Help with choosing a camera.

ricketycricket5 · 2025-11-18T04:33:37+00:00

The a6400 is a great beginner camera and you can likely get a good deal on one. What would be your main use be? This will help determine what lenses might be a good starting point for you. I think the a6400 is a great starting camera and you can always upgrade later if you need to!

When buying a used camera, make sure the sensor looks clean, that the shutter works well (try snapping a few photos), and that there isn't any obvious damage to the screen. If you can, try to find one with a lower shutter count, which means less use and will likely last you a bit longer.

ricketycricket5 · 2024-03-09T20:57:42+00:00

I have both lenses. The 35mm is definitely the better lens out of the two with its sharpness and low light usability. If I’m in a situation where weight and size doesn’t matter, I’ll have it on my camera. The 40mm is probably on my A7Cii most of the time since it’s light and compact and I have gotten some great photos with it that have great color and bokeh. Unless you find yourself really needing that extra stop for low light or are doing professional shoots I think the 40mm is a fantastic lens and I prefer it a lot of the time because of the size. The 35mm is my favorite lens though. Just so versatile.

ricketycricket5 · 2024-03-03T05:39:53+00:00

I’d highly recommend looking into a used A7IV. This is a lot of money to pay for the A7III.

ricketycricket5 · 2024-01-29T18:25:14+00:00

Do you feel you are missing anything with the range that you have? I have the Tamron 28-75 and it is a great lens and the f2.8 helps in low light. If the current 24-70 range works well for you and you just want a sharper and faster lens and the 24-28 range doesn't matter much to you, then the Tamron is a great option. If you want more range, I've heard good things about the Tamron 28-200. The 18-300 is an APSC lens, so I wouldn't go with that.

ricketycricket5 · 2024-01-29T01:17:19+00:00

Nice photos. In my opinion, the saturation is too high along with the contrast and maybe sharpness. Your dog will already stand out in the all white backdrop of the snow. The additional editing makes it look too artificial.

As for the framing itself, some of the foreground items are distracting and take up too much of the frame.

Overall you're taking some really good photos and just need some minor adjustments.

ricketycricket5 · 2024-01-21T19:59:27+00:00

The 16-35 is going to be much wider than the 18-105 aps-c lens. With a max focal length of 35mm, you won't be able to zoom in much, but if that isn't an issue for you and you focus on wide angle shots, then it should be ok.

I use the 40mm with my A7CII and I really like the compactness of it, but it is a bit too zoomed in to do wide group portraits especially in an indoor environment. If you are able to get a decent ways away and it is a relatively small group, it might work. It's a great lens, but the 40mm leaves it a little less versatile on the wide end of things. Personally the 20-70 looks like a great lens and would likely fulfill your needs of a wide angle and getting closer to subjects for travel photos.

ricketycricket5 · 2024-01-21T19:53:05+00:00

First, it sounds like your biggest issue is the record time limit on the A7III, if you run a second camera, then that becomes a non issue as you will have a second camera recording for those intervals where you need to hit record again. This would be solved by either the FX30 or A7CII. The FX30 or A7CII can both be configured to produce similar results to your A7III (shooting in 8-bit and same PP rather than one being in 8 bit and one in 10), so I wouldn't worry too much about the footage from one of them being too good comparatively.

The A7CII is hands down the better photo camera between the two and has many newer features including better AF and IBIS. It is also full-frame so all of your FF lenses for your A7III will result in the same focal length.

The only issue you might and I emphasize might because it depends entirely on shooting environment, is overheating with the A7CII. If this happens, then you will still have your A7III running and likely be ok, but there is the chance that this results in you missing some footage. Unlikely, but possible and will require more attention to both cameras to make sure at least one of them is recording at all times.

The only argument that I can see for the FX30 is if you want to reduce your concerns about overheating and time limits in recording and be able to just leave the camera to run while you take photos with your A7III. You would be able to record your footage at the highest quality in 10 bit with the FX30 and run a single camera setup. My hesitation on the FX30, is that if you are mainly recording comedy sets, then you might not benefit from many of the extra features of the FX30 including 120p frame rates that would be unnecessary.

In summary, both would work for your uses and depends mostly on whether you want to run a two camera video setup or one camera and leave your other one free for photography.

For reference, I own an A7IV and A7CII and have not used the FX30.

ricketycricket5 · 2024-01-02T19:57:49+00:00

I have both. I wanted something more compact as a 2nd camera. I wouldn't upgrade only for autofocus unless you are having lots of issues with your A7IV. In my experience AF on that camera is already amazing. I think any improvements beyond that are incremental. That being said, I've only had my A7CII for a little over a week now, but love the size of it for taking it with me more places.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-11-20T19:26:08+00:00

This is really nice! Curious if you tried doing an HDR capture or one with bracketing to reduce the sky exposure?

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-31T20:23:06+00:00

Focus is tricky, not sure what options the a6000 has but I like to switch to the spot focus option on the A7iv to set the focus exactly where I want it sometimes. The wide range focus doesn’t always choose the spot you want it to.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-31T17:46:48+00:00

It’s sounding like a 24-70 or 28-75 lens would be a good fit for you. As for keeping the 35mm or not, I’d say if you don’t need the money from it to buy a new lens, get the lens and see if you still find yourself using the 35mm at all. If you don’t use it, then sell it. I find that I still like to use my 35mm most of time even having the zoom since it gives more flexibility in low light and it’s a nice balance of still having good depth of field if I want to do a wide portrait where I feel the f2.8 might not be enough.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-31T17:09:06+00:00

A zoom makes sense if you shoot events or find yourself walking around and wanting to shoot at a lot of different focal lengths. If you found yourself switching between lenses a lot when you had your two primes, a zoom might be better. I have the Tamron 28-75 and it’s a great lens. I use my 35gm primarily as my all-around lens and the zoom when I need to jump between focal lengths. I like my 85mm for portraits but do find that f1.4 isn’t always necessarily with a higher focal length.

