Canon + Sony Combination

I have been married to Canon since the 10D eons ago. It has been a decent relationship but, lately has become a Love-Hate relationship.

I really enjoyed my 40D and 7D cameras and absolutely love my 7D2. I needed a full frame camera because the area in which I shoot my dog portraits doesn't allow me enough room to back up far enough to capture a larger dog with the 70mm side of my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens which is my lens of choice when shooting dogs.

A few years ago, I found a 5D2 that was in minty shape at a very good price. I sold my 7D and the proceeds came quite close to funding the 5D2. I really liked that camera and began to shoot people outdoors using the 70-200mm lens on the full frame and a 17-55mm on my 7D2. That was a great focal range combination because there was no gap in coverage between the two lenses. In fact, there was a bit of overlap in coverage which I like. However, the AF of the 5D2 was not all that great.

I made a big mistake and purchased the 6D2 without researching the camera. There are some things that I really like about the 6D2 but many things that I absolutely detest... Primarily, this has to do with autofocus when shooting with the eye level viewfinder. In a word... The eye level AF of the 6D2 simply sucks with the 80D style AF array centered in the middle of the frame. It is nasty for shooting portraits since the highest AF point places my subjects eyes towards the center of the frame. Focus and recompose is O.K. in a studio setting but is not feasible outdoors when shooting with a very wide aperture to blur the background. Using live view with the excellent dual point AF and face detect would solve that problem but, I just don't like using live view outside. I find myself choosing the 7D2 over the 6D2 more and more.

I have been researching cameras, especially along the Sony line; since with adapters, I can still use my great Canon glass and since bu just purchasing a new Godox XTPro trigger, I can use all my Godox equipment.

At first, I was attracted by a used Sony A7Rii which a local guy is selling (the A7Riii is too expensive for me to consider). However, with the advent of the A7iii. I am looking into that camera. However, I want to find one to rent for a weekend of shooting before I make my decision...

RPCrowe wrote in post #18681422
I have been married to Canon since the 10D eons ago. It has been a decent relationship but, lately has become a Love-Hate relationship.

I really enjoyed my 40D and 7D cameras and absolutely love my 7D2. I needed a full frame camera because the area in which I shoot my dog portraits doesn't allow me enough room to back up far enough to capture a larger dog with the 70mm side of my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens which is my lens of choice when shooting dogs.

A few years ago, I found a 5D2 that was in minty shape at a very good price. I sold my 7D and the proceeds came quite close to funding the 5D2. I really liked that camera and began to shoot people outdoors using the 70-200mm lens on the full frame and a 17-55mm on my 7D2. That was a great focal range combination because there was no gap in coverage between the two lenses. In fact, there was a bit of overlap in coverage which I like. However, the AF of the 5D2 was not all that great.

I made a big mistake and purchased the 6D2 without researching the camera. There are some things that I really like about the 6D2 but many things that I absolutely detest... Primarily, this has to do with autofocus when shooting with the eye level viewfinder. In a word... The eye level AF of the 6D2 simply sucks with the 80D style AF array centered in the middle of the frame. It is nasty for shooting portraits since the highest AF point places my subjects eyes towards the center of the frame. Focus and recompose is O.K. in a studio setting but is not feasible outdoors when shooting with a very wide aperture to blur the background. Using live view with the excellent dual point AF and face detect would solve that problem but, I just don't like using live view outside. I find myself choosing the 7D2 over the 6D2 more and more.

I have been researching cameras, especially along the Sony line; since with adapters, I can still use my great Canon glass and since bu just purchasing a new Godox XTPro trigger, I can use all my Godox equipment.

At first, I was attracted by a used Sony A7Rii which a local guy is selling (the A7Riii is too expensive for me to consider). However, with the advent of the A7iii. I am looking into that camera. However, I want to find one to rent for a weekend of shooting before I make my decision...

uh, you're in SD? There should be a lot of folks that have one in your area. I know a lot of folks that have the 7iii in LA area. IMO, best if you can try out and have someone locally give you pointers, because unlike most Canon's, the late model A7's have a TON of configure options, that can take weeks to get down to your liking.

