Georgia (the country) with the 20-70mm and A7CR

Hi,

Thanks for posting - it looks beautiful. Not a part of the world we see much of.

Regards, Rod

Docno said:

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these are even more beautiful than your 1st batch! What aperture did you use to get sunstars?



--
Keep it fun!

ok, i see = f22

the one in your 1st post w/ parasail was unmarked

Docno said:

Came back last week from Georgia--the one just south of Russia, not South Carolina--and just in time, as the country seems to be sliding into post-electoral troubles. Was a good trip, though a little too far past wine season... it was down to -5C in Kazbegi in the mountains, though Tbilisi was a toastier 8C. And my wife saw snow for the first time in her life! Fascinating country studded with ancient churches and fortresses along with picturesque villages with cobblestone streets. Very European vibe to it. Highly recommended.

Anyway, I brought my new 20-70mm as well as my trusty Sony/Zeiss 35mm 2.8 and my 85mm f1.8. There were relatively few occasions that I regretted not bringing my 24-105mm instead, but this regret was somewhat tamped down by the cropping freedom one has with that 61MP sensor. Didn't find much use for the 85mm, especially as it had me standing so far back from my subject at times (couldn't really do a head-and-shoulders portrait with it). Should have probably brought the 24mmG instead. Live and learn.

Thanks for looking...

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing! I have been debating my travel setup, and your is pretty much perfect. I sent my 2070G back, not because it wasn't ideal, but because I wanted more reach without changing the lens. (I am already missing the 20mm side).

As of today, I would travel witht he 24GM and the Tamron 28-300 (outside/flash/tripod). 24GM is great as an all around lens especially with the 61MP of the a7cr and sometimes you just nee f1.4. I took my 2070G to dinner, and when I couldn't use the flash, the pictures were less than ideal, so I replaced it with the 24GM.

I mention all of that to say that your selection of travel glass was great, you captured wonderful memories and I enjoy seeing how you used the 20mm end of the 2070G.

Docno said:

Click to expand...

Good morning from NZ. Added a couple of thumbs to your 2 series. Nice cross section of what to expect. I had no idea, literally, that something like this:





... was there??? Nice. Was this around 4am or why are there no people at all? ;-)

Now the 85/1.8 shot, I have an idea why you took the photo (Deed says "hello" and tell her it's not about her as such ok??) but can see why I sold my copy some years ago as I could not unsee the somewhat busy background. Busy in not such a great way.

My opinion. Nothing more, nothing less, but for some odd reason I have found my peace with the Sigma 90/2.8. Although not as fast as the Sony 85/1.8 I find the rendering of the OOF areas far more pleasing when compared to the Sony. Won't post anything as this is not about the 90/2.8 but you may know what I mean??

All-in-all: excellent series!

Deed

Such crisp, colorful shots. And the variety of subject material is enviable! Thanks for sharing the scenery & also for the feedback on your lens choices.

rashid7 said:

ok, i see = f22

the one in your 1st post w/ parasail was unmarked

Click to expand...

Yeah, I use a program called Radiant Photo after Photolab, and it has a yet-to-be fixed bug that results in the EXIF being stripped from some images somewhat randomly. Sorry about the late reply … unexpectedly busy.

Docno said:

Didn't find much use for the 85mm, especially as it had me standing so far back from my subject at times (couldn't really do a head-and-shoulders portrait with it). Should have probably brought the 24mmG instead. Live and learn.

Click to expand...

What situations do you feel you missed because of not having the 24GM? I agree as I have almost no use for my 85/1.8.

Rod McD said:

Hi,

Thanks for posting - it looks beautiful. Not a part of the world we see much of.

Regards, Rod

Click to expand...

Thanks Rod. The place is starting to attract more attention (and tourists) these days, especially because of its wine. I just hope it will be able to sort out its political problems peacefully.

jhunna said:

Docno said:

Came back last week from Georgia--the one just south of Russia, not South Carolina--and just in time, as the country seems to be sliding into post-electoral troubles. Was a good trip, though a little too far past wine season... it was down to -5C in Kazbegi in the mountains, though Tbilisi was a toastier 8C. And my wife saw snow for the first time in her life! Fascinating country studded with ancient churches and fortresses along with picturesque villages with cobblestone streets. Very European vibe to it. Highly recommended.

