Why am I nervous?

[DPJ]

Why am I nervous about coming from Olympus OMD EMiX to Sony A9ii?
Bit late now as a deal has been struck but I’m still wondering have I done the right thing?
(As first lenses I’ve ordered the Tamron 28-75 2.8 plus GM 70-200 both Mk1 versions)

I shoot sports photography (and now indoor sports - hence the change)
Can anyone reassure me (or say I’ve been foolish) ?

 

[DPJ]

You're not going to get it from me. I still shoot a Panasonic G9 in addition to Sony. I'm considering making a full switch to Sony but am still undecided. M-4/3 has features that other brands still dream of, but if you're like me and don't use them, it makes no difference.

Surely you realize this is a Sony fan forum and no one is going to tell you you're making a mistake. If you want someone to tell you you've made a mistake, go to a Micro Four Thirds Forum!

Yeah I realise that - Some people here may use or have used the EMiX and have moved to Sony (or use both). Also most people are honest too despite it being a fans forum and can compare the two systems, especially as Sony are not a M4/3 competitor. To do so would have been very helpful as it would have pointed out things I need to be aware of when using a new Sony system in comparison to the EMiX.

I apologise if in my original post, the point was lost in the words and phraseology used …..But…. by asking here, in a fans forum, if I’d made a mistake it was tongue in cheek. I was expecting, maybe naively, for some positive comments about the switch which surprisingly hasn’t happened.

Therefore its going to be interesting to now compare and find out things for myself, either way I’ll make the most of what I’ve got!

However thanks for your comment anyway - Stay safe.

 

[DPJ]

Ok - no worries, thanks.

 

[Merlinator]

Why am I nervous about coming from Olympus OMD EMiX to Sony A9ii?
Bit late now as a deal has been struck but I’m still wondering have I done the right thing?
(As first lenses I’ve ordered the Tamron 28-75 2.8 plus GM 70-200 both Mk1 versions)

I shoot sports photography (and now indoor sports - hence the change)
Can anyone reassure me (or say I’ve been foolish) ?

I sold off my Nikon D850, D500, 600 f4, 300 pf and other lenses and accoutrements for the EM1X and 300mm and other lenses. I used and enjoyed the Olympus gear for about a year and half. The weight and size of the gear was great and I never used a tripod all the time I used it. However the AF was to me terrible and since my photography in the pandemic was mostly birds in flight I got more and more frustrated. I decided to change systems but I didn't want to go back to Nikon as the 600 F4 was hard to hand hold. Sony offered the A9 and A92 and that was what interested me as I heard really good reviews of the system. I didn't consider the A1 at the time but doing more research I finally ended up with the A1 and 200-600mm. As I also take a lot of owl shots in low light I wasn't totally enamored with the 200-600 so I made the decision to buy the 600 F4. I couldn't be happier with my system now. AF is amazing, frame rate is outstanding, lots of pixels and the weight is not too bad to handle. I'm almost 72 now and still haven't used a tripod in the last 3 yrs or so. The weight of the 600 is easy to handle as the weight of the lens is towards the rear and close to the camera.
I guess this is the long way of telling you that you will be happy with your Sony gear.

 

[Spiderx1]

When I bought my A1 I quickly found out that Sony does not always support high frame rates on 3rd party lenses. I had a Tamron 70-180 and a Sigma 24-70. I could only achieve about 15 FPS on those vs the 30FPS with some but not all Sony native lenses. Sony has a list on their website on which Sony Lenses will achieve the higher frame rate. Currently I use the Sony 24-70GM, Sony70-200Mk2 GM and Mk1 and the Sony 200-600 G. So if you are looking at frame rates above 15fps you may have difficulty with 3rd party lenses. Love my A1

 

[Clix Pix]

In late 2019 I made the switch from Nikon to Sony, and yes, I was nervous and anxious about it. Swapped in the Nikon gear and came home with a new A7R IV and three lenses. However, one thing which somewhat alleviated my anxiety abut the switch was that I had used Sony cameras previously: the NEX 7 plus the RX100 (several iterations through the years) and the excellent RX10 IV, so I was pretty sure that Sony products were indeed high quality and I wasn't terribly concerned about that. In starting all over again with gear, in the beginning I also bought only Sony lenses, no third-party ones. I have since added some Voigtlander lenses.

Now, a couple of years later, I am still quite happy with my Sony gear and very glad that I made the change when I did. Since the day of the Big Switch, I have added the A1 and a few more lenses.

 

[DPJ]

When I bought my A1 I quickly found out that Sony does not always support high frame rates on 3rd party lenses. I had a Tamron 70-180 and a Sigma 24-70. I could only achieve about 15 FPS on those vs the 30FPS with some but not all Sony native lenses. Sony has a list on their website on which Sony Lenses will achieve the higher frame rate. Currently I use the Sony 24-70GM, Sony70-200Mk2 GM and Mk1 and the Sony 200-600 G. So if you are looking at frame rates above 15fps you may have difficulty with 3rd party lenses. Love my A1

Great info - I’ll take a look - Thank You.

 

[DPJ]

In late 2019 I made the switch from Nikon to Sony, and yes, I was nervous and anxious about it. Swapped in the Nikon gear and came home with a new A7R IV and three lenses. However, one thing which somewhat alleviated my anxiety abut the switch was that I had used Sony cameras previously: the NEX 7 plus the RX100 (several iterations through the years) and the excellent RX10 IV, so I was pretty sure that Sony products were indeed high quality and I wasn't terribly concerned about that. In starting all over again with gear, in the beginning I also bought only Sony lenses, no third-party ones. I have since added some Voigtlander lenses.