I've ran into a few shooters that were interested in trying out my R3 from last year.... they have since switched. Knowing how to efficiently use the system can take some time. I ran into a few 7iii users and even tried one out. Very very similar to the R3, so trying out either one will be practically the same. Stick with Gen 3 bodies, the upgrade is really worth it if you're to list them. In practice, the battery, firmware, AF, collectively make a HUGE difference in usability. I still have the R2 along with the R3, and they are completely different cameras despite looking the same.

Another Canon and Sony combination, but this may be too expensive and heavy for many users.

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RPCrowe wrote in post #18681422
In a word... The eye level AF of the 6D2 simply sucks with the 80D style AF array centered in the middle of the frame. It is nasty for shooting portraits since the highest AF point places my subjects eyes towards the center of the frame. Focus and recompose is O.K. in a studio setting but is not feasible outdoors when shooting with a very wide aperture to blur the background.

I have been shooting fashion/glamour professionally for 15 years and have been doing it with Canon aside from a few flirts with Sony and Panasonic. If you can't focus and recompose properly outdoors with a wide aperture, you need to work on your photography skills. I do this with fast primes on a weekly basis and with results good enough to be published in major magazines around the world. T5i, T6i, 60D, 77D, 6D...I have used them all (still use the 77D and 6D) doesnt matter. I can consistently reproduce the same results with any camera and thats what being a pro is all about really. I also know a TON of other portrait shooters who do the same. Rent the Sony first. We are spoiled by Canon's superior color science and skin tones, you will hate the look of your portraits straight out of the Sony if you are used to Canon. Then you will spend hours trying to fix it to look like a Canon image, waste of time and money IMO.

RPCrowe wrote in post #18681422
I have been married to Canon since the 10D eons ago. It has been a decent relationship but, lately has become a Love-Hate relationship.

I really enjoyed my 40D and 7D cameras and absolutely love my 7D2. I needed a full frame camera because the area in which I shoot my dog portraits doesn't allow me enough room to back up far enough to capture a larger dog with the 70mm side of my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens which is my lens of choice when shooting dogs.

A few years ago, I found a 5D2 that was in minty shape at a very good price. I sold my 7D and the proceeds came quite close to funding the 5D2. I really liked that camera and began to shoot people outdoors using the 70-200mm lens on the full frame and a 17-55mm on my 7D2. That was a great focal range combination because there was no gap in coverage between the two lenses. In fact, there was a bit of overlap in coverage which I like. However, the AF of the 5D2 was not all that great.

I made a big mistake and purchased the 6D2 without researching the camera. There are some things that I really like about the 6D2 but many things that I absolutely detest... Primarily, this has to do with autofocus when shooting with the eye level viewfinder. In a word... The eye level AF of the 6D2 simply sucks with the 80D style AF array centered in the middle of the frame. It is nasty for shooting portraits since the highest AF point places my subjects eyes towards the center of the frame. Focus and recompose is O.K. in a studio setting but is not feasible outdoors when shooting with a very wide aperture to blur the background. Using live view with the excellent dual point AF and face detect would solve that problem but, I just don't like using live view outside. I find myself choosing the 7D2 over the 6D2 more and more.

I have been researching cameras, especially along the Sony line; since with adapters, I can still use my great Canon glass and since bu just purchasing a new Godox XTPro trigger, I can use all my Godox equipment.

At first, I was attracted by a used Sony A7Rii which a local guy is selling (the A7Riii is too expensive for me to consider). However, with the advent of the A7iii. I am looking into that camera. However, I want to find one to rent for a weekend of shooting before I make my decision...

