Is there a Sony SLT a77 mk II thread?

Being a prime shooter is extra work, and it sure isn't convenient, but I sure do love the cost/performance ratio.

I shot an outdoor event yesterday with just the 24ZA and 200 HS APO and I'm pretty darn happy. I will probably have to get another 72mm polarizing filter (really like B+W), as the extra step of swapping the filter AND lens back and forth was time consuming.

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …362/in/datepost​ed-public/

lpf10

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lpf46

mickeyb105 wrote in post #18063823
Being a prime shooter is extra work, and it sure isn't convenient, but I sure do love the cost/performance ratio.

I shot an outdoor event yesterday with just the 24ZA and 200 HS APO and I'm pretty darn happy. I will probably have to get another 72mm polarizing filter (really like B+W), as the extra step of swapping the filter AND lens back and forth was time consuming.

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …362/in/datepost​ed-public/
lpf10 by Michael Bielecki on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …722/in/datepost​ed-public/
lpf46 by Michael Bielecki on Flickr

Smart, and because when swapping is when I'd drop one and scratch it.

The Tameron 150-600 is on sale right now for $659 again, this time through Focus Camera with a Slickdeals rebate. Very tempting!

Took the a77ii to the cabin this weekend. Always in the shadows there.
ISO 2500, and Mickey you know how I feel about the a77ii + Tam 150-600mm

How about ISO 6400? With the a77ii, crazy ??

We got on the water while up at the cabin and dragons got on us
Not as sharp as a macro lens but I was 12 feet away.

I'm so jealous of your ISO 6400!

Three separate times I have tried to purchase that DxO Optics Pro 11 Elite and my CC company blocked me. I guess the next step is to call the CC company. I do have an Adorama GC I could put towards it, but they don't have 11 yet. First-world problems--LOL.

My A6000 hasn't gotten any love since I took delivery of the 24ZA. Probably just a phase, but it is good to put the A77ii to work for all-around action like it was designed for. It is crazy that the street price hasn't come down much on new models, but I guess that's the Sony tax for you.

MedicineMan4040 wrote in post #18067458

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/Jd9t​7e Apache AH64 remind by MedicineMan4040, on Flickr

Your A77ii/150-600 birding machine is still delivering the goods. I think there would be a lot of people out there who would be shocked to see what you get out of this combo.

That said, I caught some of your recent pics where you used the A7RII/EF-500 f4 combo and I was positively floored by the colors and bokeh. Is there a better IQ combo than this for shooting over 400mm? If so , I would love to see it!

mickeyb105 wrote in post #18067740
Your A77ii/150-600 birding machine is still delivering the goods. I think there would be a lot of people out there who would be shocked to see what you get out of this combo.

That said, I caught some of your recent pics where you used the A7RII/EF-500 f4 combo and I was positively floored by the colors and bokeh. Is there a better IQ combo than this for shooting over 400mm? If so , I would love to see it!

Man you are always too kind !!
OK to answer your question there is one possible and that is the 5Dsr but as I bet you know pushing ISO on the 5Dsr is a gamble at best and dynamic rage is also compromised, so for 'sitting' animals the Sony I think does a great job with tonal range/details/DR/etc. What is enticing about the 5Dsr though is it has the same AF system as the 7Dii which I've had (for me) great success with for BIF....then there is the 5FPS with the 5Dsr (or A7Rii for that matter) but when I had a 5Diii BIF was never a problem and I've already proven (to me) that BIF can be done with the a7Rii.
So............. hehe....my way of justifying a 5Dsr

I shot a political event in sub-standard lighting today and managed to pop off a few decent shots. I do need to get ahold of DXO Elite 11, though. Would be a game changer for me for sure.

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sergio1

In anticipation of the a99ii's arrival first of Dec. I'm re-acquainting with the a77ii menu's.
The a99ii may just get me off of e-mount!

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/NmGX​Cs

MedicineMan4040 wrote in post #18165659
In anticipation of the a99ii's arrival first of Dec. I'm re-acquainting with the a77ii menu's.
The a99ii may just get me off of e-mount!

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/NmGX​Cs The upper end by MedicineMan4040, on Flickr

you're not the only one pondering a move from a-mount to the a99ii. I'm going to be shooting with the a77ii a bit the next few weeks to see how I feel about toting a non-mount body with me again for extended periods of time.

If I were to do it, it is possible I would sell off my three bodies to do it, and use the rx100ii as my second body.

Crazy good image, BTW.

mickeyb105 wrote in post #18166041
you're not the only one pondering a move from a-mount to the a99ii. I'm going to be shooting with the a77ii a bit the next few weeks to see how I feel about toting a non-mount body with me again for extended periods of time.

If I were to do it, it is possible I would sell off my three bodies to do it, and use the rx100ii as my second body.

Crazy good image, BTW.

