Photo sharing: Sony Alpha

[havoc315]

Ah so, depth of field = focus plane, is that right? There is focus assist on the 3N but it's sometimes tough to use with a moving subject.

I guess like most things in life, practice makes perfect. I'll keep at and try a wider range of aperture settings.

I won't hold the Eagles thing against you brother I didn't know that about the school also getting a Heisman though, nice trivia answer.

Agreed on the colors in that shot Havoc, really nice! I think I like it more now that I know it was done undercover.

Thanks. And taken from up in the balcony.

The focal plane is 2 dimensional. The depth of field is the amount of sharpness you get in front of, and behind, the focal plane. (Essentially appears to be in focus).

Because large sensor cameras have narrow depth of field, accurate focus becomes much more critical.

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

Shooting around Manhattan some more. Feedback is absolutely encouraged.

I really like your B&Ws. In particular, the ping pong. You have a block of white at the bottom with the table and block of black up top with the folliage, but you also captured the ball in the field of black. Worked out very well.

 

[Hockeyman]

Looks who is back After spending most of this week in St Louis on a business trip and then the prior weekend and half the week before that in Orlando having some fun. Now catching up on posting some photos of both adventures. Enjoy

Got hooked up with 3 nights here at AKL with one of my buddies who is a DVC member so that was super awesome and my first time staying there. Even though our trip was mostly surrounded by Universal it was still cool staying here

Animal Kingdom Lodge Lobby by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

Boma by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr



One night we did stay over at the new Cabana Bay Beach Resort on Universal property and loved it.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort (Explored 9-22-13 #304) by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

Cabana Bay (Explored 9-20-14 #423) by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr



You guys, I know most of you are pretty Disney loyal but I cant stress enough about checking out Universal and what they have been up to. Seeing this dragon upon entering Diagon gave me goose bumps and couldnt believe how massive it was. They whole new land is super impressive and on par to what Disney did at Disney Sea in Tokyo

Gringott's Vault Security System by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

Borgin and Burkes Skull by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


The real reason we were up in Orlando, haunt season . This trip was really for Halloween Horror Nights and sadly Friday night was pretty much a wash out but Saturday night gave me the opportunity to take my camera out of the bag and was in heaven. Didnt do any tripod shooting, which made me sad, but had to make up for Friday night and missing a lot of the event. Im not a horror fan at all and dont watch horror movies but this event is my favorite at any of the parks, love seeing the park transform into something different.

HHN 24 by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

The Purge (Explored 9-22-14 #452) by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

 

[fractal]

Mike,

Thanks for the great pics!

Most definitely going to spend a day or more at Universal/IOA on my next trip down to Orlando. The Cabana Bay is very enticing!

 

[Hockeyman]

Mike,

Thanks for the great pics!

Most definitely going to spend a day or more at Universal/IOA on my next trip down to Orlando. The Cabana Bay is very enticing!

Thanks Fractal

I wish I would have gotten a picture of the actual rooms to show how cool they are. We got a family suite that sleeps 6 for $109 a night. Compare that to a family suite at Disney and you are looking at least double the price. Well worth it on value alone.

 

[HPS3]

Nice shots Mike! I would love to go over to Universal next time we're out there.

 

[fractal]

Dinning on the Chesapeake Bay.

 

[Hockeyman]

Façade to the Halloween house at this years Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween (Explored 9-29-14 #171) by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr



One of the beach areas at the new Cabana Bay Beach resort at Universal

Cabana Bay Beach Resort by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

 

[Hockeyman]

Nice shots Mike! I would love to go over to Universal next time we're out there.

Thanks Harry.

You guys really should check out Universal and what they are doing at the parks these days. It really is impressive and the with the value you get so much more for your money versus what we pay at Disney. And the funny thing is Universal is nowhere near finished. They are working on a King Kong right now, the rumored waterpark is in the works as well as another resort hotel. Possible Kids Zone replacement and some other properties that have been floating around the rumor mill (Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, Fast and Furious, Star Trek among others) and also some possible expansion of Potter in both parks.

