Photo sharing: Sony Alpha

[havoc315]

Oh... my travel kit with the A6300....... (though there days I bring the Nikon D750, and days I bring both, but when I'm just going small...)
10-18, 35/1.8 and 50/1.8. And that's it for most days. If I'm doing something like the Animal Kingdom safari, then I'll bring the 70-200/4. But I can usually live without long telephoto.
I just got the Zeiss 16-70/4, I may switch my bag to 10-18 + 16-70 + the 35 or the 50 or both. Still a light-weight combo.

 

[fractal]

It's been a very...very long time lol Been working on some portraits using flash and gels along with my trusty A6000. I used the 50mm 1.8 for these (last shot is with the Sigma 30mm) and Yongnuo 560 IIIs. Small shadow adjustments in LR.

Fairys in a Jar (7 of 11) by raddie99, on Flickr

Fairys in a Jar (6 of 11) by raddie99, on Flickr

Fairys in a Jar (5 of 11) by raddie99, on Flickr

Fairys in a Jar (4 of 11) by raddie99, on Flickr

Fairys in a Jar (3 of 11) by raddie99, on Flickr

Fairys in a Jar (1 of 11) by raddie99, on Flickr

Fairys in a Jar (8 of 11) by raddie99, on Flickr

Cool shots @Rgonzalez79 ! How do you like working with the Yongnuo?

Just bought the 10-18mm on a great deal. I rented it last year for vacation and a day in Disney. You can use it as a carry around, especially in the parks. I think I took 40 pics of SSE Earth with it before moving on, lol!

I try not to go wider than 12mm if possible. Corner distortion/smearing is really noticeable @ 10-11mm. It's pretty good wide open, but stopped down it's nice and sharp. I'm looking to finally step up to
Full Frame this year, and this lens can be used on FF mount between 12-16mm plus it's a lot lighter (and cheaper) than the Sony E 16-35 f/4.

 

[fractal]

Oh... my travel kit with the A6300....... (though there days I bring the Nikon D750, and days I bring both, but when I'm just going small...)
10-18, 35/1.8 and 50/1.8. And that's it for most days. If I'm doing something like the Animal Kingdom safari, then I'll bring the 70-200/4. But I can usually live without long telephoto.
I just got the Zeiss 16-70/4, I may switch my bag to 10-18 + 16-70 + the 35 or the 50 or both. Still a light-weight combo.

You still have the 24mm 1.8 @havoc315 ?

 

[Rgonzalez79]

Very nice kit indeed. Do you have any early samples with the 16-70? It's another great lens from what I've read, combined with the the 10-18 would be an awesome walkaround bundle.

Just not sure if I can swing multiple $500+ lenses under the wife's nose without her asking "is there going to be a fiscal return on these photography investments at some point"

 

[Rgonzalez79]

Cool shots @Rgonzalez79 ! How do you like working with the Yongnuo?

Just bought the 10-18mm on a great deal. I rented it last year for vacation and a day in Disney. You can use it as a carry around, especially in the parks. I think I took 40 pics of SSE Earth with it before moving on, lol!

I try not to go wider than 12mm if possible. Corner distortion/smearing is really noticeable @ 10-11mm. It's pretty good wide open, but stopped down it's nice and sharp. I'm looking to finally step up to
Full Frame this year, and this lens can be used on FF mount between 12-16mm plus it's a lot lighter (and cheaper) than the Sony E 16-35 f/4.

Thanks @fractal , any chance this great deal is still available for the 10-18mm??

It took me a LOOOONG time to figure out how to use the manual flashes effectively. Everything was either over/under exposed or my shadows/highlights were all over the place. My daughter just gave up on me so I was left practicing on dolls and plush animals lol Took me a lot of practice but I can get the shots I initially visualized about 70-80% of the time now after a few rounds of test shooting.

Once I got the hang of it and picked up a cheap 560-TX trigger on Ebay, man it's so cool what you can do with these things. The III's are cheaper than the IV's so I stick with those, I believe the IV's come with a built in trigger though.

I'm guessing TTL flash would eliminate a lot of the hassle I initially went through.

Are you sticking with Sony for the jump to FF?

 

[fractal]

Thanks @fractal , any chance this great deal is still available for the 10-18mm??

