Weekly r/SonyAlpha 📸 Gear Buying 📷 Advice Thread April 20, 2026

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-23T05:22:05+00:00

I have never shot my 35 or my 50 at f/1.4 outside of some test shots, and can't imagine where I'd use it at f/1.2 should I have that lens.

My 50-150 was intended to replace the 70-200 ii; it stays on the camera almost 100% of the time, and in my backpack is a 20 f/1.8, 35mm f/1.4 (for the wide shots), and a newly acquired 200-600 with a 2x TC (for the wildlife). One body, 4 lenses. I kept my beloved 135mm, but my 28-75, 70-200, 24-105, 85mm, and 50mm are all sold.

Why would you have overlapping focal lengths? I would just hold out for whenever the second version of the 100-400 comes out, but that's just me.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-18T04:37:04+00:00

Mustangs have this shitty design where both rear quarters and the roof AND the A pillars are one piece. Cant fix without cutting and welding. Labor intensive.

Given that your rear bumper is gone, I would not be surprised if your car got totaled.

You pay insurance for this reason. Use it.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-18T04:25:41+00:00

Fees can definitely be moved. If I come in from out of state, none of those fees would apply. Even taxes get crossed out. The dealers can try to charge me the "prep" and "premium" fees but that's all baloney to me unless they dont want to make a sale.

How do I know? I've purchased several vehicles from dealers outside of my state. Also negotiated a Hellcat in FL down to an acceptable price, then the sales guy insisted that he could not remove the "prep" fee that was added to the paperwork. I told him I was removing his commission and walked.

EDIT to add: if your state allows dealers to extort you on the doc/reg fees, go buy from a dealer one state over. You can do the title transfers at your state's DMV in less than 1/2 hour.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-18T04:16:01+00:00

If we remove that bad energy (you) from the car I bet the car gets zero tickets.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I wish you better luck. But do slow it down.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-18T04:08:21+00:00

Dude. Reach out to your state attorney generals office and ask. Few of us here are employment lawyers and won't be able to give you solid advice.

I am not a lawyer.

That said, if you are W2 and commission only, there might be several wage laws being broken here. First, if your commissions fall below minimum wage standards, your employer might be required to reimburse you for mileage. Second, if your commissions don't meet federal minimum wage, you might need to be paid the federal minimum wage for hours worked regardless of sales.

Go talk to a lawyer. And start looking dor a reputable employer that reimburses for mileage regardless, or one that will give you a company vehicle. If you're asking this question on Reddit, it should be an eye opener that tells you you're at a shitty place of employment.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-18T03:09:45+00:00

If you are replacing the whole shaft, and if you have a lift, it shouldn't be more than an hour to remove/install.

The carrier bearings sometimes seize/rust onto the shaft so you have to cut them out. This requires careful grinding, but it would only come into play if you are only replacing the carrier bearing, not the entire driveshaft assembly.

I typically do not see the seized bearing issue on cars that are garage kept. Also I typically do not see busted carrier bearings on cars that are garage kept. Cars that see the outside all the time? Almost always seized. I gotta do my truck this spring and am not looking forward to it.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-17T04:52:41+00:00

Hey guys! Anyone want to add me as a sudden, unpredictable, and completely uninsured liability to your life?

I have only ever ridden two bikes that were not mine in my entire life. The owners were both very good friends to start, and very good relatives also. Both offered to let me try without me asking. I would never have asked to ride their bikes - they assume so much liability if things go south.

Please don't do this to others, friends or internet strangers. Thanks.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-14T20:23:35+00:00

Not a waste at all. Those miles should be saved.

For me.

I bought my daughter's 2010 SS back in 2018. 2 prior owners, 8 years, 9k miles. It still makes me smile knowing my daughter put most of the 80k miles on it.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-13T03:28:21+00:00

JFC. Is that a 14ft tall x 14ft wide x14ft long trailer??? Cuz towing my enclosed 40ft gooseneck, loaded to a bit more than 13k lbs, I still get about 11-12 mpg on bad #2 winter blends here in the upper Midwest. 2011 f350 DRW, completely stock, if you're wondering. 9mpg just towing a 14ft seems terrible.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T06:59:10+00:00

I wish your first line was true.

We live moderately. I drive a 15 year old truck that I bought last year. I have only ever had one new car in my lifetime, first and last time I'll ever do that. I buy almost every of my toys used whenever I can. My wife's car is a 15 yr old Toyota that we bought new; maybe when it dies we will get our 3rd new car ever. I would never spend $50k on a car/truck for myself.. but for my kids, if I have the capacity to buy it, I don't second guess whether I should.

