Does a Real Pro Shoot Sony?

WestEndFoto

Here is an interesting perspective:

https://fstoppers.com/originals/why-i-cant-use-mirrorless-camera-professionally-151340

nukuEX2

FStoppers are the same morons who said iPhone 6's camera was better than the D750.

donaldejose

The answer is yes. Jason Lanier charges about $20,000 to shoot a wedding and he uses Sony. http://www.jasonlanier.com/blog/

paulr

donaldejose said:

The answer is yes. Jason Lanier charges about $20,000 to shoot a wedding and he uses Sony. Image what he could do with a Nikon camera and ;http://www.jasonlanier.com/blog/

Image what he could do with a Nikon camera and lenses then.

Pistnbroke

Having shot many Indian and Greek weddings I don't see anything special in what he is doing ,,,he is just "in fashion" with the indian community "look how rich we are says the family, the photographer cost $20,000" . He has the advantage of a young good looking groom . His dress sense is a disgrace just saying "if you are stupid enough to pay me $20,000 I will dress as I like and I aint going to carry a big heavy DSLR .

Rx4Photo

To answer your speculation @paulr Jason Lanier used to shoot Nikon before moving onto this so called "Sony Artisan" stance. I personally do not believe that his images are any better with the Sony. I do believe that what he absolutely loves about the Sony are the technological advances of the camera such as electronic viewfinder and such - seeing what the image will look like before you shoot it. That's one reason he's always so proud of his "straight out of the camera" photos.

I do enjoy his videos though because I just like BTS stuff. I almost paid $700 to join one of his photo seminars in Miami, Florida. Then came to my senses: I could pay a gorgeous model for 2 hrs of time, find a cool location, shoot how I know to shoot, and still spend less than half his cost.

Not to beat a dead horse, but Jason Lanier is a very creative photographer. He knows how to use light. That's what makes his stuff look so good.

autofocus

I'm thinking pros in certain genre may use Sony but how many amateurs will choose the brand. It seems more cost efficient to go with Nikon or Canon as an amateur. Lens selection and other accessories are in abundance for the major brands. Manufacturers like to sell bodies and lenses. How many folks are starting with Sony. If Sony really becomes a standout in the market maybe that will change but I don't see that happening soon.

Pistnbroke

by "straight out of the camera " do you mean he shoots JPEG ? If so I am starting to like him.
What he has got is
1/young well dressed people (not old or fat. Bet he don't book them )
2/ Commitment to work with him ( well we paid $20,000)
3/ Time to do it properly ( don't want to waste $20,000)
4/ Experience to know what to do ( SSDD so I want $20,000)
5/ light weight gear and plenty of assistants .
I did the first four at a wedding on new years eve but the grooms brother had had a terrible wedding photographer experience so my couple were on the ball to get it right .

PeachBlack

So I got to try a Sony 7RII with the controls set to eyeball focusing. Has anyone seen how amazing the eyeball focusing system is on that thing? It'll follow an eyeball rapidly through most of the frame. I shot about 50 photos at ƒ1.4 and the focus on all of them were spot on, and it was super easy to just focus on composing the outer edges of the photo without having to balance moving the focus point around and other problems that you have.

If you haven't seen this at work, go to youtube and search: Sony a7Rii Amazing Eyeball Focusing In Continuous Mode.

Nikon is on the clock. If by summer we've heard nothing about a mirrorless full frame with a large spread of focus points and a great AF, I am outta here.

WestEndFoto

That is pretty slick. Nikon better respond to that. But why do you think mirrorless is important?

PeachBlack

WestEndFoto said:

That is pretty slick. Nikon better respond to that. But why do you think mirrorless is important?

Because if you can only follow an eyeball around the very middle of the screen, it's pretty pointless.

WestEndFoto

OK, but what if you get full frame AF in a DSLR?

Rx4Photo

I played with one at Best Buy a few weeks ago. Not all Best Buy locations have the high end Sonys but this one had a full line display (salesman said Sony pays big bucks for this space). I actually liked it as well. Shot pictures of stuff around me and I don't think I missed focus on anything that I tried for.
It's coming whether we like it / want it or not. The tech is getting better and more refined and It's coming. Hope Nikon can find a way to do something like this. Three of my co-workers have now bought mirrorless camers within the last 6 months. Two of them bought Sony a6000 and a6300 respectively, and the third bought a Panasonic mirrorless. Hmmmm.....

PeachBlack

WestEndFoto said:

OK, but what if you get full frame AF in a DSLR?

We've been told many times that this isn't possible, for technical reasons (that I don't believe). I suppose it's possibly to have some kind of hybrid system with an electronic shutter. The D1 series, D70, D50, and D40 cameras all had an electronic shutter. I mean it's possible, but anything is possible. I want something by the summer.

Pistnbroke

Why would you miss focus? I use AF-s/ AF -c locked in the centre and if I take 1500 at a wedding there is not one out of focus ....I don't see any problem with the focus system even on a D3300....now noisy shutters and poor choice of lens that's a different problem. 810/7100

donaldejose

Pistnbroke: if your focus spot is outside the focus area of the D810 and you are shooting at f1.4 you will have to use the focus and recompose technique. At f1.4 the depth of field is too shallow to cover slight movements by the subject or photographer as you recompose. Admittedly, this is a rare shooting situation never encountered by most people. But it is something PeachBlack likes to do. Sony has a much larger focus coverage area and will automatically follow an eyeball all over the focus coverage area. I suspect most of us would like to have a larger focus coverage area and auto eye follow focus even though we shoot at f2.6, f4, f5.6 or even f8. It would be convenient both the photographer and model move around. It is probably a feature coming to some future Nikon product, maybe in a mirrorless full frame Nikon body. There are some videos of it in action on youtube. Look them up and then post here whether you would find any use for such a feature in your work.

WestEndFoto

This would be a huge factor. I am constantly trying to get an eyeball in the upper right or left of the focus area and not even necessarily wide open. It basically turns my FX camera into DX in this situation. That eyeball tracking thing is amazing and Nikon should launch that. Their latest focussing systems can track faces in sporting situation incredibly well so an eyeball should be a piece of cake.

Rx4Photo

You nailed the explanation Donaldejose. Focus and recompose is the issue. Often leads to deleted files.

manhattanboy

PeachBlack said:

So I got to try a Sony 7RII with the controls set to eyeball focusing. Has anyone seen how amazing the eyeball focusing system is on that thing?
[...]
Nikon is on the clock. If by summer we've heard nothing about a mirrorless full frame with a large spread of focus points and a great AF, I am outta here.

Not leaving again, are you?!
Why did you change your forum name from PitchBlack to PeachBlack? I'm liking the fruit theme though... perhaps your third name could be PlumBlack

On a serious note, how was the flash set up for the A7R2? Most of your pics are gorgeous in the use of light and flash, and while for me the A7R2's AF was too slow to shoot action, the impression I got using the camera was that it could be an almost perfect studio cam if Sony's lighting is on par with Canikon's.

Mackiesback

I am not shoveling dirt on Nikon just yet, although I imagine Sony has more financial clout and can do what they want, regardless of amortization. And shooting Nikon doesn't require Nikon lenses either, third parties are doing a wonderful fob of filling niches.

Snowleopard

If you don't shoot weddings in medium format digital.... go home... haha.