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My Gear as Sony Ambassador + some alternative kits

Marc Alhadeff

Introduction

I often get requests related to which lens should I choose, which lens is best, will I make better photos with a A7RIV or A1or A9or A7IV …

There are as many answers as photographers. Choosing bodies and lenses is a matching process between

Not everyone need the best in each domain. If the camera is too complex or the lens too heavy and you don’t use it, it is worthless. The best camera will always be the one you have with you and that you can use without requiring you to think 5 min what are the right settings

Before covering which material I currently own I will explain in Chapter 1 what were the consequence for me of the jump from A7RIII to A7RIV as this upgrade has forced me to revisit every lens of my kit

In chapter 2 I will explain which gear I have (end 2019), why did I choose them, and in which situation I am using them. This kit is quite high end and targeted to experienced users or professionals.

In chapter 3 I propose you some alternative kits of body+ lenses

In chapter 4 I am describing which is my day to day bag for each type of scenarios: professional work, travel, sports…

In next chapters I am covering some accessories like flashes, microphones…

  1. Upgrade from A7RIII to A7RIV the consequences…
  2. Body and Lenses
  3. Alternative kit for different profiles of photographers
  4. My Bag
  5. Flashes
  6. Microphones
  7. Others
  8. Conclusion

1 Upgrading to A7RIV : consequences

The A7RIV is a much more demanding body than any others Sony cameras : lenses are suffering a lot and I had to revisit which lens do I keep , which ones do I replace or wait for a new lens to come out

After having retested around 150 lenses here

Sony FE 28mm F2, was good and inexpensive but was replaced by the marvelous Sony 24mm F1.4 GM

Sony Distagon FE 35mm F1.4 Zeiss : has a superb rendering but was not at all at ease with the 61Mpix, it was replaced by the Outstanding Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art

Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55 mm F1.8 was still very good wide open on A7RIV but the Sony 50mm F1.2 GMwas clearly better on A7RIV

The Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM excellent on A9 , very good on A7RIII was not satisfactory on A7RIV , I replaced it with the excellent Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art

The Sony FE85mm F1.4 GM was replaced by the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Arti

There are also a few newcomer in in my kit

2 Bodies & Lenses

  1. Sony A1
  2. Sony A7RIII + grip VG-CE4M
  3. Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G
  4. Samyang 12mm F2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye
  5. Sony FE 16-35 mm F2.8 GM
  6. Sony 24mm F1.4 GM
  7. Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art
  8. Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art
  9. Samyang 45mm F1.8 AF
  10. Lensbaby Sol 45mm F3.5
  11. Sony Planar T* 50mm F1.4 Zeiss
  12. Lomography Petzval 55mm F1.7 MkII
  13. Voigtländer 65mm F2 Macro Apo Lanthar
  14. Sony FE70-200 F2.8 GM
  15. Sony FE85mm F1.4 GM
  16. Sony FE 90 f2.8 Macro G OSS
  17. Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS
  18. Sigma 105mm F/1.4 DG HSM Art
  19. Sony FE 100-400mm GM OSS F4.5-F5.6
  20. Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM
  21. Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
  22. TC1.4 & TC2.0
  23. Sony PZ E 18-105mm F4 G OSS

by clicking on any of the underlined title you will be directed to my test of the corresponding gear

2.1 Sony A1 +grip VG-CE4M

My new workhorse for holidays, sports, family photography and my backup for studio work

and my preferred camera for video with it s 4K120p

2.2 Sony A7RIV + grip VG-CE4M

My Main camera used for my professional work : I am shooting mainly models in studio with flashes strobes and indoor with natural light

You can have a look at my work here ( ! Not safe for work / contain nudes )

Its sensor allows for the highest quality possible, best dynamic range (largely superior to A9) and the 61Mpix resolution allow to make prints of any size (e.g. 1m x 1,5m sometimes for exposition)

During my shootings, I am now using both a A7RIV and a A1 to avoid changing lenses all the time

I have a full grip on both bodies as I shoot a lot in portrait mode

I upgraded from the A7RIII mainly for the AF and ergonomics but so far find the A7RIV much less versatile than the A7RIII as it requires better lighting conditions to really benefits from its 61Mpix..

2.3 Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM

This is the ultimate lens for Architecture and Landscape photogrpahy

The lens gives excellent results and is quite light. The only issue being its front lens and fixed lens hood that prohibits the use of tradition ND filters

You need to use special filter with it like the NiSi S6 filter holder for Sony 12-24 F2.8 GM

2.4 Samyang 12mm F2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye

An rectilinear fisheye with excellent sharpness over the entire frame

2.5 Sony FE 16-35 mm F2.8 GM

The best landscape zoom you can get

2.6 Sony 24mm F1.4 GM

The best Sony prime lens together with the 135 F1.8 GM : outstanding sharpness and bokeh and excellent AF

2.7 Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art

The best standard zoom you can get and the only one capable of resolving the 61Mpix of the A7RIV , much better performance than the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM or the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

2.8 Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art

The best 35mm you can get with outstanding sharpness and bokeh , build like a tank. It is same weight and size as a Sony 135mm F1.8 GM !