It took me a LOOOONG time to figure out how to use the manual flashes effectively. Everything was either over/under exposed or my shadows/highlights were all over the place. My daughter just gave up on me so I was left practicing on dolls and plush animals lol Took me a lot of practice but I can get the shots I initially visualized about 70-80% of the time now after a few rounds of test shooting.

Once I got the hang of it and picked up a cheap 560-TX trigger on Ebay, man it's so cool what you can do with these things. The III's are cheaper than the IV's so I stick with those, I believe the IV's come with a built in trigger though.

I'm guessing TTL flash would eliminate a lot of the hassle I initially went through.

Are you sticking with Sony for the jump to FF?

Here's the story.

I was on Ebay trying to pick one up for around $600. I got outbid a few times as most good copies ended up going for around $625-650. A few days of this go by and I'm on a site unrelated to photography and an ad shows up from B&H; "New Sony 10-18mm f/4 $649.99". At first I thought it was a scam but I eventually clicked the ad. It took me to B&H and I got a new 10-18mm for $649.99 w/free shipping! (at the time, Sony was running a $100 off deal on the lens - $749 vs. $849).

Recently I got another one of these from B&H - Sony A7rii new for $2,899.

Thanks for the info on the flash!

 

[havoc315]

You still have the 24mm 1.8 @havoc315 ?

I still have it. I don't use it that often. It is a fantastic lens, but the lack of stabilization often leads me to opt for the 35/1.8 instead. The 24 is optically superior, but not necessarily enough to take it over the 35.

 

[havoc315]

Here's the story.

I was on Ebay trying to pick one up for around $600. I got outbid a few times as most good copies ended up going for around $625-650. A few days of this go by and I'm on a site unrelated to photography and an ad shows up from B&H; "New Sony 10-18mm f/4 $649.99". At first I thought it was a scam but I eventually clicked the ad. It took me to B&H and I got a new 10-18mm for $649.99 w/free shipping! (at the time, Sony was running a $100 off deal on the lens - $749 vs. $849).

Recently I got another one of these from B&H - Sony A7rii new for $2,899.

Thanks for the info on the flash!

You're upgrading to the A7rii?? Enjoy!

 

[havoc315]

Very nice kit indeed. Do you have any early samples with the 16-70? It's another great lens from what I've read, combined with the the 10-18 would be an awesome walkaround bundle.

Just not sure if I can swing multiple $500+ lenses under the wife's nose without her asking "is there going to be a fiscal return on these photography investments at some point"

I got a good price on the 16-70 used. I haven't used it much yet. Truthfully, it's ok. F4 is slow for most of my uses. Not nearly as sharp as most of my lenses. I would usually much rather have a prime lens. But the 16-70 may give me convenience of a zoom at times.

 

[Rgonzalez79]

Here's the story.

I was on Ebay trying to pick one up for around $600. I got outbid a few times as most good copies ended up going for around $625-650. A few days of this go by and I'm on a site unrelated to photography and an ad shows up from B&H; "New Sony 10-18mm f/4 $649.99". At first I thought it was a scam but I eventually clicked the ad. It took me to B&H and I got a new 10-18mm for $649.99 w/free shipping! (at the time, Sony was running a $100 off deal on the lens - $749 vs. $849).

Recently I got another one of these from B&H - Sony A7rii new for $2,899.

Thanks for the info on the flash!

AWESOME! Yea I'm looking at picking up the 10-18 and Surface Pro 3 (mobile editing when travelling for work) with this years tax return, I'll keep on eye on B&H prices but I'll most likely be looking at the same $600 range on Ebay.

Not quite ready for the jump to FF, I'm trying to build the portrait portfolio with the munchkin and the wife then try to market myself for some low level paid gigs and see how things go. Otherwise I think I'm set with the lenses/equipment I currently have, just have to keep working on creative shots.

 

[Rgonzalez79]

One more question for you guys @fractal @havoc315 , the sony 16mm is about $150, the wide angle attachment is another $150, does this combo even come close to the quality of the 10-18?

 

[fractal]

One more question for you guys @fractal @havoc315 , the sony 16mm is about $150, the wide angle attachment is another $150, does this combo even come close to the quality of the 10-18?

I had that combo and sold it. Bought the Rokinon 8mm fe, with the money and never regretted it.

The zoom is better overall and more practical. The 16mm 2.8 would be better for astrophotography because of the larger aperture and the pancake design makes it very easy to carry. I believe you lose a stop of light with the attachment and the image quality drops from the already mediocre 16mm.

