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Switching to Sony

September 7, 2018 by Jason Savage 2 Comments

Sony Alpha

My Switch to Sony

This last year has been a very interesting one to say the least and I’ve felt somewhat like a fish out of water for the better part of it when it comes to my camera system.

For some reason or another late last year I got a wild hair to go all in on Mirrorless and sold off every single bit of my Canon gear just like that. Completely nuts, I know! (I had been primarily shooting Canon since I started photography nearly 20 years ago).

I decided to jump into Fujifilm’s medium format system while also supplementing it with their X system for longer lens stuff. First off I’ll say that Fujifilm’s cameras are extremely fun to shoot and their lenses are superb in every respect. Their 50s medium format system is wonderful with incredible image quality, but certainly designed for a more specific type of photographer. Their X system is also great and well rounded for APS-C shooters, a good fit for photographers wanting to lighten their load. 

With that said, I really wanted to make Fujifilm work for me, but in the end my own particular shooting style along with their lens limitations of the medium format system and a few other issues with their X system (which I’ll touch on in a later post) had me back at square one. 

For my own shooting style I really needed a full frame sensor along with a mature lineup of zoom lenses and was determined to stay with a mirrorless system. After doing some more dipping of toes in the water I decided to take the plunge with Sony and to see what all the fuss was about.

I picked up an A7rIII and an A9 with their entire lineup of G Master lenses as well as their excellent 12-24mm f4 G lens. I also added their wireless flash system and transmitter. 

I received my full kit just in time for my upcoming workshop in Glacier National Park and what better place to test out a new camera system! I was able to spend time in the field evaluating the system with both landscapes and wildlife, really putting it through its paces. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel and shoot with it the last couple months so I feel pretty confident by now to make an overall assessment. 

Here’s my take: Sony has developed a superb mirrorless system that rivals and exceeds anything I have shot with in DSLR’s and other mirrorless cameras. Their quality of design and performance deliver.

So what’s it like to shoot? Here are a few of my thoughts on “real world use” of what I like, what can be improved and everything else.  

Sony Cameras

Right away I was impressed with the attention to detail and overall build quality on their bodies. 

The bodies are high-rigidity magnesium alloy, have fairly thorough weather sealing (I’ll touch on this in a bit) and have a button layout that works. The resolution on their viewfinders is as high as anything out there and looks great. I also like the tilt screen and quality of the back LCDs. So overall layout, viewfinder and aesthetics work well for me. The bodies are compact and much less in size to a DSLR.

Battery life seems to be good and not too different then what I was used to with DSLRs. Although I will note that when shooting wildlife and constantly using the EVF for extended periods of time it can wear things down compared to DSLRs, nothing too bad but worth noting. An obvious issue with all mirrorless cameras.

The camera feels very comfortable in my hand. However, without an L plate on the camera or bottom plate for that matter, I can see what some folks are saying about the ergonomics being a bit small for some people’s hands and how the pinky finger has nowhere to go when gripping the camera. I would agree with this, but I don’t see it as being terrible or completely uncomfortable. For me this issue doesn’t matter as I have Really Right Stuff L Plates on both bodies and with an L plate it’s a perfect fit giving a spot for all your fingers to rest. Also if you’re using a battery grip, it’s a non issue.

I imagine Sony will address this with future releases as it’s a topic brought up frequently in photography forums. 

The cameras menu system is another area of contention, with photographers claiming that it’s confusing, unorganized and hard to navigate. 

I would say I agree with those sentiments for the most part. They could have done better and the way it’s currently laid out makes navigating to certain areas hard to remember. For instance every time I go to format a card I have trouble remembering exactly where to go and there are a few other much used options that take a little bit each time to find. This isn’t a deal breaker for me, but I do hope they improve upon this. 

The last negative I have with both the a7rIII and the a9 is the weather sealing. Both bodies are very well sealed on the top, sides, back, everywhere except the bottom. The battery door and bottom of the camera are not sealed at all. Why they did this I do not know. There are many photographers who have not bought into the Sony system on this one oversight and it kills me that a company designing a camera for professional photographers would make the decision to leave out a tiny little rubber seal. It’s certainly cost Sony some customers. 

