Parents of toddlers - what gear do you use?

Good point, I thought they both were 1.8. I couldn't find the couple I had that were at 1.8.

paulhojo said:

Is this one of the G lenses you are talking about? Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm or is this for FF cameras?

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Sony is marketing its Direct Drive Super Sonic Wave AF Motor for the FE-GM lenses.

I believe this to be an update of the A-mount SSM mechanism.

I am not sure what the APS-C E-mount lenses have. One of the fastest focusing E-mount lenses is actually the FE1650PZ, but this is a slow lens.

Rear Sync flash is another option I use in low light, when I want to keep the SS up, and want to capture kids running, playing, dancing etc. It gives 'interesting' results. Experiment with Flash Exposure compensation and bouncing flash off ceilings to get the desired exposure.

paulhojo said:

Good point, I thought they both were 1.8. I couldn't find the couple I had that were at 1.8.

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the aperture is 'irrelevant', its the shutter speed thats freezing the action

the aperture is only controlling the dof and exposure once you have done that

brilly said:

paulhojo said:

Good point, I thought they both were 1.8. I couldn't find the couple I had that were at 1.8.

Click to expand...

the aperture is 'irrelevant', its the shutter speed thats freezing the action

the aperture is only controlling the dof and exposure once you have done that

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yes it directly irrelevant, however having 1.8 in that same photo would have allowed a faster SS given all other same settings.

geminihc said:

brilly said:

paulhojo said:

Good point, I thought they both were 1.8. I couldn't find the couple I had that were at 1.8.

Click to expand...

the aperture is 'irrelevant', its the shutter speed thats freezing the action

the aperture is only controlling the dof and exposure once you have done that

Click to expand...

yes it directly irrelevant, however having 1.8 in that same photo would have allowed a faster SS given all other same settings.

Click to expand...

that really goes without saying ... though the shutter speed is under absolute control of the operator so could have raised iso as well

For indoor shots, something else that has helped is to raise the general lighting levels of the main rooms you'll be shooting in. At least it might give enough light for phase detect auto focus to work.

Otherwise, the A6000 which I believe shares the AF system of your camera does just fine for my toddler. I usually mount the 20mm indoors and the kit zoom or 35mm outdoors.

Anyone use Sony A7r mark2 for toddlers? How well does it focus?

I'd say go for the a6500 if your budget allows. I was in a similar situation, almost all of the pictures of my daughter until she turned one were taken with my a5000 and 32/1.8. Shes almost 2 now and the AF had a hard time keeping up the older and faster she got. I upgraded to the a6500 and found the Sony 35/1.8 to be my favorite prime for active toddler pictures and video (fast and silent AF, good IQ, good low light). For example when taking a picture of my daughter swinging toward me on the swing last week that combo nailed focus everytime, no problem. I would expect the same from the Sigma 30/1.4. The in body stabilization would also make your non stabilized lenses much more usable for video.

The swing is the ultimate test I would think. My nex7 failed the swing test. Maybe they should add that to the Dpreviews. Lol

The A6500 will help with video, but it is a lot to pay just for that. If you are satisfied with the focus speed of your current camera, then you might want to look at the Sony 35mm 1.8, which is around $400, and will give you better focusing in low light, OSS for your video, and is actually very sharp once you run it up to F2.8 or so.

For me, the 5100 did not focus quickly enough. The first camera that focused fast enough to chase around little kids was the A6000. Because of black Friday deals, you may be able to pick one up as low as $500, and many people will find it is good enough for everyday use. It does not have the weather sealing of the A6300 or A6500, but I have used mine for many years at the beach, on the ice rink and so on, and it only requires minimal effort to keep it clean and dry enough.

I have found that the focus in low light is plenty good, and the built-in flash is good enough for most purposes.





[ATTACH alt="Gaylord Palms "Ice" slides. This was pretty low light, about 10 degrees F, and the A6000 worked fine."]1746241[/ATTACH]
Gaylord Palms "Ice" slides. This was pretty low light, about 10 degrees F, and the A6000 worked fine.

picture looks good, I personally would want better clarity. It is impressive low light result

You want to enjoy life and be a part of it. You don't want to be "that" person behind a camera you have to always be care of.

I recommend an action camera, such as the GoPro 6 and shoot in 4k 30fps and you'll be extremely happy with the results.

Couple that with an a6500 for those "Occasions" that are really special. Mount the GoPro on top so you can take pictures and video together.

Then as a last resort, I have my phone to capture anything in-between.