Sony A6400 intrp had a few surprises...

[AlanF65]

On 1/18/2019 at 12:59 PM, havoc315 said:

You really don't need filters for those types of images with today's cameras.

There are 3 main common types of filters:

UV filters: These basically just protect the lens. Some people recommend against them, as why would you add extra glass in front of your lens? THey basically are like phone screen protectors.

ND filters: These are sunglasses -- they are helpful if you are shooting long exposure on a tripod. You can read about it here:https://enthusiastphotoblog.com/2018/07/02/long-exposure-with-sony-a7riii/

 

The last common type of filter (there are lots of other less common filters) are polarizing filters. They "polarize" the light -- the effect being they will make your skies darker and bluer. So that can be desirable for shoot glaciers but you can easily achieve the same effect --- with better control -- in post processing the image.

 

For Alaska -- the A6400 with:

10-18/4 (Alaska has sprawling landscapes)

70-300 (for wildlife)

 

Something in the "normal" range -- the 18-135 zoom or, personally, I'd carry the 35/1.8 as my normal lens, in between the wide and telephoto zooms.

 

If you are going to get a chance to shoot waterfalls on land, then also bring a small tripod and ND filters.

 

Remember, expensive lenses can be rented instead of purchased. 

 

 

 

 

I was able to book an excursion on a small boat that gets up close and personal with a glacier; are your lense and filter recommendations the same? I will be on the road for over 15 days so will be purchasing lenses /filters unless I can pick up a rental in VANCOUVER and return via FedEx or other or in Icy Straight point in Alaska.

 

Thanks

Alan

 

[havoc315]

I'll be "playing" with the A6400 for the next 2 weeks.. if anyone has any questions ab out it, let me know. 

 

 

[spthealien]

On 1/16/2019 at 6:51 AM, JimP81 said:

I just bought an a6000 in October. Should I upgrade to the 6400? 

 

What I tell people in my workshops is to learn the capabilities of your current gear first. Find out if something you want to do is only available if you upgrade.

 

Only if you feel that there are gaps in your shooting that you wish were filled by an upgraded sensor (the a6000 is nearly half a decade old). On the sensor alone, you'll get better low light sensitivity and less noise. If the performance of your a6000 is fine--you're golden. If I were you, I would start buying only FE lenses (full frame e-mount glass) and let your next upgrade be head-and-shoulders above your current setup by going full-frame. Then take your a6000 and use it for a quick way to get extra reach (for instance, connected to a long telephoto for wildlife or air shows or using one of the Playmemories apps like Smooth Reflections, etc). Then let your full-frame e-mount camera drive the areas that your crop sensor camera has a harder time doing (ultra-wide shots, super shallow depth of field, very low light handheld shooting, astrophotography, etc).

[spthealien]

1 hour ago, havoc315 said:

I'll be "playing" with the A6400 for the next 2 weeks.. if anyone has any questions ab out it, let me know. 

 

 

 

Not sure if you were a heavy user of the Playmemories app ecosystem, but that's the biggest thing I miss about 2017+ Sony cameras. If you haven't played with Smooth Reflections before on your Playmemories-capable camera, it's one of the best $4.99 you can spend.

[pierces]

4 minutes ago, spthealien said:

 

Not sure if you were a heavy user of the Playmemories app ecosystem, but that's the biggest thing I miss about 2017+ Sony cameras. If you haven't played with Smooth Reflections before on your Playmemories-capable camera, it's one of the best $4.99 you can spend.

 

I bought a few of the more interesting apps for my A6300 but honestly, I consistently forgot to use them since my favorite functions like Sweep Panorama, Multi-Frame HDR and Multi-frame Noise Reduction were built in. Unfortunately, I am probably a typical in-camera App user which is why they pulled the plug. Sony listens pretty well these days and one of the main complaints was that you had to pay for additional functionality that could have been included. I imagine if the demand were there they would re-introduce them, but I doubt that they will. Imaging Edge, the replacement for Play Memories, will add new functions for tagging photos and their tech spokespeople have been hinting at AI-powered functions beyond the pattern recognition in the new AF that may replace the in-camera functions that the Apps used to provide.

 

I was hugely disappointed that Multi-frame noise reduction was removed from the A7III until I found that it really wasn't needed like it was on the APS-C cameras.

 

The only sure thing in Photography is change.

 

Dave

[spthealien]

3 minutes ago, pierces said:

 

I bought a few of the more interesting apps for my A6300 but honestly, I consistently forgot to use them since my favorite functions like Sweep Panorama, Multi-Frame HDR and Multi-frame Noise Reduction were built in. Unfortunately, I am probably a typical in-camera App user which is why they pulled the plug. Sony listens pretty well these days and one of the main complaints was that you had to pay for additional functionality that could have been included. I imagine if the demand were there they would re-introduce them, but I doubt that they will. Imaging Edge, the replacement for Play Memories, will add new functions for tagging photos and their tech spokespeople have been hinting at AI-powered functions beyond the pattern recognition in the new AF that may replace the in-camera functions that the Apps used to provide.

 

I was hugely disappointed that Multi-frame noise reduction was removed from the A7III until I found that it really wasn't needed like it was on the APS-C cameras.

 

The only sure thing in Photography is change.

 

Dave

 

Many of my images that Sony used for some of the retail campaign (B&H, Adorama, Best Buy) were done using the Playmemories apps. Apps like touchless shutter allowed me to leave my trigger at home (it was free, too!). The time lapse app let me do a holy grail time lapse over a 12 hour span because I could keep a USB battery connected to the micro-USB port on the camera. Now, the newer cameras require an intervalometer to use up the port. Sure the third gen a7 cameras have a USB-C port, but that does not help the newer RX cameras. It's a shame they didn't carry over support when they changed processors on the 2017+ cameras. I think I was the artisan that complained the most about dropping Playmemories support the most.

The biggest complaint that we got about the ecosystem was not so much the cost--it was HOW you needed to get them on the camera. The accounts were handled through the Playstation group and that was not always the best in consistent handover between Playstation and Playmemories. To add, many of the people I meet did not know you could connect the camera to the computer to upload the apps--they just assumed they had to use the painful in-camera browser and a wifi connection to get the apps on the camera.

[havoc315]

Testing the real time tracking AF on the Sony A6400, how did it perform?

https://enthusiastphotoblog.com/2019/03/22/sony-a6400-af-real-time-tracking/