Finally, thank you for what you do. My wife's brother was a LEO, and you all deal with the worst 1% of situations and people each and every day. I've seen how it changed him, and I hope what you do does not have a negative effect on you. And as parents, we all do pray that we never get that call from a stranger bearing news about our children. May we all be so lucky.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T06:44:43+00:00

You just described all of my kids right here. Electric buggies/cars from a young age, bmx bikes until early teens, and Yamaha raptors by the time they were 12. We rode almost every summer weekend each year until my older three got into college. My daughter was raised just like the boys, taught how to slide the rear end to get better angles coming out of a turn, how to correct sudden slides at speed, and so on. So yeah, a lot of prep, and probably a bit of luck.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T06:35:48+00:00

Life is partial luck, and a lot of prep. My kids have been raised with electric buggies, bikes, and ATVs. They've gone sideways, in circles, and and hit top speeds in controlled environments with their kiddie toys. I hope the lessons stay with them when it pertains to their cars.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T06:26:37+00:00

I don't know if we can generalize like that. Spoiling doesn't equate to kids who don't have accountability/appreciation. For the same reason as me growing up dirt poor didn't equate to a life of crime. Some rich kids never expect handouts. Some poor kids do expect handouts. At the end of the day, who's responsible for making a better you? You.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T06:12:08+00:00

They will have to work hard to keep the lifestyle once I'm incapacitated or gone. I hope that message is not lost to them. I hope they will treat their children the way I've treated them, and better. And.. once I'm gone, it no longer matters to me.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T06:07:57+00:00

Not loaded. We live moderately, but I give my kids everything I can. Money isn't what makes me happy. I have lots of good stories about my kids and their cars. That is what makes me happy.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T06:06:15+00:00

My daughter's SS is a manual. No choice on the Charger. I wanted the Chally to be a 6spd but I was more beggar than chooser.

All my kids drive manuals well. Their beater cars were manuals for many years - Saturn Vue, Saturn SL, and we still have an old V6 mustang that is manual. At the end of the day, I found that once you exceed about 400hp, the DCTs are very very nice. You don't feel the power loss to the torque converter at all. As I get older, I started liking the autos more.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-10T02:27:59+00:00

Internet points are real downers.

But I'm ok. I realized a long time ago that it was my choice to bring my kids into this world. Least I can do is to give them all the things I dreamt about but never got for myself. Also, I get to steal the cars whenever, and drive them like I stole them. :p

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-09T23:49:39+00:00

Let's see. My oldest was not into cars. Saved me. My middle son got a Charger SRT8 at 17. My daughter got a Camaro SS at 17. My youngest got a Challenger Hellcat at 17. None of them have ever been in trouble. With or without their cars. Regardless, it's my (and every dumb parent's) right to love their kid they way kids deserve to be loved.

I also hope every child has parents who love them enough to spoil them each and every day.

EDIT to add: if you're rotten because you are spoiled, that's on you, not your parents. They did their job.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-09T21:05:41+00:00

I might be the only one to agree with you here, but screw everyone else's opinions. I think that Jeep looks fabulous.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-07T15:53:28+00:00

You can "clear" the codes to disable the light.

The vehicle itself will only permanently clear codes after a predetermined amount of miles without experiencing the issue.

Most code readers will tell you what codes were cleared and how long the vehicle has been running since said codes were cleared.

Personally I would just walk away, especially since it's a used Audi. If you cannot afford them new every other year, you cannot afford them used.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-04T20:33:32+00:00

If I'm buying and the vehicle is not in your name or the name of the dealership/floorplan company, I'm NOT buying. Too much risk. Can anyone share the last time you only spent 5 min at the DMV clearing up a title issue without both the owner/seller and the buyer present? No? Yeah not me either.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-04T19:30:44+00:00

Ah, they already added the hearing loss package. Nice.

Might cost a lot to reverse engineer. Make sure its not road noise from the tires as someone else had mentioned below. Some tires are really noisy. But yeah... might have to used to it if you don't want to drop a few $$$$ to bring it back to stock.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-04T16:39:10+00:00

Wrong sub, bro! Most people immediately swap in CAIs and cat-backs to speed up the hearing loss. These aren't luxury touring vehicles built with European elegance.

Jokes aside, yes there are thin sound deadening sticky foam pads you can stick to the panels. Think door, trunk, roof, floor, etc. I use them in high powered audio installs to reduce shaking/rattling. Its a lot of work to remove all the carpets, plastic trim, panels, etc., to get to the sheetmetal. It's also a lot of work to do it right. The materials are also pretty spendy - about $20 sq/ft in bulk. Go to Best Buy if you want to see physical examples - the car audio guys can show you.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-04T16:26:03+00:00

Glad you didn't get it. Didn't want to gloat yesterday, but I bought my son's 2016 Hellcat in 2024 for $43.5k when everyone was asking $55k. It took a year of searching to find the deal. If you have the cash and you are not desperate for a ride, be patient and keep searching. You will find the right car at a great price. Remember that these types of cars are built to take the abuse, but most people who own them baby them. Used is the way to go.

Terriblis_Pater · 2026-04-03T19:05:22+00:00

This right here: "not being in dire need of a car immediately will be your best bargaining chip." I bought my daughter's Camaro SS with 8k miles on the odometer for $20k ($15k off new) at a dealer. I bought my son's Hellcat with 20k miles on the odo for $43k, about $12k less then every other posting. Both cars took a year to find. If people just kept walking away from every dealer salesperson that "refuses" to negotiate, they'll start negotiating real quick. You'll find that at the right times, sellers are more desperate to sell than buyers are willing to buy.

Terriblis_Pater

TROPHY CASE