 

[havoc315]

AWESOME! Yea I'm looking at picking up the 10-18 and Surface Pro 3 (mobile editing when travelling for work) with this years tax return, I'll keep on eye on B&H prices but I'll most likely be looking at the same $600 range on Ebay.

Not quite ready for the jump to FF, I'm trying to build the portrait portfolio with the munchkin and the wife then try to market myself for some low level paid gigs and see how things go. Otherwise I think I'm set with the lenses/equipment I currently have, just have to keep working on creative shots.

Lol... I do low level paid gigs just to rationalize how much I've spent. Still definitely losing money.
Also teaching 2-3 photography classes... that's actually more reliable income.
My gigs-- I end up spending so much time post processing, etc, I really end up making nothing per hour.

 

[havoc315]

Cool shots @Rgonzalez79 ! How do you like working with the Yongnuo?

Just bought the 10-18mm on a great deal. I rented it last year for vacation and a day in Disney. You can use it as a carry around, especially in the parks. I think I took 40 pics of SSE Earth with it before moving on, lol!

I try not to go wider than 12mm if possible. Corner distortion/smearing is really noticeable @ 10-11mm. It's pretty good wide open, but stopped down it's nice and sharp. I'm looking to finally step up to
Full Frame this year, and this lens can be used on FF mount between 12-16mm plus it's a lot lighter (and cheaper) than the Sony E 16-35 f/4.

While it may cover the field at 12mm... I'd be dubious about the IQ. The 16-35/4 really isn't that heavy either. But I'd examine that 10-18 closely.
A great option can be the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm manual lens. I use it on Nikon full frame. Got it used for about $250 iirc. And it can produce images as good as any zoom lens.

 

[Rgonzalez79]

Lol... I do low level paid gigs just to rationalize how much I've spent. Still definitely losing money.
Also teaching 2-3 photography classes... that's actually more reliable income.
My gigs-- I end up spending so much time post processing, etc, I really end up making nothing per hour.

Just a little slice of rationalization is all I need @havoc315 lol

How did you even get started? Right now I'm taking a lot of shots at my daughter's karate and gymnastics class and events and putting them on the groups Facebook page; hoping the schools will somehow notice and give me a little side money to use some of my shots in some promo materials or higher me to officially work the event. Was also trying to work some angle to shoot school portraits (seems like a good racket), but from what I hear it's pretty difficult to get in there and you need relationships with a good printer.

 

[havoc315]

I'd never bother doing my own printing, and truthfully, most people don't even want prints anymore.
I link to labs through Zenfolio, including letting people order whatever they want through the site. I choose the mark up.
Though I usually don't charge any markup if they paid for the session.
I've mostly done engagement sessions and some family sessions, for $200-$300. I get leads through the thumbtack app, but I have to pay for the leads. I'm trying to use it less often as it's costly -- I've often gone long stretches without a job from them.

 

[fractal]

NEX-7
E 10-18mm F4 OSS
12mm
/
ƒ/7.1
/
1/30s
/
ISO 100

 

[fractal]

 

[HPS3]

I'm back!!!!!!

Great shots fellas!

After selling off every bit of camera gear to put into my Jeep, I picked up an A6k and kit lens. I have been going off-roading with friends and wanted another camera(on a budget). Who would of thought Jeep parts were so expensive (lift kit, tires, bumpers, soft top, tube doors, skid plates...etc.)

I really need to get back into photography and hopefully this A6k will fuel my fire. Maybe I can get a lens or two before our May WDW trip if my better half allows it...

So here are my first two shots. I had to dust off my laptop and LR program.

Boggs and Boulders by Harry Shields, on Flickr

Jeepin' by Harry Shields, on Flickr

 

[dmaxphil]

I'm back!!!!!!

Great shots fellas!

After selling off every bit of camera gear to put into my Jeep, I picked up an A6k and kit lens. I have been going off-roading with friends and wanted another camera(on a budget). Who would of thought Jeep parts were so expensive (lift kit, tires, bumpers, soft top, tube doors, skid plates...etc.)

I really need to get back into photography and hopefully this A6k will fuel my fire. Maybe I can get a lens or two before our May WDW trip if my better half allows it...

So here are my first two shots. I had to dust off my laptop and LR program.

Boggs and Boulders by Harry Shields, on Flickr

Jeepin' by Harry Shields, on Flickr

Welcome back! Looks like fun.