BTW, we got from AKL to Universal in 19 min so its not a far drive at all

 

[zackiedawg]

Very cool shots Mike, and definitely makes Universal look impressive. Good to see they're moving beyond just regular 'amusement' park style and turning it into a proper 'theme' park like Disney. As amazing as it all is, I can't really figure out why I have such a strong Disney bias, but I still just have no interest to go to Universal at all. In fact, I hope it becomes amazingly successful and maybe thins out the crowds at Disney slightly, so I can enjoy Disney the way it was in the 80s and early 90s, before it became so densely packed year-round! I think I just grew up too much with Disney in my blood, having been to the World parks since the first month it opened, and every year since...Universal could become the world's most amazingly themed and ride-packed park and admission could be a dollar a day, and I'd still be over at Disney...even if I was the only one.

 

[Hockeyman]

Very cool shots Mike, and definitely makes Universal look impressive. Good to see they're moving beyond just regular 'amusement' park style and turning it into a proper 'theme' park like Disney. As amazing as it all is, I can't really figure out why I have such a strong Disney bias, but I still just have no interest to go to Universal at all. In fact, I hope it becomes amazingly successful and maybe thins out the crowds at Disney slightly, so I can enjoy Disney the way it was in the 80s and early 90s, before it became so densely packed year-round! I think I just grew up too much with Disney in my blood, having been to the World parks since the first month it opened, and every year since...Universal could become the world's most amazingly themed and ride-packed park and admission could be a dollar a day, and I'd still be over at Disney...even if I was the only one.

That's understandable, I grew up with a bias towards Disney but as I've gotten older its developed into a love of theme parks and amusement parks in general. So in essence Disney was my gateway drug What I hope is, with the success of Universal, it creating a resurgence of sorts in the other areas parks to expand their offerings and better their current offerings.

 

[Hockeyman]

Bowman E. Wright by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

 

[havoc315]

Staring out at the Fort by Havoc315, on Flickr

 

[zackiedawg]

Looks familiar:

Love that fort...and love Old San Juan! Great city and great architecture.

Here's a high-ISO from pirates last week with my A6000 and SEL35mm F1.8 at ISO12,800 - somewhat on theme, what with El Morro and all:

 

[fractal]

Love that shot Havoc

zackiedawg - pretty impressive high ISO shot from the A6000. That is a JPG out of camera correct?

 

[zackiedawg]

Thanks Fractal. Normally, it would be a JPG - but this was a very rare case for me of a RAW - I mostly wanted to snap a few dark-ride RAWs just to try out the new free Sony-version of the Capture One RAW software and see how it did. It was just a few minutes of tampering with the RAW controls to get familiar with the software - so I couldn't say honestly if it could do a little better in the hands of someone much more familiar with Capture One's RAW converter. But it did have two advantages over the in-camera JPG - I could pull a little more shadow detail out as they weren't lost to the camera's NR, and of course I could better account for the white balance in those deeply red-lit scenes. I still use JPGs most of the time - but every once in a while, I'll play around with a RAW!

 

[fractal]

Thanks Fractal. Normally, it would be a JPG - but this was a very rare case for me of a RAW - I mostly wanted to snap a few dark-ride RAWs just to try out the new free Sony-version of the Capture One RAW software and see how it did. It was just a few minutes of tampering with the RAW controls to get familiar with the software - so I couldn't say honestly if it could do a little better in the hands of someone much more familiar with Capture One's RAW converter. But it did have two advantages over the in-camera JPG - I could pull a little more shadow detail out as they weren't lost to the camera's NR, and of course I could better account for the white balance in those deeply red-lit scenes. I still use JPGs most of the time - but every once in a while, I'll play around with a RAW!

I thought you were mostly a JPG shooter. The red lighting is always tough in Pirates. I also downloaded the Capture One and find it competitive with LR. I also have DXO's Optics Pro when I need superior NR. DXO is clumsy and the Prime NR takes forever but the results are usually worth it.