Now this isn’t exactly a huge deal for most, but in today’s climate in the photo world, every little thing counts as competition has become rather fierce and photographers are ever more so demanding. 

But in real world use you are very unlikely to have a problem unless you’re setting your camera down in a puddle or really getting dumped on without a camera cover. This is probably the only thing that really bothers me on these cameras, but I’m willing to roll with it as I love everything else about their systems.  We’ll see how they fair, so far so good though. I’ve had a few trips in the rain and some days shooting waterfalls in the mist and everything has worked just fine. Be sure to check out Roger Cicala’s teardown on Lens Rentals to get the whole lowdown.

Sony Lenses

Impressive! That was my first thought when I was testing out their new glass. Great build quality and design. All of their G Master lenses feel solid and are tack sharp. Zoom and focal rings turn smoothly and have a feeling of quality. In addition all of the G Master lenses are fully weather sealed. The optics are really outstanding and coming from Canon I was surprised to see most of their G Master lenses producing better results then Canon’s equivalents. If you visit DXOMark you can view lens tests revealing some interesting comparisons with Sony. Most are out-resolving Canon and Nikon by just a hair. 

I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Sony’s lenses, I think they’re some of the best out there and image quality is tack sharp. I really really like these lenses (I have my eye on you 400mm 2.8!)

Sony Alpha Gear

Shooting Experience

The first thing I noticed when I sat down to Lightroom was the dynamic range and proprietary color of Sony’s sensor. The dynamic range on the a7RIII is amazing and I find a lot more shooting situations where I’m only taking one exposure rather than two to blend or foregoing a graduating filter altogether. Very impressive indeed! The colors are also very good, although I will say out of all the camera systems I’ve used, I still think Canon has a leg up in this department, not that the Sony colors are inferior they just take a little more working in post processing to get me where I need to be. But I will say I am completely satisfied with the results and feel I’m getting better results at the end of the day. 

The other thing that I noticed right away with both cameras is their autofocus system. I don’t think I’ve every used anything quite like these. Even the 1DX’s I shot with don’t seem to match what Sony has done in some areas. The focusing for one never seems to miss. I’ve been photographing wildlife in difficult and very busy situations and the autofocus seems to work through and stays amazingly on point. 

Their autofocus is a huge selling point in my opinion especially with the face and eye detection.   It never seems to miss and the technology although somewhat perplexing to me in how it works, is pretty incredible. I’m still amazed at how it does this, but it works! 

The other thing I really like is the overall feel of everything working together between the electronic viewfinder, customization of controls and construction. It really feels like a mature, professional Mirrorless system. I think we’ve finally arrived at the juncture where Mirrorless is a real viable choice for professionals. In the not too distant past, many systems I’ve used weren’t quite there, almost, but not quite. Many had a number of quirks, bugs, or just didn’t offer everything professionals need for their day-to-day work. With both Nikon and Canon’s recent announcement of their new full frame Mirrorless entries and Olympus, Fujifilm and Panasonic refining their systems, I think we’ve reached that point where mirrorless is there. Not to mention the options are now huge for photographers. Micro Four Thirds, APS-C, Full Frame and even Medium Format give photographers a ton of choices based on their shooting styles and needs.

I’m extremely excited to be shooting Sony’s system and it’s working very well for what I do. I plan on posting a full review on both the Sony a7RIII and their A9 here soon. For now I’ll say not only am I completely sold on Sony’s system, but it’s hands down the best I’ve used of any camera system and fits my needs perfectly. I have absolutely no regrets leaving Canon for Sony and that’s saying something!

Selling all my Canon gear!!!

January 17, 2018 by Jason Savage 12 Comments

Canon Cameras and Lenses

Well the time has come, after many restless nights going back and forth, I’ve finally made the decision to make the leap and sell off all of my Canon gear. EEEK! Not an easy decision to make after spending nearly 20 years with Canon and having their system become such an integral part of my work. However change is inevitable and I felt like now was as good as time as any. Recently I’ve been working with Fuji’s X System and have decided to incorporate both the X System and their new medium format GFX system into my workflow. So below is what I have left for sale, if you have any questions or want to snag anything on this list before it’s gone, message me on facebook or shoot me an email jason@jasonsavagephoto.com 