Anyway, I brought my new 20-70mm as well as my trusty Sony/Zeiss 35mm 2.8 and my 85mm f1.8. There were relatively few occasions that I regretted not bringing my 24-105mm instead, but this regret was somewhat tamped down by the cropping freedom one has with that 61MP sensor. Didn't find much use for the 85mm, especially as it had me standing so far back from my subject at times (couldn't really do a head-and-shoulders portrait with it). Should have probably brought the 24mmG instead. Live and learn.

Thanks for looking...

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing! I have been debating my travel setup, and your is pretty much perfect. I sent my 2070G back, not because it wasn't ideal, but because I wanted more reach without changing the lens. (I am already missing the 20mm side).

As of today, I would travel witht he 24GM and the Tamron 28-300 (outside/flash/tripod). 24GM is great as an all around lens especially with the 61MP of the a7cr and sometimes you just nee f1.4. I took my 2070G to dinner, and when I couldn't use the flash, the pictures were less than ideal, so I replaced it with the 24GM.

I mention all of that to say that your selection of travel glass was great, you captured wonderful memories and I enjoy seeing how you used the 20mm end of the 2070G.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah, the f4 on the 20-70mm certainly does feel like a limitation in some situations (i.e., low light or if you want super-creamy bokeh), but I find I can live with it. My usual 'travel plan' is to use my zoom in the daytime and then switch out lenses back at the hotel when going out in the evening, usually to a small brighter prime (I usually leave my 35GM at home when I go on trips). Of course, that doesn't help if you go into a dimly lit church in the middle of the day, but modern sensors+software do a pretty good job of minimising noise these days. I think the candle-lit shots in my series here aren't too bad, and they're cropped in (making the noise more apparent). And funnily enough, I ADD noise to my black-and-white images But yeah, a faster prime would do a much better job...

And the 20-70mm can do some bokeh if you push it:

contadorfan said:

Such crisp, colorful shots. And the variety of subject material is enviable! Thanks for sharing the scenery & also for the feedback on your lens choices.

Click to expand...

Thank-you ... I really have to give credit to the place, it's so diverse. From snow-capped mountains, to medieval fortresses, to Soviet brutalist architecture, to rundown neighbourhoods and abandoned buildings. I didn't include much of the latter in my series, but here are a couple:

jhunna said:

Docno said:

Didn't find much use for the 85mm, especially as it had me standing so far back from my subject at times (couldn't really do a head-and-shoulders portrait with it). Should have probably brought the 24mmG instead. Live and learn.

Click to expand...

What situations do you feel you missed because of not having the 24GM? I agree as I have almost no use for my 85/1.8.

Click to expand...

(See my other reply to you, above where I give some of my reasoning). Sorry, it's the 24mm G (not GM) that I have, which is 'only' f2.8. I do have the 35mm GM (1.4), but I also tend not to bring that along on trips for size/weight reasons, given that I'm also carrying a zoom. I bought the 24mmG specifically for its small size/weight, which goes perfectly with the A7CR.

I'm of two minds on the whole 'aperture thing'. On the one hand, when I'm travelling, I'm usually more interested in environmental portraits (showing the scene as well as the person), so going down to f1.4 is something I usually wouldn't do. But then again, I took my 35mmGM on my previous trip, and people seemed to like the images from it the most ... I guess it gives you the added flexibility to do half/full-body shots with still some blurring of the background to bring out your subject. So, yeah, I'm not fully settled on my travel kit ... always experimenting.

deednets said:

Docno said:

Click to expand...

Good morning from NZ. Added a couple of thumbs to your 2 series. Nice cross section of what to expect. I had no idea, literally, that something like this:



... was there??? Nice. Was this around 4am or why are there no people at all? ;-)

Now the 85/1.8 shot, I have an idea why you took the photo (Deed says "hello" and tell her it's not about her as such ok??) but can see why I sold my copy some years ago as I could not unsee the somewhat busy background. Busy in not such a great way.

My opinion. Nothing more, nothing less, but for some odd reason I have found my peace with the Sigma 90/2.8. Although not as fast as the Sony 85/1.8 I find the rendering of the OOF areas far more pleasing when compared to the Sony. Won't post anything as this is not about the 90/2.8 but you may know what I mean??

All-in-all: excellent series!

Deed

Click to expand...

