Why did you go Sony?

[Travis]

Hi, Travis Keyes here. and I always like to hear why other people decided to become part of the Sony family.  I remember hearing about the first Sony alpha cameras and all about the amazing ability to see exactly what your photo was going to look like before even pressing the shutter. Well back then photo skills were not what they are today, well it was that feature that allowed me to learn and gain confidence as a photographer.. As we know, the cameras kept advancing and so did my photo knowledge/skills and I am forever indebted to Sony for allowing me to become the image maker I am today.

Why did you first pick up a Sony???

[tonygale]

I used a different brand for years, then had an issue with their pro-support and never wanted to have to talk to them again! I had tried the Sony a900 and Sony Zeiss 24-70/2.8 and really liked them, so I switched to Sony starting with the a850, then the a99. When the a7RII came out I went all mirrorless

[Travis]

I used a different brand for years, then had an issue with their pro-support and never wanted to have to talk to them again! I had tried the Sony a900 and Sony Zeiss 24-70/2.8 and really liked them, so I switched to Sony starting with the a850, then the a99. When the a7RII came out I went all mirrorless

I had some issues with other brands' Pro support and when Sony Launched theirs, I was one of the original OG's to jump on board.. and the very first time I needed them and I got an actual person on the phone, that was it, I have been hooked on Sony Pro Suport ever since. it's like you are calling a friend to help you out..

[tonygale]

I had some issues with other brands' Pro support and when Sony Launched theirs, I was one of the original OG's to jump on board.. and the very first time I needed them and I got an actual person on the phone, that was it, I have been hooked on Sony Pro Suport ever since. it's like you are calling a friend to help you out..

Sony pro support has been great for me too!

[Chrisbrockhurst]

One of the biggest things for me is low light performance for video. I’m constantly pushing the A7SIII and FX3 to light for weddings and I’m always amazed when I load the footage in to the editor and see how well it did 

[tonygale]

One of the biggest things for me is low light performance for video. I’m constantly pushing the A7SIII and FX3 to light for weddings and I’m always amazed when I load the footage in to the editor and see how well it did 

It's absolutely incredible how good the high ISO is on Sony cameras!

[dunnadidit]

I picked up my first camera in 2016/2017 (I have trouble remembering when it was exactly) and I did A TON of research to figure out which brand looked the best to dive in. At the time, Sony was really the only company that was super heavily diving into mirrorless and looking to the future of the camera world. I didn't know much at the time but I am thankful that I chose a company that was so ahead of the curve!

[BobKrist]

I spent years with another major company, but once I started to develop an interest in video as well as stills, the superiority of the mirrorless design pushed me to try a Sony (it was an NEX 5, that's how long ago). When I saw the quality and felt the difference in size and weight, there was no going back. It's one of the best moves I've made in my career. 

[MattK]

I liked the electronic-ness of the camera ever since I first held the a7R. I couldn't stand that you'd look through a DSLR and see a perfect world in the viewfinder. But then you'd take a photo that looked nothing like what you saw and people in my workshops used to say "why can't the photo look like what it does in the viewfinder". Plus Sony was pushing the boundaries of apps and in-camera processing too.

But the a7R wasn't quite where my DSLR was. I said to myself the moment the technology and quality get to where my DSLR was, that I'd switch. That happened with the a7Rii and I switched immediately. 

[CarolineJensen]

I went to Sony when then came out with the a7s. I love and need great ISO capabilities and focus peaking was a complete game-changer for me! My eyes need the help of focus-peaking and I wouldn't be able to shoot macro as I do without it! 

[Guest previous-member]

I switched to Sony primarily for ergonomics.  My Nikon system was just to bulky to carry around.  So I gave my Nikon stuff to one of my sons and he is making use of it.

My first Sony was an a6400.  I like this camera because it offers a lot in a camera that I can carry around a lot of places.  Easy to carry around in a Billingham bag.

Then, the Sony bug got me and I soon purchased an a7R IV.  I put this camera in a Smallrig cage and attached an Atomos NinjaV.  So far, this camera has not disappointed me.  I’m thinking a few more lenses once I narrow my focus - thinking astrophotography and landscapes.  Glad I made the switch.

[IraBlock]

I liked the small bodies and lenses, and the great low light capability. That is why i switched from my heavy DSLRs to Sony. No regrets!!!

[victorbrandt]

Victor from Germany here!

Switched from an entry-level DSLR to a A7IV just a couple of days ago (still reading tons of manuals).

I am a hobbyist who went from a 600$ to a 2800$ camera for several reasons. One was that I missed certain key features, but more important was that I wanted to switch to a camera which I was hoping to be happy with over the next 5+ years (or even more). I know that my A7IV won't make me a better photographer, but maybe I kept telling myself that I needed to go mirrorless as a justification to invest a fortune ... 😉

And after having read thousands of reviews and having watched billions of youtube videos I decided to go all in.

Btw there was another reason: I do videos from time to time and I think there is no other camera out there offering the best of both worlds.

So far my impression is "Wow" .... the A7IV is a great camera.

[9vphotodesign]

I've shot with 11 different Sony cameras over the past 20 years. Why? Dare I say...they all have been reliable. I still have a dusty a6000 that I still enjoy using.

[TrekRover]

I started using a Sony's CyberShot point and shoot camera back in the days of the massive 3.2 MP! It used to be the cheaper point and shoot option compared to Canon. Aside from the camera technology, I've always had a good experience with other Sony electronics (Sony Ericsson Walkman, PSP, etc.), so fast forward to 2020 when I decided to get a better camera I chose Sony because I trusted the brand and previous electronics.