Canon 5Dsr

In perfect condition, no scratches or marks. Top lcd cover and back show normal use, no scratches. Body has 24,131 shutter count going off my Lightroom catalog. Comes with all original packaging, a 32gb & 64gb CF card and extra battery. Purchased 7/15 from B&H. Asking $2100

Canon Camera

 

Canon 11-24mm f4L 

Lens is in perfect condition as well as glass. Only a slight marking on lens hood from the lens cap, which is normal for this lens from general use. One of best Canon lenses I’ve used, sharp from edge to edge. Amazing lens. Comes with all original packaging, purchased 3/15 from B&H. Asking $2200

Canon Wide Angle

Canon 16-35mm f4L IS

Lens is in pristine condition. No marks and glass is perfect, has had uv filter on from day one. Comes with all original packaging, purchased from B&H 2013. Asking $850

Canon Lens

Canon 500mm f4L IS II

Lens is in perfect condition as is the glass. Comes with camo lens coat, lens coat cap and Wimberley P-40 Plate. Extremely sharp lens, purchased 7/14 new from Amazon. Asking $7100

Canon Telephoto

Canon 24-70mm 2.8L II

Lens is in pristine condition as is glass. Just purchased in Oct 2017 from B&H. Has had UV filter on from day one. Comes with all original packaging. Asking $1400

Canon 24-70mm

Canon 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS II

Lens is in perfect condition so is glass.Had UV filter on from day one. Just sent in to Canon Professional Service to have all internal dust removed a few months back. Only a slight white mark on hood. Comes with all original packaging. Asking $1600

100-400mm Canon

Canon 1.4X Teleconverter III & 2X Teleconverter III

Both in perfect condition as well as glass. Asking $300 each

 

 

Final thoughts on Canon’s 11-24mm f4L

August 12, 2015 by Jason Savage Leave a Comment

 

Canon Wide Angle Lens

Now that I’ve had a good 5-6 months of working with Canon’s new 11-24mm, I thought I would give my final thoughts on how this unique lens fits into my own particular workflow and also how its super-wide perspective opens up new creative possibilities for photographers.

Last March I received the 11-24mm just as I was heading into Yellowstone for a couple weeks in early spring and had the chance to work a few landscapes in and around the northwest corner of the park. This was my first experience with the lens and my first experience with that initial jaw-dropping moment when you look through the viewfinder to see what 11mm really looks like.

Having used a variety of wide-angles over the years, I hadn’t really ventured beyond my 16-35mm or 15mm fisheye. I’ve done some pano work with tilt shifts giving wider perspectives, but really going past 16mm with a rectilinear lens was new territory for me.

After getting over the whole coolness factor of the super-wide, I was surprised in the difficulty I had trying to compose certain compositions, especially going wider than 14mm. Arranging the scene took a little more creative thought and also the acceptance that too wide is too wide for certain scenes. A good friend of mine also reminded me about the “wide-itis” you can get when you have something like this in your bag.

Over the course of the next few months I worked this lens in Oregon’s waterfalls, Washington’s rainforests and up though the Rockies into Glacier National Park. Over these trips I learned when to pull out the 11-24mm and when not to. When appropriate, these extra-wide focal lengths create amazing images and open up the doors for creativity in compositional arrangements and new ways to think outside the box. They also allow for immense foreground inclusion and add increased dimension to the scene.

 

Canon Wide Angle Lens
Even though the front element isn’t totally sealed, it stands up to rain and mist very well. Here its getting a thorough soaking in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge.

 

Beyond the 11-24mm’s unique perspective, the optics are superb. I’ve been nothing but pleased with sharpness and resolution across the whole range of focal lengths. Corners look good, chromatic aberration is almost non-existent and really, I can’t find anything negative to say about its optics. I will also add that Canon has done an amazing job with its new coatings. Fingerprints and cleaning are excellent to deal with and I’m feeling much more confident running around with its massive protruding front element.

A couple weeks back I was shooting in a field of fireweed in Glacier National Park and stepped away from my tripod only to look back in horror and see it, my 1DX, and the 11-24mm go crashing front element first into the ground. Fortunatley, the patch of fireweed cushioned the fall, but there was a whole bunch of leaves, pollen and other stuff mushed into the lens. After a good cleaning, not a single scratch, again impressed at these tough coatings Canon is working with.

