I have been using the Sony a77 for about 3 months and I a really impressed with the camera, it took a little getting used to the electronic view finder but now that I have I really like it. The image quality is very good and the shutter is very quiet. The 12 frames per second is amazing. You have to be pretty brutal when deciding what you are going to keep and what you are going to discard because at 24 megapixels the files are very large. I bought the camera to replace my a700 and have been happy with the upgrade. The a700 is now my backup.

I have been using the Sony a77 for about 3 months and I a really impressed with the camera, it took a little getting used to the electronic view finder but now that I have I really like it. The image quality is very good and the shutter is very quiet. The 12 frames per second is amazing. You have to be pretty brutal when deciding what you are going to keep and what you are going to discard because at 24 megapixels the files are very large. I bought the camera to replace my a700 and have been happy with the upgrade. The a700 is now my backup.

I just got a new system for cleaning my sensors from a company called Copperhill. They have a website at copperhillimages.com where I ordered. I learned of their product form the Moose Petersen website. A real slick system with very good instructions both written and video on the website.

I came across these two when I was out exploring a new marsh I found.

Young Western Tanager


Barred Owl


Barred Owl

I am a Sony user with an a77 and an a700 and use both the Tamron and Sigma 1.4 teleconverters. I find that by sticking with the same manufacturer of the lens and T.C. to work best with the best image quality. I have also found that teleconverters do not work well with zoom lenses mostly because they are too slow and you will lose your auto focus feature of the lens. My prime lenses do work well with the teleconverters but they do affect the image quality and the auto focus does slow considerably. I wouldn't recommend spending the money for your lens, I think you would be disappointed with the results.

I went for a walk at my favorite ocean side location an found a bit of variety.

I can't believe I ate the whole thing


Califorinia Quail in B.C.


Young Blacktail Buckl

I have been using a Feisol CT-3472 carbon fiber tripod and a Benro GH2 gimbal head for my Sony a77 with a vertical grip and a Sigma 500mm f4.5 lens and have been extremely happy with the combination.I also have the Tamron 200-500 and it works well with that combo as well. The tripod is very stable, light and has plenty of height. The Benro gimbal head is as far as I am concerned as good as the Wimberly and about half the price. I am retired on a pension so I look for the most cost effective but with quality deal that I can find and I think this combination meets all my requirements.

I have been using Tamron lenses and have been very happy with the performance. I have a 18-200, 28-200, 70-200 f2.8, 200-400 and a 200-500 and all are good build quality and fairly sharp. I also have a Sigma 500mm f4.5 and find it to be an excellent lens. The third party lenses may not be quite to the image quality of a Canon or a Nikon but they are close and are also a lot more cost effective. I wouldn't have any problem recommending either to someone that was considering purchasing a Tamron or Sigma.

I recently upgraded to a Sony a77 and have been very happy with the performance. I started with an a200 upgraded to an a700 and purchased the a77 when they were released in Canada. I find that the hi ISO performance is much better than the a700 and the auto focus is much better with my Sigma 500mm f4.5 lens. The a77 also has the ability to micro adjust that was previously only available on the full frame cameras. I would also recommend that if you decide on the a77 that you also get the vertical grip for the camera. It not only increases your battery capacity but gives the camera a pro feeling and feels much better in you hands. I have the grip on all my Sony cameras and I feel they complete the camera. I included a photo I took this week of a Virginia Rail in a low light situation. The image was taken with the Sigma 500mm lens.

I am new here so I thought I would post a few shots from my walk yesterday.

Western Tanager


Virginia Rail


Bald Eagle