Okay, where are the representative pictures of bicycle parts and liquor bottles?

 

How is the focus speed?

^ This (especially focus speed, in dim light).

Edited January 8, 201511 yr by Salt Peanuts

He is wasting money on meh watches instead on fancy bikes. Obviously the understanding of photography subjects is lacking.

**BRENT**

That was the nice one. Was talking about all the other ones.

**BRENT**

Glad we agree

**BRENT**

I've been using my X100 again after months with the OMD and while, yes, the autofocus does suck by comparison (although mine is the original one, which sucks worst) it really is such fun to use. Hope that you get much enjoyment from yours

As an aside. I keep mine in manual focus mode the entire time and use the AEL button as the autofocus button.

As an aside. I keep mine in manual focus mode the entire time and use the AEL button as the autofocus button.

 

I really like separating AF and shutter button on my DSLR. Makes re-framing so easy. 

UV filter>Lens cap. 

How's the black finish on the body, Jacob?  The closest shop (a BestBuy, of all places) that actually has camera in stock only has the silver model.

 

Speaking of lens cap, the one on Sigma 35 is also pretty useless.

Edited January 9, 201511 yr by Salt Peanuts

So I might be going to Ireland for 10ish days this summer. I am thinking of dumping the Sigma 50 as I get closer and either picking up a zeiss 15/2.8 or the nikon 14-24. The zeiss 15mm is easily (expensively) filterable. The nikon 14-24 can be filtered as well but holy crap those things are expensive. An entirely different avenue would be to rent an A7II (probably out by then) and a canon ts-e 17mm. This combo has resulted in some fantastic landscape images but I have never used a tilt shit lens before so will likely not know what to do when I do get it. Another option is the fuji xt1 with a 14mm but this combo doesn't inspire as much confidence in me. 

99% of the pictures from the past 2.5yrs have been of my kids... but my A6000 w/ SEL24F18z is an awesome combo.  AF is rapid fast and clarity is amazing.

 

For some reason, the RX1 keeps tempting me, but I am not convinced that it will be much better than my current setup.

It is 83% better and you should do it.

**BRENT**

But then I would have to bother with selling my A6000 and lenses and spending $1600ish for a used RX1 which has inferior AF, but better IQ.

 

The A7(II) rental would be my vote Crappy.

Sell it to cj

**BRENT**

^ Keep both, this is Head-case

^ Keep both, this is Head-case

 

That would be very un-tyrion like.  Need to keep the revolving door going.

Use the left coast legal team method; buy it all and keep it all.

**BRENT**

For a lens as wide as I am considering, I don't care about AF. Rather, I will not be using it at all. I am planning this to be a lazy road trip up the Irish coast with no scheduled stops along the way. I have an itinerary in mind but want this to be a "oh that looks pretty, lets stop and take a walk/take pictures/climb that hill" kind of trip. I've had quite a few Sony cameras but I don't think any of them really made me happy like the Nex 5 did with the zeiss 35/2.8. Maybe it was because it was my first real camera. But even now when I look back at the pictures I took with it, the colors look better than anything I have gotten since (even with the D800 and Fuji XT1). I am considering grabbing that combo again for general walk about shooting and renting the A7II + lens or a lens for the d800 for landscapes exclusively. No need to switch out lenses that way either. 

Fyi, Sony uses lossy compression on RAW files with no option for lossless compression. No idea how much that affects real-world usage.

Something nice about a smaller camera is you can get into more places. There isn't much room for argument when the sign in the museum clearly says no SLRs, but "point and shoot" cameras are fine.

Went to the Zoo today but there were very few animals outside so a lot of indoor pictures with a 300 f4, not the best lens for that type of environment.

 

 

Bao Bao hiding behind his lunch

 

 

Bao Bao at ISO 10000 through dirty glass

 

 

Bug eyed rodent of some sort

 

 

 

 

 

Cardinal eating off of the frozen pond.

 

Is that with the 300/4 they just released, Jeff? 

Nope, an old one I picked up cheap from one of the upgraders.

but I don't think any of them really made me happy like the Nex 5 did with the zeiss 35/2.8. Maybe it was because it was my first real camera. But even now when I look back at the pictures I took with it, the colors look better than anything I have gotten since (even with the D800 and Fuji XT1). 

 

That's interesting.  Are we talking colors straight out of camera JPEG, RAWS, processed RAWS (how?).  I've been playing more with X-Rite Colorchecker to shoot the grey card on scene, custom WB, shoot the color patches, generate profile for WB in post-processing.  Also using X-Rite iDisplay Pro to calibrate my LCD screens better  

 

The results are nice, but it does take extra time and attention, something often not available for "spontaneous" shots, in which case it can be very tricky to get WB right in post-processing, sometimes never,  especially under mixed lighting.  

Edited January 10, 201511 yr by Jon L

That's interesting. Are we talking colors straight out of camera JPEG, RAWS, processed RAWS (how?). I've been playing more with X-Rite Colorchecker to shoot the grey card on scene, custom WB, shoot the color patches, generate profile for WB in post-processing. Also using X-Rite iDisplay Pro to calibrate my LCD screens better

The results are nice, but it does take extra time and attention, something often not available for "spontaneous" shots, in which case it can be very tricky to get WB right in post-processing, sometimes never, especially under mixed lighting.

I meant to say that I was shooting raw but the colors were something I never had to touch. They had the perfect vibrance and saturation. I had to play around with sharpening and what not but rarely colors. It was long before I knew about custom white balance but I have the same LCD calibrator now. Works great. My Screen looks extremely yellow compared to before but the prints come out looking exactly like I see them on my screen which makes up for the overly warm tone. I can get the colors to where I want them to be sometimes but never straight from the camera. More often than not I take the cowards way out and convert to black and white but I seem to prefer the medium anyways.

I have a sneaky feeling it was a matter of the ever elusive synergy between the lens and the body. I really wish I could afford a proper m mount digital. Leica glass is great and all but I prefer Zeiss lenses in that mount. At least to the few Leica lenses I've tried. The Zeiss 35/2.8 zm remains the best lens I have ever used. The Zeiss 135 apo takes the cake for the sharpest and technically the best but the 35 just gave me exactly what I wanted.

Edited January 10, 201511 yr by crappyjones123