717 goodbye tribute - thanks Andy, Shay & all

brian

Most of the folks who inspired me to get a Sony F-717 are now exiles from the dpreview.com forum. So I wanted to post my good-bye to that great camera amidst the DSLR talk as well.

Ah, the Sony F-717. I just put up a plain white backdrop to photograph the camera and all the extras I'm selling with it on eBay and I couldn't resist clearing all those techno tools off the white cardboard to take one last shot from the heart (I uploaded it so I assume it should appear at the top or bottom of the post -- if not check the last image in the gallery linked to below.)

Why am I selling the great swiveling F-717? To get a DSLR that gives great bokeh? I just put up my best shots as a sort of 717 tribute:


http://rivertext.smugmug.com/gallery/1223530

And look at the bokeh on this shot taken at the introduction of the Apple iPod shuffle. (I'd put it here but, it seems I can only link in one photograph.)

There is some low light, almost no light, images that somehow came out splendidly. I even took a seriously powerful photograph with the "Night Shot" feature that Phil Askey and all the other reviewers wrote off as useless.

I'm having a very hard time replacing the F-717 before I leave in two weeks for an extended trip to Europe. I returned the R-1. I've decided to return the Rebel XT cause I can't get the Sigma 30 mm to focus. The 717 is a tough act to follow....

DavidTO

brian wrote:

it seems I can only link in one photograph.

The limitation is only on attachments. Links are not limited. Or if they are, I've never reached the limit!

Our How-To is here.

brian

DavidTO wrote:

The limitation is only on attachments. Links are not limited. Or if they are, I've never reached the limit!

Our How-To is here.

Thanks for tip -- let's try it:

Why am I selling the great swiveling F-717? To get a DSLR that gives great bokeh? I just put up my best shots as a sort of 717 tribute. And look at the bokeh on this shot taken at the introduction of the Apple iPod shuffle:

Andy

Sad and Happy. The 717 is a great camera, but you'll eventually be happier. nice to see you again!

ziggy53

brian wrote:

... I've decided to return the Rebel XT cause I can't get the Sigma 30 mm to focus. The 717 is a tough act to follow....

Brian,

Are you sure you aren't "throwing out the baby with the bathwater"? The XT is a great camera. Just because a single lens won't focus on a single body doesn't mean the whole system is bad.

Then again, I do believe that the 20D/30D gives faster and more accurate low-light focus confirmation, and the 1D MKII is better yet. Since I see a lot of available light stuff in your gallery, maybe those would be more suited to your style.

Hang in there, you will find something.

Very nice gallery, by the way.

ziggy53

mr peas

Those are some nice shots in your gallery. It's really funny, people always tell me these Sony cameras can't perform well compared to the more expensive DSLRs, however people who has experience can shoot great photos on whatever machine their using. And it looks like you know how to use it pretty darn well. I hope you find the right machine you're looking for..a lot here shares your love for your Sony, you're not alone.

BenA2

XT can focus the 30mm

brian wrote:

I've decided to return the Rebel XT cause I can't get the Sigma 30 mm to focus. The 717 is a tough act to follow....

When I first got the 30mm for my XT, I didn't think it focused well either. It turns out, it was just me. It took a couple of hours of shooting before I got the hang of focusing such a fast lens at large aperture. I find the EF 50 f/1.4 just as tricky to focus below f/2.2, so I really think it's more a function of lens and skill than the camera.

The "trick"? At large apertures, only use the center focus point, use AI Servo, avoid recomposing after focus, and leave room for cropping. Also, take several shots. I sometimes shoot in burst mode. This approach gets me about 75% focus accuracy now on the XT. Personally, I don't think you'd see much improvement in performance with the 20D/30D, like you probably would with a 1-series.

I think the XT and 30mm is a great, compact combo and shoot with it about 50% of the time.

I hope that's helpful.

-Ben

brian

no, I'm not sure

ziggy53 wrote:

Brian,

Are you sure you aren't "throwing out the baby with the bathwater"? The XT is a great camera. Just because a single lens won't focus on a single body doesn't mean the whole system is bad.

ziggy53

I'm leaving for Europe in two weeks. I tried the tips that BenA2 made -- servo focusing with the * button, not recomposing and everything. I couldn't approach 75% accuracy shooting the posters on my walls. I had to conclude that, given the time constraints I was under, I was over reaching. I would like to return to a DSLR class sensor at a later point.

I will probably get a Canon a620 knowing that it will not be easy to beat the F-717 with it.

Thanks, Ziggy, for your classy response. Sending your constructive criticism privately and all. I'm thinking a lot about that.

neilzhang

717 is a great camera