The only negatives I have to say on the lens as reported previously are its weight and price. It’s a big heavy lens that takes up a lot of room in the bag and adds extra heft when trying to travel light. This is probably the biggest negative to me, but it is the price you pay for this focal length range. Speaking of price, at $3000 it’s also  a big hit to most photographer’s wallets and hard to swallow for a lot of us, but all in all, I think its worth the cost of admission for the quality and opportunity it provides.

Even with its size and price, the 11-24mm still has found a permanent spot in my camera bag and has become a working part of my landscape arsenal. It has allowed me to capture compositions and perspectives that normally would have been impossible and it’s spurred new creativity for more unique landscapes. Overall it is a remarkable engineering achievement by Canon that delivers superb results. I highly recommend this lens to anyone looking for the ultimate in sharpness and super-wide perspectives for their landscape work.

Olympic National Park
Quinault Rainforest, Olympic National Park. Canon 1DX 11-24mm f4L @15mm f16 1.5″ ISO100

Olympic National Park
Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park. Canon 1DX 11-24mm f4L @16mm f16 1/4 ISO400

 

Canon Wide-angle Lens
Arrowleaved Balsamroot, Columbia River Gorge, WA. Canon 1DX 11-24mm f4L @11mm f16 1/1000 ISO1600

Washington Palouse
Palouse Falls, Washington. Canon 5D markIII 11-24mm f4L @11mm f4 30″ ISO1600

Montana Mountains
Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park. Canon 1DX 11-24mm f4L @11mm f16 1/20 ISO100

Montana Photography
Canon 1DX 11-24mm f4L @11mm f16 1/10 ISO50

 

Canon 11-24mm f/4L

March 8, 2015 by Jason Savage

5D markIII 11-24mm

Along with many other Canon users I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 11-24mm and it’s finally here! These are just a few of my initial thoughts so far and not a full in-depth review. Having a fair amount of experience with other Canon wide-angles, my use so far with the 11-24mm has given me a good sense on its quality and capabilities.

First off it’s big. This lens weighs close to my 70-200mm 2.8L IS II and its front heavy balance is very noticeable when handholding. The lens comes in at 2.6lbs, certainly a beast for a lens of this size, but necessary considering its huge front element and design. …

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Canon’s 24-70mm 2.8L II

February 24, 2014 by Jason Savage Leave a Comment

Bozeman Real Estate

I shot this image over the weekend, just as the last light of the day was fading on this old red barn near Bozeman, Montana. I’ve been using the newer 24-70 2.8L II for the better part of a year now and I’ll have to say that I’m very impressed with this lens. I’ve used the older version for years, matter of fact I’ve had a couple of them, and it was a great lens in itself. The newer one however, improves a lot in the edges and corners. When shooting at 24mm, in my opinion, it’s one of the sharpest wide angles I’ve used, right up there with Canon’s 24mm 3.5 tilt shift.

I love using the 24-70 2.8L II for walk around, general stuff. This was perfect for this barn, allowing me to go wide enough, but also getting in tight if I needed to when experimenting with different compositions. Unless I’m doing ultra wide landscapes, I really prefer to have this on my camera for those unexpected moments, where having some flexibility in your focal length range as well as some of the sharpest optics in a Canon zoom makes a big difference.

Canon 5D markIII 24-70mm 2.8L II  f16  1/180  ISO400 (handheld)

Gura Gear Uinta Review

February 8, 2014 by Jason Savage 6 Comments

Uinta Backpack

 

So first before doing this review, I must confess that I’m a bit of a camera bag nerd. There’s something about the quest of finding the perfect bag and organizing all that gear that does it for me.

As a professional photographer, I’m also looking for a bag that’s going to make my job easier traveling, hiking, and can stand up to the day to day abuse that we outdoor photographers put our equipment through….

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Canon 15mm Fisheye Lens

September 16, 2011 by Jason Savage Leave a Comment

This month’s cover of Montana Magazine features a fall image of mine created with one of my favorite and least used lenses that I own. This shot reminded me of  how cool a perspective Canon’s 15mm 2.8 Fisheye Lens gives you and how it can make a somewhat ordinary scene take on a whole new look.

