Why I prefer Sony Cameras
A quick backstory
Why I prefer using Sony cameras
I ventured into the photography world back in late 2017 and my first camera was the Canon G7x mark 2. I stumbled upon that little piece after binge-watching vlogs from Marzia Kjellberg, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg’s wife also known as Pewdiepie — that was her main camera.
I was amazed at the image quality it produces and built in microphone. Once I got my hands on that piece, I started shooting guitars and live bands… sometimes, I even managed to shoot some videos but I wasn’t well-versed with the technical aspects of it hence, my settings were all over the place and I produced choppy videos. Within a year, I sold that little dude off and got myself a full-frame camera — the Nikon D750. I was pretty much settled but at the back of my mind, I was desperately wanting to get my hands on a Sony camera.
Looking back, I’ve always had the impression of how powerful Sony images were — due to the styles and color science. The artists endorsed by Sony cameras were mostly influenced by the modern-day moody cinematic concept which I was very interested in. And on top of that, the video functions were remarkably tasty and so is the built-in technology of their mirrorless family. Eventually, I managed to buy the A6500 and A7sii on 2 separate occasions and I was right — It was meant for me.
I love how versatile these cameras are. With a quick turn of the settings knob, I could easily switch from photo mode to video mode with their built-in memory system which remembers all of my manual settings.
With the inbuilt image stabilisation, you can almost use the camera on its own without a gimbal if you shoot at a smoother frame-rate and stabilize it more during post. Seeing that I like to shoot with one hand and engage my subject with the other, the camera fits perfectly in my hands — one handed.
Eventually, I sold off the A7sii and got the A7iii as a birthday gift. With the A7iii, I can take quality images with the 24-megapixel sensor which the A7sii could not — 12-megapixel. Sony’s customer support is awesome and the ability to update your firmware through the computer is as easy as pie. Then, I ventured into their video cameras and got myself the FS5 mark 2.
Now, let’s talk about the lenses. With the external adapter, I can use Canon series lenses and other 3rd party ones. However, I still prefer to use the Sony native lenses due to the mechanism and accuracy especially when it comes to the autofocus functions. I’ve paired my A7sii with Sigma lenses and it wasn’t as responsive as the native lenses — noisy mechanism and slow focus speed. I’ve yet to pair mine with Canon lenses. Up till today, I have only owned 2 Sony lenses — Zeiss 35mm F1.4 and the G Master 24–70mm F2.8 which covers all of my shooting styles.
Sony’s color science falls more towards the ‘cinema’ tone with a whole range of ungraded profiles to choose from too. (Log profiles) The built-in customisable white balance settings allow me to further correct my colors before each shoot.
In summary, you are paying for their quality and technology — dollar for dollar.
If you are looking for a camera to start with or to vlog with, I would recommend the A6600. You can easily tilt the screen back whenever you need to do a selfie, plug in external rode travel mics, attach an external monitor, and other customisable cages to build your rig according to how you shoot. The APSC lenses for the A6600 are much smaller and lighter too! The new Z batteries are reliable and can last a through the day even if I shoot both video and photo concurrently.
