Camera Labs

After about 4/5 of a year of saving, I finally bought my A700 with CZ16-80 lens yesterday . I'm still very excited and happy with my new camera, and because I want to 'play' with it, this post doesn't contain any kind of review yet.
Here are some pictures:





I'm not going to review the camera in this post, I might do a userreview some time in the future. I made an 'unboxing video', but forgot to set the quality at the higher level, so now it's useless (might make another one).
I'll probably go out on Friday to take some photo's for this month's 'On assignment'.

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Congratulation Björn!
And many happy shots with this great new camera.
Please, please, please: Do post regularely as your experience with your new gear develops. Just think of a "blog"-type thread, continuing from here

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Thanks Thomas. I'll post my experiences with the camera here than, that's all right too.

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Hi! I want to buy the same camera but I am interesting about night focusing...if is making the same severel flashes before focus and shoot like old minolta?

Congrats - that's a really nice combination - the CZ 16-80 is optically a very good lens...

Hi rilobest...

The Sony put in in this model (a700) a AF help light, is a red light between the grip and mount.
The several flash before the shot is the ADI funtion and this camera has too but with the AF help light active have not flash before.

Look the picture of Bjorn, when say a700... there is the AF help light...

The new Sony Flag Ship has too this light.

Excuse my english

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Samsung NX100
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS
iFn 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 ED
iFn 20mm f/2.8 (coming soon)
30mm f/2
50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED OIS
Sony VAIO CR140F White

No, the A700 does not flash during night focusing. That may actually be a good feature, because last week I was shooting in very low-light conditions and the camera had some issues focussing. The best option then to use is the central focus point because it's fastest and most effective.



Thanks. The quality is indeed very good. Now I only need to keep in mind to use apertures a little smaller than the maximum, to get the most out of it.
Having such a good lens has at least one downside though: you want your other lenses to be just as good or even better. So first I though the 70-300 f4.5-5.6 G SSM would be a nice telephoto zoom, but now it's the 70-200 F2.8 G SSM I'm after, and that's more than twice as expensive .

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Congrats!!!
That looks sweet

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Jim Hawksworth Flickr
Canon 30D | EF 17-40 f/4L | EF 70-200 f/4L USM | EF 50 f/1.8 II | 580EX II | Berleback 2420 Tripod | and other various tools

Thank you very much for your feed back. I asked because I had Konika Minolta Dynax 5D and every time when I wanted to focus in the night to parties or some other moments...I putted flash and when i was pressing half shoot button to focus he was making some preflashes until he find a point to focus on it but in this time the people in the dark closed there eyes or were very disturbed about that. Tee camera was no fault...it was trying to focus but for me and others was a hell. That why I asked because I want to remain on Minolta technology and I saw that SONY A700 is the only one that have something different form Konika Minolta Dynax 5D and others Sony Alpha cameras.
The only thing that I think Sony missed is the second screen on top of the camera to see your settings. I don't know sony A700 is saving the last settings that you made? konika Minolta Dynax 5D wasn't. Every time I had to make the settings. It is a good thing but when you close for 5 min the camera and you need back the camera...you need to make the settings first.
Thank you again.
Great site
Great people

Hi Gordon! Best regards from Romania! The video review that you make are very good and I like them very much. It is possible to make some reviews and test whit cameras on work? Night focusing for example (in this case for Sony A700), or speed shooter, or zooming, and other tests that would make a person when have the first camera on hand. I would consider this very useful!
Respect

Hello rilobest,

and welcome to the friendly Camera Labs forum!
I just edited your posts to make the quote/unquote tags work. Just don't disable BBCode, and everything's fine

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Thank you Thomas. I really didn't know! I was wondering why is not working. I'm glad to be here and to learn more things about Sony A700!

rilobest, all the information necessary is in main LCD and it has 2 display mode, a full information and partial information.

All setting when you turn off and then turn on this be here.

Really the a second LCD in this camera would has not a lot functionality if you can see all it in the main LCD in all moment.

Until now none alpha has a top LCD and the new Flag Ship will has it and surely it will be not so useful than main LCD.

_________________
Samsung NX100
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS
iFn 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 ED
iFn 20mm f/2.8 (coming soon)
30mm f/2
50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED OIS
Sony VAIO CR140F White

Just a short tip for all you A700 users (and other Alpha camera's too, I guess). When your camera is hanging on its strap, powered on, it will keep on focussing because of the Eye Sensor. A way to avoid this is, of course to switch it off, but then you can't use it anymore. If you want to leave your camera on when it's just hanging there, you should press the Play-button so your last image pops up. That way, the camera won't keep focussing all the time, but it's easy to get back into action (just half-press the shutter button to go back to the shooting menu).

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Good tip, Bjorn!

Except normally, when my camera is hanging from my neck in inactivity I will normally switch it off. This works well for cameras with quick start-up time.

If I know I'm not gonna use the cam for more than 20 seconds I'll switch the slider from 'On' to 'Off'.

Great power saving for me, eh? Especially important when you are at a big/long event say, weddings, performances, and you don't have a spare battery but want to keep pressing the shutter button.

Hmm, Bjorn, how's your A700 review coming up? Pardon me but me thinks you haven't been on very much lately, even I have surpassed your post count!

SnS

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.: Sony DT 18-70mm :: Sony 75-300mm :: Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 :: Minolta 24mm f/2.8 :: Sony 50mm f/1.8 :: Samyang 8mm f/3.5 fisheye :: SLIK Pro 330DX :: Manfrotto 496RC2 :.


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