[Ltgk20]

My journey to Sony was a long, but natural one.  I started shooting with a Minolta Maxxum 7000 back in 1986 and followed it with a 700si.  In 2006 Sony bought Minolta's camera division which made the natural jump to the a100 and digital while staying with the A-mount.  From the a100 there was the a700, then a99, then a99ii which was my last A-mount body.  In 2019, after a couple of years of planning, I made the jump to E-mount with the a9ii and now an a1.

[lmontes1974]

I came from Minolta...then a99 and now A1. 

[LaurynasB]

I switched from Canon DSLR to Sony mirrorless cameras last year. Why Sony? I wanted to try something new. I like to feel free and comfortable when I working in weddings. My priority was lighter weight of my gear so I decided to start working with mirrorless cameras. My goal was to buy a mirrorless camera with reasonably price and with PRO characteristics. It was Sony. What I love the most are lighter weight of the camera bodies, accurate and fast focusing, silent shutter. Sony have awesome  non expensive lenses line, what other manufacturers do not have. My photography gear is very simple, minimal and lightweight. All these benefits of Sony mirrorless cameras help me to be better storyteller. 

[RoGina]

I needed something smaller and not as heavy. I had a big DSLR and found that when I was playing with kids at photo sessions, the heavy camera would swing around and hit the kids. 😬 

I started with the A6000 and worked my way up to the A7 line. 

[jb]

E-mount lens quality and selection.  I've used nearly every other competitive camera system and all are excellent.  None have a comparable selection of native lenses compared to Sony.  That's due both to Sony's own lenses and third party options like Sigma and Tamron.  I actually prefer some other cameras over Sony's due to some specific features.  But I can't get the lenses I want to use with those other cameras.  So I think of myself as using E-mount lenses with whatever cameras happen to be compatible.

[Razak]

I used to shoot canon and I got a great deal on the original a9 and later paired it with the 200-600mm, I was blown away!!! I immediately sold some of my canon gear, including a 600mm f4 II, and now exclusively use Sony for wildlife photography. So, the 200-600mm G made me switch.

[RidleyScottFan]

My answer may sound a bit childish or naive, but here it goes.

When I was a kid, I didn't have a great relationship with my parents, or better said, didn't have too much time from them, for a few reasons, one of them was having a little brother with some health problems, so they dedicated most of their time with him.

I totally get it, even more now that I'm a father, but sometimes, somethings, got a bit difficult so I took refuge in movies and music.

Sometimes though, we had some talks with my dad and he told me once that Sony was a company full of incredible people, that they managed, always, to be ahead of everybody else.

That, obviously for a child, can be intriguing. Then, he told me in another time that their products reflected that... and one day, out of nowhere, he bought me a Sony Discman.

I remember getting it and putting a U2 record and being just BLOWN AWAY by the quality, it sounded premium, it felt premium, it was just amazing, and my parents did everything to pay it. In my country, the inflation was (and still is) a problem, so technology in general was crazy expensive. And I couldn't believe what I was enjoying, it was just too much.

After that moment, I always felt that if Sony had an option in every field of interest of mine, I should try it.

And when I started to think professionaly about photography, it was like, yeah, I need to try an Alpha camera.

It was about the time when the a99 was about to get released. And I remember, VERY CLEARLY, the video that David Mclain did with such beauty, The Calling.

That video alone changed everything for me, photography wise.

The scenes felt similar. The places, the air, everything was there...

I couldn't afford at the time an a99, but I bought an a77... and that was it.

My wife even tells me, from time to time, that if Sony would've paid me for every person I convinced to buy a Sony product, not only a camera, now I could sustain my family without working jajaja. 

 

 

[Grant Robertson]

I gave up analog back in the 90s, when I got tired of it costing me $0.50 - $1.00 every time I pressed the shutter release. (I've always been relatively poor.) I spent years waiting till digital cameras both had a high enough resolution to match film and had come down in price enough for me to afford it. (Not everyone can afford $4,000 for a camera.) I made due with phone cameras, an Olympus TG-4 (because it is waterproof), and even the 256x256 pixel camera in my old Sony Clie, back in the day. Once I got to where I was close to being able to afford a "real" camera, I shopped around and agonized for a couple of years. 

I finally settled on the A7R2 because of the dynamic range, the electronic viewfinder, the exposure compensation dial, and the 42 megapixels. But mostly the 14 frikkin' stops of dynamic range. I knew the menus would suck, and it has slow continuous shooting, but I don't shoot a lot of action, and I don't need to change a lot of "deep" settings all the time. It was also at the forefront of mirrorless cameras at the time. 

I was finally able to afford a used A7R2 in the fall of 2020, after working as a Census enumerator in the hot Texas sun for several months in the summer of 2020. I found one used, at Precision Camera, in Austin. The body and a new Tamron 28-200mm lens set me back $2,000, which was actually a little more than I could afford. I have even had times when I was really short on cash. But I have never regretted that purchase. It is finally the camera that I always wanted these past 30 years. 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Grant Robertson

[Joey-Austin]

I've always loved the Sony brand since I was a kid, walkman, Tv and of corse Playstation, so when I started getting into photography I used to shoot with my phone and had some friends shooting with Nikon, I remember using my friend's Nikon D3000 and I was not impressed at all so I started looking up professional camera, got my attention the Nex 7, I liked the Idea of mirrorless camera, I couldn't afford the nex 7 so I got nex5n, and I still have it to this day, very powerful for it size, and been a Sony shooter ever since and never looked back lol

 

[alpha-jessica-a]

My first Sony was also an NEX! I still have my NEX-6!