Sony A7x lounge

David Arbogast wrote in post #18188133
Is the bag's strap the same seat belt material as their strap?

Actually I am reminded that my biggest dislike of their "Slide" camera strap is that it stays the same width from shoulder to camera, so the strap is frequently touching your hand when shooting. It distracts me. Most other camera strap makers make the strap fat where you need it (shoulder) and much narrower where it meets the camera.

I have the strap and I find the exact same thing bothers me. Otherwise it's a very well made strap.

Charlie wrote in post #18188149
the retro's are kind of big for a sony kit, the camera kind of flops around in there, and the setup, not really optimized for small lenses. Have you ever done Domke? The F2 is nice for a 4-5 lens setup, the bag is built to handle a bunch of smallish lenses. If you shoot with less, like 2-3 lenses, lowepro passport is nice (not very stylish, but functional), my defacto, dont look like a weirdo with a belt bag

I have the Retrospective 5 (the smallest) and I agree. The small primes (Batis) and the camera body itself flop around WAY too much in there for my liking.
Plus the bag is deeper than it is wide, so you end up having to stack 2 primes per section, more or less. And once the covers are off, that can be scary (which is why I ended up carrying 2 bags in death valley and then hating myself for bringing so much stuff!)

David Arbogast wrote in post #18188327
Haha...yeah, I'm selling off all my Canon-mount lenses. Actually I'd like to get the Sony f/4 version in my kit as well. Just as a nice/light walk-around.

After what, like 2 years of talking about it, you're finally taking the jump?

Yeah, the 24-70/4 is a fine walkaround lens. Small and versatile.

off topic:

watching EPICA concert now at San Francisco with my wife and son. my son is excited, his first time to watch aconcert.

xpfloyd wrote in post #18188318
I'm actually considering putting mine on eBay when the replacement arrives without even breaking the seal on the vacuum pack and trying to recoup my money as the whole experience has left me with negative thoughts about the lens

David Arbogast wrote in post #18188333
The fact they won't give a refund is bad stuff. I guess I can understand that might be a problem with any kickstarter thing. Had I just waited and purchased from a retailer, a return would have been easy.

Mine is decentered, but I'm trying to decide if it's worth getting replaced/fixed. Extreme corner performance isn't that important with super wides like this or the CV 10 imo.

glad I didn't stick my neck out on it...and it gives me less faith in reviews from well known photogs...they rave about it...then it turns out to be not so rave worthy...review for gear/pay....not really objective...sorry you are all dealing with that...


I have been editing my images from several shoots...I just don't think I can give up the DR and the files of this Sony...I think I will live with the wonky frustrating crap when adapting...the plusses far outweigh the minuses...I think I would be hard pressed to pull this image off with single shots...this was with the TSE 17mm, so shifted left and right to the limits and then cropped in...but there was no bracketing needed, I was able to push/pull to keep detail in the highlights and shadows...I doubt even the 5D4 can do that....

Batis 18

TRhoads wrote in post #18188544
I have been editing my images from several shoots...I just don't think I can give up the DR and the files of this Sony...I think I will live with the wonky frustrating crap when adapting...the plusses far outweigh the minuses...I think I would be hard pressed to pull this image off with single shots...this was with the TSE 17mm, so shifted left and right to the limits and then cropped in...but there was no bracketing needed, I was able to push/pull to keep detail in the highlights and shadows...I doubt even the 5D4 can do that....

Hosted photo: posted by TRhoads in
./showthread.php?p=181​88544&i=i239768935
forum: Sony Digital Cameras

Nice work on this Travis. I like the framing and tones. Looks like some tricky lighting.

xpfloyd wrote in post #18188318
I'm actually considering putting mine on eBay when the replacement arrives without even breaking the seal on the vacuum pack and trying to recoup my money as the whole experience has left me with negative thoughts about the lens

I wouldn't blame you. I hope it works out.

David Arbogast wrote in post #18188333
The fact they won't give a refund is bad stuff. I guess I can understand that might be a problem with any kickstarter thing. Had I just waited and purchased from a retailer, a return would have been easy.

Mine is decentered, but I'm trying to decide if it's worth getting replaced/fixed. Extreme corner performance isn't that important with super wides like this or the CV 10 imo.

I think mine is also a bit decentered too because the left bottom corner is very soft. Center looks fine though now that I've had chance to see the images on my big monitor. Actually, sharpness is very good. It's just bad in the corner. I'm not used to shooting something so wide so maybe this is acceptable for the corners. Not sure yet.

digital_AM wrote in post #18188571
Batis 18

I notice that you're shooting a lot with the Batis 18. Really says something about the lens that you're drawn to using it so much. The results are beautiful and it's great incentive for me to get my stuff switched over.

Great shot! Love the angle.

David Arbogast wrote in post #18188587
I notice that you're shooting a lot with the Batis 18. Really says something about the lens that you're drawn to using it so much. The results are beautiful and it's great incentive for me to get my stuff switched over.

Great shot! Love the angle.

Thank you David! I'm very comfortable with this lens. It's just a solid performer. Amazingly sharp. Portable and lighter than it looks. I was expecting the Laowa 12 to perform the same but perhaps I had too high expectations.

David Arbogast wrote in post #18188587
I notice that you're shooting a lot with the Batis 18. Really says something about the lens that you're drawn to using it so much. The results are beautiful and it's great incentive for me to get my stuff switched over.

Great shot! Love the angle.

Same here. A lot of my shots from the recent trip are with the 18. LR shows that's my most used lens since I got it.

More from Mesquite Dunes. A trio of perspectives on the same man on a dune. Kinda like the different scales together.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/Por5​KZ

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/PaRh​wm

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/N9YG​2u

Puckman wrote in post #18188400
I have the Retrospective 5 (the smallest) and I agree. The small primes (Batis) and the camera body itself flop around WAY too much in there for my liking.
Plus the bag is deeper than it is wide, so you end up having to stack 2 primes per section, more or less. And once the covers are off, that can be scary (which is why I ended up carrying 2 bags in death valley and then hating myself for bringing so much stuff!)

The one thing that bugs me about the retro 5 is the width, that's why I much prefer the shibata. I don't find it too deep though. I generally have a lens either side with hood on and then in the middle I have the camera with lens mounted. I don't find they flop about. What I did do though was swap out the dividers to ones that had a flap so once the lens is in the side (either side) o fold the flap over the top of it which means when the camera is lifted in and out the centre there's no risk of damage to the lenses

MedicineMan4040 wrote in post #18188373
The 24-70/4 is the one you want! Sharper than the 2.8 and the macro function is a huge bonus--plus it is light!

how do I try the macro function?

Edit - it just dawned on me you might not be talking about the Sony 24-70

Tokina 90 and Samyang 14 sold already, hopefully the rest go as quickly