And now for more Sony Alpha 700 talk after 6 not-super-geeky entries!
Five frames per second, combined into one frame. There is no way a multiple exposure can create this scene, by the way; the bird is darker than the sky.
Then there’s the ultimate companion to the A700, the great Sony Carl Zeiss 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 DT lens. It recently got an review in a local magazine which gave it a medium rating.
First off, I’ve never quite felt that local photography magazines were that credible anyway.
Second, the review claims that the lens has average contrast and poor image quality.
I don’t know about their review unit, but I disagree with their comment. Fazri shot KJ and I with the Carl Zeiss on my Sony A700, set at Vivid mode, 50mm F4.5 1/160s ISO1600. If I went to Standard color I’d still get an equivalently, insanely, crispy image. It would not have the same Velvia-esque punch, but it would still have oodles of detail.
KJ, you aren’t the handsomest bastard around, but I cannot help but stare at this cropped and resized picture of you. Note that this is shot wide open. Note that in addition to the moustache stubble, you can also see the texture of the skin under the moustache! Also note the area between the nose and KJ’s right eye.
The area between KJ’s nose and his left eye is slightly out of focus, but still appears well-defined, due to how Carl Zeiss lenses are designed; areas near the focus point don’t blur out as quickly as any other lens with the same focal length and aperture.
Ah heck.
Click here for a 100% crop, unedited, with EXIF data for all to see.
There, you also get to see what ISO1600 on the A700 looks like. I can’t even imagine what it would look like if the ISO was set lower!
BABI! HAHAHA u suckerer.. MY BLACK HEADS REVEALED! hahaha ARGH! summore i didnt shave on that day! arghhh!
This is madness..
for tonight we die in hell.. ai whooo..
They should employ you to be their reviewer or unit tester. 😀
Why yes, they should! 😀
LOL! i know i know! DigiCam mag says so. aww. but pricey for the non-usm / non-manualoveried feature the lens is.
Nice birdy shot mate!
Wow. Haha.
And BTW, can you please guide me how to subscribe to your RSS? Thanks.
macdude: Thanks!
KJ: It gives you less of an excuse to act like a monkey. 😀
SilverIsle: I do not have RSS yet; I’ll announce it when it’s done.
Canon Freak: Note that Sony takes to putting the technology in the body. They seem to have a difficulty rolling out new lenses. The review seems to be done with an A100, hence the apparent underexposure in the shots.
The A700’s AF switch can be set to MF, and the AF/MF button set on Toggle to activate AF. This way it IS Full-Time Manual Focusing. The only drawback is that half-pressing won’t AF, and you’d have to press the AF/MF button to AF.
Alternatively, the default way to get into Full-Time is to hold down the AF/MF button. This unlocks the lens.
Yes, it works with all screw-mount lenses. If you’ve got a non-FTM or non-SWM lens you can’t do this! Pentax DA lenses have it better; they’re all Quick-Shift (that’s what they call it) and they also work with screw focusing.
Of course, given the direction Sony is going, I don’t see why they can’t implement the Full-Time clutch mechanism IN the body focus motor.
USM is not everything either, and the A700 makes up for it with a very zippy motor. On Canon, if you have a cheapo motor on the lens, you’ll get slow focusing, like the Canon 50mm F1.8 MkII on a Canon 1D MkII. Heck, the Nikkor AF-D 50mm F1.8 felt just as fast.
Anyway, a buyer would be paying for Carl Zeiss quality. Carl Zeiss does make lenses for F-mount and K-mount among others, but they are all MANUAL FOCUS. How’s that for Full-Time Manual Focus huh?!? 😀
Also bear in mind that the Canon 17-85mm F4-5.6 IS USM is certainly not L glass; while I’ve tried it and it’s decent, it certainly does not have the bite of an L.
Kudos for the Sony A700 and AF Carl Zeiss lens. Great details and sharpness..Hey Albert, "IT’S A SONY – LIKE NO OTHER" maaa
cyberdroxxx: Yeah man! I forgot to reinforce that the stubble shot was at ISO1600. Amazing!