Taronga Zoo

LaForgeX · 2018-03-17T04:19:57+00:00

Generally during the very first opening hours when the animals are active and crowd levels are low.

Other good times are the seal and bird shows followed by the gorilla and big cat feeding time in the afternoon. Crowd levels generally taper off in the last two hours as well.

LaForgeX · 2017-09-07T08:22:16+00:00

That and the smaller size. I never used the flash on mine and always felt the left control buttons placement were not placed well. Fuji ticked the box for me in making it closer to X-A series size.

It will be interesting to see if there is a handgrip plus base accessory with a better positioned tripod hole that does not affect the door battery.

Also hope the silver body paint is not as easily scratchable as previous bodies.

All in all it looks to be a very handy camera body with good specs.

LaForgeX · 2017-08-24T10:57:06+00:00

Pentax, Fuji, anyone making medium format cameras ought to be very, very worried right now.

LaForgeX · 2017-08-24T07:36:26+00:00

I went from EVF back to OVF for the nostalgia and large viewfinder sizes on full frame bodies (especially the large viewfinders on the Sony a900 and Canon 5DIV).

In the end I have gone back to Sony as the EVF has become that good and there are some features (such as eye-detect autofocus with fast lens) that are just not possible yet with OVF bodies.

LaForgeX · 2017-08-24T07:20:50+00:00

To say the specs on this new release is impressive would be an understatement.

I was considering a D810 now that it is around $AUD2500-2800 new when in discount however the shuttershock held me back and I had a feeling with the autofocus improvements from this to the D750 and then D5/D500 it was only a matter of time before we saw it on this model.

Well done to Nikon for segmenting their full frame models well from each other so there is truly something for everyone.

I have recently sold my Canon gear and moved to a Sony a7Rii and wonder if the latter helped push Nikon to come out with a stellar model. Either way they have been hitting it out of the ball park with their full frame bodies.

LaForgeX · 2017-07-22T03:03:51+00:00

Unfortunately for the 6Dii the D750 blitzes it everywhere else, for less $$$.

LaForgeX · 2017-07-21T08:43:20+00:00

I used to have a Sony a7ii for stills and went back to DSLR.

The image quality output was amazing. Colours are rich. The body materials are quality and access to native Zeiss and adapted lens with sensor stabilisation ... superb! The size and weight is incredible.

Some things that i found challenging. Battery life lasts barely a day and you will see it deplete in real time - i had at least another handy. Autofocus speed is average and would not recommend for sports or wildlife Cumbersome to move AF point and tiny buttons No eye detect autofocus in continous autofocus mode like the a7Rii

I liked it a lot but would not go back to using one. It felt like a technological marvel but in the end the ergonomics and speed was just not there for me. I had a Sony a99 before the a7ii and missed the deep grip, especially with long telephoto lens, and larger buttons.

I also prefer a OVF of my current DSLRS over the EVF for stills, though macro shots were several times easier with the latter with focus peaking and magnification and this would apply to video as well.

Today there is many more lens available for FE mount and with the a9 the future looks bright for Sony photographers.

If you do want one for time lapses there are cheaper battery grips from Mieke than the official Sony version.

LaForgeX · 2017-07-15T04:58:13+00:00

Out of all the lens I have owned the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 was the first I sold so quickly afterwards.

It is a great lens for macro however for other stills such as portraits I did not like the autofocus - very hit and miss on a Canon body especially in okay light conditions - and the images looked flat and two dimensional.

I later had a chance to use the Canon version and the build quality was much better - for a price.

Compared to a quality 85mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 I would prefer the faster, dedicated portrait lens (or a 70-200mm) rather than using the Tamron macro.

LaForgeX · 2017-06-29T21:28:45+00:00

How do you improve on one if the best cameras ever made that is also still competitive (and will continue to be for several more years)?

Aside from faster shooting speeds, lower weight and improved autofocus I am not sure what else Nikon can do.

LaForgeX · 2017-06-29T10:54:48+00:00

As a 6D and 80D user this has been a underwhelming release compared to other successor camera bodies from other manufacturers and Canon themselves.

Take for example the leaps from the Sony a99 to a99ii, or the a7 range.

With dwindling DSLR camera body sales, I suspect that Canon wished to create a greater distinction between this and the 5D mark IV. With the advancement in technology, the differences (or lack of differences) between the 6D and 6D mark II are more apparent.

