The Phoblographer recently published an article on 5 photographers that are getting the most use out of the Sony A7R4, and I am grateful to be one of the featured photographers.
I have shot on numerous cameras in the past, including Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony. I even shot on Pentax during the film days. Recently I made the switch to Sony from using primarily a Nikon D850. I had a Nikon D850 that I shot most of my wildlife with using the 500mm f4 lens, but when Sony came out with the 400mm f2.8, I decided to make the switch to full Sony. I shot with the Sony A7R when it first came out, and I noticed in looking at my prints over the years, the best ones seemed to come from that camera. That’s not the only reason, but was a big part of the switch.
Other reasons include the following:
- Mirrorless cameras are smaller, more compact, and lighter
- Video functionality is better and easier to work with in the field
- Faster autofocus and silent shutter
By the time you add a 400mm f2.8 to the A7r4, it may not be that much lighter, but they are more compact, and make it easier to travel with, especially if you are traveling internationally.
Video function was a huge part, as with a DSLR you had to switch to live view, and shooting with longer lenses, a tripod was absolutely necessary. It is so much easier with the mirrorless cameras to switch back and forth and catch video in the field. Most of the time, that video opportunity will not last long, so you have to be able to switch quickly. The only downside with that is that with SD card buffer rates, you often have to wait for the buffer to clear before you can start video.
Mirrorless have both phase and contrast detection and can offer faster autofocus, which is a relatively new feature. DSLR’s used to be faster. The silent shutter is awesome to shoot with as well, as don’t have any mechanical movement if you are shooting longer exposure images. It is also nice to be close to wildlife and not have the constant loud mechanical shutter going off. It can present some opportunities that you might not get otherwise.
Please be sure to check out my instagram @jmdarter if you don’t already follow me!
If Mike Tyson wear a shark. This one had some pretty big scars, reminded me of Tyson‘s face, tattoos. If you look closely, this one had a rope stuck in its mouth, two big scars on the left side of its head, and sub scarring on the left side. #shark #greatwhiteshark #jaws #sharkweek #underwaterphotgraphy
Is it shark week yet? Decided to go back through some of my photos from Guadalupe Island, where I spent five days in a cage photographing great white sharks. I think I may have a behind the scenes video coming soon. #greatwhiteshark #shark #underwater #underwaterphotography #underwaterstuffs #nauticam
Found this pic from several years ago of a snowy owl in Canada. It was shot around 1/50th of a second to produce wing blur. The one out of about 300 shots that came out lol… but, you only need one! It’s fun to try out sometime if you haven’t tried wing blurs, or pan blurs. Start at about 1/30 to 1/50 and go from there. Pan with them in flight, and see what you can come up with! #owl #snowyowl #birdsinflight #owlsofinstagram #panblur
The moment this beautiful great grey owl took flight and successfully hunted a vole in Alaska. It seemed forever as the owl was intensely focusing on the prey below. Finally it stood tall and gracefully leaned forward and floated down, silently for a successful hunt. #alaska #greatgreyowl #owl #owlsofinstagram
We found this beautiful great grey owl perched in some lush, green pine trees in Alaska. It was hunting a small stretch right off the road. The combination of the green trees and blue and amber backgrounds made for some epic shots! #alaska #owl #greatgreyowl #raptor #greatgreyghost #birdsofinstagram #owlsofinstagram #raptors #aaronstours
