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New at Sony a6000


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Thanks Dave, I am looking forward in trying the 100-400FE after drooling over Zaks pics on DP. but you are right the 300 is a better all around lense. I will be looking forward to your review

 

John

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  • 3 weeks later...

Tracy Arm Fjord Excursion:

Canon EOS 70D w/ TAMRON SP 150-600mm @ 150mm

IMG_9083.jpg

 

Canon EOS 70D w/ TAMRON SP 150-600mm @ 309mm

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Canon EOS 70D w/ TAMRON SP 150-600mm @ 450mm

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Canon EOS 70D w/ TAMRON SP 150-600mm @ 600mm

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Canon EOS 70D w/ TAMRON SP 150-600mm @ 450mm

IMG_9264.jpg

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Alaska Tracy Arm Fjord Excursion

Canon EOS 70D w/ TAMRON SP 150-600mm @ 600mm

IMG_9500.jpg

 

Canon EOS 70D w/ TAMRON SP 150-600mm @ 600mm

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Canon EOS 70D w/ Sigma 10-20mm @ 10mm

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Canon EOS 70D w/ Sigma 10-20mm @ 10mm

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Canon EOS 70D w/ Sigma 10-20mm @ 10mm

IMG_8919.jpg

 

 

Seattle, Washington, Snoqualmie Falls Tour:

 

Canon EOS 70D w/ Tamron 18-270mm @ 18mm

IMG_E8149.jpg

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John, I just pulled the trigger on the FE 70-300 G. I'll let you know if it might be worth adding to your kit instead of renting all the time. Justin's shots with it lead me to think it will suit my needs for a telephoto pretty well.

 

Dave

 

I just pulled the trigger too..... Not sure if I'll keep it. But saw a refurbished copy on ebay for an excellent price PLUS today's 15% off eBay... so figured it's worth a try.

I really REALLY REALLY loved the 100-400, but I really didn't like the weight and price. Let's see if this lets me do a little birding.

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  • 7 months later...

I am really late reporting back on my European trip with my a6000.  I enjoyed our trip to Europe very much and used the two kit lenses, but did find that on tours, etc switching lenses was a pain.  I also found that I did not have time on tours to be fiddling with the different manual settings I had tried to learn before the trip, so I ended up shooting mostly with intelligent auto and fixing the pictures on the computer after the fact.  Here are a few of the shots I took with the a6000 

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So, now we are just 6 weeks from our trip to Alaska.  I have been spending a lot of time since the trip learning more about my camera.  I decided that changing lenses was not for me while on busy tours so, after continuing to research I decided to spring for the Sony 18-200 lens.  I feel confident that it will have enough reach for most of my applications on my travels and hope that it will work ok in Alaska.  I have been playing with the lens.  Here are a couple of shots with the new lens I took near my home:

Fountain Hills Fountain Park

 

Golf course with lens set at 18mm

Fountain Hills - Golf Course Viewpoint 18mm

 

Same Golf Course with lens set at 200mm

Fountain Hills - Golf Course Viewpoint 200mm

 

DSC02439-600x434.jpg

 

I have been trying to learn Aperture Priority on the camera the last week or so.  I have set the MR for landscapes and Action shots in that mode.  I hope to experiment more in Aperture on the trip to Alaska and use less of the Auto Modes, but will go back to them if I feel I am missing too many shots.  Fortunately, DH has a really good P&S camera and he will also be taking pictures.  Quite a few of our final pictures in our album were his.  So I hope that if I mess up, maybe he will get a killer shot!

 

Wish me luck!

Edited by Sunny AZ Girl
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6 hours ago, Sunny AZ Girl said:

So, now we are just 6 weeks from our trip to Alaska.  I have been spending a lot of time since the trip learning more about my camera.  I decided that changing lenses was not for me while on busy tours so, after continuing to research I decided to spring for the Sony 18-200 lens.  I feel confident that it will have enough reach for most of my applications on my travels and hope that it will work ok in Alaska.  I have been playing with the lens.  

 

Wish me luck!

 

I seem to be a bit late on this, but my solution to lens fumbling was to skip the superzoom option and spend a bit less on a second body. Having the 55-210 on the second body in a small waist pack made response time far faster than lens changing and I didn't have to always have a large lens attached to the main shooter while walking around.

 

Dave

Edited by pierces
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2 hours ago, pierces said:

 

I seem to be a bit late on this, but my solution to lens fumbling was to skip the superzoom option and spend a bit less on a second body. Having the 55-210 on the second body in a small waist pack made response time far faster than lens changing and I didn't have to always have a large lens attached to the main shooter while walking around.

 

Dave

One thing I like about the Sony 18-200 lens is that it is lightweight.  I bought a light neoprene cover for it to keep it protected and the whole thing fits in my crossbody travel purse.  I will be bringing my 16-50 lens along for use on the ship for the few times I may want to use it there.  Most of the time I will just use my cell phone on the ship.  But there are times (productions shows for example) that the a6000 will be better.

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4 hours ago, pierces said:

 

I seem to be a bit late on this, but my solution to lens fumbling was to skip the superzoom option and spend a bit less on a second body. Having the 55-210 on the second body in a small waist pack made response time far faster than lens changing and I didn't have to always have a large lens attached to the main shooter while walking around.

 

Dave

 

Dave, you perfect summed up one of my big objections to superzooms. Why always have a big telephoto lens attached to the camera, at times when all your shots will be much shorter focal lengths.

