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Question about A7/r/s

fotografz

Well-known member
Focus peaking initially seemed to be a great solution … and is nifty when stopped down a little to mask body sway/subject movement when working hand-held. IMO, shooting fast aperture lenses wide open is more difficult, including longer focal lengths closer up. Very hard to nail it/shoot it.

It also depends on the amount of contrast edges that can be detected in a scene … especially in flat lower ambient. You can get preoccupied looking for it rather than concentrating on the image to be made.

The ultimate test for me has been a M50/0.95 on the A7R … if I can get the focusing technique down for this lens most others will be a cake walk.

I've been practicing with using focus magnification … which revealed how much practice I need to do yet. When you magnify while working hand-held, the image is bouncing around in the EVF like it was from a really long lens.

IMHO, the Sony A cameras would have benefited greatly from IBIS.

If someone came forth with a FF EVF camera to take M lenses that was equipped with IBIS, I'd swap systems in a NY heartbeat.

- Marc
 

Valentin

New member
I have a 430 EX II and the buttons are so uneasy to press successfully that it is a pain to use them directly on the flash....
I don't have a problem with the 580 EXII. The only thing I use (most of the time) is to adjust power in manual (or exp compensation), second curtain and HSS. All easily done via the button. I'm not familiar with the 430s ... or maybe you have long nails and that makes it more difficult?
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I also prefer magnification. If we are talking about focus aid...is there a way to activate magnification with pressing the button only once?
I have a A7s but it looks like I have to press it twice to activate magnification.
 

Annna T

Active member
I don't have a problem with the 580 EXII. The only thing I use (most of the time) is to adjust power in manual (or exp compensation), second curtain and HSS. All easily done via the button. I'm not familiar with the 430s ... or maybe you have long nails and that makes it more difficult?
The buttons are slightly recessed in a cavity, but worse they are spongy mushy : they don't respond well when you press. I have very short nails. It may be better with longer ones. I never get what I want with the first pressure. I think that the flash may be weather sealed; there is like a gum cover over the button.

Here is how it looks :
 

Valentin

New member
The buttons are slightly recessed in a cavity, but worse they are spongy mushy
Based on the image, they are fairly similar. The only difference is the on/off switch and the power adjustment one (it's a wheel on the 580 II). I don't have that problem when changing HSS/second curtain/mode.
 

Valentin

New member
OK. I stopped by their booth at PPE to see how they feel. There was one "problem" that even their people couldn't answer (figure out) so I'm hoping that someone here can answer it.

AF was continuously on (without pressing any buttons) and the guy behind the counter couldn't tell (or figure out) if you can turn it off (drains the not so long lasting battery even more; and his answer: they are small so you can have many of them ????). Is there a way to turn that off? I don't shoot video so I really don't care for that "feature".

Another thing I noticed is that their flashes have proprietary ports so you can't use them with regular triggers (PW or the like). Maybe someone will make a cable for them but that's an added expense.
 

tn1krr

New member
OK. I stopped by their booth at PPE to see how they feel. There was one "problem" that even their people couldn't answer (figure out) so I'm hoping that someone here can answer it.

AF was continuously on (without pressing any buttons) and the guy behind the counter couldn't tell (or figure out) if you can turn it off (drains the not so long lasting battery even more; and his answer: they are small so you can have many of them ????). Is there a way to turn that off? I don't shoot video so I really don't care for that "feature".
This is feature called "Pre AF" and I hate it too. Luckily it can be now turned off. With old Nex cameras one could not turn it off.

Another thing I noticed is that their flashes have proprietary ports so you can't use them with regular triggers (PW or the like). Maybe someone will make a cable for them but that's an added expense.
The flash hotshoe has proprietary pins, but it is would I say 98.5% compatible (there are a few rare models that do not work. An older version of Yongnuo 560 is one I believe) with standard ISO mount flashes/triggers. I use Elicnhrom Skyport triggers just fine on my A7R and many people use PW, CAnon flashes in manual mode...
 

Valentin

New member
...
The flash hotshoe has proprietary pins, but it is would I say 98.5% compatible (there are a few rare models that do not work...
OK, maybe I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't talking about the hotshoe on the camera.

I use off camera flashes all the time. My 580EXII has a sync port which can be used by any trigger. The Sony flashes has a multi-pin port(s) which would take a special cord (don't even know what the ports are; I'm assuming one is for an external battery pack).
 

tn1krr

New member
OK, maybe I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't talking about the hotshoe on the camera.

I use off camera flashes all the time. My 580EXII has a sync port which can be used by any trigger. The Sony flashes has a multi-pin port(s) which would take a special cord (don't even know what the ports are; I'm assuming one is for an external battery pack).
One of these should do the trick, I'm using similar kind of adapter with my older Minolta hotshoe flashes with Elichrom Skyport triggers.

FlashZebra.com: Flash Hotshoe Adapters
 

JMaher

New member
I have used Yongnou 622's connected directly to Canon 550EX flashes, Godox triggers used with the appropriate Godox connectors to either a Godox V850 or 360 flash unit. I have also used a generic (forget the brand but probably Radio Popper) connected with the same brand receiver to Alien Bees. None of these are TTL.

Jim
 
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fotografz

Well-known member
Jim,

How did you connect the trigger to the flash (off camera)?
Valentin, there are a couple of ways to configure triggers to fire the Sony speed-lights. All of them use off-camera hot-shoe connections which are a bit more reliable than PC cords anyway.

Part of the current problem is that Sony Speed-lights had a proprietary hot-shoe design left over from Minolta. They recently changed to a standard ISO hot-shoe design, and the third party hot-shoe type radio trigger makers haven't caught up yet.

I used Phottix radio with my Sony A900 and FM58 speed-lights for weddings for years and they worked perfectly. The Phottix on-camera transmitter fit the old type hot-shoe and featured pass through TTL for the on-camera Sony FM58 speed-light. It also triggered any number of off-camera Sony Speed-lights (or any speed-light in the off-camera hot-shoe … or standard studio Strobes using a PC cord from the receiver), but none of them are off-camera TTL, so it really didn't matter what the off-camera lights were.

The newer FM60 flash uses the newer hot-shoe design, so a Sony compatible TTL adapter has to be used which makes for a less than stable wedding/event set-up when also using a hot-shoe radio.

If pass through TTL for on-camera flash isn't needed, then any standard ISO hot-shoe type Transmitter/Receiver radio system will work … there are a ton of them to select from.

IMO, none of the current Sony Speed-lights are optimal for the smaller A7 series cameras … the FM60 is too big, and the smaller FM40 only uses two AA batteries:thumbdown:

I've opted for the Nissin i40 which is just the right size for these cameras. It takes 4 AAs. Mine is packed away for a trip, but if I recall correctly, it also doesn't have a standard PC port.

We will just have to wait for makers to come out with hot-shoe type radio using the newer multi-function hot-shoe design on the A99 etc SLTs, and A7 etc. mirror-less series camera.

- Marc

BTW, it grinds me that Profoto doesn't show much enthusiasm to make a B1 battery strobe with a Sony TTL module.:banghead:
 
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