Eye AF is probably the best thing to happen to portrait photography in the past decade. Not only is is it dead on accurate, it eliminates the need to change af points, or in the case of focus and recompose, eliminates the need to get the initial focus acquisition between shots. Wherever you frame your subjects eyes, the af system follows. Biggest benefit to me is that it greatly improves the flow of a typical shoot...particularly when working with a model who knows how to flow through her poses and you're not breaking the flow by messing with af between shots.

Works with adapted lenses too. I have an ef mount sigma 135 1.8 in my kit. Really narrow DOF wide open, but very reliable for outdoor portraits.

RPCrowe wrote in post #18681422
I have been researching cameras, especially along the Sony line; since with adapters, I can still use my great Canon glass and since bu just purchasing a new Godox XTPro trigger, I can use all my Godox equipment.

I also forgot to mention that you will hate the EVF in a studio with strobes, inferior to an OVF in every way because WYSIWYG is useless when you are working with strobes. Not only that but Sony intentionally cripples their cameras (unless something has changed with the 3rd gens) forcing you to buy a Sony adapter to work properly with certain flashes and triggers which is even more petty than them not including a battery charger on a $2k camera. Rent one first, you'll be glad you did.

Mbell1975 wrote in post #18681680
I also forgot to mention that you will hate the EVF in a studio with strobes, inferior to an OVF in every way because WYSIWYG is useless when you are working with strobes. Not only that but Sony intentionally cripples their cameras (unless something has changed with the 3rd gens) forcing you to buy a Sony adapter to work properly with certain flashes and triggers which is even more petty than them not including a battery charger on a $2k camera. Rent one first, you'll be glad you did.

You simply turn the preview exposure off.
I use it so much I have the on and off mapped to my up directional pad

mystik610 wrote in post #18681668
Eye AF is probably the best thing to happen to portrait photography in the past decade. Not only is is it dead on accurate, it eliminates the need to change af points, or in the case of focus and recompose, eliminates the need to get the initial focus acquisition between shots. Wherever you frame your subjects eyes, the af system follows. Biggest benefit to me is that it greatly improves the flow of a typical shoot...particularly when working with a model who knows how to flow through her poses and you're not breaking the flow by messing with af between shots.

Works with adapted lenses too. I have an ef mount sigma 135 1.8 in my kit. Really narrow DOF wide open, but very reliable for outdoor portraits.

Eye AF is one of those technology leaps that 5 years from now you'll be asking how the hell did we manage without it. It truly takes the hassle of focusing out of the equation and let's you concentrate on composition and getting the precise expression...leaving the drudgery of focus and recompose or playing the put the little rectangle box over what you want in focus ( and then hoping it didn't pick up the nose rather than the eye ) games.

Like with any huge advancements...there are those that dig their heels into the dirt and refuse to adapt...even posting an image to show you don't need eye AF...but then there are those that just adapt it and move on smiling.

Osa713 wrote in post #18681689
You simply turn the preview exposure off.
I use it so much I have the on and off mapped to my up directional pad

Yep adapt rather than resist...the smart move.

Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I personally find that shooting portraits on the A7iii (and my Oly EM1.2) is a better experience than on Canon. As said before, EyeAF works amazingly well and frees up my attention to work more on posing and the little things I usually miss and try to fix in PS/LR later. I personally love the EVF for portraits, even using strobes, since I have a custom button set to mimic an OVF (preview OFF) and it’ll give me a brief pop-up review of the image in the viewfinder. It’s great to be able to see your lighting and if someone’s eyes are open even if you’re outside in the blazing sun where the rear LCD is pretty useless. It’s also quicker for me to get my underexposure of the background dialed in quicker, since I don’t have to take test shots... then I just flip on the flash (preview OFF) and start shooting and don’t have to take my eye away from the viewfinder and interrupt the flow of things. I also use Flashpoint/Godox gear and it works pretty well for me. I not a full time pro, so I don’t usually put tons of stress on my gear and push its limits, but the Sony has made it quicker and easier for me to get good results. Could I get the same results using my Canon gear? Sure, but it would just take a little more time. It’s just two different methods of shooting, and some people will prefer one over the other.