A second body is a good solution, especially if it's a small body. 

Of course, there also is simply no reason to fear a little bit of lens switching (unless you're at the beach... no lens switching at the beach, that's scary.. but I've done it). 

Yes, having to switch lenses will make you miss a few shots. And having to switch bodies will miss shots too (though a few less than switching lenses). But I always come back from every trip with more shots than I can even get around to process. So missing a few telephoto opportunities never really bothers me. If it required such a fast reaction that I can't change lenses-- then there is a good chance I was going to miss it anyway.  

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Coming in very late to this discussion.

 

I bought an a6000 with the kit lens and the 55-210 in December 2017 for our June 2018 Alaska cruise and Denali trip. Like you, immersed myself in youtube videos learning the ins and outs of the camera (still learning!). Soon afterward, sold the kit lens and bought a Sigma 16mm f 1.4, which has been an incredible landscape and low-light lens. Ended up taking over 700 pictures in Alaska on an amazing trip.

 

Here are my top tips based on Alaska and other trips:

 

1.Auto focus is unreliable for wildlife at a distance if set on wide or zone. Use center or, better yet, flexible spot small to get pinpoint focus. If you're comfortable using manual focus, try focus peaking to help get sharp subjects. (wish I knew these tips before Alaska).

 

2. You can extend your telephoto reach by up to 2X using ClearImage Zoom without sacrificing image quality, so your 210mm would become effectively 420mm, which is actually equivalent to over 600mm on a crop sensor. I set my C1 button as zoom, so it's really handy.

 

3. I used continuous shooting, high in drive mode for moving subject such as whales and was pleased with the results.

 

4. To make my landscape pics pop, I use a circular polarizer filter. It also cuts glare on water nicely, if used at a 90-degree angle to the sun's rays. I basically leave it on all the time when outdoors.

 

5. I use the rule of thirds grid to help place subjects in the best area of the frame.

 

6.  My most important tip for you is to skip Sitka town and get on a boat. We want on Gallant Adventures small boat 5-hour trip and saw multiple whales up-close, sea otters, sea lions, seals, eagles, puffins and thousands of other sea birds and a grizzly. It was the highlight of the entire trip! Here are some pictures from that day, a few of which could have been better-focused.

 

Have a great trip and take lots of great photos!

 

 

DSC01661.JPG

fullsizeoutput_387.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_33f.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_369.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_2c7.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_397.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_271.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_25e.jpeg

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46 minutes ago, JohnGinPBG said:

Coming in very late to this discussion.

 

I bought an a6000 with the kit lens and the 55-210 in December 2017 for our June 2018 Alaska cruise and Denali trip. Like you, immersed myself in youtube videos learning the ins and outs of the camera (still learning!). Soon afterward, sold the kit lens and bought a Sigma 16mm f 1.4, which has been an incredible landscape and low-light lens. Ended up taking over 700 pictures in Alaska on an amazing trip.

 

Here are my top tips based on Alaska and other trips:

 

1.Auto focus is unreliable for wildlife at a distance if set on wide or zone. Use center or, better yet, flexible spot small to get pinpoint focus. If you're comfortable using manual focus, try focus peaking to help get sharp subjects. (wish I knew these tips before Alaska).

 

2. You can extend your telephoto reach by up to 2X using ClearImage Zoom without sacrificing image quality, so your 210mm would become effectively 420mm, which is actually equivalent to over 600mm on a crop sensor. I set my C1 button as zoom, so it's really handy.

 

3. I used continuous shooting, high in drive mode for moving subject such as whales and was pleased with the results.

 

4. To make my landscape pics pop, I use a circular polarizer filter. It also cuts glare on water nicely, if used at a 90-degree angle to the sun's rays. I basically leave it on all the time when outdoors.

 

5. I use the rule of thirds grid to help place subjects in the best area of the frame.

 

6.  My most important tip for you is to skip Sitka town and get on a boat. We want on Gallant Adventures small boat 5-hour trip and saw multiple whales up-close, sea otters, sea lions, seals, eagles, puffins and thousands of other sea birds and a grizzly. It was the highlight of the entire trip! Here are some pictures from that day, a few of which could have been better-focused.

 

Have a great trip and take lots of great photos!

 

 

DSC01661.JPG

fullsizeoutput_387.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_33f.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_369.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_2c7.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_397.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_271.jpeg

fullsizeoutput_25e.jpeg

Great photos and tips! "Thank you! 

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On 4/1/2019 at 11:14 AM, Sunny AZ Girl said:

One thing I like about the Sony 18-200 lens is that it is lightweight.  I bought a light neoprene cover for it to keep it protected and the whole thing fits in my crossbody travel purse.  I will be bringing my 16-50 lens along for use on the ship for the few times I may want to use it there.  Most of the time I will just use my cell phone on the ship.  But there are times (productions shows for example) that the a6000 will be better.

 

I love the photo's that you have posted and it looks like you are really doing well with the a6000.  I love my a6000 and bought it originally because it was so easy to take places however I now have a prime and a zoom and it takes a larger bag to carry everything.  I struggle on cruises as to what to take on which excursions.  Our last cruise I had a big backpack that my poor husband had to carry through the heat in Mexico.  I decided that next time I might need to downsize.  What is the travel purse that you use for your camera?

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