Peteso Loc: Blacks Hills

I am going to take a contrary view, particularly since you only “kinda” decided on Sony. I shoot the Sony A7RIV, and it’s a great camera…BUT I shoot the Olympus EM-1 Mark III & EM1X for all of my sports photography and some of my wildlife photography. The Oly Pro Capture feature is invaluable for catching the critical moment. I don’t want to make this a very long post, so you can easily research the Olympus Pro Capture feature. Also, for wildlife photography, particularly when you need to walk a lot, the weight savings are significant.

gwilliams6

Save you the searching, here is the explanation:
https://www.espenhelland.com/wildlife-photography-blog/pro-capture-settings-for-birds-in-flight#:~:text=Pro%20Capture%20works%20by%20continuously,keep%20holding%20the%20shutter%20down.

If weight is your issue then get the compact yet fullframe Sony A7C, and get the benefits of fullframe, which include greater resolution and detail (great for cropping), and better noise handling, which is very important in sports and wildlife shooting. The fullframe 24mp Sony A7C has APS-C mode and Clear Image Zoom for added magnification.

Also with APS-C or fullframe, you can achieve a shallower depth of field than with micro 4/3rds when you wish to isolate your subjects. Just physics.

Not saying you should spend for a Sony A1, but here is what you can do with that 50mp fullframe sensor's great resolution and detail, especially if you need to crop. Likewise any APS-C or fullframe sensor camera will give you an edge in keeping the most detail and resolution when cropping vs a micro 4/3rds sensor camera. Just physics.

Here a Great White Egret bends its neck to clean its feathers on the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Sony A1, Sony 200-600mm lens, 591mm, ISO 1600, f6.3, 1/2000 sec. First the full frame then a tight crop from the same shot

Then a shot of a Wild Iguana on Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Sony A1, Sony 200-600mm lens, 493mm, ISO 320, f8, 1/1250 sec.

You can capture fine wildlife and sports shots with a micro 4/3rds camera like Olympus, but you will never get the same ultimate resolution and detail (especially in a tight crop) as you can with a higher megapixel fullframe sensor. Just physics.

Cheers and best to you.

(Download)


(Download)


(Download)

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

The two posts by gwilliams6 sum it up.

gwilliams6

Thanks, just trying to help and share my Sony experiences, Cheers

In-lightened Loc: Kansas City

Hands down, A1. Moved from Nikon to Sony. The A7R4 is my backup. It does not have bird eye AF but does have animal. Just doesnt hold a candle to A1 for action. I use it for landscape mostly and wish I had funds for a second A1.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Good luck in your decision. Be aware with the A1 that you need to have the camera setup properly go maximize the frames per second. There are reviews on YouTube that can give you those settings. Otherwise the default is 20. Just a little info for your research. I made the switch several years ago when the A9 came out and now shoot mainly with the A1, for action, and the A7Riv for stills. I have no desire to consider anything else. Plus, the G Master series of lenses are top notch, but expensive. But, the 200-600 is an absolute steel for what you are getting. Good luck and let us know what you decide!

gwilliams6

Yes the A1 is tops for action. Here a small Parrot in flight on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Sony A1, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens, 105mm, ISO 1600, f4, 1/2000 sec.. Bird Eye-AF used here. The 33mp Sony A7IV and 24mp A7C also have Bird Eye-AF.

Cheers and best to you.

(Download)

gwilliams6

I also loved my 24mp A9, that and the 24mp A9II are still good options here for you for action shooting with their fast reading stacked bsi sensors, if you dont wish to spend for the A1. You can even find a great deal on a used A9 or A9II and save some more money if you choose.

Remember you dont have to spend for Sony GM lenses. Sony and third-party makers have excellent quality E-mount lenses for less cost than top-of-the-line GM lenses. I own excellent E-mount lenses from Sony (GM and G), Sigma Art and Tamron.

https://sonyalpha.blog/2019/11/10/which-lenses-to-maximise-the-potential-of-the-sony-a7riv/


Here another A9 shot: A local swimmer dives off a pier into the Caribbean Sea in town of Grand Case on the island of St. Martin. . Sony A9 camera, Sony 24-105mm lens, 24mm, ISO 400, f5.6, 1/2000 sec. This is frame number two from a short 20fps burst.

Cheers and best to you.

(Download)

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Do they make the long lenses you require in mirrorless?

gwilliams6

Absolutely, Sony and many third-party makers make excellent mirrorless long lenses and mirrorless long zoom lenses in E-mount. lots of excellent choices in all price ranges.

https://sonyalpha.blog/2019/11/10/which-lenses-to-maximise-the-potential-of-the-sony-a7riv/

Cheers and best to you.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I really see no advantage to shooting a FF camera in crop mode unless you’re shooting smaller JPEG’s for a quick turnaround. Even with an APS-C lens I’d rather shoot FF and crop in post.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

I do that too with my Nikon Z9 and drop from 45mp to 20mp But it’s just as easy to crop in post process!

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

In my case the client wants unprocessed jpegs. I'm glad your camera can do that!

r1ch Loc: Colorado

Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon? No but may I recommend A1

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

One of the advantages of using the Sony system is the availability of a large range of third-party lenses. Some of them are outstanding. Sigma and Tamron make long zooms (400mm or longer) that are very good and that are very useful for sports. The image quality of the native Sony lenses (100-400 GM and 200-600mm G) may be a shade better, but they are also twice the money. I own the Sony 100-400mm GM for wildlife and landscape photography, but I think I would have gotten a Sigma or Tamron lens for sports.

gwilliams6 also pointed to the Clear Image Zoom, a great feature in Sony mirrorless cameras. I have used CIZ successfully in many contexts, most notably wildlife in Kenya. I managed to extend my 100-400 GM de facto to 800mm and got amazing wildlife shots.