Well Mickey you know a lot of the allure of e-mount was size/weight but over time we all figured out that for similar lens speed the lenses were the same size/weight at the full frame counterparts. What we did get with e-mount a more direct digital throughput cutting out the middle man of smoke and mirrors, and speaking of mirrors the lack of meant less mechanics to align/fail.
So you and I've always loved/appreciated the SLT design=the best of DSLR and mirrorless worlds.
You've heard me say before that of all the cameras I've ever used/owned/have, the SLT 77ii is the best handling, best feeling of them all. Compared to it the A7Rii is too small, the 1DXII too big. It's the Goldilocks body='just right'.
But ISO was a hindrance. We've both pushed it thanks to DXO Prime but even then it was limiting.
Now look at what Sony has cooked up....nothing new, just a melding....the greatest sensor known=A7Rii + a77ii focusing + 399 phase points on sensor + frame rate competing with the biggest of the Canons and Nikons=the a99ii.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been adding via Japan e-bay some a-mount lenses, nothing expensive knowing my bread and butter on the a99ii will be the 70-400Gii. I did add a primo mint 500mm AF Reflex which is a total surprise on the a77ii and should also do well with the 99ii. There is no way in hell I'll pay up for the Sony 500mm so the 70-400Gii will have to do, but maybe a Minolta APO 400mm would do. I'm also studying the Sigma 12-24 II. I know the 12-24 ART has just come out but not in a-mount, nor the Sigma 500mm ART.

Well all this to say that if the a99ii is what I think it will be my e-mount days may be numbered

MedicineMan4040 wrote in post #18166157
Well Mickey you know a lot of the allure of e-mount was size/weight but over time we all figured out that for similar lens speed the lenses were the same size/weight at the full frame counterparts. What we did get with e-mount a more direct digital throughput cutting out the middle man of smoke and mirrors, and speaking of mirrors the lack of meant less mechanics to align/fail.
So you and I've always loved/appreciated the SLT design=the best of DSLR and mirrorless worlds.
You've heard me say before that of all the cameras I've ever used/owned/have, the SLT 77ii is the best handling, best feeling of them all. Compared to it the A7Rii is too small, the 1DXII too big. It's the Goldilocks body='just right'.
But ISO was a hindrance. We've both pushed it thanks to DXO Prime but even then it was limiting.
Now look at what Sony has cooked up....nothing new, just a melding....the greatest sensor known=A7Rii + a77ii focusing + 399 phase points on sensor + frame rate competing with the biggest of the Canons and Nikons=the a99ii.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been adding via Japan e-bay some a-mount lenses, nothing expensive knowing my bread and butter on the a99ii will be the 70-400Gii. I did add a primo mint 500mm AF Reflex which is a total surprise on the a77ii and should also do well with the 99ii. There is no way in hell I'll pay up for the Sony 500mm so the 70-400Gii will have to do, but maybe a Minolta APO 400mm would do. I'm also studying the Sigma 12-24 II. I know the 12-24 ART has just come out but not in a-mount, nor the Sigma 500mm ART.

Well all this to say that if the a99ii is what I think it will be my e-mount days may be numbered

Yes, the size/weight was--and still kind of is--a big deal to me. I am going to tote the a77ii around with me this week with the kids to see how it goes. The a6000 is almost point-and-shoot portable, so it is a breeze to wear it when I'm out and about with the kids. The a7r with the FE55 is still small enough where it doesn't change what I do much, and I've found this is kind of the cutoff line in terms of size. Once I put the LA-EA3 and 24ZA on the a7r, it becomes just a bit too heavy and the weight/size difference between this and my old 6D/50A combo becomes negligible.

Sellers from Japan on eBay have been very good to me so far, and I'll continue to use them for used A-mount lenses. Adorama has a good selection with fair pricing from time-to-time as well.

The 500 f8 reflex lens is a pretty great value IMO. Sony's 500mm seems to not only be expensive, but also not a particularly good lens as far as supertelephoto lenses go. I've heard really good things about the Minolta 400 f4.5 H.S. APO, which can be had for just under $2K from one of our buddies in Japan--not bad! Is it worth it for you to lose the flexibility of the zoom to gain F4.5 to primarily shoot birds? Only you can answer that, but it seems like so many of your bird photos are at f5.6 and well beyond.

Sigma not releasing all of its newer lenses in A-mount is something I really hope changes. I know you probably wouldn't use an 85A much, but it looks pretty spectacular from the samples I've seen. I have to think that they would release the new supers in A-mount when the a99ii drops, right? It seems like there will be some turnover to the a99ii from other mounts that shoot sports and birds, in spite of what a lot of Canon or Nikon guys say right here and now.

I'm going to pinch pennies, most likely, until I can afford an a99ii--barring something terrible happens and the body is impossibly flawed somehow.