2.9 Samyang 45mm F1.8 AF

Nice and cheap lens with excellent sharpness results and beautiful bokeh all that with a small form factor

2.10 Lensbaby Sol 45mm F3.5

An Artistic lens with a very good sharpness in the centre and excellent bokeh

2.11 Sony 50mm F1.2 GM

The best 50mm you can get , outstanding sharpness and bokeh,

2.12 Lomography Petzval 55mm F1.7 MkII

An Artistic lens with a very good sharpness in the centre and excellent bokeh

2.13 Voigtländer 65mm F2 Macro Apo Lanthar

The sharpest lens you can get for the A7RIV , suppressing the outstanding Sony 135 F1.8 GM

but it is a manual lens (with EXIF transmission)

2.14 Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM II OSS

My favorite for outdoor portrait, or public events, concerts,

In studio/indoor work, I prefer the prime lenses, they are less bulky and have aperture <2.8 that allow to be more creative and to focus more accurately & faster in studio low key setup. I don’t like the easiness of zoom to compose my scene

21.5 Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art

I use the 85mm for more close portraits or when I need to narrow the angle of view in the studio to hide the wall/ceiling of the studio

Excellent to outstanding results on the A7RIV ,

2.16 Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro Art

This lens is one of the sharpest lens available in the market, maybe too sharp for portraits!

2.17 Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS

One on the best portrait / flower/ plants lens with a wonderful bokeh, but its apodization filter make it work like a F5.6 in term of light performance, ISO is often above 2000 for indoor work, so mostly to be used for outdoor shooting

2.18 Sony FE 100-400mm GM OSS F4.5-F5.6

The sony FE100-400 is a very impressive lens. It is really tack sharp at all focal length and all apertures. It supports without any issue the TC1.4 and TC2.0, whereas the 70-200GM with TC2 show clear drop of quality

It is now my favorite telezoom for travelling, wildlife, birds and sports

2.19 Sigma 105mm F/1.4 DG HSM Art

A monster in term of size and weight but a unique bokeh

2.20 Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM

The best Sony prime lens together with the 24mm F1.4 GM : outstanding sharpness and bokeh and excellent AF

2.21 Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

An excellent telephoto lens at a reasonable price with outstanding / excellent sharpness and that does not extend when zoomed from 200mm to 600mm

2.22 TC1.4 & TC2.0

TC1.4 can be used without any doubt on all compatible lenses (70-200 f2.8GM, 100-400 GM, 200-600 G, 400 F2?8GM , 600 F4 GM)

TC2.0 is to be reserved for the 400 F2.8 GM or the 600 F4 GM as you see too the sharpness decrease on the other lenses

2.23 Sony PZ E 18-105mm F4 G OSS

A very useful lens for video work used with A1 or A7RIV in APS-C crop mode: I get an insane 27-157mm with power zoom that allows for smooth zoom

To complement this I also have

1.14 Sony RX1R +EVF

For some quick shoot indoor with family or when I go walking in the city without any preconceived ideas, I like to only take the RX1R which is very discrete, offers excellent result with its 35mm F2 and force me to compose my scene

I have also bought an ND filter to be able to shoot outdoor in sunny situation at F2. Its max speed of 1/2000 sec being sometimes limitative

1.15 Sony RX100M4

When I can take any bag with me, or if I am going outdoor to do some sports, go to disneyland, restaurants, I have always my Sony RX100M4 with me

It is a very capable camera with a high quality lens. I had the RX100, RX100M2 and now the upgraded since 18 months to the M4 for its 4K capability (having invested in a Sony UHD 65″ TV)

2 Alternative Kit for different profiles of photographers

Obviously not everyone need full frame and high end, so here are a few configurations I recommend to friends, clients according to their profile

3 My bag

3.1 Studio work

My travel for studio work is a Think Tank Airport Derby Roller It can roll and be carried on the back

For lighter work I used the Lowepro flip side series : I have the 200, 300 and 400 depending of the lenses I need to cary

I used my 2 bodies equipped with Peak design anchors to attach the strap of my choice

The 2 bodies are in general with the

  1. Sony 24mm F1.4 GM
  2. Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art
  3. Samyang 45mm F1.8 AF
  4. Sony 50mm F1.2 GM
  5. Lomography Petzval 55mm F1.7 MkII
  6. Voigtländer 50mm F2 Apo Lanthar
  7. Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art
  8. Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM

Bag for travelling

3.2 Travelling

When Travelling in general I only take

Obviously depending on the nature of the trip I could also take the macro lens or, the 12-24 F4 G if I need to do a lot of landscapes

I have several Lowepro bags that allows me to either transport

3.3 Ad Hoc mission

For some specific events I could take any of the appropriate lens in my bag from the 12-24mm to the 200-600mm : it all depends of what I think I will need.

I don’t like to carry all my gear “just in case of” and be tired to cary them and loose the pleasure to take photos.

3.4 Street photography

I like to discretion and 35mm focal length so  I usually take my Sony RX1R for this

3.5 Sports  / Leisure time

I take the RX100M4 with me

3.6 Accessories

Whether it is in the studio or during travels,  I usually take the same set of accessories

3.7 Memory cards

I use dual card slots with

3.8 Smartphone

An iPhone XS Max 512Go : what for ?

For Studio work

During Travels

But also 

4 Flashes

5 Microphones

For my video work I have mainly 3 mics and an external recorder

ECM -B1M

XLR-K3M

6 Others

7 Conclusion

The perfect gear for you will be the ones you will be at ease to use, can afford,  can carry with you and that correspond to your favorites photographic styles (travel, portrait, macro, landscape….)

In term of lenses don’t dream, there is no one lens fitting  all usages with max quality, low weight, low price (a 12-400mm F1.4 at 500 euros and 500 gr does not exist!)

So ask yourself questions to identify what you really need, read tests, try out in shops or with some friends, ask (wise) questions in forums or group

In a next Article I will describe my post processing workstation .

Knowing you spend more time in general to post process and view photos on your computer than to take them this is not an area to under invest if you have serious gear

Any questions don’t hesitate to post a comment !

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