As you may know, I recently sold the vast majority of my Canon DSLR kit and switched to Sony. (Read about why I made the switch here)
As I get a feel for the Sony system my kit will expand, but for now, I have started with a very simple kit that suits my upcoming projects:
- Sony A9 II
- Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM
- Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G
- Sony 1.4x Extender
- Sigma MC-11 Canon EF to Sony E-Mount adapter
- Sony RMT-P1BT Bluetooth remote
- 3x Sony NP-FZ100 batteries
- 4x Sony TOUGH G 128GB SDCX cards
When I ditched the Canon gear, I did hold onto an EF mount Sigma 14mm f/1.8 ART lens that I specifically purchased this year for astrophotography. I’ll continue to use this with my new Sony system using the Sigma MC-11 adapter. At some point, I might take advantage of Sigma’s mount change service and get it fitted with a native E-Mount, but for now, I’m happy to use the adapter. Generally speaking, you will lose some autofocus performance when going through the adapter, but since I’m using it for manual focus astrophotography and aurora photography it doesn’t concern me. In the short term, I’ll also use it for wide landscape work as well until I have made a decision on additional E-Mount lens purchases. There are rumours of a fast wide G-Master prime coming in the near future and I’m curious to see where it fits compared to my 24mm GM.
To begin with, I’ll be making use of the 200-600mm lens for wildlife work, but at some point, I’ll have to buy one of Sony’s super-telephoto lenses. My plan is to borrow both the 400mm f/2.8 GM and the 600mm f/4 GM over the coming months and then make a decision. There are also strong rumours of several other big Sony lenses coming in 2020, so I want to make sure I make the right choice in that department as it’s no small investment to buy big white glass for any camera system. I’m particularly curious to see if they come out with an ultralight 500mm f/4 GM.
So that’s it for now, and it’s quite a shock to the system. I have had a cabinet full of Canon cameras and lenses my entire career, but it certainly feels like the beginning of a new adventure.
Will it be forever? I’m not sure. Canon’s RF lenses are incredible, but until they demonstrate that they can make a professional mirrorless camera to match them, it’s time to give Sony a try and see what all the fuss is about.
Stay tuned…
