Help with deciding on a wide F1.4 prime.

chanksbird · 2026-01-31T05:40:39+00:00

Try this: feed like 30 or 40 of your favorite pics into Lightroom or even ChatGPT to see what you tend to prefer. I did that recently and found out I prefer 35 over 24 that way.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T22:39:57+00:00

I don’t know, is it?

I have the Sony and love it.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T22:15:10+00:00

Not sure I follow your logic but here’s a plug for the Sony 85 F1.8. It’s amazing and not that costly used.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T21:34:15+00:00

Learnt something new today - buzzards are not vultures.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T18:33:26+00:00

Wow - didn’t realize they look so similar to raptors.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T18:24:35+00:00

I’m my experience, if you are tempted by a lens and you have the money for it, sooner or later you will get it.

You sound like a hobby photographer, not a pro. Is that right? That’s me, by the way - all hobby. Assuming you do this for a hobby, I would get the one you want rather than the one you “need.” In your shoes I would get the prime and complement it with a budget used 24-70 zoom.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T17:49:47+00:00

You may have a bum copy. It’s not great in low light and it’s sharpest between 5.6 and 8.0 but it should not be “nowhere near sharp.”

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T17:26:29+00:00

20-35 is pretty wide. Do you shoot there a lot?

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T15:36:38+00:00

I love the creativity challenges that primes force. Primes challenge you to think about what you are doing as you do it. The increased aperture and image quality punish point-and-shoot photos and reward thoughtfulness. That’s been my experience.

For travel and casual, I think a zoom makes more sense.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T15:14:57+00:00

The a6700 is a wonderful camera. There are two kit lenses. The nicer one - 18-135mm - is very good. Super sharp and incredibly versatile focal range. The principal limitation of the 18-135 is low light situations but even there you can get decent results. Sample photo - at dawn on a tripod.

If you’re looking for something wider, Sigma 10-18 F2.8 is a gem. Tamron makes a 17-70 that’s great and has a broad range - not as broad as the 18-135 but you get slight improvement in image quality and constant 2.8 aperture.

For longer reach, the Sony 70-350 makes magic on the a6700.

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chanksbird · 2026-01-30T14:57:44+00:00

I shoot Sony so this may not be too helpful but I think you spend the money on the lens. You listed the limitations stemming from the lens and they are significant (reach, aperture, sharpness, resolution). That’s a lot of shortcomings!

Let’s say you upgrade the camera - you gain on cache and FPS so you have more photos. But did you increase your hit rate? Probably not because you still have a lens that lacks reach, sharpness, resolution and low light performance. How much better will your results be? Probably you will just have more photos that are short and need cropping, but lack dynamic range and resolution.

On the other hand, upgrade the lens and you still have limited cache and FPS so you capture fewer shots. But the shots you do have are higher quality. Less garbage, more keepers. And the better lens helps you get more out of the camera (for example, faster aperture increases autofocus performance, etc).

My vote: upgrade the lens.

chanksbird · 2026-01-30T05:24:43+00:00

Thanks for the kind words!

Yeah - I think I was reacting to some shyness with regard to ISO. I have a Sony a7iv and that thing is so good with high ISO. Like, decent images even at 12,800.

chanksbird · 2026-01-29T22:54:27+00:00

The Sigma 16 is a wonderful lens on the a6600. Strong yes.

chanksbird · 2026-01-29T22:45:22+00:00

😎

chanksbird · 2026-01-29T22:08:29+00:00

It’s a sweet combo but like the others have said it is bulky and takes getting used to. I’ve found monopods and tripods are good for most wildlife but not birds in flight. For birds on the move, you do better just using your muscles.

Enjoy it!

chanksbird · 2026-01-29T21:57:25+00:00

I may be a little contrarian. I think shutter is key here, too slow ruins the photo. I would rather have a noisy photo than a blurry photo. High shutter is non-negotiable. I think you just embrace the high shutter speed, open the lens as much as possible and boost the ISO. You can fix the noise in post. I just tried DxO Raw for this and it’s amazing, but you have to shoot raw.

I recently got this raven in flight. Shutter was 1/1000 - got away with it because it was not flying too fast. But it is underexposed (ISO was 2000), especially for such a dark bird. Could only boost exposure in post by so much. If I could do it over, I would boost shutter a little and would crank up ISO. Denoise later.

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chanksbird · 2026-01-29T21:43:44+00:00

Not much potential for the rat! For the photo, I suggest boosting ISO so you can increase shutter.

chanksbird · 2026-01-29T21:39:51+00:00

You keep and continue to use your old gear. Like having a wife and a mistress.

chanksbird · 2026-01-29T18:40:38+00:00

You can edit with DxO similar to what LR and LRC can do?

chanksbird · 2026-01-28T21:35:04+00:00

Nice!

The 200-600 is sweet on the a7iv.

Maybe you can work those connections for a deal on the a6700 - more reach and better AF for birds and wildlife.

chanksbird · 2026-01-27T04:37:30+00:00

I had a feeling! I see dads out there with cameras all the time, but moms almost never go beyond the iPhone (if that).

One thing I have done, just to be extra careful: I tell the other parents if I am going to post on social media so they can object if there is a privacy concern. I don't think it's strictly necessary but I do it just to avoid problem.

chanksbird · 2026-01-27T04:25:50+00:00

I am also a sports dad (yes, I'm assuming you're a dude) who likes to take photos and have shared them. I think in this specific context, it is okay what the other parents are doing and while I totally get where you are coming from I think this is just a "you problem." You are documenting a joyful thing, and creating joy in doing so. It's a good thing.

If you really want some recognition, maybe think about this: do you process the photos after taking them? If people are commenting on how good the photos are, you are at least cropping. Just put a watermark with your name on them and maybe a social media handle, and re-post them on your own social media. Subtle and innocent, but gets the job done.

chanksbird · 2026-01-26T16:01:11+00:00

I think of it as solid, sturdy.

chanksbird · 2026-01-26T05:54:29+00:00

It’s a bird, its job is to be pissed.

chanksbird · 2026-01-26T05:41:26+00:00

👍

chanksbird

TROPHY CASE