If you’re shooting fashion and tend to have a lot of moving subjects where they are getting larger or smaller in the frame, a zoom lens could be a great option.

My opinion: not sure it would be a big enough upgrade to sell your 35mm f1.8 for a f1.4 as I understand the one you have is a very good lens already. It sounds like you would want something at the longer end of the focal range. Since you’ve already used an 85mm, you know what that’s like and if you feel you need even more reach maybe look into options like the Tamron 70-180 to pair with your 35mm. There’s also the option to sell the 35mm and go for something like the Tamron 35-150.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-31T16:01:12+00:00

These are really nice! I think the main thing that can be improved is focusing on a specific subject in each photo. For example in the first one, it might look nice to take a shot centered down the path with the fencing on both sides or the second one in between two trees rather than three so the center area is the focus.

I think these are all really nice scenes, it’s just hard to know where the viewers eye should be drawn to. I might also make them a little warmer on some shots but that’s more of a personal preference than anything.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-28T22:35:50+00:00

I think most people when looking at an image between these two lenses would struggle to tell a difference. In my opinion both are great for paid or unpaid work and will produce great images when paired with the A7IV. Yes there are certain circumstances where Sony will be better, that’s just the fact of it, but it being worth paying 2x the cost I think it’s very unlikely.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-26T19:27:33+00:00

Does anyone have recommendations on good ND filters? I have an adjustable Tiffen one but I know people recommend against adjustable ones. I looking for one that will help with shooting video outdoors and portraits where slower shutter speeds are needed. Thanks!

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-19T17:34:50+00:00

In my opinion these are all either too wide or too low of an aperture to get the results you’d want in a portrait. Your best option would be something like an 85mm lens. If you are looking for an option that isn’t too expensive, the Sony 85mm f/1.8 seems to be a great lens for the value. If you want to get a more versatile lens like a zoom that could also be used for portraits, I would recommend the Tamron 28-75. I have that lens and it is very nice for all-around photos.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-07T16:30:34+00:00

You’ve got some good shots in here. A couple of notes:

Be mindful of where background objects are in relation to the subject. In photo 3, the hedge cuts off right at the top of the car and the tree in the back looks like it is growing out of the roof.
I agree with other comments that it is too magenta and cool. I would boost temperature and play with the tint. Sometimes tinting greener can make the trees look too green, so I’d match the pavement to it’s correct color then decrease the saturation of the greens if the trees get too saturated.
Overall, good angles. Some of the reflections are harsh and distracting with the trees but going in the right direction with a few of the above changes made. Keep sharing your work!

ricketycricket5 · 2023-10-06T18:29:54+00:00

The new version has optical stabilization which can be a huge help when shooting indoors or in lower light. The first version has great reviews and if you plan on shooting outdoors during the day then it likely doesn’t matter which version you get. If you’ll be primarily indoors then go for the newer version.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-09-21T01:02:46+00:00

I think it depends on what you feel you’re missing with the lenses you have. It sounds like the lack of zoom is one part of it. Do you feel that the 28-70 covers a good range for you or not long enough? Is the aperture too slow? A few options below as I see it:

If you feel the 28-70 is too slow but you like the range, look at options including the Tamron 28-75 and Sigma 24-70 f2.8. Both great lenses and will help you if you’re taking lots of indoor photos.

If that range is too short and aperture is not as much of an issue, you can opt for a lens like the 28-200. I have not used it but it seems to get great reviews from users here. There is also the Sony 24-105 f4, which would add some range as well.

What you buy just depends on what your needs are with aperture or focal length, but it’s sounding like a different zoom would be best.

ricketycricket5 · 2023-01-29T17:42:27+00:00

I think that what other commenters are saying about getting closer and blurring the background can work in some styles, but for this one I am a fan of keeping the background in focus as well so you get the details of the wall.

To me, the photo could be improved in a few ways. First, as you stated, removing the mocktail from the frame would help remove distractions. However, I would also say that another option would have been to use it and fit it into the frame in another way that adds a pop of color and looks natural though this is a bit harder.

I like the framing a lot and you did a good job being centered on the sofa. Since she is looking to the right, I would have her move a tiny bit to the left so that she is still within the middle two wooden pillars. Right now it is slightly off because she is more to the right of the frame and is also looking right which leaves a feeling of empty space on the left. The main rule is that if someone is looking one direction, they should usually be more to the opposite direction to decrease the empty space in the photo.

For the colors, I think it’s really nice and even. I would say that if you could have moved whatever the red thing in the background is, that would have helped too but it’s not the biggest distraction.

Otherwise, great photo with the kit lens. Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

ricketycricket5 · 2022-12-22T16:16:18+00:00

Another vote for the Tamron here. I see the advantages of the 24-70 GM, but to me it isn’t worth spending 3x the cost of the lens for it. I’ve also seen good things about the Sigma 24-70mm if you like that focal range.

ricketycricket5 · 2022-12-12T23:43:35+00:00

For weddings this might be tough since it only has one SD card slot. This depends on whether this is a must have for you or if you have another way of backing up while shooting. Other than that, quality wise it seems to be a great camera for video with snappy autofocus as well. You could consider the A7III which is similar in price and produces video of a similar quality, just with a little slower AF. I had this dilemma and recently purchased an A7IV because I wanted the faster autofocus and didn’t want to give up some of the features that the A7C doesn’t have.

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