Hey Deed. Regarding that street scene, you'll never find me wandering around town before 8am in the morning. The closest I came on this trip was to wake up to catch the sun rising over the Caucuses from my hotel room and then to quickly go back to bed again. So that was taken in the town of Sighnaghi in wine country, so it was in the off-season. The whole town was fairly quiet (some hotels even closed for the year), but there were a handful of tourists wandering about the more historic part of town. I think I caught one of the rare creatures in this shot (on the right ... the fellow on the left is a local who may be standing-sleeping ):



So if the cold is not an issue for you, (very) late autumn is a good time to go there if you want tourist-free images.

As for the 85mm1.8, I get what you mean. It was never a premium lens, but I got it to have a portrait lens that went to 1.8 and didn't cost the proverbial arm+leg. I still think it can do decent shots and handle some backgrounds well (as in the shot below), and it was good for its time (even being included among DPReview's gear-of-the-year in 2017: Gear of the Year 2017 - Carey's choice: Sony FE 85mm F1.8: Digital Photography Review) But the Sigma does look better, and if I ever become interested in 85mm again, I might consider a switch...

... and let me add that the 85mm does do a nice job at times (hi from Nita!)

Nice photos. The third and fifth are fantastic.

I notice that all but two or three were taken with your 20-70mm f4 zoom, which shows what a competent all-in-one travel lens it is.

In the two photos you wanted a bit more background blur, you got it with your 35/2.8 and your 85/1.8 - to my eyes, that is EXACTLY the degree of blur one wants: isolating the subject but still keeping the background interesting and recognizable. (Carrying big and expensive f1.4 lenses would only have resulted in temptation to throw the backgrounds completely out and would have made less interesting images.)

Thank you for posting these beautiful photos !!!

Docno said:

... and let me add that the 85mm does do a nice job at times (hi from Nita!)

Click to expand...

Excellent - and this is EXACTLY the kind of blur I like. Not perfectly smooth, but I find perfectly smooth boring and steril. Slightly swirly is what I aim for


(Of course, those things are entirely personal, and who in their right mind studies the background, when you have such a beautiful foreground!)

Docno said:

jhunna said:

Docno said:

Came back last week from Georgia--the one just south of Russia, not South Carolina--and just in time, as the country seems to be sliding into post-electoral troubles. Was a good trip, though a little too far past wine season... it was down to -5C in Kazbegi in the mountains, though Tbilisi was a toastier 8C. And my wife saw snow for the first time in her life! Fascinating country studded with ancient churches and fortresses along with picturesque villages with cobblestone streets. Very European vibe to it. Highly recommended.

Anyway, I brought my new 20-70mm as well as my trusty Sony/Zeiss 35mm 2.8 and my 85mm f1.8. There were relatively few occasions that I regretted not bringing my 24-105mm instead, but this regret was somewhat tamped down by the cropping freedom one has with that 61MP sensor. Didn't find much use for the 85mm, especially as it had me standing so far back from my subject at times (couldn't really do a head-and-shoulders portrait with it). Should have probably brought the 24mmG instead. Live and learn.

Thanks for looking...

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing! I have been debating my travel setup, and your is pretty much perfect. I sent my 2070G back, not because it wasn't ideal, but because I wanted more reach without changing the lens. (I am already missing the 20mm side).

As of today, I would travel witht he 24GM and the Tamron 28-300 (outside/flash/tripod). 24GM is great as an all around lens especially with the 61MP of the a7cr and sometimes you just nee f1.4. I took my 2070G to dinner, and when I couldn't use the flash, the pictures were less than ideal, so I replaced it with the 24GM.

I mention all of that to say that your selection of travel glass was great, you captured wonderful memories and I enjoy seeing how you used the 20mm end of the 2070G.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah, the f4 on the 20-70mm certainly does feel like a limitation in some situations (i.e., low light or if you want super-creamy bokeh), but I find I can live with it. My usual 'travel plan' is to use my zoom in the daytime and then switch out lenses back at the hotel when going out in the evening, usually to a small brighter prime (I usually leave my 35GM at home when I go on trips). Of course, that doesn't help if you go into a dimly lit church in the middle of the day, but modern sensors+software do a pretty good job of minimising noise these days. I think the candle-lit shots in my series here aren't too bad, and they're cropped in (making the noise more apparent). And funnily enough, I ADD noise to my black-and-white images But yeah, a faster prime would do a much better job...
And the 20-70mm can do some bokeh if you push it:

Click to expand...

I have similar thinking but with the recent release of the 24-50g I’m thinking of replacing to use it with a7cr, which in crop mode will compensate easily for the lack of 20mm tele.
what’s your thoughts on that?