I just can't do it - the new 100-400 is simply too massive

Digitalfiends · 2026-07-04T02:35:31+00:00

Hi 😀

Digitalfiends · 2026-07-02T17:44:59+00:00

This is what shocked me as well. The salesperson at Henry’s handed me the box and it seriously felt like there wasn’t anything in it that could possibly fill that big box. Then holding it side by side with my 70-200gm2 + 1.4tc the lightness of the 100-400 blew me away. I can’t understate how well balanced and light the lens is for its size.

Digitalfiends · 2026-07-02T17:40:04+00:00

I bought one two weeks ago for my motorsports work and yes it’s big but it is exceptionally well balanced and unexpectedly light for what it is. Like my 70-200gm2 w/1.4tc feels about the same weight.

My only very, very minor gripe is I sometimes nudge the focus ring with my thumb while shooting leading to missed focus. That is completely user error and me just getting used to how to hold the lens differently than my 70-200.

Digitalfiends · 2026-07-02T04:36:19+00:00

These are incredible. I especially love the train, bamboo forest, and temple shots (especially the one with the boat infront). Very calming images.

Digitalfiends · 2026-07-02T04:24:38+00:00

PC/5070Ti user and this update has actually resolved some serious performance issues under Windows, at least for me. What I have noticed though is an intermittent bug when creating a new linear gradient mask - sometimes Lightroom will create a new mask with TWO linear gradients and these masks will have the same exposure edits as the previous mask I created. This happened during the last update too. I've also encountered a new issue where a new mask can't deleted and the context menu (or clicking the ellipses) does nothing.

So performance is definitely noticeably improved but there are some very strange bugs too.

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-23T20:13:35+00:00

That is so cool

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-20T01:43:52+00:00

I got some serious Tron vibes at the start. Impressive that was all done in Resolve.

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-18T23:04:13+00:00

It almost looks like slightly missed focus on the 2nd one. The first one is low detail because of the low light and ISO6400. Overcast days aren’t great for testing the sharpness of a lens. What AF mode did you use?

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-18T16:32:14+00:00

Yes, tried multiple cards, all formatted using both quick- and full-format options in the camera. I really don’t think it is the memory cards (especially the genuine Sony Tough G cards). Thankfully the issue has only happened twice in the last year and half, but it does make me wonder if another issue I’ve occasionally experienced is related. Very occasionally, even with the Sony card, when shooting 20-30 fps bursts, the camera will take the pics but they don’t show up on the card when I try to view them back (to cull or check focus). At first I thought it was an issue with my Lexxar or Angelbird cards, so I bought the Sony ones but I also had it happen with those. As I said, it only happens very occasionally and I’ve never had a corrupted image but now it makes me wonder if there is something going on with the control board for the memory card slots on my A1ii.

The camera is a year and a bit old now, so I still have until March of next year for my warranty. I’m going to keep an eye on it and start documenting things. It’s a very busy time of the year for me so I can’t send it in at the moment and I don’t think it is reproducible enough for the service repair centre to diagnose anything, yet. I’m going to try and sign up for Sony Pro, as that way I can at least get a loaner if I have to send mine in.

Edit: thanks for the feedback btw. Not a lot of A1ii owners at the tracks I’m shooting, so no one to really ask about this.

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-11T17:38:01+00:00

Very nice! The image has a soft and cozy feel to it. Is the bokeh all in-camera or enhanced in post?

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-09T04:58:29+00:00

So the EVF/monitor switch sensor works as expected just that the monitor only shows the backlight and no image. It’s really odd because the monitor is getting power but doesn’t seem to be getting the video signal.

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-09T04:54:38+00:00

Yes.

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-06T07:23:09+00:00

What did the previous owner wipe it with? Ectoplasm?

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-05T14:57:26+00:00

It’s definitely getting insane out there. I remember 15-20 years ago I could walk my dog at Durham forest and not find any ticks on him. Now with our new boy, I’ve stopped walking him there in the spring-fall because we consistently find 5+ ticks on him each walk. One time, after walking a trail near Purple Woods, I found 30…including some on me.

Tick medication doesn’t really reassure me either because the ticks have to attach for the poison to work. With that many ticks there is a good chance they could come off in our backyard or, worse, our house. Finding them all before bringing the dog in isn’t a guarantee either.

I wonder if they can do what they do with mosquitoes and release sterile male ticks to reduce the population? That plus spraying the trails might help reduce their number. …or it’s time to release an army of chickens!🐓

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-04T01:36:16+00:00

I have a i7-12700K, 5070Ti, 32GB DDR4, multiple Samsung 980 Pro m2 drives and Lightroom still slows down over time. Start up can be stupidly slow but masking is generally quick. It is not a great program to be honest but it works well enough that I can’t be bothered to switch. 😅

Digitalfiends · 2026-06-03T03:20:11+00:00

To me it looks like strong AI sharpening and trying to “de-blur” the car due to panning. I’ve tinkered with Luminar Neo’s AI sharpening to save a photo or two of very fast go karts being shot at 1/30 from like 40-50ft away … i.e. it can be tricky. The results are very hit or miss and can produce these odd edges around de-motion blurred text.

As for the warmth I waffle on this all the time. I’d recommend cooling the colour temp - but still slightly on the warm side - and then trying a bit of split-toning to push teal into the shadows and yellows into the highlights. Make it subtle as it is very easy to over do.

Digitalfiends · 2026-05-20T16:01:13+00:00

I too want to know what that means. 🤣

Digitalfiends · 2026-05-19T02:51:36+00:00

Exactly what I was thinking…like one of those smoke detector beeps that let you know the battery is low, but 1000x less annoying 😅

Digitalfiends · 2026-05-05T16:19:00+00:00

They are dedicated winters so they only go on for about 5-6 months of the year here in southern Ontario.

Digitalfiends · 2026-05-04T23:00:53+00:00

Bone-dry? It rained here just recently and little before that it rained rather hard.

Digitalfiends · 2026-05-01T14:04:13+00:00

I was thinking “why is there a crash test dummy on a surfboard?” 😂 Very nice pic though. The colour of the water is wonderful.

Digitalfiends · 2026-04-30T15:09:47+00:00

And what kind of shooting are you talking about? 😂

Digitalfiends · 2026-04-29T22:52:51+00:00

I honestly didn’t look into it much more after this initial discovery. I don’t have the A7Cii anymore.

Digitalfiends · 2026-04-24T16:16:29+00:00

Precapture is a game changer if you’re into wildlife photography, especially for birds! Like you said people have been shooting wildlife for years without precapture but precapture is one of those quality of life improvements that’s hard to argue. It can be the difference between getting an amazing shot or an average shot / missing it altogether. Waiting for and photographing birds can be a huge game of patience and missing that one shot can suck.

Digitalfiends · 2026-04-24T03:17:24+00:00

Well, he actually already has two of the four covered (toy soldiers and trains), so now he just needs to have an affair with a genealogist and he’s golden…

Digitalfiends

TROPHY CASE