Now, a couple of years later, I am still quite happy with my Sony gear and very glad that I made the change when I did. Since the day of the Big Switch, I have added the A1 and a few more lenses.

Thank You for the information - Id love the A1 but I have to first convince my wife…… just to make the change over to Sony Ive had to buy her a brand new car ! (maybe next time).

 

[spudhead]

Why am I nervous about coming from Olympus OMD EMiX to Sony A9ii?
Bit late now as a deal has been struck but I’m still wondering have I done the right thing?
(As first lenses I’ve ordered the Tamron 28-75 2.8 plus GM 70-200 both Mk1 versions)

I shoot sports photography (and now indoor sports - hence the change)
Can anyone reassure me (or say I’ve been foolish) ?

The olympus 4/3 is under rated in my personal opinion I have used it and a family member has the system and if weight is an issue it packs a punch with 2 times crop. having said that I have a9 mk1 among other bodies and I am reasonably happy with that, plus for me is I can loan the olympus gear 40-150 2.8 on 1.4 is good

 

[DPJ]

The olympus 4/3 is under rated in my personal opinion I have used it and a family member has the system and if weight is an issue it packs a punch with 2 times crop. having said that I have a9 mk1 among other bodies and I am reasonably happy with that, plus for me is I can loan the olympus gear 40-150 2.8 on 1.4 is good

Thanks for your comment and honesty.
I agree with you, the Olympus micro 4/3 is generally under rated and I too have been happy using my EMiX and lenses (including the 40-150 plus 1.4 x) since it’s launch. But ….. that was for outside sports… now I’m shooting fast action sports inside, sometimes in quite low light - it doesn’t quite hit the standard required, hence the change.
Now I’m looking forward to becoming an alpha shooter !
(oh yes…. I’ve still got the PEN F and 12-40 2.8, just as a little walk about camera )

 

[spudhead]

Thanks for your comment and honesty.
I agree with you, the Olympus micro 4/3 is generally under rated and I too have been happy using my EMiX and lenses (including the 40-150 plus 1.4 x) since it’s launch. But ….. that was for outside sports… now I’m shooting fast action sports inside, sometimes in quite low light - it doesn’t quite hit the standard required, hence the change.
Now I’m looking forward to becoming an alpha shooter !
(oh yes…. I’ve still got the PEN F and 12-40 2.8, just as a little walk about camera )

yep 12-40 is a nice lens I have access to that as well best of all worlds for me

 

[DPJ]

Have you seen the specs on the new OM-1? -6 EV shooting, that's lower than almost every other camera out there. Frame Rates up to 120 fps, and a new improved AF system that I expect to be one of the best. I've seen some of the IQ samples and noise is amazing.

Panasonic's new GH6 has some interesting features as well. 25MP, and a new low light shooting system that takes 2 images, one low gain and one high gain, then it blends them into a single photo using the low gain for shadows and high gain for highlights. The result is significantly reduced noise. These images are recorded simultaneously, so it's suitable for movement.

Both of these cameras feature HHHR imaging. You can hold the camera in your hands and shoot Hi-Res shots using pixel shift. Oly had it before, Panny is boasting a 100MP HHHR photo.

Computational Photography has come home to roost, this is going to get interesting.

I did think about the OM-1 which is advertised as an ‘sports and wildlife camera‘ here in the UK. At the moment I’m still just not sure if it will cope with lowlight, indoor fast action sports, which they said the EMiX would do at release. I am sure however it will be great outside and for wildlife. I guess only time will tell if it lives up to the title of being a WoW camera but I hope so for the sake of OM System and M4/3rds.

It will be either tomorrow or Wednesday that I should get my hands on the A9ii so can’t wait to get my head stuck into the manual setting things up. Looking back I’ve wanted to own a Sony for quite sometime so again I guess only time will tell if I’ll be truly happy but I’m sure I’m getting a top notch camera! It’s then up to me to make the most of it!

 

[DPJ]

Here's my biggest concern:

Olympus was hemorrhaging money in their consumer imaging division, so they sold it. This new company must succeed, and pretty quickly. Now, they may we be able to succeed providing everything keeps plugging along, but there may be a fly in the ointment:

Panasonic has decidedly moved toward video. They're really good at it, better than anyone else. They're known for it, and last I knew their share of the video market was almost as big as Canon's share of the stills imaging market. The new GH6 is bloated with video features most manufacturers can't currently touch. It is looking more every day like their efforts into stills cameras will be no more than whatever features they include on their video-centric cameras. That may be ok, but there are those who believe Panasonic will eventually abandon the consumer camera market completely and focus 100% on pro video. If that happens, will OM be able to sustain the format by themselves? I don't think so. I think without Panasonic, the format will die.

So what it all boils down to is this. I am unwilling to buy a new M-4/3 camera until I am convinced the company and format will still be around to support it in 2-3 years. This is one of the reasons I added Sony and am now considering divesting myself of M-4/3 altogether. I love the system, the cameras and lenses are absolutely stellar, but they've never gained the ground they needed.

Good points again Tim, I hope they do survive.

I still need convincing that some of the features on their cameras actually work. For example, I could never get High Speed Pro Capture to work properly. Maybe me but I did give it lots and lots of tries

It will be really interesting to see how things pan out but my Olympus days for serious photography is over for the forseeable.

 

[Madness]

@DPJ so how is it going with a9mk2?

 

[DPJ]

davejagger.photography

 

[Madness]

Very glad to see you like it!