Lyndön wrote in post #18681708
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I personally find that shooting portraits on the A7iii (and my Oly EM1.2) is a better experience than on Canon. As said before, EyeAF works amazingly well and frees up my attention to work more on posing and the little things I usually miss and try to fix in PS/LR later. I personally love the EVF for portraits, even using strobes, since I have a custom button set to mimic an OVF (preview OFF) and it’ll give me a brief pop-up review of the image in the viewfinder. It’s great to be able to see your lighting and if someone’s eyes are open even if you’re outside in the blazing sun where the rear LCD is pretty useless. It’s also quicker for me to get my underexposure of the background dialed in quicker, since I don’t have to take test shots... then I just flip on the flash (preview OFF) and start shooting and don’t have to take my eye away from the viewfinder and interrupt the flow of things. I also use Flashpoint/Godox gear and it works pretty well for me. I not a full time pro, so I don’t usually put tons of stress on my gear and push its limits, but the Sony has made it quicker and easier for me to get good results. Could I get the same results using my Canon gear? Sure, but it would just take a little more time. It’s just two different methods of shooting, and some people will prefer one over the other.

For outdoor sun, turn on sunny weather LCD brightness, should help a lot, I have no issues with the sun.

Lyndön wrote in post #18681708
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I personally find that shooting portraits on the A7iii (and my Oly EM1.2) is a better experience than on Canon. As said before, EyeAF works amazingly well and frees up my attention to work more on posing and the little things I usually miss and try to fix in PS/LR later. I personally love the EVF for portraits, even using strobes, since I have a custom button set to mimic an OVF (preview OFF) and it’ll give me a brief pop-up review of the image in the viewfinder. It’s great to be able to see your lighting and if someone’s eyes are open even if you’re outside in the blazing sun where the rear LCD is pretty useless. It’s also quicker for me to get my underexposure of the background dialed in quicker, since I don’t have to take test shots... then I just flip on the flash (preview OFF) and start shooting and don’t have to take my eye away from the viewfinder and interrupt the flow of things. I also use Flashpoint/Godox gear and it works pretty well for me. I not a full time pro, so I don’t usually put tons of stress on my gear and push its limits, but the Sony has made it quicker and easier for me to get good results. Could I get the same results using my Canon gear? Sure, but it would just take a little more time. It’s just two different methods of shooting, and some people will prefer one over the other.

Yup that's been my experience as well. The thing about the Sony system is that once you get used to it, the camera simply gets out of the way and let's you focus on directing your subject, lighting...just overall less messing around with the camera and focusing (pardon the pun) more on composition and maintaining a nice flow when working with live subjects.

Osa713 wrote in post #18681689
You simply turn the preview exposure off.
I use it so much I have the on and off mapped to my up directional pad

Right, and that totally defeats the purpose of an EVF and its completely inferior to a quality OVF in a dark studio with its lag and crappy image.

DC Fan wrote in post #18681530
Another Canon and Sony combination, but this may be too expensive and heavy for many users.

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forum: Changing Camera Brands

9.3 to 930mm F1.7!!! Man what a zoom ......wouldnt mind having that on my 5DSR if was just a tad smaller ....I shudder to think how much that lens is worth......

Mbell1975 wrote in post #18681865
Right, and that totally defeats the purpose of an EVF and its completely inferior to a quality OVF in a dark studio with its lag and crappy image.

Lol have you used this feature before because that’s not how it works.

When you turn the preview exposure off the evf can “see in the dark” and properly exposes your subject in your viewfinder. So in a very dim studio you can easily see your subject before the strobe fires. speaking from experience the Fuji X-T2/H1 and Sony AR3 /A9 have no lag the quality is amazing.