Is the A7CII the best camera for doing street photography? I went to find Big Tex to see for myself...

[pm-r]

I had a speaking engagement in the Dallas area this week and whenever Sony sends me someplace, I look for something interesting to do, places to eat, and for sure, things to photograph.  I made a pilgrimage of sorts, to the Cotton Bowl, where I have shot many bowl games over the years.  But this time, I wasn't there to shoot a football game.  I went in search of "Big Tex" at the State Fair of Texas, which is where the Cotton Bowl is.  Big Tex had a smoking problem a few years back, and he caught fire.  This year, they brought him back out of the shop with new electronics, motors, arms, and a new pair of boots and he did not disappoint.  People of every age wanted to see him and get a selfie.  My problem is I only had about two hours to spend at the fair so I had to move fast.  I arrived just as the gates opened at 10a and started working my way around the Cotton Bowl Stadium.  I walked fast, stopped to shoot when opportunities presented themselves, checked out the new Ford Maverick, had a corn dog, and made a few images.  It took me the entire two hours to get around the stadium and I walked a little over four miles.  Going to see the State Fair of Texas in two hours... yeah, I wouldn't recommend it.  I was overwhelmed immediately and lost my bearings multiple times, and then, I saw him!

I love the new A7CII for doing street photography.  I got mine in the more retro looking silver option so it looks more like an old school Leica than an advanced mirrorless camera.  The body is literally the same size as Sony's APS-C cameras so think much smaller than even Fujifilm's APS-C bodies.  The A7CII weighs just 1.1 lbs. and that's with a battery and a card installed!  Walking all day long with this tiny camera is a joy when I think back on all the miles I put in carrying two heavy DSLR's everywhere on every assignment.  The A7CII is my immediate favorite camera when I got it.  I've logged over 30,000 exposures already and I just got it a short time ago.  While I normally prefer the simplicity of the compact prime lenses when I do street photography, I chose the FE20-70G lens for this assignment.  I needed the 20mm field of view to really capture TEX in all his 55' glory!  

Thanks for stopping by!!!  pm-r 🙂

Edited November 3, 2023 by pm-r
added copy to the bottom of the story :)