. . . in no particular order . . . Ok, so I get why the sensor in the a7rV is popular enough to be used by at least two other camera makers. It is fantastic, as long as you don’t pixel-peep. But if you do, there’s no such thing as a totally clean image,…

Anyone who’s followed my stream of consciousness here over the years knows I won’t pay Japan and German manufacturers’ prices for their gear that’s made in China. But what about gear made by China companies? Well, until recently most of the stuff I sampled was surprisingly well-made and surprisingly cheap with unsurprisingly unremarkable performance, a…

Much as I like the compact size of the a7x bodies, the tiny EVF was a niggle I always wished could have been done bigger. So when one of the more reliable rumor sites speculated on no sensor change for the upcoming a7V, G.A.S. started working my brain overtime. This was compounded by a comparison…

No sooner do I say something nice about a piece of gear than I’m made to eat my words. Most of my shooting during the past six weeks has been in bright light, where even a dog turd could look good in a photo. Often I had to stop down to f/8 to get the…

Whenever a company like Sony comes out with a statement to the effect that AF subject ID is “improved by 40%” in a new model, I wonder how on earth they quantify such a thing. Sure, stabilization can be fairly objectively measured by shutter speed. But subject identification? Really? The a7cII, over a substantial period…

Before setting off on my current travels, I had three criteria for my gear selection: critter glass that prioritized quality over reach; lighter weight than my previous journey; and a bag that met size requirements for all my planned conveyances and venues. Sony made it easy to satisfy the first part. The second was accomplished…

Funny how some of us eagerly wait for a new model of a favorite camera, only to find the updated features to be less than what we’d hoped for. Adding an a7c to the arsenal a few months back cured me of that condition. Sony boasted about its “simplified” menu arrangement when the a7IV came…

Faced with the likelihood of finding critter friends much more confiding than in most other places, I opted to split my reach and increase my speed with a 70-200mm f2.8 GM II and 2X teleconverter shortly before I departed for this leg of the journey. Out for a last-minute accessory just before I left the…

With weight and gear compatibility being factors of importance in the immediate future, the SL2 got unceremoniously dumped after all. In its place is the predecessor of my current favorite a7cII, an a7c. It’ll allow me to move about comfortably with more time spent shooting and less time changing lenses. Just as weight didn’t bother…

Some time back, probably six months ago, I speculated that one of the a7cX series cameras might make a good companion for one of the SL series cameras. In between then and now, I reasoned my way through all sorts of scenarios. One of those was ending up with FF and APS-C bodies, which I…