If you’re not familiar with Fisheye lenses, they have been around forever and are more of what’s considered a specialty lens due to the extreme distortion and wide angle they give you. Canon’s 15mm Fisheye is an older lens with excellent image quality, but a somewhat dated autofocus motor. Aside from the autofocus, this lens is very sharp and has excellent contrast. This particular Fisheye lens fills the whole image with a 180 degree angle of view, so in tight quarters you can fit an awful lot into the scene. I tend to use this lens for almost all types of photography I do from not only landscapes, but to commercial work, and even some unique portraiture. However, it’s one of those lenses that only comes out for those right moments which seem far and few between and that’s why it may be one of my least used lenses, but absolutely one I would never part with. One thing for sure, the results are  always stellar when I use it.
Canon has also released an update this year to this lens with their new 8mm-15mm Fisheye  which gives you the choice of having a unique circular image or one that fills the whole frame. It also has been updated to Canon’s “L” status for superior optics. However I still consider the older 15mm to be a real gem and probably wouldn’t upgrade unless mine bites the dust.

So if you’re looking for something new to inspire  your photography, I highly recommend taking a look at this awesome little lens. It can turn a sometimes mundane scene into something a little more lively.

Canon’s 500mm f/4L Lens

April 17, 2009 by Jason Savage Leave a Comment

Bison.©Jason Savage

I went out this last weekend with Canon’s 500mm f/4L lens with full intentions of putting it through it’s paces to see how it would handle some demanding shooting situations.

I had intended to catch the tale end of the snow geese migration at Freezeout Lake, but  that’s a story in itself. Let’s just say it’s better to stay on top of the local bird reports, rather than just having an overly optimistic expectation that “although it’s near the end of the migration in Montana, there still should be adequate numbers to photograph”.

To make a long story short-No Birds. Notta. Every single last one gone.

However I had a very nice drive before Sunrise.

I suppose that’s what I get for not being a little more on top of things.

In any case I drove my *&%$#! off on Saturday and left Freezout lake, heading to Ovando. Given the situation I decided to make what I could of the day.

Canadian Goose.©Jason Savage

I stopped by Brown’s lake to see what was happening. It was still frozen solid and not much happening. Except for a few Canadian Geese hanging out there wasn’t much to photograph. Next it was the National Bison range and this looked much better. The hills were just starting to green up and the Bison looked great. Later in the afternoon it started to pour rain, so I decided to explore around the area. I found a whole group of baby lambs huddled underneath a big tree trying to stay dry from the rain. They didn’t look very excited about their situation.

Lambs.©Jason Savage

Finally toward the end of the day I made it to Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge. Things were definetly more happening and there were a ton more birds then I had seen all day.

In front of my lens as l looked out across the pond I spotted, Osprey,Ring-necked Pheasent, Whitetail Deer, Great Blue Heron, Mallard Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and a few others. This was all within a very small area. Truly a testament to the rich diversity of wildlife that the Refuge holds.

Ring-necked Pheasant.©Jason Savage

So after spending some time really getting to work this lens- all I can say is that it’s in a class of it’s own. Not only are the images unbelievably sharp, but the autofocus is lightning quick and it’s image stabilization works very, very well. Although it’s a large lens, it’s weight is not bad coming in at a little under 9lbs.

Overall, there is not one bad thing I can think to say about this lens other than the price. At $5,800, it’s big hit to the pocketbook, but for the quality and ability to capture hard to reach scenes, I would say if you are a serious bird or wildlife photographer, it’s well worth it.

Great Blue Herons.©Jason Savage

Canon 1200mm lens

July 24, 2008 by Jason Savage 2 Comments

This lens is so big that it even comes with it’s own girl! Well maybe not, but it should when you see it’s price tag. I pasted this article from B&H that talks a little about this unique lens. Pretty sweet, but if you’re interested you might have to take out a second mortgage……

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About

Based in Montana, Jason works as a freelance and commercial photographer, specializing in travel and outdoor photography.

His work has been featured in National Geographic Traveler, Time, Outside, Audubon, Outdoor Photographer,The Nature Conservancy and many others.
His images have also been featured in numerous advertising campaigns, books, and calendars around the world.

Contact

Jason Savage Photography
546 Fox Meadow Ln.
Hamilton, MT 59840
jason@jasonsavagephoto.com
406-202-0709

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