Category Technology

Mirrorless 70-200mm conundrum: Old friend Pentax came to the rescue.

Eric L. Woods

At times our goals contradict each other and this happened with me recently.

  1. Value means a lot to me. May seem odd when discussing photography where many would argue that a mobile phone will do. But even in this realm, I always seek the most frugal option available to meet an end.
  2. Had recently moved to full frame mirrorless, A7III specifically.
  3. Had been a while, but I wanted to get a hold of a 70-200mm f/2.8 or equivalent again.

So why not go with a 70-200mm f/2.8 or equivalent for mirrorless?

Continue reading “Mirrorless 70-200mm conundrum: Old friend Pentax came to the rescue.” →

Sony A7iii: This time Sony is serious. Part 1. Feel.

Eric L. Woods 10 Comments

Ok Sony we get it. You mean business this time.

I have long liked Sony. On my gear churn odyssey I have passed by the RX100ii, a6000, A7, the A7ii, most recently the A7Rii (now realizing I have never written a proper review of this camera) and now the A7iii. This was not an impulse buy. When I read the spec sheet of the A7iii this is what I heard Sony say: Continue reading “Sony A7iii: This time Sony is serious. Part 1. Feel.” →

Love DSLRs. But I chose mirrorless because I love film gear more.

Eric L. Woods 2 Comments

A valid response to this blog title is “What?” Allow me to explain. Or try to anyway.

These are interesting times. A lot of virtual ink is spilled debating between mirrorless or DSLR. Most points made miss the point for me really. Sure, I chose mirrorless. But my choice has nothing to do with a dislike for DSLRs. I love DSLRs. But I love film cameras more.

But, but… Battery life… OVF over EVF… Native lens selection… AF speed… Dual card slots… So on and so forth. Meh. Gladly put up with all of this. (And most of these concerns are being eliminated by the most recent wave of mirrorless cameras. An A7iii will be in my future and it may go down as the industry tipping point.) But once again film tech is what changed my mind.

Why? Continue reading “Love DSLRs. But I chose mirrorless because I love film gear more.” →

Tiny Second Hand Camera Smackdown: Ricoh GR vs. Sony RX100 IV

Eric L. Woods 1 Comment

Recently I exchanged the Sony 20mm f/2.8 that I bought when I purchased my a6000 not that long ago for the Rokinon 35mm f/2.8. My thinking was that the two lenses were redundant since 35mm (50-ish in full frame terms) was my preferred focal length and the Rokinon seemed barely larger than the 20mm {2.43 x 1.30″ (61.8 x 33 mm) vs 2.46 x 0.80″ vs (62.6 x 20.4 mm)} while gaining another full frame lens in my quiver. No brainer, right? Nope. I really like the Rokinon, but it was not a suitable replacement for the 20mm. Why? Glad you asked:

  • Despite its tiny profile the Rokinon better marries with the full frame Sonys in operation. Where focus speed seems adequate on the A7Rii it is less so on the a6000. No idea why. While not awful on the a6000 it is nowhere near as fast as the 20mm on the a6000. Had no idea how good that lens was until I no longer had it… The framework for an R&B or Country song right there.
  • 0.5″ (12.6mm) does not seem like a huge difference in theory, but in application that turns a very pocketable camera into a somewhat pocketable camera. Also the slightly rounded front edge and metal build of the 20mm meant it went in and out of pocket far easier than the square cornered and plastic Rokinon.

Simple fix. Buy the 20mm again. One problem. Southeastern Camera had two tempting full-blown second-hand cameras (ones I always thought about buying) that barely cost more than the 20mm lens new that would be even smaller than the already petite a6000. The thinking was that for a little more spend than a lens ($350-ish) I could potentially have a whole camera ($500-ish).

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What to do? Continue reading “Tiny Second Hand Camera Smackdown: Ricoh GR vs. Sony RX100 IV” →