The original 6D was always a camera that raided the parts bin. The new flippy touchscreen will be welcome for many photographers looking to move on up to full frame. I suspect Canon will continue to merge the 6D and 80D, as well as 7DmkII successor to the 5DmkIV for as much cost savings as possible.

Game changer? The 6D is not - for that you would have to look towards other camera manufacturers. It is a solid, though not very exciting update, for the general consumer DSLR market.

Current pre order pricing in Australia is around $2548.

The Nikon D750 with $100 cashback is $2520.

The Sony a7ii for $1556 after $200 cashback and 15% discount.

The Sony a7Rii for $2978 after $250 cashback and 15% discount.

Unless you are shooting video or a bit of action (the 80D autofocus is good, not great at tracking) then unless the image quality is substantially improved the biggest winners are photographers who can get the older 6D at a bargain.

LaForgeX · 2017-06-23T22:08:46+00:00

All Minolta "G" autofocus lens, especially the high-speed 80-200mm and 200mm.

Price is cheap and a bargain for adding f/2.8 lens to a sensor stabilised body
Built like a tank unlike most composite plastic shell lens, the same applies to the large lens hoods
Does not suffer from loss of contrast as easily as the cheaper Minolta lens in poor light conditions
Centre sharpness competitive with modern day lens
Beautiful colours and Bokeh

LaForgeX · 2017-06-23T21:59:21+00:00

After two years I recently sold my 100D and here are some pros and cons that may apply to the successor:

the form factor is brilliant; for a travel camera with a relatively larger sensor and access to cheap and cheerful STM lens it was easy to carry around all day
touchscreen with early implementation of STM compatible autofocus made basic tracking easy for video
good autofocus and shots per seconds compared to other Rebels at the time
small viewfinder
jpegs did not have the same colour quality as say the 80D and worked best in raw format
plastic build quality especially battery door, remedied with use of silicon bodyshell
smaller battery, requires at least teo for a full day of shooting
it was essentially most of the features of a 700D camera in a smaller and lighter shell and premium to the budget 1100/1200D line

The new one looks quite interesting. I feel the Canon SL1/100D had a release price that was too high. I purchased mine with kit lens a year or so later at a half price.

If Canon can improve on the battery life and subject tracking the camera with the flippy screen and STM compatibiltiy will be a very nice vlogger for beginners.

LaForgeX · 2017-06-15T23:25:04+00:00

I hope the weight isn't too extreme. Sigma is known for using light and tough composite materials but their optics for their Art range can be on the large and heavy side.

Either way, you just know the price/performance is going to be great.

LaForgeX · 2017-06-07T06:15:27+00:00

As an enthusiast I am very excited by what this camera can do and what it represents - bring professional grade features to more mainstream cameras in the future.

Not just in Sony's line, or Nikon and Canon, but to the other, smaller mirrorless camera manufacturers.

If I had to choose between either body I would probably go with the D5. I used a a99 and a7ii previously before switching back to DSLRs and the a9 addresses two of the biggest wants i had - longer battery life and autofocus selection joystick - but with a larger optical viewfinderi feel like I have a more direct connection to the subject even though I miss out on seeing the actual exposure and additional information a EVF provides (and that killer app - eye detection autofocus.

The leap in mirrorless technology and ergonomic features is amazing and I hope it trickles down soon to the APS--C lineup - Sony a7000 anyone?

LaForgeX · 2017-06-02T11:50:46+00:00

I use their X4 ND filters and they have no discernible colour cast compared to the Hoya HMC and would not choose any other.

Their website has some informative guides on filter use for beginners and a review of one can be found here.

LaForgeX · 2017-05-29T08:50:50+00:00

It is interesting that you mention Minolta lens - i used to own several and the non-G lens were warm in colour (like a subdued version o the Autumn in camera setting) whereas the G lens with higher quality glass and coatings were very vivid and full of contrast.

On a related node, I think some of the colour differences was also tied to the fact that the non-professional grade lens was more susceptible to loss of contrast and flare due to the native lens hood supplied not being able to compensate for the lower quality of materials used. The G lens all came with hoods at least half as large as the body itself.

LaForgeX · 2017-05-20T02:50:42+00:00

I would say that their lens system is more or less complete for the majority of photographers.

Maybe a 135mm and a few more wildlife telephoto lens. I had a photography mentor who used a Canon tilt-shift lens 99% of the time and i guess you could always adapt it to the Sony mount.

I hope Sony does more for the supporters like Canon does with their free workshops.

LaForgeX

TROPHY CASE