becoming stupid!
Slightly torn between 24-105 vs 28-200.

Fixed F and 24mm on the Sony looks good.
Tamron range looks good.

Which is sharper?

Looking at Lightroom I tend to take most my pics around the following on my Canon 24-70mm F4.
24mm [===]
45mm [==]
50mm [===]
70mm [====]

 

[Andrew]

It’s done, ordered A7 iii and Sony 24-70 F4 Zeiss (No grey imports). Will pickup Friday.

I have seen many reviews on this lens that are negative, appears the high price a few years ago isn’t justified. However I have managed to get staff discount and cash back on this lens making it only £200 more than A7 iii 28-70 kit bundle.

I almost went with the 24-105mm which I agree is sharper and more range, however I need to remember why I don’t take my Canon 5D mark iii out much, weight and size. The 24-105 is heavier and slightly longer and thicker. I hope the 24-70 Zeiss suites me well.

I didn’t want to go Tamron 28-75 based on size and wanting something 24mm to start me off with for my landscape, I will probably go 18mm or 20m prime in the future and look into either 70-300mm or 100-300/400 for wildlife. This super telephoto lens will be brought out on special occasions and it does defeat the object of lighter, smaller. Wildlife shots for me are far between, but days out with family are often and a camera brought along is better than no camera at all (meh iPhone, ok ok. You get where I am coming from)

I plan on getting the Peak Design Slide lite and wrist strap for those day trips and something small bag wise to keep in the boot of the car with room for one or two extra primes, looking at Think Tank MOVER 20mm anybody has a opinion on this.

I will also need to get a second battery and a proper charger, that can wait till pay day now.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Congrats on your camera purchase! Looking forward to some landscape photos!
On the subject of straps:

• I have the PD Slide Lite and it works well for the smaller a6400 body, but are you sure you don't want the normal size Slide that has padding built into the strap?
• Also when you say wrist strap, do you mean the Clutch or the Cuff? I found the Clutch too big for my camera body, but it would probably be perfect on your A7III since you have a thicker battery/body/grip. The cuff... eh, I bought one for my mom when I gave her my a6000 she doesn't use it and says it got in the way.

 

[Andrew]

Had a quick YouTube on both lite and normal, the lite looked good size but didn’t realise it didn’t have slight padding, I believe they both have grippy rubber near the top end of the strap.

Was thinking of the Cuff, happy to look at other but hoping it can utilise the PD anchor things.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Correct: Both slide lit and regular slide have the grippy & smooth sides, but alas, no padding in the lite or leash. Also, yes, all their straps use the same PD anchors and are therefore interchangeable. Go with whatever works best for you

 

[J.Duffy]

I often shoot with my Sony a7r3 and the Tamron 28-200. I had the PD Leash when I was shooting with my a6100. I upgraded to the PD Slide light when I switched to full frame. I love my PD strap.

 

[Boojum]

Happy to learn you took the plunge. Spare battery and charger are musts.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Welcome Andrew and thanks for joining up here! Looks like I'm a little slow with my reply since you have already purchased the a7III! I don't think you'll be disappointed with this camera especially for the price, the a7 IV will probably cost quite a bit more. The Sony 24-70 F4 is a decent choice to get you started, but I'm sure it won't be too long though before you're adding some more glass. Tamron is definitely adding some quality lenses with pocket-friendly prices, I have their 70-180 F2.8. Any questions about the site please don't hesitate to ask!