Today I was out playing with my latest toy. I sold my Sony SEL 35mm 1.8 and picked up a used Sony Zeiss 24mm 1.8 for a great price. I can honestly say I've never used a lens that is even close to this quality. I shot in RAW and barely had to make any adjustments to color, contrast or sharpness. It will produce some CA but is easily fixed. I think I'm in love.

I drove up to the "Pagoda" today to take these. It was not the best day for pics but at least I got even lighting from the overcast sky.

Built near the turn of the 20th century to be a luxury resort, the Pagoda was soon turned over to the City of Reading after going into foreclosure. Since then it has been a landmark and tourist attraction as it sits a top Mt. Penn overlooking the City.

 

[Hockeyman]

So the thought has been crossing my mind to sell my A99 and try out the A7. After using it 2 weeks ago in Orlando ive noticed a few things.

For starters its getting old carrying around the weight. Its not a deal breaker but can imagine carrying around something small like the A7 and being able to put it in my pocket if need be.

Second I wasn't at all impresses with the high ISO shooting at night. I was shooting hand held at HHN ISO 8,000 -12,800 and some came out looking like garbage. Next year I am def getting a flash and learning that sucker fast, would have helped me out a ton at HHN (Which for those who have never been is Universal's Halloween event and is pretty much in the dark) Maybe it was just me and not having the settings dialed down or something. I know I was trying to keep my shutter around 200 to avoid motion blur and was pretty much at f/1.4

I can easily sell my A99 to find the A7 so that's a washout. So I don't know. Ive got time now to think about and wouldn't do anything till after the new year

 

[zackiedawg]

That Pagoda looks like a very cool building to shoot - too bad it's not able to be restored to top condition again - what a small-volume hotel that would be with that view!

I haven't updated shots from my A580 here in a while, and figured I'd drop in a few more shots I've taken out in the real world with my new Tamron 150-600mm (instead of just a few snaps in the backyard!)...finally got a few chances to bring it out to the wetlands for some exercise - wonderful big lens it is!:

Yellow-crowned night heron:

Tricolor heron:

Ovenbird:

Red-shouldered hawk:

Red-bellied woodpecker:

Green heron:

Yellow-throated warbler:

Moss-covered turtle:

And one from Disney property last week - a rabbit on the Saratoga Springs grounds:

 

[havoc315]

So the thought has been crossing my mind to sell my A99 and try out the A7. After using it 2 weeks ago in Orlando ive noticed a few things.

For starters its getting old carrying around the weight. Its not a deal breaker but can imagine carrying around something small like the A7 and being able to put it in my pocket if need be.

Second I wasn't at all impresses with the high ISO shooting at night. I was shooting hand held at HHN ISO 8,000 -12,800 and some came out looking like garbage. Next year I am def getting a flash and learning that sucker fast, would have helped me out a ton at HHN (Which for those who have never been is Universal's Halloween event and is pretty much in the dark) Maybe it was just me and not having the settings dialed down or something. I know I was trying to keep my shutter around 200 to avoid motion blur and was pretty much at f/1.4

I can easily sell my A99 to find the A7 so that's a washout. So I don't know. Ive got time now to think about and wouldn't do anything till after the new year

I'm considering changing systems as well.
But remember, it's not a wash-out --- You need to either buy the adapter, and/or buy new lenses. The FE lenses tend to be more expensive than comparable lenses in other systems. If you use the adapter, you are losing stabilization.
And for the most part, the FE lenses are slower (F4 lenses).

The A7 is still on my list of options, but I'm actually more inclined towards the D750 --- I love the responsiveness of the autofocus, and it should be among the best low light cameras apart from the A7s. I'd bet it will be the best 24mp low light camera.
Problem is, switching to the D750 is costly. The re-sale value of A-mount stuff has gotten really low, as it is looking more and more like Sony is going to ultimately dump the a-mount, even if not official for a while.

My vast A-mount collection, might only be enough to finance a D750 and 1-2 lenses. If I went with the A7... Save $1,000 on the body.... but, access to a wider selection of more affordable glass with the Nikon.

A7 pros -- Smaller, EVF.
Nikon D750 pros -- more lens